software
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When Robots Run the Show

Aug 22, 2015
In "Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future," Martin Ford predicts that the next wave of job losses will be caused by advances in artificial intelligence, making robots the most efficient way to perform routine work now done by humans.

Personal Data Farmed Out by Facebook Apps

Oct 18, 2010
No matter how strict Facebook users may be with their settings, their bid for privacy can be compromised by third-party software developers who make those annoying apps that let users play games with each other -- and, apparently, share their personal information with advertisers.

Google Gives Microsoft a New Reason to Lose Sleep

Jul 8, 2009
Google's inexorable drive toward world domination took a major leap forward Tuesday when the company unveiled plans to build its own operating system. Google says it is designing the long-rumored OS, called Google Chrome OS, "to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the Web in a few seconds." Wouldn't that be nice?

China to Censor Online Porn, Possibly Basketball

Jun 9, 2009
Starting July 1, every computer sold in China will come bundled with software designed to block access to pornographic sites and whatever else parents -- and, critics fear, the government -- want to keep at bay. As one of the software's developers explains, "If a father doesn't want his son to be exposed to content related to basketball or drugs, he can block all Web sites related to those things."

Murder, Spies & Voting Lies

Oct 29, 2008
Patty Sharaf's new documentary "Murder, Spies & Voting Lies," featuring election integrity journalist Brad Friedman, tells the story of Clint Curtis, a computer programmer who says a prominent Florida Republican asked him in 2000 to create software that could be used to rig the vote. Al-Jazeera's Riz Khan takes a closer look.

Software Scans for Spin in Speeches

Sep 18, 2008
Humans may be susceptible to methods of persuasion that play on the emotions and circumvent logic, but computers are another story. Enter a software program that purports to detect "spin" in politicians' speeches by using a complex (albeit man-made) algorithm to hunt for truth-stretching words and phrases.