Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/science/coronavirus-masks-equipment-crowdsource.html
March 31, 2020 at 05:44PM
From Ireland to Seattle, makers and engineers are creating open-source versions of much-needed medical equipment.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Coronavirus Ended the Screen-Time Debate. Screens Won.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/technology/coronavirus-screen-time.html
March 31, 2020 at 02:25PM
We’ve tried all sorts of things to stop us from staring at our devices. Digital detoxes. Abstinence. Now? Bring on the Zoom cocktail hour.
March 31, 2020 at 02:25PM
We’ve tried all sorts of things to stop us from staring at our devices. Digital detoxes. Abstinence. Now? Bring on the Zoom cocktail hour.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Coronavirus Prompts Instacart and Amazon Strikes Over Health Concerns
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/business/economy/coronavirus-instacart-amazon.html
March 31, 2020 at 04:32AM
The two companies are the latest targets of labor action by groups fearing virus exposure on the job.
March 31, 2020 at 04:32AM
The two companies are the latest targets of labor action by groups fearing virus exposure on the job.
New York Attorney General Looks Into Zoom’s Privacy Practices
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/technology/new-york-attorney-general-zoom-privacy.html
March 31, 2020 at 01:59AM
As the videoconferencing platform’s popularity has surged, Zoom has scrambled to address a series of data privacy and security problems.
March 31, 2020 at 01:59AM
As the videoconferencing platform’s popularity has surged, Zoom has scrambled to address a series of data privacy and security problems.
Hive Mind of Makers Rises to Meet Pandemic
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/health/coronavirus-innovators.html
March 31, 2020 at 12:24AM
Tinkerers, sewers and scientists bring their ideas and 3-D printers to bear on the shortage of medical supplies.
March 31, 2020 at 12:24AM
Tinkerers, sewers and scientists bring their ideas and 3-D printers to bear on the shortage of medical supplies.
The Quarantine Diaries
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/style/coronavirus-diaries-social-history.html
March 30, 2020 at 07:54PM
Around the world, the history of our present moment is taking shape in journal entries and drawings.
March 30, 2020 at 07:54PM
Around the world, the history of our present moment is taking shape in journal entries and drawings.
Facebook Aims $100 Million at Media Hit by the Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/business/facebook-media-coronavirus.html
March 30, 2020 at 01:00PM
With grants and marketing spending, the social media giant hopes to support outlets doing essential local reporting but struggling with a drop in advertising.
March 30, 2020 at 01:00PM
With grants and marketing spending, the social media giant hopes to support outlets doing essential local reporting but struggling with a drop in advertising.
Trump Won the Internet. Democrats Are Scrambling to Take It Back.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/us/politics/democrats-digital-strategy.html
March 30, 2020 at 12:00PM
In the era of big data, memes and disinformation, the Democrats are trying to regain their digital edge as the president and his loyalists dictate the terms of debate.
March 30, 2020 at 12:00PM
In the era of big data, memes and disinformation, the Democrats are trying to regain their digital edge as the president and his loyalists dictate the terms of debate.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Facebook, Google and Twitter Struggle to Handle November’s Election
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/technology/facebook-google-twitter-november-election.html
March 30, 2020 at 02:31AM
After spending billions to avoid a repeat of 2016, the tech giants are careening from crisis to crisis as their foes change tactics.
March 30, 2020 at 02:31AM
After spending billions to avoid a repeat of 2016, the tech giants are careening from crisis to crisis as their foes change tactics.
How Russia’s Troll Farm Is Changing Tactics Before the Fall Election
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/technology/russia-troll-farm-election.html
March 29, 2020 at 08:52PM
The Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency, which interfered in the 2016 election, is using different methods to hide itself better.
March 29, 2020 at 08:52PM
The Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency, which interfered in the 2016 election, is using different methods to hide itself better.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
A Single Gesture Behind Trump Fuels an Online Conspiracy Theory
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/technology/coronavirus-fauci-trump-conspiracy-target.html
March 28, 2020 at 07:31PM
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration’s most outspoken advocate of emergency virus measures, has become the target of claims that he is mobilizing to undermine the president.
March 28, 2020 at 07:31PM
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration’s most outspoken advocate of emergency virus measures, has become the target of claims that he is mobilizing to undermine the president.
Friday, March 27, 2020
At Two Fashion Resale Warehouses, Workers Fear for Their Safety
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/style/realreal-warehouse-ecommerce-new-jersey.html
March 28, 2020 at 02:08AM
As New Jersey orders nonessential workers to stay home to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, employees of the RealReal, a luxury resale company, wonder just what is “essential.”
March 28, 2020 at 02:08AM
As New Jersey orders nonessential workers to stay home to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, employees of the RealReal, a luxury resale company, wonder just what is “essential.”
As Life Moves Online, an Older Generation Faces a Digital Divide
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/technology/virus-older-generation-digital-divide.html
March 27, 2020 at 04:30PM
Uncomfortable with tech, many are struggling to use modern tools to keep up with friends and family in the pandemic.
March 27, 2020 at 04:30PM
Uncomfortable with tech, many are struggling to use modern tools to keep up with friends and family in the pandemic.
The Week in Tech: We’re Testing How Much the Internet Can Handle
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/technology/internet-strain-coronavirus.html
March 27, 2020 at 04:00PM
We are more dependent on technology than ever. Can it handle the strain?
March 27, 2020 at 04:00PM
We are more dependent on technology than ever. Can it handle the strain?
Nonprofits Built Themselves on a Dream. Their New Mission: Survival.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/business/nonprofits-survival-coronavirus.html
March 27, 2020 at 12:00PM
Upended by the coronavirus outbreak, nonprofits are laying off workers, seeking help from stretched donors and trying to stay alive.
March 27, 2020 at 12:00PM
Upended by the coronavirus outbreak, nonprofits are laying off workers, seeking help from stretched donors and trying to stay alive.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
GoFundMe Confronts Coronavirus Demand
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/style/gofundme-coronavirus.html
March 26, 2020 at 06:07PM
Americans are turning to crowdfunding to cover coronavirus-related costs while the government prepares to deliver on its stimulus plan. But most campaigns aren’t meeting their goals.
March 26, 2020 at 06:07PM
Americans are turning to crowdfunding to cover coronavirus-related costs while the government prepares to deliver on its stimulus plan. But most campaigns aren’t meeting their goals.
A.I. Versus the Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/science/ai-versus-the-coronavirus.html
March 26, 2020 at 01:00PM
A new consortium of top scientists will be able to use some of the world’s most advanced supercomputers to look for solutions.
March 26, 2020 at 01:00PM
A new consortium of top scientists will be able to use some of the world’s most advanced supercomputers to look for solutions.
Surging Traffic Is Slowing Down Our Internet
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/business/coronavirus-internet-traffic-speed.html
March 26, 2020 at 12:00PM
With people going online more in the pandemic, internet traffic has exploded. That’s taking a toll on our download speeds and video quality.
March 26, 2020 at 12:00PM
With people going online more in the pandemic, internet traffic has exploded. That’s taking a toll on our download speeds and video quality.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Nextdoor Pivots to Neighborliness
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/style/nextdoor-neighbors-coronavirus.html
March 25, 2020 at 08:21PM
Homebound city dwellers are turning to a neighborhood app to connect, organize and help each other without risking physical contact.
March 25, 2020 at 08:21PM
Homebound city dwellers are turning to a neighborhood app to connect, organize and help each other without risking physical contact.
The Dos and Don’ts of Online Video Meetings
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/technology/personaltech/online-video-meetings-etiquette-virus.html
March 25, 2020 at 12:00PM
Do your co-workers really need to make their pets or toddlers part of the call? No.
March 25, 2020 at 12:00PM
Do your co-workers really need to make their pets or toddlers part of the call? No.
Lawmakers Question Start-Ups on At-Home Kits for Coronavirus Testing
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/technology/coronavirus-home-test.html
March 25, 2020 at 04:59PM
The makers of unauthorized kits designed for consumers to collect their own saliva or throat swabs faced scrutiny from Congress.
March 25, 2020 at 04:59PM
The makers of unauthorized kits designed for consumers to collect their own saliva or throat swabs faced scrutiny from Congress.
How to Look Your Best on a Webcam
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/realestate/coronavirus-webcam-appearance.html
March 25, 2020 at 03:00PM
Check your lighting and be deliberate about the background you’re showing the world.
March 25, 2020 at 03:00PM
Check your lighting and be deliberate about the background you’re showing the world.
‘A Week of Snow Days’? Ha! Families Deal With Cabin Fever
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/business/coronavirus-families-cabin-fever.html
March 25, 2020 at 12:00PM
As people become hostages in their own homes, hired clowns and costume nights may not be enough to maintain sanity.
March 25, 2020 at 12:00PM
As people become hostages in their own homes, hired clowns and costume nights may not be enough to maintain sanity.
Suspect Held in South Korean Crackdown on Sexually Explicit Videos
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/world/asia/south-korea-pornography-online.html
March 25, 2020 at 08:17AM
Cho Joo-bin was accused of blackmailing dozens of young women, including at least 16 minors, into making sexually explicit video clips of themselves.
March 25, 2020 at 08:17AM
Cho Joo-bin was accused of blackmailing dozens of young women, including at least 16 minors, into making sexually explicit video clips of themselves.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Drivers Say Uber and Lyft Are Blocking Unemployment Pay
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/business/economy/coronavirus-uber-lyft-drivers-unemployment.html
March 25, 2020 at 12:56AM
States like New York and California have made gig workers eligible for jobless benefits and sick days. But the companies have resisted complying.
March 25, 2020 at 12:56AM
States like New York and California have made gig workers eligible for jobless benefits and sick days. But the companies have resisted complying.
Trump Administration Gives Apple More Tariff Relief
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/apple-watch-tariffs.html
March 23, 2020 at 10:10PM
Trade officials approved the company’s request to remove tariffs on the Apple Watch.
March 23, 2020 at 10:10PM
Trade officials approved the company’s request to remove tariffs on the Apple Watch.
When Coronavirus Closes Your Lab, Can Science Go On?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/science/coronavirus-closed-labs.html
March 23, 2020 at 08:35PM
Plenty of work can be done from home, but the pandemic is forcing some parts of the scientific process to be put on the shelf.
March 23, 2020 at 08:35PM
Plenty of work can be done from home, but the pandemic is forcing some parts of the scientific process to be put on the shelf.
As Coronavirus Surveillance Escalates, Personal Privacy Plummets
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-surveillance-tracking-privacy.html
March 23, 2020 at 04:04PM
Tracking entire populations to combat the pandemic now could open the doors to more invasive forms of government snooping later.
March 23, 2020 at 04:04PM
Tracking entire populations to combat the pandemic now could open the doors to more invasive forms of government snooping later.
‘Zoombombing’: When Video Conferences Go Wrong
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/style/zoombombing-zoom-trolling.html
March 22, 2020 at 07:16PM
As its user base rapidly expands, the videoconference app Zoom is seeing a rise in trolling and graphic content.
March 22, 2020 at 07:16PM
As its user base rapidly expands, the videoconference app Zoom is seeing a rise in trolling and graphic content.
Trump’s Embrace of Unproven Drugs to Treat Coronavirus Defies Science
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/health/coronavirus-chloroquine-trump.html
March 21, 2020 at 06:40PM
Doctors and patients also worry that the president’s rosy outlook for the treatments will exacerbate shortages of old malaria drugs relied on by patients with lupus and other debilitating conditions.
March 21, 2020 at 06:40PM
Doctors and patients also worry that the president’s rosy outlook for the treatments will exacerbate shortages of old malaria drugs relied on by patients with lupus and other debilitating conditions.
The Coder and the Dictator
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/technology/venezuela-petro-cryptocurrency.html
March 20, 2020 at 11:51PM
Gabriel Jiménez hated the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. But he loved cryptocurrency. When he built the regime a digital coin, he nearly paid with his life.
March 20, 2020 at 11:51PM
Gabriel Jiménez hated the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. But he loved cryptocurrency. When he built the regime a digital coin, he nearly paid with his life.
True Tales of Quarantined Socializing
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/style/coronavirus-quarantine-socializing.html
March 20, 2020 at 08:22AM
Digital dance raves. Streaming soundbaths. Book readings by phone. Now we’ve gotta get creative.
March 20, 2020 at 08:22AM
Digital dance raves. Streaming soundbaths. Book readings by phone. Now we’ve gotta get creative.
Former Uber Executive Pleads Guilty to Trade Theft
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/technology/levandowski-uber-google-plea.html
March 20, 2020 at 04:25AM
Anthony Levandowski was charged with stealing driverless-car plans when he left Google to form a company, which Uber then acquired.
March 20, 2020 at 04:25AM
Anthony Levandowski was charged with stealing driverless-car plans when he left Google to form a company, which Uber then acquired.
Translating a Surveillance Tool into a Virus Tracker for Democracies
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html
March 19, 2020 at 11:37PM
Health officials in Britain are building an app that would alert the people who have come in contact with someone known to have the coronavirus. The project aims to adapt China’s tracking efforts for countries wary of government surveillance.
March 19, 2020 at 11:37PM
Health officials in Britain are building an app that would alert the people who have come in contact with someone known to have the coronavirus. The project aims to adapt China’s tracking efforts for countries wary of government surveillance.
Big Rigs Begin to Trade Diesel for Electric Motors
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/business/electric-semi-trucks-big-rigs.html
March 19, 2020 at 02:00PM
Tractor-trailer fleets will take time to electrify, and start-ups and established truck makers are racing to get their models on the road.
March 19, 2020 at 02:00PM
Tractor-trailer fleets will take time to electrify, and start-ups and established truck makers are racing to get their models on the road.
Love Is Blind in Quarantine
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/style/coronavirus-love-is-quarantine.html
March 19, 2020 at 03:18AM
A new project aims to turn social distancing into a dating game, taking a cue from “Love Is Blind.”
March 19, 2020 at 03:18AM
A new project aims to turn social distancing into a dating game, taking a cue from “Love Is Blind.”
To Focus on Necessities, Amazon Stops Accepting Some Items in Warehouses
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/amazon-coronavirus.html
March 19, 2020 at 01:59AM
The three-week pause, which affects products like consumer electronics, allows the e-commerce company to deal with a surge in demand for household goods.
March 19, 2020 at 01:59AM
The three-week pause, which affects products like consumer electronics, allows the e-commerce company to deal with a surge in demand for household goods.
Coronavirus Test Obstacles: A Shortage of Face Masks and Swabs
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-test-shortages-face-masks-swabs.html
March 19, 2020 at 12:54AM
Hospitals and doctors say they are critically low on swabs needed to test patients for the coronavirus, as well as face masks and other gear to protect health care workers.
March 19, 2020 at 12:54AM
Hospitals and doctors say they are critically low on swabs needed to test patients for the coronavirus, as well as face masks and other gear to protect health care workers.
Pandemic Erodes Gig Economy Work
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/gig-economy-pandemic.html
March 18, 2020 at 11:37PM
Gig companies promoted their flexible hours as an economic lifeline for workers. In the coronavirus outbreak, it has been anything but.
March 18, 2020 at 11:37PM
Gig companies promoted their flexible hours as an economic lifeline for workers. In the coronavirus outbreak, it has been anything but.
Abel Prize in Mathematics Shared by 2 Trailblazers of Probability and Dynamics
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/science/abel-prize-mathematics.html
March 18, 2020 at 06:37PM
Hillel Furstenberg, 84, and Gregory Margulis, 74, both retired professors, share the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel Prize.
March 18, 2020 at 06:37PM
Hillel Furstenberg, 84, and Gregory Margulis, 74, both retired professors, share the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel Prize.
Pixar Pioneers Win $1 Million Turing Award
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/pixar-pioneers-win-1-million-turing-award.html
March 18, 2020 at 05:37PM
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
March 18, 2020 at 05:37PM
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
The Coronavirus Exposes Education’s Digital Divide
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/china-schools-coronavirus.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:26PM
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
March 18, 2020 at 12:26PM
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
Customers Want Customization, and Companies Are Giving It to Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/business/customization-personalized-products.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
The Coronavirus Crisis Is Showing Us How to Live Online
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/coronavirus-how-to-live-online.html
March 18, 2020 at 07:30AM
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
March 18, 2020 at 07:30AM
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
Amazon Bans, Then Reinstates, Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/amazon-hitler-mein-kampf.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
Glued to TV for Now, but When Programming Thins and Bills Mount …
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/business/media/coronavirus-television-netflix.html
March 17, 2020 at 10:22PM
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ecosystem protecting the industry.
March 17, 2020 at 10:22PM
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ecosystem protecting the industry.
From Zoom University to the Zoom Party
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/style/zoom-parties-coronavirus-memes.html
March 17, 2020 at 08:15PM
Zoom is where we work, go to school and party these days.
March 17, 2020 at 08:15PM
Zoom is where we work, go to school and party these days.
Monday, March 23, 2020
The Coronavirus Revives Facebook as a News Powerhouse
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-facebook-news.html
March 24, 2020 at 01:19AM
More than half of all news consumption on Facebook in America is about the virus, according to an internal report.
March 24, 2020 at 01:19AM
More than half of all news consumption on Facebook in America is about the virus, according to an internal report.
The Coder and the Dictator
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/technology/venezuela-petro-cryptocurrency.html
March 20, 2020 at 11:51PM
Gabriel Jiménez hated the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. But he loved cryptocurrency. When he built the regime a digital coin, he nearly paid with his life.
March 20, 2020 at 11:51PM
Gabriel Jiménez hated the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. But he loved cryptocurrency. When he built the regime a digital coin, he nearly paid with his life.
The Week in Tech: How to Stop Coronavirus ‘Doomsurfing’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/automobiles/coronavirus-doomsurfing.html
March 20, 2020 at 04:00PM
The internet is a pretty scary place right now. Here are some ways to make it better.
March 20, 2020 at 04:00PM
The internet is a pretty scary place right now. Here are some ways to make it better.
True Tales of Quarantined Socializing
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/style/coronavirus-quarantine-socializing.html
March 20, 2020 at 08:22AM
Digital dance raves. Streaming soundbaths. Book readings by phone. Now we’ve gotta get creative.
March 20, 2020 at 08:22AM
Digital dance raves. Streaming soundbaths. Book readings by phone. Now we’ve gotta get creative.
Former Uber Executive Pleads Guilty to Trade Theft
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/technology/levandowski-uber-google-plea.html
March 20, 2020 at 04:25AM
Anthony Levandowski was charged with stealing driverless-car plans when he left Google to form a company, which Uber then acquired.
March 20, 2020 at 04:25AM
Anthony Levandowski was charged with stealing driverless-car plans when he left Google to form a company, which Uber then acquired.
Translating a Surveillance Tool into a Virus Tracker for Democracies
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html
March 19, 2020 at 11:37PM
Health officials in Britain are building an app that would alert the people who have come in contact with someone known to have the coronavirus. The project aims to adapt China’s tracking efforts for countries wary of government surveillance.
March 19, 2020 at 11:37PM
Health officials in Britain are building an app that would alert the people who have come in contact with someone known to have the coronavirus. The project aims to adapt China’s tracking efforts for countries wary of government surveillance.
Big Rigs Begin to Trade Diesel for Electric Motors
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/business/electric-semi-trucks-big-rigs.html
March 19, 2020 at 02:00PM
Tractor-trailer fleets will take time to electrify, and start-ups and established truck makers are racing to get their models on the road.
March 19, 2020 at 02:00PM
Tractor-trailer fleets will take time to electrify, and start-ups and established truck makers are racing to get their models on the road.
Love Is Blind in Quarantine
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/style/coronavirus-love-is-quarantine.html
March 19, 2020 at 03:18AM
A new project aims to turn social distancing into a dating game, taking a cue from “Love Is Blind.”
March 19, 2020 at 03:18AM
A new project aims to turn social distancing into a dating game, taking a cue from “Love Is Blind.”
To Focus on Necessities, Amazon Stops Accepting Some Items in Warehouses
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/amazon-coronavirus.html
March 19, 2020 at 01:59AM
The three-week pause, which affects products like consumer electronics, allows the e-commerce company to deal with a surge in demand for household goods.
March 19, 2020 at 01:59AM
The three-week pause, which affects products like consumer electronics, allows the e-commerce company to deal with a surge in demand for household goods.
Coronavirus Test Obstacles: A Shortage of Face Masks and Swabs
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-test-shortages-face-masks-swabs.html
March 19, 2020 at 12:54AM
Hospitals and doctors say they are critically low on swabs needed to test patients for the coronavirus, as well as face masks and other gear to protect health care workers.
March 19, 2020 at 12:54AM
Hospitals and doctors say they are critically low on swabs needed to test patients for the coronavirus, as well as face masks and other gear to protect health care workers.
Pandemic Erodes Gig Economy Work
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/gig-economy-pandemic.html
March 18, 2020 at 11:37PM
Gig companies promoted their flexible hours as an economic lifeline for workers. In the coronavirus outbreak, it has been anything but.
March 18, 2020 at 11:37PM
Gig companies promoted their flexible hours as an economic lifeline for workers. In the coronavirus outbreak, it has been anything but.
Abel Prize in Mathematics Shared by 2 Trailblazers of Probability and Dynamics
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/science/abel-prize-mathematics.html
March 18, 2020 at 06:37PM
Hillel Furstenberg, 84, and Gregory Margulis, 74, both retired professors, share the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel Prize.
March 18, 2020 at 06:37PM
Hillel Furstenberg, 84, and Gregory Margulis, 74, both retired professors, share the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel Prize.
The Tech Headaches of Working From Home and How to Remedy Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/personaltech/working-from-home-problems-solutions.html
March 18, 2020 at 06:00PM
From shoddy Wi-Fi to digital distractions, our tech can make remote work miserable. Here’s how to overcome the problems.
March 18, 2020 at 06:00PM
From shoddy Wi-Fi to digital distractions, our tech can make remote work miserable. Here’s how to overcome the problems.
Pixar Pioneers Win $1 Million Turing Award
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/pixar-pioneers-win-1-million-turing-award.html
March 18, 2020 at 05:37PM
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
March 18, 2020 at 05:37PM
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
The Coronavirus Exposes Education’s Digital Divide
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/china-schools-coronavirus.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:26PM
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
March 18, 2020 at 12:26PM
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
Customers Want Customization, and Companies Are Giving It to Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/business/customization-personalized-products.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
The Coronavirus Crisis Is Showing Us How to Live Online
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/coronavirus-how-to-live-online.html
March 18, 2020 at 07:30AM
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
March 18, 2020 at 07:30AM
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
So We’re Working From Home. Can the Internet Handle It?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/coronavirus-working-from-home-internet.html
March 18, 2020 at 07:13AM
With millions of people working and learning from home during the pandemic, internet networks are set to be strained to the hilt.
March 18, 2020 at 07:13AM
With millions of people working and learning from home during the pandemic, internet networks are set to be strained to the hilt.
Newsroom: Coronavirus Hits China Ad Spending
Source: https://www.emarketer.com/newsroom/index.php/coronavirus-hits-china-ad-spending/
March 18, 2020 at 07:01AM
eMarketer cuts forecast for total media ad spending by 6.2%   March 17, 2020 (New York, NY) – Just months after the first case was reported, it is already clear […]
March 18, 2020 at 07:01AM
eMarketer cuts forecast for total media ad spending by 6.2%   March 17, 2020 (New York, NY) – Just months after the first case was reported, it is already clear […]
Amazon Bans, Then Reinstates, Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/amazon-hitler-mein-kampf.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
Glued to TV for Now, but When Programming Thins and Bills Mount …
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/business/media/coronavirus-television-netflix.html
March 17, 2020 at 10:22PM
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ecosystem protecting the industry.
March 17, 2020 at 10:22PM
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ecosystem protecting the industry.
From Zoom University to the Zoom Party
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/style/zoom-parties-coronavirus-memes.html
March 17, 2020 at 08:15PM
Zoom is where we work, go to school and party these days.
March 17, 2020 at 08:15PM
Zoom is where we work, go to school and party these days.
Coronavirus Testing Website Goes Live and Quickly Hits Capacity
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/coronavirus-testing-website-google.html
March 17, 2020 at 01:38AM
The site from Google’s sister company, Verily, was rolled out to two Northern California counties in hopes of guiding people to local virus testing.
March 17, 2020 at 01:38AM
The site from Google’s sister company, Verily, was rolled out to two Northern California counties in hopes of guiding people to local virus testing.
France Fines Apple $1.2 Billion for Antitrust Issues
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/france-apple-antitrust-fine.html
March 16, 2020 at 09:24PM
The fine comes as the iPhone maker deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
March 16, 2020 at 09:24PM
The fine comes as the iPhone maker deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Voices in AI – Episode 109: A Conversation with Frank Holland
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/03/19/voices-in-ai-episode-109-a-conversation-with-frank-holland/
March 19, 2020 at 03:00PM
March 19, 2020 at 03:00PM
[voices_in_ai_byline]
About this Episode
On Episode 109 of Voices in AI, Byron speaks with Frank Holland about the nature of intelligence and the ways in which we define, cultivate and attempt to mimic it.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
Transcript Excerpt
accomplishments, board memberships and sterling leadership. He excels at building high-performing teams. As CEO, Frank is responsible for directing the company’s growth at scale and capitalizing on the vast Middle Office market opportunity.
Holland’s long history of operational excellence and innovative execution provides a foundation for Apttus’ continued growth and industry leadership. Prior to joining Apttus, he led Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM and ERP products’ growth, directing its global salesforce in delivering a portfolio of on-premise and cloud offerings. Additionally, he directed key aspects of Microsoft’s business expansion and competitive positioning efforts, such as the customer-facing due diligence process associated with the $26 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016. Before taking on the role as CVP of Dynamics, Holland ran Microsoft’s $4 billion advertising sales business. He was also Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Operations, focusing on order-to-cash functions and field operations.
Frank holds a B.S. in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.
Transcript
Byron Reese: This is Voices in AI brought to you by GigaOm and I’m Byron Reese. Today, we have a good guest for you. His name is Frank Holland. For the last seven months, as of this recording, he has been the CEO of Apttus, which we’ll hear more about. Before that, he had a long and accomplished tenure at Microsoft, where he was a corporate VP. He holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell.
Welcome to the show, Frank!
Frank Holland: Hey, it’s great to be on. Thanks a lot, Byron.
I always like to start off by just putting up signposts. What is intelligence? If you don’t like that, what is artificial about artificial intelligence?
That is exploring the esoteric, isn’t it? I think that you could safely define intelligence as the ability to reason. What makes it so different from any other kind of rule-based algorithms – or applied logic to certain scenarios, is that you’re able to not only work your way through a problem in an organized way, but do it with broad pattern-matching and the ability to recognize trending as you do it, which makes it so tenuous to be able to grapple with when you want to apply it to any sort of compute-type of environment.
That’s where I think that the state of the art is right now, as people make the transition from the philosophical question: ‘What is intelligence?’ to the idea of turning it into something that’s probably saleable.
I’m with you on that, but I always like to ask the question because I’m really wondering, is AI mimicking intelligence? Is it feigning intelligence the way artificial turf isn’t really grass, just trying to look like grass, or do you actually think it’s intelligent?
I don’t actually have a horse in this race, I don’t have a strong – I don’t even have a weak opinion for that matter, but I’m curious because to me it speaks to ‘what are the limits of the systems for building?’ Are they actually smart or are we just figuring out a kludge way to annotate intelligence and it’s going to cap-out pretty quickly?
Well, I certainly think it started there. The idea that you could build rule engines that could take logical trees and break them down into sequential processing parameters is something we’ve been doing. I remember working on those in my early days, even before, I think, the term “artificial intelligence” got coined. What we were working with was really just the very early vestiges of machine-learning.
Is it synthetic? Yeah, I think it is to a degree. It almost has to be to be able to put it into an environment where you can reliably repeat it, using the sorts of instructions we give to a compute platform. The notion though, that you can take neural nets – and other sister technologies around that and apply it to a hard, thorny problem where we may not even know how to ask the question, could be the beginnings of what it makes that truly intelligent. I think that where the human isn’t able to keep up, not just in terms of scale, that’s an easy one to understand, but in terms of knowing how to approach a problem, or like I said, knowing what question to ask, is where you could start to see some real intelligence coming out of what sorts of compute problems we’re throwing at the world right now.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
[voices_in_ai_link_back]
Byron explores issues around artificial intelligence and conscious computers in his new book The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity.
Voices in AI – Episode 109: A Conversation with Frank Holland
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/03/19/voices-in-ai-episode-109-a-conversation-with-frank-holland/
March 19, 2020 at 03:00PM
March 19, 2020 at 03:00PM
[voices_in_ai_byline]
About this Episode
On Episode 109 of Voices in AI, Byron speaks with Frank Holland about the nature of intelligence and the ways in which we define, cultivate and attempt to mimic it.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
Transcript Excerpt
accomplishments, board memberships and sterling leadership. He excels at building high-performing teams. As CEO, Frank is responsible for directing the company’s growth at scale and capitalizing on the vast Middle Office market opportunity.
Holland’s long history of operational excellence and innovative execution provides a foundation for Apttus’ continued growth and industry leadership. Prior to joining Apttus, he led Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM and ERP products’ growth, directing its global salesforce in delivering a portfolio of on-premise and cloud offerings. Additionally, he directed key aspects of Microsoft’s business expansion and competitive positioning efforts, such as the customer-facing due diligence process associated with the $26 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016. Before taking on the role as CVP of Dynamics, Holland ran Microsoft’s $4 billion advertising sales business. He was also Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Operations, focusing on order-to-cash functions and field operations.
Frank holds a B.S. in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.
Transcript
Byron Reese: This is Voices in AI brought to you by GigaOm and I’m Byron Reese. Today, we have a good guest for you. His name is Frank Holland. For the last seven months, as of this recording, he has been the CEO of Apttus, which we’ll hear more about. Before that, he had a long and accomplished tenure at Microsoft, where he was a corporate VP. He holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell.
Welcome to the show, Frank!
Frank Holland: Hey, it’s great to be on. Thanks a lot, Byron.
I always like to start off by just putting up signposts. What is intelligence? If you don’t like that, what is artificial about artificial intelligence?
That is exploring the esoteric, isn’t it? I think that you could safely define intelligence as the ability to reason. What makes it so different from any other kind of rule-based algorithms – or applied logic to certain scenarios, is that you’re able to not only work your way through a problem in an organized way, but do it with broad pattern-matching and the ability to recognize trending as you do it, which makes it so tenuous to be able to grapple with when you want to apply it to any sort of compute-type of environment.
That’s where I think that the state of the art is right now, as people make the transition from the philosophical question: ‘What is intelligence?’ to the idea of turning it into something that’s probably saleable.
I’m with you on that, but I always like to ask the question because I’m really wondering, is AI mimicking intelligence? Is it feigning intelligence the way artificial turf isn’t really grass, just trying to look like grass, or do you actually think it’s intelligent?
I don’t actually have a horse in this race, I don’t have a strong – I don’t even have a weak opinion for that matter, but I’m curious because to me it speaks to ‘what are the limits of the systems for building?’ Are they actually smart or are we just figuring out a kludge way to annotate intelligence and it’s going to cap-out pretty quickly?
Well, I certainly think it started there. The idea that you could build rule engines that could take logical trees and break them down into sequential processing parameters is something we’ve been doing. I remember working on those in my early days, even before, I think, the term “artificial intelligence” got coined. What we were working with was really just the very early vestiges of machine-learning.
Is it synthetic? Yeah, I think it is to a degree. It almost has to be to be able to put it into an environment where you can reliably repeat it, using the sorts of instructions we give to a compute platform. The notion though, that you can take neural nets – and other sister technologies around that and apply it to a hard, thorny problem where we may not even know how to ask the question, could be the beginnings of what it makes that truly intelligent. I think that where the human isn’t able to keep up, not just in terms of scale, that’s an easy one to understand, but in terms of knowing how to approach a problem, or like I said, knowing what question to ask, is where you could start to see some real intelligence coming out of what sorts of compute problems we’re throwing at the world right now.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
[voices_in_ai_link_back]
Byron explores issues around artificial intelligence and conscious computers in his new book The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Trump’s Embrace of Unproven Drugs to Treat Coronavirus Defies Science
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/health/coronavirus-chloroquine-trump.html
March 21, 2020 at 02:34AM
Doctors and patients also worry that the president’s rosy outlook for the treatments will exacerbate shortages of old malaria drugs relied on by patients with lupus and other debilitating conditions.
March 21, 2020 at 02:34AM
Doctors and patients also worry that the president’s rosy outlook for the treatments will exacerbate shortages of old malaria drugs relied on by patients with lupus and other debilitating conditions.
‘Zoombombing’: When Video Conferences Go Wrong
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/style/zoombombing-zoom-trolling.html
March 21, 2020 at 02:20AM
As its user base rapidly expands, the videoconference app Zoom is seeing a rise in trolling and graphic content.
March 21, 2020 at 02:20AM
As its user base rapidly expands, the videoconference app Zoom is seeing a rise in trolling and graphic content.
Voices in AI – Episode 109: A Conversation with Frank Holland
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/03/19/voices-in-ai-episode-109-a-conversation-with-frank-holland/
March 19, 2020 at 03:00PM
March 19, 2020 at 03:00PM
[voices_in_ai_byline]
About this Episode
On Episode 109 of Voices in AI, Byron speaks with Frank Holland about the nature of intelligence and the ways in which we define, cultivate and attempt to mimic it.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
Transcript Excerpt
accomplishments, board memberships and sterling leadership. He excels at building high-performing teams. As CEO, Frank is responsible for directing the company’s growth at scale and capitalizing on the vast Middle Office market opportunity.
Holland’s long history of operational excellence and innovative execution provides a foundation for Apttus’ continued growth and industry leadership. Prior to joining Apttus, he led Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM and ERP products’ growth, directing its global salesforce in delivering a portfolio of on-premise and cloud offerings. Additionally, he directed key aspects of Microsoft’s business expansion and competitive positioning efforts, such as the customer-facing due diligence process associated with the $26 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016. Before taking on the role as CVP of Dynamics, Holland ran Microsoft’s $4 billion advertising sales business. He was also Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Operations, focusing on order-to-cash functions and field operations.
Frank holds a B.S. in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.
Transcript
Byron Reese: This is Voices in AI brought to you by GigaOm and I’m Byron Reese. Today, we have a good guest for you. His name is Frank Holland. For the last seven months, as of this recording, he has been the CEO of Apttus, which we’ll hear more about. Before that, he had a long and accomplished tenure at Microsoft, where he was a corporate VP. He holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell.
Welcome to the show, Frank!
Frank Holland: Hey, it’s great to be on. Thanks a lot, Byron.
I always like to start off by just putting up signposts. What is intelligence? If you don’t like that, what is artificial about artificial intelligence?
That is exploring the esoteric, isn’t it? I think that you could safely define intelligence as the ability to reason. What makes it so different from any other kind of rule-based algorithms – or applied logic to certain scenarios, is that you’re able to not only work your way through a problem in an organized way, but do it with broad pattern-matching and the ability to recognize trending as you do it, which makes it so tenuous to be able to grapple with when you want to apply it to any sort of compute-type of environment.
That’s where I think that the state of the art is right now, as people make the transition from the philosophical question: ‘What is intelligence?’ to the idea of turning it into something that’s probably saleable.
I’m with you on that, but I always like to ask the question because I’m really wondering, is AI mimicking intelligence? Is it feigning intelligence the way artificial turf isn’t really grass, just trying to look like grass, or do you actually think it’s intelligent?
I don’t actually have a horse in this race, I don’t have a strong – I don’t even have a weak opinion for that matter, but I’m curious because to me it speaks to ‘what are the limits of the systems for building?’ Are they actually smart or are we just figuring out a kludge way to annotate intelligence and it’s going to cap-out pretty quickly?
Well, I certainly think it started there. The idea that you could build rule engines that could take logical trees and break them down into sequential processing parameters is something we’ve been doing. I remember working on those in my early days, even before, I think, the term “artificial intelligence” got coined. What we were working with was really just the very early vestiges of machine-learning.
Is it synthetic? Yeah, I think it is to a degree. It almost has to be to be able to put it into an environment where you can reliably repeat it, using the sorts of instructions we give to a compute platform. The notion though, that you can take neural nets – and other sister technologies around that and apply it to a hard, thorny problem where we may not even know how to ask the question, could be the beginnings of what it makes that truly intelligent. I think that where the human isn’t able to keep up, not just in terms of scale, that’s an easy one to understand, but in terms of knowing how to approach a problem, or like I said, knowing what question to ask, is where you could start to see some real intelligence coming out of what sorts of compute problems we’re throwing at the world right now.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
[voices_in_ai_link_back]
Byron explores issues around artificial intelligence and conscious computers in his new book The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity.
The Week in Tech: How to Stop Coronavirus ‘Doomsurfing’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/automobiles/coronavirus-doomsurfing.html
March 20, 2020 at 04:00PM
The internet is a pretty scary place right now. Here are some ways to make it better.
March 20, 2020 at 04:00PM
The internet is a pretty scary place right now. Here are some ways to make it better.
The Coder and the Dictator
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/technology/venezuela-petro-cryptocurrency.html
March 20, 2020 at 12:00PM
Gabriel Jiménez hated the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. But he loved cryptocurrency. When he built the regime a digital coin, he nearly paid with his life.
March 20, 2020 at 12:00PM
Gabriel Jiménez hated the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. But he loved cryptocurrency. When he built the regime a digital coin, he nearly paid with his life.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Former Uber Executive Pleads Guilty to Trade Theft
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/technology/levandowski-uber-google-plea.html
March 20, 2020 at 04:25AM
Anthony Levandowski was charged with stealing driverless-car plans when he left Google to form a company, which Uber then acquired.
March 20, 2020 at 04:25AM
Anthony Levandowski was charged with stealing driverless-car plans when he left Google to form a company, which Uber then acquired.
Translating a Surveillance Tool into a Virus Tracker for Democracies
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html
March 19, 2020 at 11:37PM
Health officials in Britain are building an app that would alert the people who have come in contact with someone known to have the coronavirus. The project aims to adapt China’s tracking efforts for countries wary of government surveillance.
March 19, 2020 at 11:37PM
Health officials in Britain are building an app that would alert the people who have come in contact with someone known to have the coronavirus. The project aims to adapt China’s tracking efforts for countries wary of government surveillance.
Newsroom: Coronavirus Hits China Ad Spending
Source: https://www.emarketer.com/newsroom/index.php/coronavirus-hits-china-ad-spending/
March 18, 2020 at 07:01AM
eMarketer cuts forecast for total media ad spending by 6.2%   March 17, 2020 (New York, NY) – Just months after the first case was reported, it is already clear […]
March 18, 2020 at 07:01AM
eMarketer cuts forecast for total media ad spending by 6.2%   March 17, 2020 (New York, NY) – Just months after the first case was reported, it is already clear […]
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
The Coronavirus Exposes Education’s Digital Divide
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/china-schools-coronavirus.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:26PM
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
March 18, 2020 at 12:26PM
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
Customers Want Customization, and Companies Are Giving It to Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/business/customization-personalized-products.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
The Coronavirus Crisis Is Showing Us How to Live Online
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/coronavirus-how-to-live-online.html
March 18, 2020 at 07:30AM
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
March 18, 2020 at 07:30AM
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
So We’re Working From Home. Can the Internet Handle It?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/coronavirus-working-from-home-internet.html
March 18, 2020 at 07:13AM
With millions of people working and learning from home during the pandemic, internet networks are set to be strained to the hilt.
March 18, 2020 at 07:13AM
With millions of people working and learning from home during the pandemic, internet networks are set to be strained to the hilt.
Amazon Bans, Then Reinstates, Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/amazon-hitler-mein-kampf.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
Glued to TV for Now, but When Programming Thins and Bills Mount …
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/business/media/coronavirus-television-netflix.html
March 17, 2020 at 10:22PM
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ecosystem protecting the industry.
March 17, 2020 at 10:22PM
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ecosystem protecting the industry.
From Zoom University to the Zoom Party
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/style/zoom-parties-coronavirus-memes.html
March 17, 2020 at 08:15PM
Zoom is where we work, go to school and party these days.
March 17, 2020 at 08:15PM
Zoom is where we work, go to school and party these days.
Coronavirus Outrage Spurs China’s Internet Police to Action
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/business/china-coronavirus-internet-police.html
March 17, 2020 at 09:39AM
Online enforcers are dragging in hundreds for questioning as an assault on online speech continues. They are a sign of how Beijing has given censors a more punitive role.
March 17, 2020 at 09:39AM
Online enforcers are dragging in hundreds for questioning as an assault on online speech continues. They are a sign of how Beijing has given censors a more punitive role.
Coronavirus Testing Website Goes Live and Quickly Hits Capacity
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/coronavirus-testing-website-google.html
March 17, 2020 at 01:38AM
The site from Google’s sister company, Verily, was rolled out to two Northern California counties in hopes of guiding people to local virus testing.
March 17, 2020 at 01:38AM
The site from Google’s sister company, Verily, was rolled out to two Northern California counties in hopes of guiding people to local virus testing.
France Fines Apple $1.2 Billion for Antitrust Issues
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/france-apple-antitrust-fine.html
March 16, 2020 at 09:24PM
The fine comes as the iPhone maker deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
March 16, 2020 at 09:24PM
The fine comes as the iPhone maker deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
American Teenagers Are Declaring ‘Virginity Rocks’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/style/danny-duncan-virginity-rocks.html
March 16, 2020 at 12:00PM
A clothing item inspired by a YouTube star has found its way into malls and schools, stumping adults along the way.
March 16, 2020 at 12:00PM
A clothing item inspired by a YouTube star has found its way into malls and schools, stumping adults along the way.
When Facebook Is More Trustworthy Than the President
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/business/media/coronavirus-facebook-twitter-social-media.html
March 16, 2020 at 04:20AM
Social media companies are delivering reliable information in the coronavirus crisis. Why can’t they do that all the time?
March 16, 2020 at 04:20AM
Social media companies are delivering reliable information in the coronavirus crisis. Why can’t they do that all the time?
He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-purell-wipes-amazon-sellers.html
March 16, 2020 at 02:28AM
Amazon cracked down on coronavirus price gouging. Now, while the rest of the world searches, some sellers are holding stockpiles of sanitizer and masks.
March 16, 2020 at 02:28AM
Amazon cracked down on coronavirus price gouging. Now, while the rest of the world searches, some sellers are holding stockpiles of sanitizer and masks.
The Man With 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer Just Donated Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/matt-colvin-hand-sanitizer-donation.html
March 16, 2020 at 02:01AM
A Tennessee man had planned to sell his stockpile at marked-up prices online. Now he is under investigation for price gouging.
March 16, 2020 at 02:01AM
A Tennessee man had planned to sell his stockpile at marked-up prices online. Now he is under investigation for price gouging.
Ahead of the Pack, How Microsoft Told Workers to Stay Home
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/microsoft-coronavirus-response.html
March 15, 2020 at 08:48PM
Its executives, with headquarters just a few miles from one of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, were among the first to confront the impact.
March 15, 2020 at 08:48PM
Its executives, with headquarters just a few miles from one of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, were among the first to confront the impact.
Fact Check: Trump's Claims About His Response to the Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/us/politics/fact-check-trump-coronavirus.html
March 15, 2020 at 08:31PM
The president inaccurately described travel restrictions he had announced, falsely blamed his predecessor for testing shortages and misstated the role Google was playing in mitigating the outbreak.
March 15, 2020 at 08:31PM
The president inaccurately described travel restrictions he had announced, falsely blamed his predecessor for testing shortages and misstated the role Google was playing in mitigating the outbreak.
Internet Providers Won’t Cut Off Users Over Unpaid Bills for 60 Days
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/business/internet-providers-coronavirus.html
March 15, 2020 at 05:49PM
The pledge some companies took, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, also calls for them to open public Wi-Fi hot spots and waive late fees, the F.C.C. said.
March 15, 2020 at 05:49PM
The pledge some companies took, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, also calls for them to open public Wi-Fi hot spots and waive late fees, the F.C.C. said.
Trump Oversold a Google Site to Fight Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/us/politics/trump-google-coronavirus.html
March 15, 2020 at 04:11PM
After Jared Kushner liked the idea, President Trump inflated the concept. The disconnect is the latest example of the president exaggerating or making wholly inaccurate statements about his administration’s response.
March 15, 2020 at 04:11PM
After Jared Kushner liked the idea, President Trump inflated the concept. The disconnect is the latest example of the president exaggerating or making wholly inaccurate statements about his administration’s response.
Bill Gates Stepping Down From Microsoft’s Board
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/technology/bill-gates-microsoft-board.html
March 15, 2020 at 08:19AM
Mr. Gates, who founded the company with Paul Allen four decades ago, will also step down from the board of Berkshire Hathaway.
March 15, 2020 at 08:19AM
Mr. Gates, who founded the company with Paul Allen four decades ago, will also step down from the board of Berkshire Hathaway.
Apple Closes Most of Its Stores for 2 Weeks
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/apple-stores-coronavirus.html
March 14, 2020 at 03:41PM
The tech giant, which will keep its stores in the China region open, becomes one of the first retailers to shut its doors in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
March 14, 2020 at 03:41PM
The tech giant, which will keep its stores in the China region open, becomes one of the first retailers to shut its doors in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Coronavirus Is Causing Chaos for Travel Influencers
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/style/travel-influencers-coronavirus.html
March 14, 2020 at 02:27AM
When your income depends on promoting travel, staying home comes at a cost.
March 14, 2020 at 02:27AM
When your income depends on promoting travel, staying home comes at a cost.
Where Westchester Teens Get Their Coronavirus News
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/style/westchester-new-rochelle-coronavirus-news.html
March 13, 2020 at 12:55PM
High school students are turning to meme accounts on Instagram to get real-time updates on the new coronavirus.
March 13, 2020 at 12:55PM
High school students are turning to meme accounts on Instagram to get real-time updates on the new coronavirus.
Pentagon Asks to Reconsider Awarding Huge Cloud Contract to Amazon
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/technology/amazon-jedi-defense-department.html
March 13, 2020 at 07:38AM
The action came after Amazon had contended that it lost the deal because of potential interference from President Trump.
March 13, 2020 at 07:38AM
The action came after Amazon had contended that it lost the deal because of potential interference from President Trump.
Amazon Bans, Then Reinstates, Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/amazon-hitler-mein-kampf.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
Abel Prize in Mathematics Shared by 2 Trailblazers of Probability and Dynamics
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/science/abel-prize-mathematics.html
March 18, 2020 at 06:37PM
Hillel Furstenberg, 84, and Gregory Margulis, 74, both retired professors, share the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel Prize.
March 18, 2020 at 06:37PM
Hillel Furstenberg, 84, and Gregory Margulis, 74, both retired professors, share the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel Prize.
The Tech Headaches of Working From Home and How to Remedy Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/personaltech/working-from-home-problems-solutions.html
March 18, 2020 at 06:00PM
From shoddy Wi-Fi to digital distractions, our tech can make remote work miserable. Here’s how to overcome the problems.
March 18, 2020 at 06:00PM
From shoddy Wi-Fi to digital distractions, our tech can make remote work miserable. Here’s how to overcome the problems.
Pixar Pioneers Win $1 Million Turing Award
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/pixar-pioneers-win-1-million-turing-award.html
March 18, 2020 at 05:37PM
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
March 18, 2020 at 05:37PM
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
Pixar Pioneers Win $1 Million Turing Award
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/pixar-pioneers-win-1-million-turing-award.html
March 18, 2020 at 05:37PM
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
March 18, 2020 at 05:37PM
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
Pandemic Erodes Gig Economy Work
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/technology/gig-economy-pandemic.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
Gig companies promoted their flexible hours as an economic lifeline for workers. In the coronavirus outbreak, it has been anything but.
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
Gig companies promoted their flexible hours as an economic lifeline for workers. In the coronavirus outbreak, it has been anything but.
Customers Want Customization, and Companies Are Giving It to Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/business/customization-personalized-products.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
March 18, 2020 at 12:00PM
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
To Focus on Necessities, Amazon Stops Accepting Some Items in Warehouses
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/amazon-coronavirus.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:46AM
The three-week pause, which affects products like consumer electronics, allows the e-commerce company to deal with a surge in demand for household goods.
March 18, 2020 at 12:46AM
The three-week pause, which affects products like consumer electronics, allows the e-commerce company to deal with a surge in demand for household goods.
Amazon Bans, Then Reinstates, Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/amazon-hitler-mein-kampf.html
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
March 18, 2020 at 12:11AM
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
From Zoom University to the Zoom Party
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/style/zoom-parties-coronavirus-memes.html
March 17, 2020 at 08:15PM
Zoom is where we work, go to school and party these days.
March 17, 2020 at 08:15PM
Zoom is where we work, go to school and party these days.
Glued to the Screen in the Time of Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/business/media/coronavirus-television-netflix.html
March 17, 2020 at 07:26PM
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ecosystem protecting the industry.
March 17, 2020 at 07:26PM
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ecosystem protecting the industry.
The Coronavirus Crisis Is Showing Us How to Live Online
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/coronavirus-how-to-live-online.html
March 17, 2020 at 04:56PM
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
March 17, 2020 at 04:56PM
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
Coronavirus Fight Lays Bare Education’s Digital Divide
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/china-schools-coronavirus.html
March 17, 2020 at 12:00PM
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
March 17, 2020 at 12:00PM
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
Monday, March 16, 2020
Coronavirus Testing Website Goes Live and Runs Into Confusion
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/coronavirus-testing-website-google.html
March 16, 2020 at 09:29PM
The site from Google’s sister company, Verily, was rolled out to two Northern California counties in hopes of guiding people to local virus testing.
March 16, 2020 at 09:29PM
The site from Google’s sister company, Verily, was rolled out to two Northern California counties in hopes of guiding people to local virus testing.
So We’re Working From Home. Can the Internet Handle It?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/coronavirus-working-from-home-internet.html
March 16, 2020 at 06:51PM
With millions of people working and learning from home during the pandemic, internet networks are set to be strained to the hilt.
March 16, 2020 at 06:51PM
With millions of people working and learning from home during the pandemic, internet networks are set to be strained to the hilt.
France Fines Apple $1.2 Billion for Antitrust Issues
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/technology/france-apple-antitrust-fine.html
March 16, 2020 at 05:56PM
The fine comes as the iPhone maker deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
March 16, 2020 at 05:56PM
The fine comes as the iPhone maker deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Muting Coronavirus Anger, China Empowers Its Internet Police
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/business/china-coronavirus-internet-police.html
March 16, 2020 at 03:43PM
Online enforcers are dragging in hundreds for questioning as an assault on online speech continues. They are a sign how Beijing has given censors a more punitive role.
March 16, 2020 at 03:43PM
Online enforcers are dragging in hundreds for questioning as an assault on online speech continues. They are a sign how Beijing has given censors a more punitive role.
American Teenagers Are Declaring ‘Virginity Rocks’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/style/danny-duncan-virginity-rocks.html
March 16, 2020 at 12:00PM
A clothing item inspired by a YouTube star has found its way into malls and schools, stumping adults along the way.
March 16, 2020 at 12:00PM
A clothing item inspired by a YouTube star has found its way into malls and schools, stumping adults along the way.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
When Facebook Is More Trustworthy Than the President
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/business/media/coronavirus-facebook-twitter-social-media.html
March 16, 2020 at 03:18AM
Social media companies are delivering reliable information in the coronavirus crisis. Why can’t they do that all the time?
March 16, 2020 at 03:18AM
Social media companies are delivering reliable information in the coronavirus crisis. Why can’t they do that all the time?
The Man With 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer Just Donated Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/matt-colvin-hand-sanitizer-donation.html
March 16, 2020 at 02:01AM
A Tennessee man had planned to sell his stockpile at marked-up prices online. Now he is under investigation for price gouging.
March 16, 2020 at 02:01AM
A Tennessee man had planned to sell his stockpile at marked-up prices online. Now he is under investigation for price gouging.
Ahead of the Pack, How Microsoft Told Workers to Stay Home
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/microsoft-coronavirus-response.html
March 15, 2020 at 08:48PM
Its executives, with headquarters just a few miles from one of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, were among the first to confront the impact.
March 15, 2020 at 08:48PM
Its executives, with headquarters just a few miles from one of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, were among the first to confront the impact.
Trump Oversold a Google Site to Fight Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/us/politics/trump-google-coronavirus.html
March 15, 2020 at 05:00AM
After Jared Kushner liked the idea, President Trump inflated the concept. The disconnect is the latest example of the president exaggerating or making wholly inaccurate statements about his administration’s response.
March 15, 2020 at 05:00AM
After Jared Kushner liked the idea, President Trump inflated the concept. The disconnect is the latest example of the president exaggerating or making wholly inaccurate statements about his administration’s response.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Internet Providers Won’t Cut Off Users Over Unpaid Bills for 60 Days
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/business/internet-providers-coronavirus.html
March 14, 2020 at 06:54PM
The pledge some companies took, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, also calls for them to open public Wi-Fi hot spots and waive late fees, the F.C.C. said.
March 14, 2020 at 06:54PM
The pledge some companies took, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, also calls for them to open public Wi-Fi hot spots and waive late fees, the F.C.C. said.
Apple Closes Most of Its Stores for 2 Weeks
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/apple-stores-coronavirus.html
March 14, 2020 at 03:41PM
The tech giant, which will keep its stores in the China region open, becomes one of the first retailers to shut its doors in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
March 14, 2020 at 03:41PM
The tech giant, which will keep its stores in the China region open, becomes one of the first retailers to shut its doors in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-purell-wipes-amazon-sellers.html
March 14, 2020 at 12:00PM
Amazon cracked down on coronavirus price gouging. Now, while the rest of the world searches, some sellers are holding stockpiles of sanitizer and masks.
March 14, 2020 at 12:00PM
Amazon cracked down on coronavirus price gouging. Now, while the rest of the world searches, some sellers are holding stockpiles of sanitizer and masks.
Fact Check: Trump's Claims About His Response to the Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/us/politics/fact-check-trump-coronavirus.html
March 14, 2020 at 06:15AM
The president inaccurately described travel restrictions he had announced, falsely blamed his predecessor for testing shortages and misstated the role Google was playing in mitigating the outbreak.
March 14, 2020 at 06:15AM
The president inaccurately described travel restrictions he had announced, falsely blamed his predecessor for testing shortages and misstated the role Google was playing in mitigating the outbreak.
He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-gouging-sanitizer.html
March 14, 2020 at 12:00PM
Amazon cracked down on coronavirus price gouging. Now, while the rest of the world searches, some sellers are holding stockpiles of sanitizer and masks.
March 14, 2020 at 12:00PM
Amazon cracked down on coronavirus price gouging. Now, while the rest of the world searches, some sellers are holding stockpiles of sanitizer and masks.
Trump’s False Claims About His Response to the Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/us/politics/trumps-coronavirus-false-claims.html
March 14, 2020 at 06:15AM
The president inaccurately described travel restrictions he had announced, falsely blamed his predecessor for testing shortages and misstated the role Google was playing in mitigating the outbreak.
March 14, 2020 at 06:15AM
The president inaccurately described travel restrictions he had announced, falsely blamed his predecessor for testing shortages and misstated the role Google was playing in mitigating the outbreak.
Friday, March 13, 2020
Bill Gates Stepping Down From Microsoft’s Board
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/technology/bill-gates-microsoft-board.html
March 14, 2020 at 03:11AM
Mr. Gates, who founded the company with Paul Allen four decades ago, will also step down from the board of Berkshire Hathaway.
March 14, 2020 at 03:11AM
Mr. Gates, who founded the company with Paul Allen four decades ago, will also step down from the board of Berkshire Hathaway.
Coronavirus Is Causing Chaos for Travel Influencers
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/style/travel-influencers-coronavirus.html
March 14, 2020 at 02:27AM
When your income depends on promoting travel, staying home comes at a cost.
March 14, 2020 at 02:27AM
When your income depends on promoting travel, staying home comes at a cost.
Baby Brezza, a $200 Formula Maker, May Pose Health Risks to Infants
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/technology/baby-brezza-formula-pro-health-risks.html
March 13, 2020 at 05:01PM
Pediatricians say the automated Baby Brezza dispenser may produce watery bottles of formula.
March 13, 2020 at 05:01PM
Pediatricians say the automated Baby Brezza dispenser may produce watery bottles of formula.
The Week in Tech: Gigs at Home, but Not What Start-Ups Intended
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/automobiles/work-from-home.html
March 13, 2020 at 04:00PM
Many tech employees have the luxury of working from home in an emergency. But companies like Uber, Airbnb and WeWork could end up hurting.
March 13, 2020 at 04:00PM
Many tech employees have the luxury of working from home in an emergency. But companies like Uber, Airbnb and WeWork could end up hurting.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Pentagon Asks to Reconsider Awarding Huge Cloud Contract to Amazon
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/technology/amazon-jedi-defense-department.html
March 13, 2020 at 05:37AM
The action came after Amazon had contended that it lost the deal because of potential interference from President Trump.
March 13, 2020 at 05:37AM
The action came after Amazon had contended that it lost the deal because of potential interference from President Trump.
Where Westchester Teens Get Their Coronavirus News
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/style/westchester-new-rochelle-coronavirus-news.html
March 12, 2020 at 10:36PM
High school students are turning to meme accounts on Instagram to get real-time updates on the new coronavirus.
March 12, 2020 at 10:36PM
High school students are turning to meme accounts on Instagram to get real-time updates on the new coronavirus.
This Movie Is Streaming Only. Should We Lower Our Expectations?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/movies/streaming-movies-roundtable.html
March 12, 2020 at 12:00PM
As more films skip theaters and head straight to streaming, we asked our critics to talk openly about what many whisper about: that many of these films are just good enough.
March 12, 2020 at 12:00PM
As more films skip theaters and head straight to streaming, we asked our critics to talk openly about what many whisper about: that many of these films are just good enough.
The Status of Object Storage
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/03/09/the-status-of-object-storage/
March 09, 2020 at 10:26PM
March 09, 2020 at 10:26PM
Last week NVIDIA announced the acquisition of SwiftStack, an object storage startup that, in the last year, refocused most of its work on high performance and AI workloads. This follows a similar hand over from Western Digital to Quantum about the ActiveScale business, another object store that was more and more tailored to specific workloads. These two object stores will compete for less in the general-purpose S3 space, and will be instrumental in the creation of end-to-end solutions.
The object storage market is maturing and evolving pretty quickly. We recently published two reports on object storage (Key criteria for evaluating enterprise object storage and GigaOm Radar for enterprise object storage). In these reports, object stores are grouped in Enterprise, High Performance, and Specialized categories, depending on their characteristics. In fact, most of the vendors have finally found out two important reasons to differentiate themselves from the general-purpose S3 market:
- The Cloud Wins: Many enterprises are moving more and more of their apps and data to the cloud. If your organization does not have a particular need to stay on-prem such as a particular regulation or restriction, the cloud is just better. And, to be honest, applications and data want to stay next to each other.
- Differentiation in Traditional Object Storage is Minimal: If you think about object storage as an S3-compatible system for storing cold data. At the end of the day, differentiation is minimal, and it all comes down to $/GB and a few other secondary characteristics with minimal impact on overall TCO and ROI.
With fewer opportunities and minimal differentiation, there are no clear winners in object storage.
Differentiation, Specialization, Ecosystems
SwiftStack was not the only one working on performance last year. OpenIO, for example, shifted its focus to high performance as well.
NetApp and Hitachi Vantara have integrated their object stores in their ecosystem, making them instrumental for the execution of their strategies.
Scality is investing their efforts in a multi-cloud and scale-out file system, which is appealing to large enterprises.
Red Hat has a two-fold strategy, with multi-cloud (with NooBaa) and ecosystem integration with Ceph being the default choice for OpenShift Storage.
Caringo is focusing more and more on the media and entertainment industry with features aimed at simplifying media management, specialized edge appliance, and so on.
Minio, who in the past, I defined as the MySQL of object stores, wants to be the object store of choice for every developer and Kubernetes/containerized application.
There is a group (Dell EMC, IBM, Cloudian) still trying to sell general-purpose S3-compatible storage but, again. At the same time, Dell EMC and IBM object stores are part of a larger ecosystem, Cloudian will soon need to find something on which to specialize or they will risk competing only on $/GB every time… and this is not something that will please investors or be sustainable in the long term.
Furthermore, S3 interface is now more and more common across storage systems of any kind. Scale-out file storage systems have it (Pure Storage FlashBlade, Qumulo, Vast Data, Isilon, you name it), HCI vendors have it (Nutanix, for example), Primary storage systems have it too (e.g., Infinidat). This Makes the traditional object store less interesting for a growing number of use cases, especially when capacity and cost are not on top of the priorities.
There is More
Did you read my article about the death of the hard drive? If you did not, in that article, I talk about the evolution of the hard drive and how it will become less usable in enterprise data centers. In fact, most of the development focuses on carving out more capacity from this type of device. Unfortunately, due to several mechanical and physical limitations, achieving this goal will come with a lot of compromises on performance and access methods. Without controlling the entire stack, it will be practically impossible to take advantage of this media, something that only hyperscalers can do. Long story short, for general-purpose object storage vendors, it will become even more difficult to compete on a $/GB.
Closing the Circle
Object storage is becoming more relevant for every IT organization, on-premises or in the cloud, no matter if it is by choice or part of an end-to-end solution.
S3 compatibility is now table stake (not a differentiator), and object storage vendors know that. They are targeting new markets and workloads with features that are much more sophisticated than the basic PUT, GET, DELETE, and $/GB. It is the only way to survive in the long term.
If you want to learn more about the key criteria to evaluate object storage or have a clear view on how the object storage market is evolving, subscribe to GigaOm and download my reports. It is just $83/month and will give you access to our entire research library!
Voices in AI – Episode 108: A Conversation with Kirk Borne
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/03/05/voices-in-ai-episode-108-a-conversation-with-kirk-borne/
March 05, 2020 at 04:00PM
March 05, 2020 at 04:00PM
[voices_in_ai_byline]
About this Episode
On Episode 108 of Voices in AI, Byron and Kirk Borne discuss the intersection between human nature and artificial intelligence.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
Transcript Excerpt
Byron Reese: This is Voices in AI brought to you by GigaOm, and I’m Byron Reese. Today my guest is Kirk Borne. He is Principal Data Scientist and executive advisor at Booz Allen Hamilton. He holds a BS in Physics from Louisiana State and a PhD in Astronomy from Caltech. His background covers all kinds of things relating to data and data science and artificial intelligence so it should be a great conversation. Welcome to the show, Kirk.
Kirk Borne: Thank you Byron. It’s great to be here.
So for the folks who aren’t familiar with you and your work, can you give us a little bit of a history about how did you get here, what was the path you took?
Well as you mentioned my background is Astrophysics and Astronomy. Starting in grad school about 40 years ago, I was always working with data for scientific discovery either through modeling and simulation or data analysis. So that’s sort of what I was doing as my avocation, which is research and astronomy, but my vocation became supporting NASA research scientists data systems — so the data systems from various satellites that NASA had for studying the space/astronomy domain. I worked on those systems and provided access to those data for scientists worldwide. I did that for about 20 years and so I was always working with data, and I would say data is my day job; data is my night job as an astronomer.
And so it was about 20 years ago that we were starting to notice the data volumes of the experiments we were working with, were just becoming more off scale than ever imagined. I mean just one single dataset I still remember 1997 — we were trying to work with this dataset that just by itself was more than double the size of the other 15,000 experiments we were working with combined. So that was like unheard of. And so at that point I started looking around at what can one do with data of this volume and I discovered machine learning and data mining. So I had never actually looked at data that way before. I just thought about analysis, not so much discovery from data from a machine learning perspective, and so that was 20 years ago and sort of fell in love with that whole mathematical process and the applications that come from that, which include AI. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last two decades.
And so as a practitioner, what’s the sort of work you’re doing now?
Well for me personally it’s really about, as my company likes to say, thought leadership. I feel kind of nervous when I say that about myself but I do a lot of public speaking, I write a lot of blogs. My title includes ‘executive advisor’, so I’m advising both internally our business managers around AI machine learning and data science, but also our clients. But at the same time I’m also doing sort of tutoring and mentoring to some of our younger data scientists because after my 20 years at NASA, I spent 12 years at George Mason University as a professor. I was Professor of Astrophysics, but I really was teaching data science; and so it’s sort of in my blood I guess to be an educator, to teach, to train and so that’s pretty much what I’m doing. I’m promoting the field, having conversations with people, for developing new ideas and concepts; not so much coding anymore like I used to do back when I was younger at NASA. I let the smart young coders today do all that work but we have lots of interesting conversations about which algorithms to use or developing. So it’s really exploratory innovation at the frontier of all this stuff.
So before we launch into AI questions (I have a pile of them for you) I can’t imagine there’s an Astronomy PhD on the planet that doesn’t have their own opinion about the Fermi Paradox. What is yours?
Oh well, I think that’s a good question. But I think that right sort of response to that is the distance between stars is so enormous that it’s really hard to imagine that if every star had planets that were teeming with life, even nearby stars, it would probably be still next to impossible to imagine any kind of encounter. Literally why would they go travel to some speck of dust that would take them literally hundreds of years? You might say the life spans would be different. Different planets, maybe, maybe not.
I mean all these things are tapered by you know that the conditions of star evolution and all kinds of things. So I can’t imagine sort of chemical or biological processes being all that different. In fact they should not be different on other planets. And so I just think that the time travel and space travel challenges are so enormous that I just can’t see it really happening. So I’m not sure if I can believe whether there was life teeming on every other planet in the universe or at least on a planet around each star in the universe. But know that it’s completely possible.
So I only ask one follow up and then we can launch into AI. But you know we would be eager to go visit other stars. I mean you know in the ‘70s we sent out the Voyager probes and those were like “Hey everybody we’re here.” Of course that too is you know, a bottle in an intergalactic large ocean, and so maybe there are alien Voyager probes floating around all over the place. But they’re too sparsely separated to ever come out our way.
Now it’s also considering the size of the thing. I mean we’re detecting better and better than ever before asteroids in our solar system that are a few hundred meters in size. But our probes are not much bigger than a suitcase. So we’re not paying any attention to those. In fact they really are just specks of dust, specks of noise in our data on… and there’s literally hundreds of billions or trillions of such specks of dust in our own solar system. And we’re more concerned with the big ones that might do damage to us. So we’re just ignoring all of those things even if some of them, who knows, for all we know they could be alien probes…
Right we had that cigar shaped… So OK, the show is Voices in AI. So let’s voice a little bit about AI. So let’s start with the basics, how do you in your mind define intelligence and in what sense is artificial intelligence… is it artificial because we made it or it’s artificial because it’s like faux, it’s not really intelligent, it’s just faking it?
Probably all of those. So for me AI is really just the actionable output of what we learn from incoming sensor data. Okay so sensors measure things about the world, algorithms find patterns and trends in those readings. And then there’s a response and action, a decision that comes from that. That’s what humans do, that’s what all animals do. Right? We have sensors, our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our fingers, our hands whatever we have we’re sending our universe. And from what we sense that is patterns we recognize detect patterns and anomalies, that’s what we’re really good at.
Then we infer what would happen if I ignore this or not ignore this or do something with this thing that I’m seeing. And then based upon that sort of inference, we make a decision to do something or not do so. So our algorithms, human or any animal is a biological neural network. And so we’re emulating that with an artificial [one].
So yes, it is artificial intelligence, but I’d like to say the things we’re building are really… the purpose of them is not for the purpose of just building an artificial intelligence but it’s to augment our intelligence. So I say the seven A’s of AI are: augmented intelligence, assisted, amplified, accelerated, adaptable, actionable intelligence — that’s six probably. But anyway so I have seven A’s of AI that basically say what we are really trying to do is augment and amplify and accelerate human intelligence by automating parts of this process — especially the process of dealing with all the information flood that’s coming into our sensors these days.
But in a couple of touch points there, you likened machine intelligence to human intelligence in terms of you mentioned neural nets that are trying to do something vaguely analogous to what the brain does and all that. But isn’t machine intelligence something radically different not just in form, but like if you gave an AI all the data of planetary motion of the last 500 years, all the planets in our, all the bodies in our solar system, it could figure out when the next eclipse was going to be because it would just study it and it would make this assumption the future is like the past.
And it would do it but if you then said, “What would happen if the moon vanished? How would it change everything?” It would be like… (silence), so it doesn’t really understand anything. Like you said it just finds patterns and makes predictions based on them but it doesn’t understand why anything happens the way it does. So it couldn’t be a perfect planetary model, but it wouldn’t ever even intuit that something called gravity exists, right?
Well that’s true. But if you think about ancient civilizations, they had no deeper intuition than that machine you just described. So if the moon vanished it would invoke all kinds of bizarre interpretations for that and even bizarre sort of outcomes — like literally in the ancient times when there was an eclipse, you know people panicked. And if there was like a Royal Astronomer like in some of the ancient quartz kingdoms if that ancient astronomer had not predicted that eclipse, they usually lost their head.
You know maybe we should bring that back quite frankly.
Anyway. So I think the intuition that we have as humans today we’ve gained over millennia of human existence and so what we learn in schools, — and I like to tell people you know hopefully a successful person spends a minimum of 12 years in school, doesn’t drop out, and then hopefully beyond that there’s either college or continuing education or certainly lifelong learning.
So we get to the point where we’re actually employable and useful as an intelligent person in the workplace after literally decades of consuming information and knowledge. So our algorithms we’re feeding ten thousand or ten million pictures of cats. You haven’t gotten to scratch the surface of all the thousands and millions of different kinds of knowledge that humans just gathered through second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour interaction with their world over decades.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
[voices_in_ai_link_back]
Byron explores issues around artificial intelligence and conscious computers in his new book The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
As Coronavirus Testing Increases, Some Labs Fear a Shortage of Other Supplies
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/health/coronavirus-testing-shortages.html
March 11, 2020 at 09:56PM
Lab directors and federal officials are keeping a close eye on the supply of other materials needed to conduct the tests.
March 11, 2020 at 09:56PM
Lab directors and federal officials are keeping a close eye on the supply of other materials needed to conduct the tests.
New Data Rules Could Empower Patients but Undermine Their Privacy
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/technology/medical-app-patients-data-privacy.html
March 10, 2020 at 12:49AM
New federal data-sharing requirements will enable people to use consumer apps to retrieve their medical information directly from their doctors.
March 10, 2020 at 12:49AM
New federal data-sharing requirements will enable people to use consumer apps to retrieve their medical information directly from their doctors.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Review: A Folding Phone That’s a Dud
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/technology/personaltech/samsung-galaxy-z-flip-review.html
March 11, 2020 at 12:00PM
Samsung wants to excite you by offering a device with a foldable screen. Too bad it’s tedious to use (and bulky in a pocket).
March 11, 2020 at 12:00PM
Samsung wants to excite you by offering a device with a foldable screen. Too bad it’s tedious to use (and bulky in a pocket).
Doctors and Patients Turn to Telemedicine in the Coronavirus Outbreak
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/health/telemedicine-coronavirus.html
March 11, 2020 at 12:00PM
The use of virtual visits climbs as a way of safely treating patients and containing spread of the infection at hospitals, clinics and medical offices.
March 11, 2020 at 12:00PM
The use of virtual visits climbs as a way of safely treating patients and containing spread of the infection at hospitals, clinics and medical offices.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
‘It’s Just Everywhere Already’: How Delays in Testing Set Back the U.S. Coronavirus Response
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-testing-delays.html
March 11, 2020 at 05:27AM
A series of missed chances by the federal government to ensure more widespread testing came during the early days of the outbreak, when containment would have been easier.
March 11, 2020 at 05:27AM
A series of missed chances by the federal government to ensure more widespread testing came during the early days of the outbreak, when containment would have been easier.
How Your Airbnb Host Is Feeling the Pain of the Coronavirus
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/technology/airbnb-hosts-coronavirus.html
March 10, 2020 at 11:05PM
Online travel sites, including Booking.com and Airbnb, are facing a world of hurt as people all but stop taking trips.
March 10, 2020 at 11:05PM
Online travel sites, including Booking.com and Airbnb, are facing a world of hurt as people all but stop taking trips.
Coronavirus: Sorry, but Working From Home is Overrated
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/technology/working-from-home.html
March 10, 2020 at 09:19PM
Home-cooked lunches and no commuting while we deal with coronavirus can’t compensate for what’s lost in creativity.
March 10, 2020 at 09:19PM
Home-cooked lunches and no commuting while we deal with coronavirus can’t compensate for what’s lost in creativity.
You Can’t Fight City Hall. But Maybe You Can Fight Google.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/world/canada/toronto-sidewalk-labs-google.html
March 10, 2020 at 08:50PM
Faced with an array of opponents for its sensor-laden city of tomorrow in Toronto, a Google sibling has dramatically dialed back plans. The critics now want the tech giant to quit altogether.
March 10, 2020 at 08:50PM
Faced with an array of opponents for its sensor-laden city of tomorrow in Toronto, a Google sibling has dramatically dialed back plans. The critics now want the tech giant to quit altogether.
New Data Rules Could Empower Patients but Undermine Their Privacy
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/business/medical-app-patients-data-privacy.html
March 10, 2020 at 12:49AM
New federal data-sharing requirements will enable people to use consumer apps to retrieve their medical information directly from their doctors.
March 10, 2020 at 12:49AM
New federal data-sharing requirements will enable people to use consumer apps to retrieve their medical information directly from their doctors.
Monday, March 9, 2020
The Status of Object Storage
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/03/09/the-status-of-object-storage/
March 09, 2020 at 10:26PM
March 09, 2020 at 10:26PM
Last week NVIDIA announced the acquisition of SwiftStack, an object storage startup that, in the last year, refocused most of its work on high performance and AI workloads. This follows a similar hand over from Western Digital to Quantum about the ActiveScale business, another object store that was more and more tailored to specific workloads. These two object stores will compete for less in the general-purpose S3 space, and will be instrumental in the creation of end-to-end solutions.
The object storage market is maturing and evolving pretty quickly. We recently published two reports on object storage (Key criteria for evaluating enterprise object storage and GigaOm Radar for enterprise object storage). In these reports, object stores are grouped in Enterprise, High Performance, and Specialized categories, depending on their characteristics. In fact, most of the vendors have finally found out two important reasons to differentiate themselves from the general-purpose S3 market:
- The Cloud Wins: Many enterprises are moving more and more of their apps and data to the cloud. If your organization does not have a particular need to stay on-prem such as a particular regulation or restriction, the cloud is just better. And, to be honest, applications and data want to stay next to each other.
- Differentiation in Traditional Object Storage is Minimal: If you think about object storage as an S3-compatible system for storing cold data. At the end of the day, differentiation is minimal, and it all comes down to $/GB and a few other secondary characteristics with minimal impact on overall TCO and ROI.
With fewer opportunities and minimal differentiation, there are no clear winners in object storage.
Differentiation, Specialization, Ecosystems
SwiftStack was not the only one working on performance last year. OpenIO, for example, shifted its focus to high performance as well.
NetApp and Hitachi Vantara have integrated their object stores in their ecosystem, making them instrumental for the execution of their strategies.
Scality is investing their efforts in a multi-cloud and scale-out file system, which is appealing to large enterprises.
Red Hat has a two-fold strategy, with multi-cloud (with NooBaa) and ecosystem integration with Ceph being the default choice for OpenShift Storage.
Caringo is focusing more and more on the media and entertainment industry with features aimed at simplifying media management, specialized edge appliance, and so on.
Minio, who in the past, I defined as the MySQL of object stores, wants to be the object store of choice for every developer and Kubernetes/containerized application.
There is a group (Dell EMC, IBM, Cloudian) still trying to sell general-purpose S3-compatible storage but, again. At the same time, Dell EMC and IBM object stores are part of a larger ecosystem, Cloudian will soon need to find something on which to specialize or they will risk competing only on $/GB every time… and this is not something that will please investors or be sustainable in the long term.
Furthermore, S3 interface is now more and more common across storage systems of any kind. Scale-out file storage systems have it (Pure Storage FlashBlade, Qumulo, Vast Data, Isilon, you name it), HCI vendors have it (Nutanix, for example), Primary storage systems have it too (e.g., Infinidat). This Makes the traditional object store less interesting for a growing number of use cases, especially when capacity and cost are not on top of the priorities.
There is More
Did you read my article about the death of the hard drive? If you did not, in that article, I talk about the evolution of the hard drive and how it will become less usable in enterprise data centers. In fact, most of the development focuses on carving out more capacity from this type of device. Unfortunately, due to several mechanical and physical limitations, achieving this goal will come with a lot of compromises on performance and access methods. Without controlling the entire stack, it will be practically impossible to take advantage of this media, something that only hyperscalers can do. Long story short, for general-purpose object storage vendors, it will become even more difficult to compete on a $/GB.
Closing the Circle
Object storage is becoming more relevant for every IT organization, on-premises or in the cloud, no matter if it is by choice or part of an end-to-end solution.
S3 compatibility is now table stake (not a differentiator), and object storage vendors know that. They are targeting new markets and workloads with features that are much more sophisticated than the basic PUT, GET, DELETE, and $/GB. It is the only way to survive in the long term.
If you want to learn more about the key criteria to evaluate object storage or have a clear view on how the object storage market is evolving, subscribe to GigaOm and download my reports. It is just $83/month and will give you access to our entire research library!
Twitter Reaches Deal with Activist Fund That Sought C.E.O.’s Ouster
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/technology/twitter-silver-lake-investment.html
March 09, 2020 at 04:39PM
Elliot Management had tried to oust C.E.O. Jack Dorsey after accumulating a stake in Twitter.
March 09, 2020 at 04:39PM
Elliot Management had tried to oust C.E.O. Jack Dorsey after accumulating a stake in Twitter.
Manipulated Biden Video Escalates Online Speech War With Trump
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/technology/manipulated-biden-video-trump.html
March 09, 2020 at 07:04AM
For the first time, Twitter applies its policy against fake and misleading videos and labels one.
March 09, 2020 at 07:04AM
For the first time, Twitter applies its policy against fake and misleading videos and labels one.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Surge of Virus Misinformation Stumps Facebook and Twitter
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/technology/coronavirus-misinformation-social-media.html
March 08, 2020 at 10:38PM
Secret labs. Magic cures. Government plots. Despite efforts by social media companies to stop it, false information about the coronavirus is proliferating around the world.
March 08, 2020 at 10:38PM
Secret labs. Magic cures. Government plots. Despite efforts by social media companies to stop it, false information about the coronavirus is proliferating around the world.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Voices in AI – Episode 108: A Conversation with Kirk Borne
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/03/05/voices-in-ai-episode-108-a-conversation-with-kirk-borne/
March 05, 2020 at 04:00PM
March 05, 2020 at 04:00PM
[voices_in_ai_byline]
About this Episode
On Episode 108 of Voices in AI, Byron and Kirk Borne discuss the intersection between human nature and artificial intelligence.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
Transcript Excerpt
Byron Reese: This is Voices in AI brought to you by GigaOm, and I’m Byron Reese. Today my guest is Kirk Borne. He is Principal Data Scientist and executive advisor at Booz Allen Hamilton. He holds a BS in Physics from Louisiana State and a PhD in Astronomy from Caltech. His background covers all kinds of things relating to data and data science and artificial intelligence so it should be a great conversation. Welcome to the show, Kirk.
Kirk Borne: Thank you Byron. It’s great to be here.
So for the folks who aren’t familiar with you and your work, can you give us a little bit of a history about how did you get here, what was the path you took?
Well as you mentioned my background is Astrophysics and Astronomy. Starting in grad school about 40 years ago, I was always working with data for scientific discovery either through modeling and simulation or data analysis. So that’s sort of what I was doing as my avocation, which is research and astronomy, but my vocation became supporting NASA research scientists data systems — so the data systems from various satellites that NASA had for studying the space/astronomy domain. I worked on those systems and provided access to those data for scientists worldwide. I did that for about 20 years and so I was always working with data, and I would say data is my day job; data is my night job as an astronomer.
And so it was about 20 years ago that we were starting to notice the data volumes of the experiments we were working with, were just becoming more off scale than ever imagined. I mean just one single dataset I still remember 1997 — we were trying to work with this dataset that just by itself was more than double the size of the other 15,000 experiments we were working with combined. So that was like unheard of. And so at that point I started looking around at what can one do with data of this volume and I discovered machine learning and data mining. So I had never actually looked at data that way before. I just thought about analysis, not so much discovery from data from a machine learning perspective, and so that was 20 years ago and sort of fell in love with that whole mathematical process and the applications that come from that, which include AI. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last two decades.
And so as a practitioner, what’s the sort of work you’re doing now?
Well for me personally it’s really about, as my company likes to say, thought leadership. I feel kind of nervous when I say that about myself but I do a lot of public speaking, I write a lot of blogs. My title includes ‘executive advisor’, so I’m advising both internally our business managers around AI machine learning and data science, but also our clients. But at the same time I’m also doing sort of tutoring and mentoring to some of our younger data scientists because after my 20 years at NASA, I spent 12 years at George Mason University as a professor. I was Professor of Astrophysics, but I really was teaching data science; and so it’s sort of in my blood I guess to be an educator, to teach, to train and so that’s pretty much what I’m doing. I’m promoting the field, having conversations with people, for developing new ideas and concepts; not so much coding anymore like I used to do back when I was younger at NASA. I let the smart young coders today do all that work but we have lots of interesting conversations about which algorithms to use or developing. So it’s really exploratory innovation at the frontier of all this stuff.
So before we launch into AI questions (I have a pile of them for you) I can’t imagine there’s an Astronomy PhD on the planet that doesn’t have their own opinion about the Fermi Paradox. What is yours?
Oh well, I think that’s a good question. But I think that right sort of response to that is the distance between stars is so enormous that it’s really hard to imagine that if every star had planets that were teeming with life, even nearby stars, it would probably be still next to impossible to imagine any kind of encounter. Literally why would they go travel to some speck of dust that would take them literally hundreds of years? You might say the life spans would be different. Different planets, maybe, maybe not.
I mean all these things are tapered by you know that the conditions of star evolution and all kinds of things. So I can’t imagine sort of chemical or biological processes being all that different. In fact they should not be different on other planets. And so I just think that the time travel and space travel challenges are so enormous that I just can’t see it really happening. So I’m not sure if I can believe whether there was life teeming on every other planet in the universe or at least on a planet around each star in the universe. But know that it’s completely possible.
So I only ask one follow up and then we can launch into AI. But you know we would be eager to go visit other stars. I mean you know in the ‘70s we sent out the Voyager probes and those were like “Hey everybody we’re here.” Of course that too is you know, a bottle in an intergalactic large ocean, and so maybe there are alien Voyager probes floating around all over the place. But they’re too sparsely separated to ever come out our way.
Now it’s also considering the size of the thing. I mean we’re detecting better and better than ever before asteroids in our solar system that are a few hundred meters in size. But our probes are not much bigger than a suitcase. So we’re not paying any attention to those. In fact they really are just specks of dust, specks of noise in our data on… and there’s literally hundreds of billions or trillions of such specks of dust in our own solar system. And we’re more concerned with the big ones that might do damage to us. So we’re just ignoring all of those things even if some of them, who knows, for all we know they could be alien probes…
Right we had that cigar shaped… So OK, the show is Voices in AI. So let’s voice a little bit about AI. So let’s start with the basics, how do you in your mind define intelligence and in what sense is artificial intelligence… is it artificial because we made it or it’s artificial because it’s like faux, it’s not really intelligent, it’s just faking it?
Probably all of those. So for me AI is really just the actionable output of what we learn from incoming sensor data. Okay so sensors measure things about the world, algorithms find patterns and trends in those readings. And then there’s a response and action, a decision that comes from that. That’s what humans do, that’s what all animals do. Right? We have sensors, our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our fingers, our hands whatever we have we’re sending our universe. And from what we sense that is patterns we recognize detect patterns and anomalies, that’s what we’re really good at.
Then we infer what would happen if I ignore this or not ignore this or do something with this thing that I’m seeing. And then based upon that sort of inference, we make a decision to do something or not do so. So our algorithms, human or any animal is a biological neural network. And so we’re emulating that with an artificial [one].
So yes, it is artificial intelligence, but I’d like to say the things we’re building are really… the purpose of them is not for the purpose of just building an artificial intelligence but it’s to augment our intelligence. So I say the seven A’s of AI are: augmented intelligence, assisted, amplified, accelerated, adaptable, actionable intelligence — that’s six probably. But anyway so I have seven A’s of AI that basically say what we are really trying to do is augment and amplify and accelerate human intelligence by automating parts of this process — especially the process of dealing with all the information flood that’s coming into our sensors these days.
But in a couple of touch points there, you likened machine intelligence to human intelligence in terms of you mentioned neural nets that are trying to do something vaguely analogous to what the brain does and all that. But isn’t machine intelligence something radically different not just in form, but like if you gave an AI all the data of planetary motion of the last 500 years, all the planets in our, all the bodies in our solar system, it could figure out when the next eclipse was going to be because it would just study it and it would make this assumption the future is like the past.
And it would do it but if you then said, “What would happen if the moon vanished? How would it change everything?” It would be like… (silence), so it doesn’t really understand anything. Like you said it just finds patterns and makes predictions based on them but it doesn’t understand why anything happens the way it does. So it couldn’t be a perfect planetary model, but it wouldn’t ever even intuit that something called gravity exists, right?
Well that’s true. But if you think about ancient civilizations, they had no deeper intuition than that machine you just described. So if the moon vanished it would invoke all kinds of bizarre interpretations for that and even bizarre sort of outcomes — like literally in the ancient times when there was an eclipse, you know people panicked. And if there was like a Royal Astronomer like in some of the ancient quartz kingdoms if that ancient astronomer had not predicted that eclipse, they usually lost their head.
You know maybe we should bring that back quite frankly.
Anyway. So I think the intuition that we have as humans today we’ve gained over millennia of human existence and so what we learn in schools, — and I like to tell people you know hopefully a successful person spends a minimum of 12 years in school, doesn’t drop out, and then hopefully beyond that there’s either college or continuing education or certainly lifelong learning.
So we get to the point where we’re actually employable and useful as an intelligent person in the workplace after literally decades of consuming information and knowledge. So our algorithms we’re feeding ten thousand or ten million pictures of cats. You haven’t gotten to scratch the surface of all the thousands and millions of different kinds of knowledge that humans just gathered through second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour interaction with their world over decades.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com
[voices_in_ai_link_back]
Byron explores issues around artificial intelligence and conscious computers in his new book The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity.
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