Disasters

Beside death and taxes -- and April 17 is approaching, in case you don't pay attention -- the loss of data might be the third thing that's certain in life; it's just a matter of time. But there's hope.

Since you can file an extension to do the tax return, which you should avoid, there's also a way for you to further prevent data loss, which you definitely should do. And the Solo G3 from IoSafe is one of the best, if not the best solution, all things considered.

In a nutshell it's an … Read more

A 5.5 earthquake in Sumatra, a flood in Hawaii, an explosion in the Congo--and that's just the last 9 hours.

Trouble strikes when you least expect it. All you can do is prepare for it. These four iPhone apps get you ready to respond to whatever emergency situation you may face.

Put emergency contact and medical information on the iPhone lock screen The iPhone equivalent of a Med-Alert bracelet is the $1.99 Emergency Aid app that puts potentially life-saving information in your iPhone lock screen and/or your wallpaper: allergies or other medical alerts, the medications you … Read more

When a disaster hits, preparation is key. It used to be said that you should have three days' worth of food, water, and other basic supplies. Now it's said to be seven days' worth.

Martin Griss, the director of Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley and the Disaster Management Initiative, recently spoke at NASA's Disaster Resiliency Panel held at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Calif. In the video, he explains how to build technologies that will make a difference for individuals and their communities when disaster strikes.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "Disaster recovery: Where city and community plans are falling short.&… Read more

People looking for information on a natural disaster or other emergency anywhere in the world can now stay abreast of the latest details courtesy of Google Maps.

The new Public Alerts page, which Google is launching today, aims to keep you informed of emergency alerts for floods, tornadoes, winter storms, and other dangers that may be headed your way.

The idea is tell you what's happening, when and where the disaster may hit, how severe it will be, and what resources are around to help you, according to a Google blog post.

LAS VEGAS--IoSafe has finally learned that silence is golden.

In addition to the new Rugged Portable Thunderbolt that was announced with a bang, the maker of disaster-proof storage devices also unveiled today at CES 2012 the brand-new Solo G3 external hard drive.… Read more

2011 was a rather remarkable year for products and companies that were on top, taking a flop.

Here are our Top 5 moves and happenings that were hard to watch, from Flip to HP to Netflix and BlackBerry. It just goes to show that some of the biggest names can lose their way spectacularly.

Ten years ago, our world changed. Terrorists in hijacked jetliners brought down the World Trade Center towers in New York and crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth hijacked plane was forced down in Pennsylvania. A total of 2,819 people were killed. Since then, politicians and technologists have tried to create systems, products, and procedures to make sure we're never attacked this way again. Or if we are, that we can save lives affected by such an attack. There are positive results from this effort in how we react to all kinds disasters, but also downsides relating to privacy and money diverted from other programs.

To discuss the effects that 9/11 had on the development of technology, we're joined for this show by Jason Pontin, the editor and publisher of MIT Technology Review. Jason and I were both working at Red Herring on 9/11/01.

Subscribe: iTunes (MP3)iTunes (320x180)iTunes (640x360)Podcast RSS (MP3)Podcast RSS (320x180)Podcast RSS (640x360)

… Read more

Hurricane Irene has come and gone, and despite widespread power losses up and down the Eastern U.S., wireless networks performed well.

Cell phone operators said they had been preparing for days for the hurricane, which hit North Carolina on Saturday and hugged the Atlantic coastline up to New York City where it turned into a tropical storm before making landfall early Sunday morning. The preparation paid off as all four major operators reported that their equipment for the most part held up well in the storm.

While some customers may have experienced some disruption, for the most part, the … Read more

I need to reprioritize the items in my Hurricane Irene Go Bag. How do I know this? Because this a.m. I found myself struggling to decide which toy my cat would prefer should we be forced to evacuate our home early tomorrow morning.

Before you go planning a disaster movie marathon this weekend, be sure to check out the NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone map or enter your address in the Zone Finder to see if you live in an evacuation area.

And if you do live in one of the affected areas, you can download apps for both iOS and Android devices that show Doppler radar info, detailed maps, and ongoing weather warnings and satellite images for up-to-date news on the storm. But what should you pack in your emergency "Go Bag"? … Read more