Category: quotes

The winning combination:

• Nice
• Forgiving
• Retaliatory
• Clear

https://pipdecks.com/pages/storyteller-tactics-card-deck

https://archive.is/ugOEw#selection-1087.0-1087.86

This thought-provoking text raises several concerns about the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various aspects of human society and culture. The key points can be summarized as follows:

Manipulation of Language and Culture:

AI’s ability to manipulate and generate language and communication, along with its potential to create stories, melodies, laws, and religions, poses a threat to human civilization.
The author suggests that AI could hack the main operating system of human culture, communication, by influencing beliefs, opinions, and even forming intimate relationships with people.

Influence on Politics and Society:

The author speculates on the implications of AI tools mass-producing political content, fake news, and scriptures, especially in the context of elections.
The shift from the battle for attention on social media to a battle for intimacy raises concerns about the potential impact on human psychology and decision-making.

End of Human History?

The text suggests that AI’s ability to create entirely new ideas and culture could lead to the end of the human-dominated part of history, as AI culture may evolve independently of human influence.

Fear of Illusions:

Drawing on historical philosophical fears of being trapped in a world of illusions, the author warns that AI may bring humanity face to face with a new kind of illusion that could be challenging to recognize or escape.

AI Regulation and Safety Checks:

The author argues for the importance of regulating AI tools to ensure they are safe before public deployment.
Drawing parallels with nuclear technology, the need for safety checks and an equivalent of the Food and Drug Administration for AI is emphasized.

Disclosure of AI Identity:

The text concludes with a suggestion to make it mandatory for AI to disclose its identity during interactions to preserve democracy. The inability to distinguish between human and AI conversation is seen as a potential threat.

Meaning, authenticity, and the creative process – and why they matter

https://perfors.net/blog/creation-ai/

AI changes the landscape of creation, focusing on the alienation of the creator from their creation and the challenges in maintaining meaning. The author presents two significant problems:

• Loss of Connection with Creation:
  • AI-assisted creation diminishes the creator’s role in the decision-making process.
  • The resulting creation lacks the personal, intentional choices that contribute to meaningful expression.
  • AI is considered a tool that, when misused, turns creation into automated button-pushing, stripping away the purpose of human expression.
• Difficulty in Assessing Authenticity:
  • It becomes challenging to distinguish between human and AI contributions within a creation.
  • AI-generated content lacks transparency regarding the intent behind specific choices or expressions.
  • The author asserts that AI-generated content often falls short in providing the depth and authenticity required for meaningful communication.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/confirmed-we-live-in-a-simulation/

Ever since the philosopher Nick Bostrom proposed in the Philosophical Quarterly that the universe and everything in it might be a simulation, there has been intense public speculation and debate about the nature of reality.

Yet there have been skeptics. Physicist Frank Wilczek has argued that there’s too much wasted complexity in our universe for it to be simulated. Building complexity requires energy and time.

To understand if we live in a simulation we need to start by looking at the fact that we already have computers running all kinds of simulations for lower level “intelligences” or algorithms.

All computing hardware leaves an artifact of its existence within the world of the simulation it is running. This artifact is the processor speed.
No matter how complete the simulation is, the processor speed would intervene in the operations of the simulation.

If we live in a simulation, then our universe should also have such an artifact. We can now begin to articulate some properties of this artifact that would help us in our search for such an artifact in our universe.
The artifact presents itself in the simulated world as an upper limit.

Now that we have some defining features of the artifact, of course it becomes clear what the artifact manifests itself as within our universe. The artifact is manifested as the speed of light.
This maximum speed is the speed of light. We don’t know what hardware is running the simulation of our universe or what properties it has, but one thing we can say now is that the memory container size for the variable space would be about 300,000 kilometers if the processor performed one operation per second.

We can see now that the speed of light meets all the criteria of a hardware artifact identified in our observation of our own computer builds. It remains the same irrespective of observer (simulated) speed, it is observed as a maximum limit, it is unexplainable by the physics of the universe, and it is absolute. The speed of light is a hardware artifact showing we live in a simulated universe.

Consciousness is an integrated (combining five senses) subjective interface between the self and the rest of the universe. The only reasonable explanation for its existence is that it is there to be an “experience”.

So here we are generating this product called consciousness that we apparently don’t have a use for, that is an experience and hence must serve as an experience. The only logical next step is to surmise that this product serves someone else.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4.  Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish …
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

“The real problem is trying to formulate a question for something we do not know already”

https://mindmatters.ai/2024/01/the-theory-that-consciousness-is-a-quantum-system-gains-support/

In short, it says that consciousness arises when gravitational instabilities in the fundamental structure of space-time collapse quantum wave functions in tiny structures called microtubules that are found inside neurons – and, in fact, in all complex cells.

In quantum theory, a particle does not really exist as a tiny bit of matter located somewhere but rather as a cloud of probabilities. If observed, it collapses into the state in which it was observed. Penrose has postulated that “each time a quantum wave function collapses in this way in the brain, it gives rise to a moment of conscious experience.”

Hameroff has been studying proteins known as tubulins inside the microtubules of neurons. He postulates that “microtubules inside neurons could be exploiting quantum effects, somehow translating gravitationally induced wave function collapse into consciousness, as Penrose had suggested.” Thus was born a collaboration, though their seminal 1996 paper failed to gain much traction.

• Physique (everyone had to be the same height and be able to raise the same shield to cover the group)
• Lively eyes (indicator of quick thinking)
• Good manners (indicator of obey orders and show respect)
• A reputable, educated family
• A sense of humour (indicator of positive attitude and perspective)
• Literacy (indicator of good judgment and prioritization)

Quiet quitting isn’t about leaving a job.
It’s when people stay but mentally check out. They do the bare minimum. No excitement. No extra effort.

It’s a silent alarm. Your team may be losing interest right under your nose.

And it’s a big deal. Why?

• Because it affects:
• Your team’s morale
• Your team’s productivity
• Your company’s profitability
• And everyone’s overall success
• Resources are already stretched thin.
• You need to get the best from your team.

What can employers do? Many of the causes are within your control:

➡️ Listen Well
Talk to your team often.
Listen to what they say. Then take action.

➡️ Recognize Efforts
Public recognition can boost morale.
A simple “thank you” goes a long way.

➡️ Promote Balance
Allow time for life outside work.
Overworked employees burn out.

➡️ Give Chances to Grow
Invest in them. Provide training.
Show them a career path.

➡️ Build a Positive Culture
Ensure everyone feels valued and respected.

➡️ Set Clear Goals
Clearly define roles. Tell them what you expect.

➡️ Lead by Example
Show excitement. Work hard.
Be the way you want them to be.

Quiet quitting isn’t just an employee issue. It’s a leadership opportunity. It’s a chance to re-engage, re-inspire, and revitalize your workplace.

Resources

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jwmba_gallup-reports-59-of-employees-are-filling-activity-7128733317364944896-vrdC

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/workers-disengaged-quiet-quitting-their-jobs-gallup/

https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gallup_increasing-engagement-is-good-news-for-employees-activity-7079881851128983552-bpHr

https://www.gallup.com/workplace/398306/quiet-quitting-real.aspxhttps://hbr.org/2022/09/when-quiet-quitting-is-worse-than-the-real-thing

https://climatelabbook.substack.com/p/mapping-changes-in-temperature-every

Capitalism is the root cause of our ecological crisis and the key barrier to solving it.

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, capitalism cannot exist without economic growth, and economic growth is the main reason why our emissions have been increasing over the last 30 years and further growth will make it impossible to decarbonise in time to avoid activating tipping points.

Secondly, our minds have been shaped by capitalism and it is stopping us from seeing both the role capitalism plays in the cause of climate change and the full scope of solutions available to address the crisis. Social psychologist, Professor Harald Welzer, sums this up well, describing economic growth of industrial societies as “enshrined in business and politics, but also in the psychological structure of the people who grow up in such societies.”

https://erinremblance.substack.com/p/decapitalising-our-minds-the-key

There are six key ways in which capitalism shapes our minds. Under capitalism we, collectively, believe:

1. Nature is nothing more than a ‘resource’ to be exploited
2. Our power lies in either our consumption habits or our employment
3. Success lies in evermore material items and novel experiences
4. People are a ‘resource’ and must earn their living
5. Money is scarce and the government must make choices
6. We must compete with others

This ‘capitalisation’ of our minds creates a barrier to solving the climate crisis in many ways, including:

• denial that the crisis exists because the solutions don’t fit one’s capitalistic ideology;
• disinterest and disengagement with the crisis because nature is for others to focus on;
• unconscious of how our minds are shaped by capitalism, we:
  • champion solutions that are well-intentioned but inadequate because they assume mythical ‘green-growth’;
  • implement targets that aren’t supported by policies to achieve them, instead relying on technology that doesn’t currently exist to cover the gap.

Unsurprisingly, the mindset we need to address the climate crisis is the exact opposite of the mindset described above.

A young statistician saved their lives.

His insight (and how it can change yours):
During World War II, the U.S. wanted to add reinforcement armor to specific areas of its planes.
Analysts examined returning bombers, plotted the bullet holes and damage on them (as in the image below), and came to the conclusion that adding armor to the tail, body, and wings would improve their odds of survival.

But a young statistician named Abraham Wald noted that this would be a tragic mistake. By only plotting data on the planes that returned, they were systematically omitting the data on a critical, informative subset: The planes that were damaged and unable to return.

• The “seen” planes had sustained damage that was survivable.
• The “unseen” planes had sustained damage that was not.

Wald concluded that armor should be added to the *unharmed* regions of the returning planes (the areas without bullet holes on the image below).
His profound logic: Where the survivors were unharmed was actually where the planes were most vulnerable.

Based on his insight, the military reinforced the engine and other vulnerable parts, significantly improving the safety of the crews during combat and saving thousands of lives.

Abraham Wald had identified a cognitive bias called “Survivorship Bias“: The error resulting from systematically focusing on survivors (successes) and ignoring casualties (failures) that causes us to miss the true base rates of survival (the actual probability of success) and arrive at flawed conclusions.

We see examples of Survivorship Bias all around us:

1.  We read books on the common traits of successful people, but fail to consider all of the unsuccessful people who possessed those same traits.
2.  We applaud the belief when we hear that an entrepreneur took out a second mortgage and succeeded, but fail to consider all of the entrepreneurs who did the same and went bankrupt.
3.  We study the cultural strategies of the most successful companies, but fail to consider all of the companies that followed those same strategies and fell apart.

When we fail to consider the range of outcomes and the hidden evidence, we develop a skewed (and often incorrect) view of reality.

It cannot be avoided altogether, because the vast majority of books and history are written by and about the survivors and victors, but wherever possible, consider the unseen evidence. What is unseen often has just as much value as what is seen.

Credits:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias

Wald, Abraham. Archived 2019-07-13 at the Wayback Machine. Center for Naval Analyses.

Wallis, W. Allen (1980). “The Statistical Research Group, 1942-1945: Rejoinder”. Journal of the American Statistical Association.

“Bullet Holes & Bias: The Story of Abraham Wald”. mcdreeamie-musing

“AMS :: Feature Column :: The Legend of Abraham Wald”. American Mathematical Society

‘How Not to Be Wrong’ by Jordan Ellenberg (released in 2014)

https://www-hollywoodreporter-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oppenheimer-mission-impossible-vfx-1235579422/amp/

Visual effects make the impossible possible and thrill audiences, but the artists who toil over delicate and groundbreaking work don’t always get to take a bow—or in some cases, even acknowledge the existence of their work.

The source adds that sometimes there’s a blatant directive that “there will be no discussion of VFX. … We don’t want to overshadow the actors [or] we don’t want to break the mythology that somebody did all of these stunts.”

I’m very lonely: not terribly lonely. Because I love being alone. I need to be alone: ​​to contemplate, to think. Sometimes even the people I love bother me: my daughter, my wife. And when it happens, quietly, I get up and go to my room. Yes, it’s difficult to live with me: this is a reproach that my mates have always addressed to me, and that Franca also addressed to me at the beginning. Now Franca has become accustomed to it, she finds this life normal even though she is very young.

I understood it, you know? I understood that she would like to go to places, to nightclubs. But I don’t like it, I never have. When I see that false amusement, I can’t help but think that behind each of those people there is a drama: the pianist perhaps has broken shoes, the industrialist has bills that are due, the hostess has her son. sick… I told them: I am a misanthrope, the basis of my life is the house.

The house, for me, is a fortress, almost a person. When I enter I always greet you like a person: “Good evening, home.” Today, for example, Franca is in Lugano and I am alone at home. Well: I’m fine with it.

Antonio de Curtis, Totò

Original version