The ability of a footballer to outwit the goalkeeper depends in part on his ability to deliver the ball at an unpredictable time and location. Researchers have studied how we make sure such decisions are unpredictable, and found that the brain processes predictable and unpredictable components in different regions of the brain. This process ensures that we learn from experience, while still remaining spontaneous to get the competitive edge. Researchers set out to understand how the brain optimises the timing of actions to circumstance while retaining unpredictability. Readings were taken either in a region of the prefrontal cortex called MPFC, which is involved in decision-making learning, or in a region of the motor cortex, M2, thought to be involved in the direct control of movements.

This article is part of the forthcoming Data Science for Internet of Things Practitioner course in London. If you want to be a Data Scientist for the Internet of Things, this intensive course is ideal for you. We cover complex areas like Sensor fusion, Time Series, Deep Learning and others. We work with Apache Spark, R language and leading IoT platforms. This is the 1st part of a series of 3 part article which discusses SQL with Spark for Real Time Analytics for IOT.

The internet of things, artificial intelligence, networked production, smart homes - these are the magic words of digital transformation. While the big technology companies are already equipping their products and production with artificial intelligence - all parts of the chain of values added are to supply data in the future -, German medium-sized companies are not succumbing to its spell. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) help companies implement Industry 4.0. Most of the small and medium-sized companies consider the increasing use of digital technology an opportunity, but where to start? According to a survey of Germany's digital association Bitcom, 90% of the small and medium-sized companies consider digital transformation an opportunity.

The findings of this Eurobarometer study have been taken up in the mid-term review of the Digital Single Market Strategy, allowing the Commission to consider new policy initiatives, and foster the implementation of the Digital Single Market and Digitising European Industry. Two thirds of respondents (69%) answered that a faster and more reliable Internet connection would encourage them to make more use of the innovative digital technologies. When questioned about their digital skills, 35% of respondents fully agreed that their skills were sufficient for their daily lives whilst 36% tended to agree and 25% disagreed. Amongst respondents who are employed, 44% fully agreed that they were sufficiently skilled in the use of digital technologies to do their work whilst 36% tended to agree and 17% disagreed. However, large differences in perceptions are visible across countries, and between people of different age groups and educational backgrounds.

Google is expected to reveal its future plans for its Google Home smart speaker and Android operating system on Wednesday. The technology giant is holding its annual I/O developer conference, where the company shares early news on how its various software will change in the coming year. The Google Home smart speaker, launched in the UK earlier this year, as well as Google Assistant, the company's artificial intelligence software, are expected to feature heavily. Google Home and Amazon's Echo have taken the lead in the smart speaker market since late 2016. However Microsoft has already announced plans to launch its own smart speakers using its virtual assistant Cortana, and rumours claim Apple may follow this year too.

If Amazon's upgraded Fire tablet range has left your slate looking a little dated, we have some good news: Alexa is coming. The online retail giant confirmed today that when its new Alexa-equipped Fire 7 and Fire HD 8 tablets arrive early next month, it will push an update to older devices, allowing you to get to grips with the fully-integrated AI assistant. The launch has been a long time coming, especially as US customers have been able to launch apps, play media and listen to news via Alexa since September last year. Amazon says the rollout will begin "in the coming weeks" and that it will continue to update the assistant, meaning it will get smarter over time. Once the update is installed, all you need to do is long-press the home button to activate Alexa.

For most people, artificial intelligence is Siri, the lovable but modest digital assistant on iPhones. She can't really do much beyond answering simple questions. Advanced artificial intelligence is far from that. Algorithms are constantly learning, often in unusual ways, and at an exponential rate. Co-founder of Google DeepMind Mustafa Suleyman attends a Q&A with Special Projects Editor forTechCrunch, Jordan Crook during day 1 of TechCrunch Disrupt London at the Copper Box on December 5, 2016 in London, England.

Facebook has been found to have violated data privacy rules in France and the Netherlands. The company has been fined €150,000 by France's privacy watchdog, the maximum amount permitted by French law when the investigation started in 2014. The Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) described the social network's tracking practices as "unfair", and concluded that it was not acting in compliance with the French Data Protection Act. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph. The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session A man looks at an exhibit entitled'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China A picture shows Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo.

Amazon has launched two new budget Fire tablets, with one costing just £50, and has brought its Alexa voice assistant to tablets in the UK. The new thinner and lighter £50 Fire 7, which has an improved screen, longer battery life and more storage, hopes to continue the success of the previous Fire 7 tablet, which won plaudits for balancing low cost with features. At the same time, Amazon has launched a new version of its Fire HD 8 tablet, with similar improvements and a lower starting price of £80. Kevin Keith, Amazon's general manager for Fire tablets, said: "The Fire 7 for under £50 shocked a lot of folks, and became the bestselling tablet we ever built. We found most of the folks who buy our devices do so for entertainment, or what I like to call digital snacking: social media, light email, apps, games and music. So we've really focused on those areas."

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on everybody's minds these days. Most of the world's leading companies are making massive investments in it. Governments are scrambling to catch up. Every single one of us who uses Google Search or any of the new digital assistants on our smartphones has witnessed first-hand how quickly these developments now go. Many analysts foresee truly disruptive changes in education, employment, health, knowledge generation, mobility, etc.