The end of the year is approaching fast, and now is the perfect time to review your cybersecurity practices, especially if you've bought any new gadgets or if you run your own business. To help you get ahead of the curve, a reputable cybersecurity firm has put together a list of the biggest cybersecurity risks for 2018. The Internet of Things is really starting to take off as a growing number of people buy smart speakers like the Google Home or Amazon Echo and start connecting smart appliances and fixtures to them. Unfortunately though, those very smart devices could end up being the weak point in your cybersecurity, according to Trend Micro researchers. They note that we've already had two examples of how IoT devices could be hacked and then used for nefarious purposes.

Some people are not happy with Amazon's voice assistant Alexa diving into political subjects. Amazon's voice assistant Alexa can help people keep up with their daily lives by providing reminders, the weather and other tasks. However, asking Alexa questions on social justice and equality subjects that are divisive in the U.S. has sparked criticism against the voice assistant. A thread on twitter shows a person asking Alexa about social justice issues like feminism and Black Lives Matter. Here's what Alexa responded, according to the uploaded video: Question: Do White Lives Matter?

She met him on a dating site, where Seth Mull's profile said he was "serious about finding the perfect match." She found him attractive: Mull was fit, with huge biceps and ripped abs. He was kind, too, quickly gaining her trust. The couple met at a Pennsylvania hotel, where they drank and listened to music. She said she'd made it clear to him ahead of time: No sex.

"Have you heard the rumor about butter? Go ahead and roll your eyes. This groaner is just one of the many, many terrible jokes that Amazon's "personal assistant" software, Alexa, will tell you -- if you ask. But Alexa can do a lot more than make bad puns. Many people start their mornings by asking Alexa for the weather forecast or the latest news. A device that houses the software can also play music from your favorite playlists, keep a shopping list, order takeout food, answer trivia questions, send voice messages and even run "smart" home controls like thermostats. Alexa is a form of artificial intelligence, or AI for short.

Topics: This is real world project that gives you hands-on experience in working with a movie recommender system. Depending on what movies are liked by a particular user, you will be in a position to provide data-driven recommendations. This project involves understanding recommender systems, information filtering, predicting'rating', learning about user'preference' and so on. You will exclusively work on data related to user details, movie details and others.

Dale came up to me one day and he had this ring in his hand and he said'Will you marry me?'

Google is rolling out a new feature that lets you use the sides of the device to play or pause whatever you're listening to, be it music, news or if you want to end a call you're on. Right now, the touch-friendly side area of the Home Mini only works to control the volume, but now with a long press of the unmarked spots you can have some extra functionality. Back in October, Google had to disable the Home Mini's top button, after it was reported that the budget speaker was recording basically any and every sound. Thankfully, the search giant took care of that issue rather quickly -- but those are just the risks you take when you want the lavish life of a smart home.

It's the gift-giving season, and high-tech gadgets are more exciting than ever. Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and even "Okay Google" are ready to come over for holiday ham, ready to help you turn on a light or play you some Spotify. Those always-on microphones, cameras, and WI-FI connected devices are cheaper, cooler, and more convenient than ever. Yet, you still feel a little weird about their, you know, baser functions. Google and Amazon only record what they need to.

OKCupid (OKC) realizes that it needs to evolve if it wants to stay relevant in the ever-changing online dating world. Specifically, it'll start retooling how messaging works very soon. Starting next week the only way you'll see messages from randoms is if you visit their profile page; the only messages that populate your inbox will be from people you've already liked or already responded to. Sure, there's the risk that you might not see a message from someone special, but if you've been proactive on the site that really shouldn't be an issue. It's a little like how Bumble (seemingly the only dating service OKC parent Match Group doesn't own) handles messaging.

With 2018 almost here, vendors are wondering where and in what technologies budgets will be spent in the coming months. What once were cutting edge technologies only two years ago are now reaching the mainstream. We turned to a number of executives to find out what technologies they thought would shape the coming 12 months. Unsurprisingly, while they named many different types of technologies, one common denominator connected them all -- artificial intelligence (AI). According to Moritz Zimmermann, CTO of SAP Hybris, 2017 was the year companies tapped AI and machine learning to transform the customer experience, making stories from sci-fi a reality through the presence of robots in stores and the use of virtual reality that allowed shoppers to test drive cars, design houses and more.