ArchiveArticles
Sam Altman Out at OpenAI, Microsoft Picks Him Up
Will Microsoft become the prime leader in the AI movement, and what will be the future of OpenAI?The Multiverse: Better in Fiction Than in Real Life?
The multiverse may be “unscientific nonsense” or a “religious” belief, as some physicists assert but the rules of storytelling are not the laws of natureAliens Review, Part 2
Attacking aliens is like kicking a beehive.Once a Supporter, Science Writer Airs Doubts About Free Will
ChatGPT has set John Horgan thinking about whether he is just "ChatGPT-Me" himselfPew: Post-COVID, Trust in Science Dropped Significantly
Most other institutions have taken a hit in trust as well. But what would it take for science in particular to pull out?Why ChatGPT Is Killing Off Traditional AI
We're living in another AI "winter"Congress Boosts “Kill Switch” Technology to Control Drivers
Federal agency power poised to extend to your every move.Marks: AI Creating More AI Equals Nonsense
AI "inbreeding" will always lead to model collapse.The Free Will Debate Really Heated Up This Year
Many commentators are weighing in; surprisingly, perhaps, well-known materialists are disputing the claim that there is no free willChina, Cybertheft, and the Ethics of Espionage
All nations spy, but espionage crosses a moral line when it costs normal civilians their jobs.Will Neuroscience Ever Accommodate Immaterial Consciousness?
Joseph Green offers an informative account in Minding the Brain of the current state of neuroscience. What we now know is remarkable — but so is what we don’tEuthanasia’s Slippery Slope
Once a society embraces death as the answer to suffering, what counts as suffering never stops expanding.Productivity Increase Will Take Time in the Age of AI
An acceleration in productivity growth from AI isn’t right around the corner, despite promises by economists.Organ Transplants: How the Internet Enables the Dark Side
Euthanasia activists offer to "ease" the donor organ shortage, and so do cartels that exploit the world’s most vulnerable poorDon’t Expect AI to Revolutionize Science
Data science is a downstream phenomenon. Thinking isn't.Planet of the Apes and Human Exceptionalism
This movie franchise makes us wonder what makes human beings unique.One semi-random movie franchise I’ve been a massive fan of is the newest iteration of The Planet of the Apes. The original trilogy, directed by Matt Reeves (The Batman) concluded in 2017, but a “fourth” film is set to release on Memorial Day of 2024, and a trailer for it dropped this week. I’m starting to become somewhat “anti-trailer” given that more often than not they tend to either distort the hype of the film or give away the story entirely. But in the cases of movies I’m most excited about, I confess that generally I give the trailer a quick view. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set years after Caesar, the founder of the ape colony Read More ›
Only an Immaterial Mind Can Ask “How Does Life Work?”
Science writer Philip Ball, facing cancer surgery, struggles to find meaning and purpose in a wholly material world. He is looking in the wrong placeAlien Review, Part 1
Is the original movie as impressive as everyone says?Alien is considered a sci-fi classic. It started a franchise that has lasted for many years, but while the first couple of movies are highly respected, the later films are thought to be underwhelming to say the least. But is the original as impressive as everyone says? The movie starts out with a large multi-storied ship moving through space. This spacecraft looks like an entire city, and as neat as it is to see, this raises a few questions right away. Why is the vessel so large, and how can only a seven people run this craft? We do get some answers. The ship is called the Nostromo. It is a mining ship, and a computer named Mother runs most Read More ›