Episode 207 – Artificial Security

This weekend, the song “Eyes Without a Face” by Billy Idol must have played on the Eighties on Eight on Sirius Radio at least three times, and seems like a great way to introduce this week’s show.     Michael and Michael start off dealing with the challenging issues of security & privacy where biometrics are starting to be used in US airports to speed international flight identity checks.  Moving from facial recognition to facial mimicry, and maybe a little creepiness, the co-hosts take a look at SEER, the Simulative Emotional Expression Robot, which conveys an enormous set of feelings … Continue reading

Episode 202 – Everything Old Is New Again

Michael M starts off this episode with true blast from the past, even if it was in the wrong order from the plan — how modern micro-X-ray techniques are able to bring back images from daguerrotypes that were once thought ruined.  The images of photos taken long ago are now visible again, with amazing detail. The team then turns to an MIT Technology Review article on AI, which focuses on the challenge that games present, and what can be learned from how artificial intelligence teams play those games.  The game in this case is Dota 2 — Defense of the … Continue reading