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13 January, 2017
Game-playing AI has found solutions to some versions of poker. But heads-up, no-limit Texas Hold’em represents an especially complex challenge with 10160 possible plays at different stages of the game (possibly more than the number of atoms in the universe). Such complexity exists because this two-player version of poker allows for unrestricted bet sizes. To deal with such a game, many AI rely on a technique called counterfactual regret minimization (CFR). Typical CFR algorithms try to solve games such as poker through several steps at each decision point. First, they come up with counterfactual values representing different game outcomes. Second, they apply a regret minimization approach to see which strategy leads to the best outcome. And third, they typically average the most recent strategy with all past strategies.
12 January, 2017
ATLASSIAN CO-FOUNDER MIKE Cannon-Brookes describes Trello as a simple online application. But simple doesn’t have to mean cheap: His company just agreed to acquire the web-based project management app for $425 million—a ridiculous-sounding amount of money that may well be worth paying. “Simple products can be deceptive in their simplicity,” Cannon-Brookes says.
Labels:
ICT Capability
09 January, 2017
Our team at USC has conducted the largest analyses1 of STEM depictions in motion pictures to date. We examined 129 G-, PG-, and PG-13-rated top-grossing films from 2006 to 2011. Only 26 females with STEM jobs were depicted on screen across 5,839 speaking characters. Of those 26 females, consider the following disturbing trends: Only three were African-American—two in life or physical sciences, one engineer. Only one woman was depicted as a mathematician. She was white, shown in a low-cut, tight-fitting Santa suit, and was shown estimating the production time for toys on the North Pole’s assembly line. This problem goes beyond American films. In a follow-up study, we assessed 120 movies released between 2010 and 2013 in 10 top international film markets. Out of 5,799 characters, 121 held a STEM job. Of these characters, only 14 were female and there were no mathematicians. No females in STEM were African-American.
Labels:
ICT Capability,
ICT Career,
Women in IT
05 January, 2017
Lego A/S pulled back the curtains Wednesday on an update to its classic building toy at the CES tech confab in Las Vegas. Dubbed Lego Boost, the new kits bring brick creations to life with simple motors and sensors while teaching the basics of programming. Unlike Lego’s more-complex Mindstorms systems, which are used in schools to teach robotics, the Boost system was designed for children as young as age 7, and feels closer to the classic brick experience.
Labels:
Critical + Creative Thinking,
Education,
Game,
ICT Capability
Most of the attention around automation focuses on how factory robots and self-driving cars may fundamentally change our workforce, potentially eliminating millions of jobs. But AI that can handle knowledge-based, white-collar work are also becoming increasingly competent. One Japanese insurance company, Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance, is reportedly replacing 34 human insurance claim workers with “IBM Watson Explorer,” starting by January 2017.
A new French law establishing workers’ “right to disconnect” goes into effect today. The law requires companies with more than 50 employees to establish hours when staff should not send or answer emails. The goals of the law include making sure employees are fairly paid for work, and preventing burnout by protecting private time.
02 January, 2017
01 January, 2017
27 December, 2016
The US Government has listed some of the largest piracy websites and other copyright-infringing venues. The USTR calls on foreign countries to take action against popular piracy sites such as The Pirate Bay, which has important "symbolic value," according to the authorities. In addition, stream-ripping is mentioned as an emerging threat.
Australians could have their private phone and email records used against them in civil litigation cases, with the federal government considering relaxing data retention laws. Critics say it would pave the way for phone and email records to be mined for material to be used in legal action following marriage breakdowns and business disputes.
Labels:
Cybersafety,
Ethical,
Intellectual Property,
Privacy
I put the question to Telstra and was told the key is to ring the call centre and ask them to "submit a request for a service qualification test", if the cable is in your street and you believe you should be able to access it. Even if Telstra runs copper to your home, the cable access maps aren't updated after it's laid in your street so they don't acknowledge the existence of new dwellings.
21 December, 2016
As programming, computing and technology skills become part of the essential skill sets for school leavers, demand for teaching in these areas is taking off. But the Department of Education has closed the MacICT Innovation Centre, its unique 15-year-old joint venture with Macquarie University that has been a pioneer in the area.
18 December, 2016
Two Bit Circus, a technology entertainment company cofounded by a son of video-game pioneer Nolan Bushnell, has been arguing for some time that the push for STEM in education is missing something. Brent Bushnell has used technology to make art throughout his career. He says that to really draw talented young people into science and engineering careers, STEM needs an “A” for “Art,” turning it into STEAM.
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