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Snapping a photo impairs our ability to remember the subject (and scientists can’t figure out why)

Jun01
by on June 1, 2018 at 12:15 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider


Photographers use their equipment as a means of showing the world to others through their eyes. But those snapping the pictures may be altering their own memory of the subject, according to a new study. Julia Soares and Benjamin Storm, two researchers from the University of California, documented their findings in the most recent issue of the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. The pair found a photo-taking impairment that made captured objects harder to accurately remember for the photographer. Curiously, the condition presents itself even in images that were deleted before viewing. Their findings were similar to…

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Surprise! Teens hate Facebook

May31
by on May 31, 2018 at 11:23 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Social Media


Facebook, not so long ago, ruled the social media roost. Across nearly all important demographics, the Zuckerberg-led time bomb flattened the competition. Sure, it was losing teens, but many of them were just being diverted to other Facebook-owned properties, like WhatsApp and Instagram. Now, according to Pew Research, only 51 percent of teens use Facebook — down 20 percent from 2015. Zuckerberg better grab a helmet because this time the sky really is falling. With smartphone ownership becoming a nearly ubiquitous element of teen life — 95 percent of those 13 to 17 report either owning a smartphone or having regular access…

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This company is using facial recognition to fight human trafficking

May31
by on May 31, 2018 at 11:16 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, world


We’ve heard so many stories lately about the frankly horrifying degree to which facial recognition leads to tracking or privacy invasions. But a startup specializing in AI is instead leveraging facial recognition technology to find human trafficking victims. Marinus Analytics is a startup that licenses technology to law enforcement with the express purpose of fighting human trafficking. It’s founder and CEO, Emily Kennedy, created a program called Traffic Jam during her time at Carnegie Mellon that uses AI tools to identify victims. Nowadays, Traffic Jam is available to any law enforcement agency that works with Marinus. According to Marinus’ website: We…

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Google’s testing a new app that takes the pain out of the NYC subway

May31
by on May 31, 2018 at 9:33 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Google


The subway system is both the best and worst thing about living in NYC. As convenient and practical as it is, it’s also prone to interminable delays, rerouting, annoying passengers/performers and general unpleasantness. Though I think we New Yorkers tend to take it for granted, there’s no question it could be better. Google’s Area 120, the company’s “workshop for experimental products,” is trying to make the subway a bit more bearable with an app called Pigeon (currently limited to iOS). As noted by The Verge, it works a lot like Waze. Not only does it provide directions on how to get…

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