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Chris Jacob
Nicholson Baker of the venerable New Yorker decided to try out Amazon's Kindle to see if it was really the future of reading. He wrote a whopping 6,300 words on the subject, but allow me to summarize: it sucks.
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John Seabrook wrote a recent feature in The New Yorker about interactive-voice-response systems (I.V.R.) commonly used with customer service and tech support telephone hotlines. Seabrook spent time at B.B.N. Technologies watching these systems transcribe callers' words and analyzing the tone of voice for emotions present. While breaking down the history of automated telephone services and voice recognition innovations, he attempts to tackle the larger question of whether or not we can create a fully conversational, quasi-conscious robot, akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey'sHal 9000. Judging from the number of experts interviewed for the piece, the answer is a resounding no.
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Earlier today we posted on a New Yorker piece about a man trapped in an elevator for 41 hours. But the real gem of the article was the mountain of "Did you know..." facts laced throughout. Like that Door Close button you're always pushing? Yeah, it doesn't work. Here's the full list: More »
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