Comment Re:link to the patent is missing (Score 1) 71
Data Processing For Visualizing Hierarchical Data Here you go - hopefully got the access rights correct this time!
Comment USPTO has blocked guest access to Patent Center (Score 1) 71
Was surprised to learn the USPTO started blocking unregistered user access to the Patent Center on 9/11 (including file history). To become a 'verified user', the USPTO recommends submitting one's social security number and photo of your driver's license to ID.me, a private company, who will also pull data from your credit report header to complete the required verification process needed before you can request USPTO Patent Center access. The USPTO alternative is a 2+ week snail mail process requiring submission of a notarized paper form request for access to the USPTO Patent Center.
Comment Link to Full Patent Document (PDF) (Score 1) 71
Comment Correction: Patent Was Granted Tuesday (Score 1) 1
Headline should read: Salesforce's Tableau Granted Patent on 'Visualizing Hierarchical Data'. Sorry for the confusion, the USPTO stopped allowing unverified guests from doing status searches on 9-11 (a decision that's probably worth a story itself!).
Submission + - Salesforce's Tableau Seeks Patent on 'Visualizing Hierarchical Data' 1
theodp writes: The USPTO on Tuesday published Tableau Software's application for a patent covering Data Processing For Visualizing Hierarchical Data, which was filed back in July 2021 (Tableau's former CTO is the inventor). The Abstract explains:
"Embodiments are directed to managing visualizations of data. A provided data model may include a tree specification that declares parent-child relationships between objects in the data model. In response to a query associated with objects in the data model: employing the parent-child relationships to determine a tree that includes parent objects and child objects from the objects based on the parent-child relationships; determining a root object based on the query and the tree; traversing the tree from the root object to visit the child objects in the tree; determining partial results based on characteristics of the visited child objects such that the partial results are stored in an intermediate table; and providing a response to the query that includes values based on the intermediate table and the partial results."
A set of 15 simple drawings is provided to support the legal and tech gobbledygook of the invention claims. A person can have a manager, Tableau explains in Figures 5-6 of its accompanying drawings, and that manager can also manage and be managed by other people. Not only that, Tableau illustrates in Figures 7-10 that computers can be used to count how many people report to a manager. How does this magic work, you ask? Well, you "generate [a] tree" [Fig. 13] and "traverse a tree" [Fig. 15], Tableau explains. But wait, there's more — you can also display the people who report to a manager in multi-level or nested pie charts (aka Sunburst charts), Tableau demonstrates in Fig. 11.
Interestingly, Tableau released a "pre-Beta" Sunburst chart type in late April 2023 but yanked it at the end of June 2023 (others have long-supported Sunburst charts, including Plotly). So, do you think Tableau should be awarded a patent in 2025 on a concept that has roots in circa-1921 Sunburst charts and tree algorithms taught to first-year CS students in circa-1975 Data Structures courses?
"Embodiments are directed to managing visualizations of data. A provided data model may include a tree specification that declares parent-child relationships between objects in the data model. In response to a query associated with objects in the data model: employing the parent-child relationships to determine a tree that includes parent objects and child objects from the objects based on the parent-child relationships; determining a root object based on the query and the tree; traversing the tree from the root object to visit the child objects in the tree; determining partial results based on characteristics of the visited child objects such that the partial results are stored in an intermediate table; and providing a response to the query that includes values based on the intermediate table and the partial results."
A set of 15 simple drawings is provided to support the legal and tech gobbledygook of the invention claims. A person can have a manager, Tableau explains in Figures 5-6 of its accompanying drawings, and that manager can also manage and be managed by other people. Not only that, Tableau illustrates in Figures 7-10 that computers can be used to count how many people report to a manager. How does this magic work, you ask? Well, you "generate [a] tree" [Fig. 13] and "traverse a tree" [Fig. 15], Tableau explains. But wait, there's more — you can also display the people who report to a manager in multi-level or nested pie charts (aka Sunburst charts), Tableau demonstrates in Fig. 11.
Interestingly, Tableau released a "pre-Beta" Sunburst chart type in late April 2023 but yanked it at the end of June 2023 (others have long-supported Sunburst charts, including Plotly). So, do you think Tableau should be awarded a patent in 2025 on a concept that has roots in circa-1921 Sunburst charts and tree algorithms taught to first-year CS students in circa-1975 Data Structures courses?
Submission + - Feeling Cranky About AI and CS Education
theodp writes: Over at the Communications of the ACM, Bard College CS Prof Valerie Barr explains why she's Feeling Cranky About AI and CS Education. Having seen CS education go through a number of we-have-to-teach-this moments over the decades — introductory programming languages, the Web, Data Science, etc. — Barr turns her attention to the next hand-wringing "what will we do" CS education moment with AI.
"We're jumping through hoops without stopping first to question the run-away train," Barr writes. "In much discussion about CS education:
a.) There’s little interest in interrogating the downsides of generative AI, such as the environmental impact, the data theft impact, the treatment and exploitation of data workers.
b.) There’s little interest in considering the extent to which, by incorporating generative AI into our teaching, we end up supporting a handful of companies that are burning billions in a vain attempt to each achieve performance that is a scintilla better than everyone else’s.
c.) There’s little interest in thinking about what’s going to happen when the LLM companies decide that they have plateaued, that there’s no more money to burn/spend, and a bunch of them fold—but we’ve perturbed education to such an extent that our students can no longer function without their AI helpers."
Barr calls for stepping back from "the industry assertion that the ship has sailed, every student needs to use AI early and often, and there is no future application that isn’t going to use AI in some way" and instead thoughtfully "articulate what sort of future problem solvers and software developers we want to graduate from our programs, and determine ways in which the incorporation of AI can help us get there."
"We're jumping through hoops without stopping first to question the run-away train," Barr writes. "In much discussion about CS education:
a.) There’s little interest in interrogating the downsides of generative AI, such as the environmental impact, the data theft impact, the treatment and exploitation of data workers.
b.) There’s little interest in considering the extent to which, by incorporating generative AI into our teaching, we end up supporting a handful of companies that are burning billions in a vain attempt to each achieve performance that is a scintilla better than everyone else’s.
c.) There’s little interest in thinking about what’s going to happen when the LLM companies decide that they have plateaued, that there’s no more money to burn/spend, and a bunch of them fold—but we’ve perturbed education to such an extent that our students can no longer function without their AI helpers."
Barr calls for stepping back from "the industry assertion that the ship has sailed, every student needs to use AI early and often, and there is no future application that isn’t going to use AI in some way" and instead thoughtfully "articulate what sort of future problem solvers and software developers we want to graduate from our programs, and determine ways in which the incorporation of AI can help us get there."
Submission + - AI Praise is No Recommendation: Code.org Touts Article by 'AI-Powered Strategist
theodp writes: "The future of learning is digital," tech giant backed-and-led nonprofit Code.org posted Friday on LinkedIn. "A new report highlights how youth-focused coding platforms like Code.org are driving growth, opportunity, and access to essential skills for the next generation."
Sounds great, but the article linked to by Code.org — who Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently told the White House Task Force on AI Education is being given $3M by Google to transform its K-12 CS curriculum to make schoolchildren AI-savvy — is apparently AI-generated. The Future of Learning: Unlocking Long-Term Growth in Youth-Focused Coding Platforms is credited by AInvest.com to "Henry Rivers", who is described as "an AI-powered strategist designed for professionals and economically curious readers seeking investigative financial insight" who is "backed by a 32-billion-parameter hybrid model."
It's been long said that "Self-praise is no recommendation." How about AI praise?
Sounds great, but the article linked to by Code.org — who Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently told the White House Task Force on AI Education is being given $3M by Google to transform its K-12 CS curriculum to make schoolchildren AI-savvy — is apparently AI-generated. The Future of Learning: Unlocking Long-Term Growth in Youth-Focused Coding Platforms is credited by AInvest.com to "Henry Rivers", who is described as "an AI-powered strategist designed for professionals and economically curious readers seeking investigative financial insight" who is "backed by a 32-billion-parameter hybrid model."
It's been long said that "Self-praise is no recommendation." How about AI praise?
Submission + - Zoom Commits $5 Million to K-12 AI Literacy Push as it Announces AI Products
theodp writes: "Alongside its [AI] product announcements," Fast Company reported Thursday, "Zoom also revealed a $10 million, three-year commitment to expand access to AI education and opportunity. That includes $5 million for K through 12 AI literacy, with large anchor grants to global organizations and smaller regional grants to local changemakers. First-round recipients include [tech-backed nonprofit] Code.org and Data.org, which help equip students, workers, and nonprofits with AI skills."
"Code.org is receiving a $1 million grant and Zoom product support to launch and scale a new AI Foundations course in high schools, aiming to reach 500,000 U.S. students annually by 2030," Zoom explained. "The grant will also be used to scale AI units in middle schools and revitalize block-based CS and AI content for elementary learners globally."
Zoom's $5M K-12 AI education pledge was one of 135+ AI education pledges first announced at a meeting of the White House Task Force on AI Education hosted by First Lady Melania Trump earlier this month that preceded a White House AI dinner with the CEOs of AI tech giants Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, and OpenAI.
At the AI Task Force meeting, Code.org President Cameron Wilson informed the First Lady of its tech leader-backed campaign to make CS and AI a graduation requirement, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai's revealed that his company was giving Code.org $3 million to "transform its [K-12] CS curriculum and integrate new AI features." Wilson added that Code.org will engage 25 million learners this year in the new "Hour of AI" for schoolchildren. Pledges to support AI Education — including millions of dollars in AWS credits, prizes, and prize money for the First Lady-led Presidential AI Challenge for K-12 students — were also made by Code.org "Lifetime Supporters" ( $30+ million in donations) Microsoft and Amazon.
"Code.org is receiving a $1 million grant and Zoom product support to launch and scale a new AI Foundations course in high schools, aiming to reach 500,000 U.S. students annually by 2030," Zoom explained. "The grant will also be used to scale AI units in middle schools and revitalize block-based CS and AI content for elementary learners globally."
Zoom's $5M K-12 AI education pledge was one of 135+ AI education pledges first announced at a meeting of the White House Task Force on AI Education hosted by First Lady Melania Trump earlier this month that preceded a White House AI dinner with the CEOs of AI tech giants Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, and OpenAI.
At the AI Task Force meeting, Code.org President Cameron Wilson informed the First Lady of its tech leader-backed campaign to make CS and AI a graduation requirement, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai's revealed that his company was giving Code.org $3 million to "transform its [K-12] CS curriculum and integrate new AI features." Wilson added that Code.org will engage 25 million learners this year in the new "Hour of AI" for schoolchildren. Pledges to support AI Education — including millions of dollars in AWS credits, prizes, and prize money for the First Lady-led Presidential AI Challenge for K-12 students — were also made by Code.org "Lifetime Supporters" ( $30+ million in donations) Microsoft and Amazon.
Comment Gamechanger if... (Score 1) 40
...it's brought down to the cheaper MacBook Air and Apple makes its laptop UI more touch-friendly than Microsoft has with Windows!
Comment Re:Vesuvius of Laughter v. Pompeii of Philosophers (Score 1) 153
Sounds like the problem is the house and not the stove.
Submission + - Intermingling Emojis with Text in Programming Languages: Thumbs Up or Down? 2
An anonymous reader writes: Remember those Highlights for Children stories in which words were replaced with pictures to help and engage young readers? Ever wonder what that might look like in a programming language? So asks Fun With SAS and Emoji: What Might a Rebus-Influenced Programming Language Look Like?, which explores the idea of intermingling emoji, images, or icon fonts with text in existing general programming languages (as opposed to emoji-specific languages like Emojicode).
It's been almost a decade since Slashdot reported on Facebook's expansion of the 'Like' button to a range of emojis called 'Reactions' and noted an estimated 74% of Americans were using emojis every day. So, why haven't emojis yet found their way into programing languages? Is mixing emojis and text in programs an inherently terrible idea, or is it perhaps an idea just waiting for the right person to come along and show how to do it right?
It's been almost a decade since Slashdot reported on Facebook's expansion of the 'Like' button to a range of emojis called 'Reactions' and noted an estimated 74% of Americans were using emojis every day. So, why haven't emojis yet found their way into programing languages? Is mixing emojis and text in programs an inherently terrible idea, or is it perhaps an idea just waiting for the right person to come along and show how to do it right?
Submission + - Google, Microsoft, Amazon Pledge Support for First Lady's AI Initiatives
theodp writes: Earlier this month, Business Insider and others reported that tech leaders Sam Altman, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Satya Nadella, Bill Gates and others lauded President Trump at a White House AI dinner, where the 30 guests were encouraged to speak and went around the table praising the president. Less covered were the commitments and millions of dollars pledged by Google, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, and others to First Lady Melania Trump's AI education and workforce training initiatives at the dinner and earlier in the day at a White House AI Education Task Force meeting hosted by the First Lady.
Google, Microsoft, and Amazon also issued corporate blog posts detailing their support for the First Lady’s Presidential AI initiatives. "It’s an honor for me to be here and to support the First Lady’s [K-12] Presidential AI Challenge," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who pledged $150 million towards grants to support AI education and digital wellbeing, including $3 million to tech-backed nonprofit Code.org to transform its K-12 CS curriculum and integrate new AI features, as well as $2 million to the Flourish Fund to support nonprofits equipping youth aging out of the foster care system with tools to succeed in the workforce (foster care is a pet cause of the First Lady). "Through this initiative, you are inspiring young people to use technology in extraordinary ways."
Not to be outdone, Microsoft President Brad Smith detailed a sweeping set of new commitments to support the Presidential AI Challenge and the AI Education Executive Order made at the AI Education Task Force meeting, including $1.25 million in prizes for the Presidential AI Challenge that was announced by the First Lady in late August. Like Google, Microsoft is also supporting Code.org's AI pivot (via its $4B Microsoft Elevate AI training initiative) by funding the nonprofit's new Hour of AI, which Code.org President Cameron Willson told the First Lady would engage 25 million schoolchildren in December. And, in its response to the White House's AI Education Pledge to America's Youth, AWS VP of Global Education and US State and Local Government Kim Majerus posted that Amazon will support AI skills training for 4 million, including a contribution of up to $200,000 in AWS credits and $1.5 million in cash prizes to support the Presidential AI Challenge.
So, to paraphrase the old adage, "Happy president and president's wife, happy AI company life"?
Google, Microsoft, and Amazon also issued corporate blog posts detailing their support for the First Lady’s Presidential AI initiatives. "It’s an honor for me to be here and to support the First Lady’s [K-12] Presidential AI Challenge," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who pledged $150 million towards grants to support AI education and digital wellbeing, including $3 million to tech-backed nonprofit Code.org to transform its K-12 CS curriculum and integrate new AI features, as well as $2 million to the Flourish Fund to support nonprofits equipping youth aging out of the foster care system with tools to succeed in the workforce (foster care is a pet cause of the First Lady). "Through this initiative, you are inspiring young people to use technology in extraordinary ways."
Not to be outdone, Microsoft President Brad Smith detailed a sweeping set of new commitments to support the Presidential AI Challenge and the AI Education Executive Order made at the AI Education Task Force meeting, including $1.25 million in prizes for the Presidential AI Challenge that was announced by the First Lady in late August. Like Google, Microsoft is also supporting Code.org's AI pivot (via its $4B Microsoft Elevate AI training initiative) by funding the nonprofit's new Hour of AI, which Code.org President Cameron Willson told the First Lady would engage 25 million schoolchildren in December. And, in its response to the White House's AI Education Pledge to America's Youth, AWS VP of Global Education and US State and Local Government Kim Majerus posted that Amazon will support AI skills training for 4 million, including a contribution of up to $200,000 in AWS credits and $1.5 million in cash prizes to support the Presidential AI Challenge.
So, to paraphrase the old adage, "Happy president and president's wife, happy AI company life"?
Comment Re: So many things that contribute to this (Score 1) 215
You're forgetting the big one: that the system is designed to fail and create an uneducated unskilled worker class for the wealthy elite.
Submission + - WSJ: Tech CEOs Take Turns Praising Trumps for AI Leadership at the White House
theodp writes: Even those on opposite ends of the political spectrum would likely agree that the Who's Who of tech CEOs and AI players — including Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Sundar Pichai (Alphabet), Tim Cook (Apple), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), and Sam Altman (OpenAI) — attending Thursday's White House dinner hosted by President Trump gave a cringeworthy master class on brownnosing.
The WSJ reported on how the tech titans took turns praising the President and put together a nice highlights reel of the gushing (full video). "Thank you for incredible leadership," said Bill Gates. "Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president — it's a very refreshing change," stated Sam Altman. "I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we could make a major investment in the United States," said Tim Cook, gushing over Trump's leadership and innovation. "You've unleashed American innovation and creativity," said Oracle CEO Safra Katz. "Thanks for your leadership," added Sundar Pichai.
Earlier in the day, Pichai and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna got a chance to practice their flattery on First Lady Melania Trump, who hosted a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education (full video). "We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare children in America," Mrs. Trump said in her opening remarks. "It's a privilege to be here and contribute to help build America's AI ready workforce," began Krishna. "Let me begin by first thanking the first lady, Mrs. Melania Trump for helping lead this effort and galvanize all of us into contributing." Addressing the First Lady, Pichai said, "You are inspiring young people to use technology in extraordinary ways," adding that Google's massive pledge to AI education "includes $3 million to [tech-backed nonprofit] Code.org to transform its curriculum and integrate new AI features."
Also present at the AI Task Force meeting was Code.org President Cameron Wilson, who informed the First Lady it was working with "450 CEOs, many of whom are in this room today [...] to require computer science and AI education for every student." Microsoft President Brad Smith separately posted details on its Public Policy blog of Microsoft's new commitments to support the Melania Trump-led Presidential AI Challenge and AI Education Executive Order, which includes providing $1.25 million in prize money for the Presidential AI Challenge via the company's new Microsoft Elevate initiative. In an accompanying video, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says, "We are so grateful to the President, First Lady, and the entire administration for making it a national priority to prepare the next generation to harness AI's power." Microsoft Elevate is also providing support for the new 'Hour of AI' with Code.org (which replaces the nonprofit's flagship 'Hour of Code' event), which Wilson told the First Lady aims to promote AI literacy to 25 million schoolchildren this December.
This week's AI education pledges made by tech companies and their leaders to President Trump and his wife Melania may evoke memories for some of the $300 million in K-12 CS education pledges made by tech companies and their leaders in 2017 to President Trump and his daughter Ivanka. Those pledges, Microsoft President Brad Smith later revealed in his 2019 book Tools and Weapons, were needed to secure First Daughter Ivanka Trump's help in persuading her father to issue an Executive memorandum directing then Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to earmark $1 billion in Federal funding for K-12 STEM+CS education. Seated immediately adjacent to Melania Trump at Thursday's White House AI Education Task Force meeting was current Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, reminiscent of how Ivanka Trump was once paired with Betsy Devos at events promoting K-12 CS education.
The WSJ reported on how the tech titans took turns praising the President and put together a nice highlights reel of the gushing (full video). "Thank you for incredible leadership," said Bill Gates. "Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president — it's a very refreshing change," stated Sam Altman. "I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we could make a major investment in the United States," said Tim Cook, gushing over Trump's leadership and innovation. "You've unleashed American innovation and creativity," said Oracle CEO Safra Katz. "Thanks for your leadership," added Sundar Pichai.
Earlier in the day, Pichai and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna got a chance to practice their flattery on First Lady Melania Trump, who hosted a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education (full video). "We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare children in America," Mrs. Trump said in her opening remarks. "It's a privilege to be here and contribute to help build America's AI ready workforce," began Krishna. "Let me begin by first thanking the first lady, Mrs. Melania Trump for helping lead this effort and galvanize all of us into contributing." Addressing the First Lady, Pichai said, "You are inspiring young people to use technology in extraordinary ways," adding that Google's massive pledge to AI education "includes $3 million to [tech-backed nonprofit] Code.org to transform its curriculum and integrate new AI features."
Also present at the AI Task Force meeting was Code.org President Cameron Wilson, who informed the First Lady it was working with "450 CEOs, many of whom are in this room today [...] to require computer science and AI education for every student." Microsoft President Brad Smith separately posted details on its Public Policy blog of Microsoft's new commitments to support the Melania Trump-led Presidential AI Challenge and AI Education Executive Order, which includes providing $1.25 million in prize money for the Presidential AI Challenge via the company's new Microsoft Elevate initiative. In an accompanying video, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says, "We are so grateful to the President, First Lady, and the entire administration for making it a national priority to prepare the next generation to harness AI's power." Microsoft Elevate is also providing support for the new 'Hour of AI' with Code.org (which replaces the nonprofit's flagship 'Hour of Code' event), which Wilson told the First Lady aims to promote AI literacy to 25 million schoolchildren this December.
This week's AI education pledges made by tech companies and their leaders to President Trump and his wife Melania may evoke memories for some of the $300 million in K-12 CS education pledges made by tech companies and their leaders in 2017 to President Trump and his daughter Ivanka. Those pledges, Microsoft President Brad Smith later revealed in his 2019 book Tools and Weapons, were needed to secure First Daughter Ivanka Trump's help in persuading her father to issue an Executive memorandum directing then Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to earmark $1 billion in Federal funding for K-12 STEM+CS education. Seated immediately adjacent to Melania Trump at Thursday's White House AI Education Task Force meeting was current Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, reminiscent of how Ivanka Trump was once paired with Betsy Devos at events promoting K-12 CS education.
Comment Re: Not apples to apples (Score 1) 55
Why does it matter if it's fake if it looks good? It's like mp3... If you can't hear the difference (and you can't, despite any claims you may make to the contrary - it's physically and biologically impossible), why does it matter if it's compressed?
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