Today’s Tech Sightings:
FILE -Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, is pictured in Davos, Switzerland. (Reuters)
How a Former Bodybuilder Became One of America’s Richest Young Tech Founders
His name is Brian Chesky. And the 34-year-old New Yorker and founder of Airbnb was in his younger days more interested in bodybuilding and hockey than in technology. But overbooked hotels triggered an idea and drove him to launch a multi-billion dollar firm and a key Silicon Valley player.
Watson Claims to Predict Cancer, but Who Trained It to ‘Think?’
IBM’s artificial intelligence system Watson has been delving into all sorts of research, most recently to help doctors predict cancer. But writer Kuang Chen argues that the promise of such a task hinges on the data Watson is fed. Since Watson cannot read handwriting, this information has to be typed and retyped from doctor’s notes and study results – by humans. The writer argues that artificial intelligence can only fulfill such promise by focusing first on learning basic abilities.
Linux Bug Puts 1.4 Billion Android Users at Risk
A newly-discovered vulnerability in Android devices gives hackers the ability to terminate connections and embed malicious code, according to researchers at security firm Outlook. The flaw originates in the Linux 3.6 operating system that was introduced in the Android KitKat version and the Android Nougat developer preview.
More:
- Google’s Top Education Expert Says We Teach Machines Better Than We Teach Kids
- Can Singapore’s Labor Crunch Spark a Robot Revolution?
- China’s Answer to Apple Is Falling Apart
- Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Job ‘Kind of Lonely’
- Hotels in Pasadena, San Diego Among Those Hit in Data Breach
- Clever Security Researcher Gives Scammers a Taste of Their Own Medicine
- Can’t Get Latest Android Patches?
- Google Launches Duo, a Barebones Video Calling App
- Cortana: The Spy in Windows 10
- Mean Instagram Trolls Force Justin Bieber to Delete Account
