More from Dan Robitzski (Page 38)

To Protect Endangered Coral Reefs, Researchers Need Legal Recourse
Future Society

To Protect Endangered Coral Reefs, Researchers Need Legal Recourse

By Dan Robitzski

A self-driving racecar league is in its first competitive season, and the vehicles are already approaching world record times.
Self-Driving Vehicles

Self-Driving Racecars Are Edging Up Toward Human Records

By Dan Robitzski

A new algorithm analyzes pixelated images and turns them into photorealistic portraits. Point it toward a bunch of emojis and the results are terrifying.
Artificial Intelligence

AI Turned These Emojis Into Photorealistic Monstrosities

By Dan Robitzski

Internal feedback reveals that Waymo passengers aren't entirely pleased with how the company's self-driving cars are performing.
Self-Driving Vehicles

Test Riders in Waymo’s Self-Driving Cars Won’t Stop Complaining

By Dan Robitzski

After a failed docking attempt over the weekend, Russia's humanoid robot Fedor is now on board the International Space Station.
Robotics

Russia Just Sent a Gun-Toting, Spacewalking Robot to the ISS

By Dan Robitzski

Fortnite players who downloaded what they thought was software to help them cheat instead got hit by a ransomware attack demanding crypto payments.
Science & Energy

New Ransomware Steals Crypto From Fortnite Players

By Dan Robitzski

The freelance job board Fiverr housed a number of people offering illegal or otherwise unsettling surveillance and spy services.
Future Society

People Used Fiverr to Spy on Their Spouses

By Dan Robitzski

The government of Venezuela is urging people working abroad to send remittances back home through its new cryptocurrency payment platform.
Cryptocurrency

Venezuela Is Seriously Pushing Its State-Run Cryptocurrency

By Dan Robitzski

A pharmacy call center has deployed AI that coaches human employees how to have more empathy with frustrated customers on the phone.
Artificial Intelligence

In a Strange Twist, This AI Tries to Teach Empathy to Humans

By Dan Robitzski

Young children growing up around robots may need reminders that their metallic pals aren't really alive, lest they form unhealthy emotional ties.
Robotics

Kids Are Becoming Emotionally Attached to Robots

By Dan Robitzski

Backers for Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency are reportedly considering pulling their support in the face of increased scrutiny and regulation.
Cryptocurrency

Backers for Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency May Jump Ship

By Dan Robitzski

A working quantum radar device uses low-energy microwaves to spot objects that remain invisible to conventional radar technology.
Devices

Scientists Built a Working “Quantum Radar” Device

By Dan Robitzski

With the Amazon Rainforest burning away and sequestered carbon being released, the global environment is rapidly approaching the point of no return.
Climate Change

Scientists Warn Of “Cascading System Collapse” in Amazon Rainforest

By Dan Robitzski

Governments should step in to prevent tech companies from developing malicious, evil, super-human AI, writes tech expert Wim Naudé.
Artificial Intelligence

Expert: Governments Must Step in to Prevent Evil, Superpowered AI

By Dan Robitzski

New research suggests that other exoplanets could feasibly serve as a better host for life than Earth does, if they fit certain criteria.
Science & Energy

Earth Might Not Be the Most Hospitable Planet out There

By Dan Robitzski

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine believes that thermal nuclear propulsion technology would be a game-changer for space exploration.
NASA

Head of NASA: Nuclear Propulsion Could Be “Game-Changer”

By Dan Robitzski

Self-driving car companies are benefitting from cheap Venezuelan labor as they compile mountains of annotated training data for their AI.
Artificial Intelligence

Self-Driving Car Companies Depend on Cheap Labor From Venezuela

By Dan Robitzski

Newly-released photos on the surface of the asteroid Ryugu reveal rocks that appear similar to ancient meteorites that crash-landed on Earth.
Science & Energy

Rocks on a Distant Asteroid Resemble Those on Earth

By Dan Robitzski

The Air Force built a robot called ROBOpilot that can take off, fly, and land existing planes without help from a human pilot.
Drones

Instead of New Drones, the Air Force Built a Plane-Piloting Robot

By Dan Robitzski

Security researchers found eight different vulnerabilities in Nest Camera cybersecurity. Google promised a fix, but other cameras have the same problems.
Robots and Machines

There Are at Least Eight Ways to Hack a Nest Camera

By Dan Robitzski

Using steam-filled balloons to bring satellites into orbit could prove much cheaper and more efficient than launching rockets.
Off-World

These Scientists Want to Launch Satellites From Steam Balloons

By Dan Robitzski

A "digital fingerprint" black market called Richlogs is selling packages of victims' entire online activity, granting access to any private accounts.
Future Society

This Online Black Market Will Sell Your Entire Digital Identity

By Dan Robitzski

Medical testing startup uBiome based its consumer gut-testing kits on some shoddy science, including keeping animal and infant research in its database.
Developments

Microbiome Testing Startup uBiome Based Tests on Infant, Pet Data

By Dan Robitzski

An increasing wave of companies are launching bizarre space PR stunts, sending various products into orbit. They could fund NASA's future.
Science & Energy

Annoying PR Stunts Could Fund the Future of Space Travel

By Dan Robitzski

AI development firm OpenAI just released a stronger version of its fake news-writing AI system, GPT-2. Even more powerful models could be on the way soon.
OpenAI

OpenAI Just Released a New Version of Its Fake News-Writing AI

By Dan Robitzski

Physicists at the Argonne National Lab are about to use the Mira supercomputer to simulate the universe, perhaps helping them find dark energy and matter.
Physics

Scientists Will Use a Supercomputer to Simulate the Universe

By Dan Robitzski

Truck drivers in Missouri are trying to get self-driving trucks banned in the state over concerns that they would get automated out of a job.
Self-Driving Vehicles

Truckers Want to Ban Self-Driving Trucks in Missouri

By Dan Robitzski

The way we view old age could be hurting and stigmatizing a huge chunk of the population that's capable of doing much more than people tend to think.
Future Society

MIT Professor: “Old Age” Is Imaginary

By Dan Robitzski

The U.S. Space Command, the military's 11th united combatant command, will launch next week, according to Mike Pence's announcement.
Military

Officials: US Space Command Will Launch This Month

By Dan Robitzski

Newt Gingrich proposed a $2 billion contest for private companies to set up a settlement on the Moon. Elon Musk wants in.
Moon

Elon Musk Wants Newt Gingrich’s $2 Billion Moon Payout

By Dan Robitzski

U.S. Army General Paul Funk found that the Army is woefully unprepared for informational warfare in the future, and that logistical systems are outdated.
Military

This General Says the US Army Is Outgunned in Information Warfare

By Dan Robitzski

India's Chandrayaan 2 space probe is now orbiting around the Moon, putting it in position to attempt a landing in early September.
Science & Energy

India’s Space Probe Is Now Orbiting the Moon

By Dan Robitzski

Waymo confirmed that it's not interested in building its own self-driving cars. It's focused on developing the software to use in other companies' vehicles.
Self-Driving Vehicles

Waymo: Building Cars is a “Distraction” From Self-Driving Tech

By Dan Robitzski

Bernie Sanders just announced that he would ban police from using facial recognition tech if he wins in 2020 as part of a broader police reform.
Future Society

Bernie Sanders Vows to Ban Police From Using Facial Recognition

By Dan Robitzski

Astronomers found out that a potentially-habitable exoplanet can't support an atmosphere, ruling it and similar worlds out in the search for alien life.
Science & Energy

Astronomers Just Drastically Narrowed the Search for Alien Life

By Dan Robitzski

A new experiment looking for dark energy came back with nothing, helping scientists narrow down future searches for the mysterious force.
Energy

Experiment to Detect Dark Energy Turns Up Nothing

By Dan Robitzski

Elon Musk's proposal for terraforming Mars through sustained nuclear blasts would require detonating 3,500 bombs every day, with no margin for error.
Mars

Sorry, Elon: Terraforming Mars Would Take 3,500 Nukes per Day

By Dan Robitzski

Scientists found a less intensive, more effective cure against the most dangerous strain of tuberculosis, which infects 10 million every year.
RX and Medicine

We Have a Cure for the Deadliest Form of Tuberculosis

By Dan Robitzski

Scientists believe they spotted the supernova of the largest star to ever detonate, giving them a glimpse into the universe's past.
Science & Energy

This Is the Most Brutal Supernova in Recorded History

By Dan Robitzski

Elon Musk tweeted "Nuke Mars!" on Thursday, likely to double down on his ill-advised dream of terraforming the Red Planet through nuclear strikes.
Mars

Elon Musk Really, Really Wants to Nuke Mars

By Dan Robitzski

Facebook announced that it plans to extend its fact-checking program to Instagram, but it's not clear that checking memes will accomplish anything.
Future Society

Instagram Wants to Fact-Check Your Memes

By Dan Robitzski

During its debut flight, Norway's electric plane crash-landed into a lake. The country still hopes to electrify all domestic aircraft by 2040.
Advanced Transport

Norway’s New Electric Plane Crashes During Demo Flight

By Dan Robitzski

An army of clearly-fake "Amazon FC Ambassador" accounts once more flooded Twitter to brag about a job that offers great perks like "using a real bathroom."
Science & Energy

Those Obviously-Fake Amazon Warehouse Workers Are Still Tweeting

By Dan Robitzski

Amazon confirmed that those bizarre "fulfillment center ambassadors" on Twitter are actually real employees, not the bizarre chatbots that they sound like.
Future Society

Amazon: Those Bizarre Brand Ambassadors Are Real Employees

By Dan Robitzski

Now there's an AI assistant to help DJs pick songs for their sets in real time. It's unclear what, exactly, is left for the DJ to do.
Artificial Intelligence

If You Were Worried DJs Were Working Too Hard, This Idiotic AI Literally Picks Songs for Them

By Dan Robitzski

It turns out that the NSA, the secretive intelligence agency, uses the same version of the messaging app Slack as your office.
Future Society

The NSA Won’t Say Anything About Its Slack Account

By Dan Robitzski

Elon Musk has said that he hopes Neuralink will help people keep pace with future AI. But psychologist Susan Scheider warns that would be ill-advised.
Brain

Scientist: Merging Your Brain With AI Would Basically Be Suicide

By Dan Robitzski

Fraternities at Unversity of Texas are signing contracts with Tinder or Bumble to promote the app on campus in exchange for sponsored parties.
Future Society

Frats Are Signing “Exclusive Contracts” to Use Tinder or Bumble

By Dan Robitzski

Scientists suggest that Jupiter may have collided with and absorbed a giant protoplanet when the solar system was forming some 4.5 billion years ago.
Science & Energy

Jupiter May Have Absorbed a Smaller Planet

By Dan Robitzski

Comcast customers are finding it harder and harder to stay within their data caps as streaming technology and quality improves.
Science & Energy

Comcast Is Gouging People Who Watch Too Much Netflix

By Dan Robitzski

YouTubers who discuss LGBTQ issues are suing YouTube after finding that their videos get demonetized or age restricted on the site.
Future Society

LGBTQ YouTubers File Suit Over Discrimination

By Dan Robitzski

A report from Cambridge University warns of the risk of unregulated bioweapons that could target specific races by their DNA.
Science & Energy

Future Bioweapons Could Kill People With Specific DNA

By Dan Robitzski

The Atlantic: It’s Possible Dinosaurs Had a Whole Civilization
Science & Energy

The Atlantic: It’s Possible Dinosaurs Had a Whole Civilization

By Dan Robitzski

Facebook paid third-party contractors to write up transcriptions of user's conversations, despite the company's insistence that it doesn't record us.
Meta

Facebook Has Been Secretly Transcribing Your Conversations

By Dan Robitzski

A new survey reveals that teens tend to trust social media and YouTube personalities more than they do established news outlets.
Future Society

Teens Now Trust YouTubers More Than Journalists

By Dan Robitzski

Microplastic has been found in rainwater samples in the Rocky Mountains, suggesting that plastic pollution has spread much farther than expected.
Pollution

Rain Clouds Are Dropping Microplastic on the Rocky Mountains

By Dan Robitzski

Russia is sending a semi-autonomous, gun-savvy robot to the International Space Station next Thursday. They hope the Russian bot will help build Moon bases.
Robotics

Russia’s Gun-Shooting Robot Is Heading to the Space Station

By Dan Robitzski

During an episode of Joe Rogan's podcast, Bernie Sanders promised he'd tell the public about alien life if he was elected president.
Science & Energy

Bernie Sanders Tells Joe Rogan He’d Declassify Aliens as President

By Dan Robitzski

A new deepfake on YouTube brought some signature cartoony design elements back to Disney's new live-action "The Lion King" remake.
Artificial Intelligence

This Genius Used Deepfakes to “Fix” the New “The Lion King”

By Dan Robitzski

A new deepfake puts Tom Cruise's face onto Christian Bale's body from "American Psycho." It's a bizarre gray area in the realm of deepfake nudity.
Artificial Intelligence

Someone Deepfaked Tom Cruise Into The “American Psycho” Sex Scene

By Dan Robitzski

#globalwarning videos on Tik Tok show people slowly melting in the heat as global climate change gets worse and worse around them.
Climate Change

Climate Change Is Officially a TikTok Meme

By Dan Robitzski

Snap, Inc is about to release the third iteration of its AR glasses, Spectacles 3. It's extremely unclear who they're for.
Robots and Machines

Gadzooks! Snap Inc. Is Making a New Pair of Doomed AR Glasses

By Dan Robitzski

Scientists observed a neutron star "glitching" and rapidly accelerating. A look under the hood could finally explain why it happens.
Science & Energy

A Neutron Star “Glitched” — and Scientists Noticed Something Amazing

By Dan Robitzski

A cybersecurity company called Crown Sterling gave a bizarre, buzzword-filled talk at the cybersecurity conference Black Hat and got roasted to oblivion.
Science & Energy

Hackers Are Roasting a Terrible Sponsored Talk at Black Hat

By Dan Robitzski