You may have heard the term before, and may have asked yourself either "what is metadata" or "why is it as important as data?" This article will be an attempt to clear up those two subjects. As this can often be quite dense, let's jump right in! In short, metadata are important. I like to answer this "what is metadata" question as such: metadata are a shorthand representation of the data to which they refer.

Toyota's empathetic car of the future is there for you. You've had a frustrating day at work; it plays soft music and lowers the temperature. You're lost in an unfamiliar neighborhood; it offers to take over the driving. You start to nod off at the wheel; it taps you on the shoulder and starts up a conversation. This unconventional interplay between the driver and automobile is central to concept cars that Honda and Toyota unveiled at the annual CES technology conference in Las Vegas this week.

New Delhi: Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the top themes this year among consumer trends as consumers see it playing a more prominent role than before, according to Ericsson's annual trend report, 'The 10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2017 and Beyond', which was released on Wednesday. But while consumers see possibilities with AI, they also worry about risks; almost half of respondents are concerned that AI robots will soon make a lot of people lose their jobs. Two in five advanced Internet users believe their phones will soon learn what we do and perform activities for us automatically, and smartphones could soon interact with a wealth of other devices on our behalf. One in two smartphone owners believes he will be able to talk to household appliances, while almost three in four believe multiple wearables and sensors will help them interact with other devices and physical things around them. When crossing a street, pedestrians are more vulnerable than other traffic subjects.

There is no shortage of attention lately on the "Internet of Things". As a case in point, see the "Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things Act" or "DIGIT Act", i.e., S. 2607, a bill introduced in the Senate on March 1, 2016 and amended on September 28, 2016, "to ensure appropriate spectrum planning and inter-agency coordination to support the Internet of Things" – A companion bill, H.R. 5117, was introduced in the House of Representatives on April 28, 2016. However, since there is no "internet" dedicated to "things", it is fair to state that the Internet of Things does not exist as such. We are left with a definitional vacuum, but it is hammering the obvious to acknowledge that there is no dearth of attempts around the world to fill the gap. Perhaps as a helpful shortcut, we could view the expression as a metaphor that captures the arrival of almost anything and everything, until now out of scope, into the communications space.

In the early nineteen-nineties, a few occurrences sparked something in Ted Chiang's mind. He attended a one-man show in Seattle, where he lives, about a woman's death from cancer. A little later, a friend had a baby and told Chiang about recognizing her son from his movements in the womb. Chiang thought back to certain physical principles he had learned about in high school, in Port Jefferson, New York, having to do with the nature of time. The idea for a story emerged, about accepting the arrival of the inevitable.

In the first of our series exploring the top 5 drivers of business disruption in 2017, we focus on the rise of Artificial Intelligence in our daily lives. High profile figures including Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk insisted that AI should be carefully contained and controlled, whilst Ray Kurzweil stated that we can, 'protect ourselves against rogue AI' by creating safeguards. Despite the negative press, the last 12 months has seen a huge increase in investment in AI. Since 2013, funding has tripled. This relentless expansion led tech giants Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and IBM to create a partnership at the end of the year, supposedly to hash out ethical concerns.

Nvidia Founder, President and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang introduces the Nvidia Spot, a USD 49.95 microphone and speaker that will let owners use Google Assistant anywhere in a home, as he delivers a keynote address at CES 2017 (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images) LAS VEGAS--Nvidia is best known for the high-end computer graphics cards prized by hardcore gamers. If co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang delivers on his bold vision, more people are likely to recognize Nvidia as the powerhouse behind artificial intelligence in your home and in your vehicle. Clad in his trademark black leather jacket, Huang delivered a high energy opening night keynote address Wednesday night at CES, assuming a prestigious speaking slot that for years was reserved for Microsoft's Bill Gates and later his successor Steve Ballmer. Nvidia (NVDA) is already a star on Wall Street. It is coming off a two-year hot streak, with a particularly sizzling 224% gain in 2016 that made it the top performing stock in the S&P 500.

Razer's Project Valerie concept laptop computer has two retractable displays that open to give you a three-screen experience. LAS VEGAS -- Here's a laptop that will certainly turn some heads at Starbucks or an Internet cafe -- a three-display high-performance laptop from Razer. The video game hardware company is displaying a working prototype of the triple monitor, 17-inch laptop, code-named Project Valerie, at the Consumer Electronics Show, which runs here through Sunday. Even with two additional 17-inch displays that slide out of the side of the main screen, the aluminum laptop is 1.5 inches thick and weighs 12 pounds. Razer designers created the computer for hardcore gamers and multitasking power users.

"Also, ain't no rule says a dog can't play basketball." SAN FRANCISCO -- President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to make America great again. But if the sentiments of tech workers and the general public are any indication of what he's about to face in the White House, he has a split country to stitch together. Such is the onerous task he inherits, based on a new study measuring the viewpoints of 500 "Tech Elites," defined as people who work or invest in the technology sector, and 1,000 members of the U.S. "General Population." For starters, 65% of tech elites believe innovation is going in the right direction, compared with just 46% in the general public (33% say they don't know).

Two household items are going'smart' and trust us, you will want them. Check out the'world's first-ever smart hairbrush' and a'hands off' and'transfer free' washer dryer combo that made their debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Add your hairbrush to the growing list of household items going "smart." During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, attendees witnessed the debut of "the world's first-ever smart hairbrush," part of a collaboration between luxury hair care brand Kérastase, tech firm Withings and L'Oréal's Research and Innovation Technology Incubator. The hairbrush joins the toothbrush, water bottle and the toilet as dumb household items turned smart.