When I returned to university to do a graduate degree, I was interested to discover how certain terms are subject to "intellectual interpretation." A word that I was asked to explain during one of my earliest classes was "ontology." Since this term was absent from my dictionary, I originally confused it with "oncology." I faintly recall that oncology involves the study of tumors. After consulting a few sources, I said that ontology is the study of how things come to exist or into being. I came across another perspective although I don't recall the source: ontology is the study of how things gain relevance or become recognized, indicating that existence can be regarded as a matter of recognition. Perhaps there is no monopoly on the exact meaning. However, I would say of ontology in relation to data science, it explains how meaning is attached to data and therefore how that data gains and retains meaning. For example, if I were asked to count the number of trucks in a parking lot, it isn't obvious what should be included: small pick-ups, tow-trucks, commercial hauling vehicles, dump trucks, and maybe heavy construction trucks.

A 1 billion investment in Didi, announced last week, could be the harbinger of a long-term relationship that some analysts speculate could lead to the U.S. company partnering with the ride-hailing company not only in providing software and services, but also down the line in jointly developing self-driving cars. Apple, however, faces a number of challenges in China. It has seen its revenue from the country, its second largest market, dip by 11 percent in the last quarter as smartphone uptake slowed down in China. The company faces regulatory challenges as well. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television is said to have ordered the company to shut down its iBooks Store and iTunes Movies only six months after the services were launched in the country, amid growing concern about increased regulation and censorship of online services.

The big news this week was STAR, a robot that outperformed surgeons. Initially, the robots were designed to look and work like humans. This was the image from popular comics when I was growing up. However, now that robots have become mainstream, most robots are very unlike humans, and that is their strength. Let us explore this thought.

In a bid to integrate machine learning-based solutions on its platform, Snapdeal, has acquired Gurgaon-based predictive marketing technology startup TargetingMantra for an undisclosed amount. It is a boutique technology company that has been working on the field of personalising shopping experience for customers on ecommerce platforms. Founded by Saurabh Nangia and Rahul Singh in March 2013, TargetingMantra, has offices in Palo Alto and Gurgaon. The company provides a unified platform to manage customers life cycle through personalisation, targeting and big data analytics. In 2014, TargetingMantra had raised 1.1 Mn in seed funding led by 500 Startups, Nexus Venture Partners, and One97 Mobility Fund.

Apple's unprecedented decision to throw 1 billion into a Chinese ride-hailing firm last week may seem like a head-scratcher. And why not invest that money here in the United States? But this move was no accident. Not only is it a sign of Apple's growing interest in transportation -- a rapidly changing industry, thanks to groundbreaking technologies such as automation -- but it is also a bet on a country that wants to zip past the United States in the development of the cars of the future. China has moved with surprising speed to prepare for the next generation of automotive technology.

There's a question at the heart of the Uncharted games that the latest title, released to great acclaim this month, tackles most directly: is the dashing lead protagonist, Nathan Drake, a hero or a thief? The continuing success of Naughty Dog's action-adventure series, along with the resurgent Tomb Raider games, shows that the "adventuring archaeologist" trope is a resilient one. The modern precursor of both Nathan Drake and Lara Croft is of course Indiana Jones, who retains a vice-like grip over the public imagination. But Jones represents an archetype that stretches back much further, of course; his true inspiration can be traced beyond the 1950s movie matinee serials and pulp comics that inspired George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and toward the great colonial fantasies of King Solomon's Mines, The Lost World and the Boy's Own magazines. There are even older precedents: Egyptian literature from the first century CE introduces Setna – a prince who raids tombs in search of a magical book.

Self-driving cars are expected to usher in a new era of mobility, safety and convenience, but they could also lead to more traffic jams. The problem is that too many people will use the technology when it becomes widely available, according to transport researchers. Experts foresee robot cars chauffeuring children to school, dance class and baseball practice. The disabled and elderly will have new mobility. Self-driving cars will give commuters a new freedom as they travel to the office, but they could also lead to more vehicles on the road, according to transport experts.

Video game maker Nintendo Co. is eyeing the movie business for growth. Company spokesman Makoto Wakae said Monday details are undecided but the work might be a theater release or a DVD. Nintendo, which makes the Wii U home console and Nintendo 3DS hand-held machine, has licensed its game characters in the past, such as with its Pokemon movies, but it is now thinking about making its own film content. It won't become a full-fledged film studio, but filmmaking is one area it has chosen for future investment of proceeds from selling its stake in the major league Seattle Mariners, planned for later this year, according to Kyoto-based Nintendo. The Asahi newspaper reported Monday that Nintendo's work might be 3-D animation.

Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co. is eyeing the movie business for growth. Company spokesman Makoto Wakae said Monday details are undecided but the work might be a theater release or a DVD. Nintendo, which makes the Wii U home console and Nintendo 3DS hand-held machine, has licensed its game characters in the past, such as with its Pokemon movies, but it is now thinking about make its own film content. It won't become a full-fledged film studio, but filmmaking is an area it has chosen for future investment of proceeds from selling its stake in the major league Seattle Mariners, planned for later this year, according to Kyoto-based Nintendo. The Japanese daily newspaper Asahi reported Monday that Nintendo's work might be 3-D animation.

Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co. is eyeing the movie business for growth. Company spokesman Makoto Wakae said Monday details are undecided but the work might be a theater release or a DVD. Nintendo, which makes the Wii U home console and Nintendo 3DS hand-held machine, has licensed its game characters in the past, such as with its Pokemon movies, but it is now thinking about make its own film content. It won't become a full-fledged film studio, but filmmaking is an area it has chosen for future investment of proceeds from selling its stake in the major league Seattle Mariners, planned for later this year, according to Kyoto-based Nintendo. The Japanese daily newspaper Asahi reported Monday that Nintendo's work might be 3-D animation.