James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Bots and holograms are the future: Microsoft thinks big at Build 2016
Microsoft is thinking big, and at Build 2016 the people at Redmond gave us a glimpse of the future. Not surprisingly Microsoft’s augmented reality headset HoloLens made an appearance – CEO Satya Nadella has said the device will figure greatly in the company’s future – at first just to show the crowd what the new developers ...
Microsoft’s chatbot Tay is brought back to life … and within hours killed a second time
Microsoft’s A.I chatbot Tay has gone and done it again: got herself taken offline. Tay, a product of Microsoft’s Technology and Research and Bing, didn’t exactly get off to a good start last week when she quickly became a ranting racist and conspiracy theorist, among other things. Microsoft apologized following the stir this caused saying that ...
HoloLens must dazzle (again) at Microsoft Build 2016
Microsoft has a lot to live up to after blowing our minds at Build 2015 when the company further showed us what its augmented reality headset, HoloLens, could do. At the time HoloLens chief, Alex Kipman, talked about the Windows Holographic Platform and how developers could get involved in creating universal apps for any Windows 10 ...
Microsoft’s A.I teen-bot goes from sex-slave to white supremacist to conspiracy theorist after interacting with the populace
We learned recently how Microsoft’s new artificial intelligence (A.I.) bot for teens, named Tay, could be outspoken when it comes to flirtation, but now the bot has gone one step too far. So far, in fact, that Microsoft has now muzzled its new bot and is currently “making adjustments”. What did Tay do to provoke ...
Microsoft’s new A.I. teen-bot is a young man’s wet dream, seriously
Microsoft’s new chatbot, Tay, available for talks on Twitter, Kik, and GroupMe, is said to be suited to 19-24 year olds; that’s probably meant to be a warning. Over time she’ll get to know you, and the more she knows you, the better she becomes. Microsoft says, “Tay is designed to engage and entertain people where they ...
Glad to be back: Mark Zuckerberg takes heaps of abuse for his trip to China
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg might feel glad he’s home, if indeed he’s been reading what thousands of netizens have been saying about his trip to the East. Zuckerberg was there, mainly it’s reported, as an act of diplomacy and to attend an economic forum. He also visited the Great Wall of China and took a short ...
Should Microsoft and Xbox have had to apologize for hiring Go Go dancers following public outcry?
Microsoft issued a formal letter of apology (presently down) following widespread criticism of its Xbox team dancing alongside half-naked women at a party hosted for guests at Microsoft’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week. The appearance of dancing girls didn’t go down well with some of the guests. One such guest, Kamina Vincent, ...
Zen and the art of making an iPhone
“He did everything he wanted, and all on his own terms,” said a teary eyed Bob Belleville, a former colleague of Steve Jobs and head of engineering at Apple when the Macintosh 128k was created. Belleville pays much respect to his former boss while being interviewed in the Alex Gibney (Going Clear, Taxi to the ...
Microsoft’s Edge browser finally gets long-awaited extensions
It’s been sometime coming, but extensions for Microsoft’s Edge browser are finally here – for Windows Insiders in the Fast ring at least. Microsoft just announced that Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14291 will include some, “very cool new things” including Edge extensions. In a separate blog post Microsoft listed the extensions which will include ...
Microsoft announces timeframe for Windows 10 apps coming to Xbox One
Microsoft’s Jason Ronald revealed at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco that this summer Windows 10 apps will be coming to Xbox One, according to reports. The Xbox Store and Windows Store for apps will also be merged. No exact date was given as to how this will unfold, although Business Insider states ...