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Blockchain & Intellectual Property @ Internet Librarian 2016

Below are the slides from my presentation given at Internet Librarian 2016 concerning the blockchain and how it may change our perceptions about intellectual property. The blockchain provides for something unique in the history of our digital world, that of provable digital scarcity. The fact that we can have scarce digital objects for which ownership is publicly provable is a very odd concept, and is contrary to the last 20 years of thinking about digital objects. That concept, along with the peculiarities of data storage on the blockchain, should interest information professionals for its potential.

Alongside the general interest, blockchain driven tech stands to change the way the Internet and Web are structured and move power away from the center and towards the edges and the users of the systems. I’ve written about why this should be interesting to libraries, and I continue to believe that the next 5 years will see a slow motion movement towards these technologies.

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Release_Candidate Uncategorized

Dynamic projection mapping

Computer vision + projection and a lot of fancy math….really impressive stuff.

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Release_Candidate Robots

Full Self-Driving Hardware on All Teslas

All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go. If you don’t say anything, the car will look at your calendar and take you there as the assumed destination or just home if nothing is on the calendar. Your Tesla will figure out the optimal route, navigate urban streets (even without lane markings), manage complex intersections with traffic lights, stop signs and roundabouts, and handle densely packed freeways with cars moving at high speed. When you arrive at your destination, simply step ou

Source: Autopilot | Tesla

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Release_Candidate Robots

Disney Research creates a TiggerBot

Current and previous single-legged hopping robots are energetically tethered and lack portability. Here, we present the design and control of an untethered, energetically autonomous single-legged hopping robot.

Source: Disney Research » Untethered One-Legged Hopping in 3D Using Linear Elastic Actuator in Parallel (LEAP)

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Release_Candidate Robots

Otto to Introduce Autonomous Truck Tech

Their vehicles are designed to drive from “exit to exit” on major highways, always with a driver on board to monitor progress and be ready to take over in an emergency. Otto’s technology is intended to improve safety and reduce driver fatigue on long trips, Ron said. The San Francisco-based company has a fleet of five test trucks and plans to have at least two more ready to hit the highways this year. “We’re moving with urgency,” Ron told Trucks.com. “It’s about extending our own fleet to a few more units…

Source: Otto Moving with ‘Urgency’ to Introduce Autonomous Truck Tech | Trucks.com

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3D Printing Release_Candidate

3D Printing Models That Balance or Breakdance

Super clever stuff coming out of Disney Research, in which they define balance points of 3D printed objects via internal channels and sliding mass.

The latest project from Disney Research, which is often busy with impressive projects involving 3D technologies, involves the creation of 3D printed objects capable of performing gravity-defying feats of balance.

Source: Disney Research Devises a Method of 3D Printing Models That Balance or Breakdance | 3DPrint.com

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Drones Release_Candidate

DJI Mavic Pro

David Pogue REALLY likes the DJI Mavic. This might go a long way to explain why 3DR has stopped making drones…

I cannot tell you how radical a leap forward this drone is. Seeing it is like seeing the MacBook Air when laptops were thick and heavy, or seeing a Tesla drive up when “electric car” meant golf carts.

Source: DJI Mavic Pro: a folding drone that redefines the category

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Machine Learning/AI Release_Candidate

Black Mirror meets Real Life

Black Mirror meets Real Life.

It had been three months since Roman Mazurenko, Kuyda’s closest friend, had died. Kuyda had spent that time gathering up his old text messages, setting aside the ones that felt too personal, and feeding the rest into a neural network built by developers at her artificial intelligence startup. She had struggled with whether she was doing the right thing by bringing him back this way. At times it had even given her nightmares. But ever since Mazurenko’s death, Kuyda had wanted one more chance to speak with him.

Source: Speak, Memory

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Release_Candidate Security

Mac malware that can tap into live webcam and mic feeds

Security is hard, and the bad guys are clever.

Security researcher and former NSA staffer Patrick Wardle is this afternoon demonstrating a way for Mac malware to tap into live feeds from the built-in webcam and microphone. His presentation is being delivered at the Virus Bulletin conference in Denver later today.

Although any unauthorized access to the webcam will light the green LED – a firmware-level protection that is exceedingly difficult to bypass – Wardle’s presentation shows how a malicious app can tap into the outgoing feed of an existing webca

Source: Former NSA staffer demonstrates Mac malware that can tap into live webcam and mic feeds | 9to5Mac

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Drones Release_Candidate Robots

The Crash Of 3D Robotics

3DR has seen better days. Sad to see them pivot, I really wanted a US-based drone company to do well.

While it may prove fruitful, 3D Robotics’ pivot puts it in direct competition with a host of Silicon Valley startups, including Kespry, DroneDeploy and others that have raised millions of dollars on the original intent of developing software solutions for companies. 3D Robotics must play catch up and it may not have the resources to do so. In June, a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed that the company raised $26.7 million in debt and warrants.

“We’re not making anymore Solos and we’re not going to make another drone,” said Anderson, who suggested that 3D Robotics would start developing software for other drone makers. “I love the idea of other companies making hardware so we don’t have to and we can focus on the software and services side. We’re a Silicon Valley company and we’re supposed to be doing software and there are Chinese companies that are supposed to be doing hardware.”

Source: Behind The Crash Of 3D Robotics, North America’s Most Promising Drone Company