Newsletter Volume 29 Issue 7, Jul 2017
From The Editor
Our June 2017 article, How Dangerous Is Deep Learning?, highlighted the debate on whether the demise of the human race will result from Artificial Intelligence or from human error. Now a July 17, 2017 article in The Conversation revisits the AI debate, see The future of artificial intelligence: two experts disagree.
“Replacing thousands of government agency websites with a single site called gov.au was presented as a no-brainer by the federal government’s first digital transformation team….
Clearly, the rest of the Australian Public Service did not see this as the unassailable pearl of wisdom”
The above quote is from a July 26, 2017 article by Stephen Easton in The Mandarin, based on recent comments by the NSW government’s chief information and digital officer. See below, Single sites like gov.au are old hat, says NSW CIDO Damon Rees.
“Settling on the right models and abstractions to solve a particular problem are the meat and potatoes of software engineering.”
The above quote is from the introduction to the July/August issue of CrossTalk Online, which deals with Model Based Testing. The following message from the Sponsor and extracts from the Table of Contents give an overview of the topics covered. See below, CrossTalk Online: Model Based Testing.
“There’s a big race internationally to get to a 30-qubit system as fast as possible to show that calculations in a quantum regime will beat a classical computer. Simmons believes Australia can get there first.”
The above quote is from a July 3, 2017 ZDNet article which explains how Australia could win the race to the 30-qubit system. See below, Australia’s ambitious plan to win the quantum race.
Current Issue
Articles in the current Issue cover:
The future of artificial intelligence: two experts disagree
“Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to revolutionise our lives, drive our cars, diagnose our health problems, and lead us into a new future where thinking machines do things that we’re yet to imagine.
Or does it? Not everyone agrees.”
Single sites like gov.au are old hat, says NSW CIDO Damon Rees
“ The Minister for Digital Transformation Angus Taylor decided not go forward with gov.au as proposed at a crucial moment last year, because it had little support among senior public servants.”
CrossTalk Online: Model Based Testing
“Modeling is a necessary and beneficial part of every software effort.”
Australia’s ambitious plan to win the quantum race
“ I came away thinking, ‘thank god I’m in Australia’, because I think what we’ve got going on in Australia is something unique and I think the technology we’ve got is going to take us all the way,”
QESP Blog
We didn’t have the “green thing” back then
“Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart ass young person.
We don’t like being old in the first place, so it doesn’t take much to piss us off… Especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smartass who can’t make change without the cash register telling them how much.”
The above quote is from Debbie Donivan‘s post , which Terry Rout shared on Facebook this month. A worthwhile read for young and old. See We didn’t have the “green thing” back then https://www.facebook.com/terry.rout/posts/10210992189215020
Events
Event update: Creating New Jobs in ICT
Some further good news on the Creating New Jobs in ICT event at Western Sydney University Parramatta City campus on Thursday 31st August 2017 – 6:00pm.
Dr Geoff Lee MP, Member for Parramatta has agreed to attend the event, welcome guests and give a short address. Dr Lee is a member of Parramatta Chamber of Commerce and continues to champion small business as a key driver of innovation, economic growth and local jobs. He is also Parliamentary Secretary for Western Sydney and Multiculturalism.
For further details and to register, see https://qesp.org/event/creating-new-jobs-ict-3/
(The 50% discount code only applies to students and ACS/QESP members, others pay $40.)
Quotes
Quote of the Day
“The Internet: where men are men, women are men, and children are FBI agents.” – geek24r
Quote from Yesteryear
“In science the Apollonian tends to develop established lines to perfection, while the Dionysian rather relies on intuition and is more likely to open new, unexpected alleys for research…The future of mankind depends on the progress of science, and the progress of science depends on the support it can find. Support mostly takes the form of grants, and the present methods of distributing grants unduly favor the Apollonian.” Albert Szent-Györgyi
Ted Smillie
QESP Chair