News

The Troubling Calculus of Human Value

For most of us we use only the numerical literacy necessary to stay employed. And even fewer of us think about numbers in a way where we can see their intrinsic value. We think about a million dollars, in a very loose, abstract way.

We Still Don’t Understand Why Time Only Flows Forward

Every moment that passes finds us traveling from the past to the present and into the future, with time always flowing in the same direction. At no point does it ever appear to either stand still or reverse; the “arrow of time” always points forwards for us. But if we look at the laws of physics—from Newton to Einstein, from Maxwell to Bohr, from Dirac to Feynman—they appear to be time-symmetric.

Scaling Image Validation Across Multiple Platforms

To achieve this goal at scale, we validate the SDK across a wide range of devices with a heavy reliance on test automation. More specifically, we leverage automated image comparison techniques to verify rendering correctness. Rendering in this context refers to the state of the device frame buffer after widgets, images, and text have been drawn.

Depth-sensing imaging system can peer through fog

In a study that holds promise for self-driving cars, MIT researchers have developed a system that can image and gauge the distance of objects shrouded by fog so thick that human vision can’t penetrate it.

These early humans survived a supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago

Scientists suspect a link between the digestive system and problems with sleep

How a Virus Spreads Through an Airplane Cabin

Traveling by plane greatly increases our chances of getting sick, or so many of us are wont to believe. To be fair, it’s not uncommon to come down with a nasty illness after we return from a vacation or business trip. But is flying the culprit?

The next step in Facebook’s AI hardware infrastructure

Machine learning drives many aspects of people’s experience on Facebook. We use automatic language translation systems to remove communication barriers and enable people to interact with each other even if they speak different languages. Our image classification systems not only allow people to search for photos of their favorite moments, but also provide an immersive experience for the visually impaired with “talking images” that can be read with your fingertips.

Fabric Aggregator: A flexible solution to our traffic demand

All traffic that leaves or enters Facbook’s data centers is handled by the fabric aggregation layer. Traffic that flows between buildings in a region is referred to as east/west traffic, while traffic exiting and entering a regions is known as north/south traffic. As we scale our regions and introduce more immersive experiences, both types of traffic continue to grow, although at different rates.

The Play Store gets a “try now” button for games, no install required