Google to ban payday loan advertisements washingtonpost
The decision is the first time Google has announced a global ban on ads for a broad category of financial products. To this point, the search giant has prohibited ads for largely illicit activities such as selling guns, explosives and drugs, and limited those that are sexually explicit or graphic in nature, for example. Critics of payday lenders say they hope the move by Google and other tech companies might undercut the business which finds huge numbers of willing customers on the internet.
Ok - I can't say I have much good to say about PayDay lenders, BUT what I find interesting is Google has a) decided to discrimintate against a broad group by not allowing advertising from them, and b) done so from pressure from 'civil rights' groups.
AI
Viv aims to out-Siri Siri in its first public demo cnet
The Viv demo involved talking to a phone and a computer, and at first it performed tasks that Siri, Google and others can do, such describing the weather. Then the questions got harder, like "Will it be warmer than 70 degrees near the Golden Gate Bridge after 5 p.m. the day after tomorrow?"
The demo received mild applause, but ended up looking not much different than a visualized version of what Amazon Echo can do. Of course, the underpinning of Viv could be a lot more complex. The real magic is dynamic program generation: "When it understands intent of user, it generates a program as needed," Kittlaus said. That makes Viv something that can start building services, in theory. But it's hard to judge how that will actually work during a 20-minute stage demo.
Fujitsu Develops AI System That Can Catch Criminals On The Run ubergizmo
Fujitsu thinks that they can help as they have developed an AI system (via Engadget) that relies on game theory to help determine where police should deploy their forces to be the most effective. This isn’t a new concept but previously, applying game theory would have taken too long given the size of cities such as Tokyo.
3D Printing
Nia Technologies receives $1.5M CAD to develop '3D PrintAbility' 3D printed prosthesis project 3ders.org v
Originally conceived by established nonprofit organization cbm Canada, (Nia Technologies’ parent organization) 3D PrintAbility is a 3D scanning and printing project, described by Nia as a “deployable digital toolchain”, which aims to deliver 3D printed prosthetic devices to children in developing countries. By combining affordable 3D scanning technologies with versatile 3D printing systems, Nia hopes to improve the lives of countless individuals in the developing world, where there is a shortage of affordable medical solutions and trained prosthetists.
Italian cuisine giant Barilla unveils pasta 3D printer 3ders.org v
This fascinating food 3D printer has been under development for four years, and has been built in collaboration with the well-known 3D printing innovators from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). Nonetheless, its development was met with quite a bit of skepticism, as it goes against everything traditional Italian pasta stands for.
DNA
Scientists Image First Steps in DNA Transcription newscenter.lbl.gov v
The first key steps in gene activation involve the unzipping of DNA’s double helix so that the single strand of genetic code is exposed and available to be copied into messenger RNA. Little had been known about the molecular cues that triggered the double-stranded structure to open up. Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to obtain data and images of the human molecular machinery engaged with DNA at a near-atomic level of resolution.
Society
Italy’s parliament backs same-sex civil unions in historic move independent.co.uk
Italy had been the last major Western country not to recognise civil unions for same-sex couples, but the vote on Wednesday means that gay couples will now share some of the legal rights given to heterosexual couples.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi won the confidence vote in the lower house of Parliament on Wednesday and while the bill must now be given formal approval by the lower house in order to become law, this second move is seen as a formality.
United Methodist Church weighs LGBT issues usatoday
Delegates from across the globe will consider more than 100 pieces of legislation regarding human sexuality at the General Conference, which meets every four years to decide the future direction of the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States. It counts about 12.8 million members worldwide.
Planned Parenthood Sues Ohio After Governor Kasich Signs Bill De-Funding It lifenews
After the Planned Parenthood abortion company was caught in multiple states selling aborted babies and their body parts, several states have taken steps to de-fund it and Ohio beccame the 10th state to take steps to end or cut Planned Parenthood funding. Planned Parenthood runs three abortion centers in the state and every Planned Parenthood clinic refers women for abortions.
Also see Planned Parenthood sues Ohio over plan to restrict funds
Space
These space rocks could save the planet phys.org
They are to be vaporized by a high-powered laser, and the data they yield on asteroid deflection could one day save the planet. It's not a matter of if, but when, Bruck Syal said, referring to the eventual certainty of a large celestial object impacting the Earth. "Our challenge is to figure out how to avert disaster before it happens."
Consider Rev 8:10-11
SpaceX suits to be designed by superhero armor creator cnet
He is best known for his helmets, armor, superhero suits and other costume elements in such films as "Oblivion," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," "Jupiter Ascending," "Tron: Legacy," "Thor," "X-Men 2" and most recently, "Batman v Superman" and "Captain America: Civil War."
Military
Russia says US missile system breaches nuclear INF treaty bbc
"This decision is harmful and mistaken, because it is capable of upsetting strategic stability," said Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Russian foreign ministry's department for proliferation and arms control issues.
Also see U.S. to switch on European missile shield despite Russian alarm
Others...
The speech where Adolf Hitler declared war on the USA, 1941 rarehistoricalphotos
Biodiversity Patterns Are Even Stranger in the Deep Sea mentalfloss p
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