Archive for January, 2017
Facial Recognition to Replace Passports in Security Overhaul at Australian Airports
January 23rd, 2017Via: Guardian: A radical overhaul of security at Australia’s international airports is the first step towards the government’s goal of automating 90% of air traveller processing by 2020. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection will start moving towards a “contactless” system for arrivals this year, Fairfax reported on Sunday – the most ambitious stage […]
Wyoming Wants to Ban Sale of Electricity from Large Scale Wind and Solar Projects within State
January 22nd, 2017Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — Via: Christian Science Monitor: While renewable-energy use has grown substantially over the last few years, the regulatory environment remains volatile. Some states have worked hard to stimulate renewable energy, supporting infrastructure projects and offering incentives to consumers who install home solar arrays. But others have […]
Foxconn Weighs $7 Billion U.S. Factory With Apple
January 22nd, 2017In other news, Foxconn Plans to Replace Almost Every Human Worker with Robots. So, I’d take the 30,000 to 50,000 jobs statement below with a grain of salt. Via: Bloomberg: Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou told reporters in Taipei the company is considering a joint investment with Apple Inc. for a display manufacturing facility […]
A New Era of Mass Surveillance is Emerging Across Europe
January 22nd, 2017Via: Just Security: In recent months, and in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks across Europe, Germany, France and the United Kingdom — Europe’s biggest superpowers — have passed laws granting their surveillance agencies virtually unfettered power to conduct bulk interception of communications across Europe and beyond, with limited to no effective oversight […]
Tesla’s Second Generation Autopilot Could Reduce Crash Rate by 90%, Says CEO Elon Musk
January 21st, 2017Whatever you think about autonomous drive technologies, my point with posting these stories is not to be a cheerleader one way or another. I just want to be sure everyone knows that this stuff is real and it is coming. Millions of drivers will lose their jobs, and these are not minimum wage, burger flipping […]
Making AI Systems That See The World As Humans Do
January 20th, 2017Via: PhysOrg: A Northwestern University team developed a new computational model that performs at human levels on a standard intelligence test. This work is an important step toward making artificial intelligence systems that see and understand the world as humans do. “The model performs in the 75th percentile for American adults, making it better than […]
Open Thread: Donald Trump Sworn in as 45th President of the United States
January 20th, 2017Via: AP: Pledging to empower America’s “forgotten men and women,” Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States Friday, taking command of a deeply divided nation and ushering in an unpredictable era in Washington. His victory gives Republicans control of the White House for the first time in eight years. […]
President Donald Trump: Live Inaugural Coverage
January 20th, 2017C-SPAN Live
CNN: ‘Disaster Could Put Obama Cabinet Member in Oval Office’
January 19th, 201720th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Section 3: If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if […]
Elite at Davos Freak Out Over Populism
January 18th, 2017Via: Bloomberg: On the second day of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss Alps, delegates disagreed on how best to address the upending of the western political order, a debate made doubly urgent by the string of elections in Europe this year where anti-establishment parties could gain more ground. While International Monetary […]
