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Monday 30 June 2014

Facebook tries to explain motives for secret user experiments





One of Facebook's team members that helped to run secret psychological experiments on some of its users has now written a note explaining the motivations behind their efforts, adding an apology for how its scientific paper on the research describe their efforts.


In a post on his own Facebook page, the paper's co-author Adam Kramer stated the company wanted to run these tests because they care about the emotional impact their network has on its users. The company decided to run the experiment in January 2012 on over 600,000 users without their knowledge. Facebook changed those users' news feeds to highlight either positive or negative posts from their friends.


The results of that experiment were published earlier in June in Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences but came to light this weekend. Some Facebook users have since expressed concerns about how the company conducted these efforts. In his post on Sunday, Kramer wrote:



We felt that it was important to investigate the common worry that seeing friends post positive content leads to people feeling negative or left out. At the same time, we were concerned that exposure to friends' negativity might lead people to avoid visiting Facebook. We didn't clearly state our motivations in the paper.



Ultimately, the goal of their efforts in 2012 was to make Facebook a better service for users, according to Kramer, and they created their experiment without any intention to upset anyone. He added:



I can understand why some people have concerns about it, and my coauthors and I are very sorry for the way the paper described the research and any anxiety it caused. In hindsight, the research benefits of the paper may not have justified all of this anxiety.



Kramer hinted that Facebook might change how it conducts this type of research in the future, stating they are "working on improving our internal review practices." If you feel you simply can't trust Facebook anymore, there is a way to delete your account from their network. How do you feel about Kramer's explanation on these secret experiments that were conducted without the awareness of some Facebook users?


Source: Adam D. I. Kramer on Facebook via Engadget
























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This Golf Ball-Sized Magnet Creates Three Metric Tons of Force

This Golf Ball-Sized Magnet Creates Three Metric Tons of Force


This little superconducting magnet may look serene, but it in fact it's a record breaker, capable of creating three metric tons of force.


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In Chrome, Google's Hangouts plugin goes extinct

Moving toward Web standards reduces the inconvenience and security problems of browser plugins. But the new Hangouts software still uses Google's own Native Client plugin.





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Apple's software ju-jitsu

Apple is reportedly ending Aperture, its high-end photo app, merging its functionality into a single new, free Photos app. This continues a longtime Apple strategy of cutting software prices to, in many cases, free. Why?



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Norway Internet voting experiment fails

The government has decided that it's not worth the risks, especially since test programs didn't improve turnout. Yet enthusiasm remains in other countries.



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realSociable personalizes sales prospecting

The service helps SMBs prioritize leads based on social signals and other industry developments.



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Economy Airplane Seats of the Future Will Be More Like First Class


BAE Systems has taken a break from submarines and warships to lavish attention on the humble cattle-class flyer. Its IntelliCabin, a system that integrates passenger controls into a touchscreen tablet interface for fliers and staff, should make standard class a bit more like first. A bit.


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The Beginner's Guide to Venmo



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La Agencia Espacial Europea escoge Athena como su próximo gran telescopio espacial

Impresión artística de Athena

Impresión artística de Athena - Javier Garcia http://ift.tt/1qJDDLX Springel(MPA)/IRAP


A finales de 2013 la ESA ya había anunciado que la misión L2 dentro de su programa de investigación Visión Cósmica sería una que estudiara el universo invisible, en concreto en el espectro de los rayos X.


El objetivo de esta misión es abordar dos cuestiones, cómo y por qué la materia ordinaria se agrupa para formar las galaxias y los cúmulos de galaxias que forman el universo que vemos hoy, y por otra parte cómo crecen, e influyen en su entorno, los agujeros negros.


Ahora acaba de anunciar que el proyecto en concreto escogido para implementar esta misión es Athena , de Advanced Telescope for High ENergyAstrophysics, Telescopio Avanzado para Astrofísica de Altas Energías, tal y como se puede leer en Athena to study the hot and energetic Universe.


Si todo va según lo previsto Athena será lanzado en 2028 rumbo al punto de Lagrange L2, desde el que sus dos instrumentos intentarán dar respuesta a las preguntas de los científicos.


Claro que antes de eso será necesario terminar de definir los sistemas de a bordo, los instrumentos de Athena, su sistema óptico, el sistema de refrigeración necesario para mantener Athena a temperaturas muy próximas al cero absoluto, ya que de otro modo no podría medir las débiles señales que necesitará captar, etc.


La ESA prevé una inversión total de 1.000 millones de euros en el telescopio, con otros 300 para la construcción de los instrumentos propiamente dichos; cabe también la posibilidad de que la NASA y la Agencia Japonesa de Exploración Aeroespacial entren en el proyecto.


Dentro de las misiones L de la Agencia Espacial Europea la que más avanzada va es, lógicamente, la L1, conocida como JUICE, de Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Exploradora de las Lunas Heladas de Júpiter, su lanzamiento está previsto para 2022, con la llegada a Júpiter en 2030 y la entrada en órbita alrededor de Ganímedes en 2033.


L3, por su parte, con fecha prevista de lanzamiento en 2034, tendrá como objetivo estudiar la gravedad, pero aún falta tiempo para que, tan siquiera, se escoja al proyecto en concreto que la llevará a cabo.


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Man escapes death by rock by mere inches during building implosion

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The fact we all carry camera-equipped smartphones in our pockets means it’s much easier to record anything even remotely interesting. And sometimes those recordings reveal how lucky people can be, such as this […]



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Record-breaking magnet crams three tons of force into the size of a golf ball



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Why iOS 8 is the next step in Apple's master plan

iOS 8 appears to show Apple taking a more relaxed, open approach, but in fact the new software paves the way for even more control. CNET's Adventures in Tech explains how.

















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How Air Force One's communications are 'hardened'

The Air Force's 346th Test Squadron ensures the service's aircraft, including Air Force One, don't unintentionally leak important data. CNET Road Trip 2014 was all ears.

















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