Astronomers try to catch up on AI
“There is no position for an astronomy/AI person already formed.” Quite an admission from Kari Haworth, chief technology operator at the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. As the first engineer in an…
Exoplanets and the Future of Humanity
Dr. Chris Impey was at SXSW to let us see what the future of humanity might be. Unfettered by being on Earth, he envisions worlds without end that will keep…
AI Election Fraud in the US & UK
SXSW sessions are held in many locations. Located several blocks north of the central location of the Austin Convention Centre I found UK House. It was being hosted by Downright…
Will AI Devalue Music?
Aside from being singers with unusual names, what do Engelbert Humperdinck, Billie Eilish and Jon Bon Jovi all have in common? They, along with more than 200 fellow music artists,…
STAR TREK Discovery at SXSW
Just 3 days to go before the final season of Star Trek Discovery premieres on TV. For those at SXSW, the wait for season 5 ended in March: the first…
Space Probe to Europa set for October Launch
In March, Austin has been treated to two very special talks on a space mission set to launch in October. The Europa Clipper mission will visit Jupiter’s moon Europa in…
Do You Want to Live Forever? Survive until 2045
Futurist Ray Kurzweil was booked into a room far too small for the enormous crowd who wanted to see him speak at SXSW. Even after the Hilton Austin room was…
“FUCK THEM!!!” Jane Fonda on what we should do to big oil execs and their political prostitutes
Age has not dimmed Jane Fonda, who was fired up at SXSW in Austin. She could easily have passed for 56 instead of 86 in her stage appearance with fellow…
Amy Webb: This Is an Exhilarating Time to be Alive
Amy Webb has built a career as a futurist on identifying tech trends, but as she told an audience at SXSW in Austin, those halcyon days have ended. “Trends are…
No One Is Immune to Deepfake Imagery
A cautionary tale relating to artificial intelligence surely startled many at SXSW this week. Dr. Joy Buolamwini is founder of the Algorithmic Justice League. Fortune magazine named her the “conscience…