Episode 256 — Dissecting Privacy

For the opening podcast of 2020, Michael and Michael start with a dissection of the California Consumer Privacy Act and how it is being implemented.  While the California law most directly impacts (and benefits) California residents, there are some companies that will implement CCPA regulations for all users of their products and services.  

Continuing on the AI theme, the co-hosts talk through an AI implementation to edit photographs, either by adding or deleting portions of the image via a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN).  Some of the capabilities are truly remarkable, such as adding or subtracting clouds from the sky, while others have inconsistent results.  An intriguing set of use cases for how GAN systems can function.

On the Apple front, the Cupertino company’s presence at CES this year will be duly observed and reported on by many.  Michael and Michael both express amazement at the outstanding quality of Apple’s audio prowess on iPad and iPhone, and noted how a recent Apple patent on audio positioning will continue to strengthen their capabilities.  

Training on the skeleton on the living room floor is being done today in virtual reality by an Australian hopeful for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.  One has to wonder what the Jamaican bobsled team might think about this.

Stanford’s efforts to miniaturize particle accelerators creates opportunities for new and innovative ways to create new insights in particle physics at a substantially reduced cost compared with accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider.  And of course, the pair had to check whether the LHC has destroyed the world yet (link in notes below).  

Wrapping up the first show of the decade with an interesting observation of all the Pantone colors of the year since 2010 on full display in The Simpsons’ living room from the opening show sequence has one wondering whether Matt Groening indeed could time travel.  Perhaps he had access to some of those mini particle accelerators in the future, and this is an easter egg.  Check back on that LHC link again, folks, and tune in next week for another edition of Games at Work!  

Selected Links

California Consumer Privacy Act (AB-375) — https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB375 

California Privacy Directory — https://caprivacy.github.io/caprivacy/ 

ZDNet article: Mozilla: All Firefox users get California’s CCPA privacy rights to delete personal data — https://www.zdnet.com/article/mozilla-all-firefox-users-get-californias-ccpa-privacy-rights-to-delete-personal-data/ 

GAN Dissection: Visualizing and Understanding Generative Adversarial Networks — https://gandissect.csail.mit.edu 

WBUR NPR story: Dissecting The World’s 1st ‘Wet, Slimy’ Synthetic Frog — https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/01/02/florida-synthetic-frog-dissect 

MacRumors article: Apple to Attend CES 2020 in Rare Official Appearance — https://www.macrumors.com/2020/01/02/apple-to-attend-ces-2020-homekit/ 

9To5Mac article: Second Apple patent on virtual positioning of audio hints at AR on MacBooks — https://9to5mac.com/2019/12/31/ar-on-macbooks/ 

Sixcolors post: Brydge introduces iPad keyboard with trackpad — https://sixcolors.com/post/2020/01/brydge-pro/ 

VR Fitness Insider article: Australian Skeleton Racer Didn’t Have Training Facility, So He Used VR — https://www.vrfitnessinsider.com/australian-skeleton-racer-didnt-have-training-facility-so-he-used-vr/ 

IMDB entry: Cool Runnings (1993) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106611/ 

TechCrunch article: This particle accelerator fits on the head of a pin — https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/02/this-particle-accelerator-fits-on-the-head-of-a-pin/ 

Science Magazine article: On-chip integrated laser-driven particle accelerator — https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6473/79 

Has the Large Hadron Collider Destroyed The World Yet site — http://www.hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com 

Apartment Therapy article: Pantone’s Colors of the Year from 2010 Through 2020 All Appear in the Simpsons’ Living Room — https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/pantones-colors-of-the-year-from-2010-through-2020-all-appear-in-the-simpsons-living-room-36700574

The Simpsons — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons 

Pantone Color of the Year 2020 — https://www.pantone.com/color-intelligence/color-of-the-year/color-of-the-year-2020