The BBC reported, recently, that several major supermarket chains are trialling the use of automated technology to scan a customer’s face and verify their age, when they are buying alcohol. The reason for using this technology for age verification (as opposed to relying on cashiers to do so, in line with legal requirements) is, according … Continue reading Customers love our technology (Or… do they?)
Tag: BBC
[Miscellany] Automated news, Deepfake Christmas video, and Innocent newsletter
Automated news It has emerged that, last week, the BBC used computers to compose nearly 700 news articles relating to the election’s results. The news corporation is describing it as "machine-generated journalism", and justifying it as thus: "Using machine assistance, we generated a story for every single constituency that declared last night with the exception … Continue reading [Miscellany] Automated news, Deepfake Christmas video, and Innocent newsletter
[Miscellany] Science communication, writing as craft, and why new stuff makes us (un)happy
Science communication I love this quote, that I read in the book “Communicating your research with social media” (page 40), recently: 2. Writing: Genius vs craft Sometimes, it is easy to feel disheartened about this “business” of writing. It seems to come so easily to others. So… effortlessly. Take famous writers, like Jane Austen, … Continue reading [Miscellany] Science communication, writing as craft, and why new stuff makes us (un)happy
A peak into tech giants’ terms and conditions
I don’t think that I have ever read a full set of terms and conditions from one of the tech giants. And I think that I am in the majority, here. Most terms of service are extremely long, as illustrated by Dima Yarovinsky’s installation at the Visualizing Knowledge 2018 exhibition. The artist printed the … Continue reading A peak into tech giants’ terms and conditions
When the firm’s customer is the public’s enemy
Sometimes, good customers do bad things. I mean, they do things that are good for the business, but which may have negative consequences for the wider public. In those cases, the government may intervene and demand that the firm acts in a way that meet the government’s goals (regarding the public good) but which runs contrary … Continue reading When the firm’s customer is the public’s enemy
Something for your weekend: The Joy of Data
What? A one hour documentary, presented by mathematician Dr Hannah Fry, exploring ‘Data’ – what it is, why it is valuable, and issues around collecting, storing and using it. Where? I first saw it on BBC iPlayer, but you can also access it on Youtube. So what? Like many other BBC science documentaries, this one offers … Continue reading Something for your weekend: The Joy of Data
Follow Friday: ‘Let’s Talk About Tech’ podcast
Today’s recommendation is not a Twitter account; is a podcast. I have recently discovered the ‘Let’s talk about tech’ weekly podcast and it’s been a great addition to my #2013Kms ‘playlist’. It gives a general overview of the key tech-related news of the week, with a light-touch commentary. It is published by BBC Radio 5 … Continue reading Follow Friday: ‘Let’s Talk About Tech’ podcast
Ana Canhoto 