STEM

In the 1770s, America was a relatively low tech, agrarian society. But all that was about to change. So here, for your Independence Day reading pleasure, are the eight hottest tech trends circa 1776. Continue Reading →

Sometimes I walk into a room and say, “Alexa, what’s the temperature outside?” She answers by speaking the current temperature followed by an abbreviated weather report. She’s so human-like, I have to resist the temptation to say “Thank you” when she finishes. Importantly, Alexa is not a she; it is a component of Amazon's Echo natural language processing system. Amazon has anthropomorphized Echo with a female voice and a feminine name, which makes it easy to call Alexa a “she.” Should we be polite when we speak to it, or is it OK to be abrupt or even abusive? The device won’t care. It doesn't have feelings; but how will we teach our children to differentiate between machines that sound and act like people, and other disembodied voices that actually are people? Continue Reading →

We just used a few overeducated millennials and some open-source code to get a bunch of cognitive nonrepetitive workers fired. Which sucks! Incredibly, we didn’t use AI or machine learning to do it, just imagination and some free stuff. The bad news is that unless these people learn to do higher-value cognitive nonrepetitive work, they are not going to be employable. And the really bad news is that even if they do learn to do higher-value cognitive nonrepetitive work, when we start using machine learning and AI tools to do their jobs, they will actually be unemployable. Continue Reading →

Because the velocity of data is increasing and will always increase, the need for data literacy is increasing and will always increase. This does not mean that to be successful executive you have to become a data scientist -- quite the contrary. It means that in order to be a successful executive, you need to understand how data is turned into action, be familiar with the methods of data science and data scientific research, and be able to think strategically about how to use data to create value for your business. All other things being equal, there is a significant difference between being literate and being fluent. Continue Reading →

What made move 37 so interesting is that no one expected it. It was early in game two of the million-dollar Google DeepMind Challenge Match, and AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by Google, placed its 19th stone on a part of the game board that no human Go master would have considered. Some called it a "mistake." Others called it "creative" and "unique." But considering that AlphaGo went on to win its third game in a row against one of the strongest Go players in the world, the move should probably have been called what it really was: "intuitive." Continue Reading →

The 3D printing industry is doubling annually, and it will be huge at CES® 2016 (CES Tech West, Sands Level 2). According to Gartner, worldwide shipments of 3D printers will reach 496,475 units in 2016, up 103 percent year over year. Sales are expected to double every year, reaching 5.6 million units per year by 2019. You’ll find almost every type of 3D printer at CES. Here’s a quick guide to help you determine which 3D printing technology may have an immediate impact on your business, and if you’re thinking about buying one, which 3D printer might be right for you. Continue Reading →

A homemade digital clock and a homemade bomb might share several component parts. Both devices might include a timing circuit, a display, a power supply, some switches, a radio (WiFi, Bluetooth or RF), a bunch of wires and some kind of housing or case. There are, however, some nontrivial differences. As a rule, homemade digital clocks do not contain detonators or explosives. That said, a time bomb needs a timer, and a homemade digital clock would do that job nicely. So could you tell the difference between the two devices? Could you tell a clock from a bomb? Continue Reading →

In the 1770s, America was a relatively low tech, agrarian society. But all that was about to change. So here, for your Independence Day reading pleasure, are the seven hottest tech trends circa 1776. Continue Reading →

There is a lot more to check out at the Chicago Public Library than just books and periodicals. Continue Reading →

When she’s not building robotic arms to fix satellites in space, Natalie Panek is advocating for women in STEM and travelling the globe, exploring remote destinations with nothing but a stunning backdrop, challenging terrain, and herself. Continue Reading →