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The Takeaway

An Inside Look The Largest Solar Boat Ever Built

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

While it was docked in New York City, The Takwaway visited the largest solar boat ever built—the MS Turanor PlanetSolar. On today's show we're joined by the vessel's captain, Mr. Gerard d'Aboville; head of the PlanetSolar Deep Water expedition, Professor Martin Beniston; and University of Geneva professor and biologist Bastiaan Ibelings, who discusses the solar boat that's crossed three oceans and 11 seas.

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Amazon Cuts Ties In Minnesota Ahead Of New Sales Tax

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Amazon ends the contracts of people and businesses that are paid for sending customers to the retailer. The company has taken similar steps in other states that have passed laws like Minnesota's new sales tax legislation.

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New Tech City

MAP: 25 Solar-Powered Charging Stations for Mobile Devices Coming to NYC

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Twenty-five solar charging stations for mobile devices are coming to city parks, beaches, golf courses and other outdoor spaces this summer, courtesy of AT&T. 

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Mexico's Tech Startups Look To Overcome Barriers To Growth

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

In the past decade, Mexico's tech industry has flourished, growing three times faster than the global average. Most of that growth has been fueled by demand from the United States. But as Mexico's startups strive to make it in foreign markets, they say they need more engineers and ways to finance their growth.

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Breaking Bad News To Kids: How Media Has Tweaked The Process

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Parents have always had to break hard news to kids, from family hardships to national tragedies. Now there are more ways for children to learn about news faster — through 24 hour news and social media. So, what's changed in how parents broach these subjects? How can media help, or hurt?

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The Takeaway

Transparency, Secrecy and Freedom: The History of Privacy and Democracy

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

As we learn more about the National Security Agency's secret surveillance programs and leaker Edward Snowden, The Takeaway is looking at freedom in America, and freedom's relationship to privacy. Jill Lepore, New Yorker staff writer and professor of American history at Harvard University, explores the relationship between privacy, government transparency and freedom in U.S. history.

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New Tech City

NSA Surveillance as a Teachable Moment?

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

What can we learn from the NSA's surveillance program? A lot, according to Chris Lawrence, senior director of the Mozilla Mentor Community. He calls the scandal's aftermath "a teachable moment."

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New Tech City

Graphic Designer Gives NSA PowerPoint a Makeover

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Imagine this: You flash your top-level security badge, settle into a government conference room as the lights dim and begin to watch a slideshow explaining the latest NSA surveillance plan, code-named PRISM.

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New Tech City

New Tech City: NSA Surveillance Backlash

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

In the wake of news that the National Security Agency is collecting vast amounts of digital data about the online activity of U.S. citizens, the federal government has said the program — known as PRISM — is crucial for homeland security. Of course, not everyone agrees.

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Teens Find The Right Tools For Their Social-Media Jobs

Monday, June 17, 2013

There was a time — a time long, long ago — when MySpace dominated the teen social-media world. Not anymore. NPR's Sami Yenigun looks at how teenagers use various social platforms in today's increasingly segmented online universe.

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Google's 'Internet Balloons' Could Expand Online Access

Monday, June 17, 2013

Google's "Project Loon" just launched in New Zealand — it uses balloons floating in the stratosphere to bring high-speed Internet access to remote areas.

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Digital Scrapbook Collects Rock-Star Authors' Memories

Monday, June 17, 2013

If any story screams out for a multimedia e-book treatment, it's the tale of The Rock Bottom Remainders, a small band of best-selling authors — including Amy Tan, Dave Barry and Stephen King — who yowled out rock standards. Hard Listening is a digital scrapbook about their years as musicians.

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'Guardian': Documents Show Britain, U.S. Spied At World Summits

Monday, June 17, 2013

This is the latest revelation to come from documents leaked by Edward Snowden. They purportedly show that Britain and the United States spied on their allies during G-20 summit meetings in England in 2009.

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The Implications Of Drones In U.S. Airspace

Sunday, June 16, 2013

The Federal Aviation Administration is working on new regulations that would allow the use of small, commercial drones. Texas and 30 states are crafting their own laws to rein in these flying robots before they leave the ground.

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Bringing Extreme WIFI To Remote Places

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Google scientists have been testing a way to link computers to the internet in rural, war torn or disaster areas where high speed internet does not exist. We hear from Steven Levy, a senior writer with Wired magazine who was embedded with the Google team.

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Google's 'Looney' Internet Balloons Invade New Zealand

Saturday, June 15, 2013

The tech giant hopes the test of flying hotspots will bring service to billions of people in remote areas such as Africa and Southeast Asia.

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Facebook, Microsoft Reveal Requests For User Data

Saturday, June 15, 2013

The tech giants say they have been allowed to reveal data requests from the government in broad terms, but expressed frustration that they aren't permitted to say more.

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Will The Court's Gene Ruling Stifle Bio Innovation?

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Weekend Edition Saturday Host Scott Simon talks with bioethicist Arthur Caplan of New York University about Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that isolated human genes may not be patented — and the implications for that ruling.

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Pandora Buys A Radio Station, Songwriters' Group Calls It A 'Stunt'

Saturday, June 15, 2013

This week, the Internet radio broadcaster bought a radio station in Rapid City, S.D., in an effort to get the more favorable royalty rates given to terrestrial broadcasters. But the move has songwriters and composers up in arms.

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The Case For Surveillance: Keeping Up With Terrorist Tactics

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Since the leak of the National Security Agency's data-gathering program, U.S. officials have been defending their strategies. But they've been arguing for years that intelligence gathering has to keep up with the new ways America's enemies are planning and communicating.

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