Seven Must-Read Stories (Week Ending October 11, 2013)

Another chance to catch the most interesting, and important, articles from the previous week on MIT Technology Review.

October 11, 2013

Can Oculus Rift Turn Virtual Wonder into Commercial Reality?
Oculus Rift has heavyweight developer support and millions of dollars of crowdsourced investment. But many of the old challenges to this new technology remain.
NSA’s Own Hardware Backdoors May Still Be a “Problem from Hell”
Revelations that the NSA has compromised hardware for surveillance highlights the vulnerability of computer systems to such attacks.
Cleaner Long-Haul Engines Guzzle Diesel or Natural Gas
Companies are developing powerful engines that can run on natural gas together with diesel.
Twitter Datastream Used to Predict Flu Outbreaks
The rate at which people post flu-related tweets could become a powerful tool in the battle to spot epidemics earlier, say computer scientists.
Ditching the Transmission Allowed Honda’s Accord Hybrid to Hit 50 MPG
Honda’s Hybrid Accord uses electric motors in lieu of all but one gear.
Free Software Ties the Internet of Things Together
OpenRemote is an open-source Internet of Things platform that could help spur smarter homes and cities.
Data Discrimination Means the Poor May Experience a Different Internet
A Microsoft researcher proposes “big data due process” so citizens can learn how data analytics were used against them.