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Jan 24, 2020

Apple buys Xnor.ai, an edge AI startup spin-out from Paul Allen’s research lab, for $200 million

Posted by in categories: mobile phones, robotics/AI

Tech giant Apple has acquired Xnor.ai, an artificial intelligence startup that came from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s research lab. The acquisition suggests that Apple may be planning to Xnor.ai’s machine learning tools int iPhones and iPads in the future, with processing on-device instead of in the cloud.

GeekWire first broke the news earlier Wednesday, citing sources with knowledge of the deal. According to GeekWire, the deal is reportedly worth up about $200 million. Apple paid the same $200 million for another Seattle-based AI startup, Turi, in 2016.

Unlike traditional AI that runs in massive data centers and requires network connectivity, XNOR makes AI highly efficient by allowing deep learning models to run directly on phones, IoT devices and low power microprocessors. XNOR’s technology enables AI experiences that are up to 10x faster, 200 percent more power efficient, and use 15x less memory.

Jan 24, 2020

25 Pictures Of Things Only Ever Captured By Drones

Posted by in category: drones

As camera technology progresses, resolutions are increasing, and stability is like never before. Drone pilots require a great deal of balance when using drones. Drones have the potential to capture elevated wide-angle lens shots, discover never before seen locations, and soar through the clouds. Pictures obtained by drones are unparalleled from other devices. A tripod will provide greater stability, but drones can stare into volcanoes and observe from a unique perspective.

There are a plethora of drones in the market with leading models belonging to brands such as GoPro, Parrot, and DJI. Drones can be sold with a camera, or they can be sold separately. GoPro’s cameras are synonymous with action and drones, making them a suitable selection. DJI’s Mavic Pro Drone is capable of flying 4 miles (7 kilometers) away from a user. Stability of current drones allows them to hover in a spot while it takes photos.

Those who have never used a drone in combination with a camera before, need to check out these photos. Some of the pictures contained on this listicle have won awards for creativity and resplendence. One doesn’t have to be a photographer to appreciate the qualities of these photos. These are 25 pictures of things only ever captured by drones.

Jan 24, 2020

Computer model shows ancient Earth with an atmosphere 70 percent carbon dioxide

Posted by in categories: computing, materials

A team of researchers from the University of Washington has found evidence that the Earth’s atmosphere approximately 2.7 billion years ago might have been up to 70 percent carbon dioxide. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their study of micrometeorites and what they learned from them.

As scientists continue to study Earth’s past, they look for evidence of what environmental conditions might have been like in hopes of understanding how life arose. One important piece of the puzzle is the atmosphere. Scientists suspect that its ingredients were far different billions of years ago, but they have little in the way of evidence to prove it. In this new endeavor, the researchers looked to micrometeorites as a possible source of clues. Their thinking was that any material from space that made its way to the surface of the planet had to travel first through the atmosphere—and any material that travels through the atmosphere is highly influenced by its materials, largely due to the high temperatures of atmospheric entry.

Several years ago, researchers found a host of micrometeorites that had landed on Earth approximately 2.7 billion years ago, putting them squarely in the Archean Eon—the time during which it is believed life first appeared on Earth. Study of the micrometeorites showed that they contained high levels of iron along with wüstite. Wüstite forms when iron is exposed to oxygen, but not on the Earth’s surface. It must have been created as the grain-sized meteorites burned and fell through the Earth’s atmosphere. Intrigued by the finding, the researchers created a to simulate the conditions that would lead to the creation of materials such as wüstite on a rock falling through the atmosphere.

Jan 24, 2020

‘2–3 oz of Walnuts’ Daily May Benefit Heart And Gut Health

Posted by in categories: food, health

A new randomized, controlled trial suggests that eating walnuts everyday as part of a healthful diet could improve gut health and protect the heart.

Jan 24, 2020

SpaceX releases preliminary results from Crew Dragon abort test

Posted by in category: space travel

Data from the Jan. 19 in-flight launch escape demonstration of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft indicate the performance of the capsule’s SuperDraco abort engines was “flawless” as the thrusters boosted the ship away from the top of a Falcon 9 rocket with a peak acceleration of about 3.3Gs, officials said Thursday.

The Jan. 19 test demonstrated the Crew Dragon’s ability to safely carry astronauts away from a launch emergency, such as a rocket failure, and return the crew to a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.

For its final full-scale test before astronauts ride it into space, the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT) on Jan. 19 from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket carried the capsule aloft — just as it would on a crewed mission — for the first 85 seconds of the mission.

Jan 24, 2020

Google DeepMind’s ‘Sideways’ takes a page from computer architecture

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

To get greater efficiency, Google DeepMind’s researchers did what chip designers have long done, built a pipeline so that the learning rule for machine learning — backpropagation — is more efficient.

Jan 24, 2020

These Lab-Grown Snake Organoids Produce Real Venom

Posted by in category: futurism

Oozing with poison and small enough to fit in a petri dish, the organoids could one day help provide sorely-needed antivenoms.

Jan 24, 2020

China Quarantines Three More Entire Cities to Fight Pandemic

Posted by in category: futurism

20 million residents are in lockdown.

Jan 24, 2020

Comcast experienced a nationwide internet outage on Thursday

Posted by in category: internet

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Jan 24, 2020

House Judiciary Committee Approves Bill To End Federal Marijuana Prohibition

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, law

In a 24–10 vote, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would effectively end marijuana prohibition on Wednesday. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019, or H.R. 3884, was introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and currently has 55 co-sponsors. This is the first time that a congressional committee has approved a bill to make cannabis legal. The MORE Act would federally decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act, and would require the expungement of past federal cannabis convictions.

The bill would also establish a Cannabis Justice Office to administer a program to reinvest resources in the communities that have been most detrimentally impacted by prohibition, funded by a 5% tax on state-legal cannabis commerce.

Moreover, it will allow the Small Business Administration to provide loans and grants to cannabis-related businesses and support state and local equity licensing programs, and would permit doctors within the Veterans Affairs system to recommend medical cannabis to patients in accordance with applicable state laws.