Is WikiLeaks a Good Thing?

In this issue of Technology Review we describe and celebrate the 50 most innovative companies in the world. Neither described nor celebrated among the TR50 is ­WikiLeaks, the Internet organization that publishes the secrets of governments and businesses, because it is neither a company dedicated to generating profits nor, perhaps, a fit subject for celebration. But WikiLeaks is, for all that, the most interesting Web startup around.

In “Transparency and Its Enemies” I have tried to make sense of the organization and its guiding spirit, Julian Assange. What WikiLeaks is, and whether it is good or bad for civil society, has become disputed terrain; and what has been written tends to reveal the authors’ feelings about authority more than it illuminates the organization’s innovations. Yet those innovations are real and disruptive and, like those of any Web startup, can be imitated by other, perhaps more sustainable ventures with better modes of business.

 

Warning for Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease, much like diabetes. But while diabetics can keep track of their symptoms with glucose meters, asthma patients have little to go by beyond their own judgment. As a result, asthma causes more than a million emergency room visits each year in the U.S. alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new handheld device could reverse that trend by helping patients catch asthma attacks hours before they happen.

THE MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2011!

The 2011 Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Barcelona Spain

These girls just love the look and feel of new, sophisticated and state-of-the-art mobile phones for 2011!

 

With the Mobile World Congress MWC upon us we thought we’d give you the low-down on what is thought to be unveiled at the world’s largest mobile phone trade show.

KFC changes 50-year-old slogan

Kentucky Fried Chicken is ditching its 50-year-old slogan in an effort to help the chicken chain create a healthier corporate image.

The fast-food chain is set to replace their current slogan, ‘finger lickin’ good’ – one of the most successful marketing slogans of the 20th century – with simply ‘so good’.

The new slogan is being launched along with other health-conscious measures, such as using healthier oils and cooking meals on a griddle rather than using fryers. Further plans to display the calorific value of items on their menu will begin in September.

Martin Shuker, a rep for KFC says: “‘Finger lickin’ good’ is very food centric. ‘So good’ is still about the food, but it also allows us to more effectively communicate the breadth of different things about the brand, such as our people.’