Astronaut Prime
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| Astronaut Prime | |
| Number | 2707 |
| Broadcast Date | MARCH 9, 2016 |
| Episode Length | 37:34 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt |
| Guests | Andrew Mayne |
A machine learning algorithm beat a Go Master and Blue Origin announces plans for manned flights including space tourism. Andrew Mayne and Tom Merritt discuss.
Guest
Headlines
- Google announced the Android N Developer Preview today, available as an over-the-air update. Google’s SVP for Android, Chrome and Chromecast Hiroshi Lockheimer, wrote on Medium that the team hopes to have the final release ready for manufacturers by summer. Changes include the ability to reply to notifications from the dropdown, a split-screen view, picture-in-picture for video. Nexus (except the Nexus 5) and Pixel C owners can sign up at google.com/android/beta
- Intel announced it has acquired Replay Technologies. Ars Technica notes the two companies recently partnered on 360-degree video of the NBA slam dunk contest. Replay’s freeD tech took feeds from 28 cameras and used Intel servers to let broadcasters transmit a 360-degree view of dunks.
- Facebook confirmed to TechCrunch it has purchased the company Masquerade makers of the app MSQRD which lets you add filters to your smartphone videos. Masquerade’s key members will move from Belarus to London and continue to release MSQRD as a standalone app. TechCrunch notes the acquisition was first reported by Business Insider.
- Google launched a new feature on mobile search called Destinations. Search for a location and add the word destination or vacation and you’ll get a mobile-designed list of options. Tap on an option and you can explore information about the destination or plan a trip, including instant flight and hotel prices. You can even see popular itineraries. You can also search by type of trip like hiking, surfing etc.
- In the first of 5 games of Go last night, DeepMind’s AlphaGo machine intelligence defeated 18-time Go champion Lee See-dol. Lee was surprised how well AlphaGo played but said, “If I do a better job on the opening aspect I think I will be able to increase my probability of winning.” The next four games are at 4AM GMT Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday.
- Submitted by habichuelacondulce
- Attention owners of NVIDIA video cards. Engadget reports the company has yanked its 364.47 GeForce driver because of complaints of visual freezing and glitches, failing to boot or burning out cards. NVIDIA responded that it has not seen reports of damaged cards and the most serious problems are blacked out or corrupted screens. Options for afflicted users is roll back to previous drivers, wait for the soon to be released Microsoft certified driver or use GeForce beta driver 364.51.
- Submitted by FateForgot
- Google announced it’s joining the Open Compute Project and will contribute a rack specification that includes 48-volt power distribution. Google says it started developing the spec in 2010 and boosted efficiency by 30%. It will collaborate with Facebook on the open spec. Facebook started OCP in 2011 as an open source hardware platform for data centers. Microsoft uses it in Azure.
- Seagate announced the world’s fastest enterprise-class solid state drive that can transfer data at 10 gigabytes per second. The current best is 6GBps. It also meets Open Compute Project specs. The drive is based on the non-volatile memory express interface (NVMe). No price or read/write speeds were announced but the devices accommodate 16-lane PCIe slots, and have been made available to OEMs with availability expected this summer.
- Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory crated a framework called Polaris that loads websites 34% faster. The system uses a dependency graph to determine when each page object should load. Dependency trackers aren’t new but the group says previous ones didn’t catch the subtle dependencies that Polaris does.
- Other tidbits, Robert Bosch GmbH which makes automative, industrial and building products intends to build its own cloud services for Internet of Things devices. Huawei sent out an invitation for an event April 6th in London. Samsung is launching an upgrade program for Galaxy phones in South Korea. And members at NeoGAF discovered Amazon Japan is shipping video gaming hardware and games internationally.
- Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory crated a framework called Polaris that loads websites 34% faster. The system uses a dependency graph to determine when each page object should load. Dependency trackers aren’t new but the group says previous ones didn’t catch the subtle dependencies that Polaris does.
Discussion
- Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plans to start taking tourists into space in 2018
- Jeff Bezos Lifts Veil on His Rocket Company, Blue Origin
- Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin expects to launch test space flights with humans in 2017
Pick of the Day
- Too often I found myself wishing I could use the multimedia keys on my keyboard to control media playback that happens in a browser window. Now, thanks this Chrome extension, I can:
It is called "Streamkeys" (http://www.streamkeys.com/).
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/streamkeys/ekpipjofdicppbepocohdlgenahaneen
It works with YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Amazon Music, Audible and (presumably) dozens more, even when the playback happens in a different tab, or Chrome is in the background/minimized.
This little gem allowed me to get rid of at least two desktop applications I kept around just for this single benefit.
Cheers, - Submitted by Franz
- Too often I found myself wishing I could use the multimedia keys on my keyboard to control media playback that happens in a browser window. Now, thanks this Chrome extension, I can:
Messages
- I found your and Patrick's comments about Tovala the smart oven interesting, especially because my son Zeerek just graduated from Berkeley in December, and is now working for Sereneti Kitchen (https://www.facebook.com/serenetikitchen) where he is working toward making a robot cook. (It is not a humanoid robot, but rather a box with a stove and and arm). But all you have to do is put the pre-cut ingredients in it, and it does the cooking for you. During the last CES show they even had the cook prepare their breakfast for them. How do you like that!
The company is a startup, so if you choose to mention this in your show, and there are any VC's interested, they can go and fund the venture so YOU can have a freshly cooked meal without having to cook!
Here's to lazy meals! - Sent by Salik G.
- I found your and Patrick's comments about Tovala the smart oven interesting, especially because my son Zeerek just graduated from Berkeley in December, and is now working for Sereneti Kitchen (https://www.facebook.com/serenetikitchen) where he is working toward making a robot cook. (It is not a humanoid robot, but rather a box with a stove and and arm). But all you have to do is put the pre-cut ingredients in it, and it does the cooking for you. During the last CES show they even had the cook prepare their breakfast for them. How do you like that!
- Jordan from Slushy Montreal wrote in about our comparison of tech companies and nation-states saying it reminds him of a long-running Political Science debate.
He mentions the ‘banana’ republics and the influence of oil on state policy and thinks its logical for tech companies to start having this kind of influence.
“As you said, when Facebook decides to change something in the way it functions, this change affects hundreds of millions of people at a personal level, something only states (and yes, religions) could previously achieve.
I would even argue that the mere fact that social networks and big tech companies exist has already greatly affected the sovereignty of states: not only by the actions of these companies, but also the actions of their users: think of the Arab Spring revolutions, or the Hong Kong protests, the Occupy Movement, the Black Lives Matter movement, all used technology to challenge the sovereignty and decision-power of nation states.
We are now citizens of the Internet, one could say!” - Sent by Jordan from Slushy Montreal
- Jordan from Slushy Montreal wrote in about our comparison of tech companies and nation-states saying it reminds him of a long-running Political Science debate.
- If anything ancient empire provides a better outline for understanding the modern tech company, it cares less about you identifying with it and more purely that you pay into it for access to shared convenience (you pay Rome taxes to build roads and keep the barbarians at bay, you give Google your information to build your email and host your video - sadly they are less effective with the trolls than the Romans).
- Sent by Rich from lovely Cleveland
- I think the main difference between social networks and countries is that social networks are not in any way directly answerable to their users, which is what Patrick was alluding to. In a transactional relationship, like with Walmart, customers vote with their wallet. In Facebook, you vote with your "feet", but at the high societal price that you mention. So the balance of power between the instution and its constituents is very different. I wonder if it would be possible for a government to create a social network that would have more accountability and transparency. Maybe Minitel in France was that.
- Sent by Alan
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