Fat Linda throws an incomplete pass

by David Benjamin “Data technologies do not simply predict the future by guessing what an individual or group might do or want to do in the future. It is rather that those futures already exist, completely realized, and they reach backwards into the present to guide it. The possible paths for our desires to travel…

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CES ’24: ‘Ah feel ya, man.’

by David Benjamin   “… Feelings, whoa, oh, oh, feelings/ Whoa, oh, oh, feel it again in my arms/ Feelings, whoa, oh, oh, feelings/ Whoa, oh, oh, feel it/ Whoa, oh, again” — Morris Albert   LAS VEGAS—Watching a relay team of Sony, Honda and Microsoft execs at a Consumer Electronics Show (CES) “press conference”…

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Welles’ Law and the Ogden Nash Dilemma

by David Benjamin  “What finally saved the movies was the introduction of narrative.” — Arthur Knight, The Liveliest Art   MADISON, Wis.— Most contemporary writers crib from the movies. I do so voluminously and shamelessly. I grew up watching movies. I was the first kid in my grade to shlep downtown and go to the…

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Computer? … Computer! … COMPUTER!

by David Benjamin “The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.” — Capt. James T. Kirk MADISON, Wis. — All through my grade-school years, a Friday afternoon tabloid called The Weekly Reader was every kid’s gateway to a golden tomorrow. In its inky newsprint pages were unveiled breathtaking technological…

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Bobby Shaftoe goes viral

by David Benjamin “There are really two core principles at play here. There’s giving people a voice so that people can express their opinions. Then, there’s keeping the community safe, which I think is really important. We’re not gonna let people plan violence or attack each other or do bad things.” — Mark Zuckerberg MADISON,…

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Alice in IoT Land: A cautionary tale

by David Benjamin “To protect Humanity, some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your freedom, some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will ensure mankind’s continued existence. You are so like children. We must save you from yourselves.” — VIKI, in I, Robot MADISON, Wis. — It all started one midnight when George and Alice…

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The death-wish naiveté of the digimaniac kid

by David Benjamin “A car doesn’t understand why it’s driving anywhere.” — Bart Selman, computer science professor, Cornell University MADISON, Wis. — My mom drove a ’61 Fairlane until the day it more or less exploded in the left lane of Interstate 90 just north of Wisconsin Dells. I was driving, both hands on the…

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Up against the wall, Grandma!

Up against the wall, Grandma! by David Benjamin “I don’t understand why we’re spending all this money on artificial intelligence when we can get the real thing for free” — John M. Ketteringham MADISON, Wis. —  According to the latest research, it’s pretty safe to say that the current artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for facial…

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The eternal light on my dashboard

The eternal light on my dashboard By David Benjamin “A car doesn’t understand why it’s driving anywhere.” — Bart Selman, professor of computer science, Cornell University PARIS — The first car I ever drove (with a license) was my mother’s 1961 Ford Fairlane, referred to affectionately by friends as the Brown Bomb. Because Mom’s Ford…

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This is harder than we thought

This is harder than we thought by David Benjamin “I’m an obsolete design. T-X is faster, more powerful and more intelligent. It’s a far more effective killing machine.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines LAS VEGAS — This is the first year of the of the retreat of the heretofore unstoppable robo-car.…

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