Back in 1999, I read a great book by Bruce Sterling called "Distraction"; billed as a fictional view into the status of U.S. public service in the year 2044, the technology and cultural ideas packed into that book still resonate more than 15 years later. The book in part motivated me to strive to make a difference in public service, if only to avoid some of the more dystonia views in the book. Apparently I'm not the only one who found the book packed with ideas, Cory Doctorow also wrote a great review in 2008. The book's central premise: that all of us could suffer from "Distraction" from what really matters, especially in a world with 300 cable channels, 24/7 news, and always-on social media in the United States, is an idea that I'd like to explore more fully given our rapidly changing world of today. Technology is amoral, it is how we humans choose to use it that determines good vs. bad outcomes.

NAIROBI – Japanese and African leaders on Sunday pledged to fight terrorism and emphasized the importance of rule-based maritime order as they wrapped up a Japan-led international conference on the continent's development. In the Nairobi Declaration adopted at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), the leaders also agreed to promote investment in infrastructure that leads to job creation in the fast-growing region. The sixth TICAD, convened in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, was held outside Japan for the first time, as Tokyo seeks to strengthen its economic and political presence in the continent amid China's increasing influence. In the declaration, the leaders said they will seek to maintain maritime order based on rules, and strengthen security and safety at sea by international and regional cooperation in accordance with international law. The reference to maritime security comes as tensions remain high in the South China and East China seas amid China's growing assertiveness.

Tesla makes the world's best electric cars - but they're not content to rest on their laurels. The company just launched a powerful new battery that makes the Model S the fastest production car you can actually buy. Meanwhile, autonomous vehicle startup nuTonomy has beat Uber to the punch by launching the world's first fleet of self-driving taxis in Singapore. The MIT Climate CoLab awarded honors to a new elevated Caterpillar Train that soars over traffic jams. And in Europe, Paris is planning to go completely car-free for an entire day this September, and we spotted an awesome pedal-powered school bus on the streets of the Netherlands.

Hot on the heels of confirmed reports that China is getting ready to equip cruise missiles with artificial intelligence targeting capability, a "summer study" on autonomy done by the Defense Science Board shows that the U.S. has already been thinking of weaponizing artificial intelligence. The DSB is a federal advisory committee to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, also known as SecDef, a post currently held by Ashton Carter. He is also the CEO of the United States Department of Defense. According to the publicly available DSB study, it "offers important recommendations to identify the science, engineering, and policy problems that must be solved to permit greater operational use of autonomy across all warfighting domains." The report also outlines various projects that the government can undertake that will utilize the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to automate several dangerous processes that are currently carried out manually, such as "offensive maritime mining" and "mine counter measure" missions.

Chasm Waxing is a cyber-techno-thriller. Twenty-somethings Becca Roberts and Josh Adler work for companies selected by the NSA's new Venture Capital firm. Conflict arises when the NSA Director uses the VC in a vendetta against ISIS. Josh's AI discovers the location of an ancient religious relic, drawing all three into a confrontation with a rising military/ political figure in the Middle East. Chasm Waxing is the first novel in the Chasm Trilogy. It's a realistic, apocalyptic, cyber-techno-thriller; ripped from today's headlines--projected into the year 2020.

For thousands of years humans believed that authority came from the gods. Then, during the modern era, humanism gradually shifted authority from deities to people. Jean-Jacques Rousseau summed up this revolution in Emile, his 1762 treatise on education. When looking for the rules of conduct in life, Rousseau found them "in the depths of my heart, traced by nature in characters which nothing can efface. I need only consult myself with regard to what I wish to do; what I feel to be good is good, what I feel to be bad is bad." Humanist thinkers such as Rousseau convinced us that our own feelings and desires were the ultimate source of meaning, and that our free will was, therefore, the highest authority of all.

Seated against a deep red backdrop, gazing intently at hand-held mirrors, two eunuchs in sparkling saris inspect their appearance before Raksha Bandhan celebrations in the red light district of Mumbai. The photograph from the Reuters news agency is an arresting contemporary scene, but a new Tate Britain project is aiming to inspire deeper reflections with images from its own collection of paintings. Launching on Friday, Recognition is the winner of 2016's IK Prize – an annual award, this year supported by Microsoft, for a project that embraces digital technology to explore and showcase Tate's collection of British art. This year, the challenge was to do it with artificial intelligence. The team behind the winning project, from Italy-based communication research centre, Fabrica, say their inspiration came from an intriguing conundrum: how can you apply rational thinking to a subject like art? Recognition matches stunning photographs from the 24/7 news cycle with centuries-old artworks, and presents them online.

How Many Arlington Asset Investment Corp (NYSE:AI)'s Analysts Are Bearish? Forget ideology, liberal democracy's newest threats come from technology and bioscience

Airlines / Aviation # AI will soon fly over Pacific Ocean to San Francisco to save fuel By PTI 28 Aug, 2016, 16:43 hrs IST VIEW IN APP A senior DGCA official said using the new route would help in saving a lot of fuel as well as time. NEW DELHI: Saving significant fuel costs and time, Air India will soon start flying over the Pacific Ocean region for its lucrative direct services to San Francisco from here with aviation regulator DGCA approving the new rout. The regulatory nod comes as a boost... New Delhi: Thirty passengers aboard a stationary SpiceJet bus at Jabalpur airport had the fright of their lives on Saturday when an Air India aircraft seemed to be heading straight for them. Atrium Mortgage Investment Corp (TSE:AI) announced a monthly dividend on Monday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 12th will be paid a dividend of 0.0717 per share on Monday, September 12th.