Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/18/18

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

One of the big arguments in favor of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is that machines have no emotions and hence no biases. The first assertion is true – at least so far – but the part about having no biases? Maybe not so true because, after all, machines are programmed, at least initially, by people and people, unlike machines, do have emotions. As AI becomes more and more ubiquitous in our everyday lives, it seems like a good idea to think about just how unbiased machines really are.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/11/18

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Most of us feel that we are living in a time of rapid change, and change in the tech realm seems to always be accelerating. In a day to day way, it seems impossible to keep up with the details of those tech changes. If we look down the road some, however, it may be possible to get an idea of what life may be like in the future without trying to comprehend the day to day details we are immersed in now. So here are a couple of things that may well be part of everyday life in the 2030’s.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/20/18

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

We are more and more becoming a convenience based society and technology has a lot to do with that. Many cities, schools, and even software developers seem to be offering free access to conveniences like wifi access everywhere. But what does “free” really mean these days? A second look at New York’s NYCLink kiosk system may provide some hints.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/13/18

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Voting Security

Voting security in the digital age is much in the public eye these days, especially with an important election coming up. The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine just released a Consensus Report entitled “Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy”(https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25120/securing-the-vote-protecting-american-democracy). It’s definitely worth a read. Just in case you don’t have a chance to read it, here are some of the highlights from that report. They deserve our attention – and our action.

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