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10 things we sort of miss because of technological advances

The world has certainly changed in the last few decades – great technological advancements has meant many things we did in the past are all but a memory (or they are on their way out.) Let’s look back on ten things we sort of miss even though they’ve been replaced by new technology. 1. Buying disposable cameras, only taking picture that were worth the cost of film and having to go all the way to the chemist to develop and print photographs. Then you had to decide how to arrange them in an album. 2. Recording your favourite television programs using a video tape. Nowadays people are downloading movies and TV shows straight to their computer. 3. Saving all your loose change just in case you needed to use the pay phone when you were out. And having to remember numbers. 4. Spending hours over a road map and writing down your own directions so you wouldn’t get lost before a holiday road trip or just going somewhere new. Nobody needs to remember how to get anywhere now because most have GPS. 5. Physically visiting institutions like banks, post office and the newsagents. We don’t miss the long lines but at least it was personal. 6. Hand-writing essays, letters and notes, which meant knowing how to hand-write. Now it’s about how fast you type not how legible your handwriting is! 7. Looking up information in big encyclopaedias and definitions in the dictionary. Not just consulting the internet. 8. Receiving mail in your letterbox not your inbox. Unluckily, there is more “junk mail” and spam now than ever. 9. Advertising or looking for finds in classified section of the newspaper. 10. Packing your friends in the backseats of the car to go to the drive-in movies because it was the only one around. While we do love the comfy seats in air-conditioned cinemas, you can’t beat the fun and romantic possibilities of drive-in cinemas. Images: Getty

Technology

Calls to regulate AI are growing louder. But how exactly do you regulate a technology like this?

Last week, artificial intelligence pioneers and experts urged major AI labs to immediately pause the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months. An <a href="https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/">open letter</a> penned by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/commentisfree/2022/dec/04/longtermism-rich-effective-altruism-tech-dangerous">Future of Life Institute</a> cautioned that AI systems with “human-competitive intelligence” could become a major threat to humanity. Among the risks, the possibility of AI outsmarting humans, rendering us obsolete, and <a href="https://time.com/6266923/ai-eliezer-yudkowsky-open-letter-not-enough/">taking control of civilisation</a>. The letter emphasises the need to develop a comprehensive set of protocols to govern the development and deployment of AI. It states, "These protocols should ensure that systems adhering to them are safe beyond a reasonable doubt. This does not mean a pause on AI development in general, merely a stepping back from the dangerous race to ever-larger unpredictable black-box models with emergent capabilities." Typically, the battle for regulation has pitted governments and large technology companies against one another. But the recent open letter – so far signed by more than 5,000 signatories including Twitter and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and OpenAI scientist Yonas Kassa – seems to suggest more parties are finally converging on one side. Could we really implement a streamlined, global framework for AI regulation? And if so, what would this look like? <h2>What regulation already exists?</h2> In Australia, the government has established the <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/work-with-us/industries/technology/national-ai-centre">National AI Centre</a> to help develop the nation’s <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/science-technology-and-innovation/technology/artificial-intelligence">AI and digital ecosystem</a>. Under this umbrella is the <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/work-with-us/industries/technology/National-AI-Centre/Responsible-AI-Network">Responsible AI Network</a>, which aims to drive responsible practise and provide leadership on laws and standards. However, there is currently no specific regulation on AI and algorithmic decision-making in place. The government has taken a light touch approach that widely embraces the concept of responsible AI, but stops short of setting parameters that will ensure it is achieved. Similarly, the US has adopted a <a href="https://dataconomy.com/2022/10/artificial-intelligence-laws-and-regulations/">hands-off strategy</a>. Lawmakers have not shown any <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/business/dealbook/lawmakers-ai-regulations.html">urgency</a> in attempts to regulate AI, and have relied on existing laws to regulate its use. The <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/assets/documents/CTEC_AICommission2023_Exec-Summary.pdf">US Chamber of Commerce</a> recently called for AI regulation, to ensure it doesn’t hurt growth or become a national security risk, but no action has been taken yet. Leading the way in AI regulation is the European Union, which is racing to create an <a href="https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/">Artificial Intelligence Act</a>. This proposed law will assign three risk categories relating to AI: <ul> <li>applications and systems that create “unacceptable risk” will be banned, such as government-run social scoring used in China</li> <li>applications considered “high-risk”, such as CV-scanning tools that rank job applicants, will be subject to specific legal requirements, and</li> <li>all other applications will be largely unregulated.</li> </ul> Although some groups argue the EU’s approach will <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/02/14/lessons-from-world-s-two-experiments-in-ai-governance-pub-89035">stifle innovation</a>, it’s one Australia should closely monitor, because it balances offering predictability with keeping pace with the development of AI. China’s approach to AI has focused on targeting specific algorithm applications and writing regulations that address their deployment in certain contexts, such as algorithms that generate harmful information, for instance. While this approach offers specificity, it risks having rules that will quickly fall behind rapidly <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/02/14/lessons-from-world-s-two-experiments-in-ai-governance-pub-89035">evolving technology</a>. <h2>The pros and cons</h2> There are several arguments both for and against allowing caution to drive the control of AI. On one hand, AI is celebrated for being able to generate all forms of content, handle mundane tasks and detect cancers, among other things. On the other hand, it can deceive, perpetuate bias, plagiarise and – of course – has some experts worried about humanity’s collective future. Even OpenAI’s CTO, <a href="https://time.com/6252404/mira-murati-chatgpt-openai-interview/">Mira Murati</a>, has suggested there should be movement toward regulating AI. Some scholars have argued excessive regulation may hinder AI’s full potential and interfere with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0267364916300814?casa_token=f7xPY8ocOt4AAAAA:V6gTZa4OSBsJ-DOL-5gSSwV-KKATNIxWTg7YZUenSoHY8JrZILH2ei6GdFX017upMIvspIDcAuND">“creative destruction”</a> – a theory which suggests long-standing norms and practices must be pulled apart in order for innovation to thrive. Likewise, over the years <a href="https://www.businessroundtable.org/policy-perspectives/technology/ai">business groups</a> have pushed for regulation that is flexible and limited to targeted applications, so that it doesn’t hamper competition. And <a href="https://www.bitkom.org/sites/main/files/2020-06/03_bitkom_position-on-whitepaper-on-ai_all.pdf">industry associations</a>have called for ethical “guidance” rather than regulation – arguing that AI development is too fast-moving and open-ended to adequately regulate. But citizens seem to advocate for more oversight. According to reports by Bristows and KPMG, about two-thirds of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-29/australians-say-not-enough-done-to-regulate-ai/102158318">Australian</a>and <a href="https://www.bristows.com/app/uploads/2019/06/Artificial-Intelligence-Public-Perception-Attitude-and-Trust.pdf">British</a> people believe the AI industry should be regulated and held accountable. <h2>What’s next?</h2> A six-month pause on the development of advanced AI systems could offer welcome respite from an AI arms race that just doesn’t seem to be letting up. However, to date there has been no effective global effort to meaningfully regulate AI. Efforts the world over have have been fractured, delayed and overall lax. A global moratorium would be difficult to enforce, but not impossible. The open letter raises questions around the role of governments, which have largely been silent regarding the potential harms of extremely capable AI tools. If anything is to change, governments and national and supra-national regulatory bodies will need take the lead in ensuring accountability and safety. As the letter argues, decisions concerning AI at a societal level should not be in the hands of “unelected tech leaders”. Governments should therefore engage with industry to co-develop a global framework that lays out comprehensive rules governing AI development. This is the best way to protect against harmful impacts and avoid a race to the bottom. It also avoids the undesirable situation where governments and tech giants struggle for dominance over the future of AI. Image credits: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/calls-to-regulate-ai-are-growing-louder-but-how-exactly-do-you-regulate-a-technology-like-this-203050" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Technology

10 technology commandments

<ol> <li>Thou shalt clear thy browser history: It's pretty simple step, but all-important. Particularly as you never know when someone will want to borrow your laptop. </li> <li>Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's technology: This includes inappropriate thoughts about said neighbour’s iPad mini, new smart -phone, nor any other technological wonder that belongs to him/her. Pursue new devices. </li> <li>Thou shalt not mix up contacts: It’s basically the difference between texting something funny or private to your sister and eternal shame. </li> <li>Thou shalt remember, thy phone does not belong in the toilet: What is it with phones and loos anyway? </li> <li>Thou shalt not open dodgy emails: No matter how much you want to buy that AMAZING weight-loss medication from India, DON’T OPEN THAT EMAIL! It’s all lies! </li> <li>Thou shalt take care on Facebook: When it comes to social embarrassment, Facebook seems to be the social network of choice. </li> <li>Thou shalt not reply all: Reply all IS the devil in disguise. One casual click of a button and suddenly you've sent your entire address book that embarrassing story from your weekend's antics. </li> <li>Thous shalt turn off autocorrect: Disguised as a godsend or clever little function, yet somehow autocorrect causes more embarrassment than it's worth. </li> <li>Thou shalt not throw devices across the room: Because you never know, you might just need to turn it off and back on again. </li> <li>Thou shalt not set up a wacky email address: Ok it might be funny for around about a week, but less so for the years to come and when you realise you can’t email the Red Cross seeking volunteer work from sixtyandsexy@hotmail.com, at which point you’ll have to change it. So you may want to keep in mind, getting a new passport is easier than getting a new email address this day in age.</li> </ol> Image: Getty Images

Technology

“Is this a joke?”: Male finalist in Women in Technology award sparks debate

A list of finalists for an award recognising women in technology and science has sparked controversy due to the inclusion of a male executive. Simon Button, the Group Chief Technology Officer at radiology specialist group Qscan, was announced as one of four finalists for the new 2022 Inspiring Diversity in STEM Award because he “inspires diversity” and empowers women, according to the organisation. The annual awards are run by Women In Technology (WiT), Queensland’s peak industry body for women in technology and life sciences, and aim to “recognise outstanding achievement and give women the recognition they deserve”. WiT Chair Iyari Cevallos said this year’s awards were themed to be a tribute to the contribution of women in defining, shaping and growing the digital economy. “As we celebrate and reflect on 25 years of Women in Technology it is as important to focus on the future,” Ms Cevallos said. “I believe we have the ability and responsibility to dream big, to visualise achievements for the women still to come, to continue to increase our energy and momentum in leading and motivating current and future generations of women. “We've created an opportunity to rally around our outstanding talent, unlock their potential, promote each other and ourselves - impacting our community in a way that creates positivity beyond the event itself.” Mr Button made the finalist list along with Professor Amy Mullens, a psychologist with an interest in marginalised communities, pharmaceutical researcher Dr Jyoti Sharma, and Professor Kym Rae, a physically disabled Research Fellow in Indigenous health. The new award has been introduced to celebrate the “ongoing commitment and tireless efforts of all leaders regardless of gender, age or background”, but some have taken to social media to share their disapproval of the move. “Lol is this a joke,” one woman commented. “That’s a long way to say you reward men for doing the bare minimum,” another said. “Having a male executive is certainly showing someone who ‘leads by example’. It’s just the most common example that already exists in STEM,” a third added. “He sure must’ve been the best pick to be a finalist for someone who ‘inspires diversity’ and creates a ‘sense of belonging’ for WiT out of all the nominees. “I mean, how else would you explain an executive up there with two professors and a doctor?” In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WiTqld/posts/pfbid02ajHaMedtDTKmRkWpiKHhqB4sTvEyEYb7w54zckFGcMPmNtmEBGETrthcadKxwKMwl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook post</a> announcing the finalists, WiT described Mr Button as a “digital leader” who “champions diversity and equity in the organisations he leads”, which includes the not-for-profit Hummingbird House, Queensland’s only children’s hospice that supports kids with life-limiting illnesses. “He thrives to create teams with high levels of diversity to drive increased creativity and higher orders of innovation,” the post read. “Nothing gives Simon greater satisfaction than leading teams by giving people the time and space to develop, learn and deliver outstanding outcomes under his stewardship. “He believes that one of the most important responsibilities modern, contemporary digital leaders have is to lead, mentor and shape tomorrow’s technology and business leaders.” Image: WiT: Women In Technology (Facebook)

Technology

Producing electricity from your sweat might be key to next wearable technology

Imagine a world where the smart watch on your wrist never ran out of charge, because it used your sweat to power itself. It sounds like science fiction but researchers have figured out how to engineer a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/bacterial-biofilm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bacterial biofilm</a> to be able to produce continuous <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/">electricity fr</a><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">o</a><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/">m perspiration</a>. They can harvest energy in evaporation and convert it to electricity which could revolutionise wearable electronic devices from personal medical sensors to electronics. The science is in a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32105-6#ref-CR7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new study</a> published in Nature Communications. “The limiting factor of wearable electronics has always been the power supply,” says senior author Jun Yoa, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), in the US. “Batteries run down and have to be changed or charged. They are also bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable.” But the surface of our skin is constantly moist with sweat, so a small, thin, clear and flexible biofilm worn like a Band-Aid could provide a much more convenient alternative. The biofilm is made up of a sheet of bacterial cells approximately 40 micrometres thick or about the thickness of a sheet of paper. It’s made up a genetically engineered version of the bacteria Geobacter sulfurreducens to be exact. G. sulfurreducens is a microorganism known to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209890/#:~:text=Interestingly%2C%20Geobacter%20sulfurreducens%20also%20called,electron%20transfer%20through%20the%20biofilms." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">produce electricity</a> and has been used previously in “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-019-0173-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbial fuel cells</a>”. These require the bacteria to be alive, necessitating proper care and constant feeding, but this new biofilm can work continuously because the bacteria are already dead. “It’s much more efficient,” says senior author Derek Lovley, distinguished professor of Microbiology at UMass Amherst. “We’ve simplified the process of generating electricity by radically cutting back on the amount of processing needed. “We sustainably grow the cells in a biofilm, and then use that agglomeration of cells. This cuts the energy inputs, makes everything simpler and widens the potential applications.” The process relies on evaporation-based electricity production – the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-018-0228-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hydrovoltaic effect</a>. Water flow is driven by evaporation between the solid biofilm and the liquid water, which drives the transport of electrical charges to generate an electrical current. G. sulfurreducens colonies are grown in thin mats which are harvested and then have small circuits etched into them using a laser. Then they are sandwiched between mesh electrodes and finally sealed in a soft, sticky, breathable polymer which can be applied directly onto the skin without irritation. Initially, the researchers tested it by placing the device directly on a water surface, which produced approximately 0.45 volts of electricity continuously. When worn on sweaty skin it produced power for 18 hours, and even non-sweating skin generated a substantial electric output – indicating that the continuous low-level secretion of moisture from the skin is enough to drive the effect. “Our next step is to increase the size of our films to power more sophisticated skin-wearable electronics,” concludes Yao. The team aim to one day be able to power not only single devices, but entire electronic systems, using this biofilm. And because microorganisms can be mass produced with renewable feedstocks, it’s an exciting alternative for producing renewable materials for clean energy powered devices. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=200509&title=Producing+electricity+from+your+sweat+might+be+key+to+next+wearable+technology" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/electricity-from-sweat-biofilm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science writer at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide. Image: Liu et al., doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32105-6 </div>

Technology

How to get out of the energy crisis, according to top technology experts

Low-emissions technology and renewable energy are the way out of the current energy crisis, according to the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. In its <a href="https://www.atse.org.au/news-and-events/article/here-and-now-the-state-of-low-emissions-technology-in-australia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new report</a> on the state of low-emissions technology, the academy emphasises that existing renewable energy sources – like solar, wind, batteries and pumped hydro – are mature technologies which will provide cheaper and more reliable energy in the long term. While they’re already a big part of our energy mix, it’s going to take more work before they’re dominant. According to the academy, Australia needs more policy, big infrastructure investments, and broad social support to transition completely to these technologies. “By deploying clean energy on the huge scale required to replace fossil fuels, we can eliminate nearly three quarters of global emissions and enhance global energy security,” says academy fellow Katherine Woodthorpe, former director of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Vast Solar. “In Australia, it will also lead to cheaper and more reliable supplier pricing for onshore manufacturers as well as a potentially exportable resource.” Professor Renate Egan, research leader for the University of New South Wales at the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics says: “Australia-wide, we already get 32% of our electricity from renewables. And that’s actually doubled in five years. “We need that to double again. We can do it possibly in five years, but at least in 10 years.” At the centre of the transition lies our <a href="https://www.atse.org.au/news-and-events/article/here-and-now-the-state-of-low-emissions-technology-in-australia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">energy grid</a>. Formerly something that ran off a handful of big energy producers, the grid is becoming more and more complicated with the addition of smaller and more diverse energy sources – from rooftop solar, to large batteries and offshore wind farms. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-asset"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="Cosmos Shorts: What is the grid?" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KmCXCXa5loA?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> Egan refers to the modernising grid as an “internet of energy”. “With [energy] being generated in all different places and flowing in all different directions, we really need better monitoring, measuring and analysis of what’s going on, to allow us to make smart decisions,” says Egan. Fortunately, the technology now exists to manage this change too. “You’ll need smart sensors deployed pretty much everywhere producing a huge volume of data, with smart software to analyse and make use of that data,” says academy fellow George Maltabarow, the former managing director of Ausgrid. Academy fellow Professor Lachlan Blackhall, head of the battery storage and grid integration program at the Australian National University says: “This trend of distributed energy resources is actually happening globally. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p197575-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> “We’re seeing a really significant increase in the decentralisation of all energy systems. But Australia is actually on track to have the most decentralised energy system of anywhere in the world.” Strengthening and diversifying the grid is particularly important, because electricity will be providing more of our energy in general. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-asset"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="Cosmos Shorts: What could our future electricity grid look like?" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hGWw3gF7Z9k?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> Maltabarow says the transition away from fossil fuels “is going to require electrifying just about everything”. This transition includes household gas supplies – although gas power stations will <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/gas-price-energy-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">likely still have a small role to play</a> as a peak transition fuel for the next few decades. <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/cosmos-briefing-electric-vehicles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Electric vehicle</a> batteries could also provide some additional storage space for the grid to use. “We really do have all of the technology that we’re going to need, so it’s really important that we also focus on the social and the economic,” says Blackhall. “One of the key things that we do advocate for is actually an increase in the amount of social science research, in particular, that’s being done to actually go out and understand householder and community expectations and ensure that we have social licence for this very significant energy transition.” Social support is particularly important in the context of the current crisis, where energy prices are 115% higher than previous records, and <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/aemo-energy-market-gas-crisi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trading was temporarily suspended</a> by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). “The current crisis has been a decade in the making,” says Maltabarow. “In the short to medium term, prices are going to increase. The challenge is to make sure that increase is minimised to the extent that we can.” Academy fellow Alex Wonhas, a member of the NSW Energy Corporation’s advisory board and former head of engineering and system design at AEMO says Australia “has the technologies to avoid a future crisis”. “However, we must act now to lay the foundation of a truly modern energy system,” Wonhas says. “That requires investment in a whole mix of different technologies.” <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=197575&title=How+to+get+out+of+the+energy+crisis%2C+according+to+top+technology+experts" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/energy-crisis-escape-transition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/ellen-phiddian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ellen Phiddian</a>. Ellen Phiddian is a science journalist at Cosmos. She has a BSc (Honours) in chemistry and science communication, and an MSc in science communication, both from the Australian National University. Image: Getty Images </div>

Technology

Targeting shooters: technology that can isolate the location of gunshots

Inexpensive microphone arrays deployed in urban settings can be used to pinpoint the location of gunshots and help police respond instantly to the scene of crimes, scientists say. The process works by recognising that a gunshot produces two distinct sounds: the muzzle blast, and the supersonic shockwave that follows it. Luisa Still of Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Germany, told a meeting of the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/asa-meetings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Acoustical Society of America in Denver, Colorado</a>, this week that by using those two signals – in a process akin to that by which seismologists track seismic waves from earthquakes – police departments armed with the right equipment could pinpoint the location of the shot within seconds. It’s not as straightforward as it sounds. In an urban environment, buildings and other structures can reflect, refract or absorb sound waves, causing the sounds of the shot to come at the microphones from any number of directions. But it turns out, Still says, that it only takes two such sensor arrays to locate the source of a gunshot — and a good computer can do so very quickly. In tests, her team began on a rifle range, where they confirmed that a pair of such microphone arrays could indeed determine the location of the shooter to a high degree of accuracy. They then moved to an urban environment, where they repeated the experiment, though in this case the shooter was replaced with a propane gas cannon of the type used by farmers to scare away crop-eating birds. Again, two microphone arrays were all that were needed to zero in on the source of the “shot”. Not that this can work anywhere, any time. Still’s signal-location algorithms require maps of the surrounding buildings, the walls of which might affect the sound and, in extreme cases, create “blind spots” if microphone arrays aren’t properly deployed. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p192812-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> She also notes that research is ongoing as to whether it is better to put microphones at ground level or atop neighbouring buildings. There’s also continuing research around how many might be needed in complex urban cores, where there are a lot of buildings of varying height and echo patterns can become very convoluted. “We still need to evaluate [that],” she says. There’s also the need to weed out noises that sound like gunshots, such as firecrackers, car-engine backfires and anything else that makes a sudden bang. “We are working on classification methods,” Still says, noting that these involve computerised “deep learning” methods that can be trained to distinguish such sounds. Could similar sensors be deployed within a school building in order to locate a school shooter even more quickly that is currently possible? Still was asked. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “I think that would be applicable.” Though she noted that it might also be acoustically “very challenging” to put into practice. Later that same day, 19 school children and two adults were killed in Uvalde, Texas, in America’s worst grade-school shooting in nearly a decade. Would the death toll have been lower if gunshot sensors such as Still’s were widely deployed? Who knows? But it was one of the most stunningly prescient scientific presentations imaginable, because she spoke less than an hour before the Uvalde gunman opened fire. It was far too late for her research to be able to deflect the tragedy that was about to unfold, but close enough to it to underscore the urgency of what she was doing. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=192812&title=Targeting+shooters%3A+technology+that+can+isolate+the+location+of+gunshots" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/technology-isolate-location-gunshots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/richard-a-lovett" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard A Lovett</a>. Richard A Lovett is a Portland, Oregon-based science writer and science fiction author. He is a frequent contributor to Cosmos. Image: Getty Images </div>

Technology

Wearable technology for plants can help us tell when they’re thirsty

Unlike humans, plants can’t just speak up when they’re parched. And unfortunately for them the visual signs of dehydration, such as shrivelled or browning leaves, don’t show up until most of their moisture is gone. To overcome this communication barrier, nanotechnologists have created a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/materials/new-transistor-shows-promise-for-wearable-tech/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wearable technology</a> for plant leaves that senses and wirelessly transmits data to a smartphone app, reported in a <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsami.2c02943" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new study</a> in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The electrodes come in two different patterns to satisfy your plant fashion needs – one made of nickel deposited in a narrow, squiggly shape, and the other cut from partially burnt paper coated in a waxy film, though the nickel-based electrodes perform better. This plant-wearable technology could help farmers and gardeners to remotely monitor their plants’ health, including leaf water content, which is a key marker of metabolism and drought stress, kind of like how physicians can monitor and assess their patients’ health with a smartwatch. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p190363-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> The researchers created the two types of electrodes and stuck them onto soybean leaves with clear adhesive tape. They found that the nickel electrodes adhered more strongly in the wind (from a fan) – likely because the thin squiggly design of the metallic film allowed more tape to connect with the hairy leaf surface – and also produced larger signals as the leaves dried out. Next, they a created a plant-wearable device with the nickel electrodes and attached it to a living plant in a greenhouse. As the device shared data to a smartphone app and website, a simple, fast machine-learning technique successfully converted these data to the percentage of water content lost. The researchers say that monitoring water content on leaves can indirectly provide information on exposure to pests and toxic agents. Because the plant-wearable technology provides reliable data indoors, they now plan to test the devices in outdoor gardens and crops to determine when plants need to be watered, potentially saving resources, and increasing yields. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-asset"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="A new wearable technology — for plants (video)" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i864_c0fvVg?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=190363&title=Wearable+technology+for+plants+can+help+us+tell+when+they%E2%80%99re+thirsty" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/wearable-technology-for-plants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science writer at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide. Image: American Chemical Society (YouTube) </div>

Technology

Technology has made buildings less climate-friendly: but we can look back in time for solutions

It’s been <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/10/04/new-technology-answer-climate-change-not-targets/">claimed</a> that technology is the answer to the climate crisis. By eventually separating economic growth from its effects on the environment through improving energy efficiency, the argument runs, better technology promises to prevent <a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-no-end-to-the-damage-humans-can-wreak-on-the-climate-this-is-how-bad-its-likely-to-get-166031">catastrophic</a> global warming. But among the many things that this argument fails to consider is the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13563467.2019.1598964">reality</a> that new technology has often encouraged extravagant forms of consumption: from private cars and planes to kitchens full of appliances and air conditioning in countries with mild climates. Technology has also caused what’s called the “<a href="https://esrc.ukri.org/about-us/50-years-of-esrc/50-achievements/the-rebound-effect/">rebound effect</a>”: where improving energy efficiency leads to cheaper energy and therefore higher rates of energy consumption. For example, buying a more fuel-efficient car will reduce your average fuel cost per trip and thus is likely to lead to more trips, taking away at least some of your anticipated energy savings. A similar trend appears in architecture, where advances in artificial cooling, heating and computer-aided design have – rather than creating more efficient designs – actually introduced <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667480/from-waste-to-resource-productivity-evidence-case-studies.pdf">wasteful</a> building styles. In <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2093761X.2016.1237397">my work</a>, I call this phenomenon the “architectural rebound effect”. This effect becomes especially clear when we look at how <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/tag/facades/">building façades</a> (the “skin” that covers buildings) have evolved over the past 100 years. <h2>Façade failures</h2> The <a href="https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/379433/CdR+Final+Diaz+%26+Southall+Published+Version.pdf">Cité de Refuge</a> residential building in Paris, designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier in 1933, boasts one of the earliest examples of a façade made entirely out of glass. But with no windows or air conditioning, its summer indoor temperatures reached up to <a href="https://lmdvlugtdml.wordpress.com/home/lmd-words/miscellaneous-writings-and-publications/le-corbusiers-cite-de-refuge-historical-technological-performance-of-the-air-exacte/">33°C</a> – making it a “<a href="https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/379433/CdR+Final+Diaz+%26+Southall+Published+Version.pdf">notable failure</a>” in architecture. To fix this, the façade was fitted with external shading devices and about a third of its glass was made opaque. This strategy was mostly effective: computer simulations have shown that the upgraded design reduced indoor summer temperatures to <a href="https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/379433/CdR+Final+Diaz+%26+Southall+Published+Version.pdf">below 25°C</a>. From the 1950s, fully glazed façades without shading devices began to dominate city skylines thanks to increasingly efficient and cheap <a href="https://archive.curbed.com/2017/5/9/15583550/air-conditioning-architecture-skyscraper-wright-lever-house">air-conditioning systems</a> that allowed temperatures inside these buildings to be regulated. But these new glass boxes came with their own set of environmental problems. For instance, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13602360903119405">research</a> has shown that office buildings built in the Manhattan borough of New York between 1965 and 1969 consumed twice as much energy per unit floor area than buildings erected between 1950 and 1954. One reason for this is probably the difference in the window-to-wall ratio between these groups of buildings. While the later buildings had a ratio between 53% and 72%, the earlier buildings’ ratio sat between 23% to 32%. This means that more heat was allowed into and out of the former group of buildings during summer and winter, increasing their need for artificial cooling and heating. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437794/original/file-20211215-21-f60i8n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="An apartment building with red, yellow and blue external features" /> The Cité de Refuge after its refurbishment, with external shades and opaque glass. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cit%C3%A9_de_Refuge.jpg" class="source">IanTomFerry/Wikimedia</a> Another problem with fully glazed façades is the excessive glare they cause inside buildings, which means that indoor blinds must be pulled down most of the time. This blocks occupants’ views to the outside and increases reliance on artificial lighting, increasing energy consumption even further. These problems with fully glazed façades still plague buildings today. Now, parametrically designed shading devices are often used as a solution. Unfortunately, these tend to block outdoor views for those working inside, while keeping the need for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X12002046">artificial light</a>. <h2>Limiting freedoms</h2> Should we prevent architects from exercising their aesthetic freedom in designing these extravagant buildings that harm our planet? One solution could be to set a maximum limit on the amount of energy a building is allowed to consume. This would require architects to use <a href="https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/sustainable-architecture/a3992-what-are-passive-design-strategies/">passive design strategies</a> – techniques that enable humans to live in challenging climates without expending unnecessary energy. For example, by the year 400 BC, Persians had devised an ingenious way to <a href="http://jfa.arch.metu.edu.tr/archive/0258-5316/2012/cilt29/sayi_2/223-234.pdf">store ice</a> during hot summer months using ice pits called “yakhchals”. These were vaulted reservoirs with a height of up to 15 metres and a depth of approximately six metres. By allowing hot air to exit through an opening at the top of the reservoir and burying ice deep in the earth, the base of the yakhchal – and the ice inside – would <a href="https://www.maxfordham.com/research-innovation/the-physics-of-freezing-at-the-iranian-yakhchal/">remain cold</a> throughout the summer. An example from the modern era is the <a href="http://thegreentreefoundation.org/energy_concious_building/case_studies.pdf">Inspector General of Police Complex</a> building in Gulbarga, India, which uses a wind tower fitted with water sprays to create a comfortable environment in a hot and humid climate. Droplets from the sprays absorb heat from incoming air, reducing the air’s temperature by up to 13°C before it enters the building. It’s vital to first decide how best to measure buildings’ maximum energy limit. In current building energy rating schemes, “<a href="https://aiacalifornia.org/energy-use-intensity-eui/">energy use intensity</a>” is often used, which refers to the amount of energy consumed per unit of floor area. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437800/original/file-20211215-25-1v88ihf.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="A brick building in the desert" /> This yakhchal in Iran was used to keep ice cool. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iran_desert,_yakh-chal_(%D9%89%D8%AE_%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%84_en_persan)_,_goat_herd_-_glaci%C3%A8re,_troupeau_de_ch%C3%A8vres_(9261276542).jpg" class="source">Jeanne Menj/Wikimedia</a> But a flaw of this metric is that it allows overly large, grandiose buildings to be certified as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUuVoMCVwQo&ab_channel=InternationalPassiveHouseAssociation">low energy</a>. A more appropriate metric could focus on energy consumed in relation to the number of people using a building – in other words, a building’s energy use per person. <h2>Making masterpieces</h2> A possible objection is that this could result in “boring” buildings with no aesthetic appeal. In this case, we could encourage architects to express their creativity through building structures not designed to house people and therefore require little to no operational energy to run. This would considerably reduce the environmental impact of such architectural masterpieces. On average, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378778810001696">80% to 90%</a> of a building’s carbon emissions arise from operating it, not building it. What’s more, many iconic buildings have failed to function as they were designed to. Mies von der Rohe’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/aug/30/curse-mies-van-der-rohe-puddle-strewn-gallery-david-chipperfield-berlin-national">New National Gallery</a> in Berlin suffered from cracking windows and heavy condensation, while Frank Gehry’s MIT-based <a href="https://www.wired.com/2007/11/mit-sues-frank/">Stata Centre</a> in Massachusetts has leaky roofs and excessive mould. These buildings have not been demolished, however, but left standing as examples of top-quality design. Perhaps if architects channelled their desire for daring aesthetic into sculpture-like structures rather than buildings designed for habitation, they could continue to keep pushing the limits of design without making the planet pay.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169551/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bashar-al-shawa-1263266">Bashar Al Shawa</a>, PhD Student in Architecture, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-bath-1325">University of Bath</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/technology-has-made-buildings-less-climate-friendly-but-we-can-look-back-in-time-for-solutions-169551">original article</a>. Image: Micuradu/Flickr

Home Hints & Tips

Apple customers worried about safety of new AirTag technology

Tech giant Apple has copped global criticism after their new gadget held crucial security concerns. The AirTag is the latest accessory from Apple, which is a button-sized electronic device that can be attached like a keychain to valuables such as a wallet or keys, and can be linked to your Apple device to help locate the items when lost. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/05/apple-airtags-stalking/">The Washington Post</a>, among other sceptics of the new tech, pointed out the design flaw of the device after its release in early 2021, warning users it could be “frighteningly easy” for stalkers to take advantage. A series of tests conducted by online tech reviewers pointed out how easy it could be for stalkers to place the AirTag on someone without their knowledge and then track their whereabouts. “AirTags are a new means of inexpensive, effective stalking. I know because I tested AirTags by letting a Washington Post colleague pretend to stalk me,” the review said. Eva Galperin, cybersecurity director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, has long advocated for more awareness on the dangers of tracking technology. “I don’t expect products to be perfect the moment they hit the market, but I don’t think they would have made the choices that they did if they had consulted even a single expert in intimate partner abuse,” she said. After an influx of global criticism against the AirTag, Apple’s new iOS 15.2 update has made moves to remedy the possibility of stalking, by giving users access to detect “items that can track me” from their chosen Apple devices. Within the Find My app, there is a new “unknown items” option that can scan for rogue devices the user may be unaware of in their vicinity, alerting people to suspicious activity. “These are an industry-first, strong set of proactive deterrents,” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of iPhone marketing, said in an interview. “It’s a smart and tuneable system, and we can continue improving the logic and timing so that we can improve the set of deterrents.” Image credits: Getty Images

Technology

Billions are pouring into mobility technology – will the transport revolution live up to the hype?

Over the past decade almost <a href="https://files.pitchbook.com/website/files/pdf/PitchBook_Q4_2019_Emerging_Tech_Research_Mobility_Tech_Executive_Summary.pdf">US$200 billion</a> has been invested globally in mobility technology that promises to improve our ability to get around. More than US$33 billion was invested last year alone. Another measure of interest in this area is the <a href="https://travelandmobility.tech/lists/unicorns/">number of unicorns</a>, which has doubled in the past two years. A unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at US$1 billion or more. In early 2018 there were 22 travel and mobility unicorns. By last month the number had grown to 44. The top categories in the mobility area are: ride hailing, with 11 unicorns (25.0%); autonomous vehicles, with ten (22.7%); and micromobility, with three (6.8%). The remaining 20 unicorns are in the travel category (hotels, bookings and so on). Mobility technology is more than just autonomous vehicles, ride hailing and e-scooters and e-bikes. It also includes: electrification (electric vehicles, charging/batteries); fleet management and connectivity (connectivity, data management, cybersecurity, parking, fleet management); auto commerce (car sharing); transportation logistics (freight, last-mile delivery); and urban air mobility. Promised solutions, emerging problems Much of the interest in mobility technology is coming from individuals outside the transport arena. Startups are attracting investors by claiming their technology will solve many of our transport problems. Micromobility companies believe their e-scooters and e-bikes will solve the “<a href="https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784413210.007">first-mile last-mile</a>” problem by enabling people to move quickly and easily between their homes or workplaces and a bus or rail station. While this might work in theory, it depends on having <a href="https://theconversation.com/fork-in-the-road-as-danish-and-dutch-style-cycle-routes-spread-19744">safe and segregated bicycle networks</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-the-idea-of-20-minute-neighbourhoods-so-why-isnt-it-top-of-the-agenda-131193">frequent and widely accessible public transport</a> services. Ride-hailing services might relieve people of the need to own a car. But <a href="https://www.som.com/ideas/publications/som_thinkers_the_future_of_transportation">there is evidence</a> to suggest these services are <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-ride-hail-utopia-that-got-stuck-in-traffic-11581742802">adding to traffic congestion</a>. That’s because, unlike taxis, more of their time on the road involves travelling without any passengers. Navigation tools (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze) have <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps">been around longer</a> than most other mobility technologies and are meant make it easier to find the least-congested route for any given trip. However, <a href="https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~theophile/docs/publications/Cabannes_19_ACM.pdf">research</a> suggests these tools might not be working as intended. The <a href="https://www.som.com/ideas/publications/som_thinkers_the_future_of_transportation">backlash</a> against them is growing in some cities because traffic is being directed onto neighbourhood streets rather than arterial roads. Autonomous vehicles have the goal of reducing injuries and deaths from car crashes. Only a few years ago many bold predictions were being made that these self-driving vehicles would be having positive impacts by now, but this hasn’t happened. The enthusiasm for autonomous vehicles has cooled. <a href="https://www.vtpi.org/avip.pdf">Some now believe</a> we won’t see many of the social benefits for decades. The final mobility tech area is known as mobility as a service (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobility_as_a_service">MAAS</a>). It’s basically a platform designed to make better use of existing infrastructure and transport modes. MAAS begins with a journey planner that is linked to one-stop payment for a range of mobility services – ride-hailing, e-scooters, e-bikes, taxis, public transport, and so on. MAAS is the newest entrant in the mobility tech field. It has attracted US$6.8 billion to date, but is expected to grow to <a href="https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/mobility-as-a-service-market-78519888.html">over US$100 billion by 2030</a>. This idea is creating great enthusiasm, not only among private entrepreneurs, but also in the public sector. It’s too early to know whether it will improve transportation. 3 trends are driving investment So, why do venture capitalists <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnfrazer1/2019/03/11/new-mobility-worth-billions-venture-capital-thinks-so/#198cda2247d8">continue to show so much interest</a> in mobility technology startups despite poor company performance to date? It appears they believe personal mobility will become increasingly important. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnfrazer1/2019/03/11/new-mobility-worth-billions-venture-capital-thinks-so/#198cda2247d8">Three trends</a>support this belief. First, urban dwellers increasingly value the ability to move around easily. It’s thought to be a key ingredient for a liveable city. The problem is public transport is often not very good, particularly in the US and in outer suburbs in Australia. This is due to historically low funding relative to roads. The prospect of more funding and better public transport services in the future is not good. In part that’s because many <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/8/10/9118199/public-transportation-subway-buses">view public transport as welfare</a> and not an essential public service. Thus, if cities want to become more liveable and competitive, they must look beyond government-funded public transport for other mobility alternatives. The second trend is declining vehicle ownership. Since 1986 US sales of car and light trucks per capita have dropped by <a href="https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2020/02/04/vehicle-sales-per-capita-our-latest-look-at-the-long-term-trendh">almost 30%</a>. In Australia, new car sales <a href="https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/car-insurance/research/australian-car-sales-statistics.html">remained relatively constant</a> over the past decade, but a <a href="http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7982-new-vehicle-purchase-intention-march-2019-201905240039">decline since 2017 is expected to continue</a>. These trends are due in part to the cost of owning a vehicle, but also because of a growing view that owning a car may not be necessary. This brings us to the third trend, which involves demographics and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/delay-in-getting-driving-licences-opens-door-to-more-sustainable-travel-57430">post-millennial desire for access to mobility</a> services <a href="https://theconversation.com/car-ownership-is-likely-to-become-a-thing-of-the-past-and-so-could-public-transport-110550">rather than vehicle ownership</a>. These trends, combined with expectations of an upward trend in prices of these services, suggests there may be good times ahead for ride-hailing and micromobility companies. It also means venture capital funding for these startups will not be diminishing in the near future. The future of transport isn’t simple Transport systems are multifaceted. No one single app or technology will solve the challenges. And, as we are discovering, some of the purported solutions to problems might actually be making the situation worse. If the goal is to get people out of their cars (for <a href="https://theconversation.com/designing-suburbs-to-cut-car-use-closes-gaps-in-health-and-wealth-83961">better health and quality of life and a better environment</a>), this will require more than a technology. Better infrastructure and public policies (including better integration of land uses and transport to reduce the need for transport) will be required – <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-charts-on-why-congestion-charging-is-fairer-than-you-might-think-124894">congestion pricing</a>being one of those. That is not to say technological innovations are not welcome as part of the solution, but they are just that … “part” of the solution. Written by Neil G Sipe. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/billions-are-pouring-into-mobility-technology-will-the-transport-revolution-live-up-to-the-hype-131154">The Conversation.</a>

Travel Tips

Social media and technology mean that dead celebrities can't rest in peace

“To be dead,” wrote the 20th century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, “is to be a prey for the living.” Even Sartre, though, would have struggled to imagine casting James Dean in a movie 64 years after the actor’s death. The <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/afm-james-dean-reborn-cgi-vietnam-war-action-drama-1252703">curious announcement</a> that Dean, who died in a car crash in 1955 having made just three films, will star in a movie adaptation of Gareth Crocker’s Vietnam War novel Finding Jack, has been met with <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/james-dean-finding-jack-digital-actor-backlash-controversy-172502291.html">outrage</a>. It would be a remarkable CGI achievement for any studio to resurrect an actor who has been dead since the Eisenhower administration. True, the Star Wars movie Rogue One featured the late Peter Cushing “reprising” his role as Grand Moff Tarkin. But the new role given to Dean would reportedly be far larger and more complex. Cushing, at least, had already played Tarkin while he was alive. In Finding Jack, “James Dean” will supposedly be starring in a film based on a novel written 80 years after he was born, set near the end of a war that started after he died. He will reportedly be reanimated via “full body” CGI using actual footage and photos; another actor will voice him. The reaction to this goes beyond mere scepticism, however. Nor is it simply the now-familiar post-truth anxiety about no longer being able to tell what’s real and what isn’t. The rise of “<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi_392QhdjlAhVLdCsKHQ_zC5gQFjALegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2019%2F06%2F10%2Fopinion%2Fdeepfake-pelosi-video.html&usg=AOvVaw2qK3CZZjtPtJJcix9JXZ4X">deepfakes</a>” presents a much greater threat on that front than bringing dead actors back to life. What’s at work here is another pervasive challenge of the online era: how we should live with the digital dead. People die online every day. Social media is increasingly full of <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13347-011-0050-7">electric corpses</a>; at some point <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-04-29-digital-graveyards-are-dead-taking-over-facebook">the dead will outnumber the living</a> on platforms like Facebook. This already poses a range of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-015-9379-4">ethical and practical problems</a>. Some of these are the subject of a <a href="https://www.lawreform.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/lrc/lrc_current_projects/Digital%20assets/Project-update.aspx">NSW Law Reform Commission inquiry</a> into how we should deal with the digital assets of the dead and incapacitated. Reanimation These issues only get thornier once you add in the prospect of reanimation. For most of this decade, digital immortality was confined to press releases and fiction. A string of start-ups promised breathlessly to let you cheat death via AI-driven avatars, only to disappear when it became clear their taglines were better than their products. (The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2013/feb/18/death-social-media-liveson-deadsocial">Twitter app LivesOn’s</a> “When your heart stops beating, you’ll keep tweeting” was undeniably clever). “Be Right Back,” a 2013 episode of the TV series Black Mirror, imagined a young woman who signs up for a service that brings her dead partner back to life using his social media footprint: first as a chat bot, then as a phone-based voice simulator, and finally as a lifelike automaton. It was brilliant, bleak television, but thankfully, it wasn’t real. Then in late 2015, 34-year-old Roman Mazurenko died in an accident in Moscow. As a tribute, his best friend, fellow tech entrepreneur Eugenia Kuyda, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot">built the texts</a> Mazurenko had sent her into a chat bot. You can download Roman Mazurenko right now, wherever you get your apps, and talk to a dead man. Internet immortality might not be here yet, not quite, but it’s unsettlingly close. Between remembrance and exploitation Sadly, it’s not an immortality we could look forward to. When we fear death, one thing we particularly dread is the end of first-person experience. Think of the experience you’re having reading this article. Someone else could be reading exactly the same words at the same time. But their experience will lack whatever it is that makes this your experience. That’s what scares us: if you die, that quality, what it’s like to be you, won’t exist anymore. And there is, to mangle <a href="https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-what-is-it-like-to-be-a-bat/">a famous line from Thomas Nagel</a>, nothing it is like to be a bot. But what about living on for other people? The Mazurenko bot is clearly a work of mourning, and a work of love. Remembering the dead, <a href="http://sorenkierkegaard.org/works-of-love.html">wrote Kierkegaard</a>, is the freest and most unselfish work of love, for the dead can neither force us to remember them nor reward us for doing so. But memory is fragile and attention is fickle. It seems reasonable that we might use our new toys to help the dead linger in the lifeworld, to escape oblivion a little longer. The danger, as the philosopher <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/05568641.2015.1014538">Adam Buben has put it</a>, is that memorialisation could slip into replacement. An interactive avatar of the dead might simply become a stopgap, something you use to fill part of the hole the dead leave in our lives. That risks turning the dead into yet another resource for the living. The line between remembrance and exploitation is surprisingly porous. That is what’s ultimately troubling about resurrecting James Dean. To watch a James Dean movie is to encounter, in some palpable way, the concrete person. Something of the face-to-face encounter survives the mediation of lens, celluloid and screen. To make a new James Dean movie is something else. It’s to use the visual remains of Dean as a workable resource instead of letting him be who he is. Worse, it suggests that James Dean can be replaced, just as algorithm-driven avatars might come to replace, rather than simply commemorate, the dead. We’ll know in time whether Finding Jack can live up to its likely premature hype. Even if it doesn’t, the need to think about how we protect the dead from our digital predations isn’t going away.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127211/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/patrick-stokes-10346">Patrick Stokes</a>, Associate Professor of Philosophy, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/chat-bots-james-dean-can-the-digital-dead-rest-in-peace-127211">original article</a>.

Technology

New research shows baby boomers are less threatened by technology in the workplace

New research commissioned by technology leader <a href="http://links.erelease.com.au/wf/click?upn=5eYQ-2B9hvLjY4F2EakWBi1ZLO7jaULuWnZBmbjF1-2FN2Awx-2F-2FA9sj0-2BQL-2BinGrP-2BrI_hfIqhjxrH5PXl2rHT1sLDTWyF1R6hGp8veDS2OqJRfJ2gqdnaHEljBkVvra9aGlx4VjSVUbKFpLRdZf3fB2LscCpfNHBZj472Ly9XaNbOKGSrO9w0nJWn8lTtojc5Iz41jlOpJCekIRYEVTulwB977Q2DlfgspDP1rDMixltb-2FDHmXx8SrNCmjiIToeB0EoXDNalY9E7KRn64YmdzVzUef-2B6t6bZP3-2FzMJbnfRI54eK0ZKR120HaEiYqQz5nWbnR">Genesys</a> has shown that older generations are significantly more positive towards artificial technology in Australia and New Zealand. The new research also suggested that older generations are more comfortable with the implementation of modern workforce tools as opposed to younger respondents. 70 per cent of respondents aged 18-38 years believe there should be a minimum requirement of human employees over AI/bots compared to 59 per cent of respondents aged 55-73 years. The younger respondents appear to be more cautious of the implementation of this technology compared to more senior respondents. All age demographics have reported seeing the benefit of advanced technology in the workplace, with an average of 87 per cent stating that it has a positive impact. However, 23 per cent of respondents aged 18 – 38 reported feeling threatened by new technology in the workplace. Gwilym Funnell, Vice President of Sales and Managing Director for Genesys in Australia and New Zealand said, “Older generations are valuable members of our workplace, and these results dispel the myth that they are averse to technology. “The evolution of business is calling for greater adaptability; this is when experience can be leveraged for greater success.” The survey also uncovered another key difference between the generations, which was the perception of the impact of technology on social interactions. 44% of respondents aged 55-73 years report technology does not inhibit social interactions at all, while those aged 18-38 years report it does – 7% more than their older peers.

Technology

The way technology has influenced the way you buy cars

New research from <a href="https://boyleconsulting.com.au/news/">Boyle Consulting</a> has shown that the reason you bought your latest car isn’t for the reasons you think. There are a variety of things that influence you into finding your ideal vehicle. The most important research methods that were helpful to research participants were: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Visiting a dealership (91 per cent)</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Dealership test drives (77 per cent)</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Online reviews (75 per cent)</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Manufacturer website (69 per cent)</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Dealership website (66 per cent)</li> </ol> With 75 per cent of research participants using online reviews to gauge whether or not their new car might be for them, it’s clear that technology has had a large impact on the way that people not only research about new cars but use the information available to make a new decision. The bottom answers in the top five were the manufacturer website and the dealership website, which was used as a research tool for those who are looking to buy a car. Younger drivers found that the opinions of their friends and family impacted them a lot, with 76 per cent of young people using them to make a final decision. This is a 27 per cent increase of Baby Boomers who were asked the same question. Another surprising finding is that buyers visit just two dealerships on average. More than 40 per cent of buyers are just happy to visit one. This shows that buyers are potentially missing out on big discounts as they don’t look at more than two dealerships. Once buyers have made a decision, they will generally purchase the vehicle within two days.

Technology

Why we are fearful of facial recognition technology

Although many people are up in arms about a recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/16/opinion/facial-recognition-new-york-city.html">New York Times</a> piece where journalists went out and identified random pedestrians as they walked past in the street using commercially available facial recognition software, the use of facial recognition software in the public eye raises more questions than answers. Why are people up in arms about it now? Facial recognition isn’t fundamentally new. It’s widely accepted across Western society that there are surveillance cameras everywhere and anywhere you could possibly think of. People are also okay with police officers scanning hours of surveillance camera footage to track a suspect’s location. It’s not clear what makes people uneasy about facial recognition software. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/geek-heretic/201906/why-we-fear-face-recognition-technology">Psychology Today</a> have suggested that there are three main emotional components to the problem which explain why people aren’t fans of it. It comes down to a lack of privacy, anonymity and uneasiness at being followed. The concept of being “followed around” People are complex. For many, the idea that their whereabouts could be tracked by an unknown third party, even if it’s a machine, is enough to make them feel uneasy. It’s likened to seeing a police officer on the street and then having them follow your every move. It’s not the issue of having your location known, it’s being followed. People liken being followed to being stalked, and stalking takes a heavy emotional toll. People enjoy being anonymous There’s a reason actors now go to extensive lengths to not be recognised once they’re at the height of their fame. They miss being anonymous in a large crowd of people. Anonymity permits a certain kind of freedom, whether it be from nosy neighbours, judgement or adoring fans. The use of facial recognition removes the anonymity that comes with being hidden. Being watched alters your behaviour The sense of being watched ensures that the person being watched is on their best behaviour. For many, being stared at is worse than being eavesdropped on. People are more sensitive to visual invasions of privacy instead of audio ones, which would explain the discomfort that people feel.

Technology

Hidden camera technology is booming: What this means for your privacy

With stories about people finding hidden cameras and other technology in their AirBnb’s and apartment rentals, some people are curious as to why and where the hidden technology boom has come from. Bruce Baer Arnold, an associate professor of law and justice at Canberra University, told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/a-boom-in-hidden-camera-tech-makes-it-difficult-to-spot-devices-and-the-law-is-complex/news-story/59ec9bbef84ed22748429647ae7a4414">news.com.au</a> his thoughts on the matter. “Fifteen years ago, the technology that was available was expensive and a bit quirky and was mostly bought by law enforcement, private investigators and uber geeks.” He added, “But we’re seeing the Kmart effect where availability has boomed and prices have fallen, so now anybody can get their hands on them.” Some of the objects that are able to conceal cameras include hats, fake car key fobs, watches, picture frames, wall clocks, television remotes, notebooks and music speakers. Some of the technology also has hidden video recorders inside them, so that the footage can be looked at later. Depending on what you’re after and what website you buy it from, it could set you back $20 or $168. University of Technology Sydney law professor Kristopher Wilson says that this is a real problem for privacy. “We don’t have any real standards or control mechanisms for the development and sale of these devices,” he said. “That’s an issue for cyber security as well as privacy. There’s a plethora of flow-on effects from this.” Although stories of technology being found in apartment rentals are nothing new, there are more sinister uses for the hidden technology. “An emerging problem is ‘cyber gaslighting’ where these kind of devices are being used in domestic violence situations,” Mr Wilson said. “It might be a husband who installs them to monitor his wife’s movements to harass and intimidate. It’s a relatively new phenomenon.” Dr Baer Arnold says that context was key when it comes to determining the legality of using the devices, which again, raises a host of issues. “The big issue we’ve got is that the law is so profoundly inconsistent between the states and territories. And then there are cases where a potential offence would be dealt with by Commonwealth laws. “It’s all a bit rocky, and some of the laws have been shown to be outdated. We’ve had instances in the past where an invasion of privacy with a video recording was deemed fine because the sound was off. That’s a bizarre situation.” However, it seems like the law will consistently be playing catch up. Dr Baer Arnold believes that restricting the sale of the technology won’t help matters. “Like all technology, it can be used for good and it can be used for bad,” he said. “Take drone technology. Drones can protect the environment and help in emergencies. They can also be used to spy and to kill. It’s about context. Just restricting something doesn’t work.”

Travel Trouble

New “human on a chip” technology could change drug testing as we know it

New technology has allowed researchers to revolutionise drug and cosmetic testing. The technology, which is one of a kind and known as “human on a chip” biotechnology was developed in Florida. The chip was developed by Hesperos Inc, pharmaceutical giant Roche, the University of Central Florida as well as L’Oréal research. The findings were published in the <a href="https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/11/497/eaav1386">Science Translation Medicine</a> journal. How it works Scientists are using human cells that are generally sourced from induced stem cells. Scientists are then using the cells to build different organ components and then connect them on a single transparent chip, which emulates how the organs connect in the body. They “treat each compartment as a chemical reactor, absorber, or what’s called a ‘holding tank’ in chemical engineering,” Michael Shuler, Hesperos co-founder, chief executive officer, and president who is also a professor emeritus at Cornell University in New York, told <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/human-on-a-chip-technology-can-test-cancer-treatments#How-%E2%80%98human-on-a-chip%E2%80%99-works">Healthline</a>. “We can sample from reservoirs in the system just like you would take a blood sample from your body and run it through an analytical procedure,” explains Shuler. The chip monitors and assesses acute drug treatments which can span from a few hours to days. It can also monitor chronic drug treatments for up to 28 days. The chip also can test cancer treatments, which was the whole idea. “The whole idea is ‘Can we do this in a way which makes the drug development process more effective and cost-effective?’” Shuler said. “Our ability to do clinical trials is more or less fixed, so anytime we run clinical trials and compounds fail, it means there’s a compound that may have succeeded that didn’t get a chance to go into clinical trials,” says Shuler. “This [technology] helps to make a better argument or guess about which compounds will be more effective in clinical trials,” he added. “It pays, more importantly, dividends to society because … you get more useful drugs for society with the same investment.” However, there are concerns. Despite the “human on a chip” technology being progressive, there are questions as to how much longer outcomes will take to be assessed. Dr. Razelle Kurzrock, chief of the division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Moores Cancer Center’s Clinical Trials Office told Healthline her concerns. “The extent to which the company can produce custom models for individual patients is crucial,” Kurzrock explained. “If [human on a chip] could be done for individual patients, which I see as significantly more challenging, that could be genuinely transformative if prediction of toxicity and efficacy were accurate.”

Technology

How technology can aggravate your brain

It’s rare to come across someone who hasn’t experienced a headache in their lifetime. However, those who experience chronic headaches are often left unheard, despite it impacting at least 10 per cent of the population. Dr Richard Sullivan, who is a Melbourne-based pain medicine specialist who regularly sees patients for headache conditions, said such patients often see him "when they suffer headaches for more days than they don't." He spoke to <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6220933/how-technology-might-be-aggravating-your-brain-pain/?cs=14259">The Canberra Times</a> about how technology is impacting migraines. According to Sullivan, it’s debatable whether or not technology has a large impact on headaches. "The issue of whether technology itself is responsible for increasing headache prevalence, in my opinion, remains a debatable point. At this stage we don't have any strong evidence that changes in IT directly increase chronic headaches. But from the anecdotal perspective from those working in clinical practice, we do seem to see more and more people coming in complaining of headaches and its impact on their health and wellbeing is a growing concern," said Dr Sullivan. "There is a continuum from mild, moderate to the more severe headaches like migraine. Chronic headache can be caused by other medical problems. "Cervicogenic headache for example is caused by problems in the neck, and the aspects of a modern lifestyle where we are generally more sedentary, our recreational activities are focused around passive forms of entertainment and we have largely desk-based jobs with a greater reliance on the use of technology, we have seen an increase in people with neck and shoulder problems - and that might be an associated cause of the observed increase in chronic headaches." However, there are lifestyle changes you can make in order to reduce your headaches. Dr Sullivan’s tips include: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">ensure your workstation is set up ergonomically</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">take regular breaks from your work - change tasks, stretch, go for a walk</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">ensure adequate sleep, nutrition and exercise (ideally between 100-200 mins per week)</li> </ul> "These relatively simple things make the biggest difference in terms of the impact of pain in people's lives," said Dr Sullivan. Chronic headaches are more commonplace, but due to a better understanding of the issue, they are taken more seriously within the medical world. "Now that we have a better understanding of the causes of chronic headache, and the treatment options have been refined and improved, a lot of sufferers have come forward wanting treatment for a problem that's been affecting them for a long time. So we've seen a potential increase in the presentation of chronic headaches that relate simply to the fact that we're talking more about it, and taking things more seriously," said Dr Sullivan.

Technology

Research has revealed that technology is a literal pain in the neck

Researchers have revealed that technology is changing the bones in our necks and skulls, which is setting people up for a lifetime of pain. This comes from device overuse, as it can cause posture problems. Researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast have found something unusual that tends to go unnoticed. They used a sample of more than 1,200 people aged between 18 and 30. They discovered that 41 percent of the participants had grown a bony lump on the back of their skull. The horn-like spurs were between 10 to 30 millimetres thick. “We suspect the reason for this bone spur formation is because they carry their head forward,” University of the Sunshine Coast’s David Shahar said to <a href="https://thewest.com.au/news/health/researchers-reveal-technology-is-proving-a-pain-in-the-neck-ng-b881234805z">The West.</a> The sustained stress on the skull is creating bone de-position which usually takes years. The simple solution? Lift your head. “Bringing the weight of the head back to rest on the bones and not on the muscles,” Dr Shahar said.

Technology

San Francisco becomes first US state to ban facial recognition technology

San Francisco officials have voted 8 to 1 to ban the purchase and use of facial recognition technology by the city personnel. This is in response to a move that regulates tools that Silicon Valley companies helped develop. The ordinance requires city departments to submit surveillance technology policies for public vetting. The action puts San Francisco at the forefront of discontent throughout the United States over the use of facial recognition software. Although the technology has been used for years by government agencies, it has recently become more powerful with the rise of cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies. "We have a fundamental duty to safeguard the public from potential abuses," Aaron Peskin, the city supervisor who championed the ban said before the board's vote to <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/san-francisco-votes-to-ban-city-use-of-facial-recognition-technology">SBS</a>. The aim is to protect “marginalised groups” that could be harmed by the technology. While communities are moving to limit facial recognition, police have increased their use of the software, using it to spot potential suspects in known offender databases after a crime has occurred. The technology is also being used by US customs agents who are vetting foreign travellers at airports with facial recognition. Daniel Castro, vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said that concerns were “overblown”. “Concerns that the U.S. government would use face identification for mass surveillance, like China has, were overblown.” He said. San Francisco's "ban on facial recognition will make it frozen in time with outdated technology," he said.

Technology

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10 things we sort of miss because of technological advances

Calls to regulate AI are growing louder. But how exactly do you regulate a technology like this?

10 technology commandments

“Is this a joke?”: Male finalist in Women in Technology award sparks debate

Producing electricity from your sweat might be key to next wearable technology

How to get out of the energy crisis, according to top technology experts

Targeting shooters: technology that can isolate the location of gunshots

Wearable technology for plants can help us tell when they’re thirsty

Technology has made buildings less climate-friendly: but we can look back in time for solutions

Apple customers worried about safety of new AirTag technology

Billions are pouring into mobility technology – will the transport revolution live up to the hype?

Social media and technology mean that dead celebrities can't rest in peace

New research shows baby boomers are less threatened by technology in the workplace

The way technology has influenced the way you buy cars

Why we are fearful of facial recognition technology

Hidden camera technology is booming: What this means for your privacy

New “human on a chip” technology could change drug testing as we know it

How technology can aggravate your brain

Research has revealed that technology is a literal pain in the neck

San Francisco becomes first US state to ban facial recognition technology

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

10 things we sort of miss because of technological advances

Calls to regulate AI are growing louder. But how exactly do you regulate a technology like this?

10 technology commandments

“Is this a joke?”: Male finalist in Women in Technology award sparks debate

Producing electricity from your sweat might be key to next wearable technology

How to get out of the energy crisis, according to top technology experts

Targeting shooters: technology that can isolate the location of gunshots

Wearable technology for plants can help us tell when they’re thirsty

Technology has made buildings less climate-friendly: but we can look back in time for solutions

Apple customers worried about safety of new AirTag technology

Billions are pouring into mobility technology – will the transport revolution live up to the hype?

Social media and technology mean that dead celebrities can't rest in peace

New research shows baby boomers are less threatened by technology in the workplace

The way technology has influenced the way you buy cars

Why we are fearful of facial recognition technology

Hidden camera technology is booming: What this means for your privacy

New “human on a chip” technology could change drug testing as we know it

How technology can aggravate your brain

Research has revealed that technology is a literal pain in the neck

San Francisco becomes first US state to ban facial recognition technology

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