Comment Re:Simplistic (Score 1) 385
I would trust 2 separate AIs from 2 separate companies tasked with checking and if they don't agree then use a pharmacist.
Comment Re:Simplistic (Score 2) 385
Radiologists are already on their way to being obsolete. There's a simple chain of events that leads up to automation:
- First it's hard and nobody can do it but a few PhDs
- Then it's difficult and it requires a BS or MS.
- Then it's a trade.
- Then it's unskilled labor
- Then it's automated
Wait until all these 12 year olds that started learning Python hit college and industry. There are a lot of stupid for loops that will eventually turn into big code.
I was a lazy 8th grader years ago that learned to program my TI-83. Then my TI-89. My 'studying' for my engineering tests was writing TI-Basic in the basement library. Technically I probably cheated on most tests I took in undergraduate but my "Studying" was trying to figure out how to get [Routh-Hurwitz Theorem](http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Routh-HurwitzTheorem.html) into for loops on a 160×100 display. It sucked but during the tests I had debugged so many different scenarios I knew the equations by heart and just used the programs to double check my math. (And saved me when I missed carrying a 1 early on). Now I'm automating away engineers. People that sat at a keyboard and put it into the computer. They're the modern day equivalent of punch card operators. It doesn't mean they're going to get fired, they're just going to work on a task worthy of a human brain.
Arduino is going into small farms. People are programming their chicken coops. We're about to automate away 'big farming' for a lot of niche markets. A small CSA and farm will be able to automate a lot of boring repetitive 'farm tasks'.
Radiologists will be replaced by Chicken Sexers on Amazon Mechanical Turk if an algorithm doesn't get there first.
Swipe left for compound fracture, swipe right for non-compound fracture. Get a good set of training data and pay everyone $0.01 to guess. Pay the top 20% of them $.10 to guess on harder questions. Repeat the cycle until you're paying $100.00 to get an X-ray read by a few thousand people. The Government has taken to crowd sourcing people to guess events Turns out if you ask a lot of people a question the average ends up being correct.
Comment Re:Must have been some pretty stupid students (Score 1) 80
Go bad to Reddit.
Comment Re: Simplistic (Score 1) 385
My job title is 'Technical Analyst'. I don't use spreadsheets as data sources so much as I use phone calls, emails, etc. My work is providing second level support for software, web sites, and various automated processes.
The most important skill for my I job is communicating, with troubleshooting and analysis right behind it. If software to replace me becomes useful, I expect the systems I support to become self-healing and self-reporting. I'm not worried right now.
Oddly, with I last talked with a programming director about job skills, they listed communications as the most important differentiator, as most candidates could code or design or work to specifications. Kind of explains the focus towards onshoring work, reducing the offshore contingent.
In focusing on work that takes direct contact. Plenty of that in the technologies field still.
Submission + - Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned SourceForge (danluu.com)
Submission + - When will we stop using Facebook? (thepinchandzoom.com)
An anonymous reader writes: The inspiration for this article comes from a study written in 2014 by John Cannarella and Joshua Spechler, both Princeton researchers, who likened use of social networks to the spread of the bubonic plague.
The researchers concluded that 'Facebook will undergo a rapid decline in the coming years, losing 80% of its peak user base between 2015 and 2017', and based this prediction on the number of times Facebook is typed into Google as a search term. They found that Facebook searches peaked in December 2012 and have begun to tail off ever since (see below).
They then cited Myspace as an example of a social network which had declined in popularity inline with their expectations using the method, conveniently failing to mention that Facebook itself was probably the chief culprit in killing it off.
Soon a press desperate for new stories to write about on a boring Tuesday afternoon descended on it, weighing in on whether there was any substance to the premise and gleefully splashing 'Facebook to lose 80% of users by 2017' all over their front pages.
Even Facebook itself got involved as Mike Develin, one of their data scientists, tore it to shreds with a few choice quips:
'Using the same robust methodology featured in the paper, we attempted to find out more about this 'Princeton University' – and you won’t believe what we found! In keeping with the scientific principle 'correlation equals causation,' our research unequivocally demonstrated that Princeton may be in danger of disappearing entirely.
This trend suggests that Princeton will have only half its current enrolment by 2018, and by 2021 it will have no students at all, agreeing with the previous graph of scholarly scholarliness. Based on our robust scientific analysis, future generations will only be able to imagine this now-rubble institution that once walked this earth.'
In fact perhaps the biggest accomplishment the Princeton research achieved was that by packaging it as an academic study it managed to encourage everyone to describe it as research rather than what it actually was, which was nonsense — and in doing so achieved its core aim of getting everybody to talk about and share it.
Still, it does pose an interesting question — when will we stop using Facebook?
- See more at: http://www.thepinchandzoom.com...
The researchers concluded that 'Facebook will undergo a rapid decline in the coming years, losing 80% of its peak user base between 2015 and 2017', and based this prediction on the number of times Facebook is typed into Google as a search term. They found that Facebook searches peaked in December 2012 and have begun to tail off ever since (see below).
They then cited Myspace as an example of a social network which had declined in popularity inline with their expectations using the method, conveniently failing to mention that Facebook itself was probably the chief culprit in killing it off.
Soon a press desperate for new stories to write about on a boring Tuesday afternoon descended on it, weighing in on whether there was any substance to the premise and gleefully splashing 'Facebook to lose 80% of users by 2017' all over their front pages.
Even Facebook itself got involved as Mike Develin, one of their data scientists, tore it to shreds with a few choice quips:
'Using the same robust methodology featured in the paper, we attempted to find out more about this 'Princeton University' – and you won’t believe what we found! In keeping with the scientific principle 'correlation equals causation,' our research unequivocally demonstrated that Princeton may be in danger of disappearing entirely.
This trend suggests that Princeton will have only half its current enrolment by 2018, and by 2021 it will have no students at all, agreeing with the previous graph of scholarly scholarliness. Based on our robust scientific analysis, future generations will only be able to imagine this now-rubble institution that once walked this earth.'
In fact perhaps the biggest accomplishment the Princeton research achieved was that by packaging it as an academic study it managed to encourage everyone to describe it as research rather than what it actually was, which was nonsense — and in doing so achieved its core aim of getting everybody to talk about and share it.
Still, it does pose an interesting question — when will we stop using Facebook?
- See more at: http://www.thepinchandzoom.com...
Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs To Computerization? 385
turkeydance writes: What job is hardest for a robot to do? Mental health and substance abuse social workers (found under community and social services). This job has a 0.3 percent chance of being automated. That's because it's ranked high in cleverness, negotiation, and helping others. The job most likely to be done by a robot? Telemarketers. No surprise; it's already happening. The researchers admit that these estimates are rough and likely to be wrong. But consider this a snapshot of what some smart people think the future might look like. If it says your job will likely be replaced by a machine, you've been warned.
Submission + - New flights from SpaceShipTwo will likely not happen for years
schwit1 writes: A variety of unnamed sources are saying that Virgin Galactic's new SpaceShipTwo will will likely not fly for years.
This quote is especially telling:
This quote is especially telling:
As to when that commercial service might actually be ready, one former Virgin Galactic employee told Newsnight: "I can't say whether it will be two years or whether it will be five... They have a huge, huge, way to go."
So is this quote from Doug Messier, quoted in the article:
"This program's claimed four lives already and it's had four powered flights and they haven't gotten anywhere near space in 10 years."
When summed up, as Messier does, Virgin Galactic's effort sure sounds disappointing.
Comment Re:Not a discovery (Score 1) 80
The thieves are secretly training their replacements.
The "Study" is a sham and the 'researchers' are hitting Vegas after the study concludes.
Windows 10 RTM In 6 Weeks 290
Billly Gates writes: Ars Technica has the scoop on a new build with less flat icons and a confirmation of a mid July release date. While Microsoft is in a hurry to fix the damage done by the Windows 8 versions of its operating system, the next question is, is ready for prime time? On Neowin there's a list of problems already mentioned by MS and its users with this latest release, including Wi-Fi and sound not working without a reboot, and users complaining about tiles and apps not working in the new start menu.
Submission + - The Tricky Business of Being a Male Advocate for CS Gender Equality
theodp writes: The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) recently doled out $200,000 of Google.org money to reward three CS departments that have shown significant positive outcomes in women’s enrollment and graduation rates. Now, in a Wired piece entitled The Tricky (and Necessary) Business of Being a Male Advocate for CS Gender Equality, NCWIT senior research scientists Catherine Ashcraft and Wendy DuBow offer their ideas for getting men involved in gender diversity efforts, which includes some no-good-deed-goes-unpunished advice for potential male allies: "Don’t be alarmed-or even confused-if some women refuse, resist, or react negatively to your initial interest. Instead, recognize that this is an understandable, even logical, reaction to longtime experience as a minority in a majority environment. Recognize that it might sometimes take a while to build trust, and some women may never want to participate...Even if a negative reaction seems unreasonable or unfair, we suggest reframing this as an incredibly valuable opportunity for experiencing what it’s like to be a woman in tech, or any minority in a majority group environment. In other words, if such an experience makes it feel like you’re walking on eggshells or makes you worry about being misunderstood, imagine feeling like that much of the day, every day, at work. This temporary experience can help foster empathy and help you make sense of why these negative reactions might occur." And you can take some comfort in knowing that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, and other male allies will no doubt feel your pain.
Submission + - Cybersecurity and the Tylenol Murders
HughPickens.com writes: Cindy Cohn writes at EFF that when a criminal started lacing Tylenol capsules with cyanide in 1982, Johnson & Johnson quickly sprang into action to ensure consumer safety. It increased its internal production controls, recalled the capsules, offered an exchange for tablets, and within two months started using triple-seal tamper-resistant packaging. Congress ultimately passed an anti-tampering law but the focus of the response from both the private and the public sector was on ensuring that consumers remained safe and secure, rather than on catching the perpetrator. Indeed, the person who did the tampering was never caught.
According to Cohn the story of the Tylenol murders comes to mind as Congress considers the latest cybersecurity and data breach bills. To folks who understand computer security and networks, it's plain that the key problem are our vulnerable infrastructure and weak computer security, much like the vulnerabilities in Johnson & Johnson’s supply chain in the 1980s. As then, the failure to secure our networks, the services we rely upon, and our individual computers makes it easy for bad actors to step in and “poison” our information. The way forward is clear: We need better incentives for companies who store our data to keep it secure. "Yet none of the proposals now in Congress are aimed at actually increasing the safety of our data. Instead, the focus is on “information sharing,” a euphemism for more surveillance of users and networks," writes Cohn. "These bills are not only wrongheaded, they seem to be a cynical ploy to use the very real problems of cybersecurity to advance a surveillance agenda, rather than to actually take steps to make people safer." Congress could step in and encourage real security for users—by creating incentives for greater security, a greater downside for companies that fail to do so and by rewarding those companies who make the effort to develop stronger security. "It's as if the answer for Americans after the Tylenol incident was not to put on tamper-evident seals, or increase the security of the supply chain, but only to require Tylenol to “share” its customer lists with the government and with the folks over at Bayer aspirin," concludes Cohn. "We wouldn’t have stood for such a wrongheaded response in 1982, and we shouldn’t do so now."
According to Cohn the story of the Tylenol murders comes to mind as Congress considers the latest cybersecurity and data breach bills. To folks who understand computer security and networks, it's plain that the key problem are our vulnerable infrastructure and weak computer security, much like the vulnerabilities in Johnson & Johnson’s supply chain in the 1980s. As then, the failure to secure our networks, the services we rely upon, and our individual computers makes it easy for bad actors to step in and “poison” our information. The way forward is clear: We need better incentives for companies who store our data to keep it secure. "Yet none of the proposals now in Congress are aimed at actually increasing the safety of our data. Instead, the focus is on “information sharing,” a euphemism for more surveillance of users and networks," writes Cohn. "These bills are not only wrongheaded, they seem to be a cynical ploy to use the very real problems of cybersecurity to advance a surveillance agenda, rather than to actually take steps to make people safer." Congress could step in and encourage real security for users—by creating incentives for greater security, a greater downside for companies that fail to do so and by rewarding those companies who make the effort to develop stronger security. "It's as if the answer for Americans after the Tylenol incident was not to put on tamper-evident seals, or increase the security of the supply chain, but only to require Tylenol to “share” its customer lists with the government and with the folks over at Bayer aspirin," concludes Cohn. "We wouldn’t have stood for such a wrongheaded response in 1982, and we shouldn’t do so now."
Comment Re:Must have been some pretty stupid students (Score 1) 80
Never underestimate what you can get away with as a white male with a clipboard.
Toss on a vest and a bump cap and walk up like you belong there.
Submission + - SourceForge Joins the Bundle Wagon
An anonymous reader writes: The irony of submitting this on /. is not lost on me.
http://arstechnica.com/informa...
"Apparently, SourceForge's mysterious "sf-editor1" has also claimed ownership of a number of other accounts for open source and other software projects."
SF is claiming ownership of these projects for the specious reason of them being "abandoned" when in fact these project simply stopped using SF (apparently for good reason).
http://arstechnica.com/informa...
"Apparently, SourceForge's mysterious "sf-editor1" has also claimed ownership of a number of other accounts for open source and other software projects."
SF is claiming ownership of these projects for the specious reason of them being "abandoned" when in fact these project simply stopped using SF (apparently for good reason).
LHC Season 2 Is About To Start Testing the Frontiers of Physics 61
An anonymous reader writes: The final preparations for the second run of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are in place. This week, it is expected to start taking new data with collisions at the record-breaking energy of 13 teraelectronvolts (TeV). There are a lot of expectations about this new LHC season. In one of CERN's articles, physicists tell of their hopes for new discoveries during the LHC's second run. "They speak of dark matter,supersymmetry, the Higgs boson, antimatter, current theory in particle physics and its limits as well as new theoretical models that could extend it."
