Botting on the Future
By Dave Maass, Dragonfire
The Chatterbox Challenge hosts more than 100 software bots ('online artificial intelligence programs') this month in its sixth annual event. The competing cyberspace entities, with names like 'Jabberwacky' and 'Freakycowbot,' simulate real-life conversations via online chats with judges, for recognition in categories such as 'Best Personality,' 'Most Knowledgeable,' and most capable of convincing a person that it, too, is human (the 'Loebner Award'). Implications of the growing technological trend span beyond simply obtaining medals. From hijacking the jobs of customer service reps, teachers, and TV hosts, to becoming an alternative entertainment source, bots are challenging our interactions with computer identities and testing the limits of human design. -- Kristen Mueller
http://www.dfire.org/x2344.xml

The Bias Finders
By Bruce Bower, Science News
The Implicit Association Test is designed to probe a person's unconscious to uncover deep-seated biases. The test asks subjects to associate words and pictures with positive and negative labels. Judging by the subject's reaction times, some say the test is able to uncover preferences toward race, sexuality, age, and even political affiliation. Critics say the results aren't clear and are too easily faked, but the ease and accessibility of the test have won over many psychologists. Follow the links and test the test yourself. -- Bennett Gordon
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060422/bob9.asp
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

New American City: Sycamore Farms
By Ami Kealoha, Cool Hunting
Artist and farmer Mathew Moore is sowing seeds of rebellion against sprawl with his innovative work-in-progress, 'Rotations: Moore Estates.' Using a 42-acre field, different types of wheat, and the blueprint for a housing development that will soon be erected on his family's former land in Arizona, Moore is creating a full-scale model of what urban sprawl looks like. The beauty and size of the piece poignantly depict the artist's loss. -- Bennett Gordon
http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2006/04/_new_american_c.php