Company Envisions ‘Vaults’ for Personal Data

Peter DaSilva for The New York TimesMichael Fertik, the founder and chief executive of Reputation.com, at its offices in Redwood City, Calif., where he has amassed a database of information collected on millions of consumers. “YOU are walking around naked on the Internet and you need some clothes,” says Michael Fertik. “I am going to sell you some.” Naked? Not exactly, but close. Mr....

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The Human Price: Bangladesh Fire Exposes Safety Gap in Supply Chain

ASHULIA, Bangladesh — The fire alarm shattered the monotony of the Tazreen Fashions factory. Hundreds of seamstresses looked up from their machines, startled. On the third floor, Shima Akhter Pakhi had been stitching hoods onto fleece jackets. Now she ran to a staircase. Khaled Hasan for The New York TimesHashinur Rahman, who worked on the sixth floor, managed to flee the building, but...

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For Medical Marijuana in New Jersey, a First Few Ounces

Yana Paskova for The New York TimesJulio Valentin Jr., left, and Joseph Stevens, outside their medical marijuana dispensary in Montclair, N.J., on Thursday. MONTCLAIR, N.J. — They skulked in and out like criminals, shoulders hunched, heads down, declining to comment. It was the opening of New Jersey’s first and so far only medical marijuana dispensary, in downtown Montclair, on Thursday,...

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For Medical Marijuana in New Jersey, a First Few Ounces

Yana Paskova for The New York TimesJulio Valentin Jr., left, and Joseph Stevens, outside their medical marijuana dispensary in Montclair, N.J., on Thursday. MONTCLAIR, N.J. — They skulked in and out like criminals, shoulders hunched, heads down, declining to comment. It was the opening of New Jersey’s first and so far only medical marijuana dispensary, in downtown Montclair, on Thursday,...

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Gadgetwise Blog: How to Restore Old iTunes Features to New iTunes

The revamped iTunes — iTunes 11 — has been lauded for its spare design and for taking what some iTunes users have called a bloated program back to the basics.But other people may miss classic elements that have disappeared. The good news is that not all of them are really gone. Some are just hidden or renamed. You can get those back easily if you want to. Below are a few examples. (Other features...

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Senate Passes Russian Trade Bill, With Conditions

The Senate voted on Thursday to finally eliminate cold war-era trade restrictions on Russia, but at the same time it condemned Moscow for human rights abuses, threatening to further strain an already fraught relationship with the Kremlin. The Senate bill, which passed the House of Representatives last month, now goes to President Obama, who has opposed turning a trade bill into a statement...

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Well: Running in Reverse

This column appears in the Dec. 9 issue of The New York Times Magazine.Backward running, also known as reverse or retro running, is not as celebrated as barefoot running and will never be mistaken for the natural way to run. But a small body of science suggests that backward running enables people to avoid or recover from common injuries, burn extra calories, sharpen balance and, not least, mix up...

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Well: Running in Reverse

This column appears in the Dec. 9 issue of The New York Times Magazine.Backward running, also known as reverse or retro running, is not as celebrated as barefoot running and will never be mistaken for the natural way to run. But a small body of science suggests that backward running enables people to avoid or recover from common injuries, burn extra calories, sharpen balance and, not least, mix up...

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Apple to Resume U.S. Manufacturing

For the first time in years, Apple will manufacture computers in the United States, the chief executive of Apple, Timothy D. Cook, said in interviews with NBC and Bloomberg Businessweek. “Next year, we will do one of our existing Mac lines in the United States,” he said in an interview to be broadcast Thursday on “Rock Center With Brian Williams” on NBC. Apple, the biggest company...

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India’s Lower House Votes to Support Foreign Investment

NEW DELHI — India’s lower house of Parliament voted in a raucous session on Wednesday evening to support the government’s decision to allow Walmart and other major retailers to set up shop here. Notes on the world's largest democracy. The nationally televised debate featured some of India’s best orators and most powerful politicians in a high-profile fight that could serve as the opening bell...

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Blue-Chip Shares Jump

Blue-chip stocks rebounded on Wall Street on Wednesday, with 4 percent gains in Travelers and Hewlett-Packard leading the way. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 0.9 percent, or about 110 points, in afternoon trading. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index added 0.4 percent, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 0.5 percent. In economic reports,...

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Willis Whitfield, Clean Room Inventor, Dies at 92

The enemy was very small but it was everywhere. World peace, medical advancement, iTunes — all would eventually be threatened. Half a century ago, as a rapidly changing world sought increasingly smaller mechanical and electrical components and more sanitary hospital conditions, one of the biggest obstacles to progress was air, and the dust and germs it contains. Stray particles a few...

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Willis Whitfield, Clean Room Inventor, Dies at 92

The enemy was very small but it was everywhere. World peace, medical advancement, iTunes — all would eventually be threatened. Half a century ago, as a rapidly changing world sought increasingly smaller mechanical and electrical components and more sanitary hospital conditions, one of the biggest obstacles to progress was air, and the dust and germs it contains. Stray particles a few...

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Video Games: Little Inferno; Hitman; Assassin’s Creed III; Persona 4 Golden; Angry Birds Star Wars; My Little Pony

UbisoftRatonhnhaké:ton is a half-British, half-Mohawk assassin in Revolutionary America. Released on Nov. 18 Developed by Tomorrow Corporation For PC, Mac, Linux and Wii U Rated T for Teen (drug reference and crude humor) Here’s an odd one. Little Inferno is an interactive fireplace. It’s an emotional, interactive fireplace with a story line and some notions about the...

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Port-Au-Prince Journal: Campaign in Haiti to Close Orphanages

Ben Depp for The New York TimesAn orphanage north of Port-au-Prince that is part of Mission of Hope Haiti. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Orphanages packed with little ones dot the landscape here, some with brightly colored signs outside their gates, others unmarked on back roads. But many of the children are not actually orphans, and a campaign is under way to close as many of the institutions as possible...

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Republicans Balk at Obama’s Short-Term Stimulus

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats are struggling to find common ground on a long-term debt deal. But as economic growth has weakened this quarter, they are at odds over what the flagging recovery needs in the immediate future, too. The Obama administration is arguing that the sluggish economy requires a shot in the arm, and it included tens of billions of dollars of little-noticed stimulus...

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Software Programs Help Doctors Diagnose, but Can’t Replace Them

SAN FRANCISCO — The man on stage had his audience of 600 mesmerized. Over the course of 45 minutes, the tension grew. Finally, the moment of truth arrived, and the room was silent with anticipation. At last he spoke. “Lymphoma with secondary hemophagocytic syndrome,” he said. The crowd erupted in applause. Professionals in every field revere their superstars, and in medicine the best...

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Software Programs Help Doctors Diagnose, but Can’t Replace Them

SAN FRANCISCO — The man on stage had his audience of 600 mesmerized. Over the course of 45 minutes, the tension grew. Finally, the moment of truth arrived, and the room was silent with anticipation. At last he spoke. “Lymphoma with secondary hemophagocytic syndrome,” he said. The crowd erupted in applause. Professionals in every field revere their superstars, and in medicine the best...

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