Paul Ford

Google and Facebook regulate much of what we see and interact with in our day-to-day lives. Whose ethical standards should they follow?

Writer and programmer Paul Ford ponders the Ashley Madison hack, and wonders if we'll ever actually learn how to keep our information safe online.

Most of us are familiar with Facebook or Apple products, but don't really understand the code that animates them. Programmer Paul Ford wants to change that.  

Kyu Sakamoto's 1963 hit "Sukiyaki” left its mark on rapper Slick Rick, Mad Men and countless cover versions.

In our occasional series That Was A Hit!?!, we look at songs that snuck onto the pop charts and achieved improbable success. This week, Paul Ford -- contributor to online magazine The...

Healthcare.gov launched in the beginning of the month to much frustration, as hundreds of thousands of people flocked to buy insurance from the online exchange. Because of technical glitches, the majority of these users were turned away due to website problems. Bob talks to programmer and Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Paul Ford who says while healthcare.gov was open for business at the beginning of the month, it’s failure may be attributed to its closed code.

Brooke speaks with writer Paul Ford about the remarkable connection between Bing Crosby, magnetic tape, Nazi technology, and the computer hard drive. Ford's post about Crosby appears on the New Yorker Elements blog. 

Writer Paul Ford brings in a variety pack for our series about surprising pop hits. 

The Facebook "Like" button has ventured beyond the pages of Facebook. Now, not only can you tell your friends that you "Like" their comments, photos and status updates, you can also tell third-party site how much you "Like" a blog post or news article. Bob explores the meaning of a Facebook "Like."

As popular as Facebook is, it has its share of detractors, especially among public intellectuals. Novelist Jonathan Franzen spoke for many when he said that platforms like Facebook are “great allies and enablers of narcissism" and that "to friend a person is merely to include the person in our private hall of flattering mirrors.” Where’s this frustration coming from? Is it fair? Writer Paul Ford talks to Brooke about an essay he wrote last year that sought to answer that question.