Technology



Cat Carved in Jack-O'-Lantern

The CIA’s Most Highly-Trained Spies Weren’t Even Human

Source: Smithsonian Magazine

Pigeons that guide missiles to their targets? Cats that spy on secret meetings? Trained spiders? Read this article to learn why Bob Bailey, the first director of the Navy’s dolphin training program, says he’s never found an animal he couldn’t train—and find out what his animals have been trained to do.



Two teenage girls giving a bank card to a cashier in a store

How Retailers Are Using AI To Manipulate Consumer Shopping

Source: Forbes

Have you ever wondered why some products appear at the top or bottom of online shopping search pages? Or why some items appear twice? Or why you may see identical items with different prices? Artificial Intelligence is powering more and more online and it has a growing ability to influence consumer decisions—and to do so in ways the consumer is unaware of.




Grassy area with a castle perched on a large ceramic urn

The Visual Illusions that Reveal How Our Minds Work

Source: Psychology Today

Disney is known for creating magical effects on-screen, but did you know they also use tricks and deception in their theme parks, too? This article discusses a few of the ways Disney–and other theme parks and entertainment venues–use optical illusions to create magical effects in real life.


Robot reading book to senior woman sitting on sofa at home

AI ‘companions’ promise to combat loneliness, but history shows the dangers of one-way relationships

Source: The Conversation

At a time when health professionals are warning the public about the effects of loneliness and isolation, can Artificial Intelligence help? The author of this article sees limits to technology’s ability to promote human connection and fulfillment.



Seamstress with arm prosthesis working on sewing machine

A new device let a man sense temperature with his prosthetic hand

Source: ScienceNews

Researchers in Italy and Switzerland have developed a new device that makes it possible for a person with an amputation to sense temperature through their prosthetic hand. The technology is a major step toward prosthetic limbs that could restore a full range of senses, improving both the prosthesis’s usefulness and its acceptance by those who wear them.