More recently, a 240-year-old doll was found that can write any custom text up to 40 letters long using a goose feather and has eyes that follow what it writes. Imagine what the creator of that gadget could do with the tools we have today.
Seems pretty simple in comparison to all the different applications of A.I. we have today.
But as smart as Artificial Intelligence has become, it doesn't take much to thwart its purpose.
For example, iRobot's Roomba seems like a pretty cool piece of technology, right? It'll vacuum for you, learn where your furniture is, etc.
Unfortunately, it's not smart enough to tell when your pet has left a "present" on the floor for you ... in which case, it just might spread poop over your whole house.
Yup, that's a real Roomba story, worth a chuckle while you read it here.
This image shows A.I. isn't always a substitute for lack of the real thing.
People claim that they fear Artificial Intelligence ... I think artificial stupidity is pretty scary too - even when it doesn't result in smearing poop across your carpet.
One of the biggest challenges in automated trading is how quickly we can recognize when things aren't going right, and get back to doing the right thing again. It isn't just about making money, it's about making and keeping money, consistently.
As for the iRobot, they are aware of the automated poop-spreading issue and are working on a fix.
Jennifer and I traveled to the Roaring Lion Ranch in Hamilton, Montana last week.
It was an amazing few days in the High Plains ... Especially since there was a major forest fire there just a few weeks ago.
Many fires, like this one, could be avoided with some common sense.
You don't have to be a rocket-scientist to understand the issues.
Koko (the gorilla is that can talk with humans using sign language) was recently informed about some nature-related issues. Then, supposedly, she was allowed to improvise.
I was in Indonesia last week – and had some exotic experiences.
That picture was taken in Bali, where I first met my wife many years ago.
Indonesia is famous for coffee. For example, "Sumatra" is their biggest island – with “Java” coming in close behind (and both are synonymous with coffee).
They also make one of the most expensive coffees in the world … Luwak Coffee.
It is a very particular coffee, created using a very particular process.
In traditional coffee production, the cherries are harvested, and the beans are extracted, before being shipped to a roaster, ground into a pulp, and brewed by a barista at your local Starbucks.
In contrast, with Luwak coffee, something different happens.
The coffee cherries are harvested by wild animals.
Specifically, they’re harvested by the Asian Palm Civet, a small, cat-like animal that absolutely loves the taste of coffee cherries.
But,if the civets eat the cherries, how can they still be used to make coffee?
Here comes the gross part—the civets eat the coffee cherries, but their digestive tract can’t effectively process the beans, only the flesh surrounding them.
When the partially digested, partially fermented beans are eventually excreted, coffee producers harvest them. The beans are then cleaned, roasted, and used to make astonishingly expensive (“with retail prices reaching up to $700 per kilogram”) coffee.
Now is the coffee that mind-blowing to warrant a price north of $300 a pound?
No, not really. In fact, many critics will openly call it bad coffee, or as Tim Carman, food writer for the Washington Post put it, "It tasted just like...Folgers. Stale. Lifeless. Petrified dinosaur droppings steeped in bathtub water. I couldn't finish it."
To be fair, the Luwak coffee industry is an experience. When I toured a plantation near Ubud, Bali, a smiling tour guide greeted and led me on an in-depth exploration of the forested property, where I was allowed to immerse myself in the various spices, roots, beans, and civets used to produce this one-of-a-kind coffee. Here is a video I shot of the process.
FinTech is hot ... and FinTech startups are disrupting the value chain, and the industry itself, by grabbing market share, increasing customer churn, and putting pressure on margins.
I recently was at the Future of Finance conference, where I talked with the CEO of CB Insights about the changing landscape of trading and asset management.
At the conference, one of the sessions was about how banks are "suffering death by a thousand cuts" and being relegated to utilities as they fail to adapt to new tech trends. Here is a graphic showing the competitive pressures FinTechs are putting on banks.
A friend of mine just bet me that Trump would win the election. So far, Trump has offended a lot of "interest groups" with campaign remarks. But, then there is Hillary. It is going to be close.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
iRobot: Artificial Intelligence ... or Artificial Stupidity?
We often think of Artificial Intelligence as a relatively recent creation – but that's not necessarily true.
Of course, to compare A.I. of the past with what create now would be unfair. Nonetheless, A.I. has affected thought since Greek mythology.
Stories of golden robots, homunculi and Golems have fascinated for generations.
More recently, a 240-year-old doll was found that can write any custom text up to 40 letters long using a goose feather and has eyes that follow what it writes. Imagine what the creator of that gadget could do with the tools we have today.
Seems pretty simple in comparison to all the different applications of A.I. we have today.
But as smart as Artificial Intelligence has become, it doesn't take much to thwart its purpose.
For example, iRobot's Roomba seems like a pretty cool piece of technology, right? It'll vacuum for you, learn where your furniture is, etc.
Unfortunately, it's not smart enough to tell when your pet has left a "present" on the floor for you ... in which case, it just might spread poop over your whole house.
Yup, that's a real Roomba story, worth a chuckle while you read it here.
This image shows A.I. isn't always a substitute for lack of the real thing.
via Facebook
People claim that they fear Artificial Intelligence ... I think artificial stupidity is pretty scary too - even when it doesn't result in smearing poop across your carpet.
One of the biggest challenges in automated trading is how quickly we can recognize when things aren't going right, and get back to doing the right thing again. It isn't just about making money, it's about making and keeping money, consistently.
As for the iRobot, they are aware of the automated poop-spreading issue and are working on a fix.
Onwards.
Posted at 04:30 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Ideas, Just for Fun, Market Commentary, Science, Trading, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
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