Recommended from Around the Web (Week Ending September 6, 2013)

A roundup of the most interesting stories from other sites, collected by the staff at MIT Technology Review.

September 6, 2013

In Historic Vote, New Zealand Bans Software Patents
My two cents: A computer program is “not an invention.” The bill only applies to new patents and there is some ambiguity as to what it covers, but it will be interesting to see if this is the beginning of a trend. Will other countries follow New Zealand’s lead?
—Brent Turner, chief digital officer

Home 3-D Printers Take Us on a Maddening Journey into Another Dimension
Testing several home 3-D printers reveals them to be plagued by technical glitches that make the dream of home manufacturing a distant one.
—Tom Simonite, senior IT editor

Video: Ylvis-The Fox
This video is the best thing to hit the Internet in the past three days, hands down.
—Jane Allen, project manager

This story is only available to subscribers.

Don’t settle for half the story.
Get paywall-free access to technology news for the here and now.

Already a subscriber?

You’ve read all your free stories.

MIT Technology Review provides an intelligent and independent filter for the flood of information about technology.

Already a subscriber?

“How Can They Be So Good?”: The Strange Story of Skype
Quite liked this deep dive on the history of Skype.
—David Talbot, chief correspondent

How to Build Little Doors Inside Your Shell: The Secrets of Snail Carpentry
Snails prep for fall and winter by building tiny walls inside their shells. It reminds me of the work of Angela Belcher (upcoming EmTech MIT speaker), who designs materials inspired by nature.
—David Sweeney, marketing communications manager

Why I’m Never Going Back to Penny Arcade Expo
This article is about Penny Arcade (a Web comic), its cofounder Mike Krahulik, and the backlash against its response to criticism that one of its comics featured a rape joke that the company’s cofounder continues to defend and perpetuate with merchandise.
—Emily Dunkle, user interface/digital designer

NSA Foils Much Internet Encryption
The scoop that should be read by everyone who uses the Internet.
—Brian Bergstein, deputy editor

All LinkedIn with Nowhere to Go
An insightful story about the way LinkedIn has us running in circles.
—Will Knight, online editor

This is your last free story.

Our most popular stories