Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts

John Stossel: Robot Cars

A safer way to travel.     The Tesla S is the closest thing to a totally driverless car available now. I had to leave my state to test-drive it. New York's archaic laws forbid taking both hands off the wheel. Once outside New York, the Tesla representative in the passenger seat had me turn on the autopilot. Suddenly, I was doing nothing. The car drove    ... MORE

CTV News: Watch What You Say In Front Of A Smart TV!

You might want a dumb tv.     A "smart" TV that listens and responds to your voice commands? Sounds like a nifty idea -- until the manufacturer reminds you that your TV is listening to your private conversations too. Samsung recently unveiled a new line of Internet-connected Smart TVs that can stream customized content and show recommendations. ... MORE

VIDEO: Why Robots Won't Destroy The Human Race

John Stossel: High-Tech Ted

Politicians tailor their messages to different audiences. Facing New Hampshire's primary, Ted Cruz talked more about "free-market principles" and a "commitment to the Constitution" and said "no one personality can right the wrongs done by Washington." Politico ran the headline "Ted Cruz, born-again libertarian." I'm skeptical.      ... MORE 

VIDEO: Barack Obama - Teleprompter Sabotage

Thomas Sowell: Complicating The Obvious

Electronic "improvement" rears its ugly head.      Engineers who design computerized products and services seem to have an almost fanatical determination to avoid using plain English. It is understandable when complicated processes require complicated operations. But when the very simplest things are designed with needless complications  ... MORE

Metadata Surveillance Didn’t Stop The Paris Attacks

by Marcy Wheeler.     And yet intelligence officials and politicians are now saying it could have. They’re wrong. Since terrorists struck Paris last Friday night, the debate over whether encryption prevents intelligence services from stopping attacks has reignited. The New York Times and Yahoo reported on vague claims that the terrorists’ use of     ... MORE

John Farrier: This Robot Keeps Store Shelves Full

In response to a $15 minimum wage.   One of the most common tasks for retail workers is to look at the shelves, see which items are low, and restock those areas from storage. Now that task may be partially replaced with robots. Simbe Robotics calls its invention Tally. This robot roams a store autonomously, scanning shelves, finding out which  ... MORE

Robert Coolman: CDC Says E-Cigs Help You Quit Smoking

A helpful tool to quit traditional cigarettes.   According to a CDC report issued Saturday, electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are strongly associated with attempts to quit regular smoking. E-cigs are battery-powered inhalation devices that typically deliver nicotine and/or flavored vapor in the form of an aerosol. Several studies have suggested a ... MORE

Evan Schuman: Turn That Old Phone Into A Privacy Device

New way to safeguard calls.   Most forms of communication used by enterprises these days are highly prone to being intercepted, whether by law enforcement, cyberthieves, corporate spies, or wayward employees and contractors. That leaves enterprise IT open to new approaches to safeguard communications. I just saw one creative idea on the   ... MORE

Cynthia M. Cale: Forensic DNA Evidence Is Not Infallible

Some new techniques have higher probability of error. Earlier this month, the Texas Forensic Science Commission raised concerns about the accuracy of the statistical interpretation of DNA evidence, and it is now checking whether convictions going back more than a decade are safe. Despite how it is often portrayed, in the media and in courts,    ... MORE

The Creative Destruction Of Nudity In Playboy Magazine

by Sarah Skwire.       Playboy has finally found a new way to shock and titillate America.The magazine has announced that it will no longer feature full nudity. Instead, it will be moving toward a partially clad, cheesecake pin-up style.When I heard the news, I immediately wondered what the great economist Joseph Schumpeter would have made  ... MORE

John W. Whitehead: ‘Minority Report’ Is 40 Years Ahead Of Schedule: The Fictional World Has Become Today's Reality

Examples abound.     We are a scant 40 years away from the futuristic world that science fiction author Philip K. Dick envisioned for Minority Report in which the government is all-seeing, all-knowing and all-powerful, and if you dare to step out of line, dark-clad police SWAT teams will crack a few skulls to bring the populace under control. Unfortunately,  ... MORE

Should Police Be Able To Take Control Of Self-Driving Cars?

by Karl Bode.     Technology's dark side. As Google, Tesla, Volvo, and other companies make great strides with their self-driving car technology, we've started moving past questions about whether the technology will work, and started digging into the ethics of how it should work. For example, we recently discussed whether or not cars should     ... MORE

Zeynep Tufekci: Why ‘Smart’ Objects May Be A Dumb Idea

Creating vulnerability.   A fridge that puts milk on your shopping list when you run low. A safe that tallies the cash that is placed in it. A sniper rifle equipped with advanced computer technology for improved accuracy. A car that lets you stream music from the Internet. All of these innovations sound great, until you learn the risks that this type of connect-   ... MORE

Augur Could Be The Greatest Gambling Platform In History. Is There Anything The Government Can Do To Stop It?

by Jim Epstein. The wisdom of the crowds. An online gambling platform could do to the neighborhood bookie what electric refrigerators did to the ice delivery man. Coming this fall, Augur will allow participants to wager money on any future event of their choosing. Software will set the odds, collect the bets, and disperse the winnings. The price alone    ... MORE

Nico Sell: It’s Time To Build The Private Web

A place for private communication and uncensored info.  The establishment of the U.S. Postal Service was one of the most visionary civil liberties ideas of its time. It was deeply rooted in George Washington’s belief that a strong state and society can only exist if every citizen has access to uncensored information and can freely communicate,   ... MORE

NSA Grooming And Recruiting Children To Be Hackers

by William Lawler.    Recruitment posters show multiple young people placing their hands on a basketball sized earth as digital streams flow around the planet. The image conveys the distinct impression that these children control the world utilizing technology. This may be a powerful draw for children viewing the poster. Of course it does not hurt   ... MORE

VIDEO: M Friedman - Prospering In The Global Economy