Culture Beaker

  1. Tech

    What parents just don’t understand about online privacy

    Not long ago, police and school officials in Old Saybrook, Conn., held a high school assembly on Internet safety. The purpose of the assembly, wrote New Haven Register reporter Susan Misur, was to make students aware of how public their photos, tweets and profiles are online. To make this point, the presentation included a slide […]

    By
  2. Tech

    Computer scientists grapple with how to manage the digital legacy of the departed

    In April, Google added to its services an Inactive Account Manager, which lets you designate an heir who will control your Google data when you die. You choose a length of inactivity, and if your accounts are ever quiet for that long, Google will notify your heirs that they’ve inherited access to your Gmail correspondence, […]

    By
  3. Humans

    The psychology of J.C. Penney: Why shoppers like it when retailers play games with prices

    Last year, J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson put an end to “fake prices,” the ones that customers see but rarely pay because of coupons and sales. Instead, the clothing retailer decided to sell items at cheaper everyday prices in an effort to “stop playing games” with consumers. By June, Johnson had conceded that this strategy […]

    By
  4. Computing

    When trolls come out from under their bridges, it’s bad news for scientific discourse

    By
  5. Science & Society

    In Hollywood, buzz beats star power when it comes to predicting box office take

    By
  6. Math

    After nailing 2012 elections, number crunchers suggest pollsters are asking the wrong question

    By
  7. Science & Society

    Scientists embrace Twitter for spreading the word and hashing through new data

    By
  8. Science & Society

    Science needs a kick to take advantage of the generosity of crowds

    By
  9. Science & Society

    There’s nothing special about thinking that kids think they’re extra special

    By
  10. Science & Society

    Movie heists notwithstanding, when crime does pay, it’s not very much

    By
  11. Science & Society

    Despite more time for celebrity news, duration of fame remains the same

    By
  12. Science & Society

    Here’s looking at how the usual suspect film quotes go ahead and make your day

    By