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I admit that the title may seem strange at first. Why are Brain-Computer Interfaces among humanity's most important innovations ever made? Just consider fusion energy, which could provide us with infinite energy. Wouldn't an infinite amount of energy be more critical? But do we need an infinite amount of energy? Strictly speaking, an individual’s minimal resource requirement is not high. On average, one person needs around 2 x 1 x 1 meter of space and enough energy to keep it warm. With proper insulation, this would be minimal. If we stay still instead of moving, our nutrient intake would also drop to a minimum. Not needing disposables would reduce our ecological footprint to zero and almost eliminate the growing pile of waste surrounding us. For the nature around us, having us out of the equation would be the ‘ideal state’. But who would want to live their whole life in a coffin?! Though this might sound daunting at first, let’s look closer. What is missing? Freedom of movement? Not necessarily. What is actually lacking is the input and interaction with each other and the world around us. In essence, our brains - which are us - remain stationary in our heads for the entirety of our lives. It transmits impulses down our limbs and receives input from our senses. If a computer could process and create all of these impulses in the same quality that we experience in reality, our brain would feel just the same as it does now. If a large portion of our consumption was virtual, we could immediately get rid of many associated problems. Take the meat industry for example. The meat industry contributes significantly to CO2 emissions and requires considerable areas taken from nature. A large part of the animals living on Earth are now kept for profit, and the large majority of wild animals are threatened with extinction, as their habitat is shrinking. However, meat is not essential. Many vegetarians on Earth never eat meat, yet they are fine. What we really need is not meat, but the feeling of eating meat. What if we could separate the act of eating from the intake of food? The necessary nutrients would be produced locally, thus no need for packing, shipping, etc. The food production process would be completely sustainable. And, if someone was craving a good burger, they would be able to eat it in the virtual space. They would experience the flavor of the burger, the way the juicy patty melts in their mouth, so they would feel the same experience as if they were eating a real burger. Just imagine how many problems this single change could solve. As almost every problem of mankind stems from overconsumption, if we could shift a significant part of our consumption into the virtual space, we could solve almost every problem of mankind. Is this too sci-fi? For now, yes. But the research in is a very active area of study, so it may become possible within a few decades what I've written about. brain-computer interfaces In the following section, I will discuss where BCI research stands today and what can be expected in the future. Research on BCIs has an important topic of curing blindness. If we were able to project the image of a camera into the brain of a blind person, this would restore their ability to see. Likewise, if we were able to do this for a blind person, we would also be able to do so for a healthy person. There would be no need for VR headsets if we could project the image directly into the brain. And if we were able to project images into the brain, we could also simulate tastes, smells, and other sensations to a complex degree, such as the experience of eating a hamburger. But is this really possible? Everyone has probably heard of Elon Musk’s , where the ultimate goal is to establish a brain-computer connection of this magnitude. But they are not the only ones working on this technology. Similar technologies are being developed by BlackRock Neurotech and Synchron. Neuralink The above three companies are developing invasive technology, hence surgical intervention is required to install the devices, though the aim everywhere is to make this intervention as minimal as possible. However, there are explorations of non-invasive solutions as well, which do not require opening the skull. According to , it is possible to project images into the visual cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for vision, using focused ultrasound. For this, special viruses must be used to deliver proteins to the neurons that make them sensitive to ultrasound. new research The , supported by DARPA, started with a similar goal, aiming to create a kind of visual telepathy, but using near-infrared light and magnetic fields instead of ultrasound. In this case, viruses would be employed to make neurons sensitive to light and magnetism so they could be stimulated externally. MOANA project Who knows what the future holds?! It is possible that we will be able to access neurons without viruses with the help of nanorobots, or we might use nanoparticles that will be carried by the blood to the brain where an external magnetic field will be used to build wires from them, providing a direct connection to the brain through the back of the neck, somewhat like in the MATRIX. The realization of brain-computer interfaces is a technological problem. We need to connect an organic machine (the brain) to one based on silicon. Although the problem is complex, it appears tractable and the benefits would be fascinating. For many, this may be a frightening prospect, but this technology could actually liberate us. With the help of brain-computer interfaces, overconsumption, energy problems, and climate change could be reversed. We could solve many problems at once with a single technology, so I believe it is worth focusing more of our resources on this area since in a certain sense brain-computer interfaces are the holy grail of science and technology. And finally, a short sci-fi story: By 2030, humanity had been driven to the brink of extinction. The pollution of the environment and the destruction of Earth's resources had reached such an extent that irreversible changes had been made to the billions-of-years-old ecosystem. The leaders of the world had done almost nothing to halt the catastrophe. They had been blinded by money and power, and the people had been deceived by the empty promises of their leaders. Eventually, the smog had completely shrouded the sun, the soil had become infertile, and famine and destitution spread throughout the land. Due to the extreme weather conditions, more and more places had become uninhabitable, wars had broken out, and countries had been brought to collapse. It was the very hell on Earth, but still, many people kept proclaiming: this is not our fault. In their desperation, the world's major tech companies and scientists joined forces in an unprecedented attempt to find a solution. Everyone pinned their hopes on the increasingly advanced artificial intelligence, and eventually, it was the AI who spoke what everyone had been afraid to say: the only way out is to remove the most harmful component, humans! They created a perfect virtual world, the MATRIX, where everyone could live happily ever after. There was no want, no famine, no diseases. Anyone was able to join the network for free. Those who made the decision had nanobots injected into their bodies, connecting their brains and then linking them to the MATRIX through a port in the back of their neck. While people were living in perfect abundance in the virtual world, their bodies were being sustained in a self-sustaining ecosystem. Initially, the MATRIX was the heaven for the people, but they could not make sense of their omnipotence and soon grew tired of the perfection. In the end, they decided to erase their previous memories and start a new life in a '90s-style world where they had to work for everything, but also be happy with what they had achieved. The people were happy again in this simulated world they had created, where they could finally forget the horrors of the outside world. With few exceptions, the entire human race had joined the MATRIX, with only a few smaller colonies like Zion having rejected the technology. They lived underground in cramped bunkers subsisting on a tasteless protein shake. It was a living hell. Refusing to accept the comforts of what they considered an insidious world, they had fabricated some strange children's story about the machines forcibly dragging people into the MATRIX to be used as some kind of energy source. Although it was plainly contradictory - they had, after all, access to sources like nuclear energy - everyone believed it and propagated it. They were sick people, the products of a sick world. For a long time, the two worlds coexisted peacefully until a small group of self-proclaimed heroes set out to 'save' humanity from the MATRIX. This is now their story...

Why Brain-Machine Interfaces Will Be Human Kind’s Greatest Invention

Image courtesy of Tom Roberts at Unsplash Technology has given us more than any of us would have dared dream of decades ago. This cannot be stressed enough. However, we are becoming increasingly aware that such advancements also sociological behaviours that were long the realm of the analogue world. magnify both positive and negative So much so, in fact, that algorithms are now at the center of a digital world that’s changing the way experts think about human development. How could this be? Isn’t technology merely a tool? A tool for good, too, as robotics, AR, social management software, and others have proven to be? The reality is of course a lot more complex, as we realise that unintended consequences abound in an hyper-connected world, and that humanity may be much more prone to manipulation and irrational behaviour than we once thought. Some of these unintended consequences stand head and shoulder above others, especially and specifically when viewed in relation to social media, which benefits from mass appeal and thus have a wider impact on humanity’s mental health. These impacts can be either vastly positive or vastly negative. In order to make sure one outweighs the other, one may be inclined to posit that regulation of tech companies is needed. And posit we shall. The Digital World Makes Us Lonely Mental health is a topic of conversation that is particularly hard to tackle due to a variety of stigmas associated with it, all of which vary depending on , (sometimes it may not be “just a phase”, MOM) and . culture age gender Thankfully, times are changing as experts and laypeople alike realise the psychological price of being both hyper-connected and increasingly alone: , which all too often leads to a drop in self-esteem, FOMO-induced anxiety, and ultimately depression. as we seek to become both audience and entertainer, we lose ourselves in the highly performative show that social media has given us a platform to create As if lonely wasn’t bad enough, loneliness and isolation are for . Rigorous studies have linked loneliness and social isolation to a weakened immune system, a higher blood pressure, an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes arthritis, suicide, and more. feeling shockingly bad your physical health and well-being According to the former United States Surgeon General, who authored a , loneliness and social isolation are: widely cited meta-analysis “ ” associated with a reduction in life span similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity. In fact, these health issues have gotten worrying enough to warrant the appointment of a in the U.K. Minister of Loneliness The key to healthy aging is relationships, relationships, relationships. — George Vaillant, . Harvard Study There are of course, many causes for this: for example, young adults move around more than any other demographic ever has, which severs support networks (friends, family, mentors). People are changing jobs more than ever, which interrupts connections that in previous eras would have become decades long. Freelancing is also , depriving workers from the pleasure of having colleagues. quickly becoming the new normal Yet, all sources agree that social media plays a major role in humanity’s rapidly deteriorating mental well-being. : And no, more tech in not the answer “ ,” , “ ” ( ). Social media is indeed very much part of the problem. online social contacts with friends and family as one study put it were not an effective alternative for offline social interactions in reducing feelings of loneliness looking at you, New York Times Thanks to Instagram and Facebook, people are suffering and (sometimes) dying under the torture of the fantasy self they’re failing to become. Same Sea, Different Boats Loneliness and social isolation affects men far more than women, for what appears to be obvious reason, which I here over-simplify: men , because emotional sharing is not in accordance with a gender identity created centuries ago. And though I cannot stress enough the fact that women still face , they go into the world increasingly well equipped to emotionally take them on. share their feelings less, with less people an abundance of obstacles . To be a woman today is to be the beneficiary of decades of conversation about the complexities of womanhood, its many forms and expressions No commensurate movement has emerged to help men navigate toward a full expression of their gender (the closest thing I could find was , which involves dancing and crying, naked, in a British forest). the ManKind project In a world where the historical staples of masculinity (strength, aggression and competitiveness) are no longer relevant, many find themselves trapped. We don’t even have the language to talk about how we feel about it, because the language that exists to discuss the full range of human emotion is viewed as overtly feminine. And so the man who feels lost but wishes to preserve his fully masculine self has only two choices: withdrawal or rage, , and too often towards women. often with deadly effect Technology can make these outmoded, incorrect and misplaced male self-beliefs disappear, as we’re likely to speak more openly about our feelings under the cover of anonymity, something that comes up again and again when discussing the benefits of the digital world. In fact, the most efficient innovations in the field are the ones which combine the flexibility of technology with human expertise. help Technology can’t (and shouldn’t) do it all. Indeed, for a 50-year-old, the biggest predictor of your health at 80 isn’t your cholesterol level, but the quality of your relationships . Won’t Somebody (Please) Think of the Children? Because of the recent developments discussed above, researchers are busy tracking and analysing every aspect of the web’s effects on kids’ social behaviours, and even physiological development, leading to some great publications with regards to the effects of cyber-bullying, revenge porn and trolling, while law enforcement and various governmental bodies study the rise of cyber-savvy pedophiles, criminals and the depression epidemic. mental health . Everywhere one turns, grown-ups are volubly voicing their anxieties about the smartphone generation (better late than never, right?) Because of various breakthroughs in this field, parents now know that they have to work incredibly hard to protect their kids’ imaginations from predatory, addictive websites that want to sell things to them — or sell them to advertisers. Yet, there is a limit to how much parenting is needed in these situations. The role of a parent is not that of a security drone, ( ). Parents have to lay the groundwork, starting conversations about , what’s dangerous and what’s safe. The youths will have to do the rest. assessing every move drone parenting = helicopter parenting but with more collateral damage what’s real and what’s not The logic behind paranoid parenting is both simple and understandable: the latest generations must be exceptionally protected because we live in exceptional times. Yet, not allowing a certain level of freedom will (and has) lead to the creation of a . fragile generation This is why we have “ ” in schools and Gen Zers missing today. safe spaces adult milestones An entire generation of kids was told that they’d never be too safe . And they believed it. By trying to keep children safe from all risks, obstacles, hurt feelings, and fears, our culture has taken away the opportunities they need to become successful adults. In treating them as fragile — emotionally, socially, and physically — society actually makes them so, despite regular proof that children are capable of immense courage and strength. If kids don’t learn to wobble, they’ll never learn to walk, and they end up standing still. What’s more worrying than all the above is that people increasingly turn to tech to tell them how to best regulate tech aimed at children. I shouldn’t have to explain why this is a silly, silly idea. Privacy is a BIG Deal Back in the days, our parents taught us not to get in strangers’ cars, and not to meet people from the internet. As an adult, we literally summon strangers from the internet to get in their car and tell them where we live. Data literacy shouldn’t only be for children, but also for adults. As a matter of fact, it should be for everyone, in order to create a better civic life. And one major aspect of said literacy is the concept of data privacy. Unsurprisingly, data privacy is hugely important to modern society, as data is a resource which can either can do tremendous good or tremendous harm. It can be used to identify, categorise and persecute, or it can be used to help us make evidence-based decisions. The difference between the two often lies in the way consent is collected and stored, why data is collected, how long it will be kept, whether it will be cross-referenced with other data, etc. What also matters is who has access to it. When Big Data was still called “statistics”, it was collected by the government and shared freely. Now that corporations gather it in a citizen-centric way, the general population can expect no such generosity. This has become yet another way inequality is created and strengthened. As despised as it is by company, the GDPR is a way to give power back to the people. It’s been seen as counterproductive by the public only because the public relies on platforms which hate this regulation to get information. The Silicon Valley Cop-out Accessibility, accuracy, transparency… Companies and governments have to work together to construct digital privacy guidelines, but companies should not make the mistake of thinking they’re the equals of governments. They’re very much below them in the chain of command and should remain so, as mere advisers and instigators. They should also be held accountable when their instigation backfire. This may appear blasphemous for many free-market proponents, raised as they are in countries where tobacco groups do not cause cancer, distilleries do not cause alcoholism, guns do not cause school shootings and drug companies do not cause overdoses. Silicon Valley has taken advantage of this way of thinking, and its go-to excuse when its products cause harm (unemployment, bias, deaths) is to say that its technologies are value neutral, and that they are powerless to influence the nature of their implementation. That’s just an easy way out! The digital world behaving unexpectedly is now a fact of life, and just as car makers must now be aware of emissions, tech companies must closely track an algorithm’s behavior as it changes over time and contexts, and when needed, mitigate malicious behavior, lest they face a hefty fine. Technology, has both saved and doomed us in so many ways that one might be inclined to think that it is inherent to our nature to create tools that simultaneously do both. At the end of the day, technology merely holds a dark mirror to society, its triumphs and its inequalities. Maybe, just maybe, the best thing to come from it isn’t a better understanding of our engineering prowess, but rather a better understanding of ourselves. This article was originally written for , a blog providing in-depth analyses of today’s technological challenges. . The Pourquoi Pas Click here to access it

Technology as Humankind’s Dark Mirror: The Perils and Promises of the Digital World

has been nominated for a 2020 Noonie in the category. Jorge is a software engineer working in the healthcare sector in Berlin, Germany. Jorge Ortega from Berlin software development are Hacker Noon’s way of getting to know — from a community perspective —  what matters in tech today. So, we asked our Noonie Nominees to tell us. The Noonies Here’s what Jorge had to share. 1.  Which 2020 Noonie have you been nominated for? Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year: Html 2. Tell us a bit about yourself. I'm a software engineer from Costa Rica, currently living in Berlin. I have learned a lot about React and Ruby since coming here in 2017. I'm interested in the all the latest tools and libraries that make our work easier. 3. Tell us about the things you make / write / manage / build. I do mostly React components. I work in the healthcare sector and it has been very rewarding to create solutions for patients and doctors. I have done ERP modules, video, surveys, mobile apps, electron apps. I have learned a lot. 4. What are you most excited about right now? How easy, stable and scalable React is becoming 5. What are you worried about right now? How to move people from traditional labor to tech. A large group of human kind is being left behind. 6. What's the most useful advice you've ever given somebody? Hard work and study has a big reward later 7. How has the pandemic changed your life and/or career? I'm very lucky it didn't affect my work and the company I work for. Personally it has been very painful to be isolated from Costa Rica, my home country and Argentina, my wife's. 8. If we gave you $10 million to invest in one thing right now, where would you put it? Laptops and programming courses for third world countries. 9. Which apps can't you live without? Twitter 10. What are you currently learning? Always Ruby on Rails, it's very hard for me At Hacker Noon, we decided not to put good ideas behind pop-ups or paywalls — nor abuse your personal data to target you with creepy ads. We also decided that you don’t have to be an influencer or have 50k followers on Twitter to earn the recognition that comes with a 2020 Noonie Nomination. Make somebody’s day and nominate them to be recognized in the internet’s most independent and community-driven awards: . NOONIES.TECH Most importantly, don't forget to for vote for Jorge Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year: Html

"A large group of human kind is being left behind" – Jorge Ortega, Noonie Nominee for HTML

Why the specter of blockchain will be more important to humankind than AI

Transcendence Book 10: The Ultimate "Why?"

Authors, artists, and their employers are furious over generative artificial intelligence (AI) – chatbots that write novels and news copy, image generators that create artwork or music to order in the style of any artist whose work is accessible on the internet.  The list of pending lawsuits is long and growing. Major media outlets including The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune contend that their stories were copied “with impunity,” prominent authors of fiction and nonfiction allege “systematic theft on a mass scale,” and famous artists assert that image generators duplicate their work and threaten to destroy their livelihoods. The authors and artists object not only to the actual generation of prose, images, or music by AI but also to the use of their work to train the AI in the first place. Reading some of the pleadings, you sense genuine anxiety in addition to grievance – the feeling that the more prolific and successful the plaintiffs become, the faster they are training their replacements. Their fears are borne out by well-publicized waves of AI-driven layoffs across the entertainment industry and even among the coders themselves. The legal questions, however, are complex and won’t be settled for years. They involve the reach of copyright and the limiting doctrine of “fair use,” as well as the licensing terms that content creators impose on consumers of their work. Resolving these questions is easier, or at least clearer if we are prepared to attribute agency to a computer and judge its activities as if they were undertaken by humans.  At one level, of course, this is ludicrous. Machines don’t think or create like humans – they just do what we tell them to do. Until very recently, it was easy to see computers as sophisticated tools subservient to human agency, regurgitating pre-loaded content and crunching numbers. Today, we converse with chatbots the way we would with a research or coding assistant, and with image generators the way art directors guide human illustrators and graphic designers. Much as it discomfits us, generative AI learns and, at some level, “thinks.” Trained on a significant slice of human knowledge, ChatGPT aced the “Turing test” – the famous measure of a machine’s ability to exhibit human-like intelligent behavior – the day it was released. Since then, chatbots have passed the bar and medical licensing exams, solved long-standing math conundrums, and written more empathetic responses to patient questions than their doctors. They even outperform humans on tests of creativity, and it is precisely to encourage creativity that copyright laws exist. This is not to argue that we should start according rights to machines – far from it. Rather, it is because humans develop and benefit from generative AI that we must ask if there is any legal basis for treating AI differently under copyright law. Humans read books and newspapers to learn, to become more informed, and to become better writers. No one argues that violates copyright. They may bring sketchbooks to museums and record their impressions of works they see, improving artistic skills and broadening stylistic repertoires. All agree this is “fair use.” Why, then, should training a generative AI on publicly accessible content be prohibited? AI systems may not learn or think like biological beings, but learn they do, and, whether or not we choose to call their inferential processes “thinking,” they clearly exhibit intelligent behavior. Leave questions of ontology and the roots of knowledge to the philosophers (or, if you prefer, to their imitative chatbots). We benefit humankind by making the rudiments of knowledge creation accessible to generative AI. AI helps us perform better. It juices our game, as long as we don’t forget how to think for ourselves. We expect doctors to keep up with the medical literature and lawyers to read the latest cases, so if we value the assistance AI provides, we should want to see it exposed to the broadest possible swath of human understanding. It is hard to see how this violates anyone’s rights. The copyright plaintiffs have another theory: that the trained chatbot is so directly derived from their proprietary content as to constitute an infringing work in itself. But chatbots are based on “large language models,” which organize massive numbers of basic text elements into a complex representation that captures meaning and word relationships. This allows the chatbot to formulate coherent answers to queries. It seems difficult to argue that such an esoteric representation, based on so many written works, is any more infringing than a human brain exposed to The New York Times. Whether generative AI, once trained, might produce stories or images that infringe on someone’s copyright is a completely separate question. In its lawsuit, The New York Times cited instances of verbatim copying of its content by ChatGPT. Depending on how much was copied, those specific instances could represent copyright infringement regardless of whether the culprit is man or machine. (OpenAI, the proprietor of ChatGPT, insists such cases are rare and thinks their chatbot may have been tricked into copying.) Artists have a tougher case to make because style has never been protectable by copyright. Today, anyone is free to hire an artist to create a work in the style of another artist. That may be crass but, as long as no specific work by the other artist is copied, it isn’t legally actionable.  Why should we hold image generators to a different standard? While the artist side of the story pits individuals against corporate behemoths like Microsoft, the chatbot wars are a clash of titans: the plaintiffs are Big Media and wealthy authors. They’ve sought to bolster their copyright case with terms of service that prohibit scraping content for use in AI training. Unfortunately for the plaintiffs, you can’t enlarge copyright using contractual restrictions. If the use of your content is either noninfringing or falls within “fair use,” which places activities such as research and teaching beyond the reach of copyright, those restrictions are unenforceable. Like all technology revolutions, the advent of generative AI will produce winners and losers, but potentially on a vaster scale – and with a greater share of losers – than any previous advance due to the sheer number of jobs it affects. No career is truly safe because the imperative to save money is universal. Of course, it’s easy to say that technology has been coming for jobs since the Industrial Revolution and the net effect has always been more jobs, not fewer – until it’s your job. But the galloping popularity of generative AI attests to the undeniable and widespread benefits it delivers. Fettering it with legal hopples that benefit one set of big players over another will not, in the long run, and probably much sooner than that, reduce the inevitable dislocation. Authors, artists, and their employers are furious over generative artificial intelligence (AI) – chatbots that write novels and news copy, image generators that create artwork or music to order in the style of any artist whose work is accessible on the internet.  The list of pending lawsuits is long and growing. Major media outlets including The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune contend that their stories were copied “with impunity,” prominent authors of fiction and nonfiction allege “systematic theft on a mass scale,” and famous artists assert that image generators duplicate their work and threaten to destroy their livelihoods. The New York Times The Chicago Tribune The authors and artists object not only to the actual generation of prose, images, or music by AI but also to the use of their work to train the AI in the first place. Reading some of the pleadings, you sense genuine anxiety in addition to grievance – the feeling that the more prolific and successful the plaintiffs become, the faster they are training their replacements. Their fears are borne out by well-publicized waves of AI-driven layoffs across the entertainment industry and even among the coders themselves. The legal questions, however, are complex and won’t be settled for years. They involve the reach of copyright and the limiting doctrine of “fair use,” as well as the licensing terms that content creators impose on consumers of their work. Resolving these questions is easier, or at least clearer if we are prepared to attribute agency to a computer and judge its activities as if they were undertaken by humans.  At one level, of course, this is ludicrous. Machines don’t think or create like humans – they just do what we tell them to do. Until very recently, it was easy to see computers as sophisticated tools subservient to human agency, regurgitating pre-loaded content and crunching numbers. Today, we converse with chatbots the way we would with a research or coding assistant, and with image generators the way art directors guide human illustrators and graphic designers. Much as it discomfits us, generative AI learns and, at some level, “thinks.” Trained on a significant slice of human knowledge, ChatGPT aced the “Turing test” – the famous measure of a machine’s ability to exhibit human-like intelligent behavior – the day it was released. Since then, chatbots have passed the bar and medical licensing exams, solved long-standing math conundrums , and written more empathetic responses to patient questions than their doctors. They even outperform humans on tests of creativity , and it is precisely to encourage creativity that copyright laws exist. solved long-standing math conundrums more empathetic responses outperform humans on tests of creativity This is not to argue that we should start according rights to machines – far from it. Rather, it is because humans develop and benefit from generative AI that we must ask if there is any legal basis for treating AI differently under copyright law. Humans read books and newspapers to learn, to become more informed, and to become better writers. No one argues that violates copyright. They may bring sketchbooks to museums and record their impressions of works they see, improving artistic skills and broadening stylistic repertoires. All agree this is “fair use.” Why, then, should training a generative AI on publicly accessible content be prohibited? AI systems may not learn or think like biological beings, but learn they do, and, whether or not we choose to call their inferential processes “thinking,” they clearly exhibit intelligent behavior. Leave questions of ontology and the roots of knowledge to the philosophers (or, if you prefer, to their imitative chatbots). We benefit humankind by making the rudiments of knowledge creation accessible to generative AI. AI helps us perform better. It juices our game, as long as we don’t forget how to think for ourselves. We expect doctors to keep up with the medical literature and lawyers to read the latest cases, so if we value the assistance AI provides, we should want to see it exposed to the broadest possible swath of human understanding. It is hard to see how this violates anyone’s rights. The copyright plaintiffs have another theory: that the trained chatbot is so directly derived from their proprietary content as to constitute an infringing work in itself. But chatbots are based on “large language models,” which organize massive numbers of basic text elements into a complex representation that captures meaning and word relationships. This allows the chatbot to formulate coherent answers to queries. It seems difficult to argue that such an esoteric representation, based on so many written works, is any more infringing than a human brain exposed to The New York Times . The New York Times Whether generative AI, once trained, might produce stories or images that infringe on someone’s copyright is a completely separate question. In its lawsuit, The New York Times cited instances of verbatim copying of its content by ChatGPT. Depending on how much was copied, those specific instances could represent copyright infringement regardless of whether the culprit is man or machine. (OpenAI, the proprietor of ChatGPT, insists such cases are rare and thinks their chatbot may have been tricked into copying.) The New York Times tricked Artists have a tougher case to make because style has never been protectable by copyright. Today, anyone is free to hire an artist to create a work in the style of another artist. That may be crass but, as long as no specific work by the other artist is copied, it isn’t legally actionable.  Why should we hold image generators to a different standard? While the artist side of the story pits individuals against corporate behemoths like Microsoft, the chatbot wars are a clash of titans: the plaintiffs are Big Media and wealthy authors. They’ve sought to bolster their copyright case with terms of service that prohibit scraping content for use in AI training. Unfortunately for the plaintiffs, you can’t enlarge copyright using contractual restrictions. If the use of your content is either noninfringing or falls within “fair use,” which places activities such as research and teaching beyond the reach of copyright, those restrictions are unenforceable. Like all technology revolutions, the advent of generative AI will produce winners and losers, but potentially on a vaster scale – and with a greater share of losers – than any previous advance due to the sheer number of jobs it affects. No career is truly safe because the imperative to save money is universal. Of course, it’s easy to say that technology has been coming for jobs since the Industrial Revolution and the net effect has always been more jobs, not fewer – until it’s your job. But the galloping popularity of generative AI attests to the undeniable and widespread benefits it delivers. Fettering it with legal hopples that benefit one set of big players over another will not, in the long run, and probably much sooner than that, reduce the inevitable dislocation.

Does Generative AI Violate the Rights of Authors and Artists?

জেনারেটিভ এআই কি লেখক এবং শিল্পীদের অধিকার লঙ্ঘন করে?

Verletzt generative KI die Rechte von Autoren und Künstlern?

¿La IA generativa viola los derechos de los autores y artistas?

L’IA générative viole-t-elle les droits des auteurs et des artistes ?

क्या जनरेटिव एआई लेखकों और कलाकारों के अधिकारों का उल्लंघन करता है?

生成 AI は著者やアーティストの権利を侵害しますか?

Generative AI는 작가와 예술가의 권리를 침해합니까?

A IA generativa viola os direitos de autores e artistas?

Нарушает ли генеративный ИИ права авторов и художников?

Üretken Yapay Zeka Yazarların ve Sanatçıların Haklarını İhlal Ediyor mu?

AI sáng tạo có vi phạm quyền của tác giả và nghệ sĩ không?

生成式人工智能是否侵犯了作者和艺术家的权利？

“China's Killer Robots Are Coming” screamed a recent Newsweek headline. A looming new age of AI-powered warfare could become what some experts are calling the greatest danger to the survival of humankind. Imagine an AI system that teaches anyone with a basic internet connection how to create chemical or biological weapons. If terrorist organizations use this information, the results would be catastrophic. Beyond weaponry, several major countries have begun to develop fully autonomous, AI-powered “killer robots” to replace their soldiers on the battlefield, and one can only imagine how this would play out. Human soldiers can make snap decisions and avoid civilian casualties. It is unlikely that AI killer robots would have that ability. China is just one of several countries focused on developing AI for its military including new AI-powered ships, submarines, and aircraft. In fact, it is reportedly making progress at an alarming rate – five times faster than the U.S., according to experts. The U.S. military is already using AI to pilot surveillance drones in special operations forces’ missions and has helped Ukraine in its war against Russia. AI also tracks soldiers’ fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance, and helps monitor rivals in space. Clearly, it has many uses and is not just for actual combat. Now, the Pentagon is hoping to enter into service thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August that the ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to “galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many.” The U.S. already uses fully autonomous lethal weapons and many experts, among them scientists, industry experts, and Pentagon officials are concerned about how they are used today and how they will be used in the future as they are given more capability. While officials insist humans will always be in control, experts say advances in AI “will inevitably relegate people to supervisory roles.” Recently, there was even a major effort by experts to pause AI development over fears about how the technology could develop and ultimately get out of control. That’s especially true if, as expected in a commonly-used scenario, lethal weapons are deployed en masse in drone swarms. Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India, or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly. In November of last year, at the U.S. embassy in London, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a range of AI initiatives and warned about the threat AI poses. Harris noted a declaration signed by 31 nations to set guardrails around the military use of AI. It pledges signatories to use legal reviews and training to ensure military AI stays within international laws, develop the technology cautiously and transparently, avoid unintended biases in systems that use AI, and continue to discuss how the technology can be developed and deployed responsibly without getting out of control. “A principled approach to the military use of AI should include careful consideration of risks and benefits, and it should also minimize unintended bias and accidents,” the declaration says. It also says that states should build safeguards into military AI systems, such as the ability to disengage or deactivate when a system demonstrates “unintended behavior.” While the declaration is not legally binding, it is the first major agreement between nations to impose voluntary guardrails on military AI. At the same time, the UN General Assembly announced a new resolution that calls for an in-depth study of lethal autonomous weapons and could set the terms for restrictions on such weapons. It is clear that much work needs to be done to ensure the safe use of AI when applied to the military. Unfortunately, there is no way to control rogue countries such as Russia, Iran, China, or North Korea, and unless Western countries stay on top of the technology and develop AI for the military, they will fall behind. Militarizing AI is dangerous – that’s for certain. But it is the future of warfare and civilized countries will need to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. “China's Killer Robots Are Coming” screamed a recent Newsweek headline . recent Newsweek headline A looming new age of AI-powered warfare could become what some experts are calling the greatest danger to the survival of humankind. some experts Imagine an AI system that teaches anyone with a basic internet connection how to create chemical or biological weapons. If terrorist organizations use this information, the results would be catastrophic. Beyond weaponry, several major countries have begun to develop fully autonomous, AI-powered “killer robots” to replace their soldiers on the battlefield, and one can only imagine how this would play out. Human soldiers can make snap decisions and avoid civilian casualties. It is unlikely that AI killer robots would have that ability. China is just one of several countries focused on developing AI for its military including new AI-powered ships , submarines, and aircraft. new AI-powered ships In fact, it is reportedly making progress at an alarming rate – five times faster than the U.S., according to experts . according to experts The U.S. military is already using AI to pilot surveillance drones in special operations forces’ missions and has helped Ukraine in its war against Russia . AI also tracks soldiers’ fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance, and helps monitor rivals in space. Ukraine in its war against Russia Clearly, it has many uses and is not just for actual combat. Now, the Pentagon is hoping to enter into service thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. AI-enabled autonomous vehicles Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August that the ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to “galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many.” August The U.S. already uses fully autonomous lethal weapons and many experts, among them scientists, industry experts, and Pentagon officials are concerned about how they are used today and how they will be used in the future as they are given more capability. already uses While officials insist humans will always be in control , experts say advances in AI “will inevitably relegate people to supervisory roles.” officials insist humans will always be in control experts say Recently, there was even a major effort by experts to pause AI development over fears about how the technology could develop and ultimately get out of control. major effort That’s especially true if, as expected in a commonly-used scenario, lethal weapons are deployed en masse in drone swarms. Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India, or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly. drone swarms. a U.S.-initiated pledge In November of last year, at the U.S. embassy in London, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a range of AI initiatives and warned about the threat AI poses. Harris noted a declaration signed by 31 nations to set guardrails around the military use of AI. It pledges signatories to use legal reviews and training to ensure military AI stays within international laws, develop the technology cautiously and transparently, avoid unintended biases in systems that use AI, and continue to discuss how the technology can be developed and deployed responsibly without getting out of control. a declaration “A principled approach to the military use of AI should include careful consideration of risks and benefits, and it should also minimize unintended bias and accidents,” the declaration says. It also says that states should build safeguards into military AI systems, such as the ability to disengage or deactivate when a system demonstrates “unintended behavior.” While the declaration is not legally binding, it is the first major agreement between nations to impose voluntary guardrails on military AI. At the same time, the UN General Assembly announced a new resolution that calls for an in-depth study of lethal autonomous weapons and could set the terms for restrictions on such weapons. a new resolution It is clear that much work needs to be done to ensure the safe use of AI when applied to the military. Unfortunately, there is no way to control rogue countries such as Russia, Iran, China, or North Korea, and unless Western countries stay on top of the technology and develop AI for the military, they will fall behind. Militarizing AI is dangerous – that’s for certain. But it is the future of warfare and civilized countries will need to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

The Danger of Militarizing AI

Four Thousand Years of Blood, Snot, and Tears

চার হাজার বছরের রক্ত, স্নোট এবং অশ্রু

Viertausend Jahre Blut, Rotz und Tränen

Cuatro mil años de sangre, mocos y lágrimas

Quatre mille ans de sang, de morve et de larmes

चार हज़ार साल का खून, बलगम और आँसू

4000年にわたる血と鼻水と涙

4천년의 피와 콧물과 눈물

Quatro mil anos de sangue, ranho e lágrimas

Четыре тысячи лет крови, соплей и слез

Dört Bin Yıllık Kan, Sümük ve Gözyaşı

Bốn ngàn năm máu, nước mũi và nước mắt

四千年的血、鼻、泪

Cryptography and the Golden Security Line

Transcendence Book 9: Far-skies

The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is built using neural networks that mimic the neural pathways in our own brains. Yet despite the powerful capabilities of current AI technology, its software can’t yet be classed as being independently intelligent. Further, the issue of hallucinations and black box phenomenons highlights the stark gap between the exciting results AI can deliver and our understanding of why computational models have reached a given outcome. This is also true with the human condition when neurodegenerative conditions strike with unpredictable impacts on the behavior of patients. Understanding these anomalies will be central to advancing our fundamental understanding of intelligence as a concept. This work is of such rising importance that a new field of study is forming, with the ‘Physics of Intelligence’ bridging the gap between computer science, brain science, and physics to better understand the universal mathematical principles that form intelligence. Now, this emerging field of study is set to receive a boost through the creation of an ambitious new fellowship program Fellowships for the Physics of Intelligence The NTT Research Foundation announced this week a gift to establish the Harvard University Center for Brain Science (CBS)-NTT Fellowship Program to support the research into the physics of intelligence. The two-year gift, renewable for up to three more years, will create a fund to support post-doctoral research in the physics of intelligence, an emerging field that uses physics to tackle fundamental questions in intelligence, bridging computer science, neuroscience, and psychology. If renewed, the donation could total over $1.7 million. Harvard University will have full control over the administration of the fund, which is set to be used to support two post-doctoral researchers, including support for technology, facilities, travel, and guest speakers for seminars. Although the Fellowship Program is newly established, Harvard CBS and the NTT Research Physics & Informatics Lab have been collaborating on similar themes since 2021 under a joint research agreement since 2024. The new program will amplify themes that emerged from shared research into natural and artificial intelligence. Physicists and AI researchers from the PHI Lab’s Intelligent Systems Group, led by Hidenori Tanaka, who is also a CBS associate, have established fruitful alliances with neuroscientists and psychologists at Harvard. “We are thrilled to support the Harvard Center for Brain Science at the dawn of the Physics of Intelligence,” NTT Research President and CEO Kazuhiro Gomi said. “As history teaches us, inventions – consider the steam engine, electricity, liquid crystals – can lead to new fields in physics.” “Today, AI is playing that role and giving us an opportunity to explore fundamental questions involving the science of intelligence, as well as address some urgent practical problems, like the need for computational systems that are unbiased, trustworthy and green. We believe this gift will advance those shared goals,” added the executive. A fundamental understanding of intelligence The Harvard CBS is pursuing an ambitious mission. Scientists affiliated with the Harvard CBS study the structure and function of neural circuits, the computations that govern thought and behavior, and how these circuits and patterns develop and vary. Harvard CBS Director Murthy said, “We’re grateful to the NTT Research Foundation for this generous gift, which comes on top of several years of unique intellectual contributions and collaboration. The Harvard CBS looks forward to developing ideas around the Physics of Intelligence through fellowships, seminars, talks, and other activities that both enhance and align with our diverse approach to neuroscience.” Shaping this ongoing academic cross-pollination is the dramatic rise of powerful AI, which provides a new subject of study for the science of intelligence. “The interdisciplinary environment at Harvard’s Center for Brain Science has been crucial in nurturing this emerging field, which harnesses physics-based approaches to investigate foundational questions about intelligence,” PHI Lab Scientist and Harvard CBS Associate Tanaka said. “By conducting quantitative experiments and theoretical modeling involving AI systems, which are more accessible to testing and measurement than the human brain, we aim to uncover the universal mathematical principles that underlie intelligence in all its forms, both natural and artificial.” In addition to its work on the CIM and initiatives in neuroscience, the PHI Lab is engaged in groundbreaking research into quasi-particles and non-linear optical materials. The PHI Lab also has a JRA with the NASA Ames Research Center. NTT Research opened its offices in July 2019 as a new Silicon Valley startup to conduct basic research and advance technologies that promote positive change for humankind. This article was published by Katie Konyn on The Sociable. The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is built using neural networks that mimic the neural pathways in our own brains. Yet despite the powerful capabilities of current AI technology, its software can’t yet be classed as being independently intelligent. Artificial Intelligence Further, the issue of hallucinations and black box phenomenons highlights the stark gap between the exciting results AI can deliver and our understanding of why computational models have reached a given outcome. This is also true with the human condition when neurodegenerative conditions strike with unpredictable impacts on the behavior of patients. computational models Understanding these anomalies will be central to advancing our fundamental understanding of intelligence as a concept. This work is of such rising importance that a new field of study is forming, with the ‘Physics of Intelligence’ bridging the gap between computer science, brain science, and physics to better understand the universal mathematical principles that form intelligence. Now, this emerging field of study is set to receive a boost through the creation of an ambitious new fellowship program Fellowships for the Physics of Intelligence Fellowships for the Physics of Intelligence The NTT Research Foundation announced this week a gift to establish the Harvard University Center for Brain Science (CBS)-NTT Fellowship Program to support the research into the physics of intelligence. The two-year gift, renewable for up to three more years, will create a fund to support post-doctoral research in the physics of intelligence, an emerging field that uses physics to tackle fundamental questions in intelligence, bridging computer science, neuroscience, and psychology. If renewed, the donation could total over $1.7 million. If renewed, the donation could total over $1.7 million. Harvard University will have full control over the administration of the fund, which is set to be used to support two post-doctoral researchers, including support for technology, facilities, travel, and guest speakers for seminars. Although the Fellowship Program is newly established, Harvard CBS and the NTT Research Physics & Informatics Lab have been collaborating on similar themes since 2021 under a joint research agreement since 2024. The new program will amplify themes that emerged from shared research into natural and artificial intelligence. Physicists and AI researchers from the PHI Lab’s Intelligent Systems Group, led by Hidenori Tanaka, who is also a CBS associate, have established fruitful alliances with neuroscientists and psychologists at Harvard. “We are thrilled to support the Harvard Center for Brain Science at the dawn of the Physics of Intelligence,” NTT Research President and CEO Kazuhiro Gomi said. “As history teaches us, inventions – consider the steam engine, electricity, liquid crystals – can lead to new fields in physics.” “Today, AI is playing that role and giving us an opportunity to explore fundamental questions involving the science of intelligence, as well as address some urgent practical problems, like the need for computational systems that are unbiased, trustworthy and green. We believe this gift will advance those shared goals,” added the executive. A fundamental understanding of intelligence A fundamental understanding of intelligence The Harvard CBS is pursuing an ambitious mission. Scientists affiliated with the Harvard CBS study the structure and function of neural circuits, the computations that govern thought and behavior, and how these circuits and patterns develop and vary. Harvard CBS Director Murthy said, “We’re grateful to the NTT Research Foundation for this generous gift, which comes on top of several years of unique intellectual contributions and collaboration. The Harvard CBS looks forward to developing ideas around the Physics of Intelligence through fellowships, seminars, talks, and other activities that both enhance and align with our diverse approach to neuroscience.” Shaping this ongoing academic cross-pollination is the dramatic rise of powerful AI, which provides a new subject of study for the science of intelligence. “The interdisciplinary environment at Harvard’s Center for Brain Science has been crucial in nurturing this emerging field, which harnesses physics-based approaches to investigate foundational questions about intelligence,” PHI Lab Scientist and Harvard CBS Associate Tanaka said. “By conducting quantitative experiments and theoretical modeling involving AI systems, which are more accessible to testing and measurement than the human brain, we aim to uncover the universal mathematical principles that underlie intelligence in all its forms, both natural and artificial.” In addition to its work on the CIM and initiatives in neuroscience, the PHI Lab is engaged in groundbreaking research into quasi-particles and non-linear optical materials. The PHI Lab also has a JRA with the NASA Ames Research Center. NTT Research opened its offices in July 2019 as a new Silicon Valley startup to conduct basic research and advance technologies that promote positive change for humankind. This article was published by Katie Konyn on The Sociable. This article was published by Katie Konyn on The Sociable. Katie Konyn The Sociable.

NTT Research Foundation, Harvard Announce Fellowship for Physics of Intelligence Research

এনটিটি রিসার্চ ফাউন্ডেশন, হার্ভার্ড বুদ্ধিমত্তা গবেষণার পদার্থবিজ্ঞানের জন্য ফেলোশিপ ঘোষণা করেছে

NTT Research Foundation und Harvard kündigen Stipendium für Forschung im Bereich der Intelligenzphysik an

NTT Research Foundation y Harvard anuncian una beca para la investigación en física de la inteligencia

La NTT Research Foundation et Harvard annoncent une bourse pour la recherche en physique du renseignement

एनटीटी रिसर्च फाउंडेशन, हार्वर्ड ने इंटेलिजेंस रिसर्च के भौतिकी के लिए फेलोशिप की घोषणा की

NTTリサーチ財団とハーバード大学が知能物理学研究のためのフェローシップを発表

NTT 연구 재단, 하버드, 지능 물리학 연구 펠로우십 발표

NTT Research Foundation e Harvard anunciam bolsa para pesquisa em física da inteligência

Исследовательский фонд NTT и Гарвард объявляют о стипендии для исследований в области физики интеллекта

NTT Araştırma Vakfı, Harvard Zeka Araştırmaları Fiziği Bursunu Duyurdu

Quỹ nghiên cứu NTT, Harvard công bố học bổng nghiên cứu vật lý về trí thông minh

NTT 研究基金会与哈佛大学宣布为智能物理学研究提供奖学金

Act 2: Life '“As the shackles of progress began to take shape, art began to guide itself to a deeper truth. Being responsible for the laws and flaws that governed the system. The shapes took distinct interpretations based on their approach to form the depth. A requirement for the power required to truly live and share the art of doing so.” Part 1: Biology ‘As the girls delved into their assignments, the world around them continued to evolve, shaped by the collective actions of individuals striving to understand and improve their surroundings. Through the exploration of science, these young students and others like them would contribute to the progress and stability of humankind.’- Rewinder Lyra, do you believe that fish transform water into breathable oxygen, and it is this process that doesn’t allow for higher degrees of thinking to develop? Uhh… I believe fishes embraced their medium. I mean… the water’s embrace seems nice. Yeah… I believe that’s why this approach is for those who like to dive into it. I can’t imagine myself doing such a thing to a fish. That’s why I like mathematics. You don’t cut anything here. Well… maybe if you want to take a closer look. But hey, at least you don’t have to deal with fish. Yeah, I guess you’re right. But what is the true magic in mathematics if we make it? The magic is… weird but you’ll get used to it. I suppose. Breaking News! Science has been able to discover a new range of particles. A new understanding of colors was able to shed light on the physical interactions of perception. Mom! You forgot the TV open! A sight gasp hidden in Elara’s voice Again… Elara got up to find the remote to continue their lessons further. Huh, what’s with the rush Elara? I hate when I try to understand something but I get distracted. I feel like I have to take it from the beginning each time. Well… that’s kind of the magic. You never know why your formula drove you this way and not the other. Yes, but the fish can still dive for a long time in the water. Imagine how interesting their lives must be. There is no right or wrong there, it just… is. If I understand correctly… you’re talking about your mom here? I’m talking about everything. My mom doesn’t understand that I don’t need her protection anymore, my teachers consider that I must achieve their dreams… What if I am just… me? “A moment of shock for Lyra. She felt that Elara was more than this. She knew it in her inner core. But how could she express it? In all her attempts, she failed. Looking back, she realized that what she was missing, was just herself. “ Elara, look. I know you see nothing more than just you. For you, the world is this way. It is your norms and normal. Keep tight to them. I can’t show you the results as you would lose all their beauty. Maybe one day, we could cut a holographic fish. Elara’s gaze was ablaze. Her hands holding her own face That would be… AMAZING! Imagine the possibilities. From medical systems to biological understanding to To geometrical exploration. Lyra Interrupted. It is in our balanced perspectives that we explore this land. You have your insights, while I have mine. Maybe this is what makes us unique across an entire whole. Your thinking is… twisting. But in the right way. I like it. Part 2: Randomness Meanwhile at the Quanta Research Academy “The question between the randomness of the system and its order is based on the relative positions of the points within the system.”-Thomas “No, we shouldn’t pick our first assumption. The world of quantum is always unpredictable.”-Alfred “That’s why it denotes a collective understanding of all points”-Genova “But when seeing all points you can hardly see the patterns”-Lituanin Each of them argued on their terms. Each of them failed to keep hold of their own beauty. Circular reasons are indeed weird. They do seem to bend our reality. But then, why is reality so… straightforward? Because it is a moment of “agreement”? Like… “Yes, this is the rarest path.” Maybe one in which they stopped arguing x.x Lyra excitedly said. Elara! I believe I found a way to differentiate the universal space factor from the self-perspective factor of any individual group. Umm… meaning…? Meaning that I found a new way of scanning the world! Intriguing. What do you mean by scanning? Like… how to better see the world? In a sense yes… but more like… wait. Let’s rewind. Imagine you have to lower a bit your expectations in your answer x.x Uh… then you mean a new way of interpretation? . This is a story without ending in the end. Too much discussion will exclude the narrator from the view. Now, what should a good story need? Remember, we unleashed all this potential into the story. What can we do now? Uhh… It’s weird when you ask me about it… It can only come out when thought about before all else I know! You can envision this scanner as a part of your eye. Differentiating the other world from your being. _ But AGI could require complexities only you know about Elara. Those are also a kind of depth I assume.** This way, our curse as living might be to be restricted by technology. In this sense, biology loses in the face of AI. Could be. But hey, first, I want to pass my exam this week. You said we are in this together. So you too have to help me. I knew this would come. But you know what comes after you? The digital frog. Haha. I’d love to see it coming. Especially running. I too have legs. We’ll see who’s faster. :) Act 3: Breaking the Norms “The night sky was alight with stars, and at the center of it all hung the moon, glowing with a soft, luminous light. But this was no ordinary moon—it was alive with a sentience all its own, watching over the world below with a keen and knowing gaze. As the characters embarked on their journey, they found themselves guided by this celestial being, who seemed to understand their thoughts and desires in a way that no human ever could. And as they delved deeper into the mysteries of the universe, they began to realize that this moon was more than just a passive observer—it was an active participant in the unfolding story, shaping their destinies in ways they could never have imagined.” Elara exclaimed. Hello Moon! Without realizing it, she was dreaming. But not dreaming in the sense of being just herself. The Moon is also an important character in this story. However, their interactions seemed to be significant because they were so distant. She never felt something similar to it before. This moment was the moment in which Elara experienced for the first time what it meant to dream. To mix reality with fiction. The Moon asked intrigued Hello Elara. How are you, my dear? Elara responded with the same blaze on her face as before Well… I’m honestly amazed. The Moon slowly turned Her gaze toward Elara Why so Elara? Elara curiously admitted I remember how drawn I was to taking photos of you a while ago. I was drawn to your beauty. I am wondering now why I stopped doing it. The Moon revealed with a small laugh So you are sorry that you can’t describe the beauty you saw in me back then? Haha. I knew you would be special. Elara responded with a sense of curiosity Special? What do you mean? , the Moon explained. Special, in the sense that you have a unique ability to see beauty and meaning in the world around you, Elara And now, in this dream, you have the chance to explore that beauty in a way that would be impossible in the waking world. You can commune with me, a celestial being, and learn from my ancient wisdom. You can transcend the limitations of your physical form and experience a reality that is beyond the reach of your senses. Elara was silent for a moment, letting this line of thoughts slowly fade into forgetfulness. she said at last. I never thought of myself as special I always felt like I was just a regular person, trying to make sense of a confusing world. But now, with you here, I feel like anything is possible. Like I can explore the depths of the universe and unlock secrets that have been hidden for millennia. The Moon smiled, its glow seeming to brighten the entire dreamscape. That's the spirit, Elara. Together, we can break free from the norms and expectations that have held you back, and forge a new path into the unknown. Elara. Elara? Oh, yes Lyra. Sorry. What? Wasn’t I dreaming? Wasn’t I supposed to be in bed? Uh… no… we were discussing how this hologram is special because it takes into account all the biological-like data from the external medium… well, except wind. And I wanted to ask you if you would like to take a look at the specifications. Sure, I would, but let’s leave this for another day. Right now, I feel a bit weird. Is tomorrow a good day? Yes, should be. Alright, see you tomorrow then. Good night Elara! Good Night Lyra! Act 4: Still Me, (Not the Narrator) “I feel like… exploring the world beyond our own seems in a sense both warm and cold. Quanta Research Team helps me in a sense make sense of where I should not look for warmth, whereas Elara and Lyra are the only lucid neurons I have left. Is it an empathetic view of craziness? I do not know. Maybe craziness becomes craziness only when material life is drawn too much towards its end. Uncertainty could arise because the conclusions are either rushed or drawn without truly tapping the general map across the play. Each story requires a stage before playing it. Maybe I sit in the space that differentiates the play of the story and the play on the stage? The last one indeed shapes the story. But if the story itself is not purely good, it cannot envelop true creativity. Imagine a world where war is not restricting our forms of expression. Where negativity is not a pre-requirement for emotional building. That could be the domain of pure adrenaline. I could give an example. Let’s jump to… Book 5, Act 2: “The Reality of Duality.” A chapter in which the duality is found in the mere fact that what is not alive, is its opposite and vice-versa. That’s why ethics is not able to be formed there. Balance is a requirement rather than a choice. The Book of Transcendence is in a sense a question about the importance of the view in mathematics and why is quantum considered more powerful. “ As Elara drifted into her world of dreams, she began to imagine strange creatures that formed along the drift. The trust in her own actions, offered by her understanding of the world allows her to truly rest. Especially after a day filled with progress and steps climbed toward achieving both her goals. Lyra, although being her close friend, couldn’t see their friendship flourishing forever, no matter how much she tried. This was a thought that kept Lyra awake night by night. Her interactions with Elara were able to somehow erase this irrational fear. Or at least, put a break to this thought. After all, Lyra loved strict and always-right abstract formulas, whereas Elara saw the beauty that pushed every existing being further. A drive to love the unattainable and a pursuit to bring the unattainable to light.

Transcendence Book 2: The Origins of Continuity 

Transcendence Volume I, Book 1: Introduction

Calling All Writers: Learn What the Opt-Out Writing Contest is All About From The Āut Labs' Team

-𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎. -𝙳𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎. Year 2048. The first words I ever heard were in a facility for kids. We were five, the golden children of humankind. From the age of 2, we could fire darts with precision, and it wasn’t weird. We never had anyone new join us; we were always alone, together. Father called us geniuses; he called us creatures beyond humanity. Father never hid the truth from us, and he treated us with utmost respect. We never saw Mother. Not even once. We only knew she existed because Father mentioned her from time to time. Father loved us, and he told us that we were his only hope. Father hid nothing from us; he believed in being straightforward. “ ” Father said one day, as he stared pointedly at the five of us, me being some sort of leader, according to Father. Father was a large man with tribal marks of jagged lines adorning his face, giving him the look of a warrior, but the lab coat he always wore conflicted with his weathered face, making him look like a cross between a villain and a doting father. The world will one day see all you can do. Until then, forgive me. We didn’t know what we had to forgive Father for; he was always there when we needed him, along with two others. Father called them his underlings, yet he was so friendly with them; the camaraderie was beautiful. We were treated well and didn’t have a cause to question our existence. Names were not given to us, and we lived with codes. Father said names were outdated and called us in codes. I was 0i. Father said codes were vital because we were different from the rest of the people in the books we read. Father made us feed on Socrates, Plato, and so many other ancient philosophers. His favorite was Friedrich Nietzsche, who spoke about the abyss. Father spoon-fed us knowledge, saying we needed to understand how the world worked. “ ” You’re only useful when you choose to be. The power you wield lies in your willingness to wield it. Man is a creature of willpower, and once willpower is taken away, nothing remains of man. A fate worse than death. Father’s favorite quote was a personal one. He never ceased to remind us of what would happen if our willpower was taken away. Father was the only god we knew. We didn’t exactly worship him; we loved him. He was all we knew, the light in our overwhelming darkness. A man worthy of the title, father. 0ii, one of the girls in our midst. She was sharp-eyed, her mouth rarely opening up to speak. With an oval face and a perfect nose, 0ii became fascinating. I once asked Father why she wasn’t the leader since I didn’t think I was fit. Father was calm when he replied, but I could hear the underlying fury in his tone. “ ” 0ii is none other than your subordinate. Your birth marks you as a leader, and your prowess doesn’t matter. She is below you; she always will be. You were born a light that even others cannot but bow to. You are the one who will herald humanity into the new age. You are 0i. Do not forget. I never brought it up again after that. We knew that Father loved us and Father’s word was law. So, we let go of sentimental things and focused on being the best, making Father proud. Oiii was next. Another girl. She wasn’t as charming or as beautiful as 0ii, but what she lacked in those aspects, she made up for it in smartness. She had hooked teeth and self-esteem that caved with the slightest criticism. Father called her a fond name: 𝐵𝑎𝑏𝑦 𝑅𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑖𝑡. She was the only one who had a name in five of us. When I asked him why, Father laughed heartily and spoke to me in the most jovial tone ever. “ ” What is she? Isn’t that what she looks like? I’m only calling her as I see it. Father was wise beyond his years; I admired him so much. We all did. He knew so much about everything, much more than we did. 0iv was the bookworm in our midst. He consumed all the books in the library, but still, Father paid him no heed. With his glasses perked on the bridge of his nose, 0iv did everything to get Father’s attention, but it was to no avail. I asked Father about it once again. “ ” Those who seek attention are like dogs begging for scraps. They’re unworthy of it. That’s why they demand it from others. I was the only one whom Father talked to so openly, so I spoke for us. We were the golden children humanity had been waiting for; Father said so. But when we were 9, Father introduced the blades. They were beautiful blades with edges sharp enough to sear through a human. “ ” These are the gifts I’ll be giving all of you for your 9th birthday. Use them well. Father didn’t explain anything to any of us, but I understood. We had read stories of assassins, and we understood what was required of us. Father was all-knowing, training us in the Art of the blade even though he was never there to see. It didn’t matter; 0v excelled at it beautifully. He was the only one out of us. Father never said anything bad about him. Truthfully, Father never said anything about him at all. It was as though he didn’t exist. 0v never complained, either. He was even more beautiful than 0ii, yet his gaze was even chillier than Father’s. The day 0iii died, Father didn’t bat an eyelid. 0v was playing with two sets of blades, and 0iii dared to approach him in that mode. I always knew he was darker than he let on, but watching 0iii grip her bloodied neck, eyes widened in disbelief as she dropped to the floor in a thud made me finally understand. Father was passing by when it happened, but he didn’t spare her a glance. The rest of us were shocked by what we’d seen, but 0v kept twirling the blades in the air, a bored expression on his beautiful face. “ ” I screamed for the first time at Father. But Father didn’t look as though he was bothered. He walked away. Father didn’t look back for the first time. Father! 0iii is dead! Once we were five, then we became four. Father stopped talking to me after that. 0v acted normally, while 0ii and 0iv steered clear of him. 0v offered no explanations for his actions, and one day, Father stopped coming to see us. He usually went away for days, leaving his underlings with us sometimes. But this time, Father left us alone. I counted the days. I was the leader, and I had to tell the others what to do. It wasn’t exactly a good experience. But strangely, 0v didn’t show any sign of distress. It was as though he didn’t have emotions. “ ” You must do your share of the work, or we’ll starve. I decided to face him one day, already livid. 0iii was dead, and he couldn’t even act remorseful. He didn’t care, plain and simple. He grew up with us yet grew apart from us. It was like he was in his universe, unperturbed by everything around him. He was human yet acted so differently, I wondered, too. “ ” Starve? Okay, starve. That was all he said as he stood up from where he sat, his hair shielding his eyes. His hair had been an afro since I’d known him, adding to the mystery his personality created. I was tired of being scared of a person who was just like me. It was irksome and unnecessary. We weren’t made of fear. I placed my arms on his shoulders to pull him back, but the next thing I saw was a dagger heading straight in the middle of my face. It was too fast for me to dodge, and I saw my life flash before my eyes. His wrist movements were perfect, with no single flaw in the swing of his blade. It was funny how I was thinking about that while facing my inevitable death. As soon as it began, it ended. I was alive. But I could hear gurgling sounds as my eyes I once closed opened to see someone in front of me. It was 0iv, and the hilt of a dagger was protruding from his mouth. “ .” I said, starve 0v drew his dagger out of the open mouth of 0iv as 0iv fell to the ground, much like 0iii did. The dagger reached the back of his throat as 0v drew it out, placing his tongue on the flat of the dagger, licking the blood on it while staring at me with the coldest eyes I’d ever seen. I tried to stop my body from shaking, but it was hard. 0iv did what he did to shield me, and he lay there, choking on his blood. 0v just walked away as 0ii ran to the toilet to puke. I just stood and stared. Hell had been unleashed in the form of a beautiful boy. Once we were five, then we became three. Father returned a week after that incident, and he said nothing about the disappearance of 0iv. I didn’t explain either. I needed to find a way out of there with 0ii. Father tried to talk to me again, but it was no use. 0v was a demon, one he let roam. Father wasn’t to be trusted. I spoke hushedly with 0ii, not letting 0v into our conversation. But he didn’t mind, and it was as though he wasn’t even there. He kept fiddling with daggers, paying us no heed. That night was meant to be the night of our escape. I prepared 0ii, and in the dead of the night, we tried to sneak out. I regretted it. It was all fine and good, and we were making progress. Since everybody was asleep, we moved stealthily. 0iii would have loved it; she was the smartest of us. I still had no idea why 0iv protected me; he was book-smart. He knew the implications of playing the hero. Yet, he died for me. If I had one thing to say, I wish I’d died with them. 0ii needed to be protected at all costs. We made it past the door of Father, and at that moment, I was elated. We could finally leave. Until the lights came on. They were blinding, and I held on to 0ii, fearing the worst. “ ” Finally, let the game begin. I heard the voice of Father as he smiled sinisterly at me, 0v coming from right behind him, holding a dagger and staring at me with lifeless eyes. Then, hell began. Protecting 0ii was hard, and shielding myself from stab wounds was harder. I could hear booming sounds from the speakers that miraculously materialized around me. They were making bets on us. 0v came after me, swinging the dagger dangerously close to my face, but I evaded. Then he went after 0ii, but she showed some skill by dodging his attacks. Even in the cramped space of the facility, we fought for our lives. I saw Father approaching me, and 0v stopped swinging his dagger and stood still. “ ” I tried to reach him, but he slapped my hands away. It felt even worse than losing 0iii and 0v. Father… “ ” Don’t you dare call me that. I’m not your father, and I’ll never be the father of freaks. Here, we harvest your abilities and sell them to the world. You’re not special; you’ve never been. You never had a father, just a childish imagination and daddy issues. I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know what happened, but I could hear ringing in my ears and a voice screaming at me from afar; it was muffled as though it was coming from a distance. The ringing sound in my ears got louder as 0ii screams came out in muffled gasps, but I was too far away to hear. Far away in my head. I could listen to the sound of a blade rending through flesh; I could smell the sickening odor of blood. But, I was rooted at that spot. Nothing could make me move as I stared with despair at the man I called Father. “ ” I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, 0i. You always were the best of us. I was too weak; I believed them. 0v eyes were filled with tears as he turned the blood-stained dagger on himself. Even then, I didn’t react. Even when his screams filled the room, and the ringing in my ears faded like background noise. Once we were five, then we became one. I was left alive. Not like I could die. They didn’t kill me; they just made me live every day in remembrance of those I killed. We weren’t the golden children of humanity, we were livestock. Not all is as it seems. But hell is on earth. When I called him Father, I unleashed it. I didn’t die. I didn’t live either. I was in oblivion. It was truly damnation.

Father

Heyo, Hacker! This writing prompt is designed by the HackerNoon editorial team and our friends at Āut Labs, with themes and ideas for you to enter the Opt Out Writing contest. See the contest announcement . Learn how to enter the contest . here here How do you define autonomy? How much do you care for it? Why is it important, or why should we give it importance? How can we achieve it on the web? Does true decentralization really exist? Is there a way to eliminate central control without hurting trust and accountability? If these questions matter to you, your contribution matters to us. Prizes from $9,000 (in USDT)  will be given to the top autonomy stories on HackerNoon! Here are a few suggestions by the team of Aut Labs for you to follow: : Autonomy in Decentralized Systems, Collectives and DAOs Explore the critical role of autonomy in decentralized systems like DAOs. Consider focusing on how Āut’s mission and products (i.e.: , …) enhance this. You can tell us about Roman’s , Greek’s , French or some role-based, [dys/u]topian society that is yet to come. Nova, ĀutID, ĀutOS triumvirates poleis communes - : Autonomy in Art, Technology, and Activism Remember the “ ” in the Berlin of the 90ies? We love that vibe. Consider the intersection of autonomy in art, technology, and activist reforms - highlighting innovative approaches based on autonomy of one or multiple parties. As well as how these parties can play together to take down a censoring, centralized, self-absorbed Moloch. hacker labs : Autonomy in the Workplace ell us a story on how a “ ” may look like. Are we aiming towards a dystopian, whole-state surveillance, or towards the highest level of individual autonomy and collective productivity that humankind has ever seen? Anything worse? Anything in between? Reshape the future workplace and work culture, especially imagining a world where decentralized organizations actually made it. workplace of the future : Role-specific Autonomy . Is different for DeFi degens vs. artists & writers vs. political scientists & philosophers vs. governance vs. devs & mathematicians? Feel free to tackle them all at once, tell us a story about one of them - or create a role-based governance model that is going to take the future generations by storm. 50 shades of Autonomy autonomy : Collective Autonomy Square and simple. What is , isn't it a paradox in terms, and what does that even mean? Yeah, all that jazz. You can take a mathematical angle, invent new game-theorical rules of the game, or just make up a story that even for a second lets us suspend our disbelief. Collective Autonomy Use this template to start writing your story! All the best, hacktivist!

Write on Autonomy; Win from $9,000!

Let's learn about via these 67 free stories. They are ordered by most time reading created on HackerNoon. Visit the to find the most read stories about any technology. Media /Learn Repo 1. The Last of Us HBO Series; The Nth of Many As Naughty Dog's Award-winning game title, The Last of Us, makes its way to TV screens. I take a look at the relationships between gaming and TV. 2. Corona Porn: The Arousal of a Pandemic The media calamity of “The Corona” is disturbing and dismal, but even still, many are buzzed. It’s so titillating that we just can’t help but… participate ourselves. 3. 10 Advantages of Using a Crypto Advertising Network Starting from June I’m in charge of marketing at Squilla Capital, and we have two exciting releases hitting the market in September this year. Hence, I had to compile a marketing strategy. 4. "The Simpsons" May Indicate Mainstream Bitcoin Adoption by 2036 One of my colleagues recently shared an anecdote with me about ‘The Simpsons.’ During a chat about politics, her son told her, “Well, it was on ‘The Simpsons’ and then it came true.” And then he asked her, “How do they do that?” 5. How to Change Location on Hulu Are you looking for a way to change location on Hulu? Then, you have come to the right place because this content will tell you the easiest way to change Hulu 6. The Rise of Refurbished Phones — Except in the U.S. Refurbished phones are becoming more and more popular, but the U.S. is lagging behind in sales. Here's a look at why. 7. The 59 Questions From the Will Ferrell Joaquin Phoenix Interview On March 28 2018, Interview Magazine published Joaquin Phoenix Interview by Will Ferrell, and it became known as the greatest interview ever published. 8. Responsive Web Design: Understand And Apply It Once And For All As a Microverse student for one month, I realized that my first clone webpages didn’t have a responsive layout. I was using pixels in the Navbars, percentages in one section and rem in another, I didn’t have a rule or a standard procedure. The goal was to make it look like the original webpage IN MY SCREEN. As I advanced through the course, I learned that these units made all the
difference to the webpage’s response in different screen sizes. My code
reviewers would tell me to adjust my webpage because it looked different when they were viewing it. When I started having these issues, I made a lot of research on the subject,
but I was still a little confused about it. This article’s goal is to create a
simple and direct rule to achieve the required responsiveness any developer needs in their code. 9. How We Revamped an Online Newspaper with Ruby on Rails, React, and NodeJS The Village is an online city newspaper owned by the Redefine brand. It reports on important events of the day, culture, and entertainment in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Under the franchise, editorial offices also operate in other Russian cities, as well as in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. 10. Three Reasons Behind Ludicrous Spending in Streaming Media Netflix spent $16 billion in 2019 on producing and acquiring new content. Amazon pursued its originals journey with $6 billion. Quibi, a yet to launch streaming service raised a billion dollars to create a catalog for millennials. 11. Here's Why Journalists Won't Write About Your Startup The media is a key point of contact for the marketing team of any startup. As a tech journalist and freelance writer, I talk to hundreds of SMEs, startups, fortune 500 companies, investors and industry experts every year. I receive thousands of press releases and invitations to events and conferences. Many businesses do themselves and their product a real disservice meaning we can't or won't write about them. Let's walk through some of the most common mistakes so you can avoid them: 12. Video Transcoding And Optimization For Web With ffmpeg Made Easy In this short article, I follow the main steps of video transcoding and optimization for the web. I share basic tips and examples to consistently automate these processes inhouse using ffmpeg, a powerful and open source package. 13. The CEO of my company, Genius, must be Black When Tom and I started Genius in 2009, we wanted to build something that would grow bigger than rap lyrics. The first 4 songs I annotated on RapExegesis, as it was originally called, were rap songs. However, the 5th one was Elton John's "Rocket Man", the 6th was The Eagles' "Hotel California", and the 7th was a poem, the first non-lyrics post on the site - Emily Dickinson's "I'm Nobody!  Who Are You?" 14. Gitcoin CLR Matching Review Media Grants Gitcoin Media and Tech grants both need to be separated on the basis of matching algorithms. Media mostly requires fixed funding except when its expanding or its combination of media+tech project, whereas tech projects require more and more funding as they grow rapidly or succeeding. 15. The Top 8 Social Media Data Charts and Live Charts You Need to Know Much like that of many other industries, the landscape of marketing has changed radically in the past two decades 16. Top 22 NFT Podcasts For NFT Novices & Masterminds This Nifty 2022 We know you’re curious to learn more about NFTs. 2021 was a HUGE BOOM of nothing but ‘NFT this' and NFT that'- so which 22 podcasts should you listen to!? 17. Modern PR: Results Driven Brand Awareness & Demand Generation Modern PR: The Next Generation Of Brand Awareness & Demand Generation 18. How Has Traditional Media and Social Media Helped To Boost The Popularity Of Cryptocurrency In today’s digital world, both standard and social media channels are renowned for having a huge effect on our daily lives. From the ways we communicate and share content, to the ways we keep up to date with the world around us, social media has, and continues to have a disruptive effect on how we view the world. Cryptocurrencies have been no exception. 19. All of the Marvel Phase 5 TV Shows Announced Marvel's Phase 5 is packed to the brim with exciting projects. Everything from Secret Invasion to Loki season 2. 20. 6 Dark Web Myths Perpetuated by the Mainstream Media How do you know the dark web? Many people know this term from movies or news reports. 21. Responding to Online War Propaganda on LinkedIn: Who Do the Rules Protect? I am from Ukraine, and I’m trying to use my LinkedIn in order to spread the truth about the war that is going on right now. 22. Why The Queen’s Gambit Was the #1 Show in 12 Countries The Chess Show on Netflix | The Queen's Gambit 23. I am a Big Believer in Deep Work - Interview With Omri Hurwitz, Tech Marketer & Media Strategist An Interview with Omri Hurwitz, Tech Marketer & Media Strategist 24. Guide on How To Eliminate COVID-19 News According to the American press institute, the purpose of news and journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments. 25. How the Noonies is Like the Dundies [or at least I told my team that] Managing people, meh. Building teams, now that's fun. It is really interesting to think about how individuals can make others better. 26. The First Week of YourStack 2,281 days ago Product Hunt launched as a tiny newsletter. The early days were especially chaotic. I didn’t get much sleep, skipped the gym, and buried my head into work. While unsustainable (I'm not advocating overworking yourself!), it was sooo fun and energizing to build something brand new. It was also scary. New products – especially those driven by community – are incredibly fragile. 7 days ago we launched a beta of YourStack (with a grammatically incorrect, non-editable tweet – lol). Instantly those same nostalgic feelings from the early days of Product Hunt re-emerged. The response has been very encouraging. Alex was kind enough to write about it on BuzzFeed. Lucas followed with a story on TechCrunch. And a bunch of folks shared support on Twitter and Product Hunt. But the product is very early and our roadmap is deep. So far we've onboarded only ~4% of those that have signed up as we build tooling to scale (thanks for all your patience!). I wake up each morning nervous but excited to read your feedback and wild ideas as the team and I continue building. If you get a chance, create your account and start stacking. We're whitelisting new friendly folks each day. Feedback? I'd love to hear it at ryan@yourstack.com. Cheers,
Ryan Hoover (@rrhoover) [27. The Internet of Money: Lubricant for the Internet of Things](https://hackernoon.com/the-internet-of-money-lubricant-for-the-internet-of-things) The history, condition, and direction of communication, media, civilization, and the whole of humankind is not complete without discussing the essence and history of money. The history of human civilization can be explained by the constant struggle between two tendencies--centralization vs. decentralization—exemplified by what has unfolded in the development and evolution of communication media technologies. The same is true for money; or what we should more accurately refer to as currency. You might ask, what does money have to do with communication, marketing, and media? Everything. Money is what makes the world go ‘round.  Contrary to the popular song, money CAN buy you love and unfortunately, as we will soon see, money hasn’t exactly made the world go ‘round lately. 28. What the West Can Learn From Vietnam’s Response to Covid-19 Thank you so much for the outpouring support for my story. It's been viewed ~50k times and shared by hundreds. You can comment below with Hacker Noon's brand new commenting system, or join the conversation in various places around the internet: 29. The Two Most Important Things To Remember When Doing Modern PR 30. Why Home Media Servers Are Worth Your Time Files are getting larger and space for your favorite content can be at a premium. Getting your own server can make storing data so much easier. 31. Future of News: Top Journalism Trends and Insights for 2023 Did you know? Two out of three journalists say their work has been impacted by economic uncertainty. 32. Do Not Buy a Computer from Walmart, and Related Advice How do you feel about your ability to give advice? Depends on the topic. Do you have advice for me? Do not buy a computer from Walmart. 33. The News DAO? Form a News DAO against the usual news agencies where we can find out the truth about things, without censorship from the 'owners'. 34. Debunking the Top 5 PR Myths Getting press coverage for your startup can be tricky.  Avoid these 5 PR misconceptions. 35. Every DC Movie That Got Canceled in 2022 Here are all of the DC films that were canceled in 2022: Batgirl, Man of Steel 2, Wonder Woman 3, and a Black Adam sequel. 36. 5 Foolproof Ways to Communicate PR Metrics to Any Stakeholders A look at how PR and media coverage reporting can and must evolve. 37. 3 Daily Newsletters Worth Subscribing 📰 On any given day, you'll find tons of stories that are seemingly important, some moving, others hilarious/weird. 38. What's the Future of Media? Substack, Decentralized Media, and MultiTouchpoint Marketing On today’s episode of Startups On Demand, I am joined by Yoel Israel, CEO of WadiDigital, a results-driven and customer service-centered B2B digital marketing a 39. The CEO of My Company, Genius, Must Be Black When Tom and I started Genius in 2009, we wanted to build something that would grow bigger than rap lyrics. The first 4 songs I annotated on RapExegesis, as it was originally called, were rap songs. However, the 5th one was Elton John's "Rocket Man", the 6th was The Eagles' "Hotel California", and the 7th was a poem, the first non-lyrics post on the site - Emily Dickinson's "I'm Nobody!  Who Are You?" 40. Could COVID-19 Help Bring About The Media Revolution We Need? On friday 20th of March, I and many thousands of UK business owners, self-employed workers and unemployed workers eagerly tuned into the 5pm news, hoping to catch a vital update on whether the government would be offering us the essential aid that we need to survive the coming 3 months. What followed was an ‘unprecedented’ broadcast (I’m going to take a shot every time Rishi Sunak says this word from now on) promising support. 41. Stop Using Fake Quotations You Found on the Internet The Internet is full of people seeking and sharing useful information. Yet, news stories are subject to constant skepticism — the political views and motivations of legitimate news outlets are under constant scrutiny. 42. "They're Noncreative People Who Are Controlling Creative Things" Joe Rogan on Suits [2007 Interview] Joe Rogan and Tom Green joke about how big the internet could become over skype interviews with fans in 2007. 43. The Metaverse Insider Partners with MILC Platform to Revolutionise the Global Media Industry The Metaverse Insider is proud to announce a partnership with MILC as part of its evolving Metaverse ecosystem. 44. Learnings From Managing a News Publishing Platform There are many options when it comes to publishing a news product. Some publishers choose to collaborate with other publishers to develop their own platform, 45. Why Media and Entertainment Can’t Do without Mobile Apps There are over 2 million apps available for download both for Android and iOS platforms, and the average smartphone owner uses at least 30 of them each month. The most popular app categories are social media, messengers, games, business, education, and lifestyle. 46. How the Washington Post Uses TikTok, and What That Means for GenZ News Consumption GenZ-ers seem to like political and international news so journalists are now moving to TikTok. 47. Hallyu for Idiots: Understand the Korean Wave via Parasite and K-dramas Feature Picture: Parasite - Best movie of the decade, in my opinion. As well as 2019 Best Picture according to the Academy Awards. 48. Podcasts have Enabled Newer Insights into Sex Positivity Last year was a gamechanger for the entertainment industry. Why so? Because it was the year that podcasts hit their stride, with more than half of Americans having listened to a podcast and an estimated 32% listening monthly as of March of last year - the largest annual increase since podcast-related data started being tracked in 2008. 49. AI in Media: Can a Silicon-Brained Journo Beat a Flesh ’n Blood One? This year brought us two Nobel prize nominees in literature. Feels like there’s a “buy one get two” promotion going on, and that’s good! More awarded authors - better stories. 50. The Doe Discuss How Tech and Social Media Has Changed Journalism Social media over the last five years has become a growing and dominant source of information and news for hundreds of millions of individuals all over the world. Social media is always in your pocket on your smartphone. 51. Media Products vs The Rest: The High Leverage Phenomenon In Media Products Hulu purchased the rights of Seinfeld in 2015 for $150 Million. For the same deal after 4 years Netflix wrote a check of $400 Million. During these 4 years, neither Larry David nor Jerry Seinfeld (creators of Seinfeld) has done any new work for the show. 52. Why a Career in Motion Graphics Is a Good Option for Tech Savvy Students in 2023 Today, there’s no shortage of roles in the tech space for young aspiring professionals to pursue. From becoming a coder with a lucrative salary to an app developer with room to grow at a company, there are seemingly endless career options for students interested in technological processes. 53. Avatars Will Emerge as Storytellers Humans rule the world. 54. What's Next for Media - A Conversation With Sean McDonnell 55. Top Articles This Week In Tech: WN 14 We hope you did have an awesome week! Here is your dose of the best
articles that came up over the last week. Have fun reading them! 56. #FreeYakutia: Ukraine Plans to Help Yakutia to Become an Independent Country in 2022 This Slogging thread by Arthur Tkachenko occurred in slogging's official #random channel, and has been edited for readability. 57. Here We Go Again: 21 Saucy Predictions for 2021 21 Predictions for 2021 58. 20 Data Science Podcasts You Don’t Want to Miss Podcasts have unequivocally become one of the most dominant forms of media consumption in recent years. 59. Facebook: Brazen Censorship or a Tactical Solution to a Sophisticated Social Ask? We are entering a completely new supra-state level of regulation. This function that has suddenly gone to Facebook as a state has all the chances to contribute 60. The 59 Best Technology Journalism Stories Published in 2020 In a year dominated by pandemic, there was also a lot of notable technology news and analysis. 61. The Disintermediation of the Media: How Bad Journalism Came To Be And Why It Persists Multiple times a day, the President of the United States types a thought into his phone, my pocket buzzes, and I read his message. I don’t watch the news anymore. 62. My Experience With a Global News Organization and a Trillion-Dollar Corporation Julian Gough recounts their experience dealing with big organizations. 63. Stop Compromising Your UX for Display Ad Revenue: It's Not Worth It Banner ads can make website visitors uncomfortable, but they are a big source of revenue. This article covers how to balance your user's experience & your ads. 64. "Why Don't I Have a Computer?" David Letterman Asked Bill Gates in 1995 Bill Gates explains the origins of Microsoft and tries to convince Dave to get a computer. (Air Date 11/27/1995) 65. How AI and Machine Learning Are Infiltrating the Media Industry For the past few years now, the increasing digitalization of customer journeys and the exponential improvement of cloud technologies and computing capacities have invited media groups to rethink the way they do business. If it sounds like I’m using long words to say “digital disruption”, trust your instinct. Many of these disruptions have been centered around the mountains of data media groups have access to, and what Artificial Intelligence (AI) (and machine learning more specifically) could do with it. Indeed, while artificial intelligence has been fully embraced by a plethora of pure players (Spotify, Netflix, Buzzfeed, Disney…) traditional actors are still lagging, and now see the technology as a shortcut to a much-needed renewed growth. 66. From Wojcicki to Mohan: A Look at the Future of YouTube Under the New CEO In light of Susan Wojcicki's departure as the CEO of Youtube, what is the future of the company like? 67. Media Conglomerates Are Taking Over The World That's right, media conglomerates are taking over the world... or at least are trying to. This Week on Planet Internet, David Smooke, Amy Tom, and Ustav Jaiswal dive into the world of big media - think Facebook, Disney, Comcast, ATT - about the policies, who owns them, and more. Thank you for checking out the 67 most read stories about Media on HackerNoon. to find the most read stories about any technology. Visit the /Learn Repo

67 Stories To Learn About Media

Heyo, Hacker! is designed by our friends at Āut Labs with themes and ideas for you to enter the Opt Out Writing contest. This writing prompt Click here to write with this template. See the contest announcement . Learn how to enter the contest . here here Theme 1: . Opt out of a System that doesn’t represent you #autonomy: : Explore the critical role of autonomy in decentralized systems like DAOs. Consider focusing on how Āut’s mission and products (i.e.: Nova, ĀutID, ĀutOS, …) enhance this. You can tell us about Roman’s , Greek’s , French or some role-based, [dys/u]topian society that is yet to come. Autonomy in Decentralized Systems, Collectives and DAOs triumvirates poleis communes - : Remember the “ ” in the Berlin of the 90ies? We love that vibe. Consider the intersection of autonomy in art, technology, and activist reforms - highlighting innovative approaches based on autonomy of one or multiple parties. As well as how these parties can play together to take down a censoring, centralized, self-absorbed Moloch. Autonomy in Art, Technology, and Activism hacker labs : Tell us a story on how a “ ” may look like. Are we aiming towards a dystopian, whole-state surveillance, or towards the highest level of individual autonomy and collective productivity that humankind has ever seen? Anything worse? Anything in between? Reshape the future workplace and work culture, especially imagining a world where decentralized organizations actually made it. Autonomy in the Workplace workplace of the future : . Is different for DeFi degens vs. artists & writers vs. political scientists & philosophers vs. governance vs. devs & mathematicians? Feel free to tackle them all at once, tell us a story about one of them - or create a role-based governance model that is going to take the future generations by storm. Role-specific Autonomy 50 shades of Autonomy autonomy : Square and simple. What is , isn't it a paradox in terms, and what does that even mean? Yeah, all that jazz. You can take a mathematical angle, invent new game-theorical rules of the game, or just make up a story that even for a second lets us suspend our disbeliefs. Collective Autonomy Collective Autonomy #identity: : What is identity in the digital space? Is it a mere reflection of what we are offline, or is it an augmented version of ourselves? Is there a “minimum viable tech stack” that can be combined to create verifiable individuals? This is an open prompt - feel free to take it from a technical or philosophical standpoint. And be provocative - we aim for non-trivial answers only on how digital technologies enable new forms of identity, personal expression and verification. Identity in the Digital Space : That’s an obvious one. How identity evolved over the centuries. Did we “mature” as a society? Did technology change what we are as individuals? Are humans different in their [self-awareness; proprioception; way to perceive others] or we did nothing but taking a long stroll from Stone Age to Technocracy? The History of Identity : we talk DAOs, distributed nations, on-chain agencies. But what are individuals within groups? Is collective intelligence a “flattening model” that blurs individuality within collectives, or it turns each individual actor into a needed, recognizable tile of the puzzle? And what is the threshold between individual and collective identity? This is a difficult one - new models, visual graphs, and brand-new, DAO-shaking processes are encouraged. Collective Identity : from Metaverses and NFTs, to basic PGP and SSIDs. How can an ID be as unstoppable, and uncensorable on one side, as it is credible, and reliable on the other? Please, be as geeky as needs be - use your tech-knowledge and understanding as an act of civil disobedience. On-chain Identities : This is our Sci-fi prompt. Tell us stories. Speculate on how identity will evolve in decentralized societies. On how they will impact individuality. For this prompt you can share your tech journal, tell us personal identity narratives, or even invent on-chain personas and breed them to NFT perpetual life. Whatever works. The Evolution of Identity in Decentralized Societies #selfsovereignty: : What is -sovereignty? Why it matters? “ ” is already a long, difficult word per se - so why did we even feel the need to add the prefix “ ” there? This is all about the inalienable individuals’ right to privacy and selective disclosure. Give us self-sovereignty straight, or explore it in a specific context. The Essence of Self-Sovereignty self Sovereignty self- : Provide real-world examples or case studies where self-sovereignty is effectively implemented. Can’t find any? Even better. Make one up, and let’s make it happen together. Self-Sovereignty in Action : This is a big one. As the Anarchist proverb goes, . But what are the borders of this personal freedom? Should self-sovereignty self-enforce in decentralized social/community contracts? Or we should somehow “hardwire” a sort of collective ethos beforehand, into the decentralized smart contracts that will govern us all? Balancing Self-Sovereignty and Collective Responsibility one can only be free if everyone else is free : Think of DeFi credit score, think of UBI. Is a self-sovereign, verifiable ID enough to automate the individual and collective distribution of wealth? Or we still need/want/expect “watchmen” to supervise that all goes smooth - and to potentially deem liable if something goes wrong? Self-Sovereignty in Financial Systems : Should we really be limited by old-world concepts such as “1 person : 1 Identity/vote/seat”? Or meritocracy means that we should be able to enforce a self-sovereign right to multiplicity in the digital space, as long as we can handle our multifaceted selves? To Sybil or not to Sybil Open Prompts: : The old, best writing advise: write about what you know. From literature, to robotics, to the legal system - write about one of the contest topics in relation to a specific field you are deeply knowledgeable or passionate about. [#autonomy; #identity; #selfsovereignty] in [insert field] This is a quote that we like, from J.P. Proudhon. To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality. , - Pierre-Joseph Proudhon The General Idea of the Revolution Explore it in the key that you like, adherent to one of the three main themes. Or just use it as an inspiration, and write about whatever you want :) Click here to write with this template.

Aut Labs Story Template: Opt Out of a System that Doesn’t Represent You

অট ল্যাবস স্টোরি টেমপ্লেট: এমন একটি সিস্টেম থেকে অপ্ট আউট করুন যা আপনাকে প্রতিনিধিত্ব করে না

Aut Labs-Story-Vorlage: Melden Sie sich von einem System ab, das Sie nicht repräsentiert

Plantilla de historia de Aut Labs: optar por no participar en un sistema que no lo representa

Modèle d'histoire Aut Labs : désinscription d'un système qui ne vous représente pas

ऑट लैब्स स्टोरी टेम्प्लेट: उस सिस्टम से ऑप्ट आउट करें जो आपका प्रतिनिधित्व नहीं करता है

Aut Labs ストーリー テンプレート: あなたを代表しないシステムからオプトアウトする

Aut Labs 스토리 템플릿: 귀하를 대표하지 않는 시스템에서 탈퇴

Modelo de história do Aut Labs: desative um sistema que não representa você

Шаблон истории Aut Labs: Откажитесь от системы, которая не представляет вас

Aut Labs Hikaye Şablonu: Sizi Temsil Etmeyen Bir Sistemden Vazgeçin

Mẫu câu chuyện của Aut Labs: Chọn không tham gia hệ thống không đại diện cho bạn

自动实验室故事模板：选择退出不代表您的系统

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