Showing results by narrator "Todd Mundt" in All Categories

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9-11 Commission, was created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush in late 2002. This independent, bipartisan commission had the task of producing a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the attack, including preparedness and immediate response, and providing recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.

“Where would you like to go?” Siri asked. It was a sunny, slightly dreamy morning in the heart of Silicon Valley, and I was sitting in the passenger seat of what seemed like a perfectly ordinary new car. There was something strangely Apple-like about it, though. There was no mistaking the apps arranged across the console screen, nor the deadpan voice of Apple’s virtual assistant, who, as backseat drivers go, was pretty helpful.

According to Adam Tilton, when you get down to it, there really isn't that much of a difference between estimating the path and speed of a missile and figuring out what kind of exercise you're doing at the gym: it's all about using a sensor to measure a signal, and extracting that signal from the surrounding noise.

In this issue, you'll hear how physicians can now use DNA sequencing to uncover the causes of rare genetic disorders. You'll learn about an online community where people are free to be wrong – and how big investors want a piece of the action. You'll hear about the dilemma that new energy technologies could face once the federal stimulus funds have dried up.

In this issue, you'll learn about a new feature that will enable shuttle astronauts to get out alive in case of a launch emergency. You'll get a few hints as to how Google's new operating system will actually function. You'll learn how a company is trying to bolster online password security by studying the people who are typing in the characters. You'll hear about the alarming security weaknesses in ATMs and what is being done to improve it.

In this issue, you’ll learn what the latest technological flops, fizzles, and flame outs tell us about innovation. You’ll hear how the past year ushered in progress in developing hardware and software capable of human feats of intelligence. You’ll learn how a wireless transmitter could give paralyzed people a practical way to control TVs, computers, or wheelchairs with their thoughts. You’ll hear how software that turns data into written text could help us make sense of a coming tsunami of data. You’ll learn what’s next for the inventor of Gorilla Glass. You’ll hear about how a wireless technology more than 10 times faster than the best Wi-Fi is coming to market this year.

In this issue: "A Contrarian in Biotech" by Antonio Regalado. "Industry Body Calls for Gene-Editing Moratorium" by Antonio Regalado. "The Electric Mood-Control Acid Test" by Kevin Bullis. "Gadgets Are Getting Better at Fooling Your Sense of Touch" by Rachel Metz. "App Ads Are Booming Business for Facebook" by Robert D. Hof. "Smartphones Will Soon Learn to Recognize Faces and More" by Tom Simonite. "How People Will Use the Apple Watch" by John Pavlus. "A Smart Watch Pioneer Has an Answer for Apple" by Rachel Metz. "Your iPhone Might Make You a Reality TV Star" by Winston Ross. "New Display Technology Lets LCDs Produce Princess Leia-Style Holograms" by Mike Orcutt. "A Film Studio for the Age of Virtual Reality" by Rachel Metz. "Five Loopholes That Could Undermine Net Neutrality" by George Anders.

In this issue, you’ll hear about whether we could take a cut of the billions companies are making due to their knowledge of our online habits. You’ll learn about an app that can figure out who your cell-phone camera is pointed at. You’ll hear how fitness trends and health-care problems are creating a demand for tiny computers we won't even notice we're carrying. You’ll hear how an innovative motion-sensing technology is achieved by combining clever software with the Doppler Effect.

In this issue, you’ll learn why the disparity between the rich and everyone else is larger than ever in the United States and increasing in much of Europe. You’ll hear whether an aging corporation’s adventures in fundamental physics can open an era of unimaginably powerful computers. You’ll learn how China will dominate the future of genetically modified food—despite the resistance of its population. And you’ll hear how letting go of an obsession with net neutrality could free technologists to make online services even better.

In this issue, you’ll hear why Facebook has tightened its security. You’ll learn about an interest network that lets users create pages and plans to give them a cut of the resulting ad revenue. You'll hear why taking control of computers with our hands and bodies is set to become commonplace. You’ll learn how a full-color screen for mobile devices may be available sooner than you’d think.

Technology Review is the United State's oldest technology magazine. And in the last few years, TR has undergone a dramatic transformation, shifting its focus to innovation - the process by which humanity continuously upgrades its tools and techniques. Each issue concentrates on four major fields of innovation: biotechnology, information technology, material science, and nanotechnology.

In this issue, you’ll hear about the top companies from our list of the “50 Smartest Companies 2014.” You’ll learn how some of our deadliest genetic diseases could be cured. You’ll hear what Google must overcome in order for its wearable computer to be accepted. And you’ll learn how Bitcoin’s underlying technology is beginning to suggest valuable new applications.

In this issue, you’ll learn why we will need genetically modified foods. You’ll learn about an online file storage system designed to reshape industries. You’ll hear how microchips modeled on the brain may excel at tasks that baffle today’s computers. You’ll learn how pregnant women now have an easy and risk-free way to identify genetic flaws in their fetuses. And you’ll hear about Facebook’s commitment to connectivity.

In this issue, you’ll hear how researchers can investigate the source of emotions, memory, and consciousness for the first time. You’ll learn how better research tools and new insights into the genetics of brain disorders could revive the moribund effort to improve treatments. You’ll hear how a better understanding of the complex systems the brain uses to relay information could lead to massive breakthroughs in memory and computing. You’ll learn about a remarkable experiment where a paralyzed woman used her mind to control a robotic arm. And you’ll hear how Gabriel Kreiman’s single-neuron measurements of unconscious decision-making could someday point to ways we can learn to control ourselves.

In this issue, you’ll learn about the year's most important computing stories. You’ll hear how IBM is planning to invest a billion dollars in the computer system that won on Jeopardy! You’ll learn how typing in passwords on tablets and PCs could become a thing of the past. You’ll hear about the most intriguing business stories of the year. You’ll learn about a new study that shows how Google is dominating search. And you’ll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

In this issue, you'll learn how Google will keep a copy of any genome in the cloud – for only 25 dollars. You’ll hear about Lockheed Martin's breakthrough Fusion machine. You’ll learn how Knightscope is preparing to roll out human-size robot patrols. You'll hear how IBM is trying to turn things around with research on more human-like artificial intelligence. You'll learn how we’re going to need an air traffic control system for drones. You'll hear about a "smart" terminal that is going to be used for all kinds of payments. And you'll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

For our 13th annual celebration of people who are driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs, we’re presenting the stories in a new way. We’ve grouped them by categories that reflect the variety of approaches that people can take to big problems. First we introduce you to Inventors, who are creating new technologies. Next come Entrepreneurs, who are turning technologies into viable businesses. Then meet the Visionaries, who are anticipating how technologies can make life better, while Humanitarians are concentrating on expanding opportunities. Finally, the Pioneers are exploring new frontiers, setting the stage for future innovations.

In this issue, you’ll learn how manufacturing in the United States is in trouble – which spells bad news for the country's economy and future of innovation. You’ll hear how our saved online photos and mementos are at the mercy of companies that may decide to just throw it all away. You’ll learn how mapping our neural circuits under anesthesia could shed light on consciousness. You’ll hear how information technology is reducing the need for certain jobs faster than new ones are being created.

In this issue, Technology Review highlights 10 Breakthrough Technologies. Not all breakthroughs are created equal. Some arrive more or less as usable things; others mainly set the stage for innovations that emerge later, and we have to estimate when that will be. But we’d bet that every one of the milestones on this list will be worth following in the coming years.

Welcome to Technology Review’s Special Edition for September 2012 on the 35 Innovators Under the Age of 35. Some members of our latest list of young innovators from around the world have developed consumer Web services you might have used, such as Spotify or Dropbox. Others are making more fundamental breakthroughs that have yet to be commercialized, such as more efficient engines or improvements in optical communications. And a few are blazing trails in fields that didn’t exist before, like pop-up fabrication of tiny machines, or cameras that can see around corners. But all 35 of them have something significant in common: their work is likely to be influential for a very long time. We hope that these stories about them surprise and inspire you.