Tiny, blurry pictures find the limits of computer image recognition

(credit: Thomas Tolkien)

Computers have started to get really good at visual recognition. They can sometimes rival humans at recognizing the objects in a series of images. But does the similar end result mean that computers are mimicking the human visual system? Answering that question would indicate if there are still some areas where computer systems can’t keep up with humans.

So, a new PNAS paper takes a look at just how different computer and human visual systems are.

The difference really boils down to the flexibility that human brains have and computers don’t. It’s much the same problem that speech recognition system face: humans can figure out that a mangled word “meant” something recognizable while a computer can’t. Likewise with images: humans can piece together what a blurry image might depict based on small clues in the picture, where a computer would be at a loss.

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Tiny, blurry pictures find the limits of computer image recognition

UK sets June 23 vote to decide its future with the European Union

LONDON — The UK will hold a referendum on June 23 to decide whether the nation should stay in or leave the European Union, Prime Minister David Cameron said Saturday.

The date for the “Brexit” referendum has been set after Cameron returned from 31-hour talks in Brussels to secure a deal that renegotiates Britain’s status within the 28-nation bloc.

See also: Campaigners issue bizarre condoms telling UK to pull out of European Union

Now that the date has been set, campaigns on both sides will kick off in earnest and ministers will declare what side they support. The deal will be analysed and talked about exhaustively. Cameron’s own Conservatives aren’t united on the issue and campaigns will watch closely which side the ministers take. …

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UK sets June 23 vote to decide its future with the European Union

TCS to increase notice period to deal with attrition

TCS has said it will take steps to bring down its attrition rate. At the end of third quarter, TCS reported an attrition rate of 15.9 per cent.

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TCS to increase notice period to deal with attrition

Oppo said to be unveiling next-gen VOOC tech at MWC 2016

We already told you that Oppo is expected to unveil a couple of big things at MWC, with one of them being a “groundbreaking power solution.” While Oppo hasn’t provided any more details as yet, it’s now being said that the company is planning to unveil the next-gen VOOC tech.

As you might already know, VOOC is a fast charging technology developed by Oppo that is claimed to be capable of charging the phone’s battery from zero to 75% in only 30 minutes. While the current VOOC technology works as a wired charging solution, the new report says Oppo could announce wireless VOOC flash charging at MWC.

This means that you’ll be able to take advantage of the technology by just placing your Oppo handset on a wireless charging board. Needless to say, this hasn’t been officially confirmed by the Chinese company, so take it with a pinch of salt. Oppo’s MWC press event is on February…

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Oppo said to be unveiling next-gen VOOC tech at MWC 2016

Samsung Pay set for March launch in China

Back in December last year, Samsung said that its mobile payments service Samsung Pay will launch in China “as soon as early 2016”. Now, the South Korean company has announced that the launch will happen in the month of March, although no specific date was mentioned.

The China launch will be followed by rollout in Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Spain and, the UK later this year. The company has also added Canada to the launch roadmap. For those who missed, recently-leaked promotion material revealed that the service will also be available in Russia soon.

Samsung also revealed that around five million registered Samsung Pay users processed over 500 million dollars in the first six months. The mobile payments service is currently available in the company’s home country as well as the United…

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Samsung Pay set for March launch in China

MORE photos of the Samsung Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge)

Naturally, just a few days before the unpacked event, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge pose for many more angles and shots for our eyes to feast upon.

Moreover, the physical appearance of the Galaxy S7 is not too different from its predecessor. The curves that the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge make are more pronounced and round than those of the S6 or iPhone.

The bump has definitely shown changes with some shrinkage. As well, a new rumor has surfaced pertaining its still a little difficult to confirm a possible drop in the pixel count of the camera sensor from the S6’s 16MP camera to a possible 12.1MP.

Head over to the source link at Android Headlines to check out the butt-load of photos of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

There are close-ups of the camera setup, all 4 edges, front, rear, and some views of the software information found on the Galaxy S7. There are also shots of the phone next to a ruler to better gage the actual size.

Source (Android…

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MORE photos of the Samsung Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge)

Apple Says This Mess Could've Been Avoided If the Government Hadn't Fucked Up

Early Friday evening, Apple invited at least two batches of reporters to separate conference calls. (There were rules*.) This was just hours after the Justice Department filed a motion for a court order that would compel Apple to assist the FBI, framing the company’s refusal to cooperate as …

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Apple Says This Mess Could've Been Avoided If the Government Hadn't Fucked Up 

Extra Early-Bird Tickets To Disrupt NY Extended To February 24

Don’t ever say we aren’t flexible. You needed a few extra days to commit to clicking the buy button on tickets to Disrupt NY 2016, and we’re happy to give that to you.

We’re extending the deadline on our extra early-bird tickets to next Wednesday, February 24, so you have a few extra days to save $200 before early-bird pricing takes effect next week. This is the only… Read More

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Extra Early-Bird Tickets To Disrupt NY Extended To February 24

See 'SNL' star Aidy Bryant 'flex a different muscle' in her new Vimeo original short

Lil’ Baby Aidy is all grown up and starring in her own short film.

Darby Forever, a comedy written and starring Aidy Bryant, launched on Vimeo Thursday as one of the platform’s new originals.

The film, which is about 20 minutes long, follows the title character, who works at a quirky fabric store in a nameless town — where her mundane interactions with customers spark colorful daydreams

Darby Forever from Darby Forever on Vimeo.

See also: Here comes Vimeo’s new originals, thanks to the weed delivery guy

Mashable caught up with Bryant earlier this week to chat about the film’s conception, production, and working with starry collaborators like Orange Is the New Black’s Natasha Lyonne and Parks and Recreation’s Retta. …

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See 'SNL' star Aidy Bryant 'flex a different muscle' in her new Vimeo original short

Innovators tend to have mentors in college. Good grades, not so much.

Demand for innovation is at an all-time high. Innovation is now recognized as being key to economic growth strategies in the United States, Canada and countries in the European Union.

As a result, there is an increased need to understand what drives innovation. Certainly traditional research and development, funded by both the private and public sectors, continues to remain a primary source of new ideas and products. But innovation demands innovators.

So where do innovators come from? And how do they acquire their skills?

One place — perhaps among the best — is college. Over the past seven years, my research has explored the influence of college on preparing students with the capacity, desire and intention to innovate. …

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Innovators tend to have mentors in college. Good grades, not so much.