Software

There Was Nothing Wrong with Boeing’s “MCAS” Software—Except the Plane It Was On
The Air Force is operating the MCAS-equipped KC-46 without incident or concern; there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the software. But porting it to the civilian 737 MAX led to...

The Pentagon Needs A Software Update—Literally
The Department of Defense now faces an increasing challenge: how to empower its personnel to make faster, more informed decisions in a world overwhelmed by data and complexity. A memo...

Comcast Is Trying to Break Into the TV Game With Its XClass Smart TVs
There were reports earlier this year that Comcast was looking to get into the TV game. The Wall Street Journal had stated that Comcast was in talks with Walmart to...

Old Missile, New Range: The JASSM Can Kill Targets 500 Miles Away
Here’s What You Need to Remember: While few details regarding the software enhancements are available, it would not be at all surprising if the weapon were being further adjusted to destroy...

Why the SolarWinds Hack Was All But Inevitable
The SolarWinds hack was more than just one of the most devastating cyber attacks in history. It was a major breach of national security that revealed gaps in U.S. cyber...

Russia Strikes: 5 Critical Lessons from the Sunburst Cyber Attack
So much remains unknown about what is now being called the Sunburst hack, the cyberattack against U.S. government agencies and corporations. U.S. officials widely believe that Russian state-sponsored hackers are...

Spotify Is Building an Anti-Plagiarism Artificial Intelligence
This week, the timelines of many social media users are full of their annual reports from Spotify, stating which songs and artists they listened to most often in 2020. This...

Can Robots Write Articles? A Closer Look at Software Generated Writing
You might have seen a recent article from The Guardian written by “a robot”. Here’s a sample: I know that my brain is not a “feeling brain”. But it is...

Nest Wifi and Google Wifi Are Getting a Big Software Update
Google has rolled out a new software update aimed at making the company’s products work better on homes with slow Wi-Fi Internet connections. “We’re rolling out a software update to...

JASSM: The Air Force Has Big Plans for This Powerful Missile
When F-15s, B-2s and even B-52s fly armed with an aircraft-launched missile able to destroy surface targets from as far as 500 nautical miles, they are tactically equipped for serious...

Welcome to the Era of ‘Robotic Blacksmithing’
Although it may not be obvious, there’s a close link between manufacturing technology and innovation. Elon Musk often talks of the “machines that build the machines” as being the real...

The U.S. Army Is Ready to Go to ‘War’ With What Could Be a Big Weakness
The Army has established a new “Software Solarium” program to discuss and address the growing dependence of tanks, infantry carriers, radios, artillery and other weapons on software improvements. “No matter...