IFA unveiled a world of connected devices. Autos are getting more automated and more frequently hacked. Who knows they may start striking back. But most of the connected stuff you don’t even know is connected or sending information somewhere to be used by someone to know more about you than you know about yourself. But it’s all for you to make life easier. Is that possible? You’re so much better off than your folks and your kids are light years ahead of you. The connected world can deliver a lot of good and there will be issues along the way. Just be a little selective and understanding. It’s a journey…not a race. [Read more…]
Monthly Archives: September 2015
Apple Unveils iPhone 6S, iPad Pro, Apple Pen, New Apple TV
“Come once again, Apple faithful and skeptics alike, to the Tim Cook Show starring Apple CEO Tim Cook & His Menagerie Of Shiny New Electronic Devices That You Will Want To Replace The Next Time He Holds One Of These Events. Cook, not exactly known for getting to the point during these press events, started today’s presentation by promising “monster announcements across several of our product lines.” After nearly 90 minutes of showing off [other] products, Apple finally unveiled its new selection of iPhones.”
Pretend you were there by going here: consumerist.com.
A Visit to the BART Lab
It begins about 1/3 down this page: nextcity.org.
“For anyone passionate about the inner workings of our cities, the BART lab is nothing less than an urban planning wonderland. Inside a glassy skyscraper across the street from Lake Merritt, all types of machines and turnstiles coexist in varying states of disassembly. People like John Yen, BART’s acting manager for fare collection engineering, who offered to show me around, spend their days perfecting the technology that keeps the rest of us moving.”
“The walls are lined with BART ticket kiosks and other pieces of machinery from BART’s history, many with their faces removed or hanging agape to reveal their complex and compartmentalized inner workings.”
Stanford, Toyota launch artificial-intelligence research center
“Fei-Fei Li, associate professor of computer science and director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL), will direct the new SAIL-Toyota Center for AI Research.
Early on, the new effort will focus on AI-assisted driving. Researchers will work on teaching computers to see and make critical decisions about how to interact with the world.
“AI-assisted driving is a perfect platform for advancing fundamental human-centric artificial-intelligence research while also producing practical applications,” Li stated in a Stanford press release. “Autonomous driving provides a scenario where AI can deliver smart tools for assistance in decision-making and planning to human drivers.”
Li said that Stanford will address four main challenges in making a computer think like a person: perception, learning, reasoning and interaction.”
Read the full article at www.paloaltoonline.com.
Toyota is also working with MIT on the project: news.mit.edu.
Scientists develop blood test that estimates how quickly people age – and their risk of Alzheimer’s
“Scientists have developed a blood test to estimate how quickly someone is ageing. They believe it could be used to predict a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease as well as the “youthfulness” of donated organs for transplant operations.
The test measures the vitality of certain genes which the researchers believe is an accurate indication of a person’s “biological age”, which may be younger or older than their actual chronological age.”
Read more at www.independent.co.uk