Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Hockey Stick: U.S. Residential Energy Storage Deployments Q1 2018
June 7th, 2018Via: GTM: Ever since GTM Research began tracking storage deployments in 2013, residential batteries appeared as the faintest of slivers on the industrywide bar graph, nonzero but totally insubstantial. Now, for the first time, the smattering of a few kilowatts here and there has nearly overtaken the giants of grid-scale mega-projects. That’s a result both […]
Microsoft Sinks Data Centre Off Orkney
June 6th, 2018I don’t really buy the explanations given in the article. This is way too much hassle for cooling efficiencies. EMP-proof data repositories? The water would fully attenuate the effects of an EMP attack. Hmm… Also, don’t forget: Bill Gates and the “Doomsday Seed Vault”. It’s all very Ernst Blofeld. Via: BBC: Microsoft has sunk a […]
Deep in the Pentagon, a Secret AI Program to Anticipate the Launch of Nuclear Missiles
June 5th, 2018First, we take some W.O.P.R. Next, we stir in a pinch of SkyNet And then… Via: Reuters: The U.S. military is increasing spending on a secret research effort to use artificial intelligence to help anticipate the launch of a nuclear-capable missile, as well as track and target mobile launchers in North Korea and elsewhere. The […]
Amazon Using Over 100,000 Warehouse Robots
June 4th, 2018Warehouse robots to the horizon… Via: MIT Technology Review: Amazon’s fleet of automated warehouse robots, now more than 100,000 machines strong, is working alongside human employees to help meet the e-commerce giant’s massive fulfillment demand. The company’s robots carry inventory around massive warehouse floors, compiling all the items for a customer’s order and reducing the […]
McDonald’s to Add Self-Order Kiosks to 1,000 Stores Each Quarter
June 4th, 2018Via: CNBC: As McDonald’s seeks to modernize its business, the company is placing a big bet on mobile and other tech platforms. McDonald’s has been systematically adding self-service ordering kiosks and table service to stores as it works to “build a better McDonald’s.” “What we’re finding is when people dwell more, they select more,” CEO […]
Google Promises Ethical Principles to Guide Development of Military AI
May 31st, 2018Update: Leaked Emails Show Google Expected Lucrative Military Drone AI Work to Grow Exponentially Via: The Intercept: FOLLOWING THE REVELATION in March that Google had secretly signed an agreement with the Pentagon to provide cutting edge artificial intelligence technology for drone warfare, the company faced an internal revolt. About a dozen Google employees have resigned […]
Footsteps, Pressure Sensors, and AI: The Next Step in Airport Security
May 31st, 2018Via: EETimes: The University of Manchester’s school of electrical and electronic engineering, in collaboration with the University of Madrid, has developed a behavioral biometric verification system that can measure a human’s individual gait or walking pattern, enabling successful identification of a person simply as they walk on a pressure pad in the floor and analyzing […]
California: Digital License Plates Track Vehicles
May 28th, 2018Via: Sacramento Bee: California’s dramatic new license plate is hitting the streets — a digital display board that allows changeable messages controlled by the driver or remotely by fleet managers. The new plates use the same computer technology as Kindle eBook readers, along with a wireless communication system. They come with their own computer chips […]
In Japan, a Buddhist Funeral Service for Robot Dogs
May 27th, 2018Via: National Geographic: A traveler happening upon a funeral for robot dogs might be taken aback. Is this a performance art statement about modern life? Is it a hoax? A practical joke? But this is actually a religious ceremony, and the emotions expressed by the human participants are genuine.
Microsoft Wins Lucrative Cloud Deal with Intelligence Community
May 27th, 2018Via: Bloomberg: Microsoft Corp. said it’s secured a lucrative cloud deal with the intelligence community that marks a rapid expansion by the software giant into a market led by Amazon.com Inc. The deal, which the company said Wednesday is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, allows 17 intelligence agencies and offices to use Microsoft’s Azure […]
