Items by By RANDALL STROSS
NYT > Business
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Digital Domain: Computer Science for Non-Majors Takes Many Forms
Posted: April 1st, 2012, 1:33am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Many computer science professors said they think all college students should learn “computational thinking,” but they disagree on its core components.
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Digital Domain: Seeking Ways to Make Computer Passwords Unnecessary
Posted: March 17th, 2012, 10:49pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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An end to NewUser123? Researchers are seeking to eliminate the need for computer passwords using software that can recognize you just by the way you type.
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Digital Domain: Apps Let You Supplement the TV Show You’re Watching
Posted: March 3rd, 2012, 6:20pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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To learn more about a TV show you’re watching, you can turn to so-called second-screen apps on your smartphone or tablet. But it’s still unclear how many viewers will want to use them.
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Digital Domain: On HealthTap, Advice for You and Points for Doctors
Posted: February 4th, 2012, 8:20pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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On HealthTap, an interactive Web site, users can ask for medical advice, and doctors can gain whimsical “awards” for their answers.
NYT > Health
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Digital Domain: On HealthTap, Advice for You and Points for Doctors
Posted: February 4th, 2012, 8:20pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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On HealthTap, an interactive Web site, users can ask for medical advice, and doctors can gain whimsical “awards” for their answers.
NYT > Business
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Digital Domain: Lane-Keeping Systems Aim to Nudge Drowsy Drivers
Posted: January 21st, 2012, 5:09pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Lane-keeping technology, soon to be available in more cars, is intended to keep vehicles from drifting across lane markers, but it is suited only for certain road conditions.
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Digital Domain: BranchOut and BeKnown Vie for LinkedIn’s Reach
Posted: January 7th, 2012, 8:37pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Aiming to compete with LinkedIn, independent developers of new apps are trying to add a professional information layer to Facebook.
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Digital Domain: BranchOut and BeKnown Vie for LinkedIn’s Reach
Posted: January 7th, 2012, 8:37pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Aiming to compete with LinkedIn, independent developers of new apps are trying to add a professional information layer to Facebook.
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Digital Domain: For Libraries and Publishers, an E-Book Tug of War
Posted: December 24th, 2011, 2:52pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Several publishers have barred libraries from buying their e-books, saying that allowing unlimited e-reading isn’t a sustainable business model. But one publisher is trying a different approach.
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Digital Domain: Consumer Reports, Going Strong at 75 — Digital Domain
Posted: December 10th, 2011, 8:37pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Consumer Reports, now 75 years old, has started generating more revenue from digital subscriptions than from print — a rarity among publications.
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Digital Domain: Wireless Medical Monitoring Might Untether Patients
Posted: September 3rd, 2011, 3:58pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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A near-weightless patch worn at home might one day replace the electrodes and wires that can tether a patient to hospital machines.
NYT > Health
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Digital Domain: Wireless Medical Monitoring Might Untether Patients
Posted: September 3rd, 2011, 3:58pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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A near-weightless patch worn at home might one day replace the electrodes and wires that can tether a patient to hospital machines.
NYT > Business
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Digital Domain: The Therapist Will See You Now, via the Web
Posted: July 10th, 2011, 4:55am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Psychiatry through a video connection was pioneered several decades ago. Today, start-up companies are trying to popularize therapy over the Internet.
NYT > Health
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Digital Domain: The Therapist Will See You Now, via the Web
Posted: July 10th, 2011, 4:55am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Psychiatry through a video connection was pioneered several decades ago. Today, start-up companies are trying to popularize therapy over the Internet.
NYT > Business
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Digital Domain: Please, Just Tell Me When I’m Nearing My Limit
Posted: January 22nd, 2011, 2:08pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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The F.C.C.’s proposal for mandatory alerts to cellphone users facing overage charges seems logical enough. So why is the industry opposed?
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Digital Domain: 99.999% Reliable? Don’t Hold Your Breath
Posted: January 8th, 2011, 1:20pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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The reliability of complex Web services should grow over time, though it might never achieve the standard set by Ma Bell.
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Digital Domain : The Online Reservations That Restaurants Love to Hate
Posted: December 12th, 2010, 1:14am EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Some restaurant owners complain that OpenTable’s fees are excessive, but a rival platform charges similar amounts.
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Digital Domain: When the Software Is the Sportswriter
Posted: November 28th, 2010, 12:00am EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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A network of Web sites devoted to men’s college basketball offers news stories written entirely by software.
NYT > Sports
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Digital Domain: When the Software Is the Sportswriter
Posted: November 28th, 2010, 12:00am EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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A network of Web sites devoted to men’s college basketball offers news stories written entirely by software.
NYT > Health
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Digital Domain: Should You Be Snuggling With Your Cellphone?
Posted: November 15th, 2010, 3:25pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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If you assumed that worries about cellphone radiation were unfounded, a new survey of scientific investigations suggests that you think again.
NYT > Business
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Digital Domain: When the Assembly Line Moves Online
Posted: October 30th, 2010, 1:54pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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New companies are offering to speed the completion of repetitive work — by parceling it out over the Internet.
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Digital Domain: Why Bricks and Clicks Don’t Always Mix
Posted: September 19th, 2010, 3:27am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Blockbuster’s experience shows the challenges in adding an online strategy to traditional bricks-and-mortar stores.
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Digital Domain: A Strong Password Isn’t the Strongest Security
Posted: September 4th, 2010, 10:40pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Elaborate requirements for account passwords may sound invincible, but experts say Americans aren’t paying enough attention to other online security threats.
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Digital Domain: $9 Here, 20 Cents There and a Credit-Card Lawsuit
Posted: August 21st, 2010, 10:50pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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The Federal Trade Commission alleges in a civil case that scammers placed more than $10 million in small, bogus charges on consumers’ credit and debit cards.
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Digital Domain: Kindle vs. iPad: Specialist Against Multitasker
Posted: August 7th, 2010, 10:10pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Apple has sold more than three million iPads since April, but Amazon’s success with the Kindle is cloudier because it doesn’t reveal sales numbers.
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Digital Domain: A Path to Instant Processing of Medical Insurance Claims
Posted: June 26th, 2010, 3:22pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Instant electronic processing of medical insurance claims has long been discussed, but its adoption has been slow.
NYT > Health
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Digital Domain: A Path to Instant Processing of Medical Insurance Claims
Posted: June 26th, 2010, 3:22pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Instant electronic processing of medical insurance claims has long been discussed, but its adoption has been slow.
NYT > Business
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Digital Domain: YouTube Wants You to Sit and Stay Awhile
Posted: May 29th, 2010, 5:22pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Known for its world of mostly short videos, how can YouTube keep its audience interested for longer stretches of the day?
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Digital Domain: Two Billion Laptops? It May Not Be Enough
Posted: April 17th, 2010, 4:33pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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The One Laptop Per Child program has an ambitious goal. But can technology offer complete answers to problems of the developing world?
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Digital Domain: Web Sites Are Helping Music Groups Raise Money
Posted: April 3rd, 2010, 6:21pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Artists without recording contracts are turning to their fans for money, and several Web sites manage the donations.
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Digital Domain: Paperless Post Joins Rivals to Evite
Posted: March 20th, 2010, 6:36pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Evite became dominant in online invitations by being free to users. Paperless Post, a new rival, is going the pay route.
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Digital Domain: Getting Older Without Getting Old
Posted: March 6th, 2010, 3:06pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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In its wide, wide world, Facebook has the advantage of “network effects” — making its value grow in tandem with the number of people who use it.
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Digital Domain: Getting Older Without Getting Old
Posted: March 6th, 2010, 3:06pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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In its wide, wide world, Facebook has the advantage of “network effects” — making its value grow in tandem with the number of people who use it.
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Digital Domain: The Birth of Cheap Communication (and Junk Mail)
Posted: February 21st, 2010, 2:36am EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Letter writers in the 19th century, like e-mail correspondents today, preferred short, quick responses, and were bedeviled by commercial come-ons.
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Digital Domain: Buy Now, Pay Later (Maybe With Your Allowance)
Posted: February 6th, 2010, 10:32pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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On FooPets and Puzzle Pirates, young players can buy virtual goods like pet food through Kwedit, with a promise to pay later.
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Digital Domain: Failing Like a Buggy Whip Maker? Better Check Your Simile
Posted: January 9th, 2010, 4:48pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Today, many businesses facing life-or-death challenges from digital technology are described as contemporary buggy whip makers. But is the comparison apt?
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Digital Domain: Sorry, Shoppers, but Why Can’t Amazon Collect More Tax?
Posted: December 26th, 2009, 3:15pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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At a time when many governments could use more revenue, Amazon.com must collect sales taxes in only five states.
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Digital Domain: AT&T Takes the Blame, Even for the iPhone’s Faults
Posted: December 12th, 2009, 4:51pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Despite evidence that suggests Verizon provides superior cellphone service, an independent assessment proves otherwise.
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Digital Domain: Don’t Take This Bait (but You’re Safe if You Do)
Posted: November 28th, 2009, 3:48pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Online bank customers who give up their user names and passwords to phishers are protected by zero liability, an industry standard that offers full restitution.
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Digital Domain: Apple Wouldn’t Risk Its Cool Over a Gimmick, Would It?
Posted: November 14th, 2009, 5:31pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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In a patent application, a new way to make consumers acknowledge a pop-up ad.
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Digital Domain: Will Books Be Napsterized?
Posted: October 3rd, 2009, 7:04pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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As the hardware for electronic books moves closer to the mainstream, publishers wonder whether their industry can be spared the potential problems of piracy.
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Digital Domain: What if People Don’t Take the Bait to Go Paperless?
Posted: September 20th, 2009, 2:34am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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After a $1.50 fee was added to bills mailed in August, the number of people opting for paperless billing jumped to 33,000 a day from 1,000 a day.
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Digital Domain: Texting? No, Just Trying to Read Chapter 6
Posted: September 5th, 2009, 10:40pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Reading that world history textbook on the six-square-inch iPhone screen can mean a lot of scrolling for students.
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Digital Domain: Where Yahoo Leaves Google in the Dust
Posted: August 22nd, 2009, 3:26pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Yahoo draws 17.5 times as much traffic to its financial news and information section and has held the category’s top spot for 19 consecutive months.
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Digital Domain: Are the Glory Days Long Gone for I.T.?
Posted: August 8th, 2009, 5:49pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Thomas M. Siebel, an I.T. heavyweight, believes information technology is a mature industry that will grow no faster than the larger economy.
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Digital Domain: Our Payments Were Automatic. Stopping Them Wasn’t.
Posted: July 25th, 2009, 5:42pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Consumers who allow direct payments from checking accounts shouldn’t assume when those withdrawals will end.
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Digital Domain: When the Price Is Right, the Future Can Wait
Posted: July 12th, 2009, 12:21am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Redbox’s kiosks may not be the most convenient way to rent videos, but customers like the $1-a-night rate.
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Digital Domain: Hey, Just a Minute (or Why Google Isn’t Twitter)
Posted: June 13th, 2009, 9:11pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Real-time results sound great, but can’t a search engine take a moment to chew its food?
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Digital Domain: Shooting to Software Stardom on the iPhone
Posted: May 31st, 2009, 3:54am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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If Apple likes a developer’s application, the company will play it up big. This is publicity that money cannot buy.
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Digital Domain: Just Browsing? A Web Store May Follow You Out the Door
Posted: May 16th, 2009, 2:19pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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If you shop but don’t buy, online stores could use a new system that would immediately try to bring you back.
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Digital Domain: Encyclopedic Knowledge, Then vs. Now
Posted: May 2nd, 2009, 3:16pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Much planning went into Microsoft’s Encarta, but ultimately it couldn’t compete with Google’s algorithms.
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Digital Domain: The PC Doesn’t Have to Be an Anchor
Posted: April 18th, 2009, 4:05pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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The immobile desktop computer is being outpaced in sales by notebooks, including netbooks, their smaller cousin.
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Digital Domain: Small Company Offers Web-Based Competition for Microsoft Word
Posted: April 4th, 2009, 4:00pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Zoho Writer offers Internet word processing that can handle the basics and many advanced functions, without breaking a sweat.
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Digital Domain: For Palm, Some Tough Acts to Follow
Posted: March 21st, 2009, 6:42pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Palm, a onetime smartphone leader, will try to regain primacy with the Pre.
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Digital Domain: When Everyone’s a Friend, Is Anything Private?
Posted: March 7th, 2009, 3:36pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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The popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites has promoted the sharing of all things personal, dissolving the line that separates the private from the public.
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Digital Domain: You’ve Been Talking (or Pressing ‘Send’) in Your Sleep
Posted: January 10th, 2009, 5:00pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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An article in the journal Sleep Medicine shows that we can send e-mail even when we seem to be sound asleep.
NYT > Health
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Digital Domain: You’ve Been Talking (or Pressing ‘Send’) in Your Sleep
Posted: January 10th, 2009, 5:00pm EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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An article in the journal Sleep Medicine shows that we can send e-mail even when we seem to be sound asleep.
NYT > Business
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Digital Domain: What Carriers Aren’t Eager to Tell You About Texting
Posted: December 27th, 2008, 12:31am EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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The public assumes that wireless carriers’ costs are far higher than they actually are, and profit margins are concealed by a heavy curtain.
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Digital Domain: Only the Rich Can Afford It. Should Taxpayers Back It?
Posted: November 30th, 2008, 1:01am EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Tesla Motors says it cannot move forward on plans to bring out a second-generation electric car without federal funds.
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Digital Domain: 30 Seconds to Boot Up? That’s 29 Too Many
Posted: November 2nd, 2008, 1:16am EST by By RANDALL STROSS
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Unhappiness with boot times is shared by many computer users, as reflected in much online discussion of the issue.
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Digital Domain: Why This Storm May Stay Away From Apple
Posted: October 18th, 2008, 3:14pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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In the teeth of an economic storm, Steven P. Jobs calmly keeps Apple on the same course it has been following since the skies were clear.
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Digital Domain: Can’t Open Your E-Mailbox? Good Luck
Posted: October 5th, 2008, 3:33am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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What would you do if you logged onto your e-mail and received an unfamiliar message: “User name and password do not match”?
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Digital Domain: So the iPhone Has Problems. What About the Stock Options?
Posted: July 12th, 2008, 6:27pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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Straightening out the new iPhone’s systems problems will surely be accomplished more quickly than will fully banishing the problem of Apple’s stock options imbroglio.
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Digital Domain: In the E-Mail Relay, Not Every Handoff Is Smooth
Posted: June 14th, 2008, 11:45pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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The basic Internet e-mail standard provides for the destination server to send back an error message if a message cannot be delivered — but even in this case, mistakes do happen.
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Digital Domain: Can Anything Replace My Old Reliable Friend?
Posted: May 31st, 2008, 10:22pm EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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The sound quality of phone calls carried digitally by phone companies through their “triple play” bundles is now excellent but downtime still occurs.
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Digital Domain: Struggling to Evade the E-Mail Tsunami
Posted: April 20th, 2008, 2:32am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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E-mail has become the bane of some people’s professional lives. -
Digital Domain: Online Commercials: Now That’s a Hard Sell
Posted: April 6th, 2008, 12:50am EDT by By RANDALL STROSS
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The television industry is moving online and mounting its most ambitious attempt to date to restore mandatory viewing of commercials.