Technology

It’s time to bid farewell to iTunes, the once-revolutionary program that made online music sales mainstream and effectively blunted the impact of piracy. That assumes, of course, that you still use iTunes — and many people no longer do. On iPhones, the functions have long been split into separate apps for music, video and books. […]

Activists with the Extinction Rebellion movement blocked major roads across major European cities Monday, kicking off a wide-ranging series of worldwide protests demanding much more urgent action against climate change. In Berlin, around 1,000 people blocked the Grosser Stern, a traffic circle in the middle of the German capital’s Tiergarten park dominated by the landmark

While small and mid-sized businesses are increasingly targets for cybercriminals, companies are struggling to devote enough resources to protect their technology from attack. That’s one of the findings of an annual survey of companies released by the Poneman Institute, which researches data protection, and Keeper Security, a manufacturer of password protection software. The survey found that 76%

Leading artificial intelligence expert Dr Stuart Russell warns in his new book, Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control, that AI could become “an enemy of the human race”. Dr Russell told BBC Radio 4’s Today the danger is not that AI will develop consciousness, but that it will become “too competent” at fulfilling

The Latest on the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology (all times local): 12:15 p.m. The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was given jointly to William G. Kaelin Jr, who was born in 1957 in New York City and is a professor of medicine at Harvard University; Peter Ratcliffe, 65, of the University

The winners of this year’s Nobel Prizes are to be announced over the next week, to include two literature laureates and the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. Events begin Monday with the award for physiology or medicine. The physics prize is handed out Tuesday and the following day is the chemistry prize. This year’s double-header Literature

Nir Eyal does not for a second regret writing Silicon Valley’s tech engagement how-to, “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products,” even as he now has a new book out on how to free ourselves of that same addiction. In his original manual for building enthralling smartphone apps, Mr. Eyal laid out the tricks “to subtly

Lu Yingxin has been singing “My People, My Country” for the past week. An earnest propaganda anthem from 1985, the song typically wouldn’t stand a chance against Taylor Swift, K-pop and other modern tunes the 18-year-old college student and her friends like to listen to. Then, on Sunday, Ms. Lu and her roommates saw a

For many of us, our approach to typing on a smartphone is something we stumble upon. Unlike composing words on a typewriter or computer keyboard, there is no widely taught, proper way. If speed is the goal, however, a study of around 37,000 people suggests that one particular approach is better than others: writing with

PayPal has pulled out of Facebook‘s digital currency project, known as Libra, a blow to the social media company that has faced stronger-than-expected scrutiny over its proposed creation of an alternative payments system. The digital payments company said Friday it is withdrawing from the Libra Association so it can focus on its existing businesses. “Facebook