‘Shazam for Earthquakes’ Could Help Predict Big Quakes

Inspired by the Shazam music-discovery app, scientists have discovered a way to identify “microquakes” that previously went unnoticed, which could help them predict larger temblors in the future. Shazam uses an algorithm to identify patterns in music, helping people at bars answer such important questions as, “Is this a Lionel Richie song?”…

Chennai Floods: A Perfect Storm of Climate Change and Failed Planning

Last week, as world leaders met in Paris to discuss climate change, the Indian city of Chennai was drowning. The coastal city of more than 4.6 million residents saw its heaviest rainfall in a century. Around 280 people have reportedly died from the resulting floods. Thousands have lost everything they owned. The city’s key IT, auto, and pharmaceutical industries have been crippled. Three million people have been left without access to food and clean drinking water, as authorities carry out relief operations. A friend of mine from graduate school, the journalist Ajai Sreevatsan, grew up in Chennai, and last week his parents’ house was submerged under water…

New EU cyber-security law requires tech firms to report major breaches or face penalties

EU lawmakers and member states struck a deal on the bloc’s first cyber-security law on Monday that will require Internet firms such as Google and Amazon to report serious breaches or face sanctions. The deal, following five hours of negotiations between the European Parliament and EUgovernments, was reached in response to increasing worries about cyber attacks resulting in security and privacy breaches. The European Commission’s digital chief, Andrus Ansip, said the new law would build up consumers’ trust in Internet services, especially cross-border services…