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Culture

The Office, Parks and Recreation, and the National Pathos

In January 2009, I gathered with my classmates in high-school to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama. There was a collective anticipation in the air that things are about to seriously change. One of the principles that Obama ran on was that change through political action was possible, the government wasn’t some immobile beast only […]

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Culture Technology

Towards Emotional Machines

While the vast community of AI is focused on getting machines to recognize everyday objects there is a small faction figuring out how to get machines to meaningfully communicate with us. The following are three ethical points that should be considered in the endeavor of emotional machines. Deception We need to look no further than […]

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Culture

(Almost) nothing will save your traditional retail business

Sales will not save your traditional business. No amount of volume on 60%-off sales will recover the expenses on physical space in malls and shopping centers. The attendants are out of your target demographic or are perusing through the stores because there is nothing else to do in the town at that time of day.  […]