Is it possible to fall in love with an artificial intelligence?

Could you fall in love with Siri? OK, let's not say Siri in particular, since Siri is as dumb as a stump and doesn't understand anything you ask her. But what about a version of Siri that's a few generations away, one with not only better voice recognition but a real personality, one that learns and changes and gets to know you, one with which (whom?) you build a complicated relationship? Could you fall in love with that program?

That's the question that Spike Jonze's new movie Her seems to be asking. 

Check out the trailer: Read more>>

Fireworks: CNBC's Bartiromo vs. Barney Frank On Banks

Source
Barney Frank to Bartiromo: "Maria, if you want to have a serious conversation without mocking me ..."

Frank: "I don't take kindly to being called a non-adult. You know, you remind me sometimes of what your colleague Joe Kernan said when I tried to get the conversation more thoughtful -- he said, 'Oh this is cable TV, not C-SPAN.' I want to talk seriously about the issues. You keep changing the subject."
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Meredith Whitney: The Hidden State Financial Crisis

Next month will be pivotal for most states, as it marks the fiscal year end and is when balanced budgets are due. The states have racked up over $1.8 trillion in taxpayer-supported obligations in large part by underfunding their pension and other post-employment benefits. Yet over the past three years, there still has been a cumulative excess of $400 billion in state budget shortfalls. States have already been forced to raise taxes and cut programs to bridge those gaps.

Next month will also mark the end of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's $480 billion in federal stimulus, which has subsidized states through the economic downturn. States have grown more dependent on federal subsidies, relying on them for almost 30% of their budgets.

The condition of state finances threatens the economic recovery. States employ over 19 million Americans, or 15% of the U.S. work force, and state spending accounts for 12% of U.S. gross domestic product. The process of reining in state finances will be painful for us all.

The rapid deterioration of state finances must be addressed immediately. Some dismiss these concerns, because they believe states will be able to grow their way out of these challenges. The reality is that while state revenues have improved, they have done so in part from tax hikes. However, state tax revenues still remain at roughly 2006 levels. More...