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Columbus, OH We all share a lot of information when we use the internet.

Our devices communicate with us and with each other for ease of shopping, banking, travel arrangements, and keeping in touch with friends. When online, its important to safeguard your data to help avoid scams, fraud, and identity theft.

For National Clean Out Your Computer Day (February 10) and National Safer Internet Day (February 11), Better Business Bureau and the National Cyber Security Alliance offer the following tips to help secure the privacy of your critical information:

.Share with care. What you post can last a lifetime, so think about who will see your posts and photos, how they will be perceived, and what information they reveal about you.

.Own your online presence. Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing. Its OK to limit how and with whom you share information.

.Value your personal information. Think of your personal information like money: value and protect it. Be careful what sites you visit and be sure you are on a legitimate site before entering personal information. Be especially wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true, or ask for personal information.

.Make your passwords long and strong. Use long passwords with a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols eight characters for most accounts, twelve characters for email and financial accounts. Dont use the same password for multiple accounts, especially email and financial. Keep a paper list of your passwords in a safe place, not on or near your computer. Consider using a password vault application.

.Lock down your login. For your online accounts, use the strongest authentication tools available. Your usernames and passwords are not enough; consider two-factor authentication for key accounts like email, banking, and social media, especially for access on mobile devices.

.Dont click on unfamiliar links. Whether at home or at work, dont click on links from unfamiliar sources or unexpected correspondence. One false click can infect a whole computer or a whole business.

.Pay attention to your Internet-connected devices. Smart thermostats, voice control systems, cars, even refrigerators are just the beginning of the growing list of devices that watch our homes and track our location. Read the privacy policy and understand what data is being collected and how it will be used.

.If You Dont Like Personalized Advertising, You Can Opt Out. Weve all encountered those ads that follow us around the web as we shop and explore. These ads are known as interest-based advertising. While some consumers like interest-based advertising for the personalization it provides, if its not your cup of tea, you can opt out by visiting http://www.aboutads.info/choices.

.Look for the S. When youre browsing the web or shopping online, check to see if the site youre looking at is legitimate with these tips. Then, look in the upper left-hand corner of your web browser for https://. This indicates a website is protected by an extra layer of encryption known as Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secured.If you are entering personal or financial information into a website, make sure https is present. And if you want to learn more about this type of technology, visit https://www.bbb.org/bbbsecure.

.Delete Old Apps. Is there a dating app you downloaded last year that you dont use anymore, or an app that provided you with some new recipes that you stopped using? Even though you dont use them anymore, these apps might be collecting data about how you use your device in the background. Declutter your life and delete old apps to help maintain your privacy.

.Update Your Software. Software updates are important because as technology advances, cyber criminals and attackers get better at cracking encryption and stealing your data. So when your phone or your desktop computers operating system prompts you to update your software, dont sleep on it. Update your software to make sure your digital experience is safe and secure.

Charitable organizations also need to be aware of data privacy. Donors and others communicate online with charities via their websites, emails and other online means and need to be informed about what policies are in place to address privacy concerns. BBB Wise Giving Alliance published a blog article containing advice for charities and donors regarding data privacy concerns.

To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker.

Check bbb.org for more information on how to avoid scams.

The rest is here:
BBB Offers the Following Tips for National Clean Out Your Computer and Safer Internet Day WKTN- A division of Home Town Media - WKTN Radio

AAA offers advice to keep motorists safe on winter roads

COLUMBUS, Ohio (February, 6 2020) Winter is the deadliest season on U.S. and local roads, according to a new analysis from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. AAA recommends all drivers take extra caution and avoid all distractions when driving in winter conditions.

Rain, snow and sleet can reduce your visibility, making it difficult to safely maneuver or even bring the car to a stop if necessary, said Kellie ORiordan, traffic safety program manager for AAA Ohio Auto Club. Everyone needs to be diligent when driving in these conditions, especially if the road is wet or covered in ice or snow.

Winter Crash Data:

The AAA Foundation analyzed 2017 national and regional data for crashes occurring in adverse weather and road conditions. Researchers found:

.Nationally, nearly half a million (456,000) crashes and more than 2,000 deaths occurred during adverse weather and/or road conditions during the winter months (December, January, February). Thats 29% of all winter crashes and 25% of all winter crash deaths.

.In the Midwest, 146,000 crashes and more than 500 deaths occurred during adverse weather and/or road conditions during the winter months. Thats nearly 42% of all winter Midwest crashes and 33% of all winter Midwest crash deaths.

.Of all seasons, winter had the highest number of crashes and deaths during adverse weather and/or road conditions, both nationally and regionally.

Winter Breakdowns:

Roadside assistance calls often double, or triple, during winter weather, due to motorists spinning out on slick roads, flat tires, dead batteries and other breakdowns.Last winter AAA responded to more than 312,000 roadside assistance calls. The most common calls were for tows, batteries and tires.

Motorists can help prevent winter breakdowns with preventative vehicle maintenance, including:

.Tires: Adequate pressure and tread depth are essential for stopping and going on ice and snow, but tire pressure can drop during cold weather. Make sure tire pressure matches the sticker on the drivers side doorjamb and the tread depth is above the wear bar indicators marked on the tires.

.Battery: The average life of a battery is 3-5 years. Cold weather can drain batteries quickly, and leave drivers stranded. Have a technician inspect the battery at least twice a year.

.Replace old windshield wipers and solvent: Precipitation and salty spray from the roads often make it hard to see when driving during the winter. Solvent and good windshield wipers can greatly improve visibility.

If you break down or spin out during a winter storm, it may take longer for help to arrive. Thats why its important to be patient and pack an emergency roadside kit that includes blankets and extra clothes to stay warm, flashlights and extra batteries, an ice scraper, safety reflectors, a shovel, a first aid kit, a simple tool kit, water and non-perishable food, jumper cables and a mobile phone and charger to call for help.

Safe Winter Driving:

Motorists can also avoid spinning out on slick roads by remaining alert and driving for conditions. To stay safe on winter roads, AAA recommends motorists:

.Slow down: Always adjust your speed to account for less traction when driving on snow or ice. This often means driving below the posted speed limit.

.Accelerate and decelerate slowly: Apply the gas slowly to retain traction and avoid skids. Also remember, it takes longer to slow down on slick roads.

.Increase following distance: Allow five to six seconds of following distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you. The extra space will allow you time to stop safely.

.Never use cruise control: Using cruise control on any slippery (wet, ice, snow, sand) surface can cause your vehicle to lose control more easily.

.Dont panic: If you start to slide, hitting the brake is the worst thing to do. Instead, take your feet off the pedals and keep your eyes focused on where you want to go.

.Leave early: Expect trips to take longer in bad weather.

Read the rest here:
Roadway Fatalities Spike During Winter Weather WKTN- A division of Home Town Media - WKTN Radio

Radiology is one of the most essential fields in clinical medicine. Experts in this field are specialists in deciphering and diagnosing disease based on various imaging modalities, ranging from ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT), and x-rays. Studies have shown that the use of radiology in clinical practice has exponentially grown over the years: at the Mayo Clinic, between the years 1999 to 2010, use of CT scans increased by 68%, MRI use increased by 85%, and overall use of imaging modalities for diagnostic purposes increased by 75%, all numbers that have likely continued to rise, and indicate the sheer demand and growth of this robust field.

A unique proposal that has become prominent over the last few years to help alleviate this increased demand is the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) technology into this field. Simply put, the premise of AI as an addition to the practice of radiology is straightforward, and has been envisioned in two main ways: 1) a system that can be programmed with pre-defined criteria and algorithms by expert radiologists, which can then be applied to new, straightforward clinical situations, or 2) deep learning methods, where the AI system relies on complex machine learning and uses neural-type networks to learn patterns via large volumes of data and previous encounters; this can then be used to interpret even the most complicated and abstract images.

Variety of body scans.

However, while much of the theoretical basis for AI in the practice of radiology is extremely exciting, the reality is that the field has not yet fully embraced it. The most significant issue is that the technology simply isnt ready, as many of the existing systems have not yet been matured to compute and manage larger data sets or work in more general practice and patient settings, and thus, are not able to perform as promised.Other issues exist on the ethical aspects of AI. Given the sheer volume of data required to both train and perfect these systems, as well as the immense data collection that these systems will engage in once fully mainstream, key stakeholders are raising fair concerns and the call for strict ethical standards to be put into place, simultaneous to the technological development of these systems.

Furthermore, the legal and regulatory implications of AI in radiology are numerous and complex. There are significant concerns in the data privacy space, as the hosting of large volumes of patient data for deep learning networks will require increased standards for data protection, cybersecurity, and privacy infrastructure. Additionally, given that AI systems will act as an additional diagnostic tool that must be accounted for in the patient encounter, legal frameworks will be required to fully flush out and navigate where liability falls in the case of misdiagnosis or medical negligence. Will this become an issue for the product manufacturer, or will there be a dynamic sharing of the responsibility by multiple parties? This will depend significantly on the amount of autonomy afforded to these systems.

However, radiologists must remain central to the diagnostic process. While AI systems may be able to detect routine medical problems based on pre-defined criteria, there is significant value provided by a trained radiologist that software simply cannot replace. This includes the clinical correlation of images with the physical state of the patient, qualitative assessments of past images with current images to determine progression of disease, and ultimately the most human aspect of medicine, working with other healthcare teams to make collaborative care decisions.

Using a human brain model to interpret MRI scans.

Indeed, there are significant potential benefits to the mass integration of certain AI systems into the practice of radiology, mainly as a means to augment a physicians workflow, especially given increasing radiology demands in clinical medicine. With some reports citing an expected rise in the use of AI in radiology by nearly 16.5% within the next decade, significant complexities remain unaddressed. However, these issues will ultimately need to be resolved in order to achieve a comprehensively capable and ethically mindful AI infrastructure that can become an integral part of clinical radiology.

Read the original:
Artificial Intelligence Is Not Ready For The Intricacies Of Radiology - Forbes

The role AI plays in your life is a matter of choice (but only to a certain extent).

It doesnt seem too long ago that artificial intelligence (AI) was mostly the stuff of science fiction. Today it seems to be everywhere: in our home appliances, in our cars, in the workplace, even on our wrists.

To some extent, our use of AI is still a matter of personal choice. But because AI is becoming increasing ubiquitous, we need to make a lot of conscious decisions.

Regardless of the choices we make, we need to stay educated on the evolution of this science. A thoughtful primer on this is Rhonda Scharfs bookAlexa Is Stealing Your Job: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Your Future.

My conversation with Rhonda provides some good tips what we should know and what we can do.

Rodger Dean Duncan:AI today is similar to the introduction of the desktop computer three decades ago. Many people resisted computers and got left behind. Whats the best argument for AI today?

Rhonda Scharf

Rhonda Scharf:Artificial Intelligence is not going away. When the desktop computer was introduced in the 1980s, many people felt it was a fad, and it would disappear over time.

Hazel, a woman I worked with, was willing to bet her career on it.When the company I worked at insisted we transition to desktops or leave the company, she rolled the dice and called their bluff. She lost. She believed there was no way a company could exist without tried-and-true manual systems and that computers were a big waste of time and money.

We are in precisely that situation again.

If you can write instructions for a task so that someone can follow them, then AI can replicate those actions.

Duncan:So whats the implication?

Scharf:Not only can your company exist without you performing these tasks, it will also (eventually) be more profitable (with fewer errors) because of it.

By refusing to learn about AIand by refusing to adapt and be flexibleyoure rolling the dice that AI will not take over the tasks you currently do. Call yourself Hazel, and youll soon be out of a job.

AI is alive and well in the workplace, only many people dont realize it. Being nave and refusing to acknowledge what is right under your nose is a recipe for disaster. Take a look around at how much AI we already have in our lives. Artificial Intelligence is not going away. Adapt or become unemployed.

Duncan:Most people have grown comfortable with the idea of letting machines replace humans to do monotonous, heavy, repetitive, and dangerous tasks. But the notion of having AI make decisions and predictions about the future often evokes skepticism or even fear. What do you say to people who have such concerns?

Scharf:Movies like2001: A Space Odyessyand its AI character, HAL 9000, have planted the seeds of fear and mass destruction in our minds. We are afraid of what computers can do on their own. AI learns from its experiences and will make decisions on its owncalculated, logical, and statistically accurate decisions.

What AI doesnt do is make emotional decisions. Take AI stock trading as an example. Without any emotions involved, the robo-advisers can determine the optimal price to buy and sell specific stocks. They dont get emotionally tied into one more day and potentially lose profits. AI can evaluate millions of data points and make conclusions instantly that neither humans nor computers can do. As quickly as the market changes, AI changes its course of action based on the data.

Im not about to have AI make life-or-death decisions for me. The same way we now trust machines to handle monotonous, heavy, repetitive, and dangerous tasks, I will rely on AI to do some heavy thinking and bring me logical conclusions, quickly and efficiently.

If you don't want to be left behind, you'd better get educated on AI.

Duncan:What do you tell people who have privacy concerns about AI applications?

Scharf:The privacy concerns are real, but you gave up your privacy when you got your first mobile phone (for some this was as early as 1996). It could track you. Technically, that impacted your privacy 20-plus years ago.

Once the Blackberry was introduced in 1999, followed by the iPhone eight years later, your privacy became severely compromised. Your phone knows where you are, and it knows what youre doing. Even if you keep your Bluetooth off, your device and its apps know a lot about you.

If you wear any technology whatsoever, you are giving up your privacy. According to a 2014 study by GlobalWebIndex, 71% of people ages 16 to 24 want wearable tech. That was over five years ago before we had much wearable technology.

In the same study, 64% of internet users aged 16 to 64 said theyve either already used a piece of wearable tech or were keen to do so in the future.

Fast forward five years, and half of Americans use fitness trackers daily. More than 96% of Americans have a cell phone of some kind.

People may say they have privacy concerns, but when it comes to using technology that improves our lives, we forgo privacy for convenience.

Next: Artificial Intelligence, Privacy, And The Choices You Must Make

Original post:
What Role Will (Or Does) Artificial Intelligence Play In Your Life? - Forbes

Artificial intelligence is all the rage, and theres good money to be made in an industry thats still largely emerging from its infancy. But, the problems that AI solves are not easy, and to work in the AI industry you will need a strong and focused set of skills.

Heres the good news: We live in a society where a shocking number of people would rather have a robot boss than a human one. We would rather be led by machines.

This means that most of us are accepting of the idea of artificial intelligence, or AI.

In many sectors, machines have already taken over monotonous jobs. Manufacturing is a prime example. Auto and aerospace manufacturers use machines heavily in their assembly lines. In fact, machines completely transformed the way that our cars are built.

Artificial intelligence isnt just a fad. Its here to stay.

And, that means the industry will need a skilled workforce to build, test and deploy more and more artificial brains around the world. Get in early and youll stand to make a lot of money.

Not to mention help change the world.

If you are interested in a career in artificial intelligence, then youre in the right place.

Artificial intelligence attempts to mimic (and surpass) the power of the human brain using nothing but machines. Machine learning is another common term in AI.

The primary goals of artificial intelligence are:

Artificial intelligence attempts to build machines that think and reason rather than operate in a relatively confined space with pre-built routines, procedures and outcomes. Smart AI systems recognize patterns and remember past events and learn from them, making each subsequent decision smarter, logical and more organic.

AI is a giant paradigm shift in modern computing and requires a deeply scientific and logical approach to design computer systems that think and learn. In other words, build robots that arent just robots.

And believe it or not, AI capabilities are all over the place.

A few examples of artificial intelligence systems include speech recognition (available on many cell phones and smart home devices), email spam blockers, plagiarism checkers, language translation services (like Google Translate) and the auto-pilot system on airplanes.

Companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Accenture, Boeing and so many others are hiring for artificial intelligence roles. AI salaries are typically higher than average because good AI talent can be hard to find.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in society, and the industry is growing rapidly in 2020. Here is exactly what you need to know to pursue a career in AI.

Artificial intelligence is highly scientific. After all, mimicking the human brain using machines is a very tough problem to solve, much less master. The skills that you will need to pursue AI as a career are varied, but all of them require a great deal of education, training and focus.

That said, there is a wide variety of career types available in AI and machine learning, and they range from higher-level research to low-level programming and implementation.

For example, researchers use their breadth of knowledge in theory and study to reveal new types of systems and capabilities. Researchers hypothesize new or different ways for machines to think and test their research for real-world feasibility.

Algorithm developers take AI research and transform that research into repeatable processes through mathematical formulas that can be implemented using hardware and software.

Software developers and computer scientists use those algorithms to write sophisticated pieces of software that analyze, interpret and make decisions.

Hardware technicians build pieces of equipment (like robots) to interact with the world. Robots use its internal software to move and operate.

Most careers in artificial intelligence require coursework and experience in a variety of math and science-related topics like:

Want a career in AI? Then read. A lot.

Read papers and case studies. Experiment with technologies like Map-Reduce, PHP, MySQL, Postgres and Big Data, especially if you are targeting a computer science-related career in AI. Expose yourself to as many technologies as you can.

Pro tip: Browse through AI job opportunities. Read the job descriptions and especially the requirements to get a feel for specific qualifications that you need for that job.

For example, some might need experience in low-level programming languages like Python or MatLab. Others, especially in the healthcare industry, need expertise in data services like Spark and Blockchain.

Regardless of the type of job that youre after in artificial intelligence, there is no better way to figure out the exact skills you need than to read job requisitions and stay as up-to-date in the industry as possible.

Use the Job Search tool here on The Ladders to find AI and machine learning jobs.

Though the types of careers in the AI industry are varied, most professionals in AI possess five key skills and capabilities, regardless of their individual roles.

Most AI professionals:

Are highly critical thinkers. They take nothing at face value and are naturally curious. They believe in trial and error and must test and experiment before making a concrete decision.

Like to push the envelope. AI is all about pushing the boundaries. Pegging the capabilities of hardware and software to their max, always looking for more. More ways to improve existing systems. More ideas for inventing new ways to live.

Live naturally-curious lives. Always wanting to know more, artificial intelligence pros want to know how things work. They dont just look. They observe. They dont hear. They listen.

Dont get easily overwhelmed. They understand that artificial intelligence is highly technical, but also realize that venturing into uncharted waters is difficult and mysterious. They enjoy the process rather than getting frustrated by it.

Love math and science. AI is highly technical and its a natural good fit for those who are gifted and interested in hard sciences and mathematics.

Artificial intelligence is not just about replacing the human component of the industry. Its also about making it easier to make decisions based on observable patterns, use logic and reasoning to form conclusions and build pathways to boost efficiency and production.

It is not an easy discipline, but thats also why salaries in the AI industry are much higher than average. It takes the right type of person with the right skill set to excel.

Are you the type of person whos right for a career in AI? If you have many of these skill sets, then you just might be.

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These are the exact skills you need to get a job in artificial intelligence - Ladders