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Is intelligence related to an increased likelihood of recreational drug use? It's an interesting hypothesis, and one that's been gaining momentum in recent years. More »
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We here at io9 love technology, but we also love job security — which is why we're so torn over Narrative Science — a start up company that has developed computer software capable of generating articles that read as though they were written by a living, breathing person. More »
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Computers may be naturally fluent in binary, but how might they fare with learning human languages? Computers were tested by playing the game Civilization. Random chance let them win about half the time...but then they started reading the instruction manual. More »
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DNA isn't just the building block of all complex life...if you give it about eight hours, DNA can also calculate the square root of 15. It's all explained in this video, which awesomely mixes hardcore science with fairy tale storytelling. More »
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A thousand different ways have been proposed for how humans and computers will someday become one: chips installed in our heads, people's minds uploaded to the internet, you name it. But computers might be perfectly content with just our DNA. More »
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The internet preserves unimaginable amounts of data, including huge amounts of minutiae describing people's everyday lives. So here's the question: is this information worth saving for future generations to study, or is this the sort of data that's best forgotten? More »
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If Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace had managed to complete the Analytical Engine and usher in an age of Victorian computing, what would they do next? According to one comic, the obvious answer is: team up and fight crime. More »
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The robotic Replicants in Blade Runner were indistinguishable from humans except for their lack of empathy. Now researchers are creating virtual humans that can detect human emotions through non-verbal cues and develop appropriate responses. This could lead to artificial life forms who are not only intelligent, but empathic as well. More »
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A group of scientists is building the world's most evil computer program. This isn't a B-movie setup: A team at Rensselaer Institute's AI & Reasoning Lab is bringing personified evil to virtual life in the hope that they'll unlock the secrets of human morality. The researchers have given their creation a face and a name, and quiz it daily, using its answers to further blacken its hideous character. More »
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Nestled among the towers of midtown Manhattan is a new housing development made entirely of prefab houses (top) that look like rack-mounted computer servers (bottom). In fact, these houses are intended to be mounted and stacked in giant racks that can be built in days. Soon, all of New York City may look like a giant Google server farm. Check out the rack server house being built below. More »
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The London Science Museum finally completed work on the Victorian era's greatest supercomputer, the Difference Engine No. 2, 120 years after the death of inventor Charles Babbage. This five-ton machine is currently traveling across the pond to San Francisco, and will go on display in America for the first time starting May 10th at the Computer History Museum. Find out everything you wanted to know about Charles Babbage and his wonderful engines in today's triviagasm. More »
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Marvel Comics has made some high quality wallpapers from the upcoming Iron Man movie available on the web, and we won't argue that they are spiffy, shiny, and gorgeous. However, did they really need to brand the things four times? In the shot above (mega-version here) you've got an awkwardly placed Iron Man logo right under Tony's fist, along with the release date. Do you really want a release date on our computer's desktop? Check out what else is wrong with this picture inside. More »
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It's been 12 years since the Los Angeles Times speculated that we'd have robo-bailiffs, floating cameras, virtual reality goggles, computerized judges, and some kind of weird red vs. blue lightsaber battle in our courtrooms, but we're no closer to having this than we are the flying car. Hell, we'd commit a minor crime just to check all this stuff out if it existed. Robo-bailiff, FTW! Just wait until the Judge 044227 comes on Court TV, too. More »
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