Jordan Rogers

Since the mobile revolution of the mid-2000s, the technology industry tends to move so fast that “what’s ahead this year” articles have become almost impossible to write, if not outright obsolete. There’s probably a startup in Durham right now working on the technology for better predicting technology. And if there’s not, there probably should be. Lucky for Triangle readers and tech fans, this region is at the forefront of many of these technologies—neck deep in the intellectual center of many of the coolest changes coming to the tech world. And 2016 is looking to be an exciting year for...

There are already too many “best tech gift ideas” articles out there to list here, but you might have noticed that there aren’t too many geared specifically for that startup worker gal or guy in your life (i.e. your boss or the person sitting next to you). Like anyone else, startup staffers are into all kinds of gadgets. But the entrepreneurial community is naturally filled with creators — they like to make stuff, not just watch and read. So if you’re looking for that perfect technology gift for a startup employee, you’ve got to keep productivity in mind. There...

In one of the first major regulations of the burgeoning private drone industry, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in October that new drone purchases will have to be registered with the federal government. The move was a direct response to the increasing danger posed to aviation from cheap and simple to fly drones (or unmanned aerial systems, UAS), whose numbers have exploded in the past year and are expected to continue to grow exponentially. In the Triangle, there’s an emerging movement around drones for commercial purposes with leaders like the FAA-supported research and development operation at NC State...

What do you get when you mix a group of computer science PhDs, a vibrant startup culture and an ultra-supportive university department? You get Impulsonic, the Carrboro-based startup that’s pioneering work in the software of computerized sound, while making the case for the innovation and investment payoff that can come from ventures in local brainpower. Launched in 2012 from within UNC’s GAMMA Lab in the computer science department in Chapel Hill, Impulsonic is producing unique work in the field of sound simulation software, with two main applications: simulating realistic sound for video games and virtual reality, and helping architects and designers...

Customers who shopped at Target between Nov. 25 and Dec. 15, 2013 likely had never heard of Fazio Mechanical Services, the Pennsylvania-based refrigerator repair company whose account was used by hackers to steal millions of credit card numbers from the Target Corporation. At the time, it was the largest credit data breach in history. Computer programmers worldwide took note, as did Spreedly, a payment security startup in Durham. “We saw opportunity,” says Spreedly CEO Justin Benson (pictured above). The effects on Target were devastating, not only for the hacked customers, but also for the big red retailer. Target’s profits fell 40%...

Customers who shopped at Target between Nov. 25 and Dec. 15, 2013 likely had never heard of Fazio Mechanical Services, the Pennsylvania-based refrigerator repair company whose account was used by hackers to steal millions of credit card numbers from the Target Corporation. At the time, it was the largest credit data breach in history. Computer programmers worldwide took note, as did Spreedly, a payment security startup in Durham. “We saw opportunity,” says Spreedly CEO Justin Benson (pictured above). The effects on Target were devastating, not only for the hacked customers, but also for the big red retailer. Target’s profits fell 40%...

Can a tiny flying sensor tell farmers if they have a sick animal? Can a drone fly ahead of speeding trains to prevent accidents? It would sound like science fiction if it weren’t already happening in Raleigh. For most, the word “drone” has connotations of distant battlefields and secret technologies. But organizations like PrecisionHawk and NC State’s NextGen Air are working against that stereotype as they develop practical uses for drones—or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as they prefer to call them—building machines that can one day do everything from assisting emergency crews during crises to delivering groceries to a consumer’s doorstep, and they’re creating...