Today's Internet users have become accustomed to stories of hacking, identity theft and cyberattacks, but there was a time when the freedom and anonymity of the Web were new, and no one was sure what rules — if any — applied to its use.
Scientist and writer Dr. Arno Penzias (PEN-zee-us). He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1978 for his work supporting the big-bang theory of the universe. Now, as vice-president of research at AT&T he's responsible for innovation and risk-taking. Though Penzias is at the forefront of technological development, he remains aware of its human implication. His book, "Ideas and Information" is a crash course on the history of computers and communications-technology and is addressed to the general reader.
In 1961, when President John F. Kennedy announced a goal of "landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth" before the end of the decade, the mission seemed all but impossible.
Journalists Katie Hafner and John Markoff Their new book "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier" (Simon & Schuster) is about the growing importance of computer networks, and the growing importance of computer crime.
New York Times investigative reporter Michael Schwirtz gained access to the dashboard of DarkSide, a Russian ransomware operation that's pulled in more than $90 million since it began last August.
Computer software engineer and NPR commentator Ellen Ullman. Her book is titled "Close to the Machine" (City Lights). It's her semi-autobiographical account of a computer programmer trying to reconcile her work -- machines and information -- with the need for human contact and the feel of living in the real world. (Interview by Barbara Bogaev)
You might not recognize actor Andy Serkis, but you've probably seen his characters on-screen. Searches is Hollywood's go-to actor for computer-generated roles. His movies include Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, talks with TV critic David Bianculli about the series. TV's longest-running animated series broadcasts its 300th episode Feb. 16, 2003. The Simpsons were first featured during episodes of The Tracey Ullman Show, then earned their own prime-time series in 1990. This interview first aired April 22, 1998.
As many as 12 million computers worldwide have been infected with a highly encrypted computer worm called Conficker. Writer Mark Bowden details how Conficker was discovered, how it works, and the ongoing programming battle to bring down Conficker in his book Worm: The First Digital World War.
Fresh Air broadcasts a lecture by music critic and journalist Nat Hentoff. He worries that the accessibility of U.S. citizens' computerized data is leading to increased surveillance and a troubling, Orwellian practice of law enforcement.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a recording of the recent opera Valis, based on Philp K. Dick's novel of the same name. He says much of the music is haunting, but is often repetitive and sentimental. Yet it's still a beguiling piece of wizardry.
Authors Philip Furia and Laurie Patterson share the stories behind Hollwood's most beloved songs -- from Casablanca's "As Time Goes By" to the melodies from Mary poopins -- in their book The Songs of Hollywood.
Lasseter began his career as a traditional animator; now he works for the production studio Pixar, founded by Steve Jobs. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the mechanics of computer animation, and how he tries to get audiences to look past the novelty of his approach and focus on the story.
The new eyeglass frames allow you to take pictures and browse the Internet while you wear them. Early adopters focused on the tiny screens have already been dubbed "glassholes." Fresh Air linguist Geoff Nunberg reminds us that in Shakespeare's time "distraction" was another word for madness.
The "i" prefix began as an abbreviation for the word "Internet," but ended up being much more than that. "By the time i- was fleshed out, Apple had transformed itself from a culty computer-maker to a major religion," says linguist Geoff Nunberg.
Computer programmer Richard Stallman. Stallman's a genius, he's been called "the best programmer who's ever lived", and he received one the MacArthur Foundation's so-called "Genius Awards," but he's become more widely known for his push to make computer programs freely accessible to everyone. Instead of software companies charging hundreds or thousands of dollars for programs and forbidding the purchasers from giving copies to other people, Stallman wants an unrestricted exchange of programs, and thereby the creativity that they represent.
How can one company be so wildly successful — and so thoroughly distrusted? Tech writer Steven Levy reflects on Facebook's enigmatic leader and its drive for expansion in his new book.
James Cameron's trademark blend of grandiosity, jaw-dropping technology and cornball populism is back — and mightier than ever — in Avatar, a vertigo-inducing sci-fi epic that's as predictable and tin-eared as it is savvy and technically adept.
