Virtual assistants area lagniappe technology. Almost nobody actually needs them, but when they work properly they bring a little something extra to your life. Even though they’re heavily flawed and a clear-and-present danger to our privacy, it’s still super nice to be able to yell “Hey Google, play some Skynyrd!” while I’m doing the dishes and, lo and behold, it’sFreebirdtime. But not all virtual assistants are created the same. We’ve got Cortana tethered to our desk, Alexa trying to manage our homes, and either Google or Siri in charge of our phones....

Recommendation technology is getting a renewed interest with consumers, especially after the announcement ofSiri’s full integrationinto Apple’s iOS starting with the new iPhone 4S. Finding a new restaurant or coffee shop to go to in your area is becoming more and more difficult. TheAlfred iOS appwants to change that. TheAlfredapp helps you find new places to eat dinner, drink coffee, or get dessert by asking you a series of questions when you first sign up....

Algorithm downgrades nearly 40% of English exam results, hitting poorer students hardest Unions want the government to replace the grades with teachers' predicted results Calls to ditch the algorithm A similar system used in Scotland was abandoned this week after its calculations provoked a public outcry. A quarter of all pupils hadreceived downgraded results, and students in deprived areas had their pass rates dropped by more than twice the rate of those in the country’s richest regions....

Algorithm that determines school exam results risks ‘baking in inequality’ Scotland’s system dramatically reduced pass rates for poorer pupils South of the border Labour fears that similar issues will arise when English exam results are released next week. Kate Green, the party’s shadow education secretary, has asked the government for assurances that the system won’t “exacerbate existing inequalities.” “Young people deserve to have their hard work assessed on merit, but the system risks baking in inequality and doing most harm to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, those from ethnic minority groups, and those with special educational needs and disabilities,” said Green....

Citizens’ assemblies are having a moment. Growing distrust in governments and experts has revived the ancient Greek method of empowering the public to participate in politics. The model is now gaining traction around the world. Inthe UKandFrance, for example, citizens’ assemblies have been convened to deliberate responses to climate change. But selecting the members of these bodies is a complicated task. Ideally, citizens’ assemblies should be both representative and randomly selected....