Artificial intelligence keeps IBM atop 2016 patent list

IBM's efforts to match and surpass the human brain with computing technology helped push the company to the top of the 2016 list of patent awards.

The US Patent and Trademark Office granted IBM 8,088 patents for the year, more than 2,700 of them stemming from artificial intelligence and cognitive computing work, IBM and IFI Claims said Monday.

 

Takeaways from CES on the iPhone's 10th anniversary (The 3:59, Ep. 159)

We're back from CES!

With the biggest show in tech wrapped up, we review our takeaways from the Las Vegas showcase. Razer's concept tri-screen laptop, titled Project Valerie, certainly left an impression on our team, as did Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa, being available on ... well, everything.

 

This weird, sponge-like stuff is 10 times stronger than steel

When you think of strength, you probably think of something dense and heavy, like steel. Well, MIT engineers have created one of the strongest materials ever, but it's more reminiscent of a foam Nerf toy than a metal beam.

The researchers used flakes of graphene, which is already recognized as the world's strongest two-dimensional material, to create a sponge-like shape that resembles a coral. Structural engineers and materials scientists will recognize it as something else: a holy grail.

 

Uber to let loose loads of ride data

Uber is known as a secretive company that isn't keen on divulging its data. It's had public spats with lawmakers in New York and Seattle to ensure data on its rides isn't released to the public.

But now the ride-hailing company appears to be changing course.

Uber announced Sunday that it's planning to share the ride and traffic data it's collected from billions of rides. The company is releasing the data to "help urban planners make informed decisions about our cities," it wrote in a blog post.

 

Alexa everywhere, LG's crazy-thin TV and Intel's barf bags at CES 2017 (The 3:59, Ep. 156)

To kick off the new year, we took The 3:59 on the road for the first time to the CES tech show in Las Vegas.

Regular podcast guest Iyaz Akhtar became our generous host for the festivities, where we super-sized our four-minute podcast to hit on all the happenings at CES 2017.