Their overview stated that machine learning techniques emphasized causality less than traditional economic statistical techniques, or what’s usually known as econometrics. In other words, machine learning is more about forecasting than about understanding the effects of policy.
That would make the techniques less interesting to many economists, who are usually more concerned about giving policy recommendations than in making forecasts.
Smartphone malware planted in popular apps pre-sale
Earlier this year, G Data contemporary Marble Security found a fake, pre-installed version of Netflix had been stealing personal data from several smartphone models, including the Samsung Galaxy range and the LG Nexus, and transmitting its swag to a server in Russia.
Is the IoT a Tech Bubble for Cities
But, with more cities joining the Smart City revolution and investing in sensors and other IoT devices, the risk of a new tech bubble is rising. The same technology giants that helped Barcelona become a smart city are now pushing more pilots of newer technologies with little regard for solutions that already work and can be shared without incurring additional expenses.
Let’s consider a few of the most worrisome issues related to IoT today:
Source: Is the IoT a Tech Bubble for Cities
In the long run, we are being faced with a bunch of independent devices that can’t be managed by a single platform or protocol. Manufacturers are now being required to develop different versions for different standards, effectively increasing manufacturing and engineering costs, and reducing their market potential.
Interfaces last longer than code
How do you recognize a good API? It’s tough, but one thing is sure, a good interface allows easy swapping of components. If it doesn’t allow easy swapping of components, it’s not a good interface.
Source: 9 – systemD: Interfaces last longer than code – Slashdot
Throughout systemd there is a lack of understanding of proper interfaces. Making the GUI depend on a particular init system is a particularly obvious example of poor design, but the code was written from a ‘code first’ perspective rather than an ‘interface first’ perspective.
Tech Giants Want to Punish DMCA Takedown Abusers
The CCIA proposes to change this by introducing statutory damage awards for abusive takedown requests. This means that the senders would face the same consequences as the copyright infringers.
Source: Tech Giants Want to Punish DMCA Takedown Abusers – TorrentFreak
Almost None of the Women in the Ashley Madison Database Ever Used the Site
When you look at the evidence, it’s hard to deny that the overwhelming majority of men using Ashley Madison weren’t having affairs. They were paying for a fantasy.
Source: Almost None of the Women in the Ashley Madison Database Ever Used the Site
The question is, how do you find fakes in a sea of data? Answering that becomes more difficult when you consider that even real users of Ashley Madison were probably giving fake information at least some of the time. But wholesale fakery still leaves its traces in the profile data. I spoke with a data scientist who studies populations, who told me to compare the male and female profiles in aggregate, and look for anomalous patterns.
How Portability Ruined the Telephone
Telephone calls haven’t declined because we have become anxious or lazy. They’ve fallen out of favor because using the telephone feels mechanically ungainly as much as socially so.
Japan Launches Vital Supplies (and Mice) Toward International Space Station
If all goes according to plan, the cargo ship will arrive at the space station early Monday morning (Aug. 24). Astronauts aboard the orbiting lab can then begin offloading HTV-5’s 6 tons (5.5 metric tons) of food, water, scientific gear and other supplies. [Japan’s Robotic Space Station Cargo Ship Fleet in Pictures (Photos)]
Source: Japan Launches Vital Supplies (and Mice) Toward International Space Station
Is it the beginning of the end for online comments?
So are comments on news websites still useful, or have they had their day? Trending asked The Daily Dot editor Nicholas White and Marie Lyn Bernard, aka Riese, of the LGBT website Autostraddle for their, um, comments on the issue.
Source: Is it the beginning of the end for online comments? – BBC News
How new ‘white space’ rules could lead to an urban super-Wi-Fi
The UHF spectrum, which ranges from 400 to 700 MHz, is superior to the higher-frequency signals used for existing Wi-Fi hotspots, the researchers said, as these signals carry for miles and are not blocked by walls or trees.
Source: How new ‘white space’ rules could lead to an urban super-Wi-Fi | Computerworld
It should be noted that carriers such as AT&T and related associations such as the National Association of Broadcasters objected to the FCC rules in the run up to the commission’s August meeting, citing concerns that new unlicensed uses in the 600 MHz band would create interference.
I wonder what AT&T’s true motivation for their objection.