'Madness in the Magnolias'

Researchers Receive DARPA Grant to Forecast the Flow of Information Online

“We may be able to help (control) people see the blind-spots in their own information sources as well as distinguish systematic distortions.”

As the quality of information shared on websites and social media becomes an increasing concern for most Americans, Virginia Tech scientists will spearhead a new effort to improve our understanding of how social information travels and transforms online.

Ac…

DARPA Historical Spending & FY19 Budget Outlook

Lets dive into the glittery and shiny agency that should have all of our attention — the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Whether it’s developing the world’s largest autonomous “Sea Hunter” ship for the U.S. Navy, or their “Luke Skywalker” advanced prosthetic arm that currently gets within nine (9) degrees of freedom in the hand, DARPA truly is a world of pure imagination.

A Lifelog System for Detecting Psychological Stress with Glass-equipped Temperature Sensors

Lifelog system enable us to measure biological information at all times with wearable devices.

Augmented Reality(AR) is an environment where a real life is enhanced by virtual elements in real time. The purpose of AR is to enhance the information we naturally receive through our five senses, by adding superimposed, constructed virtual elements to bring complementary information and meaning that…

Google asks FCC for help with its tiny hand-motion sensors

Google has taken its Project Soli cause to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), requesting an authorization to operate its fixed and mobile field disturbance sensors in the 60 GHz band at a different power level than what’s currently allowed.

– Soli is a new sensing technology that uses miniature radar to detect touchless gesture interactions.

When it comes to the internet of things,…

The Pervasive Power of Tech

If we’re not careful, we will soon be at risk of being locked into mindless behavioral loops, craving distraction even from other distractions.

– Illustration by Bill Bragg

Take it from the insiders in Silicon Valley:

Former Google and Facebook executives are sounding the alarm about the pervasive power of tech. Will we listen?

One source of angst came close to being 2017’s signature…

The Insanity of NATO and American Escalation Toward World War III

The US government is the most murderous entity the world has ever known, yet the focus of the cruise missile left remains the chauvinistic and racist depictions of the Syrian government.

Allied Terrorists

The US-led alliance of imperial nations has waged war on Syria for eight years with the hopes of overthrowing the independent Arab nationalist state led by President Bashar Al-Assad.Syria was…

Cambridge Analytica’s breach of trust results in lawsuits filed by angry Facebook users

In the wake of the ongoing Cambridge Analytica debacle, Facebook has now been sued in federal court in San Francisco and San Jose. These new cases claim violations of federal securities laws, unfair competition, and negligence, among other allegations.

In the wake of the ongoing Cambridge Analytica debacle, Facebook has now been sued in federal court in San Francisco and San Jose. These new cases…

Facebook admits Cambridge Analytica hijacked data on up to 87M users

Facebook will warn these millions of users with a notice atop the News Feed with information about what data of theirs might have been attained, and what they should do now. It will also show its new bulk app permissions removal tool atop the feed.

Facebook warned that 87 million users, mostly in the U.S, that their data “may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analyticaby apps that they…

The global story of tech vs privacy

Facebook “Data Protection Changes?” This is the company’s PR strategy to try to convince users to trust it — and thus to keep giving it their data.

Make no mistake: Fresh battle lines are being drawn in the clash between data-mining tech giants and Internet users over people’s right to control their personal information and protect their privacy.

An update to European Union data protection…

Eliminating the Human Element

We are beset by—and immersed in—apps and devices that are quietly reducing the amount of meaningful interaction we have with each other.

I have a theory that much recent tech development and innovation over the last decade or so has an unspoken overarching agenda. It has been about creating the possibility of a world with less human interaction. This tendency is, I suspect, not a bug—it’s a…

“Just as we have anti-depressants today to elevate mood, tomorrow we can expect a kind of Botox for the brain to smooth out wrinkled temperaments, to turn shy people into extroverts, or to bestow a sense of humor on a born grouch. But what price will human nature pay for these nonhuman artifices?” 

– (William Safire)1

2. Introduction to Neuropharmacology

Neuropharmacologyis the study of…

The Impacts of ICT on Defense Industry

Defense industry is one of the vital economic units in most nations. It produces weapons and special equipment of war.  Some nations have developed their defense industry to the extend of  exporting the equipment to others. In general, defense industry’s outputs can be categorized into two – hardware and software, just like the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry’s.

Examples…

Weapons of Perception: Neuroscience and Mind-Controlled Weapons

Military mind-control weapons and performance enhancement

New insights into the way the brain works and direct brain interfaces enabling weapons to be targeted and fired with just a thought.

Ever since Stone Age men discovered that knapping flint produced sharp stone edges that could be used in combat as well as for cooking and hunting, technological advances of all kinds have been adapted and…

Putting Your Digital Twin to Work with Artificial Intelligence

Virtual avatars that can help you be in two places at the same time

What if you had a twin that knew everything you knew? What if you could send that twin out and trust that it will do exactly what you would do? What if you could use it to try on new clothes for you, go on dates halfway around the world—even help you live forever?

T…

Netanyahu shows he’s not in charge, caves to coalition on migrants

Israel’s unwanted African migrants and the UN’s Statement on the cancellation of Israel-UNHCR agreement

 – This is what Israel has been contending with for years. Some of these migrant activists are already coming to the US!

UNHCR’s Statement on the cancellation of Israel agreement

It is with regret that UNHCR notes today’s cancellation by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Israel-UNHCR…

Facebook—even as it apologizes for scandal—funds campaign to block a California data-privacy measure

Just a few weeks before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized for the “breach of trust” that allowed Cambridge Analytica to access the private social media activity of 50 million people, Facebook plunked down $200,000 to fight a data privacy initiative in California.

The social media giant’s donation matched others from Google, AT&T, Comcast and Verizon—a million-dollar sign that the issue of…