Stories by Fred O'Connor

Linux Foundation to offer introductory Linux MOOC on edX

The Linux Foundation will offer a Linux development course on edX, the massive open online course (MOOC) platform developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. The move is part of an edX effort, announced Thursday, to expand its course offerings to include content from nonacademic institutions. All edX content previously came from the nonprofit's 32 member schools, which include the University of California, Berkeley; Dartmouth College and McGill University.

EdX enrollment data shows online learners are more browsers than finishers

Online course participants are more likely to browse lesson material than stick around to earn a completion certificate, according to a report examining enrollment and usage data from edX, an online learning platform jointly launched by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall of 2012.

Intel lowers Q4 revenue over hard-drive shortage

Intel warned on Monday that fourth-quarter revenue will be lower than anticipated due to a hard-drive shortage. The chip maker now anticipates quarterly revenue of US$13.7 billion, down from a previous n estimate of $14.7 billion.

Man-machine Singularity a long way off

Advocates of the concept called "singularity" envision a future in which humans and technology fully converge, but a keynote speaker at the World Future Society conference in the US last month voiced scepticism about the idea, citing the complexities of the human mind.

Robots will become part of daily life: panel

Caring for an aging population, giving manual-labour jobs to illegal immigrants and keeping production costs down as worker wages rise sound like issues reserved for a political campaign. But panelists at a recent discussion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believe robotics will help solve these problems and others faced by society and businesses.

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