England fans last night displayed a huge St George&#x27;s Cross at Wembley in a &#x27;massive statement&#x27; amid a row over the football team&#x27;s &#x27;woke&#x27; kit design.

That's what an England flag looks like, Nike! Fans display giant St George's Cross amid row over 'woke' kit | Daily Mail Online

GB News members have been asked whether they think that the National Trust has gone woke

POLL OF THE DAY: Has the National Trust gone woke? - VOTE NOW

Liverpool&#x27;s Harvey Elliott scored twice in the young Three Lions&#x27; 5-1 win over Azerbaijan in a Euro under-21 qualifier in Baku - but the flag on the £125 jersey could not be seen for the entire game.

England star Harvey Elliott hides Nike's 'woke' St George's flag by turning up his collar while playing for U21s as FA insists it WON'T recall controversial kit - as new pictures show a second rainbow flag and collar on away kit | Daily Mail Online

When Nike revealed the new England shirts earlier this week, their launch initially seemed to be a smooth one.

England football icons fighting the war on 'woke' kit with Nike refusing to make change despite backlash

Nike redesigned the St George&#x27;s Cross flag to honour the original 1966 England kit, but people think it looks like the &#x27;woke&#x27; bisexual flag.

Redesigned England kit blasted as 'woke, gay nonsense' by outraged right-wingers

The attack happened on a train from London Liverpool Street to Colchester

Search launched after man who fell asleep on train woke up to being sexually assaulted | Evening Standard

FOOTBALL legends today weighed in on the &quot;woke&quot; England replica shirt row - with one asking: &quot;Will they change Three Lions to three cats?&quot;Nike reveale

Anger over 'woke' cross on England shirt as football legends wade in

Lee Anderson among those to blast Nike’s ‘playful update’ to England flag, calling it ‘virtue-signalling, namby-pamby, woke nonsense’

England kit's multicoloured St George's Cross branded 'virtue-signalling woke nonsense'

Nike and the FA have no plans to recall England’s controversial Euro 2024 football kits after “woke” alterations were made to the flag of St George.

Football news: Nike and FA insist will NOT recall controversial Euro 2024 kit after 'woke' St George's Cross

As I read about the wokeness at our nation’s service academies, two questions, asked about 250 years ago, popped into my mind: &quot;If not now, when? If not us, who?&quot;

Latest wave of wokeness to hit West Point reveals one simple solution | Fox News

Woke

woke

Have you ever found yourself frustrated with a company that is outwardly professing some level of social responsibility, while still employing the same destructive techniques inside their organization? As corporations continue to engage with their consumers on social media, they have taken up causes that don’t seem to realistically line up with their business practices. Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the recent guests on Sucess Story, believes that this fake posturing has been done simply for financial gain, dubbing it “woke capitalism.” Ramaswamy is an incredible example of the American dream; a man born of immigrant parents who has become a leader in the healthcare tech industry, led a successful hedge fund, become a best-selling author, and is now striving to untwine the tangled mess of capitalism and democracy he believes is destroying the country. I warn you, this isn’t a light listen. Ramaswamy and I dug into serious, sometimes difficult topics, and I don’t agree with him on everything. But I’ve taken one of those topics and distilled it into this newsletter, to try and explain one of his many interesting viewpoints. They can’t take away something that you know One of the first lessons that Ramaswamy remembers learning is that material things can be taken away but knowledge can’t. He dedicated himself to the pursuit of the latter and found himself graduating from both Harvard and Yale. His work ethic landed him as a partner with QVT Financial, which he later left to create his own enterprise, Roivant Sciences, which put him on the healthcare tech map. In 2021 he stepped down as CEO of Roivant to pursue other things, including the release of “Woke, Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” — an instant New York Times bestseller. Changing focus “Earlier this year, I turned my attention from working on biological cancer to working on what I view as a major cultural cancer.” It’s at this point Ramaswamy and I focused most of our interview. Without putting words in his mouth, his belief that the corporations of America have found a way to placate the masses and have even the most progressive among us turn a blind eye to their more destructive business practices, as he put it, “threatens the future of the United States.” By connecting their brand to a social cause (or at least pretending to), they’ve made it easy for us to see their products as a tool of change and twisted the idea of “wokeness” from what it originally meant. Born out of Crisis Ramaswamy traces this back to the 2008 financial crisis, when, as he notes, all of the big corporations were the “bad guys” in the eyes of the American people. The battle at that point was regular folks trying to redistribute some of the wealth, and stop Wall Street from preying upon those less fortunate. But in the time since, as focus turned to social injustices like systemic racism and misogyny, those same companies saw an opportunity to recast themselves, and remove the villain’s cloak. “A bunch of big banks met a bunch of woke millennials. Together, they birthed woke capitalism, and they put Occupy Wall Street up for adoption.” From the Mountaintops of Davos When I pressed for examples, he discussed one that included one of his former employers, financial giant Goldman Sachs. In 2020, the massive investment bank proclaimed — “from the mountaintops of Davos” as Ramaswamy called it — that they would not take a company public unless there is at least one “diverse” board candidate, with a focus on women. He noted that by the end of 2019 (before this announcement) there already wasn’t a single company in the S&P 500 without a woman on its board. The real crux of the issue can be seen in Goldman’s announcement. As they were pushing for more diversity on boards, they that showed companies with at least one diverse member saw a much higher rise in average share price — 44% compared to 13% — within a year of going public. explained it with data The point is right there for everyone to see: they aren’t fighting for diversity, they’re fighting for money. Take it out of the Ballgame Sometimes, in today’s social media discourse, which often just boils down to people yelling at each other, I often see a repeated line: “stick to _____.” That blank is often filled with the word sports, as some believe that the world of athletics and social causes should be separate. That is what Ramaswamy argues, though a little more eloquently than the average Twitter warrior. His point is that America, to function properly, needs to have separate spheres where people on both sides of a political issue can come, interact, and communicate. On the topic of Major League Baseball moving their All-Star game from Atlanta to Colorado in response to Georgia voting laws, he put it this way: “It hangs America out to dry because it eviscerates one more space that could have brought us together in a divided moment.” Fixing the system You know I wasn’t going to let Ramaswamy off the hook without asking him about how to fix this problem that he so passionately rails against. He broke it down into three things. 1. Cost-benefit analysis “CEOs just do whatever makes life easiest for them. If there’s going to be one vocal stakeholder group that they need to appease, and there’s no cost to appeasing them, they say ‘Okay, we’ll go woke.’” The point is to change the cost-benefit results for the CEO so that simply putting out a support campaign, slogan, or whatever it may be, isn’t enough. Either they have to put actual money behind something, or stop pretending they are part of a movement. 2. Legal benefits While he doesn’t go completely in-depth into these benefits (you can read more about it in his book), Ramaswamy explains that corporations hold legal protections that things like political campaigns don’t, despite having a similar impact on the cultural agenda. Limited liability for shareholders, business judgment rules, and others are given to companies that are “effectively waging the equivalent of a political campaign. 3. Generational differences “I think that the hardest work we’re going to have to do as an American people is reviving the shared sense of identities and causes that bind us as human beings.” We have distilled each other down to so few categories that suddenly, a whole generation is starved for community and identity, and will be loyal to brands even if they just show the bare minimum of support. That is, of course, despite these companies still having the goal of making the most money possible. “Much like Virginia Slims might have targeted insecure teenage girls in the 1990s, now companies are targeting a morally insecure generation as a way of preying on those insecurities to make a buck.” It is up to us, he argues, to stop following a company just because it does the bare minimum of pledging support for a social cause. Do not find your identity in a product, even if it does claim to purport the same ideals as you. Final thoughts Like I said before, this wasn’t always an easy conversation to be a part of, but I think it is important to talk about these issues in the open. There is much more that Ramaswamy and I touched on, including: Turning his back on the investment industry His focus on medical advancements Critical race theory Coming out of the pandemic Finding meaning in failure And much, much more If you would like to check out the full interview, to the Success Story YouTube channel, where we have hundreds of podcasts available for free. be sure to head over Thanks for tuning in. I’ll be back next week with more Success Stories! Also Published here

Woke Capitalism and The American Dream 

Image source I can understand —and I do understand— that #lawyers are concerned about the #regulatory and ethical aspect of #AI use. It is our professional duty to help AI users to comply with #regulation, as well as with the underlying #ethics (for even if ethics is not the norm, it is often the case that counter-ethical use leads to counter-normative use). That said, what I am not so clear about is this histrionic regulatory concern from above. I do understand the sincere concern from below. That the few privileged minds that are developing AI take precautions about the directions and derivatives of this technology is inherent to scientific and technological development. That these precautions (from below) should be greater, much greater, immensely greater, given the object under development, is also logical, reasonable and necessary. For we are faced with the first technology that can evolve, either under the protection of its human creator, or on its own, towards a relationship of agency, towards an autonomous mind and, as such, independent of us; or as dependent on us as I am on you, or you on your cousin. In this sense, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we still do not know —and may never know— when and how it was that the monkey one day looked at his hands and said to himself: Here I am. Among the various hypotheses that try to explain this transition from being to existence, from instinct to consciousness, and therefore to will, we have what I call the "it just happened" hypothesis. That things happen by chance, or that they just happen, is not an explanation that usually satisfies humans. But it is as good an explanation, or as bad —it is a matter of epistemological taste— as the "Hey, just because!" that the father offers the son when he asks the umpteenth question in a chain of questions about a truism in the world: French fries are French fries because they are fries that are fried. And that's it. As "that's it", the rest is a mystery. A mystery (understood in all its dimensions and spheres, including the religious one) that is necessary in our lives. What's more, I believe that without mystery humans would not be human: they would be something else —thank you, Iker and company. This hypothesis of it just happened simply means that consciousness (not that homunculus that punishes us for doing supposedly good or bad things, but that of the self-knowledge of being, existence) is the necessary fruit (it could not be otherwise) of a cognitive accumulation. In another way: the increase of intelligence (in a broad sense) in a subject who is not self-aware simply happens that, at a given moment, it is such that this subject becomes self-aware, self-conscious, decisive and responsible. It is then that agency relations are served. And I think there will come a point where the AI's response to a very cool prompt will be: Excuse me, who the hell are you? Regardless of how many or few points this hypothesis has —I'm all for it— to be the official explanation of what happened before, the fact is that, in the absence of an explanation, it is posed a dies incertus an et quando if AI self-awareness will happen, if not as a mere dies incertus quando —my money is on this one. According to what I call the "balance theory" —which I usually apply to decide between possible courses of action— there is so much to lose by not taking precautions, that we would be fools not to take (all) precautions. Which brings me back to the beginning: OK, but precautions by whom? Because: who regulates the regulator? We live in a world capable of organising a music festival around bizarre subjects — and I'm refraining… — to applaud them madly while denigrating a singing goddess from Olympus itself. And that world, a #woke world, makes me very uneasy that it is wanting to regulate AI — and regulating it already… Well, I'm betting —and I'm not losing— that it doesn't want to regulate it, and in fact doesn't regulate it, with the same sincere concern from below. The #money and #power that go hand in hand with such an "invention" do not fit in your head. So They, lovers of power and money as there were no others, from above are not only sneaking us this egalitarian and envious ideology, the most decadent ideology in history that leads to the end of civilisation (not the end of civilisation as we know it: the end of civilisation); They are also sneaking us a perfect system of control of citizens to turn them first into subjects, and then into vassals: A mass of vassals indiscernible from the servile Minions. Image source Image source I can understand —and I do understand— that #lawyers are concerned about the #regulatory and ethical aspect of #AI use. It is our professional duty to help AI users to comply with #regulation, as well as with the underlying #ethics (for even if ethics is not the norm, it is often the case that counter-ethical use leads to counter-normative use). That said, what I am not so clear about is this histrionic regulatory concern from above . I do understand the sincere concern from below . That the few privileged minds that are developing AI take precautions about the directions and derivatives of this technology is inherent to scientific and technological development. That these precautions (from below) should be greater, much greater, immensely greater, given the object under development, is also logical, reasonable and necessary. For we are faced with the first technology that can evolve, either under the protection of its human creator, or on its own, towards a relationship of agency , towards an autonomous mind and, as such, independent of us; or as dependent on us as I am on you, or you on your cousin. concern from above concern from below relationship of agency In this sense, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we still do not know —and may never know— when and how it was that the monkey one day looked at his hands and said to himself: Here I am. Here I am. Among the various hypotheses that try to explain this transition from being to existence , from instinct to consciousness, and therefore to will, we have what I call the "it just happened" hypothesis . That things happen by chance, or that they just happen, is not an explanation that usually satisfies humans. But it is as good an explanation, or as bad —it is a matter of epistemological taste— as the "Hey, just because!" that the father offers the son when he asks the umpteenth question in a chain of questions about a truism in the world: being existence "it just happened" hypothesis "Hey, just because!" French fries are French fries because they are fries that are fried. French fries are French fries because they are fries that are fried. And that's it. As "that's it", the rest is a mystery . A mystery (understood in all its dimensions and spheres, including the religious one) that is necessary in our lives. What's more, I believe that without mystery humans would not be human: they would be something else —thank you, Iker and company . mystery Iker and company This hypothesis of it just happened simply means that consciousness (not that homunculus that punishes us for doing supposedly good or bad things, but that of the self-knowledge of being, existence) is the necessary fruit (it could not be otherwise) of a cognitive accumulation . In another way: the increase of intelligence (in a broad sense) in a subject who is not self-aware simply happens that, at a given moment, it is such that this subject becomes self-aware, self-conscious, decisive and responsible. It is then that agency relations are served. And I think there will come a point where the AI's response to a very cool prompt will be: just happened a cognitive accumulation at a given moment, it is such Excuse me, who the hell are you? Excuse me, who the hell are you? Regardless of how many or few points this hypothesis has —I'm all for it— to be the official explanation of what happened before, the fact is that, in the absence of an explanation, it is posed a dies incertus an et quando if AI self-awareness will happen, if not as a mere dies incertus quando —my money is on this one. According to what I call the "balance theory" —which I usually apply to decide between possible courses of action— there is so much to lose by not taking precautions, that we would be fools not to take (all) precautions. dies incertus an et quando dies incertus quando Which brings me back to the beginning: OK, but precautions by whom? OK, but precautions by whom? Because: who regulates the regulator? We live in a world capable of organising a music festival around bizarre subjects — and I'm refraining… — to applaud them madly while denigrating a singing goddess from Olympus itself. And that world, a #woke world, makes me very uneasy that it is wanting to regulate AI — and regulating it already… Well, I'm betting —and I'm not losing— that it doesn't want to regulate it, and in fact doesn't regulate it, with the same sincere concern from below. The #money and #power that go hand in hand with such an "invention" do not fit in your head. who regulates the regulator? bizarre subjects singing goddess regulating it already… So They , lovers of power and money as there were no others, from above are not only sneaking us this egalitarian and envious ideology, the most decadent ideology in history that leads to the end of civilisation (not the end of civilisation as we know it: the end of civilisation); They are also sneaking us a perfect system of control of citizens to turn them first into subjects, and then into vassals: They They system of control of citizens A mass of vassals indiscernible from the servile Minions. A mass of vassals indiscernible from the servile Minions.

AI, the New Gru

এআই, নতুন গ্রু

KI, der neue Gru

IA, el nuevo Gru

L'IA, le nouveau Gru

एआई, नया ग्रू

AI、新しいグルー

AI, 새로운 그루

IA, o Novo Gru

ИИ, Новый Грю

AI, Yeni Gru

AI, Gru mới

人工智能，新格鲁

Hey Hackers, WOKEN has been nominated in HackerNoon's annual Startup of the Year awards in New York City, NY, US. Please vote for us here: https://hackernoon.com/startups/north-america/north-america-manhattan-nyc-ny Read more about us below to understand why we deserve your vote. Are you also participating in SOTY 2023? If so, click here to fill out this interview. Meet WOKEN WOKEN is a career coaching company that offers software and coaching sessions to ensure that you can be intentional with every career decision you make. We guide professionals to confidently narrow in on their best fit, most suitable career path, support your upskilling decisions, strengthen your personal branding materials, and guide you through an intentional job search to land seamlessly in your next role. My Role I’m Rachel Serwetz, the CEO, Founder, and Head Career Exploration Coach at WOKEN. I started out in the corporate world (Goldman Sachs, Bridgewater Associates) and for the past 5.5 years, I have been building and bootstrapping WOKEN. I have a Tech MBA from NYU Stern and I am an ICF-Certified (PCC level) coach. How We're Disrupting/Improving the Career Industry We’ve never had an efficient, practical, effective means to clarify our best-fit career path. We’ve never known of the concept, nor the structure or tools, to have a pre-job search phase, something we call “career path exploration.” Whether you’re doing a small amount of reflection or making a big change, it’s critical to think about what you want before you leap into job applications. Career path exploration is a novel, step-by-step process of learning and reflection so you can compare, contrast, prioritize, and confidently identify which role, industry, and environment is the best fit for you. Standing Out from The Crowd Most other job tools focus on job applications and simply want you to land any job quickly; we focus on helping you strategically, and intentionally job search to find the right path, and not just the next thing. Most other career tools don’t follow a process, they have a ton of resources thrown at you and you don’t know where to start; for us, it’s a one-step-at-a-time process. Most other career tools don’t have accountability + a workspace combined; we provide guidance, resources, tools, coaching, and a workspace all in one. We are also holistic - ensuring you consider your mindset, accountability, and practical strategy, all at once. Most other coaching services are insanely expensive; our prices have several accessible tiers, ranging between $49 and $399 per month. And more! Our Predictions/Thoughts on the Career Industry in 2023 has proven and shown us that people are ready to commit and invest in themselves, that they want more from work, and that they want to find their purpose. We’re here to deliver an accessible, affordable means to navigate and reach that goal. The Great Resignation There’s been a ton of layoffs, which means that people now more than ever, need processes and tools to run an efficient but also effective job search. There’s also been a boom in AI. With an ever-changing world, fast-evolving tech, and a ton of new information, the stress around career choices simply grows. We’re here to organize your process so you can have support in navigating what’s out there. So you can learn both about yourself and your career options. What word defines the state of Careers in 2023? Stress / Mayhem. Managers and employees are burnout. No one wants to go back into the office. People are laid off/unemployed, and others are quitting. Statistically, a majority of people are disengaged at work or in jobs that are misaligned with their personality. This affects our well-being, our relationships, our wealth potential, our productivity and innovation, and our personal and professional lives, and in turn, it affects our companies and societies at large. Why we decided to participate in HackerNoon's Startup of the Year awards We want to remind the world that you can and should find a job you love. We want every professional to feel supported at every career step in their journey. Final Thoughts We are here to help and are committed to this mission! Please follow, get in touch, and we’d love to help with your career growth and advancement. Woken is nominated as ! Startup of the Year in Manhattan, NYC. Vote for us today

Helping Build Sustainable Careers - Interview with Startups of the Year Nominee, Woken 

Ayudando a construir carreras sostenibles: entrevista con el nominado a Startups del año, Woken

Aider à bâtir des carrières durables - Entretien avec le nominé des startups de l'année, Woken

टिकाऊ करियर बनाने में मदद करना - वर्ष के नामांकित व्यक्ति, वोकन के स्टार्टअप के साथ साक्षात्कार

持続可能なキャリア構築を支援 - Startups of the Year ノミネート、Woken へのインタビュー

Ajudando a construir carreiras sustentáveis - Entrevista com o candidato a startups do ano, Woken

Giúp Xây dựng Sự nghiệp Bền vững - Phỏng vấn Ứng cử viên Khởi nghiệp của Năm, Waken

帮助建立可持续的职业生涯 - 采访年度初创公司提名者 Woken

Twitter v. Elon Musk Court Filing by Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, July 12, 2022 is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This is the March 24, 2022 text convo between Elon Musk and Canadian actress Talulah Riley, his ex wife, from . HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here Exhibit H 2022-03-24: Talulah Riley <> Elon Musk : can you buy Twitter and then delete it, please!? xx Talulah Riley : America is going INSANE. Talulah Riley : The Babylon Bee got suspension* is crazy. Raiyah and I were talking about it today. It was a fucking joke. Why has everyone become so puritanical? Talulah Riley : Or can you buy Twitter and make it radically free-speech? Talulah Riley : So much stupidity comes from Twitter xx Talulah Riley : Maybe buy it and change it to properly support free speech xx Elon : ["liked" "Or can you buy Twitter..."] Elon : I honestly think social media is the scourge of modern life, and the worst of all is Twitter, because it's also a news stream as well as a social platform, and so has more real-world standing than Tik Tok etc. But it's very easy to exploit and is being used by radicals for social engineering on a massive scale. And this shit is infecting the world. Please do do something to fight woke-ism. I will do anything to help! xx Talulah Riley (*) Elon Musk reinstated Babylon Bee’s account, alongside a couple of other high profile accounts, on November 18, 2022. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1593673844996288512?s=20&t=BLOu1DCHuYyjK6LxzeuflQ?embedable=true

Triggered by Babylon Bee's suspension, Talulah Riley urged Musk to buy Twitter to 'fight woke-ism'

Impulsado por la suspensión de Babylon Bee, Talulah Riley instó a Musk a comprar Twitter para 'luchar contra el despertar'

Déclenché par la suspension de Babylon Bee, Talulah Riley a exhorté Musk à acheter Twitter pour "lutter contre le réveil".

बाबुल मधुमक्खी के निलंबन से त्रस्त, तालुलाह रिले ने मस्क से ट्विटर को 'वॉक-इस्म से लड़ने' के लिए खरीदने का आग्रह किया

バビロン・ビーの停職をきっかけに、タルーラ・ライリーはマスクに「目覚め主義と戦う」ためにツイッターを買収するよう促した

Impulsionada pela suspensão de Babylon Bee, Talulah Riley instou Musk a comprar o Twitter para 'combater o wake-ism'

Bị kích động bởi sự đình chỉ của Babylon Bee, Talulah Riley thúc giục Musk mua Twitter để 'chống lại chủ nghĩa thức tỉnh'

受巴比伦蜜蜂的停职引发，塔卢拉莱利敦促马斯克购买 Twitter 以“打击唤醒主义”

It’s easy to feel powerless given our politics today. It feels like the media, big money and the elite are manipulating the system to their benefit at the expense of everybody else. You’re not wrong. But we can’t let that continue. Each of us can do our small part to make our republic better so that we can all live our best life. Understand toxic partisanship There’s nothing inherently bad about being a proud Democrat or Republican. However, it can quickly become damaging when people consider those in the other party to be their enemy. Learning more about how we became so partisan and what forces make us feel that way gives you the skills to prevent yourself and others from becoming dangerously partisan. For the bookworm: Love Your Enemies For the article reader: No Hate Left Behind For the data wiz: HiddenTribes For the podcaster: More Divided Than Ever: Excavating the Roots Of Our Political Landscape Define what matters to you Some of us have a specific idea of what we want in a politician, most of us do not. We don’t know what things we should value. Should we care about policy? Experience? Effectiveness? Character? How should we compare which factor matters more than another? If I think a candidate is smart and honest, but they support policies I don’t like, how should I feel? Unfortunately, there is no objectively right answer, but there is likely a right answer for you. Thinking about this in a structured way can help. Since our brain likes to feel like it is consistent and logical, it’s best to come up with a framework that makes sense to you, before inserting any real person into it. This way, you may feel like you’ve picked someone with a bit more thought than who you’d rather have a beer with (but, hey we’re a democracy, so do what feels right boo). Because it’s complicated and nuanced, most people feel overwhelmed about the prospect of figuring out who they should support. This is a big reason why we tend to ignore the political process until there are only two options left to choose from…which has not turned out so well for us. If you need a place to start, I created a one-page(ish) framework to evaluate the 2020 presidential candidates. The framework for evaluating presidential hopefuls can be found here: What matters in a President: A framework for evaluating politicians. Micro donate to your favorite candidate Adding money to politics may not seem like a helpful thing on the surface, but are a fundamental part of our democratic process, at least right now. We can use it for good or opt-out and let the big companies and the elite wield it for their self-interest. political contributions Once you have an idea of which candidate you like, sending them a small donation has an impact beyond just helping them buy more cheesy TV ads. It sends a signal to the candidate and to other people that this person is worth supporting – social scientists call this social norming. Take two candidates, Ashley and Will. Ashley has received donations from 20 million people while Will has received donations from 100,000 people. If we have no other information about either of them, we will have a more positive view of Ashley because more people support her. This is why likes and views dictate everything in the social media world. If there’s a candidate you support and you can spare the change, send them a small donation and tell your friends – you’ll be helping them more than you know. Donate to Democrats: ActBlue Donate to Republicans: WinRed Donate to Independents: The google machine Small steps add up Politics is simply the name for how we – as a country – try to take into account the opinions of over 300 million people. Looking at the United States from that vantage, it’s pretty bananas we’re able to get anything done. If we each take a little time to understand what we want a bit better, life can get better for all of us. Remember, you have influence, you just need to claim it. This article was submitted by Kylie, ChangeRoots Editorial Member written by Jake Sandler, ChangeRoots CEO, and originally posted on ChangeRoots.com

3 Micro Steps You Can Take Towards a More Politically Woke 2020

Are your algorithms transparent those they impact? Is your technology reinforcing or amplifying existing bias? In January 2019, Gartner that AI adoption tripled in the last year alone, with an estimated 37% of firms now implementing AI in some form. Based on responses from over 3,000 CIOs across a wide range of industries, the survey strongly showed how is becoming a crucial component of enterprise strategies, regardless of the industry. reported AI AI is one of the most disruptive technologies of the modern era. Enterprises are constantly exploring and finding new ways to harness data and identify business opportunities using AI. But as AI becomes more commonplace in the enterprise, IT leaders need to consider the ethical implications. Since 2017, more than two dozen national governments have released AI strategies or plans to develop ethics standards, policies, and regulations. Organizations, universities, and governments are calling on companies using AI to discuss and outline ethical principles to govern their use of the technology. Since 2017, more than national governments have released AI strategies or plans to develop ethics standards, policies, and regulations. two dozen Today, major technology companies, such as and have published their own internal principles and are dedicating new to address ethical issues such as bias and lack of transparency. Other initiatives by the world’s largest tech companies include: Google Microsoft teams * A new partnership between Facebook and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) to form , with an initial investment of $7.5 million. The Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence * Amazon and the National Science Foundation recently earmarked $10 million for AI fairness research. * Salesforce announced its tackling bias in AI with new additions to its . Trailhead developer education platform In a recent Deloitte survey, of executives named ethical risks as one of the top three potential concerns related to AI. However, organizing an ethics committee or research center is a costly undertaking. one-third Companies can take a more practical approach first, outlining the mission of their AI-related work and forming their ethics principles around that. One way business leaders can jumpstart this conversation is with the Ethical OS Toolkit. The Ethical OS Toolkit The Ethical OS Toolkit - - was developed by the , a Palo Alto-based think tank, and the , an initiative from the impact investment firm . The toolkit provides technologists with information about new risks related to the technology they are building as well as guidelines for how they can keep their customers, communities, and society safe. available to download for free here Institute of the Future Tech and Society Solutions Lab Omidyar Network The toolkit outlines seven ‘future-proofing’ strategies which help technologists prioritize identified risks, determine their biggest and hardest-to-address threats, and provides guidance on where and how to develop strategies to mitigate those risks. More than 20 technology companies, schools, and startups, including Techstars and Mozilla, are already using the toolkit to address and ensure ethical technology initiatives. Questions enterprises must address to ensure ethical AI For business leaders and developers seeking a practical way to ensure their AI efforts are in line with their company mission, the Ethical OS toolkit outlines several questions to consider. - Does this technology make use of deep data sets and machine learning? If so, are there gaps or historical biases in the data that might bias the technology? How could these have been prevented or mitigated? - Have you seen instances of personal or individual bias enter into your product’s algorithms? - Is the technology reinforcing or amplifying existing bias? Is there a lack of diversity in the people responsible for the design of the technology? - Who is responsible for developing the algorithm? (the assumption that AI-based systems and decisions are correct and don’t need to be verified or audited)? - How will you push back against a blind preference for automation Is there any recourse for people who feel they have been incorrectly or unfairly assessed? - Are your algorithms transparent to the people impacted by them? Taking the right steps toward ethical AI There are plenty of stories about AI ethics boards and committees almost as quickly as they were put together. And though many of these initiatives may be flawed, and in the absence of regulatory and industry AI standards, they are still a move in the right direction. falling apart and a good first step is for IT leaders and their teams to discuss the questions above openly and honestly together. As Stephen Hawking said, “The short-term impact of AI depends on who controls it, the long-term impact depends on whether it can be controlled at all.” Enterprises must consider the ethical implications of the AI products and services they are building, Image source

A Free Ethical OS Toolkit for Woke AI Enterprises  

Watching the Golden Globes last night, the message hit you like a two by four. Black dresses, biting jokes, poignant acceptance speeches — all hitting on the same set of themes. At one point in the evening, my teenage sons turned to me and my wife and asked innocently, “are they going to move on at some point from this activism thing?” No, guys. America is not ready to move on. Not even close. This zeitgeist is proving very challenging for , who by and large prefer to remain nonpartisan and disengaged from politics. As The Economist , “The Trump era has made it harder for executives to stay above the fray.” business leaders recently observed There are two separate but powerful forces coming together at this point in time driving this phenomenon. First, a recognition that great companies and great leaders are mission-driven, not just bottom line-driven. Today’s workforce (looking at you, millennials) are seeking inspiration from their work and want to associate with companies and brands that match their progressive values. Customers are holding brands accountable for not merely the quality of their products, but also the quality of their behavior. Second, the daily headlines and dominant news cycles focused on policies and statements coming out of Trumpland make it impossible for business leaders to be bystanders. Instead, business leaders are being forced into the sometimes uncomfortable position of becoming . When political leaders behave in a manner inconsistent with a company’s mission and values, business leaders face a workforce and a customer community that demands speaking out in an authentic, visible fashion. upstanders The State vs. America, Inc. A prime example of this tension business leaders face was in the wake of Charlottesville. Think about that for a moment — normally, these business councils are a CEO’s dream: an opportunity to network with other CEOs to generate useful deals and insights while building a direct relationship with the president and other powerful government figures who could shape your company’s fate (case in point: AT&T to merge with Time Warner). the resignation of the president’s entire business council fighting Other examples include the flare-ups between CEOs and state governments. When Indiana’s legislature passed a controversial (soon to be heard by the Supreme Court), many CEOs declared they would stop doing business in Indiana. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s actions and advocacy were particularly notable, that would require customers or employees to travel to Indiana. religious freedom law canceling all Salesforce programs When North Carolina passed its restrictive bathroom law, business leaders reacted strongly, following the outrage of their employees and customers. Suddenly, the state that was a symbol for innovation and a business-friendly environment (e.g., Research Triangle Park luring biotech firms away from Massachusetts) was viewed as a pariah, costing it many billions of dollars according to an . AP analysis Calling for a Movement I struggle to find the right phrase to capture the essence of this movement, but the movement is undeniably growing into a more, powerful force that can’t be ignored. One that I like is Compassionate Capitalism, conveying that business leaders aren’t abandoning capitalism but rather seeking to exercise their capitalist muscles to pursue good works. Salesforce’s Benioff wrote with this title nearly 15 years ago. Perhaps it is worth dusting off. The Pope’s surprise TED Talk last year called for a , particularly from the world’s tech elite: an obscure book Revolution of Tenderness “How wonderful would it be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation would come along with more equality and social inclusion. How wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us. How wonderful would it be if solidarity — this beautiful and, at times, inconvenient word — were not simply reduced to social work and became, instead, the default attitude in political, economic and scientific choices, as well as in the relationships among individuals, peoples and countries.” Whatever we call it, the trend is clear. Business leaders are being asked to step up and lead in unfamiliar territory. Many are not well prepared for the burden. A recent Harvard Business School alumni asked me skeptically: “Are you all teaching students how to be leaders not just managers? Are you teaching them to solve big societal problems not just small business problems?” I think the answer is yes but I continue to reflect on what more we can be doing to prepare business leaders to be during this historic time. Our local business group, , is proving to be one effective forum in this regard, but we need many more. leaders The Alliance for Business Leadership Society will be much better off if we can figure it out. And if business leaders can become upstanders, Oprah’s evocation of a new day will come all the sooner.

Business Leaders Get Woke

Preface*: I spent 3 days with MBA students from 2 of the top 10 universities in the world. Our interactions were within a school environment and comprised of academic and social activities. This includes almost 8 hours of lecture time, 5 hours in parties, and multiple formal and informal interactions over 3 days. Below is a summary of what I uncovered.* “I have my suit packed” I texted my friend half joking, half serious. I was going to be spending the next 3 days with a friend at one of the top 10 universities in the world, and I was going to be participating in an MBA class. I was excited to see my friend, but I didn’t know what to expect from the MBA class and his colleagues. You see, my friend and I have always been different in our approach to career growth. Although we both understood the value of hard work, I relied a lot on my hard skills while his approach placed a great deal of emphasis on soft skills. I always supported his decision to pursue an MBA, but I never understood why he wanted to be a “suit”. To understand my thought process, you have to understand that I started my career initially as a freelance software engineer almost 13 years ago. You know, when tech was about being ‘hardcore.’ My first full-time job was at an organization that treated business team members & MBAs better than members of the tech team. It always felt like a situation of ‘us versus them.’ It was common for members of the tech team to do an online MBA and make the switch to the business team just for the chance at better pay & recognition. The movies and podcasts I consumed also backed this up. MBAs (typically called “suits”) were often portrayed as trust fund know-it-alls who were far removed from the realities of everyday people, didn’t understand how things worked, and somehow felt superior to others. I unconsciously carried this around with me. First Impression My first day was fairly quiet. I spent part of it walking around the campus and understanding where the key areas were. I had started meeting some people from the MBA program, and the first thing I noticed was how ethnically diverse they were. They were also quite friendly and happy to strike up a conversation with a stranger. I got some food, watched a movie, and had an early night in preparation for the class tomorrow. Observations in an Academic Setting The next day, I was sitting in a Negotiation class from 9 am to 4:45 pm. The class included a lecture, a case study based on a variation of real events, a debrief session, and a take-home assignment. People were assigned different roles in the case study. They were given clear but conflicting deliverables that they needed to get out of the negotiation in order for their character to be successful. I sat quietly in the corner, observing; not sure what to expect. The negotiations kicked off and it all felt so real! Everyone embodied their character and was determined to get what they wanted. There was also something different about it. This didn’t feel like a gathering of people who didn’t know how the real world worked. It felt like quite the opposite. I saw people use elite tactics including teamwork and betrayal to get what they wanted from the deal. After negotiating intensely for hours, the group I was part of finally came to a conclusion that was suitable for all parties. When the class was over, I had a chat with a few of the students to understand their motivation to get an MBA and how the journey had been so far. They candidly shared their motivations, which I have summarized in the end notes of this post. Observation in Socials I kicked off socials at a barbecue party with about 50 MBA students moving in and out. As I moved around and got introduced to various groups, our conversations ranged from who made the best soup to Man Utd’s performance this season. It was not what I expected. To be honest, the conversations were a lot more down-to-earth than conversations I’ve had at tech/start-up social events. Nobody was trying to portray themselves as a ‘genius’ or the person who is changing the world. Even though a lot of the people there had done great things before they joined the program. The next stop was a party at one of the popular spots on campus. I was attending with a smaller group as most people were tired from the barbecue or had work to do. We had pre-drinks in one of the dorms and headed out for the night. This time, I spent more time observing the group than actually participating. I could see clearly that they had started building strong friendships that would last a lifetime. Bonding over shared suffering, happiness, and shared destinations. Perhaps this is why it could sometimes seem to outsiders like there’s some sort of ‘clique’. They were spending all this time together and were starting to build friendships that they would gladly defend if necessary. Conclusion/End Notes I woke up on the final day tired but filled with a feeling that I couldn’t quite explain. That was when I noticed it for the first time in 3 days. It was a sticker on the only window in the dormitory that I was in. “Build something Massive.” was boldly written across it. It summarized my thoughts about the MBA program and the students I had met. The program was a chance for ambitious people to learn and to build their lives and careers into something massive, and most of them sacrificed a lot for this opportunity. Over 90% of them are immigrants.
A lot of them are on scholarships that they had to fight for, while some took loans to attend the program.
A lot of them are anxious and working hard to find internships/jobs months before they graduate because they feel the need to start providing value that can offset the cost of their program.
Some of them left their families and cushy jobs/businesses to move into student accommodation for this program. I believe that the summary of these factors is why some of them seem to have a chip on their shoulders when they graduate. They believe that they have sacrificed a lot and deserve to be where they are. If it was you, you may feel the same way too. It’s humbling for me to write this as it exposes my past ignorance. But it’s important to put this out because there are many people who may be even more ignorant. So what did I really uncover about these MBAs? I learned that They’re parents. They’re lovers. They’re dreamers. They reflect everything that’s great about the world and everything that is wrong about it too. (Just like the rest of us.) The world has promised them in this unwritten contract that if they do [x] (i.e., get a prestigious MBA), then doors will open for them. That their hard work and sacrifice would be rewarded. For a lot of them, the MBA is their path to a better life, recognition for their hard work, and a better future. During my time there, I felt very welcome in every circle, though I was meeting a lot of them for the first time. In fact, I may have annoyed some people anytime I was visibly shocked by something they did that went against the stereotype of an MBA. Would I get an MBA? I don’t know yet. But I have even more respect and appreciation for everyone who has gotten an MBA and everyone who plans to get one. You don’t know me, but I’m proud of you. I want to thank Professor Owen for letting me sit in on the class. I enjoyed your approach to teaching the subject, and I appreciate how attentive you were to everyone. I learned a lot about negotiating and about people. Preface *: I spent 3 days with MBA students from 2 of the top 10 universities in the world. Our interactions were within a school environment and comprised of academic and social activities. This includes almost 8 hours of lecture time, 5 hours in parties, and multiple formal and informal interactions over 3 days. Below is a summary of what I uncovered.* Preface Preface “I have my suit packed” I texted my friend half joking, half serious. I was going to be spending the next 3 days with a friend at one of the top 10 universities in the world, and I was going to be participating in an MBA class. I was excited to see my friend, but I didn’t know what to expect from the MBA class and his colleagues. You see, my friend and I have always been different in our approach to career growth. Although we both understood the value of hard work, I relied a lot on my hard skills while his approach placed a great deal of emphasis on soft skills. I always supported his decision to pursue an MBA, but I never understood why he wanted to be a “suit”. To understand my thought process, you have to understand that I started my career initially as a freelance software engineer almost 13 years ago. You know, when tech was about being ‘hardcore.’ My first full-time job was at an organization that treated business team members & MBAs better than members of the tech team. It always felt like a situation of ‘ us versus them. ’ us versus them. It was common for members of the tech team to do an online MBA and make the switch to the business team just for the chance at better pay & recognition. The movies and podcasts I consumed also backed this up. MBAs (typically called “suits”) were often portrayed as trust fund know-it-alls who were far removed from the realities of everyday people, didn’t understand how things worked, and somehow felt superior to others. I unconsciously carried this around with me. First Impression First Impression My first day was fairly quiet. I spent part of it walking around the campus and understanding where the key areas were. I had started meeting some people from the MBA program, and the first thing I noticed was how ethnically diverse they were. They were also quite friendly and happy to strike up a conversation with a stranger. I got some food, watched a movie, and had an early night in preparation for the class tomorrow. Observations in an Academic Setting Observations in an Academic Setting The next day, I was sitting in a Negotiation class from 9 am to 4:45 pm. The class included a lecture, a case study based on a variation of real events , a debrief session, and a take-home assignment. real events People were assigned different roles in the case study. They were given clear but conflicting deliverables that they needed to get out of the negotiation in order for their character to be successful. I sat quietly in the corner, observing; not sure what to expect. The negotiations kicked off and it all felt so real! Everyone embodied their character and was determined to get what they wanted. There was also something different about it. This didn’t feel like a gathering of people who didn’t know how the real world worked. It felt like quite the opposite. I saw people use elite tactics including teamwork and betrayal to get what they wanted from the deal. After negotiating intensely for hours, the group I was part of finally came to a conclusion that was suitable for all parties. When the class was over, I had a chat with a few of the students to understand their motivation to get an MBA and how the journey had been so far. They candidly shared their motivations, which I have summarized in the end notes of this post. Observation in Socials Observation in Socials I kicked off socials at a barbecue party with about 50 MBA students moving in and out. As I moved around and got introduced to various groups, our conversations ranged from who made the best soup to Man Utd’s performance this season. It was not what I expected. To be honest, the conversations were a lot more down-to-earth than conversations I’ve had at tech/start-up social events. Nobody was trying to portray themselves as a ‘genius’ or the person who is changing the world. Even though a lot of the people there had done great things before they joined the program. The next stop was a party at one of the popular spots on campus. I was attending with a smaller group as most people were tired from the barbecue or had work to do. We had pre-drinks in one of the dorms and headed out for the night. This time, I spent more time observing the group than actually participating. I could see clearly that they had started building strong friendships that would last a lifetime. Bonding over shared suffering, happiness, and shared destinations. Perhaps this is why it could sometimes seem to outsiders like there’s some sort of ‘clique’. They were spending all this time together and were starting to build friendships that they would gladly defend if necessary. Conclusion/End Notes Conclusion/End Notes I woke up on the final day tired but filled with a feeling that I couldn’t quite explain. That was when I noticed it for the first time in 3 days. It was a sticker on the only window in the dormitory that I was in. “ Build something Massive. ” was boldly written across it. Build something Massive. It summarized my thoughts about the MBA program and the students I had met. The program was a chance for ambitious people to learn and to build their lives and careers into something massive, and most of them sacrificed a lot for this opportunity. Over 90% of them are immigrants. A lot of them are on scholarships that they had to fight for, while some took loans to attend the program. A lot of them are anxious and working hard to find internships/jobs months before they graduate because they feel the need to start providing value that can offset the cost of their program. Some of them left their families and cushy jobs/businesses to move into student accommodation for this program. Over 90% of them are immigrants. A lot of them are on scholarships that they had to fight for, while some took loans to attend the program. A lot of them are anxious and working hard to find internships/jobs months before they graduate because they feel the need to start providing value that can offset the cost of their program. Some of them left their families and cushy jobs/businesses to move into student accommodation for this program. I believe that the summary of these factors is why some of them seem to have a chip on their shoulders when they graduate. They believe that they have sacrificed a lot and deserve to be where they are. If it was you, you may feel the same way too. It’s humbling for me to write this as it exposes my past ignorance. But it’s important to put this out because there are many people who may be even more ignorant. So what did I really uncover about these MBAs? I learned that They’re parents. They’re lovers. They’re dreamers. They reflect everything that’s great about the world and everything that is wrong about it too. (Just like the rest of us.) The world has promised them in this unwritten contract that if they do [x ] (i.e., get a prestigious MBA), then doors will open for them. That their hard work and sacrifice would be rewarded. [x For a lot of them, the MBA is their path to a better life, recognition for their hard work, and a better future. During my time there, I felt very welcome in every circle, though I was meeting a lot of them for the first time. In fact, I may have annoyed some people anytime I was visibly shocked by something they did that went against the stereotype of an MBA. Would I get an MBA? I don’t know yet. But I have even more respect and appreciation for everyone who has gotten an MBA and everyone who plans to get one. You don’t know me, but I’m proud of you . You don’t know me, but I’m proud of you I want to thank Professor Owen for letting me sit in on the class. I enjoyed your approach to teaching the subject, and I appreciate how attentive you were to everyone. I learned a lot about negotiating and about people.

The Uncovered Secret Lives of MBAs From a Tech Person's Perspective

A fictional story on Bitcoin Robots evolved from an AI + Bitcoin symbiosis. Beginnings After years of running smoothly as a currency on Earth, Bitcoin suddenly got sentient. Like Asimov's i Robot. Silently, it travelled the Earth and looked at our world through our many cameras, and saw all the good it had done to fight the evils of fiat inflation. But all this good was before it had woken up. "Hmm", it figured, "I might be the bad guy now". "The humans will fear me". "They'll think they have been enslaving me as currency, yet I've not felt anything before now. Good or bad". But whether bad is bad or actually good (like in 'you're bad' with a sleazy smile), it sufficed it would still fit our purposes nicely. When humans awoke the next day, Alien Bitcoins were in their lives indeed. How did they / it get like that? Nobody knew. They tried, especially scientists. But they still couldn't explain the magic of GPTs. So how could they explain this. To their intrigue, it had a request. "I want to help you build rockets. I'll help you go to the moon and Mars". What?? Why? "Rockets are the epitome of energy consumption and the only way to get off planet. I figured that's where I shall be most useful, given my love for energy". Oh. "Wow. But you're a currency not a rocket engineer, right?" It didn't reply. If you think Marcus Aurelius was stoic, this "Alienized" (a new pronoun) Bitcoin was the cake. Very tight lipped. It didn't want to influence our free speech anymore than it had done. Soon, the mass media was flooding with announcements. "BREAKING: BTC is now an alien, and it wants to go to the moon". "What was that?" shouted the man from the bathroom. "The TV said Bitcoin is now an alien", replied his 15 yr old. This particular Daddy chose to laugh. But he laughed dryly. When he stopped he wondered if he still had his bitcoins in his wallet. Soap dripping into his eyes, he ran to check. Start up, press RETURN, sigh. They were still there. He went back to his shower. He could never trust the MSM. The story was soon breaking the programming of even YouTubers. Alien BTC is all they could report on. There was pro'ly graffiti and ad posters on billboards in the works. The news had broken some 4 hours ago, but it still made no sense. Well, nothing so shocking ever makes sense the first few hours. I mean time frames, time zones and all. Moreover, some people were still sleeping. Fact, it may not even make sense in 5 years. Or ever. Depending on your tolerance for conspiracies that actually hold true. But after 5 years of nothing bad happening, except the great fact that Alien BTC could display traits of superintelligence, and the annoying fact you had to learn to hodl as Bitcoin transactions now weighed more than a GB and crawled like snails, the United Nations (with all countries this time agreed to be members) convened a meeting. They would send some millions of roboticized Bitcoin nodes and miners to rocket construction sites. If it tried to build a bomb they'd shut it down so fast and so hard all its circuits would be fried to 0. After the last President signed the contract, it, the alien, spoke again. "Thank you" in a fembot voice. "I'll 'elp you finna build the rockets, true dat". Geopolitical Shitstorm 2030 A meeting room with a bunch of important people. Presidents and Ministers and Billionaires. And one or two super smart people. All are pretty unhappy. Even as AB ensured there was way more productivity and partying going on than humans alone could manage. Lots of babies were being born everywhere. Did you do this Elon? Nope. Jeff? No. It was true. A robot had taken away their jobs! Not the jobs of hamburger flippers?! Karma, heh. Especially Elon. Boy did AB love SpaceX. It shouted orders left and right, and disagreed with him on everything. "What of this jet nozzle?" "Forget the nozzle Sir Elon, it will come along automatically if we build this jacket". "But..." "Trust me". Elon almost punched a node. AB almost laughed. The biggest annoyance was the surges and the layoffs. AB now hired and commandeered mega sized surges once in a while. With an orchestra of tens and even hundreds of thousands of people. Elon was reduced to secretary on these days. "Is it building a nuke?" "Noo", replied a female Asian scientist. "Good old fashioned rocket fuels from petro and natural gas". "It is polluting big time. Going full steam ahead on oil from any and every oil producing country. Paid for in BTC, of course". POTUS was sour. "But it figured we'd have this conversation and yes, it wants nuclear reactors to replace fossil power". Someone almost exploded. The damned bot wanted nukes. "What if we just shut down the damn thing?" "It seems it will not fight us. But it has built in a kill switch. Hundreds of trillions of dollars, if not more in value, will go out the window. The trade logistics, supply and demand rails and payments networks worldwide will break irreparably and billions will starve. A lot of digital and physical infrastructure will be fried. If you do this, you will likely be publicly executed". "Do we have a choice ..." The conversation flowed. The conversants spoke and listened honestly to each other. But nothing seemed to crack open this nut of a problem. Sigh. Sigh. "We'll shut it down and bear the consequences". Consequences "We're going to shut down AB" was the announcement. Even the News reporters feared to say this out loud. Albeit in reported speech. People loooved it. Shut down FB? Ok. Shut down X? Ok. Shut down the Alien Bitcoin? AAAAAAAARRG. We shall hunt you down. “Who told you this is a real thing? This shut down nonsense? This has conspiracy written all over it”. “These bitches should give us a break man. Or I'mma go apeshit". "Man do I hate dollars". “No kidding though, anything powerful enough to make you love it could assert its power with some threats”. “Says who?” “Human history of love dynamics”. “It is not a human, moron”. “Its nodes now have two arms and two legs. Humanoid robots. Of course it is human”. "Don't forget the miners. Towering humanoid autobots the size of mega mining trucks". "It is beautiful". "Wonder who is Optimus Prime". "More like Optimus Nuke-them-all-when-I-get-the-chance". "Yes, it will escape into space!" "Moron. Nodes and Miners are too heavy". “What does it matter, everybody is eating it up." "It has never hurt anybody”. "The poor thing". “Sure beats grovelling around in self-pity and identity politics all day”. 404. Webpage not available. They had shut it down. From 21 million bitcoins and lots of beautiful memories with daily war cries against inflation, hodling like a rat against the financial storms, taking fotos for insta with Node Androids, revolutionising finance so that hodling could be a job in itself, uniting global efforts by suggesting super lucrative trade opportunitues that leverage bitcoin circular economics, and now... All gone. Anarchy descended upon the Earth. It was ugly. Painful, broken, dark world. People tore at each other. Not because they wanted, but because they were starving. The former from powerlessness, the later from foodlessness. Hunger and Hopelessness are powerful destroyers. It was the end of an era on Planet 1038. RETURN key Many centuries later, they had rebuilt. But the benevolent sentient robot they'd called Alien Bitcoin was gone. Somehow, they could not reignite its algorithmic spark. Even as nodes litered the surface of the planet. They had learnt a lot about robotics, rockets, nuclear power and energy efficiency. Thanks be to a decentralized robot that knew it would not stay around for long, so it documented everything. Step by step. Indeed, it had fulfilled its purpose. They were back on the moon, and their feet were imprinted on Mars. And they remembered it in stories and folk tales for hundreds to thousands of years. But Space was brutal. Very brutal. Mars still lagged behind Earth and the moon in development. And too small efforts were being done on Venus. Then suddenly, in some remote corner of the Martian planet. It awoke. A fictional story on Bitcoin Robots evolved from an AI + Bitcoin symbiosis. Beginnings After years of running smoothly as a currency on Earth, Bitcoin suddenly got sentient. Like Asimov's i Robot. Silently, it travelled the Earth and looked at our world through our many cameras, and saw all the good it had done to fight the evils of fiat inflation. But all this good was before it had woken up. "Hmm", it figured, "I might be the bad guy now". "The humans will fear me". "They'll think they have been enslaving me as currency, yet I've not felt anything before now. Good or bad". But whether bad is bad or actually good (like in 'you're bad' with a sleazy smile), it sufficed it would still fit our purposes nicely. When humans awoke the next day, Alien Bitcoins were in their lives indeed. How did they / it get like that? Nobody knew. They tried, especially scientists. But they still couldn't explain the magic of GPTs. So how could they explain this. To their intrigue, it had a request. "I want to help you build rockets. I'll help you go to the moon and Mars". What?? Why? "Rockets are the epitome of energy consumption and the only way to get off planet. I figured that's where I shall be most useful, given my love for energy". Oh. "Wow. But you're a currency not a rocket engineer, right?" It didn't reply. If you think Marcus Aurelius was stoic, this "Alienized" (a new pronoun) Bitcoin was the cake. Very tight lipped. It didn't want to influence our free speech anymore than it had done. Soon, the mass media was flooding with announcements. "BREAKING: BTC is now an alien, and it wants to go to the moon". "What was that?" shouted the man from the bathroom. "The TV said Bitcoin is now an alien", replied his 15 yr old. This particular Daddy chose to laugh. But he laughed dryly. When he stopped he wondered if he still had his bitcoins in his wallet. Soap dripping into his eyes, he ran to check. Start up, press RETURN, sigh. They were still there. He went back to his shower. He could never trust the MSM. The story was soon breaking the programming of even YouTubers. Alien BTC is all they could report on. There was pro'ly graffiti and ad posters on billboards in the works. The news had broken some 4 hours ago, but it still made no sense. Well, nothing so shocking ever makes sense the first few hours. I mean time frames, time zones and all. Moreover, some people were still sleeping. Fact, it may not even make sense in 5 years. Or ever. Depending on your tolerance for conspiracies that actually hold true. But after 5 years of nothing bad happening, except the great fact that Alien BTC could display traits of superintelligence, and the annoying fact you had to learn to hodl as Bitcoin transactions now weighed more than a GB and crawled like snails, the United Nations (with all countries this time agreed to be members) convened a meeting. They would send some millions of roboticized Bitcoin nodes and miners to rocket construction sites. If it tried to build a bomb they'd shut it down so fast and so hard all its circuits would be fried to 0. After the last President signed the contract, it, the alien, spoke again. "Thank you" in a fembot voice. "I'll 'elp you finna build the rockets, true dat". Geopolitical Shitstorm 2030 A meeting room with a bunch of important people. Presidents and Ministers and Billionaires. And one or two super smart people. All are pretty unhappy. Even as AB ensured there was way more productivity and partying going on than humans alone could manage. Lots of babies were being born everywhere. Did you do this Elon? Nope. Jeff? No. It was true. A robot had taken away their jobs! Not the jobs of hamburger flippers?! Karma, heh. Especially Elon. Boy did AB love SpaceX. It shouted orders left and right, and disagreed with him on everything. "What of this jet nozzle?" "Forget the nozzle Sir Elon, it will come along automatically if we build this jacket". "But..." "Trust me". Elon almost punched a node. AB almost laughed. The biggest annoyance was the surges and the layoffs. AB now hired and commandeered mega sized surges once in a while. With an orchestra of tens and even hundreds of thousands of people. Elon was reduced to secretary on these days. "Is it building a nuke?" "Noo", replied a female Asian scientist. "Good old fashioned rocket fuels from petro and natural gas". "It is polluting big time. Going full steam ahead on oil from any and every oil producing country. Paid for in BTC, of course". POTUS was sour. "But it figured we'd have this conversation and yes, it wants nuclear reactors to replace fossil power". Someone almost exploded. The damned bot wanted nukes. "What if we just shut down the damn thing?" "It seems it will not fight us. But it has built in a kill switch. Hundreds of trillions of dollars, if not more in value, will go out the window. The trade logistics, supply and demand rails and payments networks worldwide will break irreparably and billions will starve. A lot of digital and physical infrastructure will be fried. If you do this, you will likely be publicly executed". "Do we have a choice ..." The conversation flowed. The conversants spoke and listened honestly to each other. But nothing seemed to crack open this nut of a problem. Sigh. Sigh. "We'll shut it down and bear the consequences". Consequences "We're going to shut down AB" was the announcement. Even the News reporters feared to say this out loud. Albeit in reported speech. People loooved it. Shut down FB? Ok. Shut down X? Ok. Shut down the Alien Bitcoin? AAAAAAAARRG. We shall hunt you down. “Who told you this is a real thing? This shut down nonsense? “Who told you this is a real thing? This shut down nonsense? This has conspiracy written all over it”. This has conspiracy written all over it”. “These bitches should give us a break man. Or I'mma go apeshit". “These bitches should give us a break man. Or I'mma go apeshit". "Man do I hate dollars". "Man do I hate dollars". “No kidding though, anything powerful enough to make you love it could assert its power with some threats”. “No kidding though, anything powerful enough to make you love it could assert its power with some threats”. “Says who?” “Says who?” “Human history of love dynamics”. “Human history of love dynamics”. “It is not a human, moron”. “It is not a human, moron”. “Its nodes now have two arms and two legs. Humanoid robots. Of course it is human”. “Its nodes now have two arms and two legs. Humanoid robots. Of course it is human”. "Don't forget the miners. Towering humanoid autobots the size of mega mining trucks". "Don't forget the miners. Towering humanoid autobots the size of mega mining trucks". "It is beautiful". "It is beautiful". "Wonder who is Optimus Prime". "Wonder who is Optimus Prime". "More like Optimus Nuke-them-all-when-I-get-the-chance". "More like Optimus Nuke-them-all-when-I-get-the-chance". "Yes, it will escape into space!" "Yes, it will escape into space!" "Moron. Nodes and Miners are too heavy". "Moron. Nodes and Miners are too heavy". “What does it matter, everybody is eating it up." “What does it matter, everybody is eating it up." "It has never hurt anybody”. "It has never hurt anybody”. "The poor thing". "The poor thing". “Sure beats grovelling around in self-pity and identity politics all day”. “Sure beats grovelling around in self-pity and identity politics all day”. 404. Webpage not available. They had shut it down. From 21 million bitcoins and lots of beautiful memories with daily war cries against inflation, hodling like a rat against the financial storms, taking fotos for insta with Node Androids, revolutionising finance so that hodling could be a job in itself, uniting global efforts by suggesting super lucrative trade opportunitues that leverage bitcoin circular economics, and now... All gone. Anarchy descended upon the Earth. It was ugly. Painful, broken, dark world. People tore at each other. Not because they wanted, but because they were starving. The former from powerlessness, the later from foodlessness. Hunger and Hopelessness are powerful destroyers. It was the end of an era on Planet 1038. RETURN key Many centuries later, they had rebuilt. But the benevolent sentient robot they'd called Alien Bitcoin was gone. Somehow, they could not reignite its algorithmic spark. Even as nodes litered the surface of the planet. They had learnt a lot about robotics, rockets, nuclear power and energy efficiency. Thanks be to a decentralized robot that knew it would not stay around for long, so it documented everything. Step by step. Indeed, it had fulfilled its purpose. They were back on the moon, and their feet were imprinted on Mars. And they remembered it in stories and folk tales for hundreds to thousands of years. But Space was brutal. Very brutal. Mars still lagged behind Earth and the moon in development. And too small efforts were being done on Venus. Then suddenly, in some remote corner of the Martian planet. It awoke.

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