Max Roser from Our World in Data makes the case for everyone of us to become more interested in how artificial intelligence is transforming out world: «If you and the wider public do not get informed and engaged, then we leave it to a few entrepreneurs and engineers to decide how this technology will transform our world.» He explains his reasoning along three key questions: Why is it hard to take the prospect of a world transformed by AI seriously? How can we imagine such a world? And what is at stake as this technology becomes more powerful?
From Weekly Filet #433, in March 2023.
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Intriguing lecture by Daniel Kahneman — Nobel Laureate of «Thinking, Fast and Slow» fame. On adversarial collaboration — «the idea is that people who don’t agree on a scientific idea commit themselves to work together towards a joint truth, either by experimentation or by discussion.»
From Weekly Filet #432, in March 2023.
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Bernie Sanders, FT columnist Martin Wolf and degrowth proponent Kate Raworth discuss the increasingly shaky relationship between democracy and capitalism. 40 minutes, spent well (in fact, I wished they continued for longer).
From Weekly Filet #432, in March 2023.
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«A life recounted can make sense in a way that life lived does not.» Beautiful, subtle piece.
From Weekly Filet #432, in March 2023.
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Those who easily dismiss it («look what stupid mistakes it makes!») and those who overhype it («goodbye every white collar job!») have one thing in common: They are naïve about the power and limitations of AI. What I like about Dan Shipper’s approach is that he is looking closely at (and experimenting with) AI as a companion to enhance his writing capabilities, by carefully exploring what it’s good at, and how one needs to interact with it.
From Weekly Filet #432, in March 2023.
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I had never heard of Juan Tamariz, «the godfather of close-up card magic». A very interesting, well-written profile that led me into a rabbit hole of YouTube videos.
From Weekly Filet #432, in March 2023.
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Thoroughly reported and masterfully arranged oral history of the months leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s a very long read, but it never feels long — so captivating.
From Weekly Filet #431, in March 2023.
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A good point: the distinction between «resume virtues» and «eulogy virtues».
From Weekly Filet #431, in March 2023.
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A simple dataset — no more than six numbers — visualised in one hundred different ways. Obviously, some of these visualisations are better than others, and some are near pointless or quite misleading, but that is exactly what makes this overview so instructive to look at. Usually when you see graphics being used to make a point, you don’t see all the roads not taken, and are probably not aware of how different choices would have changed the effect of the graphic.
From Weekly Filet #431, in March 2023.
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We hear a lot about the future of cars, but not much about the future of…roads. Reading this article makes you realise roads deserve more attention — I mean, who doesn’t want roads made of giant plastic pieces that snap together like Lego bricks (that come with a host of benefits for the environment)?
From Weekly Filet #431, in March 2023.
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