tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35089469071741888192024-03-13T20:35:46.395+01:00Albert Arnó blogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-50743203860725999522019-02-23T11:13:00.001+01:002019-02-23T11:13:12.189+01:00Update regulations on medical AI, experts plead<p>The field of medicine is, like other industries and disciplines, in the process of incorporating AI as a standard tool, and it stands to be immensely useful — <em>if</em> it’s properly regulated, argue researchers. Without meaningful and standardized rules, it will be difficult to quantify benefits or prevent disasters issuing from systematic bias or poor implementation.</p>
<p>AI tools, or to be precise, machine learning agents trained to sift through medical data, are popping up in every room in the hospital, from the x-ray machine to the ICU. A well-trained model may spot an anomaly on a lung scan, or hear arrhythmia in a resting patient, faster or more reliably than a nurse or doctor.</p>
<p>At least that’s the theory; and while there’s no reason to doubt that an AI could be very helpful and even save lives, these models amount to medical treatments and must be documented and tested with especial rigor. So say Ravi B. Parikh, Ziad Obermeyer and Amol S. Navathe, from the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley and the Crescencz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia respectively.</p>
<p>“Regulatory standards for assessing algorithms’ safety and impact have not existed until recently. Furthermore, evaluations of these algorithms, which are not as readily understandable by clinicians as previous algorithms, are not held to traditional clinical trial standards,” they write in <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6429/810">an editorial published in the journal Science</a>.</p>
<p>“Unlike a drug or device, algorithms are not static products. Their inputs, often based on thousands of variables, can change with context. And their predictive performance may change over time as the algorithm is exposed to more data.”</p>
<p>Nevertheless the FDA has partially approved a system called the WAVE Clinical Platform, which watches vitals for trouble. But if WAVE and others like it are truly to provide ongoing service they need to be assessed on standards created with AI models in mind.</p>
<p>Naturally the authors did not propose this without examples, which they list and describe, summarized as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Meaningful endpoints</strong>:</li>
<li><strong>Appropriate benchmarks</strong>:</li>
<li><strong>Interoperability and generalization</strong>:</li>
<li><strong>Specific interventions</strong>:</li>
<li><strong>Structured auditing</strong>:</li>
</ol>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-60747572726999777152019-02-19T15:15:00.001+01:002019-02-19T15:15:06.605+01:00Scientists use CRISPR to make stem cells invisible to immune system<img src="https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?crop=8000%2C4407%2C0%2C0&quality=85&format=jpg&resize=1600%2C881&image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-images%2F2019-02%2Fe99b4dc0-338f-11e9-ad57-beea447b30ec&client=a1acac3e1b3290917d92&signature=208d89ef4d333063d6a07710a8e3aa39752f5612" />Scientists at the University of California San Francisco have developed a new method to minimize the likelihood that a person's body will reject stem cells during a transplant. Using the CRISPR gene editing tools, the scientists managed to create ste...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-43703149561960343782019-02-13T16:23:00.001+01:002019-02-13T16:23:01.099+01:00Save the date and save a bundle on Disrupt SF 2019<p>Mark your calendars startup fans, because Disrupt is returning to the beautiful City by the Bay to host TechCrunch’s flagship event, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/events/disrupt-sf-2019/">Disrupt SF 2019</a>, October 2-4 at the <a href="https://www.moscone.com/site/do/index">Moscone North Convention Center</a>. It may only be February, but it’s never too early to save the date — or save a bundle. Planning pays off and, in this case, it pays in the form of cold, hard cash.</p>
<p>Simply register your interest by <a href="http://info.techcrunch.com/disruptsf19_landingpage.html">signing up for our mailing list</a> and you’ll save an extra $500 on your Disrupt SF 2019 passes when the official registration opens next month. How sweet is that?</p>
<p>Last year’s Disrupt SF — TechCrunch’s largest ever — was epic by any measure, and we’re hard at work to make this year even better. Be on the lookout for more details in the coming weeks and months, but here’s a taste of what you can expect.</p>
<p><a href="https://techcrunch.com/startup-battlefield/">Startup Battlefield</a>, the world-renowned startup competition, returns — and so does $100,000 in prize money for one extraordinary early-stage startup. Last year, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/05/forethought-looks-to-reshape-enterprise-search-with-ai/">Forethought</a> took home $100K. Will your startup be the next? Keep your eyes on the site for your chance to apply and compete for the cash, the coveted Disrupt Cup and a ton of media and investor attention.</p>
<p>The Startup Alley exhibit hall — the heart and soul of Disrupt — will feature hundreds of early-stage startups demonstrating innovative tech and talent. Exhibiting startups cross a wide range of technologies, with a special focus on these tracks: Artificial Intelligence, Augmented/Virtual Reality, Blockchain, Biotech/Healthtech, Fintech, Gaming, Investor Topics, Justice/Diversity, Mobility, Privacy/Security, E-commerce/Retail and Robotics.</p>
<p>You’ll also find the hand-selected <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/12/announcing-the-tc-top-picks-for-disrupt-sf-2018/">TC Top Picks</a> camped out in the Alley. Do you have what it takes to be a TC Top Pick? Watch the site for your chance to apply. Here’s another reason to stay tuned; we’re planning to give away free Startup Alley exhibitor packages through our Top Picks program.</p>
<p>The Hack is back. That’s right, the TechCrunch on-site Hackathon returns to run simultaneously alongside Disrupt SF 2019. Hundreds of developers, engineers, students, marketers and makers form teams and spend the first two days of Disrupt coding and hacking their way to a new software product. Cash prizes will be awarded for the best overall hack, and there will be plenty of other sponsored hack contests, cash prizes, swag — and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.</p>
<p>There’s your taste of <a href="https://techcrunch.com/events/disrupt-sf-2019/">Disrupt SF 2019</a>. Be sure to save the date — October 2-4 at Moscone North — and <a href="http://info.techcrunch.com/disruptsf19_landingpage.html">sign up for our mailing list</a>. That one simple act will trim $500 off the price of your exhibit pass when registration opens. It’s the easiest bundle you’ll ever save.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-78765196216043118032019-02-11T21:36:00.001+01:002019-02-11T21:36:04.661+01:00New Google Docs toolkit can automate tasks<img src="https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?crop=4500%2C2912%2C0%2C0&quality=85&format=jpg&resize=1600%2C1035&image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-images%2F2019-02%2F72fe2670-2e2f-11e9-bbec-b66fae0c7a35&client=a1acac3e1b3290917d92&signature=f478b785968b8e62780c760f8aeef24ab2c1c74c" />Are you tired of having to wade through Google Docs files, or make countless changes to templates every time you want to use them? Google might soon bring relief. It's officially launching a Google Docs programming interface that lets developers auto...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-2570265448598631272019-02-08T09:29:00.001+01:002019-02-08T09:29:58.758+01:00Big Data Approach Shown to be Effective for Evaluating Autism Treatments<div>Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who developed a blood test to help diagnose autism spectrum disorder have now successfully applied their distinctive big data-based approach to evaluating possible treatments. The findings, recently published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, have the potential to accelerate the development of successful medical interventions.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-54241074569639055942019-02-05T07:32:00.001+01:002019-02-05T07:32:58.506+01:00Why Bluetooth 5.1 Will Make it Easier to Find Your Missing Car KeysAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-32459457548743917682018-12-01T14:59:00.001+01:002018-12-01T14:59:42.393+01:00Scientists Propose New Way to Treat Depression With Brain ImplantsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-16893050567459981032018-11-09T11:36:00.001+01:002018-11-09T11:36:23.642+01:00Georgia’s secretary of state Brian Kemp doxes thousands of absentee voters<p>Georgia’s secretary of state and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/georgia-governor-kemp-abrams/575095/">candidate for state governor in the midterm election</a>, Brian Kemp, has taken the unusual, if not unprecedented step of posting the personal details of 291,164 absentee voters online for anyone to download.</p>
<p>Kemp’s office posted an Excel file <a href="http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/november_6_2018_general_election_absentee_ballot_return_data">on its website</a> within hours of the results of the general election, exposing the names and addresses of state residents who mailed in an absentee ballot — including their reason why, such as if a person is “disabled” or “elderly.”</p>
<p>People on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/hooper_x/status/1060266714875789315">quickly noticed</a>, expressing anger.</p>
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<blockquote data-width="550" class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr" xml:lang="en"><a href="https://t.co/1yqmo5dF92">https://t.co/1yqmo5dF92</a></p>
<p>Brian Kemp is so good at his job as GA's secretary of state that he just posted the full names and addresses of everyone who filed an absentee ballot. I don't even know who to tag in this. <a href="https://twitter.com/brooklynmarie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brooklynmarie</a> plz advise.</p>
<p>— macho ayn randy savage (@hooper_x) <a href="https://twitter.com/hooper_x/status/1060266714875789315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2018</a></p>
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<p>The file, according to the web page, allows Georgia residents to “check the status of your mail-in absentee ballot.” Millions of Americans across the country <a href="http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/Elections/absentee_voting_in_georgia">mail in their completed ballots</a> ahead of election day, particularly if getting to a polling place is difficult — such as if a person is disabled, elderly or traveling.</p>
<p>When reached, Georgia secretary of state’s press secretary Candice Broce told TechCrunch that all of the data “is clearly designated as public information under state law,” and denied that the data was “confidential or sensitive.”</p>
<p>“State law requires the public availability of voter lists, including names and address of registered voters,” she said in an email.</p>
<p>That might be technically true. Voter and electoral roll data is public and available, usually for a fee, though rules vary state by state. Names and addresses of voters can be requested from each state’s electoral commission or secretary of state’s office. Political analytics firms <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/23/millions-of-texas-voter-records-exposed-online/">often taken this data</a> and supplement it with their own polling data to try to determine potential swing voters.</p>
<p>State laws put heavy restrictions on what can be done with voter data; rules that may not apply to the general public who can now just readily download hundreds of thousands of voter records.</p>
<p>It’s little surprise that the way Kemp’s office approached confirming absentee ballots was met with anger.</p>
<p>“While the data may already be public, it is not publicly available in aggregate like this,” said security expert Jake Williams, founder of Rendition Infosec, who lives in Georgia. Williams took issue with the reasons that the state gave for each absentee ballot, saying it “could be used by criminals to target currently unoccupied properties.”</p>
<p>“Releasing this data in aggregate could be seen as suppressing future absentee voters in Georgia who do not want their information released in this manner,” he said.</p>
<p>Not long after TechCrunch’s inquiry, the link to the downloadable file had been removed from the website.</p>
<p>Republican candidate for governor Kemp — at the time of writing — received 50.3 percent of the vote on Tuesday, ahead of Democratic rival Stacey Abrams, who currently serves as the minority leader in the state’s House of Representatives.</p>
<p>Kemp, who as secretary of state effectively runs the state’s elections despite running in one, has been <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/11/07/brian-kemp-voter-suppression-georgia/tcycVrH5m0pJ9SQC7XwiWP/story.html">accused of voter suppression</a> in recent weeks, including accusing the Democrats of <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/brian-kemp-georgia-democrats-hacking-claim/">hacking his office’s election systems</a>, citing no evidence. It’s not the first time he’s pulled the hacking card — Kemp tried a similar move <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/11/5/18065258/georgia-governor-race-brian-kemp-stacey-abrams-hacking-democrats-accusations">two years ago</a>.</p>
<p>Kemp was also responsible for purging the voter records of <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/georgias-brian-kemp-urged-to-resign-over-black-voter-suppression-allegations">more than 50,000 minority voters</a> ahead of this week’s elections.</p>
<p>Abrams has refused to concede in the race for governor, amid hopes of a runoff.</p>
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<p><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/23/millions-of-texas-voter-records-exposed-online/">Millions of Texas voter records exposed online</a></p>
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<p><iframe data-secret="a0wCSJ78Nr" src="https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/23/millions-of-texas-voter-records-exposed-online/embed/#?secret=a0wCSJ78Nr" title="“Millions of Texas voter records exposed online” — TechCrunch" width="800" class="wp-embedded-content" height="450"></iframe></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-74722384852363237312018-11-07T10:44:00.001+01:002018-11-07T10:44:10.445+01:00Empowering Healthcare Through Technology and InnovationsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-84019559132131515932018-08-14T08:33:00.001+02:002018-08-14T08:33:01.254+02:00Amazon may have to drop next-day delivery claim in UKAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-58599793691789630332018-08-14T08:30:00.001+02:002018-08-14T08:30:30.790+02:00Observe.AI raises $8M to use artificial intelligence to improve call centers<p>Being stuck on the phone with call centers is painful. We all know this. <a href="https://observe.ai">Observe.AI</a> is one company that wants to make the experience more bearable, and <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180813005422/en/Observe.AI-Secures-8-Million-Series-Voice-AI">it’s raised $8 million</a> to develop an artificial intelligence system that it believes will do just that.</p>
<p>The funding round was led by <a data-entity="nexus-venture-partners" href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/nexus-venture-partners/" data-type="organization" target="_blank">Nexus Venture Partners,</a> with participation from MGV, Liquid 2 Ventures and Hack VC. Existing investors Emergent Ventures and <a data-entity="y-combinator" href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/y-combinator/" data-type="organization" target="_blank">Y Combinator</a> also took part — Observe.AI was part of the YC’s winter 2018 batch.</p>
<p>The India-U.S. startup was founded last year with the goal of solving a very personal problem for founders Swapnil Jain (CEO), Akash Singh (CTO) and Sharath Keshava (CRO): making call centers better. But, unlike most AI products that offer the potential to fully replace human workforces, Observe.AI is setting out to help the humble customer service agent.</p>
<p>The company’s first product is an AI that assists call center workers by automating a range of tasks, from auto-completing forms for customers to guiding them on next steps in-call and helping find information quickly. Jain told TechCrunch in an interview that the product was developed following months of consultation with call center companies and their staff, both senior and junior. That included a stint in Manila, one of the world’s capitals for offshoring customer services and a city well known to Keshava, who helped healthcare startup Practo launch its business in the Philippines’ capital.</p>
<p>That effort to know call center operates directly has also shaped how Observe.AI is pitching its services. Rather than going to companies, it is tapping the root of the tree by offering its services to the call centers who manage customer support for well-known businesses behind the curtain. Uber, for example, is one of many to use Philippines-based support centers, but the Observe.AI thesis is that going directly to the source is easier than navigating large companies for business.</p>
<p>One such partner is <a href="https://www.concentrix.com/">Concentrix</a>, one of the world’s largest customer support providers with over 100,000 staff and offices dotted around the globe, while the startup said it has tapped Philippines telco PLDT for infrastructure.</p>
<p>In addition to helping understand the problems and generating business, working directly with these companies also gives Observe.AI access to and use of data, which is essential for developing any AI and natural language processing-based systems.</p>
<p><img alt="" width="680" src="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Screenshot-2018-08-13-19.18.51.png?w=680" class="wp-image-1690396" height="510" /></p>
<p>Beyond improving its customer service assistant — which Jain likens to an ‘Alexa for call centers’ — Observe.AI is working to develop a virtual assistant of its own that can handle the more basic and repetitive calls from customers to help free up agents for callers who need a human on the other end of the line.</p>
<p>“We aim to eventually automate a large part of the call center experience,” Jain explained in an interview. “A good set [of customer calls] are complex but a large set can be fairly automated as they are simple in nature.”</p>
<p>The startup is aiming to introduce ‘voicebots’ before March 2020, with a beta launch targeted at the end of 2019.</p>
<p>“The kind of company that will disrupt call centers will come from the east — we truly understand the call center life,” Jain told TechCrunch.</p>
<p>He explained that, while Silicon Valley is a hotbed for tech development, understanding the problems that need to be solved requires spending time in markets like India and the Philippines.</p>
<p>“That knowledge is super, super valuable… someone in the U.S. can’t even think about it,” he added.</p>
<p>That said, Observe.AI is headquartered in the U.S., in Santa Clara. That’s where Keshava, the company CRO, is based with a growing team that is dedicated pre- and post-sales and to building relationships with major software platforms used by call center companies. The idea with the latter is that they can provide an avenue into new business by working with Observe.AI to add AI smarts to their product.</p>
<p>In one such example, <a href="https://www.talkdesk.com/">Talkdesk</a>, a U.S. startup that offers cloud-based contact center services, has added Observe.AI’s services to what it offers to its customers. <a data-entity="talkdesk" href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/talkdesk/" data-type="organization" target="_blank">Talkdesk</a> CEO Tiago Paiva called the addition “a huge opportunity for call center efficiency and improving the caller experience.”</p>
<p>The startup’s India-based team is in Bangalore and it handles technology, which includes the machine learning component. Total headcount is 16 people right now but the founding team expects that will at least double before the end of this year.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-52867254527699403002018-06-10T22:06:00.001+02:002018-06-10T22:06:04.558+02:00‘FIFA 19’ has a lot more to offer than just Champions LeagueAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-83697532396133095782018-05-23T09:16:00.001+02:002018-05-23T09:16:12.517+02:00Bill Gates Names 5 Books You Should Read This Summer<div>
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<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwGbwYAfSmg"><img border="0" width="320" src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/pwGbwYAfSmg/default.jpg" /></a></p>
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<p>It's something of a tradition. Every summer, philanthropist/Microsoft founder <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates">Bill Gates</a> recommends five books to read during the slow summer months. This year's list, <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Summer-Books-2018?WT.mc_id=05_21_2018_08_SummerBooks2018_BG-EMH_&WT.tsrc=BGEMH">he tells us</a>, wrestles with some big questions: "What makes a genius tick? Why do bad things happen to good people? Where does humanity come from, and where are we headed?"</p>
<p>And now, without no further ado, here's Bill's list for 2018. The text below is his, not mine:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a rel="noopener" href="https://amzn.to/2wWvnFo" target="_blank"><em>Leonardo da Vinci</em>, by Walter Isaacson</a>. I think Leonardo was one of the most fascinating people ever. Although today he’s best known as a painter, Leonardo had an absurdly wide range of interests, from human anatomy to the theater. Isaacson does the best job I’ve seen of pulling together the different strands of Leonardo’s life and explaining what made him so exceptional. A worthy follow-up to Isaacson’s great biographies of Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs. [Read <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Leonardo-da-Vinci">his blog post on the book here.</a>]</p>
<p><a rel="noopener" href="https://amzn.to/2KGMQnu" target="_blank"><em>Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved</em>, by Kate Bowler</a>. When Bowler, a professor at Duke Divinity School, is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, she sets out to understand why it happened. Is it a test of her character? The result is a heartbreaking, surprisingly funny memoir about faith and coming to grips with your own mortality. [Read <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Everything-Happens-for-a-Reason">his blog post on the book here</a>.]</p>
<p><a rel="noopener" href="https://amzn.to/2GFvuVv" target="_blank"><em>Lincoln in the Bardo</em>, by George Saunders</a>. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about Abraham Lincoln, but this novel made me rethink parts of his life. It blends historical facts from the Civil War with fantastical elements—it’s basically a long conversation among 166 ghosts, including Lincoln’s deceased son. I got new insight into the way Lincoln must have been crushed by the weight of both grief and responsibility. This is one of those fascinating, ambiguous books you’ll want to discuss with a friend when you’re done. [Read <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Lincoln-in-the-Bardo">his blog post on this book here</a>.]</p>
<p><a rel="noopener" href="https://amzn.to/2IAZ0xy" target="_blank"><em>Origin Story: A Big History of Everything</em>, by David Christian</a>. David created my favorite course of all time, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home" target="_blank">Big History</a>. It tells the story of the universe from the big bang to today’s complex societies, weaving together insights and evidence from various disciplines into a single narrative. If you haven’t taken Big History yet, <em>Origin Story</em> is a great introduction. If you have, it’s a great refresher. Either way, the book will leave you with a greater appreciation of humanity’s place in the universe. [Read <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Origin-Story">his blog post on this book here</a>.]</p>
<p><a rel="noopener" href="https://amzn.to/2IXWDYY" target="_blank"><em>Factfulness</em>, by Hans Rosling, with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund</a>. I’ve been recommending this book since the day it came out. Hans, the brilliant global-health lecturer who died last year, gives you a breakthrough way of understanding basic truths about the world—how life is getting better, and where the world still needs to improve. And he weaves in unforgettable anecdotes from his life. It’s a fitting final word from a brilliant man, and one of the best books I’ve ever read. [Read <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Factfulness">his blog post on this book here.</a>]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can find Gate's reading lists from previous summers in the Relateds below.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Summer-Books-2018?WT.mc_id=05_21_2018_08_SummerBooks2018_BG-EMH_&WT.tsrc=BGEMH">via Gates Notes</a></p>
<p><strong>Related Content:</strong></p>
<p><a rel="bookmark" href="http://www.openculture.com/2017/06/bill-gates-recommends-five-books-for-summer-2017.html" title="Permanent Link to Bill Gates Recommends Five Books for Summer 2017">Bill Gates Recommends Five Books for Summer 2017</a></p>
<p><a rel="bookmark" href="http://www.openculture.com/2016/05/5-books-bill-gates-wants-you-to-read-this-summer.html" title="Permanent Link to 5 Books Bill Gates Wants You to Read This Summer">5 Books Bill Gates Wants You to Read This Summer (2016)</a></p>
<p><a rel="bookmark" href="http://www.openculture.com/2016/01/bill-gates-book-critic-names-his-top-5-books-of-2015.html" title="Permanent Link to Bill Gates, Book Critic, Names His Top 5 Books of 2015">Bill Gates, Book Critic, Names His Top 5 Books of 2015</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/6-Books-I-Would-Recommend-Summer-Reading">Summer 2014</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Summer-Reading-List-2013">Summer 2013</a></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.openculture.com/2018/05/bill-gates-names-5-books-you-should-read-this-summer.html">Bill Gates Names 5 Books You Should Read This Summer</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.openculture.com">Open Culture</a>. Follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/openculture">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/openculture">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://plus.google.com/108579751001953501160/posts">Google Plus</a>, or get our <a href="http://www.openculture.com/dailyemail">Daily Email</a>. And don't miss our big collections of <a href="http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses">Free Online Courses</a>, <a href="http://www.openculture.com/freemoviesonline">Free Online Movies</a>, <a href="http://www.openculture.com/free_ebooks">Free eBooks</a>, <a href="http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks">Free Audio Books</a>, <a href="http://www.openculture.com/freelanguagelessons">Free Foreign Language Lessons</a>, and <a href="http://www.openculture.com/free_certificate_courses">MOOCs</a>.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-82805057889951979282018-05-10T09:58:00.001+02:002018-05-10T09:58:16.300+02:00Buoy Health, CVS MinuteClinic partner to send patients from chatbot to care<div>
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<p><img alt="" src="http://www.mobihealthnews.com/sites/default/files/u306/Buoy%20Health%20inline.png" />Buoy Health, which offers an AI-powered tool that serves to help people understand potential health problems, announced a partnership with CVS MinuteClinic.</p>
<p>When users go through Buoy Health’s online or app-based chatbot interface, if the suggested possible diagnoses lend themselves to treatment at one of the 1,100 MinuteClinics around the United States, the app will do two things. First, it will use GPS to locate the nearest MinuteClinic, and second, it will offer to hold a place in line for the user.</p>
<p>“We’re still figuring out all the nuts and bolts of the commercial arrangement,” Dr. Andrew Le, CEO of Buoy Health, told MobiHealthNews. “This is the first small bite that we’re taking. But we really feel there are mutual benefits for us. We’re enabling a better patient experience, as is CVS. We’re helping bring affordable care to as many patients as possible. What we’re doing is trying to keep patients out of the ER when not appropriate, out of urgent care when not appropriate. So as an affordable place for those patients to land, the MinuteClinic is a really obvious and really nice place for people to get care.”</p>
<p>Obviously the partnership will also benefit CVS by sending individuals to the MinuteClinic who otherwise might not think of it.</p>
<p>“CVS Health is committed to helping people on their path to better care. We do so by providing high-quality health care services that are convenient, affordable, and accessible for patients,” Dr. Troyen A. Brennan, EVP and chief medical officer at CVS Health, said in a statement. “Entering into a relationship with a health-tech innovator like Buoy to connect their experience to our nationwide network of MinuteClinic providers gives us the opportunity to provide affordable care at times and locations that work best for the patients who utilize this innovative technology.”</p>
<p>Buoy Health <a href="http://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/digital-health-startup-buoy-launches-ai-powered-symptom-checking-chatbot"><strong>launched in March 2017</strong></a> and <a href="http://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/buoy-health-gets-67m-plans-work-payers-providers"><strong>raised $6.7 million in August</strong></a>. Le says the company has seen significant traction in the meantime.</p>
<p>“By the end of [2017] we actually hit about two and a half million visitors to the site, which we were really excited about,” he said. “Even more exciting is our growth in 2018. This year we’re actually on pace for somewhere between 25 and 50 million visitors to the site.”</p>
<p>What’s more, the visitors capture an interesting segment of the market, gathering data on patients in the early stages of symptoms that can then be used to train Buoy’s machine learning algorithm to be even better.</p>
<p>“What’s interesting is that 65 percent of our users have had symptoms for less than 12 hours when they come to Buoy,” Le said. “Data on how symptoms evolve, that kind of data just doesn’t exist. So as we see patients we’re capturing a snapshot of suffering that’s really unique and interesting for us.”</p>
<p>Le says MinuteClinic is a first step: the company hopes eventually to be able to automatically refer users to a number of different services based on their particular needs.</p>
<p>“We’re going to continue to partner with innovative providers and payers across the country to help patients who have different severity levels find that type of care,” he said. “Whether it’s emergency care, or primary care, or a weight loss program, or behavioral health, all those other services we’re going to continue to partner such that people can really count on coming to Buoy, understanding what to do, and then enabling them to do it. So this is kind of our first step in doing so.”</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-1906396662307428352018-01-30T18:01:00.001+01:002018-01-30T18:01:06.206+01:00What If Amazon Ran Hospitals?What if Dr. Alexa offered you the next appointment with your doctor in the Amazon Clinic? What if you could buy your prescription drugs in Amazon’s online pharmacy? What if you could get your...<br />
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Visit my blog to read the whole article and other news about the future of medicine!
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-6929627861529046082018-01-24T10:05:00.001+01:002018-01-24T10:05:09.582+01:00Comprehensive, open tutorial on using data analysis in social science research<div>
<div id="story">
<p>Benjamin Mako Hill (<a href="https://boingboing.net/?s=%22mako.cc%22">previously</a>) collaborated with colleagues involved in critical technology studies to write a <a href="https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-sage-handbook-of-social-media/book245739">textbook chapter</a> analyzing the use of computational methods in social science and providing advice for social scientists who want to delve into data-based social science.</p>
<span id="more-568740"></span>
<p>Their chapter is open access, and starts with a history of modern data-driven social science research, from its early days in social network analysis to the contemporary world of consumer analysis and public health research.</p>
<p>But the chapter primarily serves as a tutorial for using data methods with in your own social science research, with extensive code examples and practical advice.</p>
<p>You're invited to improve the paper <a href="https://code.communitydata.cc/social-media-chapter.git">and check your changes into the Github repo for it</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Abstract<br />
Data from social media platforms and online communities
have fueled the growth of computational social science. In this chapter, we use computational analysis to characterize the state of research
on social media and demonstrate the utility of such methods. First,
we discuss how to obtain datasets from the APIs published by many
social media platforms. Then, we perform some of the most widely
used computational analyses on a dataset of social media scholarship we
extract from the Scopus bibliographic database’s API. We apply three
methods: network analysis, topic modeling using latent Dirichlet allocation, and statistical prediction using machine learning. For each technique, we explain the method and demonstrate how it can be used to
draw insights from our dataset. Our analyses reveal overlapping scholarly communities studying social media. We find that early social me-
dia research applied social network analysis and quantitative methods,
but the most cited and influential work has come from marketing and
medical research. We also find that publication venue and, to a lesser
degree, textual features of papers explain the largest variation in incoming citations. We conclude with some consideration of the limitations
of computational research and future directions.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://mako.cc/copyrighteous/introducing-computational-methods-to-social-media-scientists">Introducing Computational Methods to Social Media Scientists</a> [Benjamin Mako Hill]</p>
<p><a href="https://mako.cc/academic/foote_shaw_hill-computational_analysis_of_social_media.pdf">A Computational Analysis of Social Media Scholarship</a> [Jeremy Foote, Aaron Shaw and Benjamin Mako Hill]</p>
<p><a href="https://communitydata.cc/social-media-chapter/">Software and data for "A Computational Analysis of Social Media Scholarship"</a> [Jeremy Foote, Aaron Shaw and Benjamin Mako Hill]</p>
<p>(<i>via <a href="https://www.oreilly.com/ideas">4 Short Links</a></i>)</p>
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<p>NHS Digital has issued guidance to the independent authorities and businesses that make up the UK's National Health Service, setting out the case for storing extremely sensitive patient data on public cloud servers.</p>
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<p>In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen has held power since 1998, a reign characterized by systematic looting, political patronage and violent suppression of human rights; when opposition parties used Facebook to organize a strong showing in the 2013 elections, Hun Sen turned to the tool to consolidate his slipping hold on power.</p>
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<p>Participants in a VRChat room watched as the avatar of one of the participants appeared to go into a grand mal seizure, accompanied by distressed sounds audible through the voice-chat.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-25405562836460646952018-01-15T22:06:00.001+01:002018-01-15T22:06:17.845+01:00Researchers develop a remote-controlled cancer immunotherapy system<div>A team of researchers has developed an ultrasound-based system that can non-invasively and remotely control genetic processes in live immune T cells so that they recognize and kill cancer cells. There is a critical need to non-invasively and remotely manipulate cells at a distance, particularly for translational applications in animals and humans, researchers said.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-63467427294852416442017-12-29T21:04:00.001+01:002017-12-29T21:04:37.637+01:00Is Video Game Addiction Unscientific Bullshit?<img src="http://my.onmedic.com/2zMakBH" />
<p>The World Health Organization is on the verge of officially recognizing a phenomenon that researchers have been <a rel="noopener" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2CbHqAU" target="_blank">studying</a> since the Super Nintendo era: video game addiction. Scientists and public health advocates who back the move say that compulsive video-game playing is a discrete disorder that can seriously damage a…</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-84474229884439336782017-12-25T16:37:00.001+01:002017-12-25T16:37:08.269+01:0012 things you may have missed from Google this yearAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-53210548663709728052017-12-20T09:17:00.001+01:002017-12-20T09:17:20.402+01:00Twitter launches a new enterprise API to power customer service and chatbots<div>
<div class="article-entry text"><img src="http://my.onmedic.com/2oVi444" class="" />
<p id="speakable-summary">Twitter’s big news this week is its <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2Devc7k">announcement</a> that it’s now enforcing its new policies around hateful content and abuse, but today the company is rolling out something new for developers, as well: an enterprise-level API providing access to real-time activities like tweets, retweets, likes and follows.</p>
<p>The addition of the API is part of Twitter’s <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2oV4mOG">broader plan to revamp and expand its API platform</a>, announced this April. Similar to how Twitter is now trying to make things right with its user base -who have too often been the victims of harassment, abuse, hate, and threats of violence – the company has been trying to reset relations with its developer community, too.</p>
<p>Over the years, Twitter has pulled the rug out from underneath developers’ feet too often. For example, it used to encourage third-party apps, then it began <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2DcidDb" rel="noopener">restricting them</a>. It hosted developer conferences, then it <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2oRW2iy" rel="noopener">killed them.</a> And it once offered a suite of developer tools, <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2DbMFgT" rel="noopener">only to turn around and sell them.</a></p>
<p>This year, Twitter aimed to turn things around by <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2oV4mOG">streamlining</a> its API platform, while taking full advantage of its investment in Gnip. This included the launch of new APIs and endpoints for developers, as well as a published roadmap in an effort to boost transparency around its developer-focused efforts.</p>
<p>Today’s news of the new enterprise Account Activity API is a part of those promised changes.</p>
<p>Specifically, the API is designed to help developers build apps that can power customer service, chatbots and brand engagement on Twitter, the company says – an area Twitter has been increasingly invested in this year.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1579754" src="http://my.onmedic.com/2oRVKIu" alt="" srcset="http://my.onmedic.com/2oRVKIu 680w, http://my.onmedic.com/2DdJqW3 1360w, http://my.onmedic.com/2oRW6Pk 150w, http://my.onmedic.com/2D9P0ca 300w, http://my.onmedic.com/2oRVOYK 768w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /></p>
<p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://developer.twitter.com/en/apply/user">existing</a> Account Activity API lets developers pull the full set of activities related to an account, in real-time. The new <a target="_blank" href="https://developer.twitter.com/en/enterprise-application">enterprise version</a> of this API is designed for those who need data for a larger number of accounts, plus multiple webhook URLs, reliability features like retries, and managed support.</p>
<p>In addition, Twitter says it’s expanding the beta for the standard API that delivers activities for up to 35 accounts. And on January 15th, typing indicators and read receipts for Direct Messages will be included as activities in the API, so developers can build more natural conversational experiences. (Meaning, customers will feel like they’re talking to a person, not a bot).</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1579753" src="http://my.onmedic.com/2DbVzuI" alt="" srcset="http://my.onmedic.com/2DbVzuI 680w, http://my.onmedic.com/2oRVPfg 1360w, http://my.onmedic.com/2DcHoWy 150w, http://my.onmedic.com/2oRVRDU 300w, http://my.onmedic.com/2De8GMa 768w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /></p>
<p>Alongside this launch, Twitter is launching a suite of developer tools for Direct Messages out of <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2oRWbm6">beta</a>.</p>
<p>These features include <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2Ddzlsk">Quick Replies, Welcome Messages</a>, Buttons on messages, Custom Profiles, and <a target="_blank" href="https://blog.twitter.com/2016/making-customer-service-even-better-on-twitter">Customer Feedback Cards</a>. All have been previously announced, launched, and put to use by brands like <a target="_blank" href="https://marketing.twitter.com/na/en/success-stories/how-samsung-delivered-personalized-tv-recommendations.html" rel="noopener">Samsung</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://marketing.twitter.com/na/en/success-stories/taco-bell-and-mtv-let-fans-vote-for-best-new-artist.html" rel="noopener">MTV</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://marketing.twitter.com/na/en/success-stories/people-of-earth_s-adopt-an-alien-chatbot-increases-awareness-and.html" rel="noopener">TBS</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://marketing.twitter.com/na/en/success-stories/wendys-first-ever-march-madness-bracket-builder-on-twitter-gets-fans-talking.html" rel="noopener">Wendy’s</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://marketing.twitter.com/na/en/success-stories/simply-perfect-how-patron-tequila-drove-interest-in-its-bot-tender-chatbot.html" rel="noopener">Patrón</a> who used the tools<a target="_blank" href="https://marketing.twitter.com/na/en/insights/from-tvs-to-beertails-how-chatbots-help-brands-engage-consumers-on-twitter.html" rel="noopener"> with their chatbots</a>. Other, like <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2oVi4RC" rel="noopener">Tesco</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2Db7mcK" rel="noopener">Evernote</a>, are using them for customer service.</p>
<p>The exit from the Direct Message beta will see some features removed, Twitter notes. This includes <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2oRWhKu">Location</a> quick replies and location cards, text input quick replies, support indicators, <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2DdzrAc">response hours</a>, and the <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2oRWj54">prominent message button</a> on profiles.</p>
<p>These latter features – like support hours and the big message button – seemed to have been launched in response to Facebook Messenger and its own advances as a platform for customer service. But there were some <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2DdzxI4">concerns</a> among consumers that the message button the CS account’s profile served as a way to not address customer inquiries and concerns in public, in order to protect the brand’s image.</p>
<p>Twitter’s new APIs and DM toolset are available now.</p>
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<small>Featured Image: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch</small></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-72121158651736473382017-12-02T08:44:00.001+01:002017-12-02T08:44:56.950+01:00Virtual Reality for BacteriaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-79376690368110987062017-11-30T11:58:00.001+01:002017-11-30T11:58:54.475+01:00Google’s newest app stops you burning through your data package<img src="http://my.onmedic.com/2inZpLI" title="Google’s newest app stops you burning through your data package | TechCrunch" /><br />
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<p id="speakable-summary"><a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2As3Ts1">Google’s newest app for emerging markets</a> is a service that helps control data usage on a smartphone and get more for your top-up credit.</p>
<p>Datally, which is <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2inVJtt" rel="noopener">available for Android devices</a> worldwide from today, applies granular control to enable a user to monitor use of data on their phone and cut data usage on any app as they please. The app design is simple and it appears to be effective. A pilot test in the Philippines gained 500,000 users who typically saved 30 percent of their data plan using the app.</p>
<p>That makes particular sense in emerging markets like India, where the app is primarily focused, and Southeast Asia, where it was trialled, since most smartphone owners have prepaid SIM cards which take them offline when the credit is spent.</p>
<p>Beyond helping cut out data-heavy apps when a user wants to focus on a different service or app, Datally also provides an update on how much data each app is consuming — Google calls this a ‘speedometer for data’ — and it alerts users when they are near to a public WiFi point.</p>
<p>That latter point ties into Google’s free WiFi push which has seen it roll out free hotspots across India, <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2ApquVN" rel="noopener">including over 100 train stations</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2iqLEfs" rel="noopener">expand the initiative into Southeast Asia</a>, too.</p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube"><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UAdJvXMIlXc?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true"><span class="embed-youtube">VIDEO</span></iframe></span></p>
<p>“There is, in my view, a Silicon Valley blindspot. That is why with things like Next Billion Users initiative at Google, we are building technology which we know is meant for these markets. When we solve it, it brings those technologies to the world,” Peeyush Ranjan, VP of engineering for Google’s Next Billion Users initiative, <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2ApNwfh" rel="noopener">told FactorDaily in an interview</a>.</p>
<p>Other Next Billion initiatives include <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2isfsrY" rel="noopener">India-based payment service Tez</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2AoubLF" rel="noopener">a storage saver app</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2ipoXbA" rel="noopener">a data-light version of YouTube</a>.</p>
<p>Google has also made acquisitions to bring engineering talent to the initiative. <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2ApPmNi" rel="noopener">It snapped up Halli Labs</a>, a Indian AI startup led by ex Twitter data scientist Pankaj Gupta, this year and <a target="_blank" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2ip6uMh" rel="noopener">bought the team behind Singapore-based enterprise chat startup Pie in 2016</a>.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-80210388989271425622017-11-23T14:56:00.001+01:002017-11-23T14:56:07.794+01:00BMW hopes AI-managed electric bike roads will ease traffic<div><img src="http://my.onmedic.com/2A11fIP" title="BMW hopes AI-managed electric bike roads will ease traffic" /><br />
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<p>The routes would typically sit above regular roads, and would be decidedly cozier thanks to covering and a cooling system driven by purified rainwater. An automatic speed limit (in the concept, about 15.5MPH) and AI-driven traffic management would prevent the faster vehicles from crashing into <a href="http://my.onmedic.com/2hMdwXg">scooters</a>. And you might not even need to own a machine to use it -- BMW envisions a rental system where you'd pick up a bike at an access point if you need to get across town in a hurry.</p>
<p>You won't necessarily see something like this in markets where cars dominate, like North America. A system like Vision E3 Way could be very useful in countries like China, however. It's not just that many more people ride bikes in these areas -- it's that high population densities could necessitate separate, automated roads to keep traffic flowing. The challenge is getting cities to take up the idea. Even if these roadways don't cost much to build, it's no mean feat to significantly alter the urban landscape.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-34518524905548163662017-11-16T09:22:00.001+01:002017-11-16T09:22:26.932+01:00In a Major First, Scientists Edit DNA Within the Human Body<img src="http://my.onmedic.com/2AMlmrk" />
<p>For the first time, scientists have edited the DNA inside of a patient’s body, in an attempt to cure a genetic disorder by permanently changing the human genome. The news, reported Wednesday by the <a rel="noopener" href="http://my.onmedic.com/2ilBnOn" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>, represents a major landmark in science.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219157080298247755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3508946907174188819.post-84898746725848267212017-10-17T09:24:00.001+02:002017-10-17T09:24:06.604+02:00The Future of Crime in the Blockchain Economy<p dir="ltr">It all started with an online marketplace to buy drugs. Well, it had started a couple of years before that, but the darknet outfit known as Silk Road was the first time most people heard about bitcoin and cryptocurrency. After doing more than a billion dollars’ worth of trades in a little more than two years, Silk Road was shut down in 2013 following an FBI investigation. Despite this shady origin story, the technology behind the drug bazaar’s currency — blockchain — is now being touted as the most disruptive technology since the internet.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Blockchain is a way of digitally recording transactions in a universally shared and unchangeable ledger. And, like the internet, it is becoming a major part of the world’s digital infrastructure, from <a href="http://my.onmedic.com/2hLCjKz" target="_blank">finance</a> to <a href="http://my.onmedic.com/2yO9c4h" target="_blank">health</a> to <a href="http://my.onmedic.com/2hL98aH" target="_blank">public services</a>, without shedding tagalong crime. If anything, “we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to crime,” says Jackson Palmer, a San Francisco–based project manager who shot to prominence in the crypto world as the creator of <a href="http://my.onmedic.com/2yO9ckN" target="_blank">dogecoin</a>, a cryptocurrency that now has a nine-figure market cap. “Dark-market usage represents quite a small percentage” of cryptocurrency exchanges, now that speculative trading and crowdfunding-style initial coin offerings (ICOs) for startups have taken off, says Palmer, but in crimes like money laundering, phishing and good old-fashioned hacking, the fun might only just be starting.</p>
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<h2>explainer</h2>
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<p dir="ltr">At the heart of blockchain — and the cryptocurrencies built atop it — is an unchangeable chronological list of all transactions in the system. And so, in theory, law enforcement has more to go on when investigating money laundering or the purchase of illicit goods with cryptocurrencies than with, say, cash. “Criminals don’t need to use cryptocurrencies because they have cash and … the banking system,” says Alan Cohn, counsel to the Blockchain Alliance, a public-private forum of blockchain businesses and law enforcement. The criminals behind Silk Road were eventually brought down by tracking payments on the public Bitcoin blockchain ledger — the analysis even rumbled two undercover federal agents who had gone rogue. So while “it’s certainly possible to launder money using cryptocurrency,” says Cohn, the handlers of cryptocurrencies face the same regulatory requirements as a traditional money services business. </p>
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<p dir="ltr">In all, roughly 10 percent of money invested in Ethereum-based ICOs so far in 2017 has ended up in the hands of criminals.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Special software is required to sift through information on public blockchain ledgers and interpret which transactions appear suspicious, and that’s getting more difficult as “the bad guys are moving into the more and more anonymous [currencies],” says Camilla Frost, a product manager at Chainalysis, which provided such software for the Silk Road investigation. A recent report from Europol, the EU’s policing agency, stated that “cryptocurrencies such as Monero, Ethereum and Zcash are … gaining popularity within the digital underground.” Offering advanced privacy features, both Monero and Zcash hide the sender, receiver and value of all transactions, making it nearly impossible to track within the system. (The team behind Zcash insists that just because there is increased privacy doesn’t mean there’s any evidence of criminal usage; indeed, the Europol report acknowledges that “Zcash has yet to feature in any reported law enforcement investigations.”)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Despite the additional privacy available, “the trigger is once [criminals] try to cash out” into usable dollars or euros, says Frost — transactions which, in regulated exchanges, are traceable. <em>Unregulated</em> exchanges, though, are a different matter: In July, the Department of Justice indicted a man for laundering more than $4 billion in criminal cash via his black-market cryptoexchange, BTC-e, which did not comply with U.S. regulations.</p>
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<p>Russian Alexander Vinnik (center) headed BTC-e, an exchange he operated for the bitcoin cryptocurrency. He was indicted by a U.S. court in July on 21 charges ranging from identity theft and facilitating drug trafficking to money laundering.</p>
<p><cite>Source <a href="http://my.onmedic.com/2yOsmXW">Nicolas Economou/Getty</a></cite></p>
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<p dir="ltr">As for criminal activity on or against the networks themselves, “phishing is a major trend,” says Frost, whose Chainalysis research found evidence of more than $115 million worth of stolen value affecting nearly 17,000 victims on the Ethereum blockchain alone. Just like following a dodgy email link that pretends to be your bank, cryptophishing usually involves suckering investors into sending money to the wrong address for a supposed presale of coins in an ICO, with Twitter often used to spread the misinformation. Allegations of selling based on misinformation and Ponzi schemes are also rife in the ICO space.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">To date, there have been no cases of a major blockchain itself getting hacked, but the code behind the applications built on top of that infrastructure is also a vulnerability. In 2016, a crowdfunded venture capital fund called the DAO raised more than $150 million in a month (at the time, the largest crowdfunding event in history) — and a month later thieves exploited a vulnerability in the DAO code to steal more than $74 million from 11,000 investors. In all, roughly 10 percent of money invested in Ethereum-based ICOs so far in 2017 has ended up in the hands of criminals, estimates Chainalysis.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Despite the security credentials of blockchain, the technology is not necessarily <em>perfectly</em> secure — and if it’s not, the consequences could be devastating. Given the value now stacked on a few major blockchains (primarily, Bitcoin and Ethereum), “you’re placing the world’s biggest bug bounty on that network,” says Palmer. “The code itself has to be absolutely rock-solid” — and open-source software only makes the search for vulnerabilities easier. If a software bug on the scale of the 2014 “Heartbleed” bug is found in Ethereum, says Palmer, “we could be talking about billions of dollars being stolen, siphoned off by hackers before people know about it.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">And while phishing and hacking threats are present in any technology-supported marketplace, there is a big gray area in the ICO space because regulators have yet to decide exactly what a cryptotoken <em>is</em>. It can have characteristics of “a currency and a commodity and a security and property,” says Cohn, because of the equity or other rights that come with the purchase of some coins. This regulatory uncertainty means coin creators are engaging in all manner of shady practices, including the alleged secret sale of leftover tokens to existing investors at a lower price — a practice that would be a felony on Wall Street, according to <em>Forbes</em>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It’s always going to be a cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement and criminals,” says Cohn. And in the new Wild West of the digital economy, it’s game on.</p>
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