The Switch: Using Facebook and Twitter a lot can actually decrease stress — if you’re a woman

Today's technology and tech policy news  •  Thu., Jan. 15, 2015 View in your Web browser

Using Facebook and Twitter a lot can actually decrease stress — if you’re a woman It's become almost common knowledge now that being constantly connected makes us unhappy, particularly when it comes to being inundated with incessant social media posts. There's a reason that "unplugging" was a popular New Year's resolution for 2015.  Read full article »

The FCC will vote next month on whether to help cities build their own Internet

Telecom regulators will vote on petitions in February from two cities that want more flexibility to build and operate their own Internet service, a FCC official confirmed.The petitions from Chattanooga, Tenn. and Wilson, N.C. request federal help in preempting state laws that make it difficult for city governments to set up government-run competitors to large Internet providers such as Comcast, Verizon and AT&T. The vote is expected to take place at the FCC's monthly meeting on Feb. 26, said the FCC official, who declined to be named because the commission's agenda has not been released.  Read full article »

Elon Musk’s fear of Terminators just netted researchers $10 million

Elon Musk, the PayPal co-founder behind SpaceX and Tesla Motors, is really worried about artificial intelligence -- so worried that he's donated $10 million to support research "aimed at keeping AI beneficial to humanity."  Read full article »

The coolest cars from the Detroit auto show you can actually afford (and some you definitely can’t)

The North American International Auto Show this week in Detroit was a grown-up fantasyland for car fanatics, full of sleek luxury concepts and silky supercars worth more than your house. But among all the pomp and grandeur, there were actually -- surprise -- some things the common driver could afford and enjoy. Here's a roundup of a few you might soon find in your driveway -- plus several of the glitziest debuts for dessert.  Read full article »

The Switchboard: Google and Facebook help launch a ‘super-coalition’ to fight patent trolls

Published every weekday, the Switchboard is your morning helping of hand-picked stories from the Switch team.Remember to join us at 11 a.m. Eastern on Friday for Switchback, our weekly livechat for all things tech.  Read full article »

Innovations: Mark Zuckerberg explains why it drives him crazy when people say he made Facebook

Everyone knows Mark Zuckerberg as the Facebook founder. The kid in the Harvard dorm room who launched the Web site that changed the world. But that romantic notion of a sole inventor toiling alone is generally a myth in the annals of technology. Walter Isaacson, author of The Innovators, dispels it his excellent book on the rise of the computer and the Internet.  Read full article »

Innovations: Employment is booming in the U.S. solar industry The U.S. solar industry continues to expand, with its workforce growing by 22 percent in the past year, according to a report the Solar Foundation released Thursday. Since 2010 solar employment has almost doubled from 93,000 jobs to 173,807.  Read full article »

Patent reform advocates are launching a ‘super-coalition’ to whack patent trolls

What do department stores and restaurants have in common with search engines and social networks? For one thing, it's that they're all getting sued by patent trolls, companies that accuse other businesses of patent infringement in hopes of winning settlement money. Patent trolls are largely perceived as a problem for the tech industry — but the damage done by patent trolls is increasingly spilling over into other sectors, too. And now those industries are joining tech firms in a massive renewed push for patent reform legislation.  Read full article »

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