Not a slow news week in the world of technology and culture. But as we do each Friday, we've collected the stories you might have missed from NPR and our friends in the tech reporting universe.
We usually separate the week's big conversations from what you might have missed on NPR, but since we covered the major topics of conversation, here's one big roundup:
This week started with a landmark case on net neutrality before a D.C. federal court — we laid out the issues here on All Tech. Tuesday, Apple announced new iPhones and Steve Henn explained the implications of the new iPhone 5s' finger scan "On" button. Our Weekly Innovation this week is Sprayable Energy, a topical caffeine spray that the creator says will give you steady stimulation instead of the energy roller coaster of a cup of joe.
On the air, Laura Sydell reported for Morning Edition Twitter's news that it would soon go public, and we considered some of the ways it will make money. Steve reported on the life-logging possibilities of smart watches, Laura reminded us that smart watches are actually an "old" innovation, and I explored the "brogrammer," sometimes sexist culture in Silicon Valley.
The gender problem in tech got a huge stage when TechCrunch Disrupt was disrupted by a pair of offensive apps. (One of them, Titstare, makes it easy to share photos of yourself staring at breasts.) The next day, Business Insider's CTO was forced out after his long-running misogynistic, racist and downright absurd tweets got wide notice. I covered the issue on All Things Considered, and on the blog, we featured ideas from guys and gals on how to address cultural problems.
What Else Caught Our Eye
Google: Galapagos Island on Street View
If you can't get to Ecuador's gorgeous islands in real life, you can now explore the striking landscape on Google Street View. Makes me want to get a ticket for South America, ASAP.
New app: Fantasy Buzzer
Your NPR tech reporting team happens to be full of NFL fans, so we've been pretty psyched that football is back. So here's a fantasy football app that could help you track your team. It's called Fantasy Buzzer, and it scans your team and immediately starts sending you news and tweets about your players and making recommendations on whom to pick up and trade.
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