The Repressive Power of AI, Why Public Goods are Good, A Must-Have App for Power Readers, & More
Future Essentials - Edition 56
Here’s what you’re getting in this edition:
Some words of inspiration
10 news articles worth reading
A CRYPTO TALK: Why Public Goods are Good with Vitalik Buterin
A REPORT: Freedom on the Net 2023 | The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence
A QUIZ: Freedom on the Net 2023
Is human uncertainty the key to improving AI?
The Protein of the Future?
A must-have app for power readers
A TED Talk: How to tame your wandering mind | Amishi Jha
8 Minute Mountain Meditation | Guided Imagery
Some words of inspiration
“Let's make a planet in which nobody is starving.
Let's make a planet in which men and women have equal access to power.
Let us make a planet in which no ethnic group has it over another ethnic group.
Let's have a planet in which science and engineering are used for the benefit of everybody on the planet.
And my personal idiosyncrasy, let's have a world in which we go to other worlds.” ~ Dr. Carl Sagan
10 articles from this week that are worth reading
Bastion startup aims to make Web3 easy for businesses - Blockworks
BAYC Creator Yuga Labs Announces Major Restructuring - The Defiant
Hong Kong crypto VC opens $100M fund for Asian blockchain startups (cointelegraph.com)
Canada relaxes strict stablecoin rules, introduces conditions - Blockworks
Non-custodial crypto cards proliferate as part of wider industry trend - Blockworks
MrBeast calls TikTok ad showing an AI version of him a 'scam' (nbcnews.com)
Group Attacking Apple Encryption Linked to Dark-Money Network (theintercept.com)
Thousands of Android devices come with unkillable backdoor preinstalled | Ars Technica
A CRYPTO TALK: Why Public Goods are Good with Vitalik Buterin
This conversation between Kevin Owocki and Ethereum cofounder, Vitalik Buterin, includes:
Why Public Goods Matter
The Scope of Ethereum Public Goods
High-Resolution Democracy
Vitalik’s Favorite PGF Projects
Leverage Points for Builders
Impact Tracking
Retroactive Public Goods
Contract Secured Revenue
The Good in Public Goods
A Public Goods Hyperstructure
A REPORT: Freedom on the Net 2023 | The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence
Key Findings:
Global internet freedom declined for the 13th consecutive year.
Attacks on free expression grew more common around the world.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to supercharge online disinformation campaigns.
AI has allowed governments to enhance and refine their online censorship.
To protect internet freedom, democracy’s supporters must adapt the lessons learned from past internet governance challenges and apply them to AI.
Read the full report here: Freedom on the Net 2023
A QUIZ: Freedom on the Net 2023
Test your knowledge and understanding of the state of democracy and freedom on the internet: LINK
Is human uncertainty the key to improving AI?
For many of us, technology offers a way to resolve uncertainty. If we can’t recall a fact or figure something out, we simply search and receive an answer. What year did the Paris Peace Conference conclude? Let me Google that… 1920. How many miles is a 10K run? 6.2 miles. Who starred with Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser in his headline-debut Encino Man? That’s right; it was Sean Astin and Pauly Shore.
Interestingly, the reverse is also increasingly true — computers are leaning on humans to check their work. “Human-in-the-loop” AI systems rely on human intervention for assurance that the AI hasn’t misread the information and made an inaccurate prediction. And often the circumstances are far more critical than movie trivia. LINK
A must-have app for power readers
Readwise makes it easy to revisit and learn from your ebook & article highlights. Save everything to one place, highlight like a pro, and replace several apps with Reader.
Try it here: READWISE
The Protein of the Future?
If you walk into a bar in Italy, you might be served a dish of salty, nutritious snacks: lupin beans, a legume that has been eaten around the Mediterranean and in parts of the Middle East and Africa for thousands of years.
Lupins are very high in protein and fiber, low in carbs, have a low glycemic index, and they’re easy to grow in a variety of climates. However, some varieties also contain high levels of unpleasantly bitter alkaloids.
In new research, an international team of researchers has for the first time identified the “sweetness gene” responsible for low alkaloid levels. This discovery may make it easier to reliably produce more palatable plants. LINK
TED Talk: How to tame your wandering mind | Amishi Jha
Amishi Jha studies how we pay attention: the process by which our brain decides what's important out of the constant stream of information it receives. Both external distractions (like stress) and internal ones (like mind-wandering) diminish our attention's power, Jha says -- but some simple techniques can boost it.
"Pay attention to your attention!”
8 Minute Mountain Meditation | Guided Imagery
Lee Ann Annotti, PhD, narrates this mindfulness exercise adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s “Mountain Meditation.” Dr. Annotti specializes in evaluating developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities.
Another great edition!