FINANCIAL TIMES: Alibaba breaks online shopping records http://on.ft.com/1ytcyPI
THE GUARDIAN: Report claims a third of UK jobs at risk from robots http://lnkd.in/dTBpmFE
EURASIA REVIEW: Iran To Launch More Selective Internet Censorship http://lnkd.in/dzG-wPM
TECHCRUNCH: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella details his views on what Google and Apple do best http://tcrn.ch/1ypN0D4
REUTERS: Iranian-built copy of U.S. drone takes first flight http://lnkd.in/ddzJxZs
REUTERS: U.S. Postal Service data breach may compromise staff, customer details http://lnkd.in/dZcfTtf
GARTNER: Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015 http://lnkd.in/ds775sy
By: Bryan Nelson — MNN
MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: Google ALSO Wants to Store Your Genome. For $25 a year, Google will keep a copy of any genome in the cloud. http://lnkd.in/dAjHdHj
POPULAR SCIENCE: Bionic Bird Drone May Fool Actual Birds. This biomimetic flying device can be controlled by a smartphone, to entertain people and cats alike. http://lnkd.in/d2Mcz9R
Written By: Jason Dorrier — Singularity Hub
Not long ago, robots were largely confined to books and movies. Then they started showing up on YouTube, and robot fear became a viral thing. There was that terrifying video of a Boston Dynamics robot wearing fatigues and gas mask. Another Boston Dynamics video showed a cheetah robot that could outpace the swiftest human sprinter.
Back then, it was easy enough to imagine being run down by a robot—particularly because Boston Dynamics was funded by the military. But there was no good reason to fear them. Not yet. Why? They were all powered by internal combustion engines. Imagine being stalked by a car with no muffler. You’d hear it a mile off and climb a tree.
Continue reading “Robot Cheetah Breaks Free of Its Tether, Now Runs on Batteries” »
NEW YORK TIMES: Home Depot Says Hackers Also Stole Email Addresses http://lnkd.in/dmDSkuK
NEW YORK TIMES: International Raids Target Sites Selling Contraband on the ‘Dark Web’ http://lnkd.in/dc2jZdC
BUSINESS STANDARD: 50% of occupations today will no longer exist in 2025: Report. Workspaces with row of desks will become completely redundant, not because they are not fit for purpose, but simply because that purpose no longer exists, the report predicts http://lnkd.in/dFyWwk2
Written By: Jason Dorrier — Singularity Hub
As a concept, the Internet of Things has been around for awhile. In theory, as chips get smaller and cheaper, we should be able to embed them in everyday items. Appliances, lighting, doors, climate control—all these things (and many more) get a chip and an internet connection. They can send data and receive commands.
In short, a world of dumb, inanimate objects wakes up to do our bidding.
Continue reading “Battery-Free Chip For the ‘Internet of Things’ That’s the Size of an Ant” »
Written By: David J. Hill — Singularity Hub
While computers scientists find new ways to supercharge computers, a team of plant scientists have demonstrated that they can supercharge a plant.
Hoping to speed up plant photosynthesis, researchers from the US and UK have successfully upgraded a carbon-fixing enzyme vital to photosynthesis in a tobacco plant with two enzymes from cyanobacteria, which function at a faster rate. If photosynthesis can be performed more efficiently, plants would grow larger and crops could have higher yields, possibly as high as 60% according to computer models.
