Trump Attacks Amazon, Saying It Does Not Pay Enough Taxes

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/us/politics/trump-amazon-taxes.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 30, 2018 at 02:23PM

The president’s commentary, made in a Twitter post, comes amid reports that Mr. Trump has expressed an interest in reining in the e-commerce business.

Waymo, a Google Spinoff, Ramps Up Its Driverless-Car Effort

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/business/waymo-driverless.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 10:58PM

The company says it will buy up to 20,000 electric cars from Jaguar Land Rover as it strives to put a ride service into operation within two years.

Hey, Alexa, What Can You Hear? And What Will You Do With It?

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/business/media/amazon-google-privacy-digital-assistants.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 31, 2018 at 08:15PM

Amazon and Google have filed patent applications, many still under consideration, that outline how digital assistants can monitor more of what users say and do.

After Driving Streaming Music’s Rise, Spotify Aims to Cash In

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/business/media/spotify-streaming-music.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 31, 2018 at 01:00PM

On Tuesday, the streaming music giant will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Its path ahead, however, is far from clear.

Russian Accused of Hacking U.S. Tech Firms Is Extradited

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/world/europe/russian-hacker-us-czech-republic.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 30, 2018 at 05:57PM

Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Nikulin accessed the networks of LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring, and may have compromised the information of more than 100 million people.

Tech Tip: Keeping Personal Appointments Private on Google Calendar

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/technology/personaltech/google-calendar-private.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 30, 2018 at 04:00PM

The corporate version of Google Calendar is ultimately controlled by its administrator, but you may still have a say on who can see your day.

Bits: The Self-Driving Car Industry’s Biggest Turning Point Yet

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/technology/self-driving-cars.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 30, 2018 at 04:00PM

As Uber pulled back on testing after a fatal crash in Arizona, Waymo said it would order up to 20,000 electric vehicles for a self-driving car service.

Op-Ed Contributor: How Local Governments Can Prevent Cyberattacks

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/opinion/local-government-cyberattack.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 30, 2018 at 12:45PM

Atlanta could be just the beginning. But it doesn’t have to be.

Silicon Valley Warms to Trump After a Chilly Start

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/technology/silicon-valley-trump.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 30, 2018 at 12:00PM

Even though Mr. Trump still takes potshots at Amazon, the industry’s relationship with the White House is shifting as tech companies find some common ground with the president.

Microsoft Reorganizes to Fuel Cloud and A.I. Businesses

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/technology/microsoft-reorganizes-to-fuel-cloud-and-ai-businesses.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 29, 2018 at 11:33PM

The software giant split up its Windows engineering team, a sign of how the PC operating system is being de-emphasized.

Social Q’s: Must I Visit My Dying and Dangerously Facebook-Active Uncle?

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/style/facebook-dying-uncle-political-views.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 29, 2018 at 09:29PM

A reader wonders whether it’s advisable to “leave politics at the door” and say goodbye to a xenophobic relative in hospice.

A Quick Online Divorce for $60? Not So Fast, Denmark Says

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/world/europe/denmark-online-divorce.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 29, 2018 at 08:46PM

In a nation with one of the highest divorce rates in Europe, the government has come to the conclusion that some breakups should take more than a few clicks.

Bulletin Board: What Topics Should the ‘Tech We’re Using’ Column Tackle Next?

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/reader-center/tech-were-using-column.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 29, 2018 at 07:20PM

Our Tech We’re Using columnist, Brian Chen, is eager to hear feedback from readers and requests for future columns about how Times journalists use tech.

Eric Holder Says He’ll Sue to Block Citizenship Question on Census

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/us/politics/eric-holder-times-talks.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 29, 2018 at 07:09PM

In a wide-ranging TimesTalks conversation, Mr. Holder, the former attorney general, also said Facebook should be viewed as a communication company and be regulated.

Trump Attacks Amazon, Saying It Does Not Pay Enough Taxes

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/us/politics/trump-amazon-taxes.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 29, 2018 at 05:03PM

The president’s commentary, made in a Twitter post, comes amid reports that Mr. Trump has expressed an interest in reining in the e-commerce business.

Why Retailers Need to be Utilizing Mobile Payments, and How They Can Choose Systems Wisely

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/29/why-retailers-need-to-be-utilizing-mobile-payments-and-how-they-can-choose-systems-wisely/
March 29, 2018 at 03:00PM

While the ecommerce market has grown rapidly in recent years, and is set to continue to boom, the fact is that most retail transactions are still actually completed in bricks and mortar stores. However, as more and more consumers get used to the convenience and quick process of buying online, it’s imperative that retailers use every tool at their disposal to streamline transactions in store, and to offer customers an excellent experience at every touchpoint.

One of the ways they can do that is through using mobile payments (mPOS). A BI Intelligence report forecasted that there will be a whopping 27.7 million mPOS devices in circulation by 2021 in the United States, up from just 3.2 million items seven years prior.

For many retailers though, the introduction of mobile payments isn’t a priority yet, so mPOS adoption continues to lag. However, if you’re an entrepreneur who hasn’t started using this tech, you’re probably not just missing out on sales, but also losing the opportunity to build consumer loyalty and increase referrals.

Mobile payments allow retailers to help customers complete checkouts more quickly, and locate stock in store. They also enable businesses to better manage inventory and to customize shopping experiences for clients, to name just a few benefits. If you’re ready to start providing this payment option to your shoppers this year, read on for some ways you can go about choosing a system wisely.

Determine Which Features You’ll Need

To begin with, before you start narrowing down your shortlist of providers, it’s important to stop and think about what kind of features you need in a system. Not all operators provide the same kinds of services, so the more clear you are about what you’re after, the easier it will be to narrow your search.

For example, you may only need a basic merchant account if all you’ll do is process debit or credit card payments on a smartphone. However, you might alternatively require a raft of features, or something in particular, that means you should look for a more comprehensive service. Some entrepreneurs want a mobile payment system to incorporate a loyalty program or some inventory management functionality, while others may prefer a company that specifically serves their business niche.

Something else to think about is whether or not you want to choose a provider that offers scalability in its features, and flexibility in its plans (this is important if your business is growing and the number of or type of transactions you have now will be different in the future). You might, perhaps, need a merchant provider that can accept things like American Express and Diners Club cards, PayPal, and Apple Wallet transactions, and loyalty points.

Evaluate Security Levels

Next, keep in mind that the security protocols of the mPOS system you choose also need to be comprehensive so that not only will your customers’ details be kept safe from prying eyes, but also your firm’s. Remember: hackers across the globe are finding increasingly sophisticated ways to break into accounts these days, plus consumers are particularly sensitive to data hacks and will typically discount companies if they’ve been hacked.

As you learn more about the firms on your shortlist, find out what level of security they can provide you with. For instance, do they use an integrated, or a safer semi-integrated, payment architecture? Plus, do they use complex encryption algorithms and have data encryption in place for all exchanges; do they enable CVV2 verification on transactions; are the highest-level SSL certificates accepted; are there restrictions on how data is sent and stored via an Internet connection; and do they provide billing address security for every transaction?

Weigh Up Fees

Of course, for most business owners, one of the prime factors evaluated when choosing an mPOS system is cost. However, while you certainly do need to think about this, make sure you’re actually comparing “apples with apples” when you weigh up the different options.

While some firms may look the most affordable at first glance, a bit of research may reveal they charge extra for things that other providers don’t. For example, they could have additional fees for setting up your account or integrating their software with your system; for taking certain types of transactions; for providing customer support; or for changing plans or canceling your account.

As well, look into the different ways companies calculate transaction fees. Some have a variable fee calculated according to the number of sales made by month or other period, while others have different plans to choose from, or may just charge a flat fee per transaction regardless of the amount of transactions or dollar value of sales per period. You’ll have to determine which option will be the best value for money for you, based on the kinds of sales figures (current and projected) you have.  

Voices in AI – Episode 37: A Conversation with Carolina Galleguillos

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/29/955529/
March 29, 2018 at 03:00PM

Today's leading minds talk AI with host Byron Reese

In this episode Byron and Carolina discuss computer vision, machine learning, biology and more.

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Today's leading minds talk AI with host Byron Reese

Byron Reese: This is Voices in AI brought to you by Gigaom, I’m Byron Reese. Today our guest is Carolina Galleguillos. She’s an expert in machine learning and computer vision. She did her undergrad work in Chile and has a master’s and PhD in Computer Science from UC San Diego. She’s presently a machine learning engineer at Thumbtack. Welcome to the show.

Carolina Galleguillos: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

So, let’s start at the very beginning with definitions. What exactly is “artificial” about artificial intelligence?

Well, I read somewhere that artificial intelligence is basically trying to make machines think, which is very “sci-fi,” I think, but what I’m trying to say here is we’re trying to automate a lot of different tasks that humans do. We have done that before in the Industrial Revolution, but now we’re trying to do it with computers and with interfaces that look more human-like. We also have robots that also have computers inside. I think that’s more of the artificial part. The intelligence, we’ll see how intelligent these machines will become in time.

Alan Turing asked the question, “Can a machine think?” Do you think a machine can think, or will a machine be able to think?

Op-Ed Contributor: Facebook Isn’t Just Violating Our Privacy

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/opinion/facebook-privacy-zuckerberg-society.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 29, 2018 at 12:45PM

It is also ripping apart the social fabric.

How to Spot a Nuclear Bomb Program? Look for Ghostly Particles

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/science/nuclear-bombs-antineutrinos.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 12:54AM

Down a mine shaft in England, researchers plan to test a new method for spotting antineutrinos, which could be a sign of nuclear weapon development.

Tech Tip: Recording Skype Video Calls

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/technology/personaltech/recording-skype-calls.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 29, 2018 at 12:00PM

Several programs can tap into your Skype stream and record and save a family video chat.

Turner Chief Pushes Back on Core Justice Dept. Argument

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/technology/turner-att-justice-department-trial.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 11:43PM

John Martin, the chief executive of Turner, told a federal court that his channels were not absolutely vital for a cable or satellite business.

A Chat Room of Their Own

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/style/should-i-join-what-would-virginia-woolf-do-facebook-group.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 10:49PM

When thousands of women get together on social media, wryly invoking the suicidal author Virginia Woolf as their muse, what could possibly go wrong?

Tech Fix: Dreaming of a Spotless Social Media Timeline? The Solutions Are Far From Ideal

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/technology/personaltech/social-media-timeline.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 10:03PM

Facebook and Twitter don’t make it easy to run your old posts through the scrubber. So our personal tech columnist took on the challenge.

The Shift: Can Social Media Be Saved?

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/technology/social-media-privacy.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 09:40PM

They exploit our data and make us unhappy. They spread misinformation and undermine democracy. Is salvation possible for social networks?

Tech We’re Using: Covering Disasters With 2 Phones, in Case One Falls in the Mud

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/technology/personaltech/tech-tools-shootings-hurricanes.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 09:20PM

Jule Turkewitz, The Times’s correspondent in Denver, often finds herself on mountain roads and unexpected flights. But being prepared for anything means knowing what’s essential.

BMW and Daimler, Once Rivals, Join Forces to Fend Off Silicon Valley

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/business/daimler-bmw-car-sharing.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 08:44PM

The German carmakers said they will merge their car-sharing and other digital businesses, amid threats from the likes of Uber and Google.

Soul-Searching From Ad Group That Lauded Cambridge Analytica

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/business/media/cambridge-analytica-advertising-award.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 04:30PM

The Advertising Research Foundation, which gave an award to the research firm last year for its work with data, now says advertisers need to consider the ethics of how consumer data is collected and used.

Tech Tip: Starting Fresh With Firefox

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/technology/personaltech/new-firefox-start-page.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 04:00PM

Last year, Mozilla released a revamped version of its browser that gives surfers plenty to customize up front.

Facebook Introduces Central Page for Privacy and Security Settings

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/technology/facebook-privacy-security-settings.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 28, 2018 at 02:00PM

As the social network grapples with the way it handles consumer data, it has unveiled a centralized page for people to control their privacy and security settings.

Facebook’s Zuckerberg Said to Agree to Testify Before Congress Over Data Privacy

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/technology/facebooks-zuckerberg-said-to-agree-to-testify-before-congress-over-data-privacy.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 27, 2018 at 09:19PM

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, has agreed to testify in Washington over how his social network handled people’s data, according to people familiar with the decision.

Apple Unveils New iPad to Catch Google in the Classroom

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/technology/apple-classroom-ipad-google.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 27, 2018 at 09:13PM

Apple hopes a new $299 iPad for schools and other new software tools will help it catch Google in the hunt for students’ attention.

Waymo, a Google Spinoff, Ramps Up Its Driverless-Car Effort

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/business/waymo-driverless.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 27, 2018 at 05:10PM

The company says it will buy up to 20,000 electric cars from Jaguar Land Rover as it strives to put a ride service into operation within two years.

Tech Tip: Killing the (Facebook) Messenger

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/technology/personaltech/facebook-messenger-uninstall.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 27, 2018 at 04:00PM

If you no longer wish to use Facebook’s message-sharing app on your smartphone, you can uninstall it.

Voices in AI – Episode 37: A Conversation with Mike Tamir

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/27/voices-in-ai-episode-37-a-conversation-with-mike-tamir/
March 27, 2018 at 03:00PM

Today's leading minds talk AI with host Byron Reese

In this episode, Byron and Mike talk about AGI, Turing Test, machine learning, jobs, and Takt.

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Today's leading minds talk AI with host Byron Reese

Byron Reese: This is Voices in AI, brought to you by Gigaom. I’m Byron Reese. I’m excited today, our guest is Mike Tamir. He is the Chief Data Science Officer at Takt, and he’s also a lecturer at UC Berkeley. If you look him up online and read what people have to say about him, you notice that some really, really smart people say Mike is the smartest person they know. Which implies one of two things: Either he really is that awesome, or he has dirt on people and is not above using it to get good accolades. Welcome to the show, Mike!

Mark Cuban came to Austin, where we’re based, and gave a talk at South By Southwest where he said the first trillionaires are going to be in artificial intelligence. And he said something very interesting, that if he was going to do it all over again, he’d study philosophy as an undergrad, and then get into artificial intelligence. You studied philosophy at Columbia, is that true?

I did, and also my graduate degree, actually, was a philosophy degree, cross-discipline with mathematical physics.

So how does that work? What was your thinking? Way back in the day, did you know you were going to end up where you were, and this was useful? That’s a pretty fascinating path, so I’m curious, what changed, you know, from 18-year-old Mike to today?

Digital Transformation 101: What are we trying to transform, and why?

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/27/digital-transformation-101-what-are-we-trying-to-transform-and-why/
March 27, 2018 at 12:31PM

It’s pretty easy to be a digital transformation consultant these days. Here’s what you do.

First, you report on the amount of data growth, the increasing rate of change and other exponential factors; you flag up the massive growth of recent, tech-first companies such as Amazon and Alibaba (whilst carefully ignoring those who tried and failed to follow similar models); you list out conveniently acronymised manifestations of technological progress — Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud. Oh and IoT. And AI. You get the picture.

Having engendered a suitable level of fear and uncertainty among your target audience, namely executive decision makers (who happen to control consulting budgets), you go in with the scoop: that the only possible response is to transform. Not to tweak, nor encourage stepwise progress, but to make a ground-to-sky, soup-to-nuts matrix-style inversion of the entire organisation.

How should we do this, you are asked. Well, how fortunate you have an answer for that, you say. The response is to run a series of very expensive strategy workshops, which will generate a new vision for the company. You will then review existing lines of business and operational departments, looking at existing processes and advising on the best way to bring them into the new world.

Oh, and you will also propose a cloud-first innovation strategy, which means shifting an organisation’s IT capabilities (planned and legacy) from where they are “into the cloud”. The “cloud” in question just happens to be your data centres, or those of your partner. And thus, you have the company or department in question completely set up for the future.

Strip away the gloss however, and you haven’t done much more than you would have done in years past — that is, a strategy-cum-business-modelling exercise coupled with an outsourcing contract (admittedly to a potentially more flexible infrastructure architecture). The executives involved may not be too bothered that their organisation has not been ‘transformed’, as they now have on their CV that they have overseen a multi-million change programme.

And so, round we go, with consultants taking companies and public organisations a bit further on their journeys. Don’t get me wrong, this is a reasonable outcome but digital transformation it isn’t — which smacks of a wasted opportunity given the amount of effort that went into it. And a source of risk, as all those tech-first companies continue to do all the things they are reputed to do — transform industries, disintermediate supply and demand, and so on.

This presents a conundrum: if this isn’t digital transformation, what is? Perhaps there is no such thing; the term is mere marketing, a sugar-coated way of loosening the purse strings of conservative board members. At the same time, industries are transforming, yadda, yadda, so decision makers should at least do some due diligence on where technology can actually make a difference.

There is an answer, but it is not as straightforward as you might think (it never is, right?), as it means changing board-level attitudes to those key measures of cost, stakeholder value, and risk. You can draw a simple picture, a quadrant chart, if you will — up the side are existing versus new sources of stakeholder value, and across the bottom are existing versus new working practices. The chances are that most of your business will fall into the bottom-left quadrant.

The consequence is simple: that any new sources of value are likely to be encumbered by existing operational processes, while new processes quickly hit a glass ceiling in terms of the efficiencies that new technology can bring. Understanding the dilemma between old processes and new value is fundamental to any transformational business change.

I’m not saying that drawing a picture can change the world, it’s only a model. But being able to perceive your business in terms of how new can create new, even as it makes old more efficient (without throwing the baby out with the bathwater), is profound. It also makes the choice pretty stark — just how much investment (of money, but more importantly, time and political will) do you want to make in the top-right quadrant?

An honest answer to this question will give you the clarity you need in terms of your appetite for transformation. Once you understand this, chances are you might need some consultants to help; you may also decide that outsourced, cloud-based infrastructure gives you the way forward. But at least you will be making decisions with a real grasp of what you stand to gain.

Uber Ordered to Take its Self-Driving Cars Off Arizona Roads

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/technology/arizona-uber-cars.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 27, 2018 at 05:52AM

A woman was killed by one of Uber’s autonomous cars earlier this month. The company had already suspended its testing.

China’s Space Station May Crash to Earth on April Fools’ Day

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/science/falling-chinese-space-station-tiangong-1.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 27, 2018 at 12:30AM

Experts predict the abandoned space station, Tiangong-1, will fall back to Earth around this weekend. But the risk to anyone on the ground is almost nil.

F.C.C. Joins Push to Limit China’s Telecom Reach

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/technology/fcc-huawei-security-rule.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 27, 2018 at 12:27AM

A new proposal would prohibit carriers from using money from a federal fund to buy gear from companies deemed national security risks.

Facebook Comes Under F.T.C. Scrutiny as Stock Slides

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/technology/ftc-facebook-investigation-cambridge-analytica.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 26, 2018 at 08:58PM

The agency confirmed an inquiry into Facebook’s privacy policies as a group of attorneys general asked Mark Zuckerberg, its C.E.O., for more information.

Lights, Camera, Artificial Action: Start-Up Is Taking A.I. to the Movies

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/technology/artificial-intelligence-hollywood.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 26, 2018 at 06:14PM

After selling their robotics company to Google, two engineers are working on technology they think can change how special effects are made.

Tech Tip: Copy Here, Paste There

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/technology/personaltech/copy-paste-mac-iphone.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 26, 2018 at 04:00PM

Apple’s hardware can share apps and services through an iCloud account, making it possible to copy text on an iPhone and paste it on a Mac.

AI / Deep Learning applications course – limited spaces

Source: http://www.opengardensblog.futuretext.com/archives/2018/03/ai-deep-learning-applications-course-limited-spaces.html
March 26, 2018 at 03:04PM

 

AI applications course – limited spaces

I am pleased to announce a new course

AI Applications course

Starting June 1 2018

For professionals who want to learn AI concepts, applications and coding for AI (Deep Learning) from an application perspective

Some basic knowledge of Python needed (or any programming language)

Coding using Tensorflow and Keras

Limited spaces

Duration – 3 months

Small groups

Fast learning strategies allows rapid transition to AI in three months

Self-paced

Lifetime access to code and content

Optionally chance to participate in Open source projects

Early bird discounts now ..

Deep learning modules covered: MLP CNN LSTM including deployment considerations and theory of Deep Learning

Please contact info@futuretext.com for more details

 

Is enhanced reality an AR/VR cop-out?

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/26/is-enhanced-reality-an-ar-vr-cop-out/
March 26, 2018 at 01:49PM

Watch out, there’s a new term on the block. Even as the initial flurry of excitement over Oculus-primed virtual reality seems to be in a perpetual state of prototyping, and as other forms of augmentation are hanging about like costume options for Ready Player One, discussion is turning to enhanced reality. I know this not because of some online insight (Google Trends isn’t showing much), but because it has come up in conversation more than once with enterprise technology strategists.

So, what can we take from this? All forms of adjusted reality are predicated on a real-time feed of information that brings a direct effect to our senses:

• At one end of the scale, we have fully immersive environments known as Virtual Reality (VR). These are showing themselves to be enormously powerful tools, with potential not just in gaming or architecture but also areas such as healthcare — imagine if you can shrink to the size of a tiny cancer, and then control microscopic lasers to burn it away? At the same time, the experience is isolating and restricted, which is both a blessing and a curse.
• Augmented Reality (AR) rests on the fulcrum between virtual reality and, ahem, reality. Goes the argument, why take a real-time video feed and add data to it, if you can project data or images directly onto what you are seeing? It’s a good argument, but it demonstrates just how fraught and complex the debate quickly becomes. What’s useful information? What’s in and what’s out? And indeed, is a computer really better at discerning the important stuff, than our own senses?
• With its roots in passive information and heads-up display, the notion of enhanced reality (ER) does away with the need to worry about such things. Yes, AR and VR also follow a similar lineage but ER does not try to be anything beyond a context-specific information delivery mechanism. So, a motorbike rider can see speed and fuel, a surgeon can monitor vital signs, and so on.

The difference from other models is that ER starts from the perspective of minimum necessary — that is, what information do I actually need right now. This approach is not that dissimilar to the kinds of displays we are now seeing in cars, and indeed, it pushes the same buttons of how to add information whilst minimising distraction.

So, is this a cop-out? It is not hard to see VR, AR and ER as a Venn diagram, with plenty of overlaps between each. Right now however, no one-size-fits-all solution addresses that little triangle in the middle; meanwhile, the different models enable us to focus on what problem we are trying to solve, rather than worrying about whether today’s technology options are sufficient for one thing or another.

In practical terms, for example, even as the wonks work on deeply immersive experiences, a pair of retinal-focused sunglasses that offer a feed of messages, and/or can link into a feed of data about whatever activity is being undertaken, would probably sell like hot cakes if the price was right. (Indeed, if I could put in an early feature request, a tap on the frame to turn the thing on/off would be most welcome).

Enhanced Reality offers us more than just a lowest-denominator entry point. By focusing on useful data and how to deliver it succinctly, rather than clever hardware and how to make it fit our daily lives, we are putting the horse before the cart and, as a result, perhaps advancing things faster, even if initial use cases appear mundane. If we want to get to deep levels of technological immersion, we would do well to start at the shallow end.

Uber to Sell Its Southeast Asia Business to Grab, a Regional Rival

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/technology/uber-grab-southeast-asia.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 26, 2018 at 07:11AM

After ceding China and Russia in recent years, the ride-hailing giant is pulling out of another region where it faced tough — and costly — competition.

Apple Goes to Hollywood. Will Its Story Have a Happy Ending?

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/business/media/apple-hollywood-streaming.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 26, 2018 at 01:34AM

The company is making deals with Steven Spielberg and other big names. But can it avoid the fate of other tech giants who entered the entertainment business?

Wreck of the Juneau Is Found, 76 Years After 5 Brothers Perished

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/world/asia/uss-juneau-sullivan-brothers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 23, 2018 at 12:07AM

The ship was torn apart by Japanese torpedoes during World War II. Hundreds of sailors died, including the five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa.

As Amazon Steps Up Tax Collections, Some Cities Are Left Out

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/business/economy/amazon-tax.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 26, 2018 at 12:30AM

Amazon now collects sales tax in every state that has one, but a report finds that the company still doesn’t collect local taxes in dozens of cities.

To Invade Homes, Tech is Trying to Get in Your Kitchen

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/technology/smart-homes-tech-kitchen.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 25, 2018 at 11:37PM

For many people, kitchens are the center of the home. Tech and appliance makers, aiming to deepen ties to customers, are increasingly targeting that room with smart devices.

How Calls for Privacy May Upend Business for Facebook and Google

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/technology/google-facebook-data-privacy.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 24, 2018 at 10:43PM

Internet companies were built on a model in which people gave up their information for free services. Now, that idea is under siege.

Opinion: Are You Really in Love if It’s Not on Instagram?

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/opinion/sunday/relationships-love-instagram.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 24, 2018 at 09:30PM

Your #weekiversary posts are lame.

Opinion: Don’t Delete Facebook. Do Something About It.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/opinion/sunday/delete-facebook-does-not-fix-problem.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 24, 2018 at 09:22PM

Getting rid of your Facebook account will only offload the platform’s problems onto someone else.

Timeline: Facebook and Google Under Regulators’ Glare

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/technology/timeline-facebook-and-google-under-regulators-glare.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 24, 2018 at 08:23PM

In 2011, the F.T.C. first required a company to create a comprehensive data privacy program for consumers. Europe will soon take another big step.

Siri, Alexa and That Google Gal Will Only Get You So Far

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/style/siri-alexa-personal-assistants.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 24, 2018 at 01:00PM

One woman tries the next generation of virtual personal assistants. None of them brought her coffee.

Zuckerberg Takes Steps to Calm Facebook Employees

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/technology/zuckerberg-facebook-employees.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 24, 2018 at 02:06AM

Mark Zuckerberg held a Wednesday meeting with staff, followed by a regularly scheduled meeting on Friday, partly to discuss the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Uber’s Self-Driving Cars Were Struggling Before Arizona Crash

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/technology/uber-self-driving-cars-arizona.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 24, 2018 at 12:45AM

Company documents obtained by The New York Times show Uber was becoming more aggressive with its autonomous car research, even as the technology faltered.

For the U.S. and China, a Technology Cold War That’s Freezing Over

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/technology/trump-china-tariffs-tech-cold-war.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 24, 2018 at 12:15AM

In advanced industries like chip development, the rivals are vying for dominance in a fight that is as much about national security as economic might.

Craigslist Drops Personal Ads After Passage of Sex Trafficking Bill

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/business/craigslist-personals-trafficking-bill.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 23, 2018 at 11:25PM

The website said that the bill, which removes protections from liability for facilitating trafficking, made it too risky to maintain its personal ads.

Elon Musk Joins #DeleteFacebook With a Barrage of Tweets

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/technology/elon-musk-deletefacebook.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 23, 2018 at 09:00PM

Mr. Musk deleted the Facebook pages of two of his companies, SpaceX and Tesla. He and the Facebook C.E.O., Mark Zuckerberg, have, er, not always gotten along.

Dropbox Shares Leap in I.P.O., and Silicon Valley Smiles

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/business/dealbook/dropbox-ipo-shares-venture-capital.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 23, 2018 at 07:59PM

Shares of Dropbox, the file-sharing company, jumped 45 percent on their first day of trading Friday. The debut is a promising sign for other start-ups.

Op-Ed Contributor: How to Prevent Smart People From Spreading Dumb Ideas

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/opinion/facebook-spreading-ideas.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 23, 2018 at 02:07AM

Think first before you retweet that bit of fake news.

Tech Tip: Giving Videos a Window of Their Own

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/technology/personaltech/mac-picture-in-picture.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 23, 2018 at 04:00PM

Recent versions of the Mac operating system include the ability to watch web video in a separate floating window so you can play while you work.

How Machines Learn: The Top Four Approaches to ML in Business

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/23/955138/
March 23, 2018 at 03:00PM

Machine learning sits at the forefront of innovation across a growing number of industries in today’s business world. Still, it’s a mistake to think of machine learning as one monolithic business solution — there are many forms of machine learning and each is capable of solving different sets of problems. The most popular forms of ML used in business today are supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and reinforcement learning. At Vidora, we’ve used these techniques to help Fortune 500 partners solve some of their most pressing problems in innovative ways. This article draws from our experiences to demystify these four common approaches to ML, introducing practical applications of each technique so that anyone in your organization can recognize how machine learning can enhance your business.

Machine Learning at a Glance

Machine learning is an approach to Artificial Intelligence which borrows principles from computer science and statistics to model relationships in data. Unlike other AI systems which distill human knowledge into explicit rules (e.g. Expert Systems), ML instructs an algorithm to learn for itself by analyzing data. The more data it processes, the smarter the algorithm gets.

Machine learning is not a new concept. Its theoretical foundation was laid in the 1950s when Alan Turing conceptualized a “learning machine”. That same decade, Frank Rosenblatt invented the “perceptron” to roughly simulate the learning process of the brain. More algorithms followed, but machine learning remained largely confined to academia until only recently. With explosions in data availability and computational power, it is finally possible for businesses to deploy machine learning at scale. Organizations have had success with each type of learning, but making the right choice for your business problem requires an understanding of which conditions are best suited for each approach.

Supervised Learning

If you know which metric you’d like to predict and have examples labeled with that metric, supervised learning is the best approach. A supervised algorithm is shown the “right answer” for a set of sample data and finds a function which approximates the relationship between the inputs and outputs. This functional mapping takes the general form y = f(x) — specify your target output y, provide your inputs x, and the ML algorithm will learn the optimal f() by finding patterns in the data.

y = f(x)
	Description	Training Phase	Live Model
y	Output	Supplied	Predicted
x	Input	Supplied	Supplied
f()	Functional mapping	Learned	Used to generate predictions

Supervised learning outputs typically have one of two forms. Regression outputs are real-valued numbers that exist in a continuous space. For instance, many of Vidora’s eCommerce customers want to forecast how much money each customer is likely to spend, so that high-value customer may be targeted with personalized promotional offers. A simple linear regression structures this problem through the familiar formula y = mx + b, where y is predicted expenditure and x is some attribute of each customer — say, number of site visits. During training, we supply labeled input-output pairs — i.e. customers for which transaction history is already known — and the algorithm finds the optimal parameters m and b to make this relationship as accurate as possible. In reality, Vidora’s regression model is likely to input hundreds of customer attributes each with its own parameter, but the algorithm’s mechanism of action remains the same.

Popular supervised learning algorithms:

Regression: Linear regression Random forest Multi-layer perceptron Convolutional deep neural networks

Classification: Logistic regression Support vector machines Convolutional deep neural networks Naive Bayes

Unsupervised Learning

Unsupervised learning is used when training data has no specific label for the algorithm to predict. Without “right answers” to train on, the job of an unsupervised algorithm becomes clustering the data in order to uncover new rules and patterns. Finding inherent structures in the data can yield important and practical insights, from detecting data anomalies that mark credit card fraud, to revealing what your best customers have in common.

Popular unsupervised learning algorithms:

K-means clustering Principal component analysis Non-negative matrix factorization Hidden Markov model Hebbian learning Autoencoders

Semi-supervised Learning

At Vidora, we’ve seen that collecting labeled data at scale is a challenge for many business organizations, but unlabeled data is relatively abundant. Semi-supervised learning makes use of this plentiful unlabeled data to gain a better understanding of the population structure and distribution. For instance, a bank which offers home loans may wish to identify which of its customers own a house, but may have limited access to this information. Under the semi-supervised approach, an algorithm would first use information obtained from labeled data to predict homeownership for unlabeled data. Next, both the labeled and predicted data are passed through a supervised framework to learn a homeowner identification model. Despite never being evaluated, the estimated labels may improve performance of the supervised model by providing a larger set of potential homeowners from which the algorithm can learn.

Popular semi-supervised learning algorithms:

PU classification Transductive SVM Co-training

Reinforcement Learning

Reinforcement learning is used in situations where the computer is an agent interacting with its environment in pursuit of a goal. Here, feedback is the key ingredient. Rather than being shown a “right answer”, the algorithm is provided a reward signal against which it evaluates and adjusts its methods. With experience, the algorithm learns which sequence of actions gives it the best chance of maximizing its reward and achieving its goal.

Reinforcement learning typically requires huge amounts of data, but doesn’t force your business to be highly specific about its goals. Some autonomous vehicles learn to drive through reinforcement. These cars are instructed to get from point A to point B under only two broad conditions: obey the rules of the road, and don’t crash. The rest is learned through trial and error. Google’s famed AlphaGo program also learned to play the ancient Chinese board game Go using reinforcement. Armed with only the game’s rules and a goal of winning, AlphaGo learned which moves tended to maximize its chance of success. Merely two years after making its first move, AlphaGo famously dethroned the Go world champion in 2016.

Popular reinforcement learning algorithms:

Q-learning Temporal difference Monte Carlo tree search Sarsa

ML and Your Business

Each of supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and reinforcement learning has shown meaningful success in the business world. As the practical scope of machine learning broadens, fluency in its key concepts becomes an increasingly important business skill even for those with no data science experience. Recognizing which sorts of problems each ML approach is best-equipped to solve empowers business experts to recognize where the technology may make its greatest contributions to key business outcomes.

Michael Firn is a Product Manager at Vidora, where he works closely with both Vidora’s engineering team and Vidora’s Fortune 500 partners such as News Corp, Walmart and Time to help develop and implement machine learning solutions to their business problems. 

Lambda is an AWS internal efficiency driver. So why no private serverless models?

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/23/lambda-is-an-aws-internal-efficiency-driver-so-why-no-private-serverless-models/
March 23, 2018 at 01:20PM

I’ve been in a number of conversations recently about Functions as a Service (FaaS), and more specifically, AWS’ Lambda instantiation of the idea. For the lay person, this is where you don’t have to actually provide anything but program code — “everything else” is taken care of by the environment.

You upload and press play. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Unsurprisingly, some see application development moving inexorably towards a serverless, i.e. FaaS-only, future. As with all things technological however, there are plusses and minuses to any such model. FaaS implementations tend to be stateless and event-driven — that is, they react to whatever they are asked to do without remembering what position they were in.

This means you have to manage state within the application code. FaaS frameworks are vendor-specific by nature, and tend to add transactional latency, so a re good for doing small things with huge amounts of data, rather than lots of little things each with small amounts of data. For a more detailed explanation of the pros and cons, check Martin Fowler’s blog (HT Mike Roberts) .

So, yes, horses for courses as always. We may one day arrive in a place where our use of technology is so slick, we don’t have to think about hardware, or virtual machines, or containers, or anything else. But right now, and as with so many over-optimistic predictions, we are continuing to fan-out into more complexity (cf the Internet of Things).

Plus, each time we reach a new threshold of hardware advances, we revisit many areas which need to be newly understood, re-integrated and so on. We are a long way from a place where we don’t have to worry about anything but a few lines of business logic.

A very interesting twist on the whole FaaS thing is around its impact on server efficiency. Anecdotally, AWS sees Lambda not only as a new way of helping customers, but also as a model which makes better use of spare capacity in its data centres. This merits some thought, not least that serverless models are anything but.

From an architectural perspective, these models involve a software stack which is optimised for a specific need — think of it as a single, highly distributed application architecture which can be spread over as many server nodes as it needs to get its current jobs done. Unlike relatively clunky and immobile VMs, or a bit less flexible containers, you can orchestrate your serverless capabilities much more dynamically, to use up spare headroom in your server racks.

Which is great, at least for cloud providers. A burning question is, why aren’t such capabilities available for private clouds, or indeed, traditional data centres? In principle, the answer is, well, there should be. Despite a number of initiatives, such an option has still to take off. Which begs a very big question of — what’s holding them back?

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the public cloud model as a highly flexible, low-entry-cost outsourcing mechanism. But nothing technological exists that gives AWS, or any other public cloud provider some magical advantage over internal systems: the same tools are available to all.

As long as we live in a hybrid world, which will be the case as long as it keeps changing so fast, we will have to deal with managing IT resources from multiple places, internal and external. Perhaps, like the success story of Docker, we will see a sudden uptake in internal FaaS, with all the advantages — not least efficiency — that come with it.

Bits: Kevin’s Week in Tech: Zuckerberg’s Answers to Privacy Scandal Raise More Questions

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/technology/kevins-week-in-tech-zuckerbergs-answers-to-privacy-scandal-raise-more-questions.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 23, 2018 at 12:13AM

Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook’s reliance on advertising aligned with its mission to build a community. But what if Facebook cost $5 per month to use?

Instagram Is Changing Its Algorithm. Here’s How.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/technology/instagram-algorithm-change.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 23, 2018 at 12:09AM

The changes appear to address some common gripes, like how some posts can keep appearing on your feed seemingly for days.

The Stone: How Democracy Can Survive Big Data

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/opinion/democracy-survive-data.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 22, 2018 at 10:42PM

We can blame Facebook and Cambridge Analytica for the damage they’ve done, but the responsibility lies with all of us.

YouTube to Ban Videos Promoting Gun Sales

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/business/youtube-gun-ban.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 22, 2018 at 05:50PM

The video streaming company said that it would ban videos promoting the sale or manufacture of firearms and their accessories.

Will a robot take your job?

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/22/will-a-robot-take-your-job/
March 22, 2018 at 05:25PM

There is a vigorous debate about the effects of automation on jobs. Everyone agrees that some jobs will be lost to automation and, in turn, some jobs will be created by it. The pivotal question is how all of that nets out.

Often lost in the abstract debate is the question of exactly which jobs are likely to be automated. I have created a test to try to capture just that.

The idea is simple: Some things are quite easy for computers and robots to do, and other things are quite hard. Jobs in the “safe” category have lots of things about them that are hard for machines to do.

The good news is that it doesn’t take very many hard things to make a job, practically speaking, impervious to automation, at least in this century. While jobs like “hostage negotiator” are clearly better done by people than machines, even jobs that look like good candidates for automation have difficulties. In theory, a robot should be able to clean the windows on my home, in practice this isn’t likely to happen for quite a long time.

The test is ten questions, and each one can be scored from 0 to 10. For each one, I give examples of some jobs at 0, 5, and 10. My examples are meant to show each extreme, and a midpoint. You should not just score with those three points. Use 7’s and 2’s and 9’s.

When you are done, the total is tallied. The closer it is to zero, the less likely you are to get a surprise announcement from the boss one day. The closer you get to 100, well, if you start to feel something breathing down your back, then that may be the cooling fan in the robot who is about to take your job.

The goal is not to find a job near a zero. Anything below a 70 is probably safe long enough for you to have a long illustrious career. There are obvious “100” jobs. The person who takes your order at a fast food restaurant is probably pretty close.

Take the test here. We plan to calibrate and refine it, then publish a research report about the results. If you would like to be kept in the loop about that, be sure to add your email address.

Tech We’re Using: In India, Everything Can Be Delivered (Except Clean Air)

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/personaltech/india-hot-coffee-delivered-air-pollution.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 04:52PM

Vindu Goel, our technology reporter in Mumbai, explains how cheap mobile data is changing the country and why WhatsApp is indispensable.

Computer Chip Visionaries Win Turing Award

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/computer-chips-turing-award.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 04:00PM

After changing the fundamental idea of chip design, former academics Dave Patterson and John Hennessy have received “the Nobel Prize of computing.”

Tech Tip: Chatting Up the Google Assistant

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/technology/personaltech/google-assistant-conversation.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 22, 2018 at 04:00PM

Virtual assistants already have some ability to hold conversations with people, but the technology will get even more talkative.

Wreck of the Juneau Is Found, 76 Years After 5 Brothers Perished

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/world/asia/uss-juneau-sullivan-brothers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 22, 2018 at 03:38PM

The ship was torn apart by Japanese torpedoes during World War II. Hundreds of sailors died, including the five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa.

How Cyber Hygiene Keeps Your Business System Safe

Source: https://gigaom.com/2018/03/22/how-cyber-hygiene-keeps-your-business-system-safe/
March 22, 2018 at 03:00PM

These days, your business computer system faces many threats — malware and viruses alone aren’t the only things you have to worry about. Phishing attacks, social engineering, and password crackers all pose risks to the security of your system, and the safety of your business’s, your employees’, and your customers’ personal information.

By practicing good cyber hygiene, you can protect your business system from the many threats it faces. Cyber hygiene involves mitigating risks by implementing best security practices. Even without a dedicated IT security staff, you can protect your business by using strong passwords, implementing multiple levels of security, updating software regularly, and training your employees to resist social engineering attacks.

Use Strong Passwords

It might seem simple, but using strong passwords is a fundamental aspect of cyber hygiene, and one that many system users still struggle with. It’s all too common for users to create generic, easily-guessed passwords, like password123, often because they’re worried about remembering a complicated password. Even a more personal password, like the name of a child or pet, can be easily guessed by hackers who have access to yours or your employees’ social media feeds, or by software that can crack passwords in a matter of minutes.

Passwords are your business system’s first line of defense against hackers, so it’s important that you and your employees are using strong passwords to access the system, use password-protected apps, or open files that contain sensitive data. Use a password generator like LastPass to create and store secure passwords that can’t be easily guessed by password cracker software. Change your own password, and encourage employees to change theirs, at least every few months.

Keep Sensitive Info on a Need-to-Know Basis

Your business system may contain a wealth of sensitive information that could be valuable to hackers, including your employees’ personal info, customers’ payment info, and more. It’s worth considering whether you want everyone in your organization to have access to all of this info every time they log into the system. You may want to put sensitive info behind additional password protection, so that only those who need to access the info can get to it. This will mitigate your risk from insider threats, and it’ll also put an extra layer of security into your system so that a hacker won’t be able to access sensitive info with a random employee’s password. Limit administrative privileges to those who need them.

Update Software Regularly

Software updates keep your business system running smoothly, but they also keep hackers from gaining access to your system by addressing vulnerabilities in your code. Hackers learn to exploit flaws in operating systems and common apps in order to access systems surreptitiously, but software and device manufacturers release patches for these flaws as part of their regular software updates. Make sure you’re installing regular updates; automated updates are best for your system’s security. Stop using any software that’s no longer supported. Don’t forget to verify that your wireless router and smart devices on your network, such as security cameras and systems, thermostats, and smart TVs, receive regular software updates, too.

Train Your Staff

Today’s cyberthreats often use social engineering to attack systems at their weakest point — the human beings who use them. Social engineering attacks seek to manipulate users into falling victim to phishing attacks, giving up sensitive data voluntarily, or similar. You can protect your business system from these kinds of attacks by making sure you and your employees are aware of the threats they face and are educated in cybersecurity best practices.

Make sure new employees receive training in cybersecurity best practices, and make sure to refresh that knowledge regularly with additional trainings for all employees. Don’t leave yourself out of the loop; learn how to avoid phishing attacks, ransomware, and other cyberthreats by keeping private data private, avoiding suspicious links, backing up data regularly, using strong passwords, and more.

Cyber hygiene mitigates the risk posed by hackers to protect your business from a data breach that could destroy all you’ve built. By taking care to implement best security practices in your business, you can make sure that your business’s sensitive data is protected, so that you, your employees, and your customers can continue to benefit from the organization you’ve built for years to come.

 

Voices in AI – Episode 36: A Conversation with Bill Mark

At Mars, Jeff Bezos Hosted Roboticists, Astronauts, Other Brainiacs and Me

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/technology/at-mars-jeff-bezos-hosted-roboticists-astronauts-other-brainiacs-and-me.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 22, 2018 at 10:00AM

At the exclusive three-day conference run by Amazon in the California desert, the merely brilliant rub shoulders with the geniuses.

Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/users-abandon-facebook.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 22, 2018 at 01:37AM

Patrons of the social network are deleting their profiles in protest over reports that the company allowed a political data firm to harvest private information.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Vows Action to Bolster Data Privacy

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/facebook-zuckerberg-data-privacy.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 11:18PM

In his first public statements on a Facebook data privacy scandal, Mr. Zuckerberg said “there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do it.”

Tech Fix: Want to #DeleteFacebook? You Can Try

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/personaltech/delete-facebook.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 10:43PM

The social network may be too large to truly quit. Our personal tech columnist answers questions from readers who are contemplating deactivation.

Trilobites: Robotic Fish to Keep a Fishy Eye on the Health of the Oceans

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/science/robot-fish.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 09:48PM

Researchers introduced SoFi, a soft robotic fish that can be operated underwater with a souped up Super Nintendo controller.

Missing From Facebook’s Crisis: Mark Zuckerberg

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/mark-zuckerberg-facebook.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 08:07PM

Amid a data scandal this week, Mr. Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, and Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer, have been nowhere to be found in public.

Targeting Tech Giants, Europe Unveils Digital Tax Proposal

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/business/europe-tech-digital-tax.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 07:46PM

The plan would create a system where digital businesses in Europe would have to pay taxes on their revenues, rather than their profits, to curb tax avoidance.

The Shift: Think Cryptocurrency Is Confusing? Try Paying Taxes on It

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/think-cryptocurrency-is-confusing-try-paying-taxes-on-it.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 06:36PM

With this year’s April 17 filing deadline fast approaching, many virtual currency traders are sweating over their tax returns.

Yuval Noah Harari on the Future of Humanity

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/europe/100000005808005/yuval-noah-harari-on-the-future-of-humanity.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 20, 2018 at 05:36AM

Humans, Mr. Harari warned, “have created such a complicated world that we’re no longer able to make sense of what is happening.”

Tech We’re Using: In India, Everything Can Be Delivered (Except Clean Air)

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/personaltech/india-hot-coffee-delivered-air-pollution.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
March 21, 2018 at 04:52PM

Vindu Goel, our technology reporter in Mumbai, explains how cheap mobile data is changing the country and why WhatsApp is indispensable.