Forget Power Grid: Worry About Toasters
Hijacking “smart” toasters and refrigerators and hacking corporate ventilation systems are among the new threats envisioned by cybersecurity experts as an increasing array of items are connected to the Internet. The Internet of Things, a movement that seeks to control everything from factory equipment to traffic lights and household appliances through the Web, creates vast opportunities for improved efficiency and convenience. But...
The Business of Agriculture: Upper Valley Farmers Fight the Battle of Bedstraw
What kudzu is to south Georgia — ubiquitous, fast-growing, invasive — smooth bedstraw has become to the fields, meadows, pastures and other open lands of the Upper Valley region. And the summer of 2015 is proving to be the worst year yet with the aggressive weed, as farmers, property managers and agronomists try to figure out ways to beat the pest back, usually with only marginal success. Smooth bedstraw especially loves roadsides,...
Costs Have Hit State Health Markets Hard
Washington — State-run health insurance markets that offer coverage under President Obama’s health law are struggling with high costs and disappointing enrollment. These challenges could lead more of them to turn over operations to the federal government or join forces with other states. Hawaii’s marketplace, the latest cautionary tale, was awarded $205 million in federal startup grants. It has spent about $139 million and enrolled...
Automaker Recalls 1.4 Million Cars
Three days after a report that hackers took control of a Jeep Cherokee and drove it into a ditch, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recalled 1.4 million vehicles for a software update. The automaker said the hack appeared to be an isolated incident that could not be easily repeated. The coding for the hack required extensive technical knowledge of the vehicle. The company said it already has made the security fix via its cellular network, so...
