In the previous post, I discussed through a dystopian scenario, a manifestation of how autonomous systems can reduce our lives to one of hapless destiny. I believe that we as technologists can develop technologies with some guiding principles that can help us avoid plunging into such dystopian scenarios, under most cases. I also believe that […]
Short Take: The Autocracy of Autonomous Systems
Autonomous systems are all around us. To large parts of the population, they are like the mythical creatures of yore of great power, great knowledge, and great control over us. Some in the wide world ask with growing consternation: “Are we still going to be in charge? Are we still the driver at the wheels, […]
Will We All Be Wearing Wearables?
Citation Wearable sensing devices started making their way into mainstream consumer devices in the early 2010s—Fitbits launched in 2009, Google Glass and Oculus Rift both launched prototypes in the early 2010s leading to renewed interest in augmented reality, while Pebble’s Kickstarter campaign for a smartwatch kickstarted in 2012 and raised a whopping $10.2 million, making […]
Predictive AI for Reliability and Security
Citation In the computer systems field, we use AI, or its more trendy cousin, Machine Learning for predictive reliability and security all the time. This means we take action in anticipation of failure of a computer system to make sure it continues to function reliably and securely. The question is does this translate beyond the […]
Flitting between the Virtual and the Real Worlds
Citation We increasingly live in two worlds — the virtual one of our tablets and our HoloLenses, and the real one of paper books, soccer balls, and winding trails through spring blossoms. We have gotten better flitting between these two worlds as well — poring over our laptops during the conference session and then lifting […]
Short Take: Big Data and IoT in Practice
Citation Beyond the tremendous level of activity around big data (data science, machine learning, data analytics, … take your pick of the term) in research circles, I wanted to peek into some of the use cases for its adoption in the industries that deal with physical things, as opposed to digital objects. And draw some […]
Short Take: Summer Travel
Citation For many academic researchers in the science and engineering disciplines, summer offers the chance to travel far and wide, for rejuvenating research contacts with colleagues and for conferences. It does help when the venue for the travel is a off-the-beaten-path old university town in Europe, rather than … just to pick a place at […]
Technology Transition: From An Inventor’s Toy to Infrastructure
How do some technologies get adopted and go on to become an infrastructure that the “community” depends on? What are some of the hallmarks of technologies that have gone on to widespread adoption and conversely, some that have fallen by the wayside despite technical brilliance. I will do a quick tour through the ages of cell phone, The Internet, and now Internet of Things or IoT.
Technology in Education, or Technology vs. Education
Citation Teaching at a research university, I see a slew of high-tech gadgets, or even low-tech ones, that we are asked to consider to enhance the educational experience of our students. As a broader theme, some technologies have been put up as disrupting the “traditional” college mode of education dating way back to the turn […]
The Internet of Insecure Things
Citation We are moving into a world of internet connected things. This is the world where your aging grandmother’s medicine cabinet reminds her when her medication has become due, when the irregular heart beat of your father triggers the scheduling of a cardio checkup, and when the home automation device decides that lowering the temperature […]
