Recommended from Around the Web (Week Ending February 28, 2015)
A roundup of the most interesting stories from other sites, collected by the staff at MIT Technology Review.
Why Firmware Is So Vulnerable to Hacking, and What Can Be Done About It
Why the NSA and others can invisibly hide malware inside your devices.
—Tom Simonite, San Francisco bureau chief
Gizmodo: Confessions of a Slightly Sociopathic AOL Catfish
An interesting reflection on how our ideas about what’s okay/not okay to do on the Internet have evolved, now that the Internet is a much more established part of our lives.
—Rachel Metz, senior editor, mobile
All Dressed Up for Mars and Nowhere to Go
A nice story about the hope–and hype–surrounding the Mars One mission.
—Will Knight, online news and analysis editor
The Robots Are Coming
Two books explore the impact of increasing automation.
—Will Knight
An Outspoken Voice for Women in Tech, Foiled by His Tone
Farhad Manjoo breaks down where Vivek Wadhwa went wrong on the subject of women in tech.
—Brian Bergstein, deputy editor
Artificial Intelligence Goes to the Arcade
AI learns to play Atari in its effort to become as a smart as a toddler.
—Nanette Byrnes, Senior Editor, Business Reports
The CIA’s Secret Psychological Profiles of Dictators and World Leaders Are Amazing
Interesting excerpts of psychological close readings on some infamous totalitarian leaders of the past century.
—Kyanna Sutton, senior Web producer
Interview with a Wadhwa
Another good take on Vivek Wadhwa’s PR problem with women in Silicon Valley.
—Kyanna Sutton
We Must Bulldoze What’s Left of the Nerdy White Men’s Internet
I appreciated this as a great “tl;dr” on the tedious tempest that is Gamergate.
—Kyanna Sutton
The Push for Net Neutrality Arose from Lack of Choice
The discussion around net neutrality can be confusing, but this clear analysis gets to the main point.
—Mike Orcutt, research editor
Self-Regulating Coffee Drinkers?
Although I think there is more to it than this, a recent study at Harvard shows that DNA is the reason some people need more coffee than others.
—J. Juniper Friedman, associate Web producer
‘Bionic’ Eye Allows Man to See Wife for First Time in a Decade
An implant that sends light signals directly to the optic nerve bypasses a disease-damaged retina, making this weep-inducing video possible.
—Linda Lowenthal, copy chief
Why 40-Year-Old Tech Is Still Running America’s Air Traffic Control
An attempted suicide promoted new air traffic control technology.
—Kevin Bullis, senior editor, materials