All posts tagged: enforce

Inside AMEX’s agentic commerce stack: How intent contracts and single-use tokens enforce AI transactions

Inside AMEX’s agentic commerce stack: How intent contracts and single-use tokens enforce AI transactions

Published by skeptic

American Express (Amex) is building a system that lets AI agents shop and pay on behalf of users — but right now it’s only within its own payment network, and still involves a black box that could hinder trust and auditability. Amex already participates in agentic commerce protocol projects, especially Google’s Agent Pay Protocol (AP2), which focuses on interoperability. Amex’s Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE) developer kit, on the other hand, touches on something most protocols currently lack: Full transaction control in the payment layer.  But it still isn’t completely transparent in how it handles validation. ACE uses a closed-loop system — serving as both the card issuer and the payment network — to validate agent-led transactions.  Luke Gebb, Amex’s EVP and global head of innovation, told VentureBeat that the company believes this model is the missing piece in agentic commerce.   “Some of what is missing so far is the perspective of a company like ours: We feel that trust and security are critical to advancing this space,” Gebb said. “This is really the first time …

Excel’s data validation is far more powerful than just dropdowns — here’s what it can actually enforce

Excel’s data validation is far more powerful than just dropdowns — here’s what it can actually enforce

Published by skeptic

Most people set up a dropdown list to make spreadsheets smarter with Excel’s data validation. However, the Custom option in the Data Validation dialog accepts any formula that returns TRUE or FALSE, which means you can enforce rules that dropdowns were not built to handle. Duplicate prevention, text pattern requirements, date restrictions, and calculated limits all run through one setting that most people skip right past. Here’s how I use custom formulas to lock down my spreadsheets properly. Related Excel’s SEQUENCE function made me realize I’d been wasting time manually filling date columns It replaced my date-filling workflow, and I’m not going back. Custom formulas let you control far more than a list The Custom option accepts any TRUE/FALSE formula as a validation rule Excel’s data validation has several built-in options such as whole numbers, decimals, dates, text length, and, of course, dropdown lists — it’s one of those Excel tricks worth learning early. These cover common scenarios, but they’re rigid. The moment you need a rule that doesn’t fit neatly into one of those …

Police enforce closure of two Cardiff schools – ‘safety of pupils and staff | UK | News

Police enforce closure of two Cardiff schools – ‘safety of pupils and staff | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Two schools in Wales are remaining closed on Monday after “a report was made to the police”. South Wales Police has implemented the measures at Llanishen High School and Eastern High School as “a safety precaution”. The nature of the report has so far not been disclosed, reports WalesOnline. The force said it had not taken the decision “lightly” and was taken in conjunction with the city’s council ensure the safety of pupils. A statement from South Wales Police read: “Two Cardiff schools will remain closed on Monday (March 16) following a report made to South Wales Police on Sunday evening. Llanishen High School and Eastern High School will close as a safety precaution whilst investigations are undertaken, following discussion between the police and Cardiff Council.” Superintendent Mark Kavanagh added: “We have come to the decision, with support from Cardiff Council, to keep these schools closed on Monday in order to avoid risk, following a report which was made to police on Sunday evening.” “This report is currently under investigation. “This decision was not taken …

Companies Are Starting To Enforce AI Use. Is That A Good Or Bad Thing?

Companies Are Starting To Enforce AI Use. Is That A Good Or Bad Thing?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Via the AIX Files, Years ago, I was working on the editorial side for what was then a hot new media company, and found myself spending more and more time with Johan, the lead programmer, and his team, asking them a lot of annoying questions as it was all so new – certainly to me. I was standing over Johan’s left shoulder, mesmerized by whatever new video game he was obsessing over that week…when suddenly, out of nowhere, a spreadsheet and a pie chart appeared on his screen. “Whatcha got there, Johan?” asked Jim, Johan’s boss, peering over a sheaf of print-outs as he sharked past the cubicle. “Hey, just looking at some numbers,” Johan replied. Johan had hit the “game key” in the nick of time – in those days, every video game had a game key – ALT-G if memory serves – calling up a slight variation of the same spreadsheet and pie chart. This would never happen today. First, you’re probably not working in a cubicle, and if you are, it’s not …

Iran using drones to enforce hijab law

Iran using drones to enforce hijab law

Published by Sam Flores

A Friday report by the United Nations says Iran is using advanced technology, including drones, facial recognition and a citizen-reporting app to crack down on violations of its mandatory hijab laws. A key element of the effort is the government-backed Nazer app, which enables the police and “vetted” members of the public to report alleged violations by women in vehicles, including those in ambulances, mass transit and taxis. The report describes the app as allowing users to upload the vehicle license plate, location and time of an alleged violation. It then, according to the report, alerts police. Then, according to the report, the app “triggers a text message (in real-time) to the registered owner of the vehicle, warning them that they had been found in violation of the mandatory hijab laws, and that their vehicles would be impounded for ignoring these warnings.” According to the report, authorities are using drones in Tehran and the southern part of the country to monitor hijab compliance in public areas, as well as new facial recognition software said to …