Instagram Says It’s Fixing the Worst Thing About Its Algorithm
Instagram apparently no longer wants you to see Christmas Day photos on New Year’s Eve. On Thursday, the Facebook-owned…
This App for Automatically Hiding Your Nude Pics Could Use an Anatomy Lesson
There’s a new app that uses machine learning to mine your camera roll for explicit images. The purpose of the app, Nude,…
Just in Time, Amazon Patents Method to Prevent In-store Comparison Shopping
Amazon is perfecting a different kind of business model than we’ve traditionally known. First, crush an industry by…
Do Your Clicks Influence What News Stories Other People See?
This is the second installment of the Living With Data series, exploring encounters with data in our everyday lives.
A New Study From Facebook Reveals Just How Much It Filters What You See
A few years ago, I gave a talk about how algorithms and social media shape what we know. I focused on the dangers of…
Are You Ready For Google's Mobilegeddon Phonepocalypse Tomorrow?
Google is making a rare change to its search algorithm tomorrow—one that has the power to dramatically alter a site’s…
An Algorithm Found These Images Hidden in Reflections From Glitter
There's a new image algorithm called SparkleVision in town, and yes, it involves glitter. A glitter-coated surface, you…
This Is What an Image Recognition Algorithm Thinks a Bikini Looks Like
Image recognition algorithms are nothing like our eyes, and here is blobby static proof. These images fooled an…
This Algorithm Can Change the Season and Weather In Your Photos
One time I drove five hours out of my way on a road trip to Monument Valley, only to be devastated when I arrived.…
This Movie About Hackers Is Free for 24 Hours Before It Disappears
The new film Algorithm tracks the travails of Will, a freelance computer hacker who "breaks into a top-secret…
This Amazing Algorithm Draws Video Game Characters Using Tetris
If you think drawing in real life is hard work, just wait until you see how tough it is to create art using Tetris.
Algorithm Improves Airline Arrival Predictions, Erodes Favorite Work Excuse
When you're flying anywhere you can pretty much turn the whole day into a black hole. The airport/in-flight wifi wasn't…
The Secret Algorithm That Controls Everything About Orange Juice
If you ever wondered how orange juice can always taste so damn perfect every time you have it, it's because of an…
The Algorithm That Controls Your Life
If you think you're your own person, think again. While you have the ability to make what you think seem like…
The Computer That Can Learn a Board Game in Two Minutes—And Beat You At It
If you think you're good at board games, you just met your match. Because a computer scientist has developed machine…
Watch Garry Kasparov and Alan Turing Play Chess
Sixty years ago, Alan Turing sat down to write a computer algorithm which could play a human at chess. Sadly, he…
How Chemistry Is Predicting the Flavor Pairings of the Future
Some tastes just go together beautifully: lamb and rosemary, tomato and basil, peanut butter and jelly. But despite a…
Spam Rank: The Google-Backed Research Fighting Fake Reviews
Fake online reviews are a pain in the ass: they make interent shopping harder than it already is. But thankfully there…
How Google's Algorithms Are Solving Chemistry's Trickiest Calculations
Google knows a thing or two about complex calculations performed across very big data sets. Which is why chemists are…
Google Thinks This Is the Funniest Video on YouTube
You may have wondered in the past what the funniest video to appear on YouTube is. I bet, whatever criteria you used,…