Media
Elon Musk's new company is developing robots to do your housework
For most people, housework is the absolute worst, and it's kinda weird how in 2016, we still don't have anything remotely like Rosie the robot maid, who vacuumed the hell out of the Jetsons' house. Well, it might finally be our time, because multitasking entrepreneur Elon Musk just announced that his new robotics firm, Open AI, will be developing'domestic robots' that can perform basic household chores. To accelerate the process, Open AI will be developing the robots based on technology that already exists - basically, it's going to be taking off-the-shelf robots and customising them to do housework. "There are existing techniques for specific tasks, but we believe that learning algorithms can eventually be made reliable enough to create a general-purpose robot," Open AI says in a blog post. Open AI launched back in December 2015, and is headed up by Musk and Sam Altman, president of Y Combinator - a US company that provides seed funding for startups.
Work Awesome
The full information about Work Awesome is on the dedicated site. WORK AWESOME is here to connect you with the most inspiring people and thought-provoking insights into what work will be like tomorrow. And what are the learnings of self-organizing, hierarchy-abandoning firms? Charlene Johnson-Hadley, Executive Chef, Samuelsson's American Table Café and Bar Dan Charnas, Journalist, "Work Clean - The life-changing power of mise-en-place to organize your life, work, and mind" Moderator: Sam Sifton, Food Editor, The New York Times Dennis R. Mortensen, CEO, x.ai Chris Wiggins, Chief Data Scientist, The New York Times How do we make the best out of it. Jeff Wald, Co-founder, Work Market John Vars, CPO, Taskrabbit Devin Fidler, Director, Institute for the Future; Co-founder, Rethinkery Labs Steven Hill, "Raw Deal: How the "Uber Economy" and Runaway Capitalism Are Screwing American Workers" Moderator: Neil Irwin, Senior Economics Correspondent, The New York Times And can we do without it?
MacOS Sierra first look: Siri, show me the new stuff
There are a few places where you can find Siri in macOS, and each feels intuitive. For starters, you'll find the familiar purple Siri shortcut in the Dock, right next to Finder. That lower-left corner is the same place we already expect to find Cortana on Windows 10. If you like, though, Siri also lives in the tray, in the upper-right area of the screen, right next to where the search bar already lives. Or -- and this is my personal favorite -- you can use the keyboard shortcut Fn-spacebar to bring it up without using your cursor.
I Spent a Week Yelling at Siri in MacOS Sierra
Last week, at the annual news extravaganza/coding demo/Beats 1 jam sesh that is WWDC, Apple launched a new version of its desktop operating system. There was a funny slide about naming conventions, another California-centric name (Sierra) and a bunch of new features. And Craigy With The Good Hair announced a small but long overdue change: Mac OS X is now called macOS. One day after the event, not two minutes after booting up a MacBook Pro that Apple pre-loaded with a preview build of macOS Sierra, I asked Siri some existential questions. Then I asked which version of OS X she was running, expecting a gentle chiding about macOS and silly questions.
Spoiler Alert: MIT's New AI Can Predict What Will Happen Next in a Video
Do you get squeamish when someone dies on Game of Thrones? Or maybe you're worried your favorite character is about to get killed, and you can't bear to watch. Researchers at MIT have developed an algorithm that can predict what's going to happen next in a video, giving you an opportunity to look away first. The algorithm, developed at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, is slowly trying to learn a skill that humans spend their entire lives refining and perfecting. Through countless interactions and experiences with others, we're able to accurately predict what will happen when two people meet or depart--be it a handshake, a hug, or a kiss.
Tech community desperate for 'Independence Day' more than 'Star Trek'
Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives. Will it have a happy ending? Do blockbuster movies really bust people's blocks anymore? Is there an insatiable craving for more noise and killing, one that is synonymous with the American summer? Hollywood is becoming concerned that people might be tiring of all these episode twos, threes and lost-count-of-how-manys.
CMO Checklist: Why brands should engage with bots (VB Live)
Messaging platforms, bots, and conversational commerce are looking to become as big a game-changer as apps were when they first appeared in 2007. Don't miss this essential VB Live event to understand the game-changing impact of bots on brands. That's how many monthly users Facebook is seeing thanks to its Messenger platform. What was once a private messaging feature for Facebook has ballooned into its own successful platform with no signs of popping anytime soon. Unsurprisingly, Facebook intends to grow Messenger further with the utilization of chatbots: the rising star of 2016.
Bryan Cranston cast as Zordon in 'Power Rangers' movie
Bryan Cranston is headed back to the "Power Rangers" franchise. The actor has been cast to play Zordon in the upcoming Lionsgate reboot. Before Cranston was making meth with friends on "Breaking Bad," he previously found voice work on the air-punching, alien-fighting "Power Rangers" series. Cranston previously revealed that not only did he lend his voice to the original "Power Rangers" TV series, but Blue Ranger's name (Billy Cranston) was named after him. Cranston even teased the connection in his tweet confirming his new role.
Video's vision of journalism's future looks a lot like buzzword hell
Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives. The machines have all the answer. The question is how long they will still need humans. I want you to spend 30 minutes of your day composing an employee motivation video that includes the maximum number of nightmare scenarios and buzzwordy cliches. If any of them bite, we here at Technically Incorrect want to see if it beats the quite body-shivering, bloviatory effort of Tronc.
Small commercial drones cleared for takeoff
Flying a drone for commercial purposes will no longer require a pilot's license, the Federal Aviation Administration announced in new rules released Tuesday. Drones flown in for-profit uses will no longer require a special permit so long as they weigh no more than 55 pounds, soar no higher than 400 feet and fly no closer than 400 feet from buildings or structures, the guidelines stipulate. Previous rules required commercial drone operators to have a pilot's license and apply for an FAA waiver – a tedious process believed to have steered many businesses to use drones without proper permission. The new regulation, which takes effect in August, will allow anyone over the age of 16 to fly a commercial drone so long as they apply for a remote pilot certificate, which requires passing an aeronautics test at an FAA-approved facility and undergoing a background check. That threshold is far lower than a pilot's license – a move likely to encourage greater commercial use of drones, industry experts predict.