IO Blog
How many times have you thought while out in public places: “I should be able to get wi-fi here”? How great would it be to have FREE wi-fi everywhere you go? Would that make you consider purchasing more mobile devices? That’s just one of the topics covered in this week’s edition of the Data RoundUp, along with several others discussing:
- the final word on the Super Bowl blackout
- the record-setting Northeast blizzard of 2013
- the future growth of mobile payments
- the Internet of Things (always a favorite!)
The FCC & Super Wi-Fi for Public Use (Electronic Frontier Foundation): Having more open spectrum networks will allow WiFi (whether that’s open WiFi, locked networks, or paid-for hot spots) to be faster, longer range, and more reliable.
By 2015, $1 Trillion in Payments Through Mobile (CIO): Until there is widespread adoption, developers should make complementary mobile apps that don’t process any transactions, but still fall under the mobile payments umbrella.
IoT (Internet of Things) Growth Continues, and so does Chip Industry (GigaOM): To build the internet of things we’re going to need a lot of chips — orders of magnitude more than we have in use today.
When Will the Bandwidth of the Internet Overtake That of FedEx? (XKCD): If you want to transfer a few hundred gigabytes of data, it’s generally faster to FedEx a hard drive than to send the files over the internet.
TED Talks on Weather (TED Blog): Watch these TED Talks to get in the arctic spirit.
Synthetic Cell Circuits Become Logical, Develop Memory (MIT): Synthetic biologists use interchangeable genetic parts to design circuits that perform a specific function, such as detecting a chemical in the environment.
Super Bowl Blackout Blamed on Bad Relay Installation (Sporting News): Company officials said the device performed with no problems during January’s Sugar Bowl and other earlier events, but has been removed and will be replaced.
