DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

  DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF              

By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

ASTON MARTIN'S NIFTY NEW CONVERTIBLE

Source:  Aston Martin

• Aston Martin is going top down with a gorgeous new convertible, the DB12 Volante
• Here's what we know:

1. Elegant design
2. 671 hp & 590 pound-feet
3. Top speed of 202 mph
4. Twin-turbo engine 4.0-liter AMG-sourced V8 
5. 8-speed automatic transmission
6. Rear-wheel drive
7. Power operated, fold-down fabric roof that operates in 14-seconds to open and 16 seconds to close at speeds up to 31 mph
8. Aston Martin calls it a "super-tourer", combining the performance of a sports car with the elegant drive of a traditional Aston Martin
9. Expected price - $265,000

• Aston Martin, which was secret agent 007's car of choice, debuts the Volante this week at the Monterey Car Show.

? MARK IN DEEP SPACE

                                                                        Source: ESA

• The James Webb Telescope has captured a remarkable image in deep space - a ?-mark that is clear and distinct, adding yet another layer of mystery to the millions of questions about what exists in space
• Here's what we know:

1. The ?-mark has led to a huge question - just what is it?
2. Scientists don't have a definitive answer
3. One researcher theorizes it's one or more galaxies "interacting" in deep space
4. The ?-mark is below 2 new stars forming in the center of a disc of gas and dust
5. The images were released by the European Space Agency

• Webb Telescope has been in operation for a year, is the largest telescope ever developed and is called a time machine because of its ability to delve billions of years into the past.

USING AI TO BAN BOOKS

                                            Source: Stock

• The state of Iowa is using AI to remove books from libraries
• Here's what we know:

1. AI can be trained to identify books that have elements deemed offensive to certain groups
2. In Iowa, 19 books recently have been nixed from library shelves at schools
3. Banned books include those by well-known authors like Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison
4. A state of Iowa filing states that school library books should be "age appropriate", which precludes X-rated material
5. Because it is not possible to read all books and confirm that they conform to all requirements, they are using AI to do so
6. ChatGPT was used to identify offending content
7. Keywords were likely used in the identifying process

• This is one of the controversial new uses of generative AI to ban books.

"Daily Innovation Brief" © By Edward Kane