Alan Kay, Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway, and I had an article in the September 2019 issue of Communications called "Computational Thinking Should Just Be Good Thinking" (access the article at http://bit.ly/2P7RYEV). Our argument is that "computational thinking" is already here--students use computing every day, and that computing is undoubtedly influencing their thinking. What we really care about is effective, critical, "expanded" thinking, where computing helps us think. To do that, we need better computing. Ken Kahn engaged with our article in the comments section (thank you, Ken!), and he made a provocative comment: There are have been many successful attempts to add programming to games: Rocky's Boots (1982), Robot Odyssey (1984), RoboSport (1991), Minecraft (multiple extensions), and probably many more.

A robotic exoskeleton developed by Korean car manufacturer Hyundai has helped a paraplegic sportsman walk over and hug his mother for the first time in 10 years. Korean para-athlete and pro-archer Jun-beom Park was confined to a wheelchair in 2008 after being involved in an accident as a school boy. He damaged his thoracic vertebrae – the small bones that form the spine – in an incident that left him unable to walk. Now, 11 years on, the archery star has taken his'second first steps' thanks to an'exoskeleton suit' developed by Hyundai Motors Robotics Lab in Seoul, South Korea. In a heartwarming video produced by Hyundai, Jun-beom, 28, is seen putting his weight on his legs to stand up from his wheelchair, aided by the Hyundai Medical Exoskeleton (H-MEX).

Assistant Principal Miles Carey oversees a Rocket League practice at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Va. Assistant Principal Miles Carey oversees a Rocket League practice at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Va. Nowadays, if you're a teenager who's good at video games there's a lot more to be had than just a pot of virtual gold. Today, more than 170 colleges and universities participate. Naturally, high schools have followed suit.

Artificial decision-making machines have been with us for hundreds of years. We call them corporations and states, and they have hugely accelerated the development of our societies. That's the argument David Runciman makes in conversation with Azeem Azhar in this week's episode. Runciman is professor of politics at Cambridge University and host of the "Talking Politics" podcast. He and Azeem discuss what this reframing of artificial intelligence can teach us about navigating the hurdles it presents.

Will AI render managers obsolete by 2024? Perhaps not entirely, but a new report from Gartner predicts that with innovation and the responsible adoption of AI tech, the tedium of managers' paper flow will be greatly reduced by an estimated 69%. "The role of manager will see a complete overhaul in the next four years," said Helen Poitevin, research vice president at Gartner, in a release. "Currently, managers spend time filling in forms, updating information and approving workflows. By using AI to automate these tasks, they can spend less time managing transactions and can invest more time on learning, performance management and goal setting." SEE: Prescriptive analytics: An insider's guide (free PDF) AI will influence the office, but the level at which it does, will be based on new tech advances, organizational readiness to exploit, and worker attitudes, the report, "Predicts 2020: AI and the Future of Work," found.

This is a catch-all term for any technology that involves cataloguing and recognising human faces, typically by recording the unique ratios between an individual's facial features, such as eyes, nose and mouth. The technology can be applied to everything from emotion tracking to animation, but the most controversial involve using facial features as biometric identifiers, that is, to identify individuals based on just a photo or video of their face. After a trial of the technology, the Metropolitan police have said they will start to use it in London within a month. On Friday, the force said it would be used to find suspects on "watchlists" for serious and violent crime, as well as to help find children and vulnerable people. Scotland Yard said the public would be aware of the surveillance, with the cameras being placed in open locations and officers handing out explanatory leaflets.

The Metropolitan police will start using live facial recognition, Britain's biggest force has announced. The decision to deploy the controversial technology, which has been dogged by privacy concerns and questions over its lawfulness, was immediately condemned by civil liberties groups, who described the move as "a breathtaking assault on our rights". But the Met said that after two years of trials, it was ready to use the cameras within a month. The force said it would deploy the technology overtly and only after consulting communities in which it is to be used. Nick Ephgrave, an assistant commissioner, said: "As a modern police force, I believe that we have a duty to use new technologies to keep people safe in London. Independent research has shown that the public support us in this regard."

There's plenty in the way of competition in the audio transcription market, which is estimated to be worth $31.82 billion by 2025. But AISense -- the startup behind speech-to-text service Otter -- has managed to carve out a niche for itself in the four years since its founding. Today the company confirmed to VentureBeat that it has raised $10 million in a round led by strategic backer NTT Docomo's Docomo Ventures, with participation from Fusion Fund, GGV, Dragon Dragon Fund, Duke University Innovation Fund, Harris Barton Asset Management, Slow Ventures, and others. This brings AISense's total venture capital raised to $23 million, following previous rounds totaling $13 million. As part of Docomo's investment, the Tokyo-based mobile phone operator says it's piloting Otter in Berlitz's English language classes in Japan.

Facial recognition is a technology that can be used to identify people without their knowledge or consent. It relies on the prevalence of cameras, which are becoming both more powerful and smaller, and machine learning technologies that can match the output of these cameras with images from a database of existing photos. People can be identified at a distance by their heart beat or by their gait, using a laser-based system. Cameras are so good that they can read fingerprints and iris patterns from meters away. And even without any of these technologies, we can always be identified because our smartphones broadcast unique numbers called MAC addresses.

Manjrekar comes to WekaIO from SwiftStack, a leading provider of data storage and management solutions for data-driven customers. During his time at SwiftStack, he was Head of AI, responsible for Product, Solutions, and Corporate Development. Prior to SwiftStack, he had roles as Senior Director at Vexata, EMC, NetApp, Force10 Networks and previously held Senior Eng. Manjrekar is a seasoned IT professional who has extensive experience in building and managing emerging businesses across the USA, Asia, and EMEA. He brings an established background in providing effective product management, solutions marketing, and strategic alliances, along with a strong sense of business development vision and leadership to his new position.