How the Govt hides surveillance, Cats that predict your death, The fall of Uber
A couple of big pieces came out this week — the Uber post was enlightening but I have to say, I’m not surprised. Quite a varied newsletter this week — enjoy!
Society and Culture
The most valuable military real estate in the world — POLITICO — www.politico.eu
Interesting quote: As new powers rise and the formerly hegemonic West loses relative power, we are entering the first period in human history in which modern technology will be combined with a chaotic international arena, in which no single actor or group of actor is capable of imposing order.
Life Lessons From Chinese Children’s Books Differ From Those In The U.S. : Goats and Soda : NPR — www.npr.org
Really interesting study on the lessons/values promoted in children’s books in China vs USA/Mexico. Guess the morale of the stories for each country before you click.
The Tiny Ikea of the Future, Without Meatballs or Showroom Mazes — Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com
The world’s biggest furniture retailer wants younger shoppers who don’t drive — looks pretty slick.
Exclusive: Tracing ISIS’ Weapons Supply Chain — Back to the US | WIRED — www.wired.com
The Islamic State is designing and mass-producing its own advanced munitions — with parts from all over the world.
Artificial Intelligence
Having A Heart Attack? This AI Helps Emergency Dispatchers Find Out — www.fastcompany.com
This shows the power of AI — being able to use speech recognition software to transcribe a conversation and assess the severity of the situation, while alerting the dispatcher in real-time; pretty incredible.
This Cat Sensed Death. What if Computers Could, Too? — The New York Times — www.nytimes.com
Ah, the famous Oscar: this cat used to curl up alongside people who were going to die imminently. It was right 100% of the time. In the future, could an algorithm predict the same?
Technology
The Fall of Travis Kalanick Was a Lot Weirder and Darker Than You Thought — Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com
A very revealing insight into the behind-the-scenes battlefield at Uber over the past year.
How the Government Hides Secret Surveillance Programs | WIRED — www.wired.com
A new report from Human Rights Watch sheds light on a troubling law enforcement practice called “parallel construction.”
The Photo Desk Galleries on Flipboard — flipboard.com
A gallery for all the new gadgets launched at CES.
