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77,600 drones and counting
There are a surprisingly large number of drones in New Zealand - with around 77,600 drones operating and 200,000 drones used by foreign tourists in the past year. Compare these numbers to the estimated 5000 piloted aircraft, and you begin to see the need for regulatory oversight.
Looking for common ground on facial recognition vs the right to privacy
Facial recognition software is the latest battleground between privacy rights advocates and law enforcement agencies. Is there any common ground between the two parties?
Another moon landing
Obviously, it's not up to me but I would say another moon landing is an interesting idea. Although it will cost the US taxpayer a lot (US$50 billion and counting) and that money is arguably better spent on looking after Earth and its inhabitants rather than haring off into space, the gain from going back out there is compelling.
Counting crowds
How many people turn up for an event is in itself newsworthy, even more so if it's a protest march. The pro-democracy protest on Monday in Hong Kong is a prime example, according to The New York Times…
Agritech kicks off Govt's innovation plan
The Government has today launched a new approach to encouraging innovation in key sectors of the economy. It involves the creation of Industry Transformation Plans, with agritech among the first ind…
AR solution for subtitled movies
Now here's a great idea for an Augmented Reality solution - delivering movie subtitles for the hearing impaired. University of Auckland PhD students Marco Schneider and Tony Tse came up with it while …
Shoppers moving online
Online retail may only make up 9% of all retail spending in New Zealand, but it is where the most interesting growth is occurring, with the annual rise in online sales at 16%, compared to total retail…
Brislen on Tech
Does anyone here remember the outrage over the introduction of a national identity card?
It was quite the palaver with everything from politicians shouting about how good it would be for everyone …
Machine learning can predict leaders, maybe
What makes a good leader? Apparently, this too can be answered by Artificial Intelligence. That's according to a study led by Otago University, which claims that very soon machines will have a say in …
Facebook launches own cryptocurrency
First it came for your cat videos, then it wanted your demographic data, finally it took your privacy. Now Facebook just wants your wallet.
Auckland Uni invests in AI
The University of Auckland has established a new Artificial Intelligence lab, with $4 million in Government funding, and has recruited a former member of IBM Research AI to run it.
