Volcanic eruptions come in many different forms, from the explosive eruptions of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, which disrupted European air travel for a week, to the Hawaiian Islands' relatively tranquil May 2018 lava flows. Likewise, these eruptions have different associated threats, from ash clouds to lava. Sometimes the eruption mechanism (e.g., water and magma interaction) is not obvious, and needs to be carefully evaluated by volcanologists to determine future threats and responses. Volcanologists look closely at the ash produced by eruptions, as different eruptions produce ash particles of varying shapes. But how does one look at thousands of tiny samples objectively to produce a cohesive picture of the eruption?

A long-dormant TV project appears to have finally emerged from its hibernation, if Showtime is to be believed. The premium cable network announced Thursday it had ordered 10 episodes of a television series based on the popular "Halo" video game franchise. The project was originally announced five years ago. The news was confirmed in a Thursday blog post on the official Halo Waypoint website by Kiki Wolfkill, the head of transmedia for "Halo" developer 343 Industries. The show will be headed by "Lone Star" creator Kyle Killen and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" director Rupert Wyatt, with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television producing.

In the past month, workers in Silicon Valley have demanded that the large tech companies where they work stop doing business with federal agencies associated with the ghastlier policies of the Trump administration and local governments--and in some cases it's worked. Google said it would not renew a contract with the Pentagon to build an A.I. system for military drones after thousands of employees signed a petition and dozens quit in protest. Orlando, Florida's police department dropped Amazon's facial-recognition tech after a public outcry that included criticisms from Amazon employees opposed to the activity. Microsoft is keeping a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement despite demands from more than 100 of its employees who believe doing so signals a complicity with the administration's hard-line immigration policy. This activity has been facilitated by the Tech Workers Coalition, a volunteer group of professionals in the tech industry that has worked on a number of labor, justice, and equality issues in recent years.

While robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) promise great advances in productivity, mostly they seem to worry people. Commentators talk and write endlessly about how these marvelous technologies will steal jobs from both workers and the managerial class, creating a large unemployed population. If history has anything to say, however, and it does, such fears are not only exaggerated, they are off the mark entirely. Ultimately, AI will create more new jobs than it destroys and likely in occupations heretofore nonexistent. Popular commentary on this matter maintains an almost universally downbeat tone.

Over the last 20 years, the ongoing digital revolution has brought massive changes to the way most of us work and live. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will offer even faster and deeper change. Forward-looking government leaders are acting now to prepare public sector organizations to fulfill of the full promise of AI. They are blazing a trail for AI to free up their employees and serve citizens more effectively. AI is on track to make a bigger impact on business and society than any previous technology.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are about to get an AI personal assistant. Known as CIMON (Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN) the bot, developed by Airbus, will use IBM's Watson AI technology to help astronauts. Researchers hope that with its face, voice and artificial intelligence, it will become a genuine'colleague' on board, helping astronauts with their daily routines, and warning of any impending problems - much like the HAL robot in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 was designed to do. Known as CIMON (Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN) the bot will use IBM's Watson technology to help astronauts. CIMON is designed to support astronauts in performing routine work, for example by displaying procedures or – thanks to its'neural' AI network and its ability to learn – offering solutions to problems.

The US military has to expand its use of AI to stay ahead of its enemies and deter war, a top Air Force general has warned. Gen. James Holmes, who leads Air Combat Command, pledged that despite a Silicon Valley backlash'AI is a big part of our future'. Holmes told a a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington he was concerned that the recent row with Google over Project Maven might prompt other tech firms to boycott military contracts, but said'this is part of being an American.' Google has been winding down its involvement with the Pentagon's controversial Project Maven, but its Cloud team is now talking with the US special operations community'Americans have expectations about what their government does and whether the government uses technology and tools to infringe upon their rights or not,' he said, according to Defence One. 'We have really high standards as a nation that that things that we being forward as military tools have to live up to.' 'The benefit of this will be: it will free up people to focus on thinking about what they see and what it means in the intelligence field and on passing that information to decision makers more timelty because you're able to do it faster,' Holmes said.

Babylon Health, a UK artificial intelligence firm, says a version of its software can pass the standard exam taken by British family doctors, but some medics are pushing back against the claim. Babylon's AI is designed to give people a probable medical diagnosis through a "symptom checker" app. It is not the only such app available, but it is the most visible one in the UK at the moment.

Thoughtonomy, the leading Intelligent Automation platform provider, today launched a new online portal for its enhanced partner program, as it continues its rapid international growth. The new partner portal provides Thoughtonomy's partners with immediate, 24/7 access to all of its training and enablement materials, including exclusive best practice and marketing resources. By signing up to Thoughtonomy's enhanced partner program and being able to offer clients Thoughtonomy's market-leading Intelligent Automation technology, partners can ensure they have a differentiated offering in one of the fastest-growing, dynamic areas of the technology sector. The program offers a range of benefits to partners, including lead referrals, co-selling assistance, demand generation support, certification training and dedicated account management. In February this year, Thoughtonomy announced that, as part of its strategic growth plan, it was setting out to increase its channel business from 45% of transactions to over 90% in the following 12 months.

Nikolay Manolov is a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of XOR.ai, a leading chatbot and AI company that helps turbocharge recruitment and hiring efforts. Nikolay has a long history of working in the computer software industry and was first prize winner at a 2018 nationwide chatbot and AI competition in Russia.