Archive for the 'Technology' Category
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 […]
Tesla Flies in New Battery Production Line for Gigafactory
May 25th, 2018Balls to the wall 24/7. Besides the normal Model S and X and energy products output, there’s the Model 3 ramp, the single 50,000 unit Powerwall order from Australia, an as yet undisclosed 1+GWH battery project and the looming Semi. I’ve been in the queue for a Powerwall 2 since December 2017. #learningpatiencewithtesla Via: Reuters: […]
Woman Says Her Amazon Device Recorded Private Conversation, Sent It Out to Random Contact
May 24th, 2018I can’t believe people pay to have these things in their homes. Via: KIRO 7: A Portland family contacted Amazon to investigate after they say a private conversation in their home was recorded by Amazon’s Alexa — the voice-controlled smart speaker — and that the recorded audio was sent to the phone of a random […]
Australia: 50,000 Tesla Powerwalls to Form Virtual Power Plant
May 24th, 2018Via: Electrek: Earlier this year, Tesla announced that it reached a deal with the South Australian government to install solar arrays and Powerwalls on up to 50,000 homes to create the biggest virtual power plant in the world. A new government was elected in the state a few weeks later and they quickly cast doubts […]
Pentagon Worked with “Private-Sector Organizations” on Plan to Verify Identity with Mobile Phones
May 23rd, 2018Via: Nextgov: The Defense Department is funding a project that officials say could revolutionize the way companies, federal agencies and the military itself verify that people are who they say they are and it could be available in most commercial smartphones within two years. The technology, which will be embedded in smartphones’ hardware, will analyze […]
Amazon Selling Face-Recognition Tech to Police
May 22nd, 2018Amazon, a large CIA contractor, is selling face-recognition tech to police. Via: AP: The American Civil Liberties Union and other privacy activists are asking Amazon to stop marketing a powerful facial recognition tool to police, saying law enforcement agencies could use the technology to “easily build a system to automate the identification and tracking of […]
