Month: August 2016

Apple Buys Machine Language A.I. Startup Turi for $200 Million

Dan Uff August 6, 2016 0

It was reported on Friday that Apple has bought a new Artificial Intelligence startup Turi for $200 Million bucks.

Turi is a small Seattle-based startup specializing in machine learning and artificial intelligence technology.

Citing a source familiar with the matter, GeekWire revealed the Turi acquisition on Friday. A detailed purchase timeline was not provided, and it is unclear if Turi can be counted among the 15 smaller firms Apple bought in 2015.

Previously known as Dato and GraphLab, Turi brought a number of products to market designed to assist developers in creating machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions capable of automatically scaling to fit greater needs.

Prior to Apple's acquisition, Turi marketed GraphLab Create, Turi Machine Learning Platform, Turi Distributed and Turi Predictive Services, software that can be used to create recommendation engines, sentiment analysis, churn predictors, clickthrough predictors, fraud detection systems and more. For Apple, these technologies would be valuable additions to the Siri virtual assistant, as well as the company's online storefronts like Apple Music and the various App Stores.

Apple offered its usual boilerplate response when asked about the acquisition, all but confirming the buy.

When asked about the purchase, Apple stated:

"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,"

While details remain unknown, GeekWire reports the Turi team intends to remain in Seattle as Apple grows its influence in the region. In 2014, Apple purchased Seattle-based stealth cloud startup Union Bay, later announcing plans to open an engineering office in the area. A few months later the company further expanding into Microsoft's home turf by leasing two floors in a nearby office tower.

The Turi acquisition is just the latest indication of Apple's interest in machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies. Last October, Apple bought machine learning startup Perceptio and natural language processing firm VocalIQ to bolster in-house projects including Siri and certain facets of iOS, MacOS, tvOS and CarPlay.

How to watch the Rio Summer Olympics on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch

Dan Uff August 5, 2016 1

Rio2016 “Here’s how you can live stream the Rio 2016 Olympics on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch,” iClarified reports.

“If you’re in the United States, you’ll want to download the NBC Sports app which provides live streaming, replays, highlights, notifications, and more,” iClarified reports. “Those in Canada can download the CBC Rio 2016 app from the App Store to access Olympic coverage.”

“Viewers in the U.K. can use the BBC iPlayer app, BBC Sport app or the BBC Sport 360 app for 360 degree views of live and on-demand coverage from Rio,” iClarified reports. “For fans in Australia, you’ll need to get the Olympics on 7 app which lets you stream Seven’s coverage of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on 7, 7TWO and 7mate.”

All of the links and screenshots are here.

Facebook warns websites about ‘Clickbait Headlines’

Dan Uff August 5, 2016 0

FaceBook is taking another shot at stopping those 'clickbait' ads that its members see in their news feeds.

What are clickbait ads? According to a statement from FaceBook:

These are headlines that intentionally leave out crucial information, forcing people to click to find out the answer.

In other words, the websites who use such tactics better have more information regarding what they are selling.

How do publishers know what ads to send? Publishing companies large and small pay attention to each users algorithm to know what and what not to send to a particular user.

The changes are not sweeping, but it will start to effect what users see in the news feeds and also effect how web sites produce news to the social network.

The changes should start to be seen immediately.

How Pokemon Go helps kids with Autism and Asperger’s

Dan Uff August 5, 2016 0

(CNN) The moment 12-year-old Ian Thayer asked his mom to go outside for Pokemon hunting, Stephanie Barnhill was struck with wonder and excitement.

No, she wasn't obsessed with trying to catch all 145 Pokemon.

Ian has Asperger's syndrome, and for him, that means he struggles with social interactions and motivation to go outside. Barnhill often had difficulty asking and persuading Ian to leave his comfortable loft area to explore outside. He'd even rejected "Pokemon Go" at first.

But Barnhill says that since her son started flicking away and catching Pokemon, Ian has taken the initiative to go outside more and interact with other children, as well as his community.

"He's willingly starting to go out and going to Pokestops, get Pokeballs and catch creatures, whereas he didn't have the interest to go outside before," Barnhill said. "He's not a go-outside-and-play kind of kid. But this game has enabled him to want to reach out to people and strike up conversations about creatures that they've caught."

The game's augmented-reality feature and method of rewarding players who go to Pokestops located at popular landmarks in their communities have led people to be more interactive than normal while playing video games.

Lenore Koppelman is the mother of 6-year-old Ralphie, who has autism and hyperlexia, which is associated with verbal language difficulties. She has also found "Pokemon Go" useful in helping her son socialize with other kids.

"They want to play 'Pokemon Go,' and so does he, so it gives them something in common to do. The kids are so fixated on catching Pokemon that they are concentrating on finding them more than they are concentrating on his behaviors like they usually do," Koppelman said. "As a result, he is finally finding himself in the middle of groups of kids he doesn't even know, being welcome to play with them."

Though no quantifiable research has been done on the effects of "Pokemon Go," Dr. James McPartland, director of Yale's Developmental Disabilities Clinic in the Child Study Center, says the game is appealing among kids with autism or Asperger's because of its consistency and structure.

"('Pokemon Go') involves a finite set of interesting characters that is consistent, stable. Kids with autism often like things that are like this that are list-based or concrete or fact-based," said McPartland, who doesn't treat Ian or Ralphie. "They're very good at learning about things and memorizing things, so not only is this a shared area of interest, it's an area in which the kinds of strengths with autism can shine."

According to Dr. Peter Faustino, a school psychologist in New York who doesn't work with Ian or Ralphie, it's the common interest that's helped spark changes in children with autism or Asperger's.

Faustino describes how he guides children with Asperger's or autism to adapt a "social hook," which he defines as "something that will sort of share an experience or a connection." Normally, he advises them to take an interest in sports or pop music. However, Pokemon's popularity proves to be an exception.

" 'Pokemon Go' seems to be making Pokemon mainstream and cool. So it's almost this reverse social hook that's really kind of exciting for some kids," Faustino said. "The other thing that seems to be going on is this opportunity to get outside, to be more interactive outside of the house. This seems to be offering that hook."

While "Pokemon Go" has had some positive effects on Ian and Ralphie, Dr. Fred Volkmar, a professor in Yale's Child Study Center, who does not treat either boy, also warns of possible pitfalls for kids on the autism spectrum.

"The problem with Pokemon is that kids can do it to a point where it interferes with learning about the world," Volkmar said. "If you can make it somewhat functional, it's fine. It's detrimental if it's the only thing they're interested in. If it helps the kid become more isolated, it's not good."

But McPartland, who has worked with Volkmar, advises that with careful monitoring, these detrimental effects could be avoided.

"I don't think there's anything intrinsically detrimental about 'Pokemon Go,' " McPartland said. "Any activity any child does should be monitored by a parent. And parents should say how much is appropriate and when is appropriate and with whom it's appropriate. Like anything else, if those things aren't monitored, issues could arise."

Lenore Koppelman is proud of the changes in her son, Ralphie.

Ralphie's mom says the new interactions are priceless, and she's proud of the positive changes in her son.

"He seems happier. He's laughing more. He seems more confident," Koppelman said. "He fist-pumps and says 'Yes!' when he catches one and then gives people high-fives and shouts 'I did it!' His father and I are both proud of him and how far he has come in only a week's time."

URL to original CNN Article here: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/05/health/pokemon-go-autism-aspergers/index.html