Recommended from Around the Web (Week Ending August 2, 2014)

Hold the Phone: A Big-Data Conundrum
If nothing else, big data suggests we’re all conspiracy theorists.
—Will Knight, news and analysis editor

Electric Utilities Get No Jolt from Gadgets, Improving Economy
The Wall Street Journal (paywall) examines the reasons executives are abandoning the assumption that electricity use is coupled with overall economic conditions.
—Mike Orcutt, research editor

HitchBOT, the Hitchhiking Robot, Bums 1st Ride
An experiment by McMaster University scientists focuses on the interaction between people and technology. HitchBOT, thumbing rides from Canada’s East to West Coasts, was near Montreal at the time of this writing.
—Nanette Byrnes, senior editor, Business Reports

Checking In from Home Leaves Entry for Hackers
No huge surprise in this Homeland Security report, but the clarity of the statement is striking.
—Brian Bergstein, deputy editor

Sprint Will Sell a $12 Wireless Plan That Only Connects to Facebook or Twitter
Sprint’s experiment with low-cost plans that offer access to only certain social networks has led to accusations it is damaging net neutrality.
—Tom Simonite, senior editor, IT

Brazil Farmers Say GMO Corn No Longer Resistant to Bugs
Brazilian farmers bring false-advertising claim against Monsanto as bugs become resistant to Bt corn.
—Antonio Regalado, senior editor, business

Venter Steals Top Scholar from Google
Craig Venter hires machine learning bigwig Franz Och, who built Google Translate, to decipher genomes.
—Antonio Regalado

These Aren’t Abstract Paintings, They’re iPhone Smudges
Finger-smudged manufactured art coming soon to a local gallery near you.
—J. Juniper Friedman, associate web producer

Mark Phelan: Lab Rolls Out Ideas for Future Vehicles
A handful of discoveries at a national lab that could transform transportation.
—Kevin Bullis, senior editor, energy