The AI's role isn't to automate organization; it's to suggest connections we haven’t considered and amplify our ability to see patterns and possibilities. I like to think of it as inspiration as a service. - Every
But now, “there are multiple somber YouTube video essays about the lack of conviviality in multiplayer lobbies, and most of them bear titles that gesture toward an elemental wound in the culture.” - Slate
Amitav Ghosh says, “The planetary crisis, in the broadest sense, … has been brought about by a story: a story of endless profit, endless growth, of individualism” - and that story starts early in English-language literature. - Irish Times
“Landmark laws across the country have come into existence to preserve things we deem culturally significant. But they don’t always protect what we actually want to save.” - The New York Times
The gambit of Stanford literature professor Adrian Daub’s clarifying new book, The Cancel Culture Panic: How an American Obsession Went Global, is the contention that, in fact, we don’t really know what “cancel culture” is. - The New Republic
“This is the year that people really realized that you can build general-purpose robots,” she said. What is striking about these achievements is that they involve very little explicit programming. The robots’ behavior is learned. - The New Yorker
Nostalgia is a universal malady for which there is no effective remedy, and throughout its long history it has served politically diverse ends. - Washington Post
Sarah Zhang of The Atlantic: “Sometimes, before I understand intellectually why a story is interesting or good, if I feel myself emotionally gravitate to a story, it probably means there’s something there.” - Nieman Lab
“Much of mathematics is driven by intuition, by a deep-rooted sense of what should be true. But sometimes instinct can lead a mathematician astray.” Take the bunkbed hypothesis. - Wired
There is a flaw at the heart of the concept of scaling, though it can be hard to articulate in the face of “bigger is better.” Looking back to the roots of “scale” can help us pinpoint what conventional wisdom might be missing. - Harvard Business Review
Whether you do it while in the heart of the Amazon or on your walk to work, deep listening is a form of mindfulness. Mindfulness practice can strengthen attention, empathy, and compassion, increase positive emotions, help to control negative emotions, and reduce emotional exhaustion. - Psyche
Unlike bones, we can’t dig up ancient languages to study how they developed over time. While we may be unable to study the true evolution of human language, perhaps a simulation could provide some insights. That’s where AI comes in—a fascinating field of research called emergent communication. - Singularity Hub
True crime, also known as “murder shows” and “murder podcasts,” really appeal to more women than men. Why? “Most of the true crime I watch reflects a black and white moral universe where victims ultimately get justice, even if it is delayed.” - The New York Times
