The author of the book Online Afterlives describes the unusual projects of people like Eugenia Kuyda, co-founder of Luka, an AI-powered chat simulator that books restaurant reservations and makes recommendations. Kuyda worked with computer scientists to convert several thousand text messages between deceased tech entrepreneur Roman Mazurenko and his friends and relatives into a chatbot simulation: “How are you there?” asks…
Tag: inventions
Are We Experiencing a Great Software Stagnation?
Long-time programmer/researcher/former MIT research fellow Jonathan Edwards writes a blog called “Alarming Development: Dispatches from the User Liberation Front.” He began the new year by arguing that software “is eating the world. But progress in software technology itself largely stalled around 1996.” Slashdot reader tonique summarizes Edwards’ argument:
In 1996 there were “LISP, Algol, Basic, APL, Unix, C, Oracle, Smalltalk, Windows, C++,…
Celebrating the Path-Breaking Research That Lead to Coronavirus Vaccines
The Washington Post tells the remarkable story of how both Moderna’s vaccine and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine relied on a specially designed spike protein partially created by America’s Vaccine Research Center — along with messenger RNA, “a technology never before harnessed in an approved vaccine.” And also decades of path-breaking research: If, as expected in the next few weeks, regulators give those…
Simon Baron-Cohen: Why autism and invention are intimately related
The prehistoric cognitive revolution that saw an explosion of inventions was driven by a new, pattern-seeking network in the brain – and that’s highly correlated with autism today, says researcher Simon Baron-Cohen Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24833113-700-simon-baron-cohen-why-autism-and-invention-are-intimately-related/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
IBM Apologizes For Firing Computer Pioneer For Being Transgender… 52 Years Later
On August 29, 1968, IBM’s CEO fired computer scientist and transgender pioneer Lynn Conway to avoid the public embarrassment of employing a transwoman. Nearly 52 years later, in an act that defines its present-day culture, IBM is apologizing and seeking forgiveness. Jeremy Alicandri writes via Forbes reports: On January 2, 1938, Lynn Conway’s life began in Mount Vernon, NY. With a…
Learn how Ian Camacho successfully changed careers with the Google IT Support Professional Certificate
We’d like to introduce you to Ian Camacho. He’s a successful IT professional, and he shares his story below about how he made a career change from entertainment to IT by enrolling in the Google IT Support Professional Certificate. He explains why he was eager to make the change, and offers some excellent advice to […]
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Man Sues Patent Office For Deciding an AI Can’t Invent Things
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: A computer scientist who created an artificial intelligence system capable of generating original inventions is suing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) over its decision earlier this year to reject two patent applications which list the algorithmic system, known as DABUS, as the inventor. The lawsuit is the latest step in an…
Live Science podcast ‘Life’s Little Mysteries’ 37: Mysterious Mythical Creatures
Creatures that are inventions of the human imagination have inspired fear and wonder for thousands of years. Source: https://www.livescience.com/llm-podcast-37-mythical-creatures.html
World Health Leaders Stress Need For Sharing of Vaccines
Long-time Slashdot reader tomtermite shares a report from The Guardian:
Ministers and officials from every nation will meet via video link on Monday for the annual world health assembly, which is expected to be dominated by efforts to stop rich countries monopolising drugs and future vaccines against Covid-19… The leaders of Italy, France, Germany and Norway, together with the European commission and…
Who invented the alphabet? The untold story of a linguistic revolution
One of civilisation’s most revolutionary inventions was long thought to be the brainchild of ancient Egyptian scribes. But its true creators may have been far less glamorous Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532680-600-who-invented-the-alphabet-the-untold-story-of-a-linguistic-revolution/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…