Jane Schreibman got a telephone call about 10 p.m. Saturday asking whether she was all right. Until then, the photographer hadn't realized that a bomb had exploded on 23rd Street, just four blocks from her apartment, so she bolted downstairs to take a look at what was going on. That's when she saw a strange object a few paces from her building's front door. "I thought it was a child's science experiment,'' said Schreibman, 66, in a telephone interview. It was a shiny metal pressure cooker with wires coming out and a rectangular object attached that was wrapped in duct tape. There was a white plastic bag next to it, but she couldn't tell whether it was just garbage that had blown nearby. "It was a funny-looking object.

Keeping users around is not. Since Facebook Messenger bots launched at F8 in April 2016, over 30,000 bots have been created. Major brands like ESPN, Star Wars, and Yelp have released apps on Apple's iMessage. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all heavily invested in platforms for bots and conversational and voice experiences. Pandorabots, one of the oldest chatbot platforms, boasts over 285,000 bots made by over 225,000 developers.

Trouble marred the Kaaboo music festival in Del Mar on Saturday night as concertgoers tried to force their way into an at-capacity venue, officials said. Sheriff's Lt. Mark Moreno said attendees became unruly just after 11 p.m. when they were told that Encore, the venue where rapper Ludacris and DJ Steve Aoki were set to perform, was full. Several individuals got into an altercation with deputies manning the entrance, Moreno said. One deputy used pepper spray to help disperse the crowd. Officials in a sheriff's helicopter, flying over the location, ordered attendees to clear the area.

When you talk to an AI chatbot, who do you think writes those professional, peppy responses? There's certainly an algorithm behind the scenes, but humans put together those phrases. Tech companies are creating teams of writers, including playwrights, poets, and novelists, to help write lines that don't sound like they came from a machine. The work can range from creating a consistent character for a chatbot, to inspiring an immersive virtual reality. Jonathan Foster, manager for Cortana's editorial team at Microsoft, heads a team of 22 writers around the world who help give Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant, a consistent voice.

ESPN's first experiment with drone racing coverage must have been successful, as it's committing to robotic sports in a big way. The TV network has unveiled a multi-year broadcasting deal with the Drone Racing League that will have both ESPN and ESPN2 airing races in the Americas, starting with the 2016 season. The series broadcast kicks off on October 23rd at 9PM, and will spread five races over the course of 10 episodes. It all comes to a head with two DRL World Championship episodes on November 20th. Drone racing TV is crossing the Atlantic, too. Sky has landed its own deal that will bring DRL competitions to TV this fall through the Sky Sports Mix channel, with a race coming to London in 2017.

When you hear science fiction film you usually prepare yourself for a typical storyline. Although Sonova's background story hovers around the expected idea of the world being taken over by artificial intelligence, we are poised to see things from a completely different angle. In Justin, Arturo and Mairin's film, the AI solves every problem conceivable, even mortality.But what happens when humanity attains digital immortality? Follow Sonova on her journey into discovering what makes us, human. Sonova was an idea conceived by Justin, inspired by the numerous articles online about the implications of humanity as a species, developing true artificial intelligence (most of the credit goes to waitbutwhy.com).

Machine learning used to take place behind the scenes: Amazon mined your clicks and purchases for recommendations, Google mined your searches for ad placement, and Facebook mined your social network to choose which posts to show you. But now machine learning is on the front pages of newspapers, and the subject of heated debate. Learning algorithms drive cars, translate speech, and win at Jeopardy! What can and can't they do? Are they the beginning of the end of privacy, work, even the human race?

The Los Angeles City Council moved one step closer toward designating the Bob and Dolores Hope estate a cultural landmark Friday, adding another chapter to the saga of the property's potential sale. Councilman David Ryu saw the pending demolition of outbuildings at the Toluca Lake property and called for emergency legislation. The council voted 12 to 0 to halt any demolition while the city considers whether to deem the estate a historic-cultural monument. A 2013 study by the Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey listed the 5.16-acre estate as potentially historic because of its ties to the entertainment industry. It was built in 1939.

As the stars get ready to rock the red carpet for the Emmys this Sunday, those of us who lost our invites in the mail are planning our viewing parties, and obviously no event is complete without themed drinks. Our friends at Drizly.com took a look at this year's nominated dramas and paired cocktails with some of our favorite shows. Check out these delicious drama cocktail recipes to try out on Emmys Night below. Inspired By Netflix's series "House Of Cards" Photo: Netflix Peach & Blackberry Infused Bourbon: Inspired By "House Of Cards" Frank Underwood's drink of choice is bourbon, neat (Blanton's, to be exact). We're big fans of homemade infusions, so we got a little creative and added peach and blackberry to pay homage to Frank's Southern roots.

After the Times published a front-page news analysis this week entitled "Signs of'Clinton fatigue," the letters in-box filled with furious replies. The "fatigue" most often cited by readers, however, is with the media coverage of the campaign, and the focus -- to many minds -- on non-newsworthy topics. For instance, a number of readers applauded The Times' editorial "The distracted campaign" that highlighted key voter issues including terrorism, the economy, jobs and healthcare. Overwhelmingly, Times readers urged the media to put news front and center. Know what I'm fatigued about?