You’ve probably heard of SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology, which allows for the “S” part of the “https” address you’ve now seen everywhere. However, not…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #607: Internet security is about to take a big leap forward
Author archive for: laurasolomon
OPLIN 4Cast #605: The use of facial recognition is getting creepier
Posted in 4cast, and facial recognition
We’ve covered facial recognition in the 4Cast before, but this week we’re taking another look, after Amazon’s facial recognition wrongly identified 28 members of Congress…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #605: The use of facial recognition is getting creepier
In 2006, a commercial from IBM made waves (and actually is stuck in my memory over a decade later) because it depicted a man seemingly…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #603: The future of retail doesn’t include cashiers
OPLIN 4Cast #601: The (very) dark side of smart home devices
Posted in 4cast, and Internet of Things
New technologies have always had pros and cons. After all, technology of any sort is only a tool, and it is how it is used…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #601: The (very) dark side of smart home devices
Last week, I attended an online conference about blockchain and libraries. The vast majority of the material presented was either explanatory or speculative in nature;…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #599: We may have reached peak hype around blockchain
Google made major news headlines this week, when it decided to withdraw from Project Maven, after its contract expires next year. This partnership provides AI…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #597: The drone era is here, for better or for worse
OPLIN 4Cast #595: The sound of another security headache for smart speakers
Posted in 4cast, and Voice-activated assistants
Audio viruses are not a new thing, although they certainly haven’t gotten the attention that other kinds of hacks and malware have. As early as…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #595: The sound of another security headache for smart speakers
Several nights ago, my 13-year-old son was invited over to a neighbor’s house to play video games. When he got home, he was bubbling over…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #591: Esports roundup, in which my son discovers Fortnite
If you’re like almost two billion other people on this planet, you’ve been a user of Facebook. And, chances are fairly good, your profile was…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #587: The aftermath of the Facebook fallout
Who can forget Pokémon Go? It wasn’t the first AR (augmented reality) app when it premiered in 2016, but it was certainly the app that…
Read MoreOPLIN 4Cast #585: Pokémon Go was just the beginning