Deep artificial neural networks require a large corpus of training data in order to effectively learn, where collection of such training data is often expensive and laborious. Data augmentation overcomes this issue by artificially inflating the training set with label preserving transformations. Recently there has been extensive use of generic data augmentation to improve Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) task performance. This study benchmarks various popular data augmentation schemes to allow researchers to make informed decisions as to which training methods are most appropriate for their data sets. Various geometric and photometric schemes are evaluated on a coarse-grained data set using a relatively simple CNN. Experimental results, run using 4-fold cross-validation and reported in terms of Top-1 and Top-5 accuracy, indicate that cropping in geometric augmentation significantly increases CNN task performance.

The course convener Dr Co-Pierre Georg, Senior Lecturer at the African Institute of Financial Markets and Risk Management (AIFMRM) at UCT explains: "We are in constant and close contact with the financial services industry and know that it is facing a shifting demand for skills. "In the past, companies were mainly looking for advanced mathematical- and modelling skills. There still is demand for these skills, but by far the largest demand now is for students who have a thorough understanding of finance combined with a mastery of modern data analytics and software development skills. Our students will be able to develop these skills in the two most exciting areas of fintech: machine learning and blockchain technologies." "We see extraordinary demand for the degree already," continues Georg, "also because Cape Town-based students can do the degree part-time.

When we launched the Alternate Realities grant program in May we had no idea what to expect. We saw a need for funding in the arts happening at just the time when new media like AR and VR were starting to go mainstream. So, with support from our parent company, Oath, we set out to fund five immersive art projects that push the limits of storytelling through emerging technologies. Proposals came from as far away as Iran and Australia and ranged in discipline from theater to fashion, documentary to animation. There were multi-million dollar VR productions, animated shorts and escape rooms.

Crayon has joined forces with Microsoft and over 20 health technology vendors to launch the AI in Health Partners Alliance. Debuting at the Microsoft Health Innovation Summit in Brussels, the Alliance seeks to provide a platform to drive broad public awareness of how AI can empower better clinical and operational effectiveness. Furthermore, partners will help to ensure everyone has the competencies and tools needed to build intelligence into health solutions and bring these to market. As part of this, Alliance members will receive unique training and exclusive access to Microsoft technologies, engineering expertise and data sets. Microsoft believes that technology – specifically cloud, AI, collaboration and business optimisation tools – will be central to health care transformation.

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your Automaton bloggers. We'll also be posting a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next two months; here's what we have so far (send us your events!): Let us know if you have suggestions for next week, and enjoy today's videos. Sadly, not everyone can afford a lab full of robots to experiment with. We'll be checking back in with the Robotarium just as soon as the rest of the world starts using it for research.

With threats, bribes, diplomacy and sanctions, American presidents of both parties have sought for 25 years to try to halt, or at least slow, North Korea's quest for a nuclear arsenal -- to no avail. Though the brinksmanship of the last few weeks has subsided, President Trump still faces the prospect of a madman -- Kim Jong Un -- in control of a nuclear arsenal. What the United States and its allies must now do is find options between conventional war, or even nuclear holocaust, on the one hand, and appeasement on the other. The answer could be robotic, cyber, and space weapons -- if we have the will to deploy them. They already have been used for pinpoint strikes on terrorist leaders and insurgent forces in the Mideast.

Facebook's intelligent assistant M is now available for Facebook Messenger users in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the U.K. M in Facebook Messenger first became available in April. M uses machine learning to scan words used in conversations to recommend actions or services. Tell someone good night and M may suggest a good night sticker. Chat about a plan and M may suggest you create a calendar event. M also suggests you do things like share your location, save a URL or video, initiate a voice or video call, or send best wishes when you're speaking to someone on their birthday.

The response to Musk's comments about the need for Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulation by experts in has been almost like a knee-jerk reaction. The reaction has been prevalently along the lines of not being able to identify areas that require regulation. I suspect that most AI researchers have not really made a serious effort with regards to the big picture. I am deliberately avoid discussing here the "Why?" of AI regulation. Rather I will discuss the questions of "What?" and "How?".

A video that shows an automatic bathroom soap dispenser failing to detect the hand of a dark-skinned man has gone viral and raised questions about racism in technology, as well as the lack of diversity in the industry that creates it. The now-viral video was uploaded to Twitter on Wednesday by Chukwuemeka Afigbo, Facebook's head of platform partnerships in the Middle east and Africa. He tweeted: 'If you have ever had a problem grasping the importance of diversity in tech and its impact on society, watch this video.' The video begins with a white man waving his hand under the dispenser and instantly getting soap on his first try. Then, a darker skinned man waves his hand under the dispenser in various directions for ten seconds, with soap never being released.

Stephen Colbert kicks up his feet at the Ed Sullivan Theater, where he tapes "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." Stephen Colbert kicks up his feet at the Ed Sullivan Theater, where he tapes "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Stephen Colbert's desktop computer monitor is ringed with reminders -- Post-it notes ("Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God," Pierre Teilhard de Chardin), keepsakes (cards from musicians Regina Spektor and Jack White), directives ("Ask yourself this question: Is my attitude worth catching?"), When not in use, Colbert's computer screen defaults to a live feed of the Earth taken from the International Space Station. Right now, the view has just crossed the Nile, the sun is setting and clouds are casting long shadows across the Red Sea. Colbert looks at these images whenever he's feeling anxious. There's the whole world, he tells himself.