The Mill created a massive real-time data art installation built from the computation analysis of pop music, social media and news media by IBM's Watson. Natural language and musical compositions were assigned emotional values by Watson which we then translated into immersive visualizations that could be navigated by time, emotion and genre. Intricate color coding of the visuals was based on a five color palette, one each for joy, anger, disgust, sadness, and fear. Follow @Millchannel on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for more updates.

As a sign of just how quickly autonomous vehicle technology is progressing, industry analysts are predicting that two-thirds of new cars sold in the United States in 2030 will drive themselves with no or very little human intervention. The admittedly optimistic forecast by McKinsey -- the firm has a less rosy version as well -- presumes a fast resolution of regulatory challenges and widespread acceptance by consumers. It also presumes that the technology can ensure a safe experience. Human drivers have enough problems navigating inclement weather. If they're to take their hands off the wheel, they'll have to be confident that computerized drivers can do better.

Machine learning is being used by companies such as Netflix, Facebook, and Spotify for automated data analysis. The results are then used to create recommendations based on past consumption habits. This approach is based on algorithms that learn and adapt to the usage data and patterns that emerge, not the hard-coded rules used in traditional analytics. Netflix in particular has successfully leveraged analytics for years, and their strategy serves as an example of how machine learning can help you gain a competitive advantage. Big Data analytics, being based on manual processes to search for patterns in data, has a major flaw--humans.

Camera-carrying drones are among this year's hottest holiday gifts, with models like DJI's Phantom series flying off store shelves. But drones can be expensive, cumbersome and tough to learn to fly. A Swiss company called Fotokite aims to address those concerns with its new Fotokite Phi, a $249 foldable drone with a unique twist: Instead of flying freely, it stays tethered to a handheld controller. Launching the drone involves taking it out of a Pringles can-like case, unfolding the wings, syncing the controller and giving the Phi a twist. After a few seconds of orienting itself, the Phi revs up to takeoff speed, at which point you release your grip on the drone as it takes to the sky. Similar to flying a kite, the Phi's altitude depends on how much line you give it.

Software created by the SONY CSL Research Laboratory named Flow Machines is expertly making songs with a little helping hand from a human. The AI hit maker has recently released two pop songs on YouTube and is planning on releasing a full album next year. The first song is named'Daddy's Car' and is modeled after The Beatles' melody type. Although artificial intelligence has made jazz songs before, this is the first time that AI pop songs were released to the public. Listen to the first pop AI song released: Daddy's Car

The'DroneGun' blocks drones from flying and can also jam their GPS Gun is designed to stop drones carrying explosives or other weapons It weighs only 13lbs (6kg) and can be operated by just one person It disables drones in a safe and controlled manner, away from target zones The'DroneGun' blocks drones from flying and can also jam their GPS The DroneGun is a signal-jamming rifle capable of taking out an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from 1.2 miles (2km) away'I spy, with my little drone...': This is the world's... China unveils its answer to Amazon's Echo: The $118 LingLong... The AI that gives you a voice: Lip-reading machine... Why Mars astronauts risk going BLIND: Scientists finally... 'I spy, with my little drone...': This is the world's... China unveils its answer to Amazon's Echo: The $118 LingLong... The AI that gives you a voice: Lip-reading machine... Why Mars astronauts risk going BLIND: Scientists finally...

It will not, if there is any certainty left in the world, top the charts this Christmas. But what it lacks in party hit potential, it more than makes up for with its unique, if vaguely unsettling, brand of festive cheer. To be fair, humans had very little hand in penning the song. Instead, scientists fed a Christmassy photograph into a computer and let it do its thing. A program analysed the image, whipped up some relevant lyrics, and then sang them to music it had composed along the way.

In one corner of John Knoll's office at Lucasfilm stand three racks of imposing black computer servers. The sleek 6-foot-tall towers, complete with mechanical switches and fans, flash blue LEDs. Each bears the insignia of the Galactic Empire from Star Wars and a name--Death Star 748, Death Star 749. As impressive and menacing as the machines appear, they aren't real. They're just faceplates wired with Arduino controllers to make the lights blink and flutter like actual computers. They are, in other words, visual effects--and a look into the mind of Knoll, the 54-year-old chief creative officer of Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm's famed VFX arm. They're what made the movies. They come from the machines that spent roughly 13,000 hours rendering digital effects for the three Star Wars prequels, on which Knoll was a lead effects supervisor. The march of Moore's law turned the server farm that created those movies into scrap. "It took a few weeks," Knoll says, shrugging.

After all, we test thousands of technology products in our lab each year, rating them against competitors, crowning winners and losers, all with the simple focus of telling you what technology to buy. Each of us has fielded numerous emails, texts, and phone calls from our readers, parents, high school friends, and others asking: "Which (TV, laptop, phone, headphones, or fill in the appropriate blank) should I buy?" We happily dispense this buying advice because we love what we do. Who better to assemble the ultimate tech-focused gift guide than us? The majority of the products in this story are ones that we've tested and rated throughout the year. There are, however, a few we haven't yet reviewed, or are in the process of reviewing, but we believe merit inclusion for their value proposition, specific appeal, or general cool gadget factor. After the last pine needle has fallen and all the gift wrap is recycled, we'll continue to update this story throughout the year, so it always includes our favorite products, and you have a curated list of gift ideas for every holiday. What's on your wish list this year? Is there a perfect holiday gift we didn't include?

The cars are old and beat up, there are no timers or cheering crowds, and the California sun is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a brown murkiness hangs over the entire world, lending it an eerie and oppressive quality. This is a driving game inspired, not by long pleasure drives along some Pacific highway, but by a childhood spent living in and eventually fleeing the Soviet bloc. He had come home from kindergarten and asked his mother if she would hang out the Soviet flag for Labour Day – a "tradition" enforced by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. "When she told me she would not, I told her I would have to report that to my kindergarten educators because they asked us to," Švadlena says.