Archive for September, 2015
American Airlines Flights Grounded Nationwide
September 17th, 2015Via: CBS: The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that American Airlines has grounded flights nationwide due to computer issues. American Airlines sent out a tweet responding to customers, saying it was “working to resolve technical issues.”
Barbie Wants to Get to Know Your Child
September 17th, 2015I would assume that every utterance from children playing with the dolls will be archived. Check this out: The writers marked important questions with ‘‘flags,’’ and this enabled Hello Barbie’s most unnerving power: She could remember the answers and use them for conversation starters days or weeks later. ‘‘She should always know that you have […]
Deep Learning Machine Teaches Itself Chess in 72 Hours, Plays at International Master Level
September 16th, 2015Via: MIT Technology Review: In a world first, an artificial intelligence machine plays chess by evaluating the board rather than using brute force to work out every possible move.
Increased Use of Computers in Classrooms: “More Likely to be Associated with Lower Results”
September 16th, 2015Via: BBC: Investing heavily in school computers and classroom technology does not improve pupils’ performance, says a global study from the OECD. The think tank says frequent use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated with lower results. The OECD’s education director Andreas Schleicher says school technology had raised “too many false […]
Watch 50 Drones Controlled at Once in a Record-Breaking Swarm
September 16th, 2015Via: New Scientist: A team at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, has succeeded in launching 50 drones that were all controlled by a single person. “To our knowledge, this is a world record for the number of UAVs under single operator control, by quite a long way,” says project lead Kevin Jones. The […]
Another Attack on Bay Area Fiber Optic Cables
September 16th, 2015Via: USA Today: Someone deliberately severed two AT&T fiber optic cables in the Livermore, Calif., Monday night, the latest in a string of attacks against the Internet’s privately run backbone. AT&T is offering a $250,000 reward in connection with the latest attacks. AT&T’s fiber optic network is legally considered a critical piece of the nation’s […]
Low Vitamin D Linked to Mental Decline
September 15th, 2015Via: CBS: Mental function may decline faster in older adults with low levels of vitamin D, a new study suggests. Among more than 380 people the researchers followed for an average of five years, those with dementia had the lowest levels of vitamin D. “It is unclear what vitamin D might be doing,” said study […]
Nine of the World’s Biggest Banks Form Blockchain Partnership
September 15th, 2015Via: Reuters: Nine of the world’s biggest banks, including Goldman Sachs and Barclays, have joined forces with New York-based financial tech firm R3 to create a framework for using blockchain technology in the markets, the firm said on Tuesday. It is the first time banks have come together to work on a shared way in […]
Kids Who Get More Sunlight Less Likely to Need Glasses
September 15th, 2015Via: CBS: Playing outside has a number of well-established health benefits for kids, including increasing their physical activity and decreasing their risk of obesity. But perhaps a lesser-known benefit is that it can help protect their eyesight. Now a new study, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, further supports that notion. […]
U.S. Training Helped Mold Top Islamic State Military Commander
September 15th, 2015Via: McClatchy: Ethnic Chechens are thought to be one of the largest groups of foreign fighters in the Islamic State. Now 30, Batirashvili is a key figure, reportedly a member of the group’s governing council, is said to be the Islamic State’s supreme military leader in northern Syria and Aleppo, and is perhaps the group’s […]
