The Future: Big Data versus Black Swans

Posted by Christian

Good old Sascha Lobo über was die Zukunft bringt: Die gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen von umfassender Quantifizierung und vollautomatischer Überwachung aller Lebensbereiche. (in German)

Interesting in this context: Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, in our library now. No, not the Natalie Portman vehicle. About how humans can’t handle uncertainty and randomness. Statistically impossible events shape our lives. See Black Swan Theory.

Learn about me: Curiosity

Posted by Christian

All the cameras on the Curiosity probe:

  • Mast Camera (MastCam)
  • Chemistry and Camera complex (ChemCam)
  • Navigation cameras (Navcams)
  • Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS)
  • Hazard avoidance cameras (Hazcams)
  • Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)
  • Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS)
  • Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/interactives/learncuriosity/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity_rover

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Science_Laboratory


MARDI camera


Drone developments

Posted by Christian

Frank Rieger about the look of tomorrow’s wars (in German), and an interview with Daniel Suarez, author of „Kill Decision“.

Talking points & new terms learnt today:

  • Erkennung typischer Bewegungsmuster und daraus abgeleitete Handlungsempfehlungen
  • letale Autonomie
  • intelligente „Area denial“-Waffen
  • fliegende Einweg-Drohnen
  • anonyme kriegerische Akte
  • Gorgon-Stare-Project
  • Argus-Project
  • autonome Roboterwaffen

Plus: Screenshots from Spiegel Online today:




’Avoid Clicking’

Posted by Christian

News about your own personal trojan horse in your pocket. Whether on iOS or Android, Windows Mobile or Symbian, big data knows what you do (and where you are and why). But this is new, although it has been suspected for a while: Government spyware on mobile phones.

’Avoid Clicking’

The fun part is that they pretend not to have sold their suppression-ware to Bahrain. No, it has been stolen by hackers! That’s a security company you can trust.