Category Archives: Technology

Innovation Is Cool

Posted on July 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Innovation Is Cool

Steve Horwitz is amazed at how external hard drives have progressed over the last six years. So am I.

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Posted in Innovation, Technology

The Environmental Impact of iPhones

Posted on June 29, 2012 | Comments Off on The Environmental Impact of iPhones

One doesn’t usually think of electronic gadgets as being environmentally friendly. But Cato’s Marian Tupy makes a good point about the iPhone. By replacing legions of bigger, clunkier items like newspapers and magazines, alarm clocks, compasses, and even white noise machines, smart phones can drastically reduce the amount of raw materials people need to maintain a first world lifestyle.

It’s an underappreciated point about capitalism and the innovation it makes possible that should be made more often. Click here to read Marian’s post, which is accompanied by a cool graphic.

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Posted in Innovation, Technology, The Market Process, The New Religion

Innovation Is Cool

Posted on June 28, 2012 | Comments Off on Innovation Is Cool

Introducing Burritobot: A 3-D Printer That Spits Out Burritos

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Posted in Innovation, Technology

Innovation Is Cool

Posted on June 12, 2012 | Comments Off on Innovation Is Cool

Touchscreen phones and tablets are wonderful devices. But touchscreen typing is cumbersome compared to a traditional keyboard. Worry not, though: some clever souls have invented a workaround:

Tactus provides a new dimension to touchscreens by enabling real, physical buttons that rise up from the surface on demand, and then recede back into the screen, leaving a perfectly flat, transparent surface when gone.

Cool.

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Posted in Innovation, Technology

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CEI Podcast for May 24, 2012: Driverless Cars

Posted on May 24, 2012 | Comments Off on CEI Podcast for May 24, 2012: Driverless Cars


Have a listen here.

Driverless cars are a new technology that could revolutionize the way we think about transportation. A prototype driverless car made by Google recently made the rounds in Washington, DC, and Land-use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner got to take a ride. He shares his experience, talks about the potential benefits for road safety and congestion, and the regulatory hurdles that driverless cars must clear before they can enter the marketplace.

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Posted in CEI Podcast, Technology

CEI Podcast for April 26, 2012: CISPA

Posted on April 26, 2012 | Comments Off on CEI Podcast for April 26, 2012: CISPA


Have a listen here.

After a public uproar over privacy concerns killed the SOPA and PIPA bills, Congress is back with the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, or CISPA. Associate Director of Technology Studies Ryan Radia goes over CISPA’s own privacy problems, and discusses the bill’s political prospects.

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Posted in CEI Podcast, Technology

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IBD’s Take on the Apple E-Book Lawsuit

Posted on April 13, 2012 | Comments Off on IBD’s Take on the Apple E-Book Lawsuit

I am quoted in an otherwise-excellent writeup on the Apple e-book case in Investor’s Business Daily.

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Posted in Antitrust, Economics, Media Appearances, Technology

CEI Podcast for April 12, 2012: Apple, E-Books, and Antitrust

Posted on April 12, 2012 | Comments Off on CEI Podcast for April 12, 2012: Apple, E-Books, and Antitrust


Have a listen here.

Yesterday the Justice Department sued Apple and five major publishers over their e-book pricing model, alleging price fixing. Associate Director of Technology Studies Ryan Radia thinks the lawsuit is a mistake, and should be dropped.

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Posted in Antitrust, CEI Podcast, Economics, Technology

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Modernity is Amazing

Posted on April 12, 2012 | Comments Off on Modernity is Amazing

Saroo Brierly was a poor child in India. While out begging with his brother, he fell asleep on a train and woke up 900 miles away from home. After some close calls, he found his way to an orphanage and was adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, he is now a successful businessman. But he always wondered where he came from, and how his family was doing. He couldn’t even remember his village’s name.

In any other point history, that probably would have remained a mystery for the rest of his life. But with the help of Google Earth and Facebook, he was able to locate his hometown and reunite with his family. We truly live in wonderful times.

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Posted in Technology

CEI Podcast for March 22, 2012: Human Achievement Hour

Posted on March 22, 2012 | Comments Off on CEI Podcast for March 22, 2012: Human Achievement Hour


Have a listen here.

From 8:30 to 9:30 pm on Saturday, March 31, buildings in major cities around the world will go dark in observance of Earth Hour. The point is to show that modernity and the environment are incompatible. At the same time as Earth Hour, millions of people will leave their lights on to celebrate Human Achievement Hour. Michelle Minton, CEI’s Fellow in Consumer Policy Studies and also the founder of Human Achievement Hour, explains.

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Posted in CEI Podcast, Technology, The New Religion

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