Just how bad a mother am I? I wondered, as I watched my 13-year-old son deep in conversation with Siri. Gus has autism, and Siri, Apple’s “intelligent personal assistant” on the iPhone, is currently his BFF. Many of us wanted an imaginary friend, and now we have one. Only she’s not entirely imaginary. Read more…
The fascinating story of the first supersonic passenger jet
The Concorde was brand new in the 1970s, and it was such an amazing design that even today no passenger plane can touch its supersonic speed. This plane laughed at transatlantic flights and was so safe that it crashed just once in 27 years. Now, all the Concordes are sitting in museums on the ground. Read more…
Researchers use silicon to push quantum computing toward reality
Researchers in Australia have developed silicon-wrapped quantum technology that could solve problems that have held back the development of powerful quantum computers. Read more…
In 1967, Walter Cronkite imagined the future of online news and communications
In addition to anchoring the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite also hosted a documentary series called The 20th Century that was succeeded by another programme titled The 21st Century. The original show premiered on 20 October 20 1957. Read more…
The labourers who keep penis pics and beheadings out of your Facebook feed
The campuses of the tech industry are famous for their lavish cafeterias, cushy shuttles and on-site laundry services. But on a muggy February afternoon, some of these companies’ most important work is being done 7 000 miles away, on the second floor of a former elementary school at the end of a row of auto mechanics’ stalls in Bacoor, a gritty Filipino town 13 miles southwest of Manila. Read more…
Q&A with Facebook’s Josh Miller on Rooms
Is Rooms the anonymous Facebook app people were expecting? “No. Unequivocally, no. Because you cannot be anonymous in our app,” Josh Miller says. The Branch founder turned Facebook product manager’s new forums app Rooms was launched this week, and he says lessons from Tumblr, Twitter, Snapchat and the early days of the Web guided its construction. Read more…
Wrinkles in spacetime: the warped astrophysics of interstellar black holes
Kip Thorne looks into the black hole he helped create and thinks: “Why, of course. That’s what it would do.” This particular black hole is a simulation of unprecedented accuracy. It appears to spin at nearly the speed of light, dragging bits of the universe along with it. (That’s gravity for you; relativity is super weird.) In theory it was once a star, but instead of fading or exploding, it collapsed like a failed soufflé into a tiny point of inescapable singularity. Read more…
Mind-controlled drones already a reality
Researchers are now using US department of defense funding to explore what could be the next big step in drone technology: mind control. Read more…
Gaming Bitcoin: MIT researchers double investment in 50 days
A researcher at MIT may have found the key to predicting the price of Bitcoin, the notoriously unpredictable crypto currency. Bitcoin is a high-risk investment. The digital currency can fluctuate dramatically depending on outside factors. A federal seizure may cause Bitcoin to plummet, while renewed media attention can make it skyrocket. Read more…
Fibre networks and the new digital divide
All-fibre networks provide virtually unlimited bandwidth, but fibre-to-the-home services aren’t available in many areas, leaving many people without the high-speed broadband needed for today’s applications. Read more…
