How do you know when a gadget has become part of the American cultural zeitgeist? When it gets its own Saturday Night Live routine, apparently. The comedy show ran a skit (US-only) on May 13th pitching the "Amazon Echo Silver," an imaginary smart speaker aimed at the "greatest generation." Not surprisingly, that means lots of stereotypical jokes about seniors: the Silver is extremely loud, repeats itself and will answer back if you say any name that sounds even vaguely like Alexa. Naturally, you can only order it with a check or money order.

Amazon Echo Silver responds to dozens of names that sound like "Alexa," tolerates rambling anecdotes without argument, and is programmed to carefully sidestep casual racism. Saturday Night Live had some fun with Amazon's cylindrical talking speaker, turning the Siri-like voice interface into an eternally patient caretaker for "the greatest generation." The punchline here -- "LOL aren't old people lame and adorably hateful?" -- is questionable, but SNL's talented cast capably milks it for some memorable zingers, at least. Melissa McCarthy's funniest'SNL' moment had nothing to do with politics Stephen Colbert explains why Comey's firing was kinda like'The Godfather' Katy Perry's cannibalism video for'Bon Appétit' is finally here

Scientists are constantly trying to find new ways to bridge the gap between man and machine. The effort has led to the invention of keyboards, mice and touch screens, which made computational power more accessible. Computers themselves have undergone great changes. We gradually moved from mainframe computers to PCs, laptops, smartphones and beyond. There is now practically a computer in everything, from coffee makers to vehicles, airplane engines and the human body.

Apple bought Lattice Data, a company that uses an artificial intelligence (AI) based interface engine for transforming unstructured "dark" data into structured and more usable information. TechCrunch reported Saturday, citing sources, that the tech giant reportedly paid $200 million for the acquisition. On being asked about the deal, Apple neither confirmed nor denied it. "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," an Apple spokesperson told the publication. There is a massive amount of data produced globally every year – 4.4 Zetabytes in 2013 by a conservative estimate.

If it wasn't already clear that Apple is committed to improving AI, it is now. The tech giant has confirmed that it recently bought Lattice Data, a company that uses AI to make sense of unorganized "dark" data like images and text. It's not discussing what it plans to do with its acquisition, but a TechCrunch source claims that Apple paid $200 million. It's not a gigantic deal, then, but no small potatoes when only 20 engineers are making the leap. And if that same source is correct, it could be important for Siri -- Lattice had reportedly been talking to tech firms about "enhancing their AI assistants."

Amazon.com is due to unveil a new Echo speaker with a screen that will incorporate video calling capabilities, according to people familiar with the matter, keeping the online retailer one step ahead of tech rivals in seeking to control smart homes. The new device, which is expected to be announced as early as Tuesday, will also allow users to make internet-based telephone calls, according to these people, setting the speaker up to be core to a home's communications. Equipped with a 7-inch touch screen, the device will be able to visually summon answers to verbal questions, providing information like e-commerce search results in a more digestible fashion. The new Echo, which has been in beta testing with employees for a few months, could start shipping to consumers as early as next month. The new device is expected to be priced at more than $200.

As if airline flights haven't gotten stressful enough, here comes the latest twist. The Department of Homeland Security is considering banning computers aboard flights from Europe to the United States, because it believes terrorists could conceivably convert a laptop into a bomb, according to news reports. . Tell me it's not so. Snap's rough start as a public company, a watch from Microsoft that can calm Parkinson's tremors, and a new touch screen Amazon Echo all grabbed headlines this week. But the one that rocked this reporter was a proposed laptop ban.

Master of None is nothing if not almost painfully relatable. Season 2 Episode 4, "First Date" is a sweet but contemplative portrait of modern dating, directed by Eric Wareheim who plays Dev's (Aziz Ansari) best friend Arnold. "The idea was that when you're doing a lot of online dating, it feels like you're meeting all these people and its'...the same kind of thing, getting to know you really quick." Wareheim told Mashable via phone interview. "That whole thing can get super exhausting, and we hope to catch that feeling in the episode."

That was the message from Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos who was speaking this week during a'Fireside Chat', at the Internet Association's annual gala in Washington, where he also described the world as entering a'golden age' of technology for solving problems. Bezos, who was answering questions from Internet Association President & CEO Michael Beckerman on stage, described AI as an "enabling layer" that will "improve every business." He also discussed Amazon in the early days of the internet, addressing success and failure in business, and his hopes for the future of humanity.Amazon's feelings towards AI and machine learning have never been in doubt. Amazon, described by the Association as a'pioneer' in AI, has made its feelings clear around the use of breakthrough technologies and machine learning, both from an operational and product point of view for more than a decade. Internally Amazon is said to have more than 45,000 robots in use across its global warehouses, operated various ways to fulfil orders and is already testing drones in the UK for future deliveries.It was also one of the first, if not the first, retailer to use AI and machine learning to provide predictive analytics on every individual customer, enabling its platform to predict what else the customer might want to buy – thus boosting sales.

In this excerpt from the #TalkingTech Live podcast, host Jefferson Graham and panelists Tov Arnerson and Dawn Chmielewski weigh over the possible laptop and tablet ban on flights from Europe--will we survive? As if airline flights haven't gotten stressful enough, here comes the latest twist. The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly considering a laptop ban on flights from Europe to the U.S. (Photo: Hero Images, Getty Images) The Department of Homeland Security is considering banning computers aboard flights from Europe to the United States, because it believes terrorists could conceivably convert a laptop into a bomb, according to news reports. . Tell me it's not so. Snap's rough start as a public company, a watch from Microsoft that can calm Parkinson's tremors, and a new touch screen Amazon Echo all grabbed headlines this week.