Philippe Matthews Show Guru Advice, Author Reviews, Tech Reviews, Entertainment News

Hacker conference DEF CON is, in information-security circles, a big deal--which is why it's pretty astonishing that in August it will launch its first event targeted at the younger hacker . You know, the kind who's still in school and may not yet be old enough to drive, but is quite adept at managing SQL injections, DDoS, and password cracking. The kind of hacker who may be as young as 8

This week Apple's COO and acting CEO Tim Cook was apparently spotted sauntering into the Beijing offices of China Mobile , the world's largest cellphone network, with 611 million subscribers (that's almost twice the number of people living in the U.S. ). As a result, analyst Brian White at Ticondera Securities suggested that Apple's poised to launch an iPhone whose price would appeal to the average Chinese smartphone user

This may surprise many U.S. consumers unfamiliar with Ikea spots, but the legendary Swedish furniture company is this year's Advertiser of the Year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In a series of videos, Filip Nilsson, chief creative officer at Forsman & Bodenfors, explains his shop's approach--and offers insights into its massive appeal

The market was created to avoid the red tape that keeps many small-time food operations from getting off the ground.

Two curious and awkward press events this week put the spotlight on the unveiling act. Yesterday, after a short period of global intrigue, J.K.

One of the 10 commercial partnerships with home energy technology companies GE announced this week was SunRun, a home solar company. Now both companies are in the business of getting panels on people's roofs

Today Foursquare announced a nationwide partnership with American Express to offer discounts to cardholders when they check in at select merchants. Now, after linking your AmEx card to your Foursquare account, you'll be able to earn special offers at certain retailers and restaurants: Spend $75 at H&M, for example, and you'll get $10 back on your next statement.

Legendary ad man John Hegarty offers some advice for advertisers and marketers who are trying to navigate the future of the business. Legendary ad man John Hegarty , cofounder and worldwide creative director of international agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty , knows something about building great brands

Millions in new grants will help journalist hackers create visually striking graphics that will both inform the public and help reporters find patterns they didn't know were there. In the 21st century, a crack reporter's best source for juicy leads might not be pounding the pavement and hounding sources.

The magi-cam is a robotic and mirrored surveillance device that most animals can't even see--taking advantage of many species' lack of sense of self.

Tech-savvy Texans will be some of the first in the U.S.

Somali pirates are turning to increasingly sophisticated methods such as satellite phones, custom-made GPS systems, and even monitoring the Internet to hunt down targets. Somali pirates aren't content just floating around in their fishing boats, looking for victims. These days, pirates off the Horn of Africa are turning to a sophisticated mix of weaponry, jerry-rigged GPS devices, and ingenious hacks of shipping-industry databases to hunt down prey.

The Fast Company reader's essential rundown of who's breaking into and shaking up your tech space--updated all day. Google Takes On Skype With Chrome Addition Google wants to add open-source video and telephony technology to the Chrome browser, meaning that anyone could use the code to integrate free (or reduced) calling into a browser interface. So far, Google's previous attempt at VoIP inside Gmail, Google Voice , hasn't dethroned Skype, its closest competitor

Turns out that building bike lanes isn't just a benefit for bikers. Building those bike lanes provides a big boost to the economy.

Here's how you may soon charge your phone by tapping on it rather than plugging it in. Thanks, science! Australian researchers have made a breakthrough in thin-film piezoelectric technology, working out a way to turn the chunky piezo electric tech we're already familiar with into super-thin layers that are actually much more useful. If your eyes glaze over at the merest mention of physics then at least read this: The tech could abolish wall wart power plugs forever.