The brains of almost all animals contain a network of crisscrossing nerve cells, also known as neurons. Each nerve cell consist of three main parts -- the soma (cell body), an elongated axon, and several branching dendrites. For the longest time, scientists believe that the somas were the only regions in neurons that generated electrical spikes in order to connect and communicate with other neurons, and that the dendrites were just passive conduits of these pulses. However, according to a study published in the latest edition of the journal Science, this model of how neurons function may not be entirely accurate. The study on lab rats, carried out by a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), reveals that dendrites are electrically active in animals that are moving around freely and that these structures generate nearly 10 times more spikes than somas.

We often say that customer success should be part of an organization's DNA. But, what if it was also in the instruments of our daily lives--our phones, computers, and devices? Machine learning--applications that not only respond to inputs without the help of human intervention, but learn, or adapt, from each interaction--is transforming the ways that we communicate with customers, thus allowing us to know customers better and anticipate their needs before even they are aware of those needs. A Gartner report found that 89% of organizations expect that customer experience will be a top priority for maintaining a competitive advantage from 2016 into the foreseeable future. A key aspect of machine learning is already changing the way we do business.

Thank you for subscribing to the monthly THINK Marketing newsletter. Next-generation cognitive computing is redefining how we live and work as more businesses are using all the data available to them to improve performance and customer service, and drive innovation and revenue. Today's business challenges have never been more complex, and the critical insights that can help address these challenges are often buried in an avalanche of data. Previously, these insights were beyond the capabilities of conventional computing solutions – programmable systems based on mathematical principles that harken back to the 1940s. But IBM Watson has changed the game.

Most training and learning systems today follow the same basic model developed a century and a half ago when the British pioneered industrial-scale education to produce a literate working class. With one teacher and a large group of students, instructors must focus on the ones in the middle. While the weakest in the class may drop out, the most talented are slowed down and forced to be average. Machine learning could change all that. Training systems today can capture individual performance characteristics and, with the help of data analytics, identify strengths and weaknesses so training can be tailored on the fly to match the specific needs and requirements of each individual student.

Google's original motto, "Don't Be Evil," will be severely tested in the coming years For many years artificial intelligence has been hyped as the world's next big groundbreaking technology. But till recently, the closest we've got to seeing AI in action was on the big screen. From evil computer HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Scarlett Johansson's breathless AI in Her, there's been a rich tradition of artificial intelligence in the movies. Now, thanks to several recent innovations, AI has become a reality in our daily lives. You may not even be aware of it, but whenever you use Google, Facebook, or Amazon Echo, you're using AI.

It turns out, not much. A domain will run you $12/year from Google. Webhosting on Google App Engine or Amazon Web Services is free to start -- they only cost money once you start getting more users. And if you know how to code, that's pretty much it -- $12 per year. But let's say you have no technical background -- not a problem.

It's no surprise that a future with self-driving cars and passengers as co-drivers is fast approaching. Yet while automakers race to be the first to bring a fully autonomous vehicle to the market, there is also a growing focus on the driver. Cars that are 100 percent autonomous (and affordable) are still decades away from hitting the road. In the meantime, semi-autonomous cars must learn to better understand the driver. This can be facilitated using machine learning and computer vision inside the car.

In 2005 I attended a high-level symposium that sought a solution for an obstacle that was delaying the discovery of cures for human illnesses. The obstacle is "information overload." Stated simply, there is too much data being published for any single person to read, analyze, and connect it with over ten million existing biomedical papers. The presenters at the 2005 symposium declared there to be enough published data to cure lethal diseases, but no efficient way to tie it together in a meaningful way. I immediately understood what these computer experts were seeking.

The Microsoft Surface phone has long been rumored, but the recent buzz about the Windows 10 phone indicates it could actually get released this year, probably in October for a price ranging between $699-$1,100. The device is expected to be a part of Microsoft's renewed efforts to target the smartphone market. The company's existing Windows Phone OS based devices have mostly faded into oblivion in comparison to the competition from Android devices and Apple's iPhone. In fact, rumors say that the Windows Phone OS based Lumia range could be scrapped in 2017, according to a WinBeta report from September 2016. So, could Microsoft move out of the smartphone industry?

"My role is working with customers, helping them go through this digital transformation. I spend a lot of time talking to banks, big industries, manufacturers working through how they are integrating and transforming their IT platforms and moving them forward," explained William Morrish, General Manager Product Sales at Interoute, in this SYS-CON.tv Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy. Meanwhile, 94% of enterprises are using some form of XaaS - software, platform, and infrastructure as a service.