- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial director, Global Gypsum Magazine
There are already many forms of artificial intelligence (AI) in the world today. Weak or narrow AI is a kind of machine-based expertise that is focused on a single or very narrow range of tasks. This is already very widely available. Siri and Alexa might be thought of as weak AI, although they are already sophisticated compared to achievements only a decade ago1: they combine speech recognition and natural language processing to ‘understand’ what you are asking them. They then have a set of capabilities that they can act upon (such as making a call, setting an alarm or ordering flowers for Mother’s Day on the internet).
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial director, Global Gypsum Magazine
What will the global gypsum and insulation industries look like in 50 years’ time (in 2068)? Let’s take a look at some current trends and extend them into the future to see what our world will look like then.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial director, Global Gypsum Magazine
I make no apologies for writing this column on a subject that has nothing to do with gypsum, insulation or any other building material: Occasionally, I do go ‘off-topic.’ Sometimes, it’s useful to stand back so that you can see the bigger picture. In fact, we should probably all do it more often.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial director, Global Gypsum Magazine
I am enjoying ‘Don Quixote’ by Cervantes, even though it’s a massive book - I’m now 900 pages in, of a 950 page book. In particular, I’ve enjoyed the part where the apparent simpleton and uneducated rustic squire Sancho Panza is gifted the governorship of an ‘isle’ (it is in fact an isolated village). Rather than completely mess it up as everyone expects, he turns out to be a governor of rare sagacity and wisdom. He lasts only a week before his rumbling tummy makes him give up his post to return to his master, the knight-errant Don Quixote de la Mancha, the Knight of the Sad Countenance. Reading the book, it made me wonder, what would one do if you were made a gypsum wallboard plant manager for a week - ‘governor of your own isle’? This question might be moot, if you already hold that exalted position. However, if the magic wand suddenly made you ‘The Boss,’ what would you do?
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial director, Global Gypsum Magazine (rob@propubs.com)
Have a guess at how many rhinoceroses there are left on the planet. How many leopards? How many lions? Go on, have a guess.
I guessed 100,000, 100,000 again and two million for lions. Then I looked up the numbers on the internet and I was shocked. For all five species of rhino, there are in total around 30,000 individuals (but only 61 - 63 examples of the Javan rhino and 100 of the Sumatran rhino). The most common species, the white rhino, has about 20,000 individuals. There used to be millions of these things, wandering around, eating the greenery.1
