Brain Ticklers, Ed. 41
Links for June 2023 that [carnivas thinks] will tickle the brains of his [purportedly] intelligent friends (and his future-self if AGI lets him live).
How are you, friend? May may have gone, but the good things that were written on the esoteric places of the WWW in the longest month of the year (don’t you feel so?) haven’t gone. You know why? Because I have collected them for you here, that’s why. I trust this is a special edition, purely for the wide range of subjects involved. Do enjoy.
If you don’t believe me on this, this summary by ChatGPT could convince you:
The write-up covers a wide range of topics, including multitasking, societal issues, scientific advancements, controversial subjects, personal development, AI, and random observations. It discusses the importance of learning to context switch and reduce the costs of multitasking, the impact of U.S. intelligence in India-China border clashes, the living conditions under the Taliban, and the potential for turning blood into human eggs. It also touches on social mobility, eugenics, gender and sexual orientation, AI advancements, and the implications of driverless and shared cars. The write-up includes perspectives on freedom, working from home, cognitive ability, prison, language, and comfort zones. It concludes with sections on prompting AI, the self, and random topics like language features and quantum computing.
What I wrote (yes, I wrote something myself after long)
We cannot avoid multitasking, so we better learn the art/skill of context switching and reduce its costs, instead of wallowing in self-pity.
The debate of how much of your current hedonism should be compromised for an imaginary future self, who may not even be grateful to you.
History (or its first draft)
U.S. intel helped India rout China in 2022 border clash. Wow (if true)
Apparently, life under the Taliban isn't as bad as it was feared (which doesn't mean it is good; some 97% of people live below the poverty line, it seems)
An interesting note about eugenics and the sterilization program done in India in the 1970s.
Society
Urban Company offered many women a rare opportunity for social mobility. Now, they want something better. Nice. File this under how tech helped society. An AI model similar to ChatGPT was combined with fMRI readings to non-invasively decode people's thoughts. Woah. The title is hyperbole, but the details have some substance. Also: Brain implants allow a paralyzed man to walk using his thoughts. More "tech helped society" stuff.
Hired as customer service reps, these freelancers were instead tasked with luring in the lonely and love struck through a network of dating and hookup sites. Okay, file this under how tech degraded the society. However, this trend will continue as long as there are gullible people. I fully expect the freelancers to be replaced with Gen AI, though.
Probably 18+ things
About 10% of men, and 90%+ of women, can be sexually aroused by people of either sex. Most of them tune out the same-sex arousal and go through life honestly identifying as straight. (There are apparently differences of opinion between studies on this. See #56 here. Still, this is an Oh boy moment!)
If that is true, this is scary: There is a plan to turn blood into human eggs: Rewrite the rules of reproduction, so people from the same gender can have children with both their DNAs
More science on this topic: The next 30 years will likely see the greatest crop of geniuses and athletes the human species has ever produced, due to "Polygenic embryo selection" becoming mainstream.
Somewhat related to the above: A detailed analysis of “Female hypergamy”, a supposed tendency for women to seek husbands who are higher-status than themselves.
And: Marriage and the possibility of starting a family (for a man) is no longer about realizing values of masculinity through providing for a woman and children.
I really didn't mean this to be an 18+ edition or something, but here you go: The ancient Cynics taught that masturbation is about more than pleasure: it suggests how to live simply and autonomously. (Will you believe me if I say I have a draft in my Evernote sitting since the Nirbhaya days, about a post for my blog, with this title: Is teaching effective masturbation to boys in their early teens a practical solution to sexual harassment?)
Also: How is enjoying a burger, even if it is one made of fake meat, different from a non-consensual physical relationship with a female (or a child!), even if she’s a sex doll?
The real issue with driverless and shared cars will not be whether they’re safe, but how awkward the conversation will be when you get into one. Is it like an elevator or a bus? Specifically: What if the other person farts?
‘Trust Code’ (in Microsoft) has flawed characters, dramatic cliffhangers and fans worldwide. Great, for a 'corporate training' course, I guess.
While this article on "freedom of individuals vs. demands of community" is about Sweden, I share it here for an observation I had about India. About 3/4ths into the article, you will notice a "culture map" and see where India is - Right in the center. I suspect the reason Indians can migrate to, and adjust to the other cultures easily might be due to this - You don't need to move too far on the map if you are in the center. (And I don't mean this in a positive sense of 'see migrant Indians are global CEOs' thing - See this)
Working from home is ‘morally wrong’ when service workers still have to show up, says Musk ji. (See Zoomeoisie by yours truly)
Restaurant food isn't being made for Instagram anymore. It is being made for TikTok. (It was probably never made for taste, ha!)
Cognitive ability is a far better predictor of academic achievement than is parental socio-economic status. (We can now deflect blame from our children, thank you.)
Interesting-Perspectives
Prison is extremely harsh in many, many ways and will often wreak more havoc on a delinquent than the damage their offense caused.
Glass is a “nonbinary material,” neither liquid nor solid.
The man has spoken. Noam Chomsky: The False Promise of ChatGPT. Related: Economist thinks Chomsky's theory of language itself is under attack. More Related: There is no fundamental reason human society has to be built around natural language. Oops.
Will A.I. become the new McKinsey? (and strengthen capitalism - not in the good sense of strengthening)
The power of the context or perspective is worth 80 IQ points, says Alan Kay (PDF).
Perso-Dev
Be skeptical of pop psychology studies (as always): Experiences won’t make you happier than possessions
Which of today’s widely accepted practices will look as ridiculous in a decade as doctors refusing to wash hands before surgery? A collection of things that sound ridiculous now, but people were "certain" about it in their times.
What we call as comfort zone is actually a miserable, disempowering background pull of discomfort, to avoid the possibility of occasional more intense, but short-lived, moments of high anxiety or fear. Related: Practice is more than just repetition of behavior—it’s a movement of energy that creates a fissure in us to reveal what’s within. More movement, more revelation.
There comes a point in every man’s life where he must decide if he will strive to be somebody important, or if he will work to do something important. (Note - to mainly the self - Choosing the 'do something' once you realize the 'be somebody' isn't working out, doesn't count here, ha!)
Working alongside AI:
A guide to prompting AI (for what it is worth). A little bit of magic, but mostly just practice. Related: Microsoft has a serious MSDN style set of pages on it! More Related: A large part of the work that goes on inside organizations is about stitching together context or trying to figure out which analyses make sense to do to figure out which questions, both of which are moving targets. Which also means you’d need to know how to coax good analysis out of whatever AI systems you’re using.
More AI & work stuff: Like some bad joke, humans are being left with the same long working hours, as robots draw, write poetry, and take over creative work. However, why "novel" is an art form that cannot be written by an AI? (I don't understand why I feel like adding a "so far" to the end of it). Related: AI is poised to create a whole new way of working. (As much as this is a self-serving one by Microsoft, the content is good)
You & yourself:
The most underrated tool for gaining self-knowledge is participating in any long-term relationship
Related to the above: You are the one constant throughout your life. Invest in your relationship with yourself! Explore your nooks and crannies, your little traits and tendencies. Be on your own team.
Instead of being disciplined about hating on yourself to get things done, try being disciplined about remaining close to what brings you joy.
When you develop a relationship between your present self and your future self, where the former serves the latter, you arrive at a point, Chase says, “where you’re looking forward in time with concern and. . . Looking backward in time. . . With gratitude.”. (See also: My thoughts on this if you missed it in the first section)
Random
(Video) Features English is missing - but most other languages have
I learned about Camille Paglia over the past month (through a Satire column), and her quotes are wonderful. Should sample/read her book(s) some time.
A very interesting short story that starts with a fence and ends at the edge of the universe
Q-day. That is the day when a robust quantum computer, will be able to crack the most common encryption method used to secure our digital data. (This is a fairly detailed explanation of quantum computing. Do read).