Fewer foreign entrepreneurs say they need the U.S. That’s a problem.

A former McDonald’s chief executive has warned that raising the minimum wage will spur unemployment as companies will instead employ robots that work for less. “I guarantee you if a $15 minimum wage goes across the country you’re going to see a job loss like you can’t believe,” said Edward Rensi in an appearance on […]

Terrorist or pedophile? This start-up says it can out secrets by analyzing faces

An Israeli start-up says it can take one look at a person’s face and realize character traits that are undetectable to the human eye. Faception said it’s already signed a contract with a homeland security agency to help identify terrorists. The company said its technology also can be used to identify everything from great poker […]

Theranos teaches Silicon Valley a hard lesson about accountability

The Theranos saga hit another low last week when the company informed regulators that it was voiding two years of tests from its Edison blood testing devices and sending of tens-of-thousands of revised tests results to doctors. This means that thousands of patients received incorrect results and were likely given the wrong treatments. Surely the […]

This KFC in China now uses robots to take customers’ orders

A KFC restaurant in China is now using two robots to help take customers’ orders. KFC said it enlisted the robots in its concept store in Shanghai to bring a fun and high-tech element to the dining experience. The store is still largely run and staffed by humans who prepare food and take orders. But customers also […]

Google’s ‘wacky’ idea that will leave pedestrians glued to cars after crashes

Google was granted a patent this week for an adhesive vehicle front that’s designed to limit the injuries of a pedestrian it strikes. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle with the adhesive front end would become stuck to the hood and bumper. The motivation behind the glue-covered vehicle is to prevent a secondary blow to the pedestrian, […]

Trump’s demand that Apple must make iPhones in the U.S. actually isn’t that crazy

Donald Trump has promised that “we’re gonna get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country, instead of in other countries.” He said this at a speech at Virginia’s Liberty University and several other events. It is very likely that he is not serious; Trump tends to say things he couldn’t […]

Warren Buffett never liked tech stocks. So why does he own Apple?

Warren Buffett, who has long had an aversion to investing in tech companies, purchased 10 million shares of Apple earlier this year. The surprise investment comes five years after Buffett invested billions in IBM, his initial foray into that industry and departure from the type of companies Berkshire Hathaway has targeted for decades. “I know […]

Meet ‘Ross,’ the newly hired legal robot

One of the country’s biggest law firms has become the first to publicly announce that it has “hired” a robot lawyer to assist with bankruptcy cases. The robot, called ROSS, has been marketed as “the world’s first artificially intelligent attorney.” ROSS has joined the ranks of law firm BakerHostetler, which employs about 50 human lawyers just in its bankruptcy practice. The AI […]

Why virtual reality won’t transform sports viewing

Virtual reality’s ability to immerse viewers in new worlds has fueled talk of a fundamental change in how consumers experience media. While interest is growing in the emerging technology, and companies are racing to ship virtual reality headsets and content, one of the most popular areas of media consumption — sports — is unlikely to see […]

‘Be used to people gawking’: How to commute on this quirky replacement for a bicycle

Carol Herrera no longer has to walk to the bus in the morning. Instead, the 61-year-old Washington resident rides to her bus stop on her URB-E, a motorized device that most closely resembles the design of a child’s tricycle, but has two wheels and is made for adults. Herrera had grown tired of climbing hills on her […]

Watch this Russian man use a medieval weapon to wreck a drone

Drones have emerged in recent years as one of the hottest modern technologies. They’re used for purposes as varied as monitoring crop health and tracking construction projects, endangered animals and missing persons. But despite being on the cutting edge in 2016, they’re no match for a technology that’s 400,000 years old. A reenactor at Rusborg in Lipetsk, […]

How crowdfunding can help save Silicon Valley from its harebrained investors

There are fears that another Ice Age is about to hit Silicon Valley because of the implosion of its unicorns — start-ups valued at more than one billion dollars. By one estimate there were 229 such companies in January of this year. Their valuations are dropping precipitously because they were overpriced and overhyped. The fear […]

This professor stunned his students when he revealed the secret identity of his teaching assistant

To help with his class this spring, a Georgia Tech professor hired Jill Watson, a teaching assistant unlike any other in the world. Throughout the semester, she answered questions online for students, relieving the professor’s overworked teaching staff. But, in fact, Jill Watson was an artificial intelligence bot. Ashok Goel, a computer science professor, did not […]

The D.C. start-up that’s crazy enough to take on Uber and Lyft

Split, the ride-sharing service based in D.C., finds itself in a battle of David and two Goliaths. The smartphone app offers cheap rides by putting commuters with similar routes in the same vehicle. But since Split launched its smartphone app in the nation’s capital a year ago, it’s watched heavyweights Uber and Lyft launch similar […]

‘I feel sick, give me the bucket’: What 25 hours in virtual reality feels like
A Los Angeles writer set a world record after spending 25 hours playing a single game in virtual reality. Derek Westerman, 32, took on the challenge after trying virtual reality for the first time earlier this year. Westerman was left wondering how long anyone could last in an experience that he considered intense and overwhelming. When […]

Netflix reveals what images hook viewers on new shows

Netflix has found that its viewers spend only 1.8 seconds considering whether to watch a show or movie that is presented to them. With so little time to make a successful pitch to potential viewers, the company has become obsessed with making it easy for members to make a quick decision about whether a show […]

Google and Chrysler are teaming up to make a self-driving minivan

Google will work directly with a major automaker for the first time as it announced plans to bring its self-driving technology to about 100 Chrysler minivans. The tech company will use the Pacifica hybrids to more than double the size of its test fleet, which currently operates in four U.S. cities and has driven more than […]

WeWork wants to be your landlord, and it has some fresh ideas about apartment life

WeWork, a provider of co-working spaces in 28 cities, isn’t content to just offer you a place to do your job. This week it’s opening WeLive, which offers furnished living quarters and a range of extra amenities in a fresh take on what apartment life should be like. The apartments themselves are on the small […]

This top scientist offers a solution for the havoc driverless cars may wreck on workers

Proponents of autonomous vehicles are in a sticky situation. Self-driving technology is expected to have a tremendous impact on public health and reduce the 1.25 million deaths every year on global roads. At the same time, this emerging technology is a threat to the employment of the millions who are paid to sit behind the wheel — […]

How Foursquare knew before almost anyone how bad things were for Chipotle

Chipotle announced its first loss as a public company Tuesday. But two weeks earlier, an unlikely source —the social media app Foursquare — had beat Chipotle to the punch, predicting in a blog post that the burrito maker’s sales would drop nearly 30 percent. Chipotle made it official Tuesday afternoon — reporting a drop of 29.7 percent.  The remarkably accurate […]

Why Tesla is the spark that Apple needs

Apple’s dismal earnings announcement shows why it badly needs to rethink its innovation model and leadership. Its last breakthrough innovation was the iPhone — which was released in 2007. Since then, Apple has simply been tweaking its componentry, adding faster processors and more advanced sensors, and playing with its size — making it bigger in […]

Clueless smartphone users keep walking in front of trains. So this streetcar got creative.

A German streetcar system has installed flashing lights in the ground at two stations to better alert pedestrians focused on their smartphones of approaching trains. The Augsburg stations already had pedestrian signals with the traditional “walk” and “do-not-walk” instructions. But those signs are located about 10 feet off the ground, and the gaze of pedestrians has steadily moved […]

The future of TV is arriving faster than anyone predicted

Late last week, Comcast announced a new program that allows makers of smart TVs and other Internet-based video services to have full access to your cable programming without the need for a set-top box.  Instead, the content will flow directly to the third-party device as an app, including all the channels and program guide. The […]

This CEO banned his first employees from living more than 15 minutes from work

A new book on the Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba has revealed that founder Jack Ma insisted that his first employees reside only minutes from work. Alibaba — now a thriving $200 billion company — began in 1999 as a humble start-up based in Ma’s apartment in Hangzhou, China. In “Alibaba: The House that Jack Ma […]

A Swedish man’s brilliant solution for biking in the worst weather

A Swedish man has built a recumbent bicycle with an outer shell that resembles a car, creating a pleasant riding experience during his country’s bitter winters. While the popularity of bicycle commuting has grown globally due to factors such as climate change and urban gridlock, cycling in bad weather has remained unpleasant. Many bike commuters […]

How open science can help solve Zika and prepare us for the next pandemic

With the advent of synthetic biology and gene editing tools, there are amazing breakthroughs being made in medicine, energy and food. Within a few years, we will see cures for debilitating diseases, new biofuels, and grains that can be grown in extreme climates. We will also have many new nightmares: bioterrorism and well-meaning experiments that […]

Why laundry detergent caps are stuck in the past

The laundry detergent aisle of every U.S. grocery store is home to a shining example of the huge impact the smallest innovations can have, and what happens when there seems to be no incentive to be innovative. The measuring caps on liquid laundry detergent containers are universally difficult to read, because of faint markings that blend in […]

How airports and the drone industry are teaming up to protect planes

More than 50 U.S. airports will test a new system to make themselves more aware of drones flying near their runways. Airport executives and the drone industry expect the Digital Notice and Awareness System (D-NAS) to improve safety amid concerns raised by 764 drone sightings near airplanes in 2015. Drone hobbyists are required to notify airports […]

A college kid spends $60 to straighten his own teeth. What could possibly go wrong?

A college student has received a wealth of interest in his dental work after publishing an account of straightening his own teeth for $60. Amos Dudley, who studies digital design at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, had no dentistry experience when he decided to create plastic aligners to improve his smile. After publishing before-and-after pictures […]

Here’s the advantage that keeps Silicon Valley ahead of the world

A trait shared by the fastest growing and most disruptive companies in history — Google, Amazon, Uber, AirBnb, and eBay—is that they aren’t focused on selling products, they are building platforms. The ability to leverage the network effects of a platform is something that the technology industry learned long ago — and perfected. It is […]

Tesla fans are waiting in line to buy a car that they haven’t even seen yet

Would you put down a $1,000 deposit to buy something you haven’t even seen? For fans of Tesla Motors, the answer isn’t only yes, but also that they will happily camp out for hours to ensure a favorable position on the company’s waiting list. On Wednesday, lines began to grow outside Tesla showrooms around the United States […]

Time to change a diaper or car tire? Futuristic fabrics will let you know.

A new nonprofit will seek to speed the arrival of next-generation fabrics that can store energy, control their own temperature, change color and behave like computer sensors. MIT professor Yoel Fink, who is leading the effort, envisions the creation of an entire new industry: textiles for the 21st century. “It’s really giving — for the first time […]

The car industry has never witnessed what Tesla is about to go through

Most of the best selling cars in America, such as the Honda Accord or Nissan Altima, generally hit around 300,000 in sales every year. Tesla saw 276,000 people sign-up to buy its newest all-electric Model 3 sedan — in two days. That massive number, which far exceeded optimistic forecasts, upends traditional thinking about how to sell […]