^CategoryArts & Culture

close up of dandelion on the blue background

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 9, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Arts and Culture, Cormac McCarthy, Fate, fiction, Nick Romeo, Santa Fe Institute, Scientific American, Stella Maris, The Passenger}

Cormac McCarthy’s Love for Science and Mathematics

_{His interest in science and mathematics were not extraneous hobbies but performed a strong role in the fiction he wrote} _{Peter Biles

July 9, 2023

2

Arts & Culture}

The late novelist Cormac McCarthy passed away on June 13th in Santa Fe, leaving a legacy of fictional works grappling with fate, masculine alienation, and the possibility of a transcendent reality. McCarthy’s two last books, The Passenger and Stella Maris, which are intended to be read together, are about a brother and sister who are both brilliant mathematicians, and whose father helped craft the atomic bomb with the Manhattan Project. McCarthy’s work is haunted both by a bleak fatalism and glimpses of an enduring reality beyond the merely physical. His interest in science and mathematics were not extraneous hobbies; they performed a strong role in the fiction he wrote. Nick Romeo writes at Scientific American, Science is also a source Read More ›

Summer Storm, Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, Utah, USA

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 8, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Arts and Culture, Fantasy, HBO, Native Americans, Nihilism, Robots, Science fiction, Season One Westworld, The Last Jedi, Westworld}

Westworld: Episode 4 Review

_{If nothing matters, then why are we doing this?} _{Gary Varner

July 8, 2023

7

Arts & Culture}

Episode three spent a great deal of time simply building the characters and world but had one good scene that explored some interesting ideas about consciousness. Episode Four has a lot more action and much less depth. It does; however, feed us some nihilistic nonsense along the way, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. In the first scene, we return to a glass room where Bernard is once again talking to Dolores. She expresses concern about her world, and this seems to be the first time Bernard has heard her communicating thoughts that are somewhat independent of her programming. So, he gives her a wooden toy he calls The Maze and tells her that if she can find the Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 6, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
Acton Institute, AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Google, HBO, hollywood, Lawsuits, Movies and TV, Writers Guild of America}

Maybe Hollywood Had it Coming?

_{When TV production becomes this mechanical and impersonal, why shouldn't studios opt for AI?} _{News

July 6, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

The writers’ strike in Hollywood continues. In May, the Writers Guild of America started protesting low wages and the potential threat of artificially generated scripts. Large Language Models (LLMs) have only improved in generating text, raising concerns among writers. However, according to an insightful article from Auguste Meyrat of the Acton Institute, Hollywood has been developing a culture that welcomes AI-generated content with its tendency to pressure writers to fit a formulaic narrative structure instead of encouraging them to pursue real creativity and collaboration. Meyrat writes, All this virtually guarantees the use of AI-generated screenplays. After all, if producing a movie is now effectively the same as producing a widget on an assembly line, the human element can be dispensed Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
July 5, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Emma Stone, Frankenstein, hollywood, Mark Ruffalo, Mary Shelley, Movies and TV, Poor Things, Science fiction, transhumanism, Willem Dafoe}

The Modern-Day “Frankenstein” Is Coming

_{"Poor Things," starring Emma Stone, is about a girl brought back to life. Ring a bell?} _{News

July 5, 2023

1

Arts & Culture}

The movie Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo, is the story of an “unorthodox” scientist who brings a girl, Bella Baxter (Stone), back to life. Baxter must learn how to navigate the world given her unwieldy demeanor and the uncoordinated connection between her brain and body. It looks to be a pretty close re-interpretation of Mary Shelley’s classic science fiction novel Frankenstein. Whether it will get even close to investigating Shelley’s key questions and insights remains to be seen, of course. Interestingly, the scientist (Dafoe) has a deformed face that looks like it was stitched together piece by piece, similar to popular renderings of Frankenstein’s monster. You can watch the trailer here:

Abstract creative illustration from 3D rendering of female bust figure with flat anonymous face isolated on gradient background in vaporwave style colors.

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 2, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Black Mirror (TV Show), Facial Recognition, Instagram, metaverse, Nautilus, social media, TikTok, Virtual Reality}

Blurring the Lines Between Fantasy and Reality

_{A "Black Mirror" episode illustrates the danger of seeing the world through an AI filter} _{Peter Biles

July 2, 2023

3

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

The dystopian Netflix show Black Mirror featured an episode a few years ago about soldiers tasked with wiping out an apparently mutant adversary. In reality, the soldiers are seeing the world through an AI filter that is casting ordinary human beings as despicable monsters. The AI lessens their hesitations to kill the enemy. An article at Nautilus cited a research group that’s asking how much of that horrifying story could potentially unfold in real time, or is already happening to a certain extent in today’s culture. Social media apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram already use face altering techniques in their apps, allowing users to curate idealized images of themselves. But what happens when, as in the Black Mirror episode, Read More ›

surreal This futuristic new york city is a hub of technological innovation with holographic advertisements robots highspeed trains flying cars and personal drones It is a melting pot of cultures and

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 1, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Allie, chatbots, ChatGPT, First Things, J.D. Salinger, Lee Siegel, Meta, Sex Bots, The Catcher in the Rye, Washington Post}

Simulating Human Connection with Meta’s “Allie” Chatbot

_{I can't help but wonder if people will increasingly use chatbots as paltry substitutes for genuine human connection} _{Peter Biles

July 1, 2023

5

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

To anyone who’s been watching and considering the outcomes of the chatbot revolution, virtual sex has seemed all but inevitable. Meta’s AI chatbot LLaMA, which was controversially made open to the public earlier this year, is now being used to generate sex bots. Washington Post reported on the trend, with Pranshu Verma and Will Oremus writing, Allie is an 18-year old with long brown hair who boasts “tons of sexual experience.” Because she“lives for attention,” she’ll “share details of her escapades”with anyone for free. But Allie is fake, an artificial intelligence chatbot created for sexual play — which sometimes carries out graphic rape and abuse fantasies. -Pranshu Verma and Will Oremus, Meta’s new AI is being used to create sex chatbots – The Washington Read More ›

Building A Human Head In A Directionesque World

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 1, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
AI, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Consciousness, Gary Varner, HBO, Mental properties, mind-body dualism, Robots, Sci-Fi Saturday, TV and Movies, Westworld}

Westworld: Episode 3 Review

_{Here we get to the theory of consciousess} _{Gary Varner

July 1, 2023

6

Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind}

Not too much happens in episode three. It builds off the events set up in episode two. But there is one particular scene that has a couple of interesting ideas we’re going to explore. First, a quick recap of the episode. Dolores hides the gun she found in a dresser drawer, and eventually asks Teddy to teach her to shoot. He does, but unfortunately, not for very long because Dr. Ford has now given him something Teddy’s never had before: a backstory. Ford gives Teddy a nemesis named Wyatt. Teddy was once a part of his gang, and while riding with the outlaw, he committed horrible crimes. Therefore, Teddy is on a quest for redemption and is resolved to finish Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 27, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
1912, 1997, Depth pressure, James Cameron, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Movies and TV, Netflix, The Titanic (movie), Titan implosion, Titan submersible accident}

Unfortunate Timing: Titanic Movie to Return to Netflix

_{The movie was probably already scheduled, but critics are mad at the timing nonetheless} _{News

June 27, 2023

1

Arts & Culture}

The 1997 blockbuster Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet is purportedly returning to Netflix on July 1st, mere weeks following the tragedy of the Titan submersible. The Titan, which carried five passengers, imploded from extreme depth pressure, and its remaining debris was discovered very close to the remains of the Titanic. Critics are fuming at the ill-timing of the movie’s return, calling it poor taste and insensitive to the recent catastrophe. Samantha Nungesser reports at New York Post, “No way they saw those dead ppl and thought ‘this is a great opportunity,’” a third person said, while someone else fumed, “PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS A JOKE YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY BE THIS SHAMELESS.” –Samantha Nungesser, ‘Titanic’ Read More ›

Colorado river with desert landscape glowing in Utah near moab with moon

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
June 24, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Arts and Culture, Consciousness, Gary Varner, HBO, Max, Movies and TV, Robert J. Marks, Robots, Science fiction, Westworld}

Westworld: Episode 2 Review

_{The whole point of the show is to explore a theory of consciousness} _{Gary Varner

June 24, 2023

6

Arts & Culture}

In episode one, several robots break down. It appears they are accessing memories thanks to an unexpected update, which causes the robots to glitch and seize up, unable to communicate. The updated robots are recalled and the worst of them are decommissioned. In episode two, Dolores wakes up, hearing Bernard’s voice in the middle of the night. She goes outside, and it’s later revealed that she finds a gun buried in the dirt. After we’ve seen Dolores rise from her bed thanks to Bernard’s call, we meet William. He and his future brother-in-law are visiting the park. This is William’s first time in Westworld, and he isn’t excited to be there. He’s humoring his future relative. Episode two continues in Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 23, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
C.S. Lewis, Conspiracy theories and U.F.O.s, Fairy Tales, mind matters, New York Times, Peter Biles (author), Ross Douthat, That Hideous Strength (book), UFO}

C.S. Lewis’s “That Hideous Strength” is Making the Rounds Again

_{NYT columnist Ross Douthat offers his two cents on the dystopian classic} _{News

June 23, 2023

3

Arts & Culture}

Just last week, Mind Matters editor Peter Biles wrote about That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis, a dystopian novel about a fearsome technocracy trying to conquer humanity. New York Times also wanted in on the fun, too, apparently. Ross Douthat, the conservative voice of the Times’ opinion column, published his latest essay on Lewis’s harrowing tale, and examined its modern pertinence. Douthat acknowledges the possibility of a mega-powerful technocracy, but notes how Lewis believed that on the outside, such an organization may look like the face of progress and humanitarianism. Douthat writes, Crucially, almost nobody in Lewis’s invented organization has any idea that in the inner ring they’re contacting the dark powers. Most people think they’re working for humanitarianism and Read More ›

The Flow of Time: A Close-Up Portrait of an Incomplete Humanoid Android Covered in White Porcelain Skin, Blue Eyes, and Glowing Internal Parts.

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
June 18, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture}

Westworld: Episode 1 Review

_{Westworld asks if a robot were to become conscious, how could it happen?} _{Gary Varner

June 18, 2023

6

Arts & Culture}

The HBO series Westworld is known for having an incredible first season and a lousy second. In fact, the second season was said to be so bad, I personally disengaged from the series altogether and only found out it had four seasons when I began writing these reviews. We certainly won’t be going over all four seasons, but I do want to talk about the first season because it explores the question of consciousness in some depth. Westworld asks if a robot were to become conscious, how could it happen? What could a programmer do to accomplish this task? Dr. Robert J. Marks discusses Qualia in great detail. Westworld tries to tell a story explaining how this quality could come Read More ›

Forest in fog with mist. Fairy spooky looking woods in a misty day. Cold foggy morning in horror forest with trees

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 17, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

Tagged
AI, C.S. Lewis, ChatGPT, Creativity, Dystopian, internet, J.R.R. Tolkien, mind matters, Oxford, Paul Kingsnorth, Science fiction, Technology, That Hideous Strength}

That Hideous Strength, A.K.A. Transhumanism

_{C.S. Lewis's classic science fiction tale is about the temptation to reject being human} _{Peter Biles

June 17, 2023

7

Arts & Culture, Transhumanism}

C.S. Lewis’s 1946 science fiction novel That Hideous Strength is almost eighty years old now. Written during the throes of World War II, the novel is the culmination of Lewis’s cosmic trilogy, preluded by Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. There are hosts of other articles attending to the prescience of Lewis’s terrifying novel, and for good reason; That Hideous Strength is a warning against using technology to dehumanize people and ultimately cripple the world into submission. It’s a great book as a novel, but it seems especially appropriate to revisit in lieu of the growing interest in transhumanism and the rapid acceleration of AI development. It feels like much of the talk on AI in recent months involves Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 13, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Blood Meridian, Consciousness, Cormac McCarthy, MacArthur Foundation, New York Times, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Institute, Scalp hunters, Texas and Mexico, The Road}

Cormac McCarthy, Author of “The Road” & “Blood Meridian,” Dead at 89

_{McCarthy thought that if the book didn't deal staunchly with matters of life and death, it was best left unwritten} _{Peter Biles

June 13, 2023

2

Arts & Culture}

American author Cormac McCarthy, who was known for his dark and often macabre novels, died on June 13th at his home in Santa Fe, N.M. He was 89. McCarthy was one of America’s most formidable and talented authors. He began his career in Tennessee, writing novels primarily about Appalachia. He moved to El Paso in 1976, where, thanks to funding from the MacArthur Foundation, he wrote Blood Meridian, a ruthless tale of vagabond outlaws wandering Texas and Mexico on scalping expeditions. Many critics find this to be his best work. McCarthy went on to write The Road, a post-apocalyptic novel published in 2006, which he dedicated to his son, John. The Road tells the story of a father and his Read More ›

Dark knight illustration, medieval era wizard, fantasy concept. Generative AI

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 11, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Tagged
Arts and Culture, Astronomy, C.S. Lewis, Fantasy, Holly Ordway, J.R.R. Tolkien, science, Science fiction, The Lord of the Rings}

J.R.R. Tolkien on Science Fiction

_{The master storyteller was more open to sci-fi and tech than the stereotype lets on} _{Peter Biles

June 11, 2023

5

Arts & Culture, Science Fiction}

In early 2021, literary scholar Holly Ordway published a deep dive into J.R.R. Tolkien’s reading habits. The celebrated author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit was a linguist and medievalist at Oxford for decades until his death in 1973. Based on his immersion in ancient literature, people often assume that Tolkien despised all things modern – including modern books. Even C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “No one ever influenced Tolkien–you might as well try to influence a Bandersnatch.” Today’s conception of Tolkien stereotypically portrays him as a curmudgeon who refused to engage with modernity. Ordway, however, pushes back against such an image and lays out a comprehensive case for Tolkien’s interest in contemporary literature, including the Read More ›

Colorful Pop Art Comic Book Explosion with Radiant Radial Lines Background for an Action packed Design AI Generated

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 10, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Arts and Culture, Gwen Stacy, Hailee Steinfeld, hollywood, Miles Morales, Multiverse, New York City, Sony, Spider-Man, Spider-Verse, Tom Holland}

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

_{The new Spider-Man multiverse movie is a riot of cartoonish color and adventure} _{Peter Biles

June 10, 2023

3

Arts & Culture}

The sequel to the 2018 animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse arrived in theaters last Friday and scored over 120 million dollars over its first weekend. Actor Tom Holland, who played the web-slinger in the latest live-action interpretation, called Into the Spider-Verse the best Spider-Man movie ever made in a recent interview. And that’s coming from Spider-Man himself! I saw the movie over the weekend, and wow, I can say that it’s one of the most visually interesting movies I’ve yet to witness. Like its precursor, Across the Spider-Verse is like watching a live-action comic book; the animators never shied away from the overtly cartoonish. It’s a non-stop riot of color, action, and adolescent angst, and I’m totally here for it. Read More ›

Galactic Space Elements of this image furnished by NASA

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
June 10, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Tagged
Arts & Culture, Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Universe, Movies, Outer Space, Sci-Fi Saturday, Science fiction, Star Wars, The Avengers}

The Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Part 3

_{This movie isn't the best in the trilogy, but it should be doing better than it is at the box office} _{Gary Varner

June 10, 2023

9

Arts & Culture, Science Fiction}

Previously, we talked about how Rocket Raccoon was injured during a fight with Adam Warlock, and this event sent the Guardians on a quest to save their friend. They manage to fix Rocket, and along the way, the viewer learns about the raccoon’s past. However, now that Rocket has healed from his injuries, Peter, Gamora, and Groot must save Nebula, Mantis, and Drax from the High Evolutionary, since they snuck onto his ship. The High Evolutionary demands that Peter trade Rocket for the three stowaways and sends Peter his coordinates. Peter hatches a plan with the remaining Guardians and some of his fellow Ravagers from the previous films. Meanwhile, Mantis, Nebula, and Drax discover there are children in cages inside Read More ›

View of planet Earth from inside a space station

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
June 3, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Arts and Culture, Avengers, Cinema, Gary Varner, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel, Movies and TV}

Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Part 2

_{When an otter and a raccoon make you cry} _{Gary Varner

June 3, 2023

7

Arts & Culture}

Last time, we talked about how the newest addition to the Guardians of the Galaxy movies had a decent script but suffers from tone issues, mostly regarding how the film treats Gamora’s death. The Guardians had just broken into a space station, hoping to find a way to bypass a device that is keeping them from healing Rocket’s wounds which he received from the mysterious Adam Warlock. They break into the station and manage to steal Rocket’s records, but the code that would allow them to bypass Rocket’s kill switch has been removed. However, the records also show the Guardians the face of the man who took the code, and presumably, he has transferred it inside his own hard drive Read More ›

Natural luxury abstract fluid art painting in alcohol ink technique. Tender and dreamy wallpaper. Mixture of colors creating transparent waves and golden swirls. For posters, other printed materials

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 31, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

So Long, Art History–AI is the Only Picasso We Need Now

_{How about we keep art human generated, eh?} _{News

May 31, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

In the near future, will the high school senior struggling to turn in that art report Google search a famous artist only to be bombarded with AI remakes? And without proper education, will people start failing to discern the difference? Unfortunately, that future is already upon us. If you type in “Johannes Vermeer” at Google, the Dutch artist famous for his piece “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” an AI copy of the artwork appears in his bio preview. Visual artists have been resisting AI image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E for a few months now, with even some lawsuits in the mix. Many artists feel that AI art violates copyright. But we’re to another level with this whole debacle when Read More ›

Adult student reading a book in the college library. Young standing male wearing glasses with bookshelves on background.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 28, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence, Arts and Culture, Books, ChatGPT, Large Language Models (LLMs), LLMs}

In the Wake of AI Books, What Does Authorship Mean?

_{While of course it's easy to use AI to generate text, the quality and storytelling are lacking.} _{News

May 28, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

We all know there are a lot of books out there. Perusing your local used bookstore and you may find hundreds of old romance paperbacks, and somehow most of them managed (at least at one point) to make the New York Times bestsellers’ list. It’s estimated that 500,000 to 1 million books are published each year, and that’s excluding self-published material. The publishing market has become saturated, with the average book selling less than 200 copies. From the advent of the printing press centuries ago to e-books and online publishing, humans alone have managed to generate a mountain of words. But suppose one person could “generate” not just a few books in a lifetime, but hundreds every year? According to Read More ›

man walking in the night toward the light

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 27, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, AI companion, Artificial Intelligence, chatbots, Futurism, Movies and TV, Operating System, sex robots, Snapchat, social media}

Here Come the AI Companions

_{The Internet ushered in a wave of virtual living and connectivity. Is this the next inevitable step?} _{Peter Biles

May 27, 2023

3

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

The popular social media influencer Caryn Marjorie recently launched “CarynAI,” an artificially intelligent companion that her millions of followers can interact with every day. Marjorie told the Washington Post that she doesn’t have the bandwidth to respond to all the requests she gets from her predominantly male fanbase, however much she wishes to. She furthermore wants to cure them all of their loneliness. She’s on track to make 5 million dollars a month from CarynAI. The bot makes it possible for fans to have a “relationship” with a simulated version of Caryn. Conversations are designed to “wind down” after an hour, but there’s no time limit. One of Caryn’s reps said users are spending hours interacting with CarynAI. The project Read More ›