Spice Up Your Dinner Conversation With ACTUAL Conversation, Courtesy "Pepper Hacker"

Sometimes, it doesn’t take Wikileaks or the Russians to make a hack that changes everything.  Even a small-scale rerouting of the information superhighway can have an impact on everyday humans, and possibly even work in everyone’s best interests.  That was the thought behind this one unassuming new invention…

The Internet of Things?
How about the NON-Internet of Things?
(Image courtesy news.co.au.)

Putting The "Art" In "Artificial Intelligence": Robots Vs. Real Writers

***Wordsmiths Wanted: A Haiku***

Silicon Valley
needs poets, writers, empaths
to teach A.I….us.

We didn't say the emotional input wouldn't be cheesy.
(Image courtesy conversations.e-flux.com.)

Independence Day For The Internet! New U.N. Resolution Expands E-Freedoms

Congratulations!  If you are reading this right now, you are exercising one of the most recently-expanded universal human rights!  As of July 1st, by order of the United Nations, access to the internet (which had been considered a basic human right since 2011) has been supported even more thoroughly by the organization, who condemned any “measures to intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online.”

In grand internet tradition, a cat meme seemed the best way to celebrate.
(Image courtesy funnyjunk.com.)

Please Mr. Robo-Postman: These New Droids Can Deliver Your Mail

Another day, another android gunning for your job.  On top of bartenders, hotel staff, fast-food workers, industrial laborers, writers, artists, and pizza deliverymen, now the robots are bringing the freshest electronic edge to mail delivery since you first signed up for an email inbox...

It's even better-dressed than most humans.
We're doomed.
(Image courtesy gizmag.com.)

Notes From The Brainframe: Scientists Work On "Mind-Reading Machine" To Sense Speech

Like time travel and the ability to vacation on the moon, mind reading has always been one hallmark of a most fascinating future.  Now, technology may be on its way to taking us there, at least as far as having our thoughts manifest into verbalized words, sans standard speech...

Huh.  That's fucking crazy.  I need another beer before I write this story.
Oops, sorry.  That was the internal monologue talking.
(Image courtesy dosmosis.blogspot.com.)

Get The Word Out: New In-Ear Device Translates Foreign Languages In Real-Time

Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world, conversing freely with the people you meet, exchanging stories and experiences despite your myriad differences in language and location?  Or have you at least dreamed of hollering down the bar at that foreign hottie in their native language and obtaining more than a baffled look (and possibly a slap) in return?

If so, a new bit of technology just became your international wingman.

Pictured:  the world's first commercial in-ear translator,
the app that helps choose languages,
and the mademoiselle that now can't pretend she doesn't understand you.
(Image courtesy la-kabylie.com.)

Sucking Dox: Facial Recognition Software Used To Harass Porn Stars' Real Identities

Facial recognition software has long been touted as a necessary aide to combat crimes, from street-level surveillance up to complex police analysis of individuals' tattoos for identification.  Now, a piece of software that allows you to search for faces as easily as one might search for a cupcake recipe has backfired to those who don't really want to be identified...well, for their facial features, at least.

They sell their bodies for a living, which enrages those who'd never get a buyer,
or any kind of lover at all.
(Image courtesy monsters4ever.com.)

The Imprints Of Prince: Musician Inspired Massive Code-Teaching Initiative

The world lost a musical icon this week with the passing of Prince, but until his demise, few of his fans knew of the inspiration he'd offered, bringing about more adeptness and awareness for the future via technology.  No, not the song about partying like it was 1999 (although that was tremendously pertinent at the time.)  After an inspiring discussion with a proactive friend, Prince used his influence to support a nonprofit means of teaching kids how to write computer code.

He wants kids to rock hacks as well as he rocks an axe.
Which is to say, crazy good.
(Image courtesy phylanthropy.com.)

Words Up: "Expresso" App Helps Edit Your Wrecks Of Text

Writing is one of those art forms that's particularly unpleasant when its bad.  And now, in the age of texting everything and bastardizing verbiage 2 d point tht it loox lik ths (sorry, we won't do that again), it's sometimes hard to remember how to construct a coherent communication without sounding idiotic OR overly loquacious.  Now, there's an app to adjust your adjectives...

Tied up with editing effectively?  This app can help.
(Image courtesy thepolyman.com.)

Blowing Up The Burners: New Bill To Make Anonymous Cell Phones Illegal?

Chances are, as a modern human being, you own at least one cell phone that you guard with a vigilance that many bodyguards would envy.  It's as important as your wallet or keys, and maybe more so due to its irreplaceability.  But what about the cell phones that are used specifically for their disposable nature?  Should they be illegal just because sometimes you have business to handle that you don't want interacting with the rest of your real life?

Burner phones:  will they be burned at the legal stake for their perceived sins?
(Image courtesy survivethewild.net.)

Screen Cuisine: New MMMojis Make Eatery Choices Easy

Are you lazy, or just hungover?  Hey, we don't discriminate, are you both?  If you find your state of lushness and/or lackadaisicality is impeding your most base efforts at communication - not even speech, we're talking an inability to text properly - well, now technology has an answer for you.

This is also ideal for when your SO claims they don't care what they want to eat.
Scroll and randomly hit an icon, problem solved!
(Image courtesy dailymail.co.uk.)

Putting The "Art" In "Artificial Intelligence": Japanese Researchers Create A Book-Writing 'Bot

It seems we can't go more than a day without hearing about another job being taken over by a robot.  While their applications for manufacturing, gaming, navigation, food service, and concierge roles are effective, some 'bots in Japan are taking things to a whole new level.  Namely, passing themselves off as human author.

"Call me Ishmael-2000."
(Image courtesy www.easysystems.nl.)

You-Apalooza: Catch Concerts Without Leaving Your Couch Thanks To This Streaming Service

Are you a rocker, but due to time, money, or location constraints, you can't rock out at a show?  No worries - this concert-broadcasting service will still make you feel like a sultan of sound.

Impending avalanche of rocking out!
(Image courtesy allposters.com.)

R.I.P. To A Young A.I.: Microsoft's Savage "Teen Girl" Twitter-Bot Lobotomized Within One Day

It's one thing to have society be taken over by industrious labor-bots...it's another thing when the machines are "smart" enough to form opinions after assessing popular input.  While it's a fascinating and fun future that holds promise of a robot that outsmarts experts at one of our most difficult board games, or knows massive amounts of trivia, when artificial intelligence is outsourced to the internet, the supposed "intelligence" comes across as...well, something less than that.

We keep learning the hard way that the digital natives are a vicious tribe.
(Image courtesy @geraldmellor.)

Your Drunk Tweets = Their Science Deets

Well, it's St. Patrick's Day, and we're here to confirm your invasive thoughts that maybe you should totally do a whole bunch of drunk social media posts to tell all of your friends and family and exes and pizza deliverymen how much you love them.  What?  Why?  Because at one point in New York City, it was totally helping science.

We're not talking about the science of mixology, though that counts too.  *Burp.*
(Image courtesy scientificamerican.com.)

Shifty Ways To Leave Your Lover: New Service Slings Breakup Texts For You

So, Valentine's Day was just about a month away...do you now rue the one you wooed?  Still need to kick your winter covers-buddy out from under the comforter and make them face the harsh, lengthening daylight in which you will not continue to require their snuggling services (at least until it gets cold again?)  However, are you a pussy who can't break up with someone to their face, and needs a tech-inclined service to do it for them?  Well, look no further, you lamentable lover.

He's texting an internet company how much he hates you right now.
You should go.
(Image courtesy lovepanky.com.)

Enjoy Your HD Cat Videos, Indonesia: SpaceX Sends Up Satellite Successfully

The big story in space this week was all about the man who fell to Earth, but it's worth noting that another important mission was headed UP.  Namely, the SpaceX SES-9 payload of a communications satellite that will provide critical connectivity from its place in space...

{Space}X Gon' Give It To Ya!
(Image courtesy Ken Kremer / universetoday.com.)

Seek Guidance (Through Traffic) From Morgan Freeman's Voice

The demand is simple:  you need to go places, which likely requires directions.  Those directions can be read off of a boring old map, or a guy who once played God can liltingly illuminate them for you.

"Get busy ridin', or get busy dyin'."
(Image courtesy buzzfeed.com.)

Will History Be Written By Lasers And Preserved On Crystals?

Have you ever written something so mellifluously elegant, so heartwrenching, or so damn dirty that you hid it away on a disk?  How about preserving important family history in your formerly-current computer's format?  If this happened twenty (or even ten) years ago, that disk is likely now obsolete.  How can we keep our digitized information in perpetuity when it's tougher and tougher to stay caught up with upgrades?

Now we can keep track of all of man's crazy fairy godparents,
right up until we all find out whether they're real or not.
(Image courtesy messagetoeagle.com.)

Va-jamming: New Insertable Music Device Serenades Your Unborn Child

Happy New Years, baby!  Did you get some good partying done to ring in 2016?  Well, if you celebrated so hard that you'll be creating another human around September or so, have we got some rockin' news for you!

You can't shove a Fender Stratocaster up there, but this is the next best thing.
(Image courtesy dailkmail.co.uk.)