MIT engineers create school of robotic fish

Schools of robotic fish could one day map the ocean floor, detect pollution or inspect and survey submerged boats or oil and gas pipelines, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say.

Lost in space: India ends moon mission

India has ended its unmanned moon mission after failed attempts to regain contact with the orbiter, an official said Monday.

Therapy online: Good as face to face?

Your therapist’s name is ELIZA, and she interacts with you through text on a computer screen. However embarrassing or difficult your problem may be, ELIZA will not hesitate to ask you a question about it, or respond graciously, “That is very interesting. Why do you say that?”

Can Bill Gates stop hurricanes?

Hurricane experts are throwing cold water on an idea backed by billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates aimed at controlling the weather. Gates and scientists have raised eyebrows by submitting patent applications for a technology to reduce the danger of approaching hurricanes. But will it work?

Ban on robocalls takes effect Tuesday

Starting Tuesday, many “robocalls” from telemarketers will be illegal.

GPS hackers create crowdsourced maps

Last month, when Zack Ajmal was planning a vacation to Italy, he set out to find the first thing that a traveler would need in a foreign land: a map. But digital maps of Rome and Venice for his Garmin GPS device cost almost $100. So instead, Ajmal turned to OpenStreet Map, a community-driven maps database.

Man shocked by $8,000 cellphone bill

When it comes to “gotcha” fees, the cellular phone industry makes travel companies look like rank amateurs.

Portraits replacing Facebook, Twitter photos

The art of portraiture, once reserved for the rich, the royal and the holy, has found a new mass appeal online. Some avid social-network users are commissioning artists to create small digital images to represent themselves in the online world.

Discovery launch put off until late Friday

NASA on Thursday put off the planned launch of the space shuttle Discovery for a third time to give engineers more time to study tests on a liquid hydrogen valve, the space agency announced.

ACLU: Facebook quizzes compromise privacy

The Northern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has put out a campaign designed to raise awareness of the privacy implications of Facebook’s developer platform.

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