Menu

Blog

Page 11391

Feb 17, 2016

This Smartphone Costs Less Than A Sandwich, No Really

Posted by in category: mobile phones

This is the ‘world’s cheapest’ smartphone.


A technology company in India is launching what it claims will be the ‘world’s cheapest’ smartphone costing just $7 or around £5.

The Freedom 251 is being built by Ringing Bells and will reportedly sell for around $7 although the BBC reports that local media are pricing it even lower at just £2.50.

Read more

Feb 17, 2016

Alphabet, aka Google, is now the world’s most valuable company

Posted by in categories: engineering, singularity

If you have money in the stock market, I highly recommend that you buy as many shares of Alphabet, as much as you can, as soon as you can. Alphabet was spun out of it’s parent company, Google. It’s important, critical even, to take notice of the fact that all of Google’s “moon shot” R&D programs, from it’s X division to it’s marketing department, have been transferred to this new company. Why does this matter so very much? The answer to that question is this: The evolutionary scientific and engineering breakthroughs are nearing completion. When that happens, in the very near future, it is going to leave humanity in a state of stunned awe.

Welcome to the singularity, my friends.


Shares of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, rose nearly 4% Tuesday morning thanks to its strong earnings report.

Continue reading “Alphabet, aka Google, is now the world’s most valuable company” »

Feb 17, 2016

Ex-Apple designer builds easy-to-use artificial brain

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Former Apple UI designer Mike Matas has a new project: an artificial brain with a super-clean interface.

Read more

Feb 17, 2016

Researchers are Using Fairy Tales to Prevent a ‘Psychotic’ Robot Uprising

Posted by in categories: business, cybercrime/malcode, ethics, robotics/AI, security

The bottom line is robots are machines; and like any other machine, a robot system can be (with the right expertise) reprogram. And, a connected robot to the net, etc. poses a risk as long as hackers poses a risk in the current Cyber environment. Again, I encourage government, tech companies, and businesses work collectively together in addressing the immediate challenge around Cyber Security.

And, there will need to be some way to also track robots & deactivate them remotely especially when the public are allowed to buy them (including criminals).


“We believe story comprehension in robots can eliminate psychotic-appearing behavior and reinforce choices that won’t harm humans and still achieve the intended goal”.

Continue reading “Researchers are Using Fairy Tales to Prevent a ‘Psychotic’ Robot Uprising” »

Feb 17, 2016

Google Files Patents For Unique Glasses, a Robot and a Driverless Car

Posted by in categories: drones, robotics/AI, transportation, virtual reality

A search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s database shows some recently filed patents by Google. The search engine titan is obviously firing all cylinders in its research of robots/drones, driverless vehicles, and what looks to be either a Google Glass reboot or some sort of stylish frames for Virtual Reality headsets, perhaps.

[Related: Apple and Google Will Lead $600 Million Near-Future Car Market]

Several patents for eye wear that Google simply refers to as “glasses” in the patent abstracts, show more stylish frames than the Google Glass prototype released in 2013.

Read more

Feb 17, 2016

What Happens When You Zoom in Too Much on Google Maps

Posted by in category: futurism

It’s like some kind of surrealistic, never ending nightmare! Eeek.


Sleeping too well lately? Looking for that “something something” to turn those boring restful nights into a horrorscape? Turns out, zooming in too far on Google Maps’ user-uploaded 3D Spheres produces some impressively fucked up images.

Digital artist Kyle F. Williams has been collecting some of the weirder glitchy images Google Maps turns up when you zoom in too close on some of its 3D spheres. Some look like that photo in Back to the Future where the kids slowly fade. Others look like Picasso took some bad ketamine and got Photoshop:

Read more

Feb 17, 2016

The Good News From Google: A Conversation With Ruth Porat | Foreign Affairs

Posted by in categories: business, innovation, internet

rtx23c5n

“Ruth Porat has taken an unusual path to the tech world. Before becoming the chief financial officer at Google in May 2015 (and then at Alphabet, Google’s new parent company, a few months later), she held the same post at Morgan Stanley, where among other roles she worked closely with the U.S. government to sort out the troubles at the insurance corporation AIG and the mortgage-financing agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the 2008 financial crisis.”

Read more

Feb 16, 2016

Could a robot run for U.S. president in 2020?

Posted by in categories: governance, robotics/AI, supercomputing

A fun story:


Advances in artificial intelligence have raised the question of a supercomputer running for office.

Read more

Feb 16, 2016

EU managers need to up cyber security collaboration, study finds

Posted by in categories: business, cybercrime/malcode, security

The lack of collaboration on cyber security between the senior levels of business is leaving UK firms exposed to fines and reputational damage, a study has revealed.

One in 10 C-level respondents to a survey by Palo Alto Networks said they “kind of” understand what defines an online security risk, but admitted they “still have to use Google to help explain it”.

This finding suggests that the lack of consensus on where the responsibility for cyber security lies could stem from some lack of cyber security understanding at the leadership level.

Read more

Feb 16, 2016

Engineers, get to work

Posted by in categories: engineering, time travel

Read more