Many applications are surfacing for neural network systems, including reliable identification of diseases (for example, diabetic retinopathy, cancerous cells), situational awareness for self-driving cars, and a raft of other hard recognition and optimization problems.
Vinton G. Cerf
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ACM's most prestigious recognition is the ACM A.M. Turing Award and the 2017 award goes to John Hennessy and David Patterson: "For pioneering a systematic, quantitative approach to the design and evaluation of computer architectures with enduring impact on the microprocessor industry."
Computer programs are being used to emulate humans to fool less-sophisticated programs into treating computer-generated actions as if they originate from a human. This is an important practical problem.
Bootstrap World has developed online courses in programming, among other subjects, but what makes Bootstrap World so memorable for me is that the team has focused heavily on accessibility.
The Internet as we know it today has driven the barrier to the generation and sharing of information to nearly zero. But there are consequences of the reduced threshold for access to the Internet.
A Comprehensive Self-Driving Car Test
Every few years, I have to pass a test from the Department of Motor Vehicles to drive my car. Shouldn't a self-driving car be required to do the same thing?
The Role of Archives in Digital Preservation
A significant test of any specification is that multiple, independent implementations can be shown to interwork. Establishing standards and allowing archives to be networked could create an ecosystem with substantial resilience.
Now For Something Entirely Different
This column is about three books I have just read. Two get at the proliferation of wrong but persuasive assertions about the past, present, or future. The third appeals to logic and humility.
This is the fifth year of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum and it continues to be a highlight of the year for me and for about 250 others who participate. This year, computer science was heavily represented.
I recently had the opportunity to join several thousand teachers in Southern California for an annual confab on teaching. I came away with a very different view of elementary and secondary education than I had going in.
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