Computer Science

What is an “algorithm”? It depends whom you ask

Technology Review: Describing a decision-making system as an “algorithm” is often a way to deflect accountability for human decisions. For many, the term implies a set of rules based objectively on empirical evidence or data. It also suggests a system that…

Vertical farms nailed tiny salads. Now they need to feed the world

Wired UK: Gartenfeld Island, in Berlin’s western suburb of Spandau, was once the bellows of Germany’s industrial revolution. It hosted Europe’s first high-rise factory and, until World War II, helped make Berlin, behind London and New York, the third-largest city on…

A.I. Here, There, Everywhere

New York Times: I wake up in the middle of the night. It’s cold. “Hey, Google, what’s the temperature in Zone 2,” I say into the darkness. A disembodied voice responds: “The temperature in Zone 2 is 52 degrees.” “Set the heat to 68,” I say, and then I ask the…

This Startup Raised $45 Million To Connect Healthcare Data In The Cloud

Forbes: Everyone knows you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole, but imagine that’s what your plumbing connections actually looked like. That’s day-to-day life in the world…