James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Most major tech companies have been boasting about how green their energy is, hoping to ward off critics that point out how much power their ever-growing network of huge data centers use. But there’s an independent report card, and it shows that …
‘Pharma bro’ Martin Shkreli gets suspended from Twitter
The man who made a name for himself for repelling the vast majority of the world’s media consumers after he significantly raised the price of a HIV drug has been suspended from Twitter. Martin Shkreli, the outwardly smug entrepreneur who raised the …
The man who says he invented email sues owner of tech site that doubted his claim
Indian-born American scientist Shiva Ayyadurai has taken umbrage with the tech media site TechDirt over a series of stories that attempted to debunk Ayyadurai’s claim that he invented email. Ayyadurai is suing TechDirt’s founder, Mike Masnick, for defamation to the tune of …
Privacy advocate foils facial recognition technology with patterned clothing
A Berlin-based artist and privacy advocate, Adam Harvey, is fighting back against what he considers intrusive and oppressive facial recognition technology. Harvey, who melds art with his contention that data collection on the individual is at extreme levels, has come up with …
Study reveals women will be hurt most by the rise of automation
Women stand to fare far worse than men in the transition to an automated future, according to a new World Economic Forum report. The report stands in stark contrast to recent proclamations by government and industry that automation will be a net positive …
French workers now have the ‘right to disconnect’ outside work hours
France’s labor ministry wants to deal with stress, fatigue and relationship troubles by cutting down on work-related email time, so it has ruled that employees can now disconnect when outside work hours. More important, employers must accept that by law. As of Jan. 1, the …
Internet ‘super-villain’ Milo Yiannopoulos lands $250,000 book deal
British journalist Milo Yiannopoulos, the self-confessed Internet super-villain and outspoken critic of what he considers social justice warriors, has just landed a book deal reportedly worth $250,000. Yiannopoulos rose to fame – some would say infamy – as a tech journalist, notably for his …
Facebook acquires eye-tracking startup The Eye Tribe
Facebook Inc. Wednesday acquired the Copenhagen-based eye-tracking startup The Eye Tribe ApS for its virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift, for an undisclosed amount. The 16-person company, informally started at the IT University of Copenhagen in 2007, was officially launched in 2011 with a view …
Predictions 2017: Fake news persists, Silicon Valley gets spiritual as it kills jobs
As if 2016 weren’t volatile enough for the technology industry, the coming year is likely to be even more interesting, thanks to everything from a very unpredictable new U.S. president to a confluence of trends ranging from artificial intelligence to virtual reality to …
‘Appalled’ Oracle manager quits after CEO Safra Catz joins Trump transition team
A senior manager at Oracle Corp., George A. Polisner, has resigned following co-Chief Executive Safra Catz’s decision to join the Trump transition team. Catz, said to be the highest-paid female executive in the U.S. in 2015, was part of the group of tech …