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Scientists Can Make Neural Networks 90% Smaller

Andrew Orr ·

Researchers from MIT found a way to create neural networks that are 90% smaller but just as smart.

In a new paper, researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) have shown that neural networks contain subnetworks that are up to one-tenth the size yet capable of being trained to make equally accurate predictions — and sometimes can learn to do so even faster than the originals.

This article stood out to me because if neural networks can be smaller but just as smart, maybe it could encourage companies to keep machine learning locally on a device, like Apple does.

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First Amazon Go Store Accepting Cash Opening in NYC

Charlotte Henry ·

After facing criticism, an Amazon Go store will accept cash for the first time. The Associated Press reported that the store will open in New York City Tuesday.

The company, facing backlash from critics who say cashless stores discriminate against the poor, confirmed last month that it was working on a way to accept paper bill and coins. In the new store, employee will swipe those who want to pay by cash through the turnstile entrance. After shoppers grab what they want off the shelves, an employee will scan each item with a mobile device and check them out. There still won’t be cash registers in the store. Cameron Janes, who oversees Amazon’s physical stores, says the way it accepts cash could change in the future, but declined to give details.

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Apple Stores Have Gotten Worse, Say Staff

Charlotte Henry ·

Angela Ahrendts recently gave her first interview since leaving Apple. However, it seems some at the company will not miss her. Bloomberg News spoke to a number of staff members at Apple Stores who say they became more unfriendly under her leadership.

They say the quality of staff has slipped during an 18-year expansion that has seen Apple open more than 500 locations and hire 70,000 people. The Genius Bar, once renowned for its tech support, has been largely replaced with staff who roam the stores and are harder to track down. That’s a significant drawback because people are hanging onto their phones longer these days and need them repaired…. [Deidre] O’Brien’s immediate challenge is to make the stores more shopper-friendly—even if that means moving away from the tony gathering places her predecessor favored and creating more clearly defined spaces for browsing, quick purchases and service.

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Passwords Are Dying. Here Are Some Solutions.

Charlotte Henry ·

Passwords are dying, and nobody is going to miss them very much. Fast Company reported on firms who are leading on finding the alternatives, including MobileIron, and even Google. Not surprisingly, there is a large focus on biometrics.

Most people still don’t use a password manager, which leads many to select the weakest password they can get away with under whatever rules an organization or site sets. That makes most passwords somewhat or highly vulnerable to cracking. With many businesses relying on scads of services to get work done, one service that allows weak passwords–or suffers a breach–can render many other linked services vulnerable. To avoid a password is to rely on an approach in which identity and access are paired. Once you have enrolled by proving sufficiently who you are and that you own a given device that requires biometrics to unlock–a fingerprint or facial scan.