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Experts will debate ‘killer robots’ at the UN in Geneva

May09
by on May 9, 2014 at 4:35 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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Lethal autonomous weapons systems described as “killer robots” are to be debated at a United Nations (UN) Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) meeting next week. As the BBC reports, experts on the subject will gather in Geneva for four days, starting on May 13, to discuss the various issues and ramifications surrounding the potential technology. The first session will be debated between Professor Noel Sharkey, chair of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control (ICRAC), and Professor Ron Arkin from Georgia Tech. Prof Sharkey said it can’t be guaranteed that autonomous weapon systems will consistently comply with international law. “Nations aren’t…

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Yahoo’s 18-year-old prodigy Nick D’Aloisio on how the future of digital news lies in the past

May09
by on May 9, 2014 at 4:26 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Profiles and Interviews

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Yesterday, Yahoo announced that its “atomized” news digest was being made available on Android, and in virtually every market in which Yahoo is active. It’s a bold move for a product that has only been available for less than six months. Behind the ambitious project is Nick D’Aloisio, the 18-year-old who sold his company Summly to Yahoo a little over a year ago for a reported $30 million. Since then, he’s been working within Yahoo to integrate the technology, and bring his nugget-sized take on news to the masses. Following the launch of Canadian and International editions of the resulting Yahoo News Digest, TNW caught up with D’Aloisio…

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How to win friends and influence your audience: 10 theories to know for greater persuasion

May09
by on May 9, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Entrepreneur, Investigations, Social Media

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This post originally appeared on the Buffer blog. What are we really talking about when we’re talking about conversions? Persuasion, right? Influence. When we talk about conversions, we are—most of the time—discussing ways we can be more persuasive, more influential. We’re interested in meeting the needs of customers, fans, and followers and doing so in a way that truly speaks to them. So how can you persuade—i.e., convert—better? Perhaps not surprisingly, the hacks for conversion and persuasion begin with psychology. Understanding why someone clicks or why they retweet requires you to look at the way the person is wired, the…

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Hoopla app streams videos, music, and audiobooks from your local library

May09
by on May 9, 2014 at 3:48 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider

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Accessing the multimedia available at your local library no longer requires leaving the house. All you need is the Hoopla app. But, you’ll still need a library card. The Hoopla app grants instant access to up to 170,000 movies, TV shows, albums, and audiobooks via your local library in the United States and Canada. Ironically, the library-connected app doesn’t currently support e-books. But, those are on the product roadmap. While library online lending services like Overdrive only allows a library to lend a finite amount of digital copies, Hoopla grants access to everything available from the library without having to wait…

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News-specs? CNN wants citizen journalists to contribute via Google Glass

May09
by on May 9, 2014 at 3:27 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

CNN’s iReport is probably about as mainstream a citizen journalist platform as you’ll find, giving budding hacks a genuine conduit for making it into the mainstream media. Indeed, CNN producers monitor the contributions, and if something is unique or compelling enough, well, you never know. Thus far, you’ve been able to post iReports through the Web or CNN mobile apps. But now, you’re also able to share photos and videos with CNN directly from Google Glass. Granted, that’s still a relatively small target market, but if  you are an active Google Glass Explorer and citizen hack, it’s an extra option…

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