Theory42

Detecting genuine human angst in the sea of AI posts

Say it ain't so

I really liked this talk as well. One part that I'm not sure I can fully agree with, though, is the idea of fully re-conceptualizing the self. It is possible to self-author, and partially change...but I have never heard of nor met anyone who just became a totally different person. I'm willing to concede that he may have been speaking hypothetically, or that maybe the idea of changing the self will be more accessible to AGI rather than for humanity.

If the plutonium core was removed, as indicated in the blog, why was the impact crater radioactive?

Why aren't cooperative business models more common among software companies? Starting a software company typically doesn't require a large amount of capital, especially with open source projects where individual contributions can play a significant role. In these cases, a cooperative model could effectively distribute ownership among the contributors, essentially making them co-owners. This approach seems simpler than managing a hybrid of nonprofit and for-profit elements.

You say that like its a bad thing...

This is great, thanks for making the effort!

That's the thing about having lots of money: all your bad ideas can get a workforce behind them. Admittedly, the good ones as well.

It seems you have it out for the US and Israel specifically, which is certainly a take, but not a very well rounded one. If you were, say, against the use of this particular technology for any military, that would be one thing, but you seem to only want the US DoD to not have it.

All the cool swords seem to come from societies without access to good iron. Ever seen a 'Viking' sword?

There sure are a lot of comments that ultimately don't get at the root of it: there are too many human beings alive right now for the amount of resources we require (or our technological ability to use resources without destroying everything else). Results like the article all derive from this.

True, but we're talking about millions of years of possible desolation before that happens.

Great suggestion, I did so just now.

This is so incorrect I'm going to upvote it.

Get a VPN

What does it mean to say you want to see the Great Wave when it was created on woodblock?

Where's the fun in that?

https://aia.mit.edu/about/ has programs for volunteers from active duty.

I don't have kids; I really like this perspective, though. I don't happen to share it, but I can appreciate it.

It's obviously a necessary and good thing for people to have children if humanity is going to continue. However, one thing that isn't discussed much by Team Parents is the prospect of there being too much of a good thing. The population explosion over the last 150ish years is a clear trade between more people and less everything else in the natural world. At some point (now, anyone?), that trade is not worth making. It's an irresponsible trade. Does not promote the maturity of society, even if it matures the individual.

What say ye to this line of reasoning? I grant you that city-living and domestication is 'naturally' reigning things in as far as population growth, hence the article. I'm asserting that perhaps there is a kind of virtue in foregoing the wonderful self sacrificial experience known as being a parent, in that the childless are helping the general state of affairs.

The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski. Civilisation - Kenneth Clark Cosmos - Carl Sagan Cosmos - Not Carl Sagan

All pretty good.

This is a work of art--I must say though that I remember thinking of his subject as a bit of a mirror for his work: in the first episode he remember him talking about propaganda in its many forms, and then getting the impression that he was using those exact techniques on the viewer within the documentary itself.

All without AGI!

One might reach the conclusion that this sort of thing is human nature. Not all natural inclinations are good...

Yes, Wikipedia is great. But PSA: its only great if we keep it great.

This is very innovative. You should be be proud!

This was good for a laugh, thanks. :)

Come work for the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland AFB, NM (Albuquerque):

SUPERVISORY IT SPECIALIST, GS-14 https://www.usajobs.gov/job/657438000

About AFOTEC: https://www.afotec.af.mil/

ONSITE

Smart. Tit for tat is often a winning strategy.

Agreed--I'm really excited about all this hydrogen fueled or eVTOL business that's going on lately. The future could be awesome.

Is it possible that this bothers you personally? Flying really is one of the most negatively impactful things that an individual can do. Shifting the focus to government or business may be 'also correct', but you could also call it whataboutism.