Extending the definition of "over the top"!

Extending the  definition of "over the top"! If it could move faster that 8 knots I could see this being used as a mobile substitute for an evil overlord's remote island lair. 
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/24/sport/gallery/migaloo-submersible-yacht-floating-island/index.html

Hey, Google Now, there's a small glitch in your algorithm - two completely different types of "charger" - EV...

Hey, Google Now, there's a small glitch in your algorithm - two completely different types of "charger" - EV chargers are for cars and the San Diego Chargers is a sportsball team that will soon be moving to L.A.

Food for thought.

Food for thought.

This article is focused on voice control and it's attendent technologies. (One of the commenters on the original post even says he's dictated a 750 novel using Siri!) It is improving rapidly and since it's a back-end process it can be significantly improved without the end users (us) having to upgrade our terminal hardware very often.

I think the next step after that will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary but will require changes to the terminal hardware (cell phones or whatever we carry next). It will be powerful enough to do the processing independently and/or the pipeline to the offline processing facility will be fast and wide enough to process and respond in near real-time. That will make the technology and it's avatars conversational. 

The revolutionary change following that will be the ability for this technology to perform always-on ambient listening. Unlike the previous conversational step which was triggered (however subtly) by the user and only required computational resources during a conversation, ambient listening will always be processing cues in the user's environment. These cues will include not just the words spoken by the user but all words spoken within earshot (and beyond?). In addition, other audible (and sub-audible?) sounds will be included. Adding visual input ( one or more cameras, light sensors, etc.), motion sensor input, and other environmental sensor data will help build a thorough model of the user's situation. Add to that non-local input based on the user's interests and the ambient AI can make suggestions, know when to interrupt and interject appropriately, reveal immediate threats, and more.

This step will require massive upgrades in data storage and retrieval, processing power, data movement infrastructure. It will also require more forms of communication to the end user than just audio through a speaker or an earpiece!

And if you thought the privacy concerns and claims of "creepiness" around Google Glass were loud just wait!

Originally shared by Mike Elgan

When artificial intelligence is everywhere, all the time.

(Read my column: http://goo.gl/8mHB99 )

If you look at a roster of the sure-fire hit gifts for this year's holiday season: The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, the iPad Pro, the Amazon Echo, the Apple TV, the Amazon Fire TV, Android phones and tablets, Hello Barbie and the Star Wars robot (Sphero's BB-8) -- the robot is the only product that doesn't come with instant access to supercomputer artificial intelligence. And it would be trivial for Sphero to add A.I. access to the app. In fact, they probably will within the next year.

Voice-interaction A.I. assistants and chatbots are the future of how we interact with machines. They will guide us, watch out for us, help, inform, entertain us and even befriend us.

Because they live in remote data centers in the cloud, they'll be constantly and rapidly improved without any action (such as buying something new) on the part of the user.

Artificial intelligence virtual assistants are already part of our lives. But very soon they will be far more advanced than ever before and they will be everywhere. They're going to change everything.

Brace yourself. The real A.I. revolution is like nothing you've ever experienced before, and it's going to blow your mind.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2984683/emerging-technology/when-artificial-intelligence-is-everywhere-all-the-time.html

#ai #artificialintelligence #siri #googlenow #cortana   #amazonecho   #Xiaoice

::facepalm::

::facepalm::

This is why you don't build backdoors into your encryption algorithms.

Originally shared by Kirill Grouchnikov

The TSA is learning a basic lesson of physical security in the age of 3-D printing: If you have sensitive keys—say, a set of master keys that can open locks you’ve asked millions of Americans to use—don’t post pictures of them on the Internet.

A group of lock-picking and security enthusiasts drove that lesson home Wednesday by publishing a set of CAD files to Github that anyone can use to 3-D print a precisely measured set of the TSA’s master keys for its “approved” locks—the ones the agency can open with its own keys during airport inspections. Within hours, at least one 3-D printer owner had already downloaded the files, printed one of the master keys, and published a video proving that it opened his TSA-approved luggage lock.
http://www.wired.com/2015/09/lockpickers-3-d-print-tsa-luggage-keys-leaked-photos

This is more important than it seems.

This is more important than it seems.
http://gizmodo.com/why-winning-the-dancing-baby-lawsuit-is-a-big-deal-for-1730683152?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Oooh! Crossing fingers!

Oooh! Crossing fingers!

Originally shared by ****

We’re exploring bringing Fiber to San Diego. This means working with city leaders to understand local requirements and challenges – from roads and infrastructure to permits and utility paths. 

It will take time to make sure we can build this network. And we’d love to keep you updated on our progress. Check your address to be among the first to know when we have more to share: g.co/fiber/sandiego-ca

The tech is trickier than it seems but if (when) we get it working... whoa!

The tech is trickier than it seems but if (when) we get it working... whoa!

Originally shared by Chris Jenkins

I've been saying it for a while: Magic Leap is the VR we've all been waiting for.

Their newest revealed patents back that up in a big way.

Derek Ross Michael Interbartolo Thomas Tenkely Noble Ackerson Steven Mautone LivingThruLeap? 
http://recode.net/2015/09/01/new-magic-leap-patents-reveal-contact-lens-tech-to-trick-your-eyes

Let's do this! Watch the video.

Let's do this! Watch the video.

Originally shared by Alex Ruiz

Taking "awesome" to a whole new level.
http://qz.com/495559/nasa-is-developing-a-hedgehog-robot-to-tumble-around-comets-and-asteroids/

It'll be interesting to see this play out (not that I'm going to rush out and buy a Windows phone).

It'll be interesting to see this play out (not that I'm going to rush out and buy a Windows phone).
http://m.windowscentral.com/why-continuum-may-succeed-where-atrix-failed

Earth orbit isn't so much "high" as "fast.

Originally shared by Yonatan Zunger

Earth orbit isn't so much "high" as "fast." The ISS routinely passes closer to my house than Los Angeles; it wouldn't be a terribly far commute. The only problem is that, if I were to travel in a straight line those 249 miles up to touch it, I would then simply be 249 miles above the ground, and what would happen next is technically known as "falling."

Things stay in orbit not by being high up, but by moving fast enough that they continually fall towards the ground and miss. Draw a line between yourself and the center of the Earth; gravity is pulling you along that line. Point your nose perpendicular to that line, and go: your normal straight-line motion is moving you away from the Earth. The art of orbiting is simply the art of keeping those two things in balance, so that you're moving so quickly through space that you're losing altitude through falling at the same speed that you're gaining it through hurtling.

Of course, you have to be going kind of fast for this to work. The ISS travels at a steady speed of 7.6km (4.76 miles) per second. 

This is why spacecraft don't simply fly straight up; they fly up about 26,000' to get out of the thickest part of the air, then turn 90° and thrust for speed. (This post talks more about why that makes more sense than taking off horizontally like an airplane: https://plus.google.com/+YonatanZunger/posts/VsYyUDxFUDr) 

It probably won't surprise you that when you're flying at this speed, running into things is not a good idea. The picture below is from a test run by the ESA (the European Space Administration) of a "hypervelocity impact." The block is made of solid Aluminum, and was cut in half after the test to see what happened. The pellet is not the one that was used in the test; you can see parts of the pellet used in the test in the form of those smears along the inside of the crater. At 6.8km/s, the impact blew the crater you see into the block of metal, and the shock wave in front of it opened up that second cavity at the bottom.

Note that the speed here was only 6.8km/s. Oribtal speed is a function of altitude alone; anything flying at the ISS' altitude will be going at 7.6km/s. But it might be going the other way, which means that collisions with random debris in orbit could happen at speeds as high as 15km/s. Meteoroids coming in from elsewhere in the solar system could be flying as fast as 72km/s.

The ESA's page (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Space_Debris/Hypervelocity_impacts_and_protecting_spacecraft) about these hypervelocity impact tests is full of wonderful understatements. An impact of any 10cm object against any spacecraft would "most likely entail a catastrophic disintegration of the target." (I should say that space travel includes phrases like "hard start" for what happens when fuel and oxidizer accumulate in a rocket engine's chamber before the engine ignites, and "spontaneous disassembly" for what happens if the airframe is separated into multiple pieces on an unscheduled basis. For those outside the field, those translate as "the engine explodes" and "the spacecraft explodes," respectively)

The thing I keep thinking about when I see this picture is imagining being aboard a spacecraft – especially something big, like the ISS – and hearing a loud "bang" resonating throughout the ship. That's all you would know at first: something, somewhere aboard, just caused the entire ship to shake.

Space travel is not for the faint of heart.

New Cellphone Surveillance Safeguards Imposed On Federal Law Enforcement

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/sep/03/new-cellphone-surveillance-safeguards-imposed-on/?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=kpbsnews-twitter

A new app that lets users friends 'virtually walk them home at night' is exploding in popularity

http://www.businessinsider.com/campanion-app-surging-in-popularity-2015-9

Urgent action needed!

Originally shared by Monterey Bay Aquarium

Urgent action needed! California’s bid to lead the nation in reducing microplastic pollution in the ocean faces last-minute industry opposition. The bill’s fate will be decided today.

Click here to find your state senator and urge them to pass AB 888: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ and help us spread the word!
https://futureoftheocean.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/ocean-action-were-pushing-to-ban-plastic-microbeads

A little commentary on the spy-ware nature of Windows 10, maybe?

A little commentary on the spy-ware nature of Windows 10, maybe?

Originally shared by CyberPunk

>facepalm<

>facepalm<

So, what are we doing today that will be this century's radium?
http://io9.com/seriously-scary-radioactive-consumer-products-from-the-498044380?commerce_insets_disclosure=off&utm_expid=66866090-48.Ej9760cOTJCPS_Bq4mjoww.1

I'm not a Medium user, particularly, but I do get the problem, here.

I'm not a Medium user, particularly, but I do get the problem, here. There are many sites that I read on the web from my computer and on my phone. If the content is web-friendly then let me seamlessly use my browser -- you know, that app I already have installed that shows me web content? -- to view it. The sites that have their own apps seem to want to "capture" me but don't offer any significant benefits to me for taking up extra memory above and beyond the browser.

Originally shared by Abraham Williams
http://www.broken-links.com/2015/09/01/feeling-like-an-unwelcome-guest-on-medium-com/