Technology

3/11/14 Update: The FAA has appealed the judge's decision to the full National Transportation Safety Board. The appeal also has the effect of staying the judge's decision.

Some unmanned flying vehicles, or drones, can be used commercially in the U.S., after a federal judge ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration cannot enforce its current policy. The agency has banned commercial drone use.

More changes are coming in regard to how standardized tests are scored.

Union County's school board is accused of sneaking through a controversial redistricting vote.

Third-party election cash is flowing into North Carolina's U.S. Senate race.

Plus, breaking news on drones.

Greg, Lisa and Ben discuss all these issue on the latest edition of WFAE Talks.

NASCAR, the NFL and other pro sports are combining high-tech data analytics with old-school public relations. They've built what are basically tech command centers where employees engage with fans and monitor trends on social media. The centers have been popping up over the past five years or so, and one of the newest ones is in Charlotte.

Amateur radio operators have been around for a long time. In fact, this week HAMS - as the operators are known - are celebrating amateur radio's 100 year anniversary. In cases of emergency events or weather, HAMS are called upon to help larger media outlets and the National Weather Service. There are over 20,000 of these folks in North Carolina and another 9,500+ in South Carolina. We talk with two HAMS and learn about their craft. Then we get an update from Vani Hari, known as the 'Food Babe' about her latest endeavors, including encouraging the restaurant Subway to remove a chemical additive from their bread.

Everyone knows that we are living in a digital world but if you visit that average classroom you’ll likely see more pencils, paper, books and chalkboards than monitors or keyboards. There is a school system changing all that and some educators have called them the best school system in America. That school system is right in our backyard. The Mooresville Graded School District introduced a 1 to 1 laptop initiative meaning that every child in their system learns through digital media, from 1st and 2nd graders with digital learning tools to laptops in the hands of every student from 3rd—12th grade. And the results are amazing. We’ll find out how the digital conversion is transforming learning in Mooresville and what the future might be for school kids everywhere.

Artificial Intelligence - machines that work like the human brain - computers that can think. It's the stuff of science fiction, but it's also very real and developing faster than you may realize. Just this week, tech giant Google announced the purchase of an artificial intelligence firm - the company's ninth robotics oriented purchase in a little over a year. From asking your smart phone for directions to self-driving cars to robots programmed to act like humans, AI is everywhere and it's certainly uncharted territory. What does it mean when we create computers that are potentially smarter than people? Our guest today warns, if we don't tread lightly, it could mean the end of the human era. A panel of experts joins us to explain how artificial intelligence works and discuss the practical applications and ethical considerations of this controversial technology.

Venture capital investment is best known for funding technology start-ups, including, once upon a time, Google and Facebook. The amount of venture capital funding is also an indication of how many start-ups or early stage companies a region is producing. The latest numbers in North Carolina show the state still has not recovered from the recession.

The word 'Hacker' brings to mind a nefarious computer nerd stealing credit card information or disrupting websites. But a hacker has traditionally been someone who was into technological 'tinkering' and innovation. Queen’s University of Charlotte is promoting hacker culture by teaching digital and media literacy with a “hackathon.” We'll also meet the founder of a digital meet-up site called Charlotte Hackerspace. It's a place where geeks can feel free to tinker and in some cases, evolve technology. Join us as we plug into the rise of Hacker Culture.