Like many students around the world, Nora Medina is adapting to online learning. But Medina, a high school senior in Quincy, Washington, who also takes classes at a local community college, faces an additional challenge: She doesn't have reliable Internet service at home. She lives 7 miles outside of town where she says neither cable nor DSL Internet is available.She can access the Internet on her phone, and her family has a wireless hotspot, but she says the service isn’t up to the task of doing homework online. "It's hit and miss," she says. "Sometimes I can watch a video, but sometimes I...…Like many students around the world, Nora Medina is adapting to online learning. But Medina, a high school senior in Quincy, Washington, who also takes classes at a local community college, faces an additional challenge: She doesn't have reliable Internet service at home. She lives 7 miles outside of town where she says neither cable nor DSL Internet is available.She can access the Internet on her phone, and her family has a wireless hotspot, but she says the service isn’t up to the task of doing homework online. "It's hit and miss," she says. "Sometimes I can watch a video, but sometimes I...WW…

about , chances are you think of little plastic doodads created by desktop devices like those made by . Computing and printer giant HP wants you to think about metal.Today the company announced the Metal Jet printer, an industrial-scale 3-D printer that builds items not of plastic but of steel.3-D plastic printing is widely used for custom items such as and hearing aids, and by product designers for prototyping. But it's still a relatively small part of overall manufacturing. That's because, compared with more traditional mass-production techniques, 3-D printing is relatively slow and...…about , chances are you think of little plastic doodads created by desktop devices like those made by . Computing and printer giant HP wants you to think about metal.Today the company announced the Metal Jet printer, an industrial-scale 3-D printer that builds items not of plastic but of steel.3-D plastic printing is widely used for custom items such as and hearing aids, and by product designers for prototyping. But it's still a relatively small part of overall manufacturing. That's because, compared with more traditional mass-production techniques, 3-D printing is relatively slow and...WW…

thought that they'd be subject to fewer regulations after the Federal Communications Commission voted in December to jettison its net neutrality protections, they could be disappointed.California state Senator Scott Wiener on Wednesday introduced a that would create a regime in some ways more strict than the Obama-era rules against blocking, throttling, or otherwise discriminating against content. Most important, Wiener's bill, if passed, would in many cases ban broadband providers from exempting certain content from data limits, a concept known as “zero rating.” For example, AT&T would...…thought that they'd be subject to fewer regulations after the Federal Communications Commission voted in December to jettison its net neutrality protections, they could be disappointed.California state Senator Scott Wiener on Wednesday introduced a that would create a regime in some ways more strict than the Obama-era rules against blocking, throttling, or otherwise discriminating against content. Most important, Wiener's bill, if passed, would in many cases ban broadband providers from exempting certain content from data limits, a concept known as “zero rating.” For example, AT&T would...WW…

built a robot that could play peekaboo. But there was just one problem: It couldn't see her. Buolamwini is black, and the facial-recognition software she used couldn't recognize her face. The software worked well enough with lighter-skinned people, so Buolamwini moved on to other projects. "[I] figured, you know what, somebody else will solve this problem," she explained in a about her work.But it didn't get solved, at least not right away. Buolamwini continued to encounter facial-recognition software that just couldn't see her. Hers was not an isolated example. In 2009, two coworkers...…built a robot that could play peekaboo. But there was just one problem: It couldn't see her. Buolamwini is black, and the facial-recognition software she used couldn't recognize her face. The software worked well enough with lighter-skinned people, so Buolamwini moved on to other projects. "[I] figured, you know what, somebody else will solve this problem," she explained in a about her work.But it didn't get solved, at least not right away. Buolamwini continued to encounter facial-recognition software that just couldn't see her. Hers was not an isolated example. In 2009, two coworkers...WW…

15 years, has changed the way we keep in touch with friends, how we feud with family members, how we think about privacy, and how we consume Russian propaganda---not always for the better. But Facebook also changed computing. From Netflix to Uber to Walmart’s website, many of the apps and services we use every day are built with technologies that Facebook developed and then shared with the world.As the company grew to accommodate millions, and eventually billions, of users, it had to create tools, from data storage software that can handle mind-boggling amounts of user information to...…15 years, has changed the way we keep in touch with friends, how we feud with family members, how we think about privacy, and how we consume Russian propaganda---not always for the better. But Facebook also changed computing. From Netflix to Uber to Walmart’s website, many of the apps and services we use every day are built with technologies that Facebook developed and then shared with the world.As the company grew to accommodate millions, and eventually billions, of users, it had to create tools, from data storage software that can handle mind-boggling amounts of user information to...WW…

a teenager in the Seattle area was diagnosed with . Shortly after, researchers at the Seattle Flu Study shared data about his strain of the virus with other researchers on an “open science” site. Armed with that data, researchers involved with a second open science project determined that the teenager’s strain was a direct descendent of a strain of Covid-19 found in an unrelated patient in the Seattle area on January 20. The discovery was a key link in concluding that the virus had been spreading in the Seattle area for weeks.The way researchers connected those dots highlights the role of...…a teenager in the Seattle area was diagnosed with . Shortly after, researchers at the Seattle Flu Study shared data about his strain of the virus with other researchers on an “open science” site. Armed with that data, researchers involved with a second open science project determined that the teenager’s strain was a direct descendent of a strain of Covid-19 found in an unrelated patient in the Seattle area on January 20. The discovery was a key link in concluding that the virus had been spreading in the Seattle area for weeks.The way researchers connected those dots highlights the role of...WW…