John Markoff is a senior writer for The New York Times, where he covers computer and technology issues. He recently moved from the west coast and is a new member of the Times' science desk. Markoff is completing a book on the history of events that led to the creation of the personal computer in Silicon Valley during the two decades leading up to 1975.
GOOGLE TAKEOUT: Google revealed that they were hacked into back in January, and John Markoff, technology reporter for The New York Times, has found out through an inside source what exactly was stolen from the Internet giant.
SPORTS TAKEOUTS: With the NFL draft looming, sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, takes a look at the crop of quarterbacks who are looking to become first round picks and continue their success on the pro level.
Anybody who knows anything about Harry Potter has drooled over the Marauder's Map — a handy little tool that shows Harry, in real time, the location of every person at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (see below for details). Today, that fantastical map seems to be turning into reality: GPS applications on our cell phones, like Amigo Mapper, allow us to track our friends via their cell phones. But are there people, or companies, other than our friends who would be interested in knowing where we are? Yes, says John Markoff, technology reporter for the New York Times and author of an article on geographical cell phone technologies in today's Science Times. He joins The Takeaway to talk about the implications around the rise of GPS technologies in handheld devices.
