Group items tagged

"Snapchat's growing up. The messaging app that was once defined by its disappearing illicit photos is now serving as an opportune platform for teenagers in abusive relationships."

This app gives your hand a rest & hails a cab for you.

This is a great app that uses social sharing and GPS to effectively monitor traffic delays, accidents, road hazards and other traffic impediments in real time.

How a dating app -- namely tinder -- and smartphone technology in general has completely changed dating. One interviewee says they cant meet people in bars or social scenes anymore because everyone is looking at their phone.

I could see this being popular in NYC

While the title of this article reads like an entry in the "Darwin Awards" hall of fame, the numbers are nothing to laugh at. Selfie-related deaths have risen from 15 in 2014, to 73 in the first eight months of 2016. Research is being done to understand what accounts for this increase, and what can be done to warn people when they are reaching perilous territory. An especially interesting piece of information in the article is how the manner of deaths differ between countries (e.g. India has the most selfie-related train deaths).

The F.C.C. passed new rules that "prevent companies like AT&T and Comcast from collecting and giving out digital information about individuals - such as the websites they visited and the apps they used - in a move that creates landmark protections for internet users." This is an exciting development in light of what we've learned about how big communications companies use our histories to target advertising. It is real progress in the securing of our privacy.

The article starts with a discussion about the tech used against protestors: LRAD, stingrays (track cell phones), drones with pepper spray and xray machine that can see through walls. Some of the tech being developed for protestors include a bandanna that has a design when scanned with a cellphone can convey a secret message, a pendant that could block cell phone tracking signals but still allow the smart phone to work for taking photos, and a phone app compass that could direct activists to another area that is safer and finally a braclet that can be activated to warn others wearing a similar braclet that the area is unsafe or turning hostile.

This was an interesting article to give insight into different ways modern technology can be used to work with stress. The article mentioned several companies that have come out with tools that connect to a smartphone and measure skin conductivity. There was an app mentioned with interacts with the user as sort of a personal counselor and allows the user to create a secret diary. There was also mention of another tech item called Muse which measures brain wave activity and track it on a smartphone. Overall it's exciting to see what's available for people to use to handle personal stress.