Tech Toy Splurges for That Tax Return

But they still can't beat the best humans

(NEWSER) - Online poker’s not just for humans anymore: Robots have entered the game, and they’re winning tens of thousands, the New York Times reports. Such bots have existed for a while—but only recently have they gotten good at the game, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. Top game sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt are fighting back against the bots, cutting some accounts and in some cases returning vast quantities of money to real players. More»

US ignores race for clean energy at its own peril: Friedman

(NEWSER) - For those who think the past year will be defined by global recession, Tom Friedman says think again. Rather, for the New York Times columnist it is Red China's decision "to become Green China" that will spur a 21st-century technological race for clean energy—in the same way that Russia's launch of Sputnik belatedly prodded the US into the space race. More»

(NEWSER) - With Predator drones bombing villages and robots plugging themselves in, is Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey around the corner? Leading researchers met recently in Monterery Bay, Calif., to address such fears. Runaway superintelligence seems unlikely, they concluded, but speech synthesis technology could aid data-hunting crooks, and autonomous robotic killers are coming—if they're not here already. More»

(NEWSER) - It's a milestone for robots: One has learned to smile and make realistic facial expressions on its own for the first time, Wired reports. University of California researchers put their Einstein robot in front of a video camera attached to facial recognition software, which gave it feedback as it randomly contorted its 31 artificial facial muscles. The experiment could shed light on how babies learn to make expressions. More»

(NEWSER) - Wired has been keeping track of the most ridiculous acronyms the military-industrial complex comes up with. Here’s the latest list of the "Most Awesomely Bad Military Acronyms" (MAMAs, of course):

• Affordable Accurate Robot Guidance (AARG)
• Integrated Precision Ordnance Delivery System (IPODS)
• Multi-Sensor Aerospace-Ground Joint ISR Interoperability Coalition (MAJIIC)