The Washington Post (April 28) – There’s an emerging power for the gobs of data our smartphones collect and the opportunity for savvy companies to convert that information into piles of cash. “In biology, the microscope changed the world. In physics and astronomy, the telescope,” says Lav Varshney, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Illinois. “These data sets give a very detailed view of human behavior. It’s a really powerful instrument in all kinds of settings.”