The Black Sci-Fi Book Club

(Event posted by Moon on meetup.com. Photo credit: Moon)

“Online Meet & Greet! Hey Black Sci-Fi fam, let’s connect for a casual online Meet & Greet to get to know one another, decide how often we’d like to meet and what books and authors (besides Octavia) we’d like to explore together. See you soon…”

Join the event: https://www.meetup.com/the-black-sci-fi-book-club/events/287354981/

#afrofuturism #planetxnubiaphip #xnubiaphi

Rescuing the Languages that Western Tech Ignores

Article by Associated Press on voanews.com. Photo credit: Associated Press.

“Computers have become amazingly precise at translating spoken words to text messages and scouring huge troves of information for answers to complex questions. At least, that is, so long as you speak English or another of the world’s dominant languages…”

Read the article: https://bit.ly/3Fy69My

#xnubiaphi #afrofuturism

Artist Nettrice Gaskins Explores Afrofuturism

(Article by Meadow Vrtis on bcheights.com. Photo credit: Meadow Vrtis.)

“Presenting a digital self-portrait that blended images of nature and vibrant colors, Nettrice Gaskins—who teaches, writes, and makes art using algorithms and machine learning—spoke virtually on her work and creative process, followed by an interactive Q&A session surrounding her perception of art in the digital age….”

Source: https://www.bcheights.com/2021/10/31/currents-nettrice-gaskins/

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

The Rise of Black Homeschooling

(Article by Casey Parks on newyorker.com. AP Photo/Eric Gay)

“Black families have only recently turned to homeschooling in significant numbers. The Census Bureau found that, by October, 2020, the nationwide proportion of homeschoolers—parents who had withdrawn their children from public or private schools and taken full control of their education—had risen to more than eleven per cent, from five per cent at the start of the pandemic. For Black families, the growth has been sharper. Around three per cent of Black students were homeschooled before the pandemic; by October, the number had risen to sixteen per cent.”

Source: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/06/21/the-rise-of-black-homeschooling

It is no secret that the traditional public school system has failed Black people miserably in the United States. Perhaps, with the assistance of technology, we can make homeschooling work for us. Anyone out there have a conscious, informed K-12 homeschool curriculum that you’d like to share with the X Nubia Phi community?

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

AI Startup Backed By Quincy Jones Gets Acquired ‘To Continue Changing The Way We Consume Music’

(Article by Samanta Dorisca published on afrotech.com; Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian)

“A music mogul like Quincy Jones backing an “emotional” artificial technology (AI) music startup sounds like a match made in heaven.

The startup — Musimap — is on a mission to develop effective music roadmaps for its users through AI. The automated engine leverages automated engines and metadata enhancement to generate a playlist that has a familiar music palette to correspond with the personality profile.”

Source: https://bit.ly/3lFLe2B

The music industry has always pushed the boundaries of technology innovation. No surprise that an innovator like Quincy Jones is right in there making things happen.

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

The Danger of Facial Recognition Tech

(This article by Manny Otiko was published on OneZero.)

Photo: Delta News Hub (Flickr)

“According to a New York Times article, at least three African-Americans have been falsely accused because of incorrect facial recognition matches. A false accusation cost Nijeer Park 10 days in jail and $5,000 in legal fees.

These “false positives” happen because the people who design these programs are predominately white. Silicon Valley is dominated by white (and some Asian) programmers. And some of them, who subscribe to the far-right/libertarian ideology, the new reactionary movement (NRx,) believe that’s because of racial superiority.”

Source: onezero.medium.com/i-didnt-realize-the-danger-of-facial-recognition-tech-until-i-used-it-a6686442b346

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

How Facial Recognition Technology Is Different In Africa

There’s a reason many Africans are wary of the identification technology: It doesn’t work as well for people with dark skin. That’s where Charlette N’Guessan, a young Ivorian researcher, comes in...

She’s not ashamed to say it: The coronavirus pandemic has been “a very good thing” for Charlette N’Guessan. The same goes for Africa’s forward-looking tech entrepreneurs in general. “With the challenges posed by COVID-19, the continent is waking up,” the young Ivorian says. “People are thinking innovation, ideas, change. This crisis gives credibility to what we are doing.” It must be said that N’Guessan’s chosen field — facial recognition — is largely unexplored in Africa. It also arouses a fair amount of suspicion, and for good reason: Existing algorithms, including the best out there, are less accurate at identifying individuals of color, as tests conducted in the United States have revealed an error rate five to 10 times higher for these populations.

Article by Marie de Vergès

Source: https://worldcrunch.com/tech-science/how-facial-recognition-technology-is-different-in-africa#

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

Top African tech startups have solutions to some of the continent’s pressing challenges

“Africa’s top startups presented innovative proposals to tackle water, food and land security, healthcare, urban development and engineering challenges in Africa. The two-day summit… also included expert-led sessions looking at investment, food sustainability, smart cities and villages, drone testing, image analytics, aviation policy for sustainable growth and the role of women in the aerospace industry.”

Source: https://africanews.space/africas-top-aerospace-and-remote-sensing-startups-presented-solutions-to-some-of-the-continents-pressing-challenges/

We always knew Africans could solve their own problems, but now it’s evident. The image of starving Africans is being replaced with thriving African technology centers. African Americans have the capacity to do this as well. What is the blueprint for cultivating technology innovation and incubating technology startups in marginalized communities in America?

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda

Red Bull connects technology innovators in 22 countries

“All this is done with the aim of enabling them to collaborate in using technology as a means to effect positive change in society. Hatches can take the form of interactive workshops and maker sessions, lectures by the industry’s current and future leaders, debates and mixes.”

Source: https://www.redbull.com/za-en/Red-Bull-Basement-Hatch-The-Chicken-and-the-Egg-in-SA-Tech-Innovation

Hatches and hatch-like technology and innovation centers, like the ones in Johannesburg and Sao Paulo, are growing like weeds in our communities. They say that “All this is done with the aim of enabling them to collaborate in using technology as a means to effect positive change in society.” I hope that’s true. Not long, however, before those who benefit from these opportunities are creating their own technology and innovation centers.

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks

Science and technology parks as enablers for economic development in Africa

“The Innovation Hub – the Innovation Agency of the Gauteng Province will host the prestigious 2019 International Association of Science Parks (IASP) Africa Division Workshop, May 23 – 24, 2019, at The Innovation Hub, Tshwane, South Africa… To be hosted under the theme ‘The Role of Science and Technology Parks (STPs) and Areas of Innovation (AOIs) as enablers for economic development’, the main objective of the workshop will be to challenge practitioners from the continent to consider the economic development capacity of STPs and AoIs in Africa.”

Source: http://africasciencenews.org/the-innovation-hub-to-host-international-science-technology-parks-workshop/

It’s great that the economic development capacity of STPs and AOIs are being considered in African countries, and I’m certain many Africans will benefit economically from these types of efforts. Keep in mind, however, that as great as this appears, “economic development” has always been code for exploitation – in this case, Black genius being harvested by non-Black-owned tech companies that ultimately profit enormously from the innovations the centers produce. How can we create and support our own technology parks?

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts