man vs machine

Finally, High-Tech Help Has Arrived For The Artistically Challenged

Wired highlights a new device, still in prototype form, created for the thesis project of designer-engineer Saurabh Datta of Copenhagen’s Institute of Interaction Design. It aims to build muscle memory to help the artistically challenged learn to draw, or even play the piano. Datta created a series of devices that teach people simple tasks like…

io9 Cheryl Eddy Jan 28

IBM Simulates 4.5 Percent of the Human Brain and Might Make You Obsolete by 2019

Machines have been outperforming the human brain for a while now. Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov, Watson vs. Ken Jennings, Siri vs. my hungover inability to operate technology. Now IBM’s Blue Gene is trying to not just outperform, but simulate the whole damn human brain. It’s 4.5 percent of the way there. The Blue Gene…

Tech News Kyle Wagner Oct 25

IBM Jeopardy Challenge, Night 2: Watson Runs Wild

If you happened to miss out on the first half of Round 1 last night, shame on you. You can catch up here. When we last left our heroes, Watson and the undefeated Jeopardy champion Brad Rutter were tied for the lead with $5000 apiece. Ken Jennings, meanwhile, trailed with $2000. Watson had some shaky…

Television Adrian Covert Feb 16

Can a Machine Beat a Human at StarCraft?

Computers that can beat chess grandmasters? Ho-hum. The new arena where artificial intelligence and humans face off is StarCraft. A squadron of tanks sits patiently on a bridge. Smaller reconnaissance vehicles inch nervously ahead, probing for signs of the enemy. Suddenly, two allied spaceships zoom overhead. They illuminate a horde of hidden alien spider-robots. The…

Artificial Intelligence MacGregor Campbell - New Scientist Nov 2

Robot Built to Promote Book Trashes Its Creator’s Kitchen

To promote his book Dot Robot: Atomic Swarm, children’s author Jason Bradbury built a replica of one of the characters, Punk. The only trouble is that—with some CGI help—the spiky, spherical robot turned against his creator. Jason, the guy with the destroyed kitchen, was actually the fellow who showed us how to build a hoverboard…

Tech News Rosa Golijan Apr 5

Orangutan Hacks Snack Machine

At the Hanover zoo, an orangutan must pull a succession of strings before being rewarded with a nut. Sometimes, the experience gets a bit frustrating: We’ve all been there, buddy. We’ve all been there. [Telegraph via Animals don’t think…]

Biology Mark Wilson Mar 5

Engineering Student Takes On Electrical Door, Loses

According to the the description, the man in this video is an engineering student in Pakistan. Anyone remember that old Far Side comic? This is kind of like that, only dumber. Why he was trying to bull rush the door is anyone’s guess, but for the sake of mankind I can only hope this guy…

Tech News Sean Fallon Aug 14

Specter of Deadly A.I. Looms In Wake of Invite-Only Asilomar Conference

Science fiction is great fun, but should we really be quaking in our boots over dangerous A.I. anytime soon? A growing number of scientists say yes, and the results of their February conference at Asilomar are finally being made public. At the conference, the scientists debated research limits on AI, much like their colleagues in…

Artificial Intelligence Jack Loftus Jul 26

Cleaning Lady Scalped By Giant Meat Blending Machine

Did you ever read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle? Yeah, things haven’t changed as much as we would like to think. Mrs Trebilcock was inspecting a blender used to mix four tonnes of meat when she crouched beneath the machine to inspect a flap, where the load is discharged, to ensure it was clean. But the…

Tech News Sean Fallon Jul 16

This Is Why You Need To Know When To Say When

Hey, I’m all for a night out drinking now and then, but not to the point where I’m crawling into industrial garbage bins to sleep one off. You might not wake up when it’s crunch time. Case in point—math teacher and rugby coach Scott Williams was recently crushed to death when he fell asleep in…

Gadgets Sean Fallon Jul 15

Man Dies Horrible Death In The Teeth Of a Cardboard Shredder

An unidentified man working with a cardboard shredder in Lincoln Heights, LA was killed in what must have been a horrifying fashion after getting tangled in the device. Details on exactly what happened have not been determined, but we are not above jumping to wild and absurd conclusions. As Jason Chen put it “that’s why…

Tech News Sean Fallon Jul 13

Blackberry Saves Man from Falling 700 Feet (And Dying)

David Fitzherbert was skiing down a glacier in Switzerland when the snow gave out and he dropped 70 feet before being trapped somewhat securely between two rocks…thanks to his Blackberry. The Blackberry, seated in his breast pocket, added the extra bit of thickness that made the difference between plummeting another 700 feet and waiting 2…

Tech News Mark Wilson Jun 29

Sweet Dreams, Deadly Machines

Terminator Salvation may have been a letdown, but our week of celebrating the violence within every gadget—armed and sentient or ordinary and household, they’re all bloodthirsty—was a hit. Here’s a recap of the finer moments: https://gizmodo.com/terminator-salvation-review-better-than-t3-but-not-by-5260359 Adam took us through some of the worst manglings and murders committed by appliances, from pitching machines to prison…

Tech News Wilson Rothman May 26

…And Then The Robots Will Learn Compassion

In the robot wars, much blood and oil will be shed because of our differences, and lack of understanding. But one day, perhaps amid the fighting, a robot will learn the human value of compassion, and humans will respond—well, like humans. [Broken Robot Nozomi via JapanProbe]

Tech News Wilson Rothman May 22

The Transforminators Will Be This Summer’s Biggest Disappointment

“It was bad enough when we were fighting the Terminators. But then the Transformers came. Now we just call them the Transforminators.” – John Connor Click to view This mashup by IGN, Transforminators, works on so many levels that it’s almost scary. Then again, it probably explains a lot about the stylistic decisions made in…

Movies Mark Wilson May 22

Wall-E vs. Johnny 5: Who Would Win In a Deathmatch?

The question of which machine is deadliest of all-time has already been answered—but it’s the bonus round that will prove to be the most exciting matchup. Who would win in a battle between Wall-E and Johnny 5? https://gizmodo.com/gort-vs-caprica-6-which-machine-is-deadlier-champio-5266054 Yeah, it’s kind of like pitting a puppy vs a toddler…but I digress. Which Robot is Deadlier?(polls)…

Movies Sean Fallon May 22

10 Creepy Machines From Robot Hell

When machines behave deadly, they are forced to spend eternity tortured by robots like these 10 monstrosities. SimMan 3G: Intended as an instructional aid for aspiring doctors, SimMan can reproduce human reactions like crying, bleeding, convulsions, and even cardiac arrest. And, as you can see, his intense creepiness is sure to eliminate any students that…

Tech News Sean Fallon May 22

The Death Row Inmate Who Turned His Toilet Into an Electric Chair

Michael Anderson Godwin was a murderer. He was awaiting South Carolina’s electric chair in 1989 when he decided to fix his TV set while sitting on his cell’s metal toilet. You can probably see where this is going. Being on death row is lonely, so having a TV is important to your sanity. Godwin’s was…

Tech News Adam Frucci May 22

Gort vs. Caprica 6: Which Machine Is Deadlier? (Championship Round)

Gort and Caprica 6 pulled out victories in the final round of the Heavyweight and Humanoid division battles. Just for fun we are pitting them against one another in a final, championship round. Which machine is the deadliest of all-time? https://gizmodo.com/what-is-the-deadliest-machine-of-all-time-heavyweight-5264508 Which Robot is the Deadliest of All-Time?(online poll) Stay tuned later today for a…

Movies Sean Fallon May 22

Google’s Creepy New Algorithm Knows If You’re Going to Quit Your Job Before You Do

Google’s developed an algorithm that tells them which employees are most likely to quit. That’s creepy. Think about it: It’s a formula designed to let a machine essentially wriggle around inside your head to extract your true intentions—intentions you might not even realize you have yet—to reveal them to the company bean counters, who are…

Tech News Matt Buchanan May 21

man vs machine

Finally, High-Tech Help Has Arrived For The Artistically Challenged

IBM Simulates 4.5 Percent of the Human Brain and Might Make You Obsolete by 2019

IBM Jeopardy Challenge, Night 2: Watson Runs Wild

Can a Machine Beat a Human at StarCraft?

Robot Built to Promote Book Trashes Its Creator’s Kitchen

Orangutan Hacks Snack Machine

Engineering Student Takes On Electrical Door, Loses

Specter of Deadly A.I. Looms In Wake of Invite-Only Asilomar Conference

Cleaning Lady Scalped By Giant Meat Blending Machine

This Is Why You Need To Know When To Say When

Man Dies Horrible Death In The Teeth Of a Cardboard Shredder

Blackberry Saves Man from Falling 700 Feet (And Dying)

Sweet Dreams, Deadly Machines

…And Then The Robots Will Learn Compassion

The Transforminators Will Be This Summer’s Biggest Disappointment

Wall-E vs. Johnny 5: Who Would Win In a Deathmatch?

10 Creepy Machines From Robot Hell

The Death Row Inmate Who Turned His Toilet Into an Electric Chair

Gort vs. Caprica 6: Which Machine Is Deadlier? (Championship Round)

Google’s Creepy New Algorithm Knows If You’re Going to Quit Your Job Before You Do

Amazon Is Sticking With ‘Rings of Power’ to the End

Trump Is Reportedly Going Full Steam Ahead with the Golden Dome

‘Kamen Rider’ Is Ready to Take on the World

Twitter Just Can’t Stop Leaking Movies

The ‘Mass Effect’ Show is Getting Rewritten to Get Greenlit

See the Early Stages of How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Brought Rocky to Life

‘Cognitive Surrender’ Is a New and Useful Term for How AI Melts Brains

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

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