I took a vision AI/Machine Learning in 2007. My project for class was creating program that allowed you to use hand gestures to control a television. Couple years later took similar class online. It was one of the first tranche of classes offered through coursera. It's been around.

Two challenges need to be addressed before it can take off.

1. API -- no such thing as a generic AI/ML computer vision program. Also, not sure if even many low level libs exist. Lots of work here before the average programmer can get involved.

2. Hardware platform -- enhanced reality goggles haven't been a huge commercial success. Phones certainly have enough processing power for some types of AI/ML programs to run, e.g., snap chat filters. I'd bet that explosions in this field will be seen on mobile platforms first.

I really donâ(TM)t understand this push to get rid of programs like GT for those children with âoeperceived abilities.â

Differences in ability are real, not just âoeperceived.â

That's an interesting perspective. I've had similar experiences and have been lucky enough to work beside truly spectacular people.

Programming, as a career, certainly isn't for everyone and educational background isn't a great predictor of success. However, certain characteristics seem to help. Great programmers are makers by nature. Many have hobbies related to performing or visual arts. Most have a driving curiosity that leads them to explore complexity and a desire to suss out underlying, often hidden logic.

If the above describes you, then you probably would do well in the field, well, as long a you can take criticism with grace and dignity.

Best comment so far.

Consider for a moment Michelangelo's sculptures. When you look at David, do you care about the tools he used to extract his vision from stone? Probably not. You care about the vision.

Programming is very much the same. A program is an assemblage of logical constructs interacting to accomplish some predefined set of goals. Programming languages are just the chisels and hammers.

Not a conspiracy. However, certain national-level politicians have learned that they benefit by pushing the most dire narrative they can get away with.

COVID is super contagious. The average person has a very low probability of dying if contracting it. However, elderly with other health problems are terribly vulnerable. These are the facts. These facts support arguments for public health interventions aimed at mitigating the risks to those that are most vulnerable. They also support the logic behind public policies aimed at preventing COVID infections from overwhelming our healthcare infrastructure.

The facts do not support "dark winter" or other such hysterical narratives. Moreover, they don't support additional lockdown focused public policies. In fact, such policies make matters worse. COVID will not go away even with the most draconian lockdown interventions. The virus will just hang out until lockdown policies are rolled back a bit and then start spreading again. At some point (like now) citizens get fed up and start conflating bad policies with good. They start resisting reasonable, helpful interventions such as social distancing.

There you have it. Mod this down as flamebait if you wish. Silencing rational debate doesn't help the cause, however. It only makes it worse for everyone.

Hey, don't upset the thought police by making rational comments! You'll get troll-banned. Oops. Too late.

Wow, Slashdot has employed the thought police as moderators. Remarkable, point out a simple stat that suggests that COVID, while serious, isn't actually wiping out humanity and your post gets tagged as troll bait. Long live the thought police!

Time to remove Slashdot from favs list.

Hrmm... Including the approx 800000 reservists in US military, thatâ(TM)s about a 2.6 percent infection rate.

In other news, 60,000 men over the age of 70 failed to get an erection last night.

What is this world coming to?

Maybe itâ(TM)s like eating little itty bitty crabs, or meaty pistachios.

Some folks around here seem to like eating cicadas.

Guess if I was hungry enough..,

Now that sounds tasty!

Don't forget, "assassin bugs!" Maybe we could do some kind of Frankenstein mash up and make us some new malicioisly interesting bugs. C'mon folks don't shy. Only rule, you have to use all the letters in the three names. I'll start us off.

1. Assmurderin' ass-tug killer horne-bees

I hope you all will forgive me for pilfering a few facts from Wikipedia. Just wanted to being another perspective to this story.

"In some Japanese mountain villages, the nests are excavated and the larvae are considered a delicacy when fried. In the central ChÅbu region, these wasps are sometimes eaten as snacks or an ingredient in drinks."

Damn if that don't sound like good eattin'! Gotta find me a rotten ol' tree filled to the brim with a nest of juicy murder hornets, grab me some Tabasco sauce, lots and lots of tequila, and my cast iron bug-fryin' skillet. Bam! Instant party.

Lol. Congrats Garmin on the success of your marketing ploy!

In all likelihood, Garmin took an existing product and created a new app or equivalent to provide the advertised "functionality." Super cheap, but effective marketing/brand awareness gimmick. Hey, I wouldn't be thinking about Garmin if I hadn't read the article.

Googleâ(TM)s ongoing efforts to stifle certain political discourse keeps them in the governmentâ(TM)s cross hairs.

Geeez, what do they expect will happen when, in addition to the above, they create structural barriers to fair competition?

Google seems to bending over backwards to tape a âoekick meâ sign on their own back!

What's the world coming to when one can't get even one mod point for subtlety working futurama references into a post while still making a salient point? Some of my best work.