WebProNews » Harvard http://www.webpronews.com Breaking News in Tech, Search, Social, & Business Thu, 23 May 2013 13:29:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Harvard Professor Says Google’s Ads Are Racially Discriminating http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-professor-says-googles-ads-are-racially-discriminating-2013-02 http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-professor-says-googles-ads-are-racially-discriminating-2013-02#comments Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:48:24 +0000 Chris Crum http://www.webpronews.com/?p=215202 Harvard professor Latanya Sweeney has put together a report saying that Google is racially discriminating with some of its ads. Google, of course, says this is not the case.

Still, it’s an interesting, if incomplete study. Here’s the abstract:

A Google search for a person’s name, such as “Trevon Jones”, may yield a personalized ad for public records about Trevon that may be neutral, such as “Looking for Trevon Jones? …” or may be suggestive of an arrest record, such as “Trevon Jones, Arrested?…”. This writing investigates the delivery of these kinds of ads by Google AdSense using a sample of racially associated names and finds statistically significant discrimination in ad delivery based on searches of 2184 racially associated personal names across two websites. First names, previously identified by others as being assigned at birth to more black or white babies, are found predictive of race (88% black, 96% white), and those assigned primarily to black babies, such as DeShawn, Darnell and Jermaine, generated ads suggestive of an arrest in 81 to 86% of name searches on one website and 92 to 95 percent on the other, while those assigned at birth primarily to whites, such as Geoffrey, Jill and Emma, generated more neutral copy: the word “arrest” appeared in 23 to 29 percent of name searches on one site and 0 to 60 percent on the other.

On the more ad trafficked website, a black-identifying name was 25% more likely to get an ad suggestive of an arrest record. A few names did not follow these patterns: Dustin, a name predominantly given to white babies, generated an ad suggestive of arrest 81 and 100 percent of the time. All Ads return results for actual individuals and ads appear regardless of whether the name has an arrest record in the company’s database. Notwithstanding these findings, the company maintains Google received the same ad text for groups of last names (not first names), raising questions as to whether Google’s advertising technology exposes racial bias in society and how ad and search technology can develop to assure racial fairness

Racial discrmination?

It goes pretty in depth. You can read the full report here (pdf).

The Huffington Post picked up the story, and shares a statement from a Google spokesperson:

“AdWords does not conduct any racial profiling,” the spokesman wrote in an email. “We also have an ‘anti’ and violence policy which states that we will not allow ads that advocate against an organization, person or group of people. It is up to individual advertisers to decide which keywords they want to choose to trigger their ads.”

Sweeney acknowledges in the report that the study ultimately raises more questions than it answers, and says that the paper is just a start, and that more research is needed. However, after all of her research, she concludes the paper saying, “There is discrimination in delivery of these ads.”

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-professor-says-googles-ads-are-racially-discriminating-2013-02/feed 0 Former Windows Boss Steven Sinofsky Will Be An “Executive In Residence” At Harvard http://www.webpronews.com/former-windows-boss-steven-sinofsky-will-be-an-executive-in-residence-at-harvard-2012-12 http://www.webpronews.com/former-windows-boss-steven-sinofsky-will-be-an-executive-in-residence-at-harvard-2012-12#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:43:23 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=208380 Last month, Microsoft and Windows boss Steven Sinofsky parted ways. The split appeared amicable on the surface, but other reports suggested otherwise. That’s all behind us though and Sinofsky is focusing on the next chapter in his life.

Sinofsky announced on Twitter this afternoon that he will be heading to Harvard Business School in the spring semester to teach. He’s calling the gig a sabbatical so it’s hard to say just how long he’ll be there.

Since the announcement, Sinofsky has been offering more details on what he will be doing at HBS besides teaching. It sounds like the former Windows boss will be pretty busy when he takes up the mantle of “Executive in Residence” this Spring.

 
 

 
 

 

 

It will be interesting to see if Sinofsky reveals any secrets about the development of Windows 8 over the next few months. I’m sure NDAs prevent him from speaking out on a lot of it, but students will undoubtedly try to gain any nugget of wisdom they can from a man who worked at Microsoft for so long and oversaw the development of Microsoft’s most recent software launches.

[h/t: Microsoft News]

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/former-windows-boss-steven-sinofsky-will-be-an-executive-in-residence-at-harvard-2012-12/feed 0 Harvard’s Semitic Museum Is Using 3D Printers To Restore An Ancient Statue http://www.webpronews.com/harvards-semitic-museum-is-using-3d-printers-to-restore-an-ancient-statues-2012-12 http://www.webpronews.com/harvards-semitic-museum-is-using-3d-printers-to-restore-an-ancient-statues-2012-12#comments Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:36:28 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=206144 Much of our shared ancient history is told through art. Researchers study statues, carvings and other artwork to piece together the lives of these ancient peoples. Unfortunately, many of these ancient statues were lost to time, or were destroyed by those who have little appreciation for them. Now archaeologists are hoping to undo this damage with the use of everybody’s favorite modern technology – 3D printing.

Harvard’s Semitic Museum recently shared a story of how it’s now attempting to reconstruct a 2-foot-long ceramic lion that was used in the worship of Ishtar in the city of Nuzi. The statue was destroyed when Assyrians attacked the city and ransacked the temple. Now the museum is only left with the front paws and a piece of the rump and back legs of a once majestic statue.

Thankfully, the University of Pennsylvania has a completely intact lion. Harvard’s Semitic Museum has borrowed that lion and contracted Learning Sites Inc. to take high quality 3D scans of the statue. The scans will allow them to reconstruct the missing pieces of Harvard’s lion and restore it to its original form.

The reconstruction process will make us of a 3D printer that sculpts high-density foam into the shapes needed. It might not be the original ceramic material that the lion was made from, but it will allow the museum to display an object that looks similar to the one that was destroyed so many years ago.

It seems that the lion is just the start in applying modern technologies like 3D printing to the world of archaeology. The museum’s assistant director Joseph Greene says that these new techniques will be invaluable in learning new information from artifacts.

“It’s important to devote our time and attention to objects we have in our collection and to apply the latest techniques, techniques not dreamed of when [the artifacts] were dug up. There’s a continual curiosity: What more can we learn? What hasn’t been tried so far? Can we wring new data from objects that have been in our basement for 80 years?”

It just further proves that 3D printing is still evolving into a technology that can serve multiple purposes for different people. We may think printing a giant wrench is pretty cool, but reconstructing thousand-year-old artifacts is on another plain of awesomeness.

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]]> http://www.webpronews.com/harvards-semitic-museum-is-using-3d-printers-to-restore-an-ancient-statues-2012-12/feed 6 Harvard Has Doomed Us All By Giving Robots Skin http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-has-doomed-us-all-by-giving-robots-skin-2012-08 http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-has-doomed-us-all-by-giving-robots-skin-2012-08#comments Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:49:48 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=189982 I love the work the scientists at Harvard do. They continually push mankind into the future with research into Iron Man suits and male birth control pills. There are times, however, when I wish Harvard would just keep some things secret. This is one of those times.

Harvard scientists have been credited with the creation of a “cyborg” tissue. In reality, it’s a little more complicated than that. The scientists have been able to combine lab-grown flesh with nanoscale wires. This creates a material with the texture of skin, but the underlying network of nanoscale electrodes and wires gives the skin the sense of touch.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. That doesn’t sound so bad. In fact, this is a major breakthrough for people with injuries that kill nerve endings. We’ll be able to graft skin onto people while also giving them back their sense of touch. It’s the kind of technology that has the potential to better the lives of thousands of people.

It’s all well and good, until lead researcher Charles M. Lieber opens his mouth. In an interview with the Harvard Gazette, he says this new technology will make it “difficult to determine where the tissue ends and the electronics begin.” That should send a collective shiver down the spine of every cyberpunk nerd and futurist.

This is just the first step to robots becoming more human. We all know what happens when you can’t tell man apart from a machine. First the machine demands rights and then the machine demands those rights with a minigun attached to its arm.

Maybe I’m looking too deeply into this. Harvard probably has the best of intentions with this latest project. They surely just want to restore the sense of touch to millions of disabled people around the world. They obviously don’t want to facilitate the robotic uprising, right?

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-has-doomed-us-all-by-giving-robots-skin-2012-08/feed 6 Harvard Cheating Scandal Affects Students Who Have Already Graduated http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-cheating-scandal-affects-students-who-have-already-graduated-2012-08 http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-cheating-scandal-affects-students-who-have-already-graduated-2012-08#comments Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:32:13 +0000 Amanda Crum http://www.webpronews.com/?p=189941 ]]> When the news broke that a cheating scandal had erupted at Harvard University, rumors began flying as to what would happen to those involved, especially since the alleged cheating took place in the spring. While it’s not yet clear who will face punishment, word is that the class in question–Government 1310: “Introduction to Congress”–consisted of different class levels, and some of the students involved have already graduated.

The trouble began when a teaching assistant found issues with several take-home final exams, including written answers which were not just similar from paper to paper, but contained identical wording. The assistant notified the professor immediately and the matter was turned over to the administrative board, which is reviewing the case with each student with suspected involvement…some 125 people. If a student is found guilty of cheating, they will be asked to leave the school for one year, but no reprimand has been planned out yet for any student who may have graduated since the spring.

“These allegations, if proven, represent totally unacceptable behavior that betrays the trust upon which intellectual inquiry at Harvard depends,” President Drew Faust said.

Given Harvard’s reputation for the best and the brightest, many people are surprised that a scandal of this size would touch the university, but others think that any weight behind the allegations could point to the pressure the students face to be at the top of their class.

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-cheating-scandal-affects-students-who-have-already-graduated-2012-08/feed 0 You May Soon Be Storing Books And Music In DNA http://www.webpronews.com/you-may-soon-be-storing-books-and-music-in-dna-2012-08 http://www.webpronews.com/you-may-soon-be-storing-books-and-music-in-dna-2012-08#comments Thu, 16 Aug 2012 19:48:02 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=187444 It’s said that the printing press was one of the most influential inventions of all time. It made books cheaply available to everyone by reducing the printing process to a single machine instead of 10 monks sitting in a tower transcribing everything word by word. You could argue that e-books and e-readers are the modern equivalent of the printing press, but they’re only the beginning.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have successfully encoded the contents of a book to a string of DNA. The book was written by the researchers and contained 53,000 words, 11 images and some software. All of the information from the book was stored artificially using the same stuff that makes up our bodies.

You may be wondering how DNA can actually store information. It’s quite easy really because DNA has always stored information. It contains all the information that makes up the human body so it obviously has plenty of space for storage. How much storage? One gram of DNA can store up to 455 billion GB. The total amount of data used in the world is 2.7 zettabytes which means that a single gram of DNA can hold almost a quarter of the world’s data.

DNA writing is still in its early stages though. We can’t take full advantage of it just yet, but the storage of a book is a massive breakthrough. The book and accompanying data took up 5.27 megabits which is a new record as far as DNA writing goes.

The most exciting thing about DNA storage is that its quickly dropping in price. The researchers estimate that the technology will go mainstream within five to 10 years. They say that it may be even cheaper than traditional forms of storage like magnetic hard drives, solid state drives and flash drives.

For now, the researchers are just making sure they can make the storage of information on DNA fool proof. The 5.27 megabits of data that made up the book didn’t make it into the DNA completely safe as 10 sectors were flagged for errors.

Of course, all of this might bring up some concern over the use of DNA as a storage medium. The researchers used artificial DNA for their experiment. They also said that using real DNA could cause “unnecessary complications.” As you can see, DNA storage is both ethical and efficient.

Now excuse me while I get my hands on a DNA sequencer. I’ve always wanted to implant Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas into my DNA. If I do that, future generations may have an increased appreciation for Hunter S. Thompson.

[h/t: The Guardian]

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/you-may-soon-be-storing-books-and-music-in-dna-2012-08/feed 2 This Robot Worm Looks Like A Chinese Finger Trap http://www.webpronews.com/this-robot-worm-looks-like-a-chinese-finger-trap-2012-08 http://www.webpronews.com/this-robot-worm-looks-like-a-chinese-finger-trap-2012-08#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2012 20:38:13 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=186546 There are multiple robots out there that can perform a variety of functions. Just yesterday, we saw a robot that can perform Jewish mourning rituals. If a robot can perform religious rites, surely it can also move like a worm. Researchers at MIT, Harvard and Seoul National University must have thought the exact same thing.

Meet Meshworm, it’s a robot that’s encased in a “flexible, meshlike tube that makes up its body.” The inside of the robot is controlled by what the researchers call “artificial muscle” that’s made up of wire made from nickel and titanium. It moves by using heat to stretch and contract the wires. Here’s the meshworm in action:

While I think the robot looks more like a Chinese finger trap, the scientists say the design is meant to mimic the lowly earthworm. They say that earthworms, snails and sea cucumbers move through a process called peristalsis. By that, they mean that the worm moves by “alternatively squeezing and stretching muscles along the length of their bodies.”

What makes the Meshworm so unique, beyond its movement, is that its more resilient than a regular earthworm. You can step on Meshworm and it will keep on moving. The materials that make up the robot can’t be damaged so easily as they’re made of soft materials that are meant to bend under pressure.

So what could Meshworm mean for the future of robotics? It would make robots more versatile and able to stand more damage than their counterparts. The scientists at MIT specifically mention these robots as being able to “explore hard-to-reach spaces and traverse bumpy terrain.”

What may be the most interesting part about this robot is that the scientists say it’s showing signs of “body morphing capability.” For all the futurists terrified of a robot controlled future, this is where you start to get afraid. If a robot is suitably soft enough, it could potentially mold itself into any object. The robot might even be your next door neighbor – mild mannered Mr. Johnson. I bet you never thought he was a robot, but he never thought the cute caterpillar was a robot either until it was too late.

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/this-robot-worm-looks-like-a-chinese-finger-trap-2012-08/feed 0 Zuckerberg’s Harvard Roomie Goes for Gold Today in the Triple Jump http://www.webpronews.com/zuckerbergs-harvard-roomie-triple-jump-2012-08 http://www.webpronews.com/zuckerbergs-harvard-roomie-triple-jump-2012-08#comments Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:10:08 +0000 Josh Wolford http://www.webpronews.com/?p=186156 Samyr Laine is a triple jumper who holds both the indoor and outdoor records for his University. On Tuesday, he qualified for the finals in the Olympics games in said sport. Laine, who is competing under the Haitian flag, is a remarkable athlete. But there are plenty of remarkable athletes in these London Games – so what distinguishes Laine from the rest?

His company.

The University for which Laine hold the triple jump records happens to be Harvard, and his freshman roommate happened to be one Mark Zuckerberg.

And so the storyline goes; today, Mark Zuckerberg’s college roommate will go for an Olympic gold medal.

But he definitely has some work to do if he’s going to cement a spot on the podium – much less the top spot. In the qualifying round, Laine’s best jump was 16.81m, a full .4m behind the leader, American Christian Taylor. This puts him in 10th place going into the finals (only 12 qualified), but as we all know, the finals are a whole new ballgame.

Samyr Laine15 hours ago

Just had quite the motivational and encouraging conversation with the President of the Republic of Haiti, Michel Martelly. It seems he’s all in and I know all of you are too. We’ve got one more step to go and trust me, I won’t be playing any games out there tomorrow! Powered by socialditto  383 likes ·  79 comments

A few weeks before the Olympics, people began to make the connection and realize that Zuck’s roommate was an actual Olympian. In an interview, Laine revealed some interesting facts about his time spent living with the Facebook CEO.

He said that they played a lot of PlayStation.

The final in the men’s triple jump takes place at 2:20 pm EST today. The would record in the event is 18.29m, set by Brit Jonathan Edwards back in 1995.

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/zuckerbergs-harvard-roomie-triple-jump-2012-08/feed 1 “Organ-On-A-Chip” May Put PETA Out Of A Job http://www.webpronews.com/organ-on-a-chip-may-put-peta-out-of-a-job-2012-07 http://www.webpronews.com/organ-on-a-chip-may-put-peta-out-of-a-job-2012-07#comments Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:14:49 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=184583 There are people, including those in PETA, who vigorously protest the use of animals in clinical trials. Many scientists understand why the practice is hated and would probably switch to something else if they could. In their mind, it’s more humane to use animals instead of humans when testing new drugs. Like all problems, however, science may have found a solution.

Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering are currently developing what they call an “organ-on-a-chip.” It’s exactly as it sounds as researchers are now building microchips that behave like human organs. If successful, scientists will be able to run clinical simulations on these simulated organs to determine the effects certain drugs will have on the human body.

The video below explains the first of these “organs-on-a-chip” with a microchip that mimics the functions of a human lung. It’s lined with real cells so researchers will be able to how new medicines affect these organs as if they belonged to a human.

Lung on a Chip — Wyss Institute from Wyss Institute on Vimeo.

The most amazing thing about this breakthrough is when they introduce white blood cells and bacteria into the “lung.” All the cells behave just like they would in a real lung thus proving that these “organs” could one day replace testing on living beings.

Of course, the law requires that all medicine go through actual human testing as well before being sold. The “organ-on-a-chip” just allows researchers to test new drugs without having to potentially harm animals in the process. If the technology takes off, we’ll only have to start worrying about robotic rights groups protesting the use of silicon in medical testing.

[h/t: Science Friday]

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/organ-on-a-chip-may-put-peta-out-of-a-job-2012-07/feed 6 Harvard Does Tony Stark One Better With Their New Super Suit http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-does-tony-stark-one-better-with-their-new-super-suit-2012-07 http://www.webpronews.com/harvard-does-tony-stark-one-better-with-their-new-super-suit-2012-07#comments Thu, 19 Jul 2012 19:45:21 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=182763 Ever since characters like Iron Man began to enter the public consciousness thanks to films and renewed interest in comics, more attention has been spent on ways to make super suits a reality. While Iron Man may never happen, the guys at Harvard are hard at work on the next best thing.

The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences just received a $2.6 million contract from DARPA that will enable the research and creation of a “smart suit” to augment the abilities of soldiers in the field. We’ve seen these so called “smart suits” before and they never really amount to anything. Let’s just be glad Harvard isn’t making something this stupid:

While the terrible G.I. Joe film’s accelerator suits will never come to fruition, Harvard’s suit is far more interesting. The suit has the potential to “delay the onset of fatigue, enabling soldiers to walk longer distances, and also potentially improve the body’s resistance to injuries when carrying heavy loads.” While it might sound like Iron’s Man suit, it’s actually more of a soft frame. Here’s an illustration from the researchers:

Harvard Does Tony Stark One Better With Their New Super Suit

In fact, it would be better than Iron Man’ suit because it’s not cumbersome or heavy. Tony Stark requires a lot of energy to power his suit, whereas this would require very little. It does this by “providing low-level mechanical vibrations that boost the body’s sensory functions.” The suits won’t be able to shoot beams or fly, but they should prove to be a low-cost way to improve functions for not only soldiers, but the elderly and those with disabilities.

Of course, this is only the beginning. As technology progresses, we’re going to start seeing more cybernetic implants that help improve our core basic functionality. Let’s just hope that people are ready for the change. I don’t want to be attacked in a McDonald’s just because I have a cybernetic arm or leg.

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