TechBytes Weekly

Or are they? Robots, especially robots with artificial intelligence (AI) have been a staple of science fiction for years. They are often portrayed as scary, menacing  creations, often intent on wiping the human race off the face of the Earth. In real life however, most robots haven't gotten to that level of evil. In fact, more often than not, today's robots are designed to be cute and helpful, while being friendly and polite. Andrew Gebhart of CNET reviews the various robots on display at last month's CES event in Las Vegas. Ranging from the incredibly cute puppy robot, Aibo, to the amazingly lifelike Sophia, the current crop of robots are designed to reassure you of their usefulness. Whether they are providing home security, performing household chores, or simply entertaining the kids, these robots don't want you to believe they are related to the Terminator. Supporting Web Links The best robots of CES 2018: from cyber cleaners to robo pals A hospital in Jap

Artists, the computers are coming for you! Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a concern for a lot of people over the years. Will the day come when computers are so smart that the average worker will no longer be required? It's a legitimate concern in some industries, but few people in the art world ever imagined AI would be a threat to their line of work. A recent announcement from Microsoft indicates that this may no longer be the case. Sarah Dawood of Design Week writes about Microsoft's new Drawing Bot and its ability to create images based on the directions it is given. Not only can the Drawing Bot create an image, it can also fill in missing details using its own "imagination." While the bot's output is still rudimentary, its ability to learn and improve may give some artists reason to worry. Supporting Web Links Microsoft researchers build a bot that draws what you tell it to Microsoft’s new drawing bot is an AI artist Google has taught an A

And it's not Twitter! Although Twitter is well known for its 140 character limit, it's not the only site that has these restrictions. The Internet has recently discovered the joy of Dwitter , a site that allows contributors to create visually interesting designs using JavaScript code. Each post, known as a dweet, may be no more than 140 characters. If you're not familiar with JavaScript, you're in luck! Redditor Xen_The has created a Basic Dwitter Guide to help you get started creating your own dweets! Give it a try and see what happens. Supporting Web Links You still need to learn JavaScript in 2018 (I’m not kidding) What is JavaScript and why should I learn it? State of JavaScript: The programming language is anything but boring Top JavaScript Libraries & Tech to Learn in 2018 5 essential JavaScript tools for 2018 The JavaScript Source Dwitter - A Social Network for Short JavaScript Demos Dwitterish Discussion Questions/Activities The Dwitt

What's in store for 2018? As with any industry, the beginning of a new year is traditionally a time for the experts to look at where we've been and provide their best forecasts for where we are headed next. In this SD Times article , Christina Cardoza reports on where software development is going in 2018. The answers are as varied as the individuals that were interviewed. Not surprisingly, these answers also depended on the type of business each thought leader was involved in. Security experts believe that developers will need to focus on developing even more secure code, while those in the data fields expect real-time data processing and cloud services will be a priority. Supporting Web Links What is agile methodology? Modern software development explained Manifesto for Agile Software Development How CIOs are using Agile software development methods Software Development — Best of 2017 My first step into the world of Software Development — and what you can learn