New Zealand has the World's First Digital Teacher

Auckland energy company Vector partnered with AI company Soul Machines to create a digital teacher called Will.

Will’s there to teach children about energy use. Students interact with Will — essentially just a face on a screen — via their desktop, tablet, or mobile device. He teaches them about different forms of renewable energy, such solar and wind. Will can then ask the students questions about what they’ve learned to ensure the lessons stick.

Thankfully it’s not teaching an entire curriculum, because education probably doesn’t need AI teachers. Maybe in developing countries, where lack of education/teachers is a problem. But in first-world countries, we should just pay human teachers better.

What's We're Likely to See in the 2018 iPad Pro

At ComputerWorld, Jonny Evans writes: “… there are lots of reasons to think about Apple’s [2018] pro tablets.” And he’s right. From Face ID to loss of the headphone jack (for the sake of consistency) to thinner bezels and better performance, these improvements may well get customers in a great buying mood. Check it out.

Visualizing a 4D Sphere in 3D Space

For those who are fascinated by (theoretical) four-space dimensional objects, this visual tutorial explains how a 4D sphere would appear as it travels into and out of our 3D space. For more background see the Wikipedia entry for Flatland. All kinds of SciFi fun has followed.