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The past decade or so has seen some spectacular advances in artificial intelligence. But—as is so often the case with emerging technologies—is there a dark side to this brave new world? That was the topic for discussion by a panel of computer scientists and ethicists at this year's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

There is no denying the impact of the information technology revolution on our economy. From the time that personal computers started infiltrating the workplace there have been impressive gains in productivity. But at the same time there's been an uncoupling of the traditional link between productivity and employment; unlike in years past, the benefits derived have not been felt by many—or even most—in society. That was the central message from Moshe Vardi's talk.

A professor of computational engineering at Rice University, Vardi said that technology has been destroying jobs since the industrial revolution—one only needs to look at the role of horses in transportation as an example. But in the past those jobs have been taken by machines designed to do a specific thing, like weaving cotton. Now, Vardi argued, we're facing the possibility of machines that may be better than humans at nearly everything.

(credit: Thomas Hartung, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

Tiny, rolling balls of brain cells knocking around in a lab may one day help keep you from losing your marbles—among other things.

The small cellular balls act like mini-brains, mimicking aspects of the real thing, including forming noggin-like structures and pulsing with electrical signals like a thinking mind, researchers reported Friday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington. The mini-brains, which can be personalized based on whose cells they’re made from, may soon help scientists study a wide variety of diseases and health problems—from autism and Parkinson’s to multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s, as well as stroke, brain trauma and infections, such as Zika virus.

“There are a variety of places where a mini brain could be useful,” said Wayne Drevets of Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., who was not involved with the research. In some cases, they may offer a cheaper, more ethical, and more realistic model for human health than mice and other animals, he and other researchers said at the conference.

Does anyone remember Chief Engineer Argyle (left)? Of course not. (credit: CBS)

It's no secret there are plenty of Star Trek: The Next Generation fans around Ars. Your humble correspondent himself grew up on a TNG-infused diet, replete with Picardian ideals and Rikerian manliness. So we were ecstatic after discovering a new podcast—The Greatest Generation—that is re-visiting, episode by episode, all of TNG. As of this writing, the show is just five episodes in, leaving plenty of time to catch up. Thus far it's been a lot of fun to re-visit some of these early episodes, most of which seem quite silly in retrospect.

In many ways, TNG's storytelling style—episodic—feels so ancient in the bingewatching culture of today. By comparison, it's rather vital that you watch something like The Expanse (seriously, go watch) in order to fully grok its exposition. So with TNG and other series of the 1980s and 1990s, you can easily hop around for the most part and watch them in essentially whatever order you like. Sure, hardcore fans will know that by Season 3, Cmdr. Riker grows a beard, but details, details.

That brand of storytelling lets anyone jump right into TNG and the podcast regardless of prior knowledge. And make no mistake, The Greatest Generation is solid whether or not you self-identify as a full-fledged Trekkie. The show is hosted by two guys who not only love TNG, but they love to make fun of it. (The URL for the show is: gagh.biz.) Ben Harrison, in his day job, runs a media company, Bad Character, out of New York City. His co-host, Adam Pranica, runs a production company in Seattle. Together, they are the peanut butter and chocolate of Star Trek podcasts.

Video shot/edited by Jennifer Hahn. (video link)

A lot of popular fitness trackers aren't very active at all. They sit on your wrist counting each step you take, how long you sleep, and maybe a few workouts here and there. Jaybird's $150 Reign tracker is trying to do something a bit different. Instead of focusing on steps, Reign gets to know your body when it's both fatigued and recovered from strenuous exercise. It uses heart rate variability to tell you if your body is ready for physical activity, and it determines how much activity you should aim for when you want to push yourself further each day. Since it's not your typical smart pedometer, there is a slight learning curve when first using Reign, but it's an interesting option for those who believe stagnancy is just as harmful to your health as immobility.

Design: different, but not too different

When the Jaybird Reign monitors daily activity from your wrist, it looks futuristic without making a bold statement. It's made of a silicone band that comes in two parts: one that holds the module and the other than comes in three different sizes so you can get the wristband as tight as you want. They fit together using magnetic pins, so you can stretch the bottom part of the band to fit your hand through it and it won't pop off or go flying when you do so.

Many of us are familiar with the first-person shooter (FPS) creation myth—that it materialized fully formed in the minds of id Software founders John Carmack and John Romero shortly before they developed Wolfenstein 3D. Afterward, it was pushed forward only by id until Valve's Half-Life came along.

But the reality behind FPS evolution is messier. Innovations came from multiple sources and often took years to catch on.Even Wolfenstein 3D had numerous predecessors within and without id. And like the genres we've previously explored—a list including city builders, graphic adventures, kart histories, and simulation games—there have been many high and low points throughout this long, violent, gory history.

Minus '90s cult favorite Descent's (because I personally consider it a flight combat shooter), these are the shooters that pushed the genre forward or held it back. Many of us encountered at least one that truly spoke to us, but together, these titles made it cool to shoot pixel-rendered dudes, dudettes, mutants, and weird alien creatures in the face.