Topic: Internet

Let's Get Reasonable About Unplugging

flickr/zoovroo

When looking for a way to digital detox most of us — besides the likes of Woody Allen — aren't going to pay people to do our Internetting for us.

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jul 6, 2012

How to Check If You'll Lose Internet Monday

Come Monday somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 computers won't be able to get onto the Interwebs because of some complicated expiration of FBI protection of DNS malware. Don't let that be you.

Comments | 18,846 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jul 5, 2012

The WELL Explains Everything Wrong with Facebook, The Internet

The news last week The WELL, what many consider the first ever online social network, faces impending doom, has inspired Mike Barthel to write a history of Internet politics over at The Awl, explaining the conflicts modern social networks, like Facebook, face today.

Comments | 1,180 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jul 2, 2012

This Declaration of Internet Freedom Is Vague

As a reaction to SOPA and other complex legislative efforts to regulate the Internet, online activists have created a Declaration of Internet Freedom, which consists of five very broad principles to keep the Internet free and open. And yet, at fewer than 100 words, the declaration remains frustratingly unclear.

Comments | 1,039 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jun 27, 2012

A History of the Internet Told Through Retro Movie Sites

Unlike most Internet destinations, official movie websites are useful for a brief moment in time—making them a perfect capsule of a specific moment in Internet history.

Comments | 11,208 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jun 26, 2012

Comment of the Day

'I'm Not Buying That The Internet Is Nicer Than It Was in 2003'

Jen Doll's post on Internet niceness was sure to bring out the haters.

Comments | 513 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 26, 2012

Shiny, Happy Tweeple: Has the Internet Gotten Too Nice?

A worrisome trend is underfoot, creeping like a viral fungus. The trend is niceness. 

Comments | 4,175 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jun 26, 2012

Google's Latest Internet Cat Research Is Actually Troubling

Don't let the cats distract from the eerie and impressive parts of Google's latest research.

Comments | 6,843 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jun 19, 2012

Today in Research

Antibacterials Are Making Us Allergy Prone; The Science of Thinspiration

Discovered: Antibacterials are making us sick in a different way, thinspiration is scientific, do you e-mail a lot? You might be depressed, and a case for mom blogs.

Comments | 1,770 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jun 13, 2012

How the Future of the Internet Will Be Determined

ICANN, the organization that runs the world's domain names, today released a first round list of applications for new domain name extensions, some of which will become a regular part of our Internet lexicon and some of which will fade away into oblivion.

Comments | 944 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jun 13, 2012

This Horrific Story Is Why the Kids-on-Facebook Debate Misses the Point

After hearing about the multiple child rapes that happened on Skout, an online people-meeting app that links up with Facebook, we're convinced this so-called kids on the Internet debate needs to come to an end.

Comments | 2,048 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 31, 2012

Enough with the 'Zombie Apocalypse' Already

You know the "Miami Zombie," right? He's the drug-addled man who was killed by police after he was found eating another man's face on some sort of bridge. It's a wild story, to be sure. But when we start making this insanely awful thing into an internet meme, then we've gone too far.

Comments | 15,091 Views

By Jen Doll

May 29, 2012

A Back-to-Work Guide to Internet Outrage

On the Internet, there are certain principles that remain the same, regardless of the breaks you take or long weekends that are thrust upon you without your approval. One of those things is anger. 

Comments | 2,231 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

May 21, 2012

There Was a lot of Internet at the Ultra-Orthodox Rally Against the Internet

That ultra-Orthodox rally in New York this weekend all about the evils of the Internet used the Internet in so many ways.

Comments | 1,249 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 30, 2012

The Problem with 'Quitting' the Internet

We've all thought it, right? We've thrown up our hands, despite the carpal tunnel; we've set our laptops to sleep; we've vowed to take a day off, to stop looking at the little screen, to ignore the beeps and groans and vibratory sensations emanating from our technological friends.

Comments | 3,858 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Apr 23, 2012

Some People Who Really, Actually Deserve To Be in the Internet Hall of Fame

Dissatisfied with this afternoon's inductees into the Internet Hall of FameGizmodo has posted an alternate list of people it says "made the Internet worth coming to in the first place, and kept us clicking."

Comments | 345 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Apr 23, 2012

Today in Research

There is no 'Net Generation'; An Anti-Aging Gene?

Discovered: Not all kids are obsessed with technology, an anti-aging gene?, Aspirin might be good for preventing lung cancer, and get ready for an avocado-oil health food craze. 

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Apr 23, 2012

A Different Kind of Digital Generation Gap

This weekend, we got the latest in a recent spate of articles arguing how technology and social media has led humanity to lead lonelier, shallower lives with a diatribe from MIT's Sherry Turkle in The New York Times, who believes today's youth, growing up in an Internet controlled world, don't know how to have a real-life, deep conversation.

Comments | 2,999 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 19, 2012

Seriously, What's So Great About Corgis?

What we are about to say is a matter of much controversy, but it must be asked nonetheless: Are corgis even that cute

Comments | 57,341 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 4, 2012

What Would the Internet Look Like If Trolling Were Illegal?

Imagine an Internet on which haters didn't hate. 

Comments | 5,444 Views

By Adam Martin

Mar 22, 2012

You Were Right to Delete Your Google History

We deleted our Google history when the new privacy policies came into being, and it's a fair bet you did too, and based on a great long read Thursday from Gizmodo's Mat Honan, it sounds like we were right to be suspicious of Google.

Comments | 8,127 Views

By Dino Grandoni

Mar 15, 2012

Stat of the Day

'Non-Humans' Account for 51% of All Internet Traffic

By one study's measure, slightly more than half of all the Internet's traffic comes from computers not being used by fleshy humans that might actually purchase products.

Comments | 3,602 Views

By Jen Doll

Mar 9, 2012

Meet the Man Behind DefendRush.org

On the morning of March 7, Mario Lurig, a 32-year-old "author, web developer, and chocolatier" who resides in the Greater Denver area, was on the Internet, catching up on the latest happenings involving Rush Limbaugh, the word "slut," and a woman named Sandra Fluke.

Comments | 5,927 Views

By Jen Doll

Mar 9, 2012

Happiness Is on a Bus to SXSW

For the third year in a row, a bunch of buses filled with tech nerds are en route to Austin, Texas, for the annual South by Southwest interactive/film/music festival.

Comments | 996 Views

By Dino Grandoni

Mar 1, 2012

Stat of the Day

Canadians Like the Internet 17% More Than Americans

For a respite from the usual way North America's biggest rivalry plays out, today we learn which nation, the United States or Canada, goes on the Internet most.

Comments | 1,420 Views

By Jen Doll and Rebecca Greenfield

Feb 29, 2012

Cocktail Crossfire

Cocktail Crossfire: Are Internet Marriage Proposals Acceptable?

We've now seen two Internet marriage proposals in just a few weeks, one on Mashable another on BuzzFeed. Is this an acceptable way to ask for someone's hand in marriage? We discuss. 

Comments | 1,401 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 27, 2012

Kickstarter Is Very Well Endowed

There are about 150 million good reasons (read: $) why everybody's talking about Kickstarter lately.

Comments | 2,586 Views

By Adam Clark Estes and Rebecca Greenfield

Feb 23, 2012

Cocktail Crossfire

Cocktail Crossfire: Is Online Privacy Really That Big a Deal?

On Thursday, the White House pulled back the curtain on its "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights," a presidential attempt to clamp down on the misuse of online user data.

Comments | 625 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 23, 2012

When Nigerian Scammers Get Scammed

In easy irony news of the day, an Australian woman was in court on Thursday facing charges of "unknowingly" stealing more than $30,000 from Nigerian scam artists.

Comments | 364,775 Views

By Jen Doll

Feb 21, 2012

Did We Learn Anything From Rainn Wilson's Twitter Rape Joke?

The Internet has had quite a run of PC-police work lately, from the outcry against the ultimately fired ESPN writer behind that awful "chink in the armor" headline about Jeremy Lin to the backlash piled on Foster Friess shaming him into apologizing for his lame birth control joke

Comments | 23,802 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Feb 17, 2012

Foster Freiss Hates Barack Obama, Loves His Web Site

Foster Friess can agree with President Obama on at least one thing: website design.

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Jen Doll

Feb 14, 2012

Words With Friends Is Basically a Dating App

According to a recent survey from Zynga of more than 118,000 players of the game, Words With Friends is good for scoring "both on and off the board."

Comments | 5,822 Views

By Jen Doll

Feb 10, 2012

Questionable Valentine's Day Offerings from the Internet

We're deep in the countdown to the most dreaded day of the year: Valentine's Day. Here are some suggestions for what to do on the big day. (Or not.)

Comments | 1,897 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Feb 10, 2012

Sorry Internet, Lana Del Rey Is Officially a Star

It took Lana Del Rey a month to go from a "wack-a-doodle chick" to the "perfect antidote" to other pop stars according to a profile in T: The New York Times Style Magazine by Jacob Brown, which described the singer as "a skinnier Adele, a more stable Amy Winehouse."

Comments | 2,660 Views

By Jen Doll

Feb 1, 2012

When Just the Appearance of a Sex Scandal Is Enough

Well, that was fast. Last week the New York Times reported that 41-year-old Republican Marc Cenedella, who founded the job-search Web site TheLadders.com and happened to be angling for Kirsten Gillibrand's New York Senate seat, had a blog with some tasteless posts in his name. Now he's not running.

Comments | 2,243 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Feb 1, 2012

How to Spot a Fake Online Hotel Review

Now that the Advertising Standards Authority has banned hotel recommendation site TripAdvisor from claiming its reviews as truthful,  it's going to be harder than ever to sift out the real from faked. We're here to help. 

Comments | 2,981 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Jan 20, 2012

Lana Del Rey's Worst Week Ever Will Never End

The first time you look at Lana Del Rey's face, you can can't help but feel sort of bad for her.

Comments | 13,840 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Jan 9, 2012

2012 Is the Year of the Webisode

It was bound to happen some time soon, but it appears that 2012 is the year that web-based television -- webivision? -- will go mainstream.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Jan 5, 2012

The Case for (and Against) Internet as a Human Right

Vint Cerf is ruffling nerds' feathers with his Thursday op-ed in The New York Times that claims in almost trollish fashion: "Internet Is Not a Human Right."

Comments | 5,518 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 31, 2011

Hackers Want to Put an Amateur Astronaut on the Moon

The latest plan concocted by hactivist types to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is pretty weird.

Comments | 7,428 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 22, 2011

Video Chatting is the New Way to Get Out of Family Events

As technology and Internet bandwidth has made video-chatting a regular part of communication, it has proven a great way to get out of otherwise painful obligations.

Comments | 1,470 Views

By Eric Randall

Dec 14, 2011

A Quarter of Europe Has Never Used the Internet

For all that debate over whether Europe's diverse nations should even be united under one fiscal union, here's an eye-popping statistic: Nearly one quarter of European Union citizens have never used the internet. 

Comments | 681 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 6, 2011

Why Is Your Cable Bill So High? Ask ESPN

While the Internet usually gets all the blame for inspiring the scary-for-cable-companies cordless future, the NFL, too, will dictate television's fate.

Comments | 3,770 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 5, 2011

We Still Shop at the Mall for a Bunch of Reasons

With record breaking Cyber Week numbers and the reported death of malls, it looks like Internet shopping is moving ever-closer to replacing the physical experience of going to stores. But brick-and-mortar stores still have some reasons to exist.

Comments | 6,836 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Nov 30, 2011

Amazon Has a Very Good Reason to Now Support an Internet Sales Tax

Now that the legislation favors Amazon, in a total turnaround from earlier this year, today Amazon came out and said it "strongly supports" the Internet sales tax. 

Comments | 2,530 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Nov 7, 2011

The Internet Died a Little Today

A collective gasp echoed throughout the ranks of data addicts when multiple networks experienced widespread outages across the United States on Monday morning. 

Comments | 22,325 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Nov 4, 2011

How AOL Gets 3.5 Million People to Keep Paying for Dial-Up

The secret to AOL's 3.5 million dial-up subscribers: they're not paying for dial-up.

Comments | 5,151 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Nov 3, 2011

Who's Winning the Facebook-Google Tech War

When Google launched its Facebook doppleganger, Google+, it became clear that the two were in an war to win the Internet.

Comments | 1,299 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Nov 1, 2011

Your Physician Is Googling Your Symptoms Too

You aren't the only one using search engines to diagnose your symptoms when you get sick (or have a bout of hypochondria).

Comments | 3,104 Views

By Dino Grandoni

Oct 28, 2011

The Internet Hasn't Changed Much in 15 Years

You may think that the web has evolved at breakneck speeds over the past decade and a half, but Jared Newman over at Technologizer has a first-hand document showing that the early Internet wasn't all that different from now.

Comments | 9,375 Views

By Dino Grandoni

Oct 28, 2011

Stat of the Day

Netflix Consumes a Third of America's Internet Bandwidth

Though the company hemorrhaged some 800,000 customers last quarter after hiking its prices, Netflix still takes up a huge portion of the country's Internet bandwidth. 

Comments | 1,686 Views

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