To understand the trolley problem, first consider this scenario: You are standing on a bridge. Underneath you, a railroad track divides into a main route and an alternative. On the main route, 50 people are tied to the rails. A trolley rushes under the bridge on the main route, hurtling towards the captives. Fortunately, there’s… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Emerging Technologies
Using your face to buy your lunch
Chinese technology giant Alibaba has unveiled the first facial recognition system to pay for shopping – at a fast food restaurant. Amidst concerns about data privacy it insists none of the information it uses is retained. Source: BBC Technology News Date: September 7th, 2017 Link to video (1 minute 38 sec run time after 15 second ad in… Read more »
The Decade That Built the Next iPhone
When Steve Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007, he said it was 5 years ahead of the competition and he was right. But after a decade, it’s starting to feel like Apple needs something big again. And now, on cue, here comes something big. Source: Wired Magazine Date: September 7th, 2017 Link to 5 minute 44 second… Read more »
Apple reveals ‘leap forward’ iPhone X
Apple has revealed a high-end smartphone with an “edge-to-edge” screen that has no physical home button. The iPhone X – which is referred to as “ten” – uses a facial recognition system to recognise its owner rather than a fingerprint-based one. Source: BBC Technology News Date: September 12th, 2017 Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41228126 Discussion 1) Is it really a “leap… Read more »
Using your face to buy your lunch
Chinese technology giant Alibaba has unveiled the first facial recognition system to pay for shopping – at a fast food restaurant. Amidst concerns about data privacy it insists none of the information it uses is retained. Source: BBC Technology News Date: September 7th, 2017 Link to video (1 minute 38 sec run time after 15 second ad in… Read more »
The Decade That Built the Next iPhone
When Steve Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007, he said it was 5 years ahead of the competition and he was right. But after a decade, it’s starting to feel like Apple needs something big again. And now, on cue, here comes something big. Source: Wired Magazine Date: September 7th, 2017 Link to 5 minute 44 second… Read more »
Is ‘killer robot’ warfare closer than we think?
More than 100 of the world’s top robotics experts wrote a letter to the United Nations recently calling for a ban on the development of “killer robots” and warning of a new arms race. But are their fears really justified? Entire regiments of unmanned tanks; drones that can spot an insurgent in a crowd of… Read more »
East Africa is leading the world in drone delivery
The cutting edge of drone delivery isn’t one of the usual technology hotspots, such as Singapore or the United States. The honor belongs to East Africa. A second East African nation announced Thursday it will launch a fully automated drone delivery program. The drones will fly themselves, far from the view of humans — a move… Read more »
Tall poppy syndrome and the Canadian opportunity
There’s an epidemic in Canada. That epidemic is a mentality that leaves top talent with no option but to flee the nation’s borders and take with them everything they’ve learned. It undervalues breakthroughs developed and paid for by Canadian taxpayers. It’s a mindset that resents the success of others. It’s a bad case of tall poppy syndrome…. Read more »
ReMarkable digital notepad ‘feels like real paper’
A Norwegian start-up is developing a digital paper tablet it hopes will appeal to “paper people”. The device – called ReMarkable – can be written on using a stylus and is textured to feel like real paper. Source: BBC Technology News Date: May 31st, 2017 Link to video: http://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-40107097/remarkable-digital-notepad-feels-like-real-paper Discussion 1) The idea and development of electronic paper… Read more »