Archives

Below are all posts in reverse chronological order.

2023

Ten memes explained by GPT-4V

GPT-4 with Vision has a sense of humor?

Ten memes explained by GPT-4V

GPT-4 with Vision has a sense of humor?
Drawing with Code Interpreter

Code Interpreter can draw simple pictures with the Pillow library

Drawing with Code Interpreter

Code Interpreter can draw simple pictures with the Pillow library
Audio is best for AI

Why audio is better than VR for AI

Audio is best for AI

Why audio is better than VR for AI
William Gibson's Visionary 2003 Director's Guild Speech

Gibson's future is here.

William Gibson's Visionary 2003 Director's Guild Speech

Gibson's future is here.
The Everything Machine

Creativity in an AI saturated world.

The Everything Machine

Creativity in an AI saturated world.
Fear setting: existential risks

What's the worst that could happen?

Fear setting: existential risks

What's the worst that could happen?
ChatGPT as Personal Tutor

As tutor, ChatGPT leads us on a journey from Roman Soldiers to Quantum Mechanics.

ChatGPT as Personal Tutor

As tutor, ChatGPT leads us on a journey from Roman Soldiers to Quantum Mechanics.
The Evolution of Intelligence Itself

AI is not alien, it's us.

The Evolution of Intelligence Itself

AI is not alien, it's us.

2022

How I Trained My TikTok

How I taught my TikTok to find worthwhile content.

How I Trained My TikTok

How I taught my TikTok to find worthwhile content.
Superhot: Thinking Fast and Slow

In the videogame Superhot time only advances when you move. Can this shed light on how our brains work?

Superhot: Thinking Fast and Slow

In the videogame Superhot time only advances when you move. Can this shed light on how our brains work?

2021

The Coming AI Content Storm

Soon AIs will study our movies and create their own.

The Coming AI Content Storm

Soon AIs will study our movies and create their own.
The Driveway

Reminiscing the changes a family goes through from the point of view of their driveway.

The Driveway

Reminiscing the changes a family goes through from the point of view of their driveway.
Billionaires: Our Single Point of Failure

No human should have sole control of hundreds of billions of dollars with no checks or balances.

Billionaires: Our Single Point of Failure

No human should have sole control of hundreds of billions of dollars with no checks or balances.
Your Career in Simulation

Your next career might take place entirely in simulation.

Your Career in Simulation

Your next career might take place entirely in simulation.

2020

On Slowing Down and Being Present

How posture is related to staying mindful around food.

On Slowing Down and Being Present

How posture is related to staying mindful around food.
Never Again

We should create a 4th branch of government dedicated to Science.

Never Again

We should create a 4th branch of government dedicated to Science.
GPT-3 Bot Posed as a Human on AskReddit for a Week

I found a reddit account that using GPT-3 to answer real user's AskReddit questions.

GPT-3 Bot Posed as a Human on AskReddit for a Week

I found a reddit account that using GPT-3 to answer real user's AskReddit questions.
The Autoplay President

It's past midnight in America, do not autoplay the presidency.

The Autoplay President

It's past midnight in America, do not autoplay the presidency.
The Hungry Ancestor Diet

To loose weight visualize your distant relative Og.

The Hungry Ancestor Diet

To loose weight visualize your distant relative Og.
The Tucker Carlson Delusion

Tucker Carlson lives in a fantasy world where Trump doesn't exist.

The Tucker Carlson Delusion

Tucker Carlson lives in a fantasy world where Trump doesn't exist.
Breeding Necessity

YouTube 3Blue1Brown talks about teaching math and his father's sugarcube games that got him started.

Breeding Necessity

YouTube 3Blue1Brown talks about teaching math and his father's sugarcube games that got him started.
Headless

Our consciousness can be located outside our body.

Headless

Our consciousness can be located outside our body.

2019

How not to meditate

Small concentrated portions of the universe have thoughts and feelings and opinions.

How not to meditate

Small concentrated portions of the universe have thoughts and feelings and opinions.
Mindfulness is driving without texting

Be fully absorbed in the present moment.

Mindfulness is driving without texting

Be fully absorbed in the present moment.

2018

Tips for Writing

Write often, fast-forward to the good stuff.

Tips for Writing

Write often, fast-forward to the good stuff.
A Disease of the Mind

Precise but false speech is the worst kind.

A Disease of the Mind

Precise but false speech is the worst kind.
Zero Point Distractions

Some distractions are worth indulging.

Zero Point Distractions

Some distractions are worth indulging.

2017

The Richer Scale

Jeff Bezos's wealth is best understood with a log scale.

The Richer Scale

Jeff Bezos's wealth is best understood with a log scale.
The Mindful

A young man attends a mysterious class at a Chinese restaurant.

The Mindful

A young man attends a mysterious class at a Chinese restaurant.

2016

Waking Up

Excerpts from Sam Harris's excellent book Waking Up.

Waking Up

Excerpts from Sam Harris's excellent book Waking Up.
Mindful Reps

My experience meditating for a year.

Mindful Reps

My experience meditating for a year.
Decision 2016

Whether you vote or not doesn't matter, but who you decide you would vote for does.

Decision 2016

Whether you vote or not doesn't matter, but who you decide you would vote for does.
Braid

A neuroscience researcher's theory of cognition.

Braid

A neuroscience researcher's theory of cognition.

2015

Press X to continue

What is at stake when you play a videogame?

Press X to continue

What is at stake when you play a videogame?
Tai: The AI

The world's first super-intelligent AI.

Tai: The AI

The world's first super-intelligent AI.

2014

The Hybrid Generation

They hybrid generation are a walking “best of” traits from all of human history.

The Hybrid Generation

They hybrid generation are a walking “best of” traits from all of human history.
Oculus Prime

The future of VR.

Oculus Prime

The future of VR.
Who is going to write the software?

Developers will still work on serious stuff.

Who is going to write the software?

Developers will still work on serious stuff.

2012

Physical Bits

Bits exist physically in the world.

Physical Bits

Bits exist physically in the world.

2011

Firework

Falling in a love with a song changes your brain.

Firework

Falling in a love with a song changes your brain.
The Games People Play

On the line between games and the real world.

The Games People Play

On the line between games and the real world.

2010

The Simulation Hypothesis

Is reality a towering pile of nest simulations?

The Simulation Hypothesis

Is reality a towering pile of nest simulations?
Why You Should Vote

Litering is an ongoing election about how messy we want our roads to be.

Why You Should Vote

Litering is an ongoing election about how messy we want our roads to be.
The Future of Google's Street View

Google streetview and maps will be used for videogames.

The Future of Google's Street View

Google streetview and maps will be used for videogames.
Clock Speed Wall

Clock Speed Wall
The Singularity Is Always Steep

Technological progress is not building to a peak.

The Singularity Is Always Steep

Technological progress is not building to a peak.
Inception Game

What kind of game could you create based on Inception?

Inception Game

What kind of game could you create based on Inception?
Intelligent Designer: Gaia

What IQ does Evolution have?

Intelligent Designer: Gaia

What IQ does Evolution have?
The Healthcare Diff

We should have compact diffs of legislative changes.

The Healthcare Diff

We should have compact diffs of legislative changes.
Pancake Stacking

The robots will win in the end.

Pancake Stacking

The robots will win in the end.
iPad: Bring It On

Open or closed, it's Apple's decision.

iPad: Bring It On

Open or closed, it's Apple's decision.
Computational Footprint

How many CPU cycles were burned making the movie Avatar?

Computational Footprint

How many CPU cycles were burned making the movie Avatar?

2009

The Singularity

Ray Kurzweil predicts The Singularity is coming by 2045 based on his law of accelerating returns.

The Singularity

Ray Kurzweil predicts The Singularity is coming by 2045 based on his law of accelerating returns.
Abstractions

Our visual system suggests how our brains might cope with complexity in general.

Abstractions

Our visual system suggests how our brains might cope with complexity in general.
Seeking What's New

Why do we crave new content so much?

Seeking What's New

Why do we crave new content so much?
The Human Scale

Humans are locked into a certain scale in both space and time.

The Human Scale

Humans are locked into a certain scale in both space and time.