I'm honestly a bit worried about where the next fifty years will take us. I'm hardly a luddite, but...damn if there isn't a ton of potential for abuse. The worst part is that I don't really know...
I'm honestly a bit worried about where the next fifty years will take us. I'm hardly a luddite, but...damn if there isn't a ton of potential for abuse. The worst part is that I don't really know how we can combat it.
It is concerning. The sophistication of everything from facial recognition of one person in massive crowds, IoT devices that 'listen' to carry out commands, to tiny internet connected cameras in...
It is concerning. The sophistication of everything from facial recognition of one person in massive crowds, IoT devices that 'listen' to carry out commands, to tiny internet connected cameras in everything everywhere, cell phones that track you, your friends, etc. and we are all stalked online no matter how careful you are. Currently its big data after you for profit but it doesn't take much imagination to find other nefarious applications out of our control and knowledge. Medical records, DNA, etc. once considered highly private and protected is toast. Nothing in our lives is private anymore, nothing and that will deepen quickly to fill in every single corner no matter where we are or what we are doing.
It doesn't take much imagination to take it to the next step, finding persecutions for speaking against something in the privacy of ones vehicle, home or because of an online search or phrase in an email. Its a dictators dream come true. J. Edgar Hoover would be ecstatic.
Recall that Black Mirror episode where everyone was upvoting/downvoting via cell phones about individuals everyday interactions and behaviors and their overall score carried consequences irl? That already happening in China and they are applying it to businesses like airlines with a 'Social Credit System'.
As a result we have reverted back to stone age ways of record keeping, using paper, pen, pencil (oh the horrors) for our calendar, our contacts, budget and financial information. That everything done on an internet connected PC information can go to 'the cloud' and the ability to save and store personal information without that means keeping a dedicated offline computer, its silly. We have a phone, just a phone we carry and no monthly service, just buy minutes. I don't understand the desire to be available 24/7 to the world anyway, incessant sharing and preening of ones online life, work that can contact you anytime means one is never truly free. Thankfully that isn't an issue for us anymore. Besides its expensive. No Facebook, No Twitter, No Instagram, etc. and what I am doing now is it as far as social media. Honestly, I don't see how people find the time for all of it.
Combatting it is likely wasted effort but what we are doing makes us feel a little better anyway and I might add saves money and angst. I know everyone can't do it for various reasons. We've been victims of hacks from Equifax to medical records to OPM which we had zero control over. No accountability, no outrage from our so-called government and no consequences. The ability to target people politically with naked propaganda is horribly upsetting and I don't know how without state and federal intervention and tangible actions that can be reversed.
WASS. I'm glad I didn't have children as I'd be worried sick for their future not only because of the above but also because of climate change, the gamification/monetization of everything, the rise of AI and all that will bring. As a reader of dystopian and science fiction novels, I feel like I am currently living in a prologue to one.
Honestly, I feel fearful even as I type this comment. Because this is not some dystopian speculative fiction, but the reality in my country. I feel ashamed and angry, and terrified by the...
Honestly, I feel fearful even as I type this comment. Because this is not some dystopian speculative fiction, but the reality in my country. I feel ashamed and angry, and terrified by the pervasive apathy most of all. The future is here, but it's not evenly distributed, and powerful forces are trying to make sure it gets as widely distributed and firmly entrenched as possible.
I don't know what on the practical level I can do, as a long-term, sustainable strategy, to change the situation. It's already an uphill battle to maintain and change myself for the better. I tell myself not to succumb but this is not enough.
I may call this embodied resistance, but can there be more to it? It's impossible to be individually free from the wrongs and darkness that exists all around us. It's impossible to be above it; we must remake our reality while drenched in its messiness with our messy bodies. I rebel therefore we exist. But who is this we? There are moments that I feel so alone.
The Guardian: how the media gets AI alarmingly wrong AI (at least one type of AI) is basically algorithm that improves mathematical functions. Another type mimics biology evolution (basically...
AI (at least one type of AI) is basically algorithm that improves mathematical functions. Another type mimics biology evolution (basically efficient guessing). There is no need to worry about AI now. And I don't believe, we will ever achieve true general AI (which is what you probably mean).
Thanks, I was using it as shorthand for increased job replacing automation/technology beyond factory floors; pardon, it was a poor choice. Although, Stephen Hawking warned about general AI being...
Thanks, I was using it as shorthand for increased job replacing automation/technology beyond factory floors; pardon, it was a poor choice. Although, Stephen Hawking warned about general AI being an existential threat to mankind. I'll likely not live long enough to see that and then hope the Buddhists aren't right.
One can still run a perfectly secure and functional network of one's own, and tie into it from anywhere using VPNs and encryption. Build your own cloud, don't use theirs. Most people and...
One can still run a perfectly secure and functional network of one's own, and tie into it from anywhere using VPNs and encryption. Build your own cloud, don't use theirs. Most people and businesses don't do this because they are lazy, cheap, and they don't care about their privacy or their clients' privacy. Running your own network and cloud is expensive, mostly due to the salaries associated with it, rather than hardware and bandwidth costs. Businesses see the opportunity to eliminate most of the costs of IT by outsourcing it for smaller monthly rates.
I do too at times and then there are times like this that I realize there are likely more who think this way than I imagine. The apathy gets me too. I think about how people become desensitized to...
I may call this embodied resistance, but can there be more to it? It's impossible to be individually free from the wrongs and darkness that exists all around us. It's impossible to be above it; we must remake our reality while drenched in its messiness with our messy bodies. I rebel therefore we exist. But who is this we? There are moments that I feel so alone.
I do too at times and then there are times like this that I realize there are likely more who think this way than I imagine. The apathy gets me too. I think about how people become desensitized to invasive disruptions like going through security checks that want to look up the skirt of grandma in the wheelchair or in darker times, asking for your 'papers'.
I'm admit there are times I am frightened too as history is replete with examples of how quickly freedoms can be snuffed out, entire lives turned upside down in formerly relatively equitable societies. I am also angry at times. The willfully ignorant most of all anger me, particularly those in positions of power.
I don't know what the answer is, I know my paltry actions/deeds are totally inadequate but I still do them. I boycott companies, I keep my footprint as small as possible among other things. Most of all though I think about people who have undergone these earthquakes before us and how they coped and survived. I have vowed not to squander the good parts of life, large and small, and seek them out. Doing this helps makes me aware and observant of the good as well as the wrongs and helps balance the all the 'messiness'. I admit, I don't aways succeed but it helps.
Thank you for this. I think one thing I learned from accounts of past horrors is the importance of witness and record-keeping. It is true that neither has been entirely obliterated, and knowing...
Thank you for this. I think one thing I learned from accounts of past horrors is the importance of witness and record-keeping. It is true that neither has been entirely obliterated, and knowing this gives me some sense of balance and meaning. We need to express our true condition, including all the discontent, feeling of "non-normal", and maybe someone, not necessarily close to us in time or space, may hear and get a glimpse of what's under the oppressive edifices.
I really think you deserve the thanks for bringing it up. It requires introspection and thought, it requires cold and hard assessments difficult to at times to look at and acknowledge. I know I...
I really think you deserve the thanks for bringing it up. It requires introspection and thought, it requires cold and hard assessments difficult to at times to look at and acknowledge. I know I don't want to, I'd be much more comfortable diverting my attention and finding constant solace in whatever pablum is offered up. I do partake in it, but selectively and not obsessively, only as needed to maintain a balance.
This time isn't 'normal' by any stretch, it formerly was silent cancer that has been growing for decades and now is fully symptomatic. Now I fear it has metastasized.
For each of us as individuals, it is important to express how it impacts us and discuss how to cope, find remedies that are constructive, deliberative and maybe even discover new avenues effect change. Its a conversation that has been lacking over the course. I sincerely hope our species survives and our republic survives and this period time will serve to prevent repeating the same mistakes in a hopefully better future.
I already knew about the re-education camps many Muslims were sent to, but I had no idea about all the surveillance they were under. I thought the NSA was bad- this is far, far worse.
I already knew about the re-education camps many Muslims were sent to, but I had no idea about all the surveillance they were under. I thought the NSA was bad- this is far, far worse.
I'm honestly a bit worried about where the next fifty years will take us. I'm hardly a luddite, but...damn if there isn't a ton of potential for abuse. The worst part is that I don't really know how we can combat it.
It is concerning. The sophistication of everything from facial recognition of one person in massive crowds, IoT devices that 'listen' to carry out commands, to tiny internet connected cameras in everything everywhere, cell phones that track you, your friends, etc. and we are all stalked online no matter how careful you are. Currently its big data after you for profit but it doesn't take much imagination to find other nefarious applications out of our control and knowledge. Medical records, DNA, etc. once considered highly private and protected is toast. Nothing in our lives is private anymore, nothing and that will deepen quickly to fill in every single corner no matter where we are or what we are doing.
It doesn't take much imagination to take it to the next step, finding persecutions for speaking against something in the privacy of ones vehicle, home or because of an online search or phrase in an email. Its a dictators dream come true. J. Edgar Hoover would be ecstatic.
Recall that Black Mirror episode where everyone was upvoting/downvoting via cell phones about individuals everyday interactions and behaviors and their overall score carried consequences irl? That already happening in China and they are applying it to businesses like airlines with a 'Social Credit System'.
https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-controlling-foreign-companies-2018-6
As a result we have reverted back to stone age ways of record keeping, using paper, pen, pencil (oh the horrors) for our calendar, our contacts, budget and financial information. That everything done on an internet connected PC information can go to 'the cloud' and the ability to save and store personal information without that means keeping a dedicated offline computer, its silly. We have a phone, just a phone we carry and no monthly service, just buy minutes. I don't understand the desire to be available 24/7 to the world anyway, incessant sharing and preening of ones online life, work that can contact you anytime means one is never truly free. Thankfully that isn't an issue for us anymore. Besides its expensive. No Facebook, No Twitter, No Instagram, etc. and what I am doing now is it as far as social media. Honestly, I don't see how people find the time for all of it.
Combatting it is likely wasted effort but what we are doing makes us feel a little better anyway and I might add saves money and angst. I know everyone can't do it for various reasons. We've been victims of hacks from Equifax to medical records to OPM which we had zero control over. No accountability, no outrage from our so-called government and no consequences. The ability to target people politically with naked propaganda is horribly upsetting and I don't know how without state and federal intervention and tangible actions that can be reversed.
WASS. I'm glad I didn't have children as I'd be worried sick for their future not only because of the above but also because of climate change, the gamification/monetization of everything, the rise of AI and all that will bring. As a reader of dystopian and science fiction novels, I feel like I am currently living in a prologue to one.
Honestly, I feel fearful even as I type this comment. Because this is not some dystopian speculative fiction, but the reality in my country. I feel ashamed and angry, and terrified by the pervasive apathy most of all. The future is here, but it's not evenly distributed, and powerful forces are trying to make sure it gets as widely distributed and firmly entrenched as possible.
I don't know what on the practical level I can do, as a long-term, sustainable strategy, to change the situation. It's already an uphill battle to maintain and change myself for the better. I tell myself not to succumb but this is not enough.
I may call this embodied resistance, but can there be more to it? It's impossible to be individually free from the wrongs and darkness that exists all around us. It's impossible to be above it; we must remake our reality while drenched in its messiness with our messy bodies. I rebel therefore we exist. But who is this we? There are moments that I feel so alone.
The Guardian: how the media gets AI alarmingly wrong
AI (at least one type of AI) is basically algorithm that improves mathematical functions. Another type mimics biology evolution (basically efficient guessing). There is no need to worry about AI now. And I don't believe, we will ever achieve true general AI (which is what you probably mean).
Thanks, I was using it as shorthand for increased job replacing automation/technology beyond factory floors; pardon, it was a poor choice. Although, Stephen Hawking warned about general AI being an existential threat to mankind. I'll likely not live long enough to see that and then hope the Buddhists aren't right.
One can still run a perfectly secure and functional network of one's own, and tie into it from anywhere using VPNs and encryption. Build your own cloud, don't use theirs. Most people and businesses don't do this because they are lazy, cheap, and they don't care about their privacy or their clients' privacy. Running your own network and cloud is expensive, mostly due to the salaries associated with it, rather than hardware and bandwidth costs. Businesses see the opportunity to eliminate most of the costs of IT by outsourcing it for smaller monthly rates.
I do too at times and then there are times like this that I realize there are likely more who think this way than I imagine. The apathy gets me too. I think about how people become desensitized to invasive disruptions like going through security checks that want to look up the skirt of grandma in the wheelchair or in darker times, asking for your 'papers'.
I'm admit there are times I am frightened too as history is replete with examples of how quickly freedoms can be snuffed out, entire lives turned upside down in formerly relatively equitable societies. I am also angry at times. The willfully ignorant most of all anger me, particularly those in positions of power.
I don't know what the answer is, I know my paltry actions/deeds are totally inadequate but I still do them. I boycott companies, I keep my footprint as small as possible among other things. Most of all though I think about people who have undergone these earthquakes before us and how they coped and survived. I have vowed not to squander the good parts of life, large and small, and seek them out. Doing this helps makes me aware and observant of the good as well as the wrongs and helps balance the all the 'messiness'. I admit, I don't aways succeed but it helps.
Thank you for this. I think one thing I learned from accounts of past horrors is the importance of witness and record-keeping. It is true that neither has been entirely obliterated, and knowing this gives me some sense of balance and meaning. We need to express our true condition, including all the discontent, feeling of "non-normal", and maybe someone, not necessarily close to us in time or space, may hear and get a glimpse of what's under the oppressive edifices.
I really think you deserve the thanks for bringing it up. It requires introspection and thought, it requires cold and hard assessments difficult to at times to look at and acknowledge. I know I don't want to, I'd be much more comfortable diverting my attention and finding constant solace in whatever pablum is offered up. I do partake in it, but selectively and not obsessively, only as needed to maintain a balance.
This time isn't 'normal' by any stretch, it formerly was silent cancer that has been growing for decades and now is fully symptomatic. Now I fear it has metastasized.
For each of us as individuals, it is important to express how it impacts us and discuss how to cope, find remedies that are constructive, deliberative and maybe even discover new avenues effect change. Its a conversation that has been lacking over the course. I sincerely hope our species survives and our republic survives and this period time will serve to prevent repeating the same mistakes in a hopefully better future.
I already knew about the re-education camps many Muslims were sent to, but I had no idea about all the surveillance they were under. I thought the NSA was bad- this is far, far worse.