Tech advancements

AMONG the big issues recently is the introduction of Amazon’s new convenience store Amazon Go. Try to Google the term, or search for it on YouTube, and you will see why it is getting so much excitement. Obviously, we go to the grocery or convenience stores on a regular basis. The one thing most of us hate the most is the checkout counter, where the clerk scans your order one by one and then you have to pay. This one is different – and it uses the Amazon Go app and your smartphone.

First, you download the app and then become a member. When you go to the store, you use the app to gain entrance. And then whatever you see on the shelves that you like you just put it inside your bag and walk out. The app will tally what you have bought and charge your account. How cool is that?

They promised to open one store in the first quarter of 2017, and if it is a success, many more are in the offing. Obviously, we will expect the competition to level up.

It’s great how technology is changing our lives. Now almost all car companies are scrambling for the technology of driverless cars. This is also the big change that you see after over a hundred years of having to drive. Computers have gained enough intelligence to do what many people do.

However, tech does not always get it right. A New Zealand man with Taiwanese descent recently posted a photo of himself. What was the beef? Apparently, this person has chinky eyes and he was applying for his passport on the country’s automated online application system (don’t we wish we have this?). He uploaded his photo, and the online computer rejected it, saying that it cannot accept a photo if the subject’s eyes are closed. He tried four other photos, and it was similarly rejected. So he had to call the passport office to inquire, and the person answering admitted that his eyes were open, but being too chinky, it had too much shadow in the eye area.

So artificial intelligence is still not as good in some areas as us – like in handwriting recognition or in language translation. But it is rapidly improving, and in most cases, it has been proven that a highway full of cars driven by computers will have fewer accidents, will be safer than one driven by actual drivers.