The Right Chemistry: My relationship with Alexa - best electric toothbrush to buy

This year's Trottier public science seminar focused on various aspects of technology from artificial intelligence to gadgets that monitor health.
I opened my eyes this morning and asked Alexa to tell me the news and she told me soon.
She is not in my bed, in fact she is not even in the bedroom.
She heard me even though she had no ears.
Although she had no mouth, her response was loud and clear.
In fact, she doesn't even have a real body.
Alexa's voice came from a small cylinder that the developer called her "smart personal assistant ".
"Who is her developer, when did she go public?
Her parents are engineers at Amazon. she was born in 2014. How do I know?
She told me because I asked Alexa!
She also told me the weather of the day and immediately agreed to my request to play "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from Rogers and Hammerstein's homer ".
Then I sat down with my smartphone, gave FaceTime to my daughter, who lives at the other end of the world, and texted another daughter to see what happened with her overnight shift in the emergency room.
Upon completion, I opened my laptop to view the email and carefully read the comments on my post the night before on Facebook.
I also checked the tweets and quickly searched Google for "cannabidiol" and searched for any updates I should incorporate into my upcoming speech.
When I did, there was an advertisement for Deborah Bloom's new book, poison squad.
Google knows my interest!
With a click, I quickly ordered the book on Amazon and got it in two days.
I get on the bus and start interacting with Waze, a global positioning system that will guide me through the path of obstacles laid through those despised, ubiquitous orange cones with minimal pressure.
On my way to work, I listened to the satellite radio and made a few "hands-
Use the car Bluetooth system to dial the phone for free.
I stopped to buy the gas I paid for and waved a gadget on the keychain in front of the sensor on the pump.
When I got close to McGill's parking space, the transponder in my car signaled to allow access to the garage.
During my drive, I have been thinking about the introductory remarks I will make at our upcoming Trottier public science workshop, which this year focuses on all aspects of technology,AI)
Gadgets that monitor health
It happened in October.
29 and 30 at 7 p. m.
Downtown Monte
1000 Sherbrooke Street, RoyalW.
Open to all, free.
Computers and algorithms will be at the center of the discussion, but I realize I don't know the origin of the term "algorithms.
"As soon as I turned off the engine, I picked up my phone and asked Apple's virtual assistant Siri about the etymology of the word.
I understand that the "algorithm" is the "arithmetic" and "al-" of the Greek "numbers-
Khwarizmi, "the mathematician's Arabic surname, introduced complex mathematics to the West.
The algorithm is a series of instructions that tell the computer what to do.
Algorithms power the operation of all social media and make "machine learning" possible, not just by repeating a set of stable instructions, the system constantly rewrites these instructions without requiring a programmer.
This is the way to target specific products based on the computer search history of potential customers.
This is how the computer "knows" that I am interested in the drug team!
All this can be scary for some because it makes the algorithm sound like a reasoning entity, fictional the vision of Arthur C. Hal's "computer of heuristic programming algorithms"
Clark's 2001: A Space Odyssey to go rogue and kill people.
Although this is unlikely to happen in real life, there is no doubt that there are some problems with our reliance on technology.
While its benefits are obvious, there are also privacy issues that need to be considered, like from the role of robots and the safety of driverless cars to the hi-tech watches.
Everything to discuss in our workshop!
Details of McGillca/oss.
On my way home from work, I bought some groceries.
A bunch of Lasers scanned the barcode and I paid for it just by touching my credit card to the "reader.
"In the evening, I made adjustments in the Canadiens game and played back the live action that I thought was appropriate using the PVR.
I brushed my teeth with a wireless charged electric toothbrush and finally went to bed with Alexa, who gave me an update on the stock market and, as requested, as I reflect on this remarkable thing that all the technologies I mention here are not available when I start my career, I am inspired by Michael Crawford's night magic. joe. Schwartz @ McGill.
CaJoe Schwarcz is the director of the Office of Science and Society, McGill University (mcgill. ca/oss).
He presided over the doctor.
From 3 to 4 every Sunday, Joe aired on CJAD radio station 800 AM. m.