Technology

CA eyes freeway generator technology as new energy source

The streetwise alternative energy dreams of one California officeholder have been given a tentative green light in Sacramento. If all goes well, the Golden State could roll out a technology that would turn vehicles’ rumblings over freeways into electrical

CA unlikely to regulate use of personal drones

James Poulos August 3, 2016

Public and private interests have combined in California to discourage statewide legislation regulating the use of personal drones, putting the prospect of new rules on ice indefinitely. Gov. Jerry Brown went out of his way to sink prior legislation that

Department of Justice drops suit against Apple

James Poulos April 1, 2016

The ongoing legal struggle between Apple and the Department of Justice shifted dramatically as federal officials dropped their effort to force the Cupertino tech giant to grant access to the iPhone used by Syed Farook, the terrorist who perpetrated the San

State auditor warns government agencies in danger of hacking

Chris Reed March 13, 2016

State Auditor Elaine Howle, who issued a report last year warning of cybersecurity problems at dozens of state agencies, says the problems remain mostly unaddressed. Testifying at a recent hearing of the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection and

L.A. hospital pays ransom to regain control of computer system from hackers

James Poulos March 1, 2016

Announcing its data had been taken hostage by hackers, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center got its information back but triggered a new wave of fears that so-called “ransomware” attacks pose a serious threat to the health care industry in California and beyond. “While

Hyperloop soon to break ground

James Poulos January 28, 2016

Despite a consistent chorus of criticism from naysayers, the Hyperloop ultra-fast rail project has broken new ground, with a rapid timetable in place for its California debut. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, one of the leading companies dedicated to taking SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s revolutionary

NV beats CA for another electric car plant

James Poulos December 22, 2015

After losing out to Nevada last year in the competition for Tesla’s battery plant, California has missed a similar opportunity. Faraday Future, the semi-mysterious rival to Elon Musk’s car company, secured the backing of the Nevada Legislature for a multimillion dollar factory

Report: Wealthy tech firms create few jobs

Chris Reed December 22, 2015

Two years ago, a report from Oxford University’s Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology made waves in the United States with its prediction that 47 percent of the 700 largest U.S. job categories could disappear in coming decades

UC urged to encourage computer science in high schools

Chris Reed December 16, 2015

The University of California is being pressed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and a long list of high-powered CEOs to count computer science as a math course in deciding whether applicants meet its minimum standards to be considered for admission.

Tesla gets shadowy CA competitor

James Poulos November 12, 2015

Tesla, Elon Musk’s famed electric car company, just lost a slice of the Golden State limelight. Speculation has swirled around the debut of another entrant into California’s crowded, cutting-edge automotive industry. The company, known as Faraday Future, “has been hunting for a