Networking & Computing Technology News & Analysis

Amazon Opens Store Carrying Only Four-star Rated Products

Amazon is about to offer customers yet another way to shop — this time in an actual brick-and-mortar store bearing only the products from its site with four-star ratings and higher.

Online Bidder Scores Original Apple-I for $375,000

The first-ever product from Apple sold at auction for $375,000, according to reports.

Study: TV, Film Roles Underrepresent Women in STEM Careers

The Lyda Hill Foundation and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University have teamed up to create a new study on the way movies and TV portray women in STEM careers.

From Cloud Computing to Cloud Manufacturing

Cloud manufacturing (CMfg) is a new way for manufacturing companies to conduct business by utilizing tools such as cloud computing, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and the IoT. Combining these technologies permits the creation of self-service tools, increased production efficiency and real-time tracking and management of the manufacturing process - any time, from any place.

Video Game Fortnite Cited in Several Divorce Petitions in the U.K.

Popular survival video game Fortnite, along with a handful of other video games, has been cited as the reason for at least 200 divorce petitions filed in the U.K. since the beginning of 2018, according to reports.

IBM to Release Tool Designed to Detect AI Bias

Amid concerns that algorithms used by tech giants are unfair in their decision making, IBM is getting ready to launch a new tool designed to scan for signs of such bias.

Call for Code Hackathon Produces Disaster Preparedness Apps

How can computer code developers provide tools that significantly improve preparedness and relief efforts? Call for Code, a project led by creator David Clark Cause and founding partner IBM, seeks to answer this question.

Watch: A SMART Response to Natural Disasters

The Social Media Analytics and Reporting Toolkit (SMART) allows first responders to monitor social media posts to find people in need of help.

Boys Who Play Online Multiplayer Video Games Likely to Score Higher on Math Tests

Researchers from the University of British Columbia will make teenage boys jump for joy with the news that daily playing of multiplayer online video games scores them higher marks on math tests.

Video: Planning for Urban Emissions Control? There's a Google Tool for That

The Environmental Insights Explorer is a new online tool created to make it easier for cities to access, and act upon, climate-relevant data sets.

Biometric Tool Designed for Fingerprinting Infants

Technology capable of capturing the fingerprints of children and hours-old infants has been developed by researchers from the University of California San Diego.

European Parliament Passes Resolution Banning 'Killer Robots'

Following talks last month at the United Nations concerning the development and use of autonomous weapon systems, the European Parliament has passed a resolution to ban "killer robots.”

Buying Christmas Trees...Online

It’s true! You can buy just about anything off of the internet, and Amazon is doubling down with its latest offering.

Chevy Using Pre-recorded Messages from Loved Ones to Curb Distracted Driving

The power of familial guilt is immeasurable, and automaker Chevrolet is banking on that guilt to prevent episodes of distracted driving with a new app designed to curb smartphone use while driving.

Researchers Use AI, Immersion to Teach Chinese

Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have been at work developing a virtual reality experience that could teach users Mandarin.

Aflac Begins Rollout of Robot Ducks at Children's Cancer Hospitals

Robotic therapy ducks from Aflac are beginning to debut at children’s cancer hospitals in the United States in an effort to draw attention to National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Prejudice: Not Just for Humans, but for Robots Too

To demonstrate that prejudice can easily be taught to artificially intelligent machines, computer scientists and psychology experts from MIT and Cardiff University conducted a series of experiments where autonomous machines were instructed in copying, learning and identifying prejudice.

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