Some judges might think you're allowed to shoot down drones that encroach on your turf, but don't tell that to the Federal Aviation Administration. In response to Forbes' questions, the agency says that shooting down a drone is a federal crime. You're still damaging an aircraft, according to the FAA -- it's just that this one doesn't have a pilot onboard. You could face up to 20 years in prison as a result, which is bound to make you think twice about blasting that drone peeping at your backyard.

Two images released last week from upcoming films highlight one glaring Hollywood problem. The first was the visage of Tilda Swinton in the debut trailer for Marvel's "Doctor Strange," in which the actress -- shorn and wearing the white robes of a Tibetan monk -- plays the Ancient One. In the "Doctor Strange" comics, the Ancient One is like Dumbledore meets Yoda: When the shattered former surgeon Stephen Strange makes his way deep into the Himalayas looking for enlightenment and redemption, he becomes a student of the mystically adept, absolutely Asian Ancient One. Marvel's cinematic universe just got a whole lot spookier, and a bit more magical. The world premiere of his new Marvel movie "Doctor Strange" (directed by longtime horror director Scott Derrickson) is loaded with lots of mystical charm with a serious twist.

Mobify, a startup which aims to help retailers attract and retain customers both online and in the brick-and-mortar world, has bought Pathful, a small artificial intelligence (AI) specialist. Both companies are based in Vancouver, British Columbia–so there's a geographic fit–but aside from that, Pathful will bring more machine learning or …

A silver BMW 5 Series is weaving through traffic at roughly 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph) on a freeway that cuts northeast through Bavaria between Munich and Ingolstadt. I'm in the driver's seat, watching cars and trucks pass by, but I haven't touched the steering wheel, the brake, or the gas pedal for at least 10 minutes. The BMW approaches a truck that is moving slowly. To maintain our speed, the car activates its turn signal and begins steering to the left, toward the passing lane. Just as it does, another car swerves into the passing lane from several cars behind. The BMW quickly switches off its signal and pulls back to the center of the lane, waiting for the speeding car to pass before trying again.

Humans have always had a complicated relationship with new "technologies." From awe to fear, centuries ago, Plato even worried that writing would adversely affect people's memories. Modernity has had a particular curiosity regarding artificial intelligence (AI). From Terminator-style killer robots to emotive humanoids, the mention of AI brings to mind the many silver screen renderings of some future civilization. More likely than any of these, however, is the reality that AI will probably turn out to be another commonplace technology that, while novel at first, will end up integrated into our everyday lives.

An artificial intelligence "chatbot" from Taco Bell now lets you order a meal in a smartphone text exchange that might look something like this: TacoBot: Hello there, I'm your TacoBot, I can help you order a meal for you or your team. TacoBot: Sounds good... do you want to keep adding stuff? Brands like Taco Bell and tech companies large and small are betting that more and more people will start using this "conversational" way of interacting online instead of clicking through on-screen menus. If the trend catches on -- as firms like Facebook and Microsoft expect -- it could transform the digital landscape by allowing smartphone users to find information or make purchases with simple text messages, bypassing apps and search engines. Among the companies already developing or launching chatbots are the Wall Street Journal, CNN and retail giants Sephora and H&M.

LONDON – A British Airways plane struck an object believed to be a drone on Sunday as it was coming in for landing at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, police said. An investigation has been launched into the incident, which follows a string of near misses involving drones and is believed to be the first case of a collision in Britain. The plane, an Airbus A320 with 132 passengers and five crew on board, was on its final descent into Heathrow when it was struck. "A pilot on an inbound flight into Heathrow Airport from Geneva reported to police that he believed a drone had struck the aircraft," a spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police said. "The flight landed at Heathrow Terminal Five safely. It transpired that an object, believed to be a drone, had struck the front of the aircraft."

The Metropolitan Police have opened an investigation into reports that a drone struck a commercial passenger plane as it approached London's Heathrow airport. On Sunday, the pilot of a British Airways flight from Geneva, Switzerland, reported that a drone had struck the front of the Airbus A320, which was carrying 132 passengers and five crew members. British Airways inspected the plane but found it was undamaged and deemed safe for its next flight. No one has been arrested following the incident and it is not known who owned the drone or why it was being flown in an area with so many passenger planes. In the U.K., airports and their surrounding areas are controlled airspace where the flying of drones is prohibited.

Adrianne Haslet heard all the talk about taking back Boylston Street in the years after the Boston Marathon bombings. After losing her left leg in the 2013 finish-line explosions, Haslet decided that she would return to the course -- this time as a runner. When the race leaves Hopkinton on Monday, Haslet will be one of 31 members of the One Fund community -- survivors of the attacks, their families and supporters-- in the field. "A lot of people think about the finish line," she said. "I think about the start line."

Embedded Python/NumPy/Scikit-learn functions in MonetDB to perform machine-learning tasks on a real business case.