WAMU 88.5 : The Kojo Nnamdi Show

Computer Guys & Gal

A new year is underway, and it's time to take stock of which tech-related resolutions we're most likely to break. Is this the year that social media companies up their game on privacy issues? Is it the year you "cut the cord" from your cable company to consume all your video content over the Internet? The Computer Guys & Gal are back in the studio to ponder what's likely to change and what's likely to stay the same in 2013.

Computer Guys And Gal Picks

Technology issues and gadgets that will be making news in 2013, a nod to the best headlines of 2012 and tech resolutions for the new year.

John Gilroy

  1. Best Headline Award 2012: “Nefarious Apps Easily Slip Past Jelly Bean Security”

  2. Second Best Headline Award 2012: “Is that a phone in your pants or are you glad to see me?”

  3. Who knew? At the end of 2012, English is the language of 26 percent of Internet users. It will soon be overtaken by Chinese (already 24 percent).

  4. Microsoft, fallen hero? Windows8 slower to adopt than Vista, really?

  5. Microsoft, bold innovator? Touch screens.

  6. The changing world of browsers: Chrome dominates (85 percent to 15 percent). Maxthon from China?

  7. Kojo’s part time job for 2013: Ransomware

  8. The forgotten vote: Power play >> U.N. shouldn’t control the Internet

  9. It’s all about the rage: Droid rage vs. Windows rage

  10. Twitter: do people still think it's just a fad?

  11. Let’s repeat one more time: If the product is free, you are the product. See: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.

Alison Druin

Top tech stories to follow in 2013:

  1. MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses -- Are they coming of age with Edx/Coursera/Udacity?

  2. Tablets and e-reader devices are now owned by one-third of the U.S. population 16 and older, according to a study released Thursday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

  3. The saga of Google Maps!

Tech stories that shouldn't be kept private:

  1. Instagram is Instant Scary! This crisis of privacy is only after: Instagram announced in mid-December its decision to amend its advertising policy to allow advertisers to use data and content from its users for ads.

  2. Canadian government lost 5,000 people's data

  3. Facebook Pokes are more than just that

The Computer Gal's tech resolutions for 2013:

  1. Walk while you work on a standing desk treadmill

  2. Properly archive your notes

  3. Break out of my tech indecision and make some decisions. My tech is getting up there in years: my laptop is 3-years-old and starting to have hiccups, my iPhone isn't what it used to be and while I love my iPad3 to read with, I wonder if an iPad mini is easier for nighttime reading. So my new year's resolution is to make some tech decisions! Get the iPhone 5? Or wait 'til the Spring for the newest?. Keep the iPad 3? Or go to iPad Mini? MacBook Air? Or go to the Retina Macbook Pro?

NPR

Cannes Film Festival Keeps Kenneth Turan Coming Back

David Greene talks with Morning Edition film critic Kenneth Turan about some of the movies at this year's Cannes Film Festival in France. They include a standout from American director Alexander Payne called Nebraska. Turan first covered the movie festival 42 years ago.
NPR

In Raw Milk Case, Activists See Food Freedom On Trial

Activists say the case against Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger is about raw milk — and much more. His supporters have turned the case into a rallying cry for personal food freedom and the rights of farmers and consumers to enter into private contracts without government intervention.
NPR

IRS Official's Silence Riles House Committee Members

On Wednesday, Lois Lerner, the IRS official overseeing the tax-exempt organizations office, refused to testify during a hearing on Capitol Hill, and was attacked by some Republicans on the House committee. Her brief appearance was the beginning of a five-hour session marked by angry outbursts and allegations of political motives.
NPR

How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started

You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.