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Intel's 'New' Factory Isn't About Trump--It's About Fixing Intel

WIRED

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich promised $7 billion today to resume construction of a chip factory near Phoenix that could one day employ 3,000 people. But he didn't make the announcement at the job site or on stage during a Silicon Valley keynote. Instead, Krzanich stood in the Oval Office holding a sheet of microchips next to President Trump. The photo-op played into Trump's #AmericaFirst promise of more US manufacturing jobs, and the president didn't waste time exploiting the PR moment. But everything was not as it looked.


Serial killer algorithm lets anyone analyse crimes

Daily Mail - Science & tech

A non-profit group in the US is keeping tabs on unsolved murders across the country – and their software can spot unnoticed trends to reveal a possible serial killer. Known as the Murder Accountability Project, the open-source website uses data from federal, state, and local governments. They've so far compiled details on more than 600,000 homicides, and as it's available for free online, anyone can access the data to look for connections in unsolved cases. A non-profit group in the US is keeping tabs on unsolved murders across the country – and their software can spot unnoticed trends to reveal a possible serial killer. Known as the Murder Accountability Project, it uses data from federal, state, and local governments.


Will Japan Save American Jobs? Trump, Shinzo Abe To Discuss Investments That Could Add Over 700,000 Positions

International Business Times

When President Donald Trump was on the campaign trail, one of his biggest promises was to create American jobs, vowing to stop companies from making jobs abroad. But it may not be Trump who generates the greatest number of manufacturing jobs during his first months as president -- instead, it may be Japan. The country may create 700,000 jobs in the U.S., build a $7 billion factory and strengthen the American economy. The jobs could come from a Japanese investment plan Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to present Friday to Trump in Washington, D.C. "The investment will be by a Japanese consortium that will also include manufacturing equipment makers," an unidentified source told Reuters last week. Japan was expected to invest in both private and public funds and focus on developing U.S. infrastructure by way of high-speed railways in Texas, California and the northeastern U.S. The plan would also create closer ties between Japan and the U.S. by including global infrastructure investment, artificial intelligence research, and collaboration on topics like space exploration and cybersecurity, according to Reuters.


How Sexy Tech Could Tackle Some of Government's 'Boring' Jobs

#artificialintelligence

Emerging technologies are making inroads in agencies, and late last year, an event hosted by General Services Administration's DigitalGov University looked at the multitude of application areas for artificial intelligence and virtual reality in government. But where could technologies like blockchain and AI have the biggest impact? Nextgov's Camille Tuutti sat down with Bill Eggers, executive director of Deloitte's Center for Government Insights, to explore that question. This Q&A has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Nextgov: Where do you see blockchain really being implemented first?


NASA Announces Space Robotics Challenge Finalists

IEEE Spectrum Robotics

Last August, NASA opened the first round of the Space Robotics Challenge. A follow-on to the DARPA Robotics Challenge, the SRC is focused on what it's going to take to get humans back to the moon or on to Mars, embracing the idea that sending humanoid robots there first would make everything a heck of a lot easier. Just like the DRC, the SRC starts in simulation, with an initial round to select 20 finalists from 93 competing teams. NASA has just announced the results. In order to make it into one of the 20 finalist slots, teams had to perform some simple tasks in simulation (using Gazebo) as quickly as possible.


ICYMI: DARPA's drone snatcher and Pokémon: Minecraft edition

Engadget

Today on In Case You Missed It: DARPA unveiled a UAV recovery systems that can catch a 1,000-pound drone but still fit comfortably in a standard 20-foot shipping container. The SideArm, as it's called, uses the same arresting-wire system that full-sized military jets use aboard aircraft carriers -- just, you know, upside down. We also take a look what happens when modders manage to stuff a full Pokémon game (in this case, "Cobalt and Amethyst") into the Minecraft universe. Modder Phoenix SC reportedly spent 31 months creating the add-on. It contains a brand-new storyline, 136 new Pokémon and about 70 hours of gameplay.


#IDETECT Unite Ideas

#artificialintelligence

In 2015, UN Member States unanimously adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, in doing so, pledged that "no one will be left behind." The more than 40 million men, women, and children displaced within their countries of residence as a result of conflict, disasters, development projects and other causes are among those most likely to be excluded from social and economic opportunities for development. Many face increased vulnerability to further cycles of displacement when durable solutions that reduce the risks they face are not found. Displacement is commonly addressed as a humanitarian problem, but it is also a sustainable development challenge. It is closely associated with poverty, inequality, insecurity, environmental degradation, exposure to hazards and the vulnerability of populations whose governments are unable or unwilling to protect them.


Trump Travel Ban Update: Yemen Stops US Military Anti-Terror Troops From Fighting

International Business Times

Yemen has halted the United States from conducting Special Operations ground missions against suspected terrorist groups in the country. Senior officials told the New York Times, that the Yemeni ban does not include military drone attacks and also does not affect the American military advisers that are aiding Yemenis and forces from the United Arab Emirates. Besides the loss of a helicopter worth $75 million and the death of several civilians including children, the loss from the "botched" raid, which the White House has repeatedly characterized as a success, also included a member of the Navy's SEAL Team 6, Chief Petty Officer William Owens. Among those killed in the raid conducted on Jan. 29, also includes the 8-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, the Yemeni-American al-Qaida leader who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011. Despite the warnings of several top ex-senior officials including a former CIA and NSA director, who had said that Trump's travel ban could endanger troops and hurt national security, it is still unknown at the time if the Yemeni ban is a form of retribution towards the Trump executive order that disallowed refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries including–Yemen (before being temporarily revoked).


Mark Cuban on Why You Need to Study Artificial Intelligence or You'll be a Dinosaur in 3 Years

#artificialintelligence

Mark Cuban opened the Upfront Summit in an epic interview by Jason Hirschhorn, founder of Media REDEF. They discussed many topics ranging from protection of the press to what Mark looks for in an entrepreneur to investing outside of Silicon Valley and of course Trump and sports. But perhaps to most insightful was their discussion about Machine Learning / AI. Mark made a fortune by being early in Local Area Networking, streaming and then High Definition video so perhaps it's worth listening. He said that he believes AI will have a bigger impact than any technology in the last 30 years.


DARPA designed tech that can snag 1,100-pound drones right out of the air

Mashable

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a way to launch drones into flight and then snag them right out of the air with a system that can be loaded onto a truck or ship. The agency recently released test footage of the next-gen drone tech, currently being developed under the callsign SideArm. It's designed to give the military the ability to manage the flight of large unmanned aerial systems (UASs, aka drones) from just about anywhere. SEE ALSO: Meet the robonauts: NASA's humanoid robots Using the current launch systems, putting these heavy-duty drones in the air requires the runway of a 90,000-ton aircraft carrier, along with a net to catch the aircraft when their flights come to an end. That setup obviously presents some logistical issues when there are no oceans around, so SideArm looks to make the launch pads more mobile.