Computing
The Hitchhiker, A Peace Conference and the Frequent E-mailer
Joan L. Cannon writes: She e-mails me several times a week. Most of them are edited, selected pieces of public information couched so as to elicit immediate fury or panic on the part of the reader. She is honestly afraid of every Muslim who sets foot in this country, or who is already here. She uses her out-of-context evidence with the convictions of a missionary. more »
Automatic Emergency Braking Systems Available From 10 Car Companies ... And Not Just Luxury Brands
Ten major vehicle manufacturers have committed to making automatic emergency braking (AEB) a standard feature on all new vehicles built, the US Department of Transportation, its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced last week. more »
Facial Recognition Technology: Commercial Uses, Privacy Issues and Applicable Federal Law
Facial recognition technology — which can verify or identify an individual from a facial image — has rapidly improved in performance and now can surpass human performance in some cases. The Department of Commerce has convened stakeholders to review privacy issues related to commercial use of this technology, which GAO was also asked to examine. This report examines (1) uses of facial recognition technology, (2) privacy issues that have been raised, (3) proposed best practices and industry privacy policies, and (4) potentially applicable privacy protections under federal law. more »
Just add water: A Computer That Operates On Water Droplets
Because of its universal nature, the droplet computer can theoretically perform any operation that a conventional electronic computer can crunch, although at significantly slower rates. Stanford Engineers, however, have a more ambitious application in mind. "Our goal is to build a completely new class of computers that can precisely control and manipulate physical matter." more »