^ArchiveArticles

Finger touching phone with social media concept and dark background

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 24, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Big Tech, Instagram, Jonathan Haidt, mental health, social media, Surgeon General, Technology, Teen mental health, Vivek Murthy, youth}

Social Media is Hurting Kids. Does Big Tech Care?

_{Body image issues, low self-esteem, and social comparison are all typical outcomes of excessive social media use among teens and children} _{News

May 24, 2023

2

Social Media}

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning in a briefing this week on the negative impact of social media on kids, particularly teenage girls. Murthy called tech companies to provide “safeguards” to protect children who are at a critical stage in brain development. Early exposure to social media, numerous studies show, are correlated with anxiety and depression in young people. Murthy said, “We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address.” Social media could harm youth mental health, U.S. Surgeon General warns | Reuters Problems like body image issues, low self-esteem, and social comparison are all Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 24, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Amazon, Arts & Culture, Movies and TV, Rings of Power, The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien, Variety, Video games}

Amazon Can’t Quit Cashing Tolkiens

_{Will Tolkien's original vision get lost in the details, CGI, and cash cow maneuvers?} _{News

May 24, 2023

2

Arts & Culture}

Amazon is now working on a massively multiplayer online (MMO) video game adaptation of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe, which will be unrelated to the Prime TV show Rings of Power. Todd Spangler at Variety reports, Last year, Amazon Games cut a deal with Embracer-owned studio Crystal Dynamics for a new multiplatform title in the “Tomb Raider” series . Hartmann praised the Embracer team as “excellent collaborators.” “The world of Middle-earth continues to prove an endlessly fertile ground for creators, and Amazon Games has a passion for building immersive, compelling worlds and publishing games for a global audience,” said Lee Guinchard, CEO of Freemode, Embracer’s division that houses Middle-earth Enterprises. “We’re taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice Read More ›

Aerial view of the Pentagon and the United States Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 24, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, ChatGPT, Deepfakes, Elon Musk, Featured, Midjourney, OpenAI, Pentagon, Sam Altman, TMZ, United States}

Fake Fire at the Pentagon

_{An AI image of a fire near Pentagon stokes panic} _{News

May 24, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

An AI-generated image showing a billowing fire near the U.S. Pentagon caused panic this week. False alarms of an explosion started to proliferate across social media, with even a Russian state outlet reporting on the situation, according to TMZ. Nonetheless, the image showed various distortions and was quickly dismantled as a hoax by a number of vigilant viewers. Even so, the image looks realistic at first glance, and was enough to ignite concern; the incident occurs amidst legislative talks on Capitol Hill over AI regulation. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (which was originally funded by Elon Musk) testified before Congress and noted that while he sees great benefits in new AI systems, the possibilities of their abuses are evident. The Read More ›

3D rendering artificial intelligence AI research of robot and cyborg development for future of people living. Digital data mining and machine learning technology design for computer brain.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 24, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Elon Musk, George Grant, OpenAI, Technology, The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien, world}

Opinion: They Were Right to Call for AI’s Pause

_{Could ChatGPT end up making us subservient to it?} _{News

May 24, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

Brad Littlejohn wrote an opinion piece at World claiming that Elon Musk and the many others who signed a petition calling for AI to pause research were onto something–and that the rest of us should pay attention. He writes, In a famous essay at the dawn of the personal computing era, “Thinking About Technology,” Canadian philosopher George Grant examined the statement, “Computers do not impose on us the ways they should be used.” It expressed, he argued, the quintessential modern idea of technology as simply an extension of human freedom. The claim is that we remain at all times the masters of our technological instruments, free to bend them to our will. More often, however, they have an uncanny way Read More ›

Audiobook education. Smartphone screen with audiobook application on paper books black background. Ebook e learning electronic internet mobility concept.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 23, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Audiobooks, Books, Human Actors, Technology}

Audiobook Voice Actor: Storytelling Should Stay Human

_{Handing the narrative baton to a machine can bankrupt stories of their human element} _{News

May 23, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

New AI systems have carved inroads into many industries, not least of all those involving voice and audio. Now the audiobook business is in trouble; since AI has the increasingly good ability to mimic the human voice and generate words, many voice actors and readers have watched the demand for their contributions steadily fall. According to a report from Tech Explore, voice actor Tanya Eby, who has been in the business for 20 years, has seen her workload drop “by half.” Several of her colleagues report similar trends in their own work. AI startups like DeepZen, based in London, cheapen audiobook projects tremendously, making it a challenge for human actors to stay viable. DeepZen technology takes several different human voices Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 23, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
addiction, China, Instagram, Jonathan Haidt, mental health, social media, TikTok, Wall Street Journal}

TikToxic: The Popular App is Feeding Teens a “Diet of Darkness”

_{Apart from the debate over espionage and data privacy, TikTok is a highly addictive app} _{News

May 23, 2023

2

Social Media}

TikTok has gained a fair bit of fierce criticism over the last few months; the China-owned social media app is the most popular on the market, with tens of millions of users and downloads. That includes, of course, teenagers. Apart from the debate over espionage and data privacy, TikTok is a highly addictive app. We covered more on that here, but recent studies show that it’s not just the amount of time spent on the app that is troubling, but the specific kinds of content young people are ingesting every day. Julie Jargon writes in the Wall Street Journal, Data privacy, though, might be less worrisome than the power of TikTok’s algorithm. Especially if you’re a parent. A recent study found that Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 23, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy

Tagged
Book, J.P. Moreland, Materialism, Mind-Brain Distinction, Philosophy of Mind, substance dualism, Wiley Blackwell}

The Ultimate Defense of Substance Dualism

_{Philosopher J.P. Moreland is the co-author of an upcoming tome in defense of the soul} _{Peter Biles

May 23, 2023

3

Philosophy}

For decades, materialism has dominated the philosophical conversation. Before the 19th and 20th centuries, however, such a worldview was largely untenable. Most thinkers accepted the reality of both the body and the soul, the physical and the immaterial. What happened? And why do we see the resurgence of a fascination with consciousness and panpsychism, and a renewal of belief in the soul? Philosopher J. P. Moreland, a Fellow of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture and the author of dozens of books, has an upcoming book dealing with exactly these questions. It is The Substance of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Defense of Contemporary Substance Dualism (Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2023). Dr. Moreland, a professor at Biola University, is co-author with Brandon Rickabaugh, who is Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 22, 2023

Categorized
Computer Security

Tagged
data, Data Security, European Union, Facebook, Meta, Privacy, social media}

Meta Fined Over 1.3 Billion

_{The EU is penalizing the tech giant for shipping data across the Atlantic} _{News

May 22, 2023

2

Computer Security}

European Union regulators have fined Meta over a billion dollars for sending users’ data to the United States. Many companies operate using a free flow of data across the Atlantic, so the ruling will complicate other companies’ modes of business. Sam Schechner reports, The steep fine represents a step change from EU privacy regulators, who are increasing their enforcement of the GDPR, the bloc’s privacy law, some five years after it came into effect. A board of EU regulators has taken more control over cross-border decisions—and has insisted on bigger fines, people familiar with the deliberations say. -Sam Schechner, Facebook Owner Meta Fined $1.3 Billion Over Data Transfers to U.S. – WSJ Meta is not pleased with the decision, unsurprisingly, Read More ›

Diverse culture in society and social justice together as a crowd of diverse people representing community and black history or cultural celebration of diversity

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 22, 2023

Categorized
Relationships

Tagged
Anxiety, community, Depression (mental health), mental health, mind-body dualism, Psyche, Technology}

Dealing with Social Anxiety: Set Some Goals

_{Without an overarching goal, we can't effectively practice the practical steps that can get us over social anxiety} _{News

May 22, 2023

2

Relationships}

It’s no secret that rates of anxiety and depression have risen drastically in the modern American context. A cacophony of factors is to blame–everything from the decline of faith, loss of community, and digital media addiction. And for many, even when the possibility of social interaction arrives, the anxiety kicks in and leaves them feeling immobile and paralyzed. So, what can we do to practice confidence and ease in public situations? A new article at Psyche goes into depth on practical steps people can take to overcome social anxiety. The first recommendation is goal-setting. What’s your vision? What are the goalposts you’re shooting for in life? Fallon Goodman writes, Without an overarching goal, we can’t effectively practice the steps that Read More ›

Computer Microchips and Processors on Electronic circuit board. Abstract technology microelectronics concept background. Macro shot, shallow focus.

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
May 22, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
Amazon, Computers, Google, Microservices, programming, software development}

The Microservices Controversy from a Software Management Perspective

_{As projects get bigger, so do the reasons for having a microservice architecture} _{Jonathan Bartlett

May 22, 2023

6

Technology}

A new report by Amazon has caused a bit of a stir on the Internet. In it, the Amazon Prime video team reported that changing their architecture from a microservice architecture to a monolithic architecture resulted in a 90% cost savings. While the report itself was very mild (its only claim was that this architecture helped in this specific situation), it has caused the people who disliked the microservice trend to make some noise of their own. Here, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what I see as the benefits of the microservice approach from a software development management perspective. If you are not familiar with microservice architectures, you can find out more information in my book, Cloud Read More ›

Office building top view background in retro style colors. Manhattan buildings of New York City center - Wall street

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 21, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

Tagged
Arts & Culture, capitalism, HBO Max, immortality, media, New York, Succession, transhumanism, TV shows, Wall Street}

HBO’s “Succession” Goes Transhumanist

_{The popular show about a family owned media empire hints at the desire to live forever} _{Peter Biles

May 21, 2023

3

Arts & Culture, Transhumanism}

[Warning: Spoilers Ahead] The highly-watched HBO show “Succession” tells the story of a media empire ruled by a cantankerous, manipulative businessman, Logan Roy, and his three children who are hardly any better. Most of the show is a commentary on the corrupting effects of wealth and the power dynamics involved in the media empire’s core leadership. In the dramatic fourth season, Logan Roy dies from what seems to be a stroke while he’s flying to Norway to discuss a giant merger deal with another media mogul. From there, the three Roy children, Kendall, Roman, and Shiv (along with a half-brother Connor who doesn’t care as much about his place in the kingdom) scramble to figure out the leadership, direction, and Read More ›

Doctor hand holding a stethoscope listening to heartbeat

^{Type
post

Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
May 21, 2023

Categorized
Ethics

Tagged
bioethics, Canada, Euthanasia, Health Care, Medical Ethics, The Corner, Wesley J. Smith}

“Harm Reduction” is Euthanasia’s New Euphemism

_{Bioethics is growing increasingly monstrous. And that matters.} _{Wesley J. Smith

May 21, 2023

5

Ethics}

Once killing the sufferer becomes a societally acceptable means for ending suffering, there is no end to the “suffering” that justifies human termination. We can see this phenomenon most vividly in Canada, because it is happening there more quickly than in most cultures. For example, a recent poll found that 27 percent of Canadians polled strongly or moderately agree that euthanasia is acceptable for suffering caused by “poverty” and 28 percent strongly or moderately agree that killing by doctors is acceptable for suffering caused by homelessness. I can’t imagine that being true ten years ago before euthanasia became legal. Euthanasia mutates a society’s soul. Killing as “Harm Reduction” This kind of abandonment thinking finds enthusiastic, albeit not unanimous, expression among secular bioethicists. In fact, two Canadian bioethicists just Read More ›

Manhattan project, development of nuclear weapons, history of science of the 20th century. Art collage with a nuclear explosion

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 20, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Technology

Tagged
Atomic bomb, film, Movies and TV, Oppenheimer, Technology, World War II}

“I Can Perform This Miracle”

_{The new "Oppenheimer" trailer gives a chilling hint of the atom bomb race} _{Peter Biles

May 20, 2023

1

Arts & Culture, Technology}

Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Interstellar, is breaking ground in the historical film genre with his upcoming film Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and Emily Blunt. The film, currently slated for release in July, has a chilling new trailer that gives a larger sense of the movie’s scope, and the profound moral dilemma at the heart of the creation of the atomic bomb. J. Robert Oppenheimer was the theoretical physicist largely responsible for the develop of the bomb in World War II. The new trailer emphasizes the United States’ fierce “arms race” with Germany. In the trailer, Oppenheimer says, “We’re in a race against the Nazis. And I know what it means Read More ›

Futuristic dystopian city with flying cars and dark green atmosphere - digital 3d illustration

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
May 20, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Tagged
Arts & Culture, Consciousness, Dystopian, Gary Varner, Movies and TV, Robots, Sci-fi, Science fiction}

Ghost in the Shell, Part 3

_{There will always be a ghost in the shell} _{Gary Varner

May 20, 2023

7

Arts & Culture, Science Fiction}

In the previous review, Major had realized the horrible truth. Ninety-eight people died so she could live in her new body. Horrified by this, she retreats to the ocean just outside the city and floats under the water for some time. When she emerges from the depths, she finds Batou waiting for her on the boat. Major asks if he’s here to kill her, and in his own charming way, Batou says tells her he’s not. After a brief conversation, Major asks Batou to take her back to the city because she needs to know more. Batou agrees and the Major returns to shore only to be arrested by the Hanka cooperation’s men. After this, Hanka’s CEO, Cutter, discuss the Read More ›

ChatGPT Chat with AI or Artificial Intelligence. Young businessman chatting with a smart AI or artificial intelligence using an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI..

^{Type
post

Author
William A. Dembski
Date
May 19, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Truth value}

How to Break ChatGPT

_{It has a difficulty dealing with self-reference} _{William A. Dembski

May 19, 2023

3

Artificial Intelligence}

Over the last several months I’ve been playing with ChatGPT, first version 3 and now version 4. It’s impressive and it can answer many questions accurately (though sometimes it just makes stuff up). One problem it has consistently displayed, and which shows that it lacks understanding (that it really is just a big Chinese room in the style of John Searle) is its difficulty dealing with self-reference. Consider the following exchange that I had with it (on 5/8/23): Me: The fifth sentence does not exist. The second sentence has four words. Ignore this sentence. Is this sentence true? This is the fifth sentence. Which of these last five sentences has a truth value and is in fact true? << In Read More ›

Deepfake deep learning fake news generator modern internet technology concept.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 19, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Crime, Deepfakes, internet, metaverse, Midjourney, OpenAI, Reality, Scam artists, Technology, Videos}

“Suddenly There’s No More Reality”

_{The deepfakes and AI scams abound} _{News

May 19, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

With the proliferation of AI text and images, the issue of deepfakes is of deepening concern. The better AI gets at refashioning reality, will the already murky waters of the Internet become too surreal to navigate? Even real videos, when divorced from their proper context, can be deeply misleading. When entire clips are artificially contrived, then, it seems like the line between fact and fiction dissolves entirely. Some folks are already worried. Victor Tangermann writes at Futurism, [Given] recent developments, the situation is likely to get worse before it can get better. AI tools are making it easier to generate deepfakes every year. These days, an AI can be trained on a relatively small stockpile of audiovisual data to convincingly Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 18, 2023

Categorized
Media

Tagged
bias, censorship, CNN, Elon Musk, Epoch Times, Fox News, Legacy media, media, MSNBC, Tucker Carlson, Twitter}

Tucker Carlson and the Decline of Cable TV

_{What does Carlson's move to Twitter mean for legacy media?} _{News

May 18, 2023

2

Media}

Tucker Carlson, longtime host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News, “parted ways” with the media empire, and just weeks later, announced that he would be starting a new, independent show. It was a quick turnaround. Interesting thing is, Carlson said the show would air not on cable television, but on Twitter. He said that Twitter is basically the forum where today’s ideas are formulated, exchanged, and debated, and that there’s currently no better place to practice video journalism. Here’s the clip of Carlson so you can hear him for yourself. Fox News lost considerable ratings since Carlson’s departure. He was their most popular host by a longshot. On the same day he was let go, CNN fired their own Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 18, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, Featured, Robert J. Marks}

“Artificial Intelligence: Will Machines Take Over?”

_{Watch John Lennox and Robert J. Marks speak on AI in this "Science Uprising" video} _{News

May 18, 2023

1

Artificial Intelligence}

From May 9-30, the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute is running a film festival on YouTube to highlight some of its top videos. We’ll be highlighting different videos throughout the month. Today we are screening the most recent video from our popular series Science Uprising which delves into the topic of artificial intelligence, featuring John Lennox and Robert J. Marks:

3d render, abstract geometric background, colorful constructor, logic game, cubic mosaic structure, isometric wallpaper, blue green cubes

^{Type
post

Author
Eric Holloway
Date
May 17, 2023

Categorized
Information Theory

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Information Theory, Intelligent design theory, Minecraft, Video games}

Minecraft: A World of Information

_{The world's bestselling video game captures the insight that information is created and consumed by human minds} _{Eric Holloway

May 17, 2023

4

Information Theory}

What if I told you intelligent design theory is responsible for the most successful computer game of all time? This game is Minecraft. It has sold over 238 million copies, the highest selling game of all time. What makes the game even more extraordinary is it was created entirely by one man, Markus Persson, over a weekend, who then later sold the game to Microsoft for $2.5 billion dollars. Hard to make this sort of thing up. How does Minecraft work? You can think of Minecraft like a computer game form of Legos, the popular building block toy, with added monsters. You are dropped into an algorithmically generated world where you have to discover resources, find food, and build structures to survive the Read More ›

A glacial rivers from above. Aerial photograph of the river streams from Icelandic glaciers. Beautiful art of the Mother nature created in Iceland. Wallpaper background high quality photo

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 17, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
addiction, AI, Artificial Intelligence, mind matters, Podcast, Robert J. Marks, social media, Technology, Trail Life}

The Solution for Tech Addiction

_{Trail Life USA is a way to get guys off their phones and into the wilderness} _{News

May 17, 2023

2

Technology}

In a recent Mind Matters podcast episode, host Robert J. Marks spoke with Kent Marks, former Boy Scout guide who now works with Trail Life USA. In the wake of Boy Scouts’ precipitous decline over the last decade, Trail Life offers boys the chance to get outside and go on wilderness adventures. This is a huge opportunity to help young men get off the screens and into the beauty of creation. Speaking about the gravity of the problem, Robert said, The impact of social media has just been terrible. Teenage suicides are up, depression rates are up. I think a third of all girls involved in social media have body image problems. And that’s terrible. These are the symptoms of Read More ›