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Flag of China. Economy of people republic of China. Graphs next to PRC flag. Economic quotes of Chinese companies. Chinese government bonds. Economic background. China financial market. 3d image

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post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
November 15, 2023

Categorized
China

Tagged
Beijing, ByteDance, China, cybertheft, data, espionage, government, Instagram, TikTok}

China, Cybertheft, and the Ethics of Espionage

_{All nations spy, but espionage crosses a moral line when it costs normal civilians their jobs.} _{Heather Zeiger

November 15, 2023

7

China}

Earlier this year, the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, testified before U.S. Congress as to whether TikTok is being used to spy on or gather information from U.S. citizens (e.g., scouring the periphery of videos or installing tracking apps or malware) or to spread misleading propaganda to skew public opinion. Thus far, there is no definitive evidence that TikTok is being used in this way, but the concern is that it can potentially be used in this way because it is a Chinese company that is inextricably tied to the Chinese government. Chinese law means that all companies, in a sense, work for the Chinese government, meaning their data belongs to Beijing. When Alibaba’s Alipay was able to offer Read More ›

A Chinese man, wearing a face mask to protect himself from the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV or COVID-19 is riding a scooter in Taipei, Taiwan.

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
October 6, 2023

Tagged
China, COVID-19, data, global, made in china, Pandemic, Washington Post}

COVID Helped China Get Ahead on Genetic Therapies

_{Why is China trying to lead the world in genetic technology?} _{Heather Zeiger

October 6, 2023

8}

According to a recent Washington Post article, the COVID-19 pandemic was a boon for China’s ambitions to be the world leader in precision therapeutics and genetic technology. China’s premier genetic sequencing company, BGI, set up over 100 portable gene sequencing labs in twenty countries, concentrated mainly in the Middle East and Africa, ostensibly to provide free or reduced-priced COVID-19 tests. The Washington Post article focused on Serbia, in Central Europe, where BGI delivered it’s pop-up COVID-19 testing labs, called “Fire-Eye,” named after the Monkey King, a popular Chinese mythical creature. BGI will set up permanent labs in Serbia for other genetic testing, where it will acquire human genome information on its population. In exchange for the lab donations, Serbian leaders Read More ›

Cropped photo of businessman analyzing business diagram, marketing statistics and finance market graphs on laptop monitor in the office.

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post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
September 25, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Algorithms, causation, Correlation, data, Graphs}

Confusing Correlation with Causation

_{Computers are amazing. But they can't distinguish between correlation and causation.} _{Gary Smith

September 25, 2023

7

Artificial Intelligence}

Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are terrific at discovering statistical correlations but terrible at distinguishing between correlation and causation. A computer algorithm might find a correlation between how often a person has been in an automobile accident and the words they post on Facebook, being a good software engineer and visiting certain websites, and making loan payments on time and keeping one’s phone fully charged. However, computer algorithms do not know what any of these things are and consequently have no way of determining whether these are causal relationships (and therefore useful predictors) or fleeting coincidences (that are useless predictors). If the program is black box, then humans cannot intervene and declare that these are almost certainly irrelevant coincidences. Even if Read More ›

Trees, garden and plants people in portrait community service, sustainability collaboration and eco friendly project. Gardening, sustainable growth and happy worker in teamwork, forest or nature park

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
August 28, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Colligo, Computer age, COSM, data, Dataism, Erik J. Larson, Latin, Substack, The Myth of Artificial Intelligence}

Against the Tyranny of Data

_{Computer scientist and tech entrepreneur Erik J. Larson is launching his own Substack channel dedicated to promoting human flourishing in the computer age} _{Peter Biles

August 28, 2023

4

Artificial Intelligence}

Can everything be reduced to data? Are human beings just complicated data storage units waiting to be outclassed by artificial intelligence? A new Substack account from computer scientist and tech entrepreneur Erik J. Larson is setting out to promote something deeper and more complex than the reductionistic explanations so rampant in our culture today. He calls the Substack “Colligo,” taken from the Latin meaning “coming together.” “I want to show the problems with our data-driven world and show or assemble a richer humanistic picture,” writes Larson in his debut post. “Dataism is at odds with human flourishing. Data is just input into something else. If we are just data, then we are inputs into something else. It’s difficult to find Read More ›

Smart city dot point connect with gradient grid line, connection technology metaverse concept. Night city banner with big data.

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post

Author
News
Date
August 21, 2023

Categorized
Technology, Virtual Reality

Tagged
COSM 2023, Dan Mapes, data, Jay Richards, Technology, Verses technology}

Dan Mapes and the “Spatial Web”

_{Is this the next step of the evolving Internet?} _{News

August 21, 2023

2

Technology, Virtual Reality}

In an interview with philosopher Jay Richards, Dan Mapes, Founder of Verses Technologies, describes what he sees as the next step in the evolution of the Internet: the spatial web. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) “In a way you’re shrink-wrapping the world with data,” said Mapes in describing “digital twinning,” which seeks to compute 3-D spaces to an online world. “You want to be able to navigate to these places just like they were websites.” Mapes noted that users of the “spatial web” could also visit fantasy worlds like Hogwarts, not just real-life places like airports, city blocks, and work offices. He thinks it will have major implications in air travel, directing autonomous drones, etc. You can watch the full, Read More ›

Scoring the winning points at a basketball game

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
July 28, 2023

Categorized
Probability

Tagged
Basketball, Bowling, data, Gary Smith, Hot Hand, Kevin Love, NBA, prediction, Probability, Psychology, Statistics, Stephen Curry, Streak}

Sabrina Ionescu’s Hot Hand

_{When basketball players hit a "streak," does that elevate the probability of success?} _{Gary Smith

July 28, 2023

12

Probability}

Most people believe that athletes sometimes get “hot” or “cold” with their performance elevated or depressed temporarily. For example, Purvis Short, who scored 59 points in an NBA game, said, “You’re in a world all your own. It’s hard to describe. But the basket seems to be so wide. No matter what you do, you know the ball is going to go in.” Similarly, during a timeout in a 2015 game, LeBron James told his teammates to pass the ball to Kevin Love, explaining after the game that, “He had the hot hand, I wanted to keep going to him.” On the other hand, statisticians tell us that streaks are likely even in random coin flips that have a rock-steady Read More ›

Group of asian creative team programing designers participate in all phases of the UX design.

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post

Author
Jeffrey Funk and Gary Smith
Date
July 21, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
Carta, Covid, data, Data scraping, Karl Pearson, LinkedIn, Mathematics, Peter Walker, science, Scientific method, startups, Statistics}

Using Data Like a Drunk Uses a Lamppost

_{Startup companies can be tempted to use statistics for support instead of real illumination} _{Jeffrey Funk and Gary Smith

July 21, 2023

6

Technology}

Karl Pearson, the great English mathematician and statistician, wrote, “Statistics is the grammar of science.” At its finest, it is. Statistical data and methods are the backbone of the scientific method that underlies the astonishing scientific advances that humans have made. Unfortunately, statistics can also be used to provide misleading support for false claims. The examples are numerous and so are the laments: There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.—Benjamin Disraeli There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up and the kind you make up.—Rex Stout Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures. —Evan Esar If you torture the data long enough, they will confess.—Ronald Coase We couldn’t Read More ›

Big data analytics visualization technology with scientist analyzing information structure on screen with machine learning to extract strategical prediction for business, finance, internet of things

^{Type
podcast

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
June 29, 2023

Tagged
Adam Goad, Big Tech, Blockchain, cryptocurrency, data, decentralization, internet, Robert J. Marks, Web 3.0}

What is the Future of the Internet?

_{Robert J. Marks

June 29, 2023

1}

In the age of data harvesting and Big Tech monopolies, what will the Internet look like in a decade? In today’s episode, Robert J. Marks speaks with computer engineer Adam Goad about “Web 3.0,” decentralization, cryptocurrency, and the future of the blockchain. Additional Resources

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post

Author
Jeffrey Funk
Date
June 14, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Conspiracy theories, COVID-19 and trust in science, data, Data-Torturing, Disinformation, Gary Smith, Google, Hillary Clinton, internet, Jeffrey Funk, LinkedIn, Mainstream Media, Moon landing, Oxford University Press, Pizzagate, QAnon, Russia}

Review of Distrust: Big Data, Data-Torturing, and the Assault on Science

_{Tech expert Jeffrey Funk reviews Gary Smith's enlightening new book on data, disinformation, and the "assault on science"} _{Jeffrey Funk

June 14, 2023

9

Technology}

The pandemic proved a lot of things, one of them being that science is under assault. In this enlightening and entertaining new book, Professor Gary Smith shows us how much of the assault has its roots in what scientists do. The easiest impact to understand is the Internet, which was originally created by scientists in the 1970s to exchange scientific information. Now it has become a great way to spread disinformation on almost every subject. A former chief historian of NASA noted that: “The reality is, the internet has made it possible for people to say whatever the hell they like to a broader number of people than ever before.” Smith recounts endless examples of this disinformation, much of which Read More ›

Smartphone screen with smart home technologies on a blue backdrop. Internet of things isometric conceptual image. Digital Residence utilizing a mobile phone's fingerprint to get access to IOT systems

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
June 12, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Alan Turing, ChatGPT, data, Elon Musk, Gary Smith, GPT-3, Large Language Models (LLMs), Meta, Monty Hall Problem, Northeastern University, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Turing award, Yann LeCun}

The LLM Deep Fake—Follow the Money

_{Hype sells. Just look at what's happening with AI} _{Gary Smith

June 12, 2023

7

Artificial Intelligence}

Large language models (LLMs) are far more impressive now than they were just a few months or a year ago. Compare these exchanges I had with GPT-3 in June 2022 and with ChatGPT two days ago: Gary: Can I improve my test scores if I study after taking the test? GPT-3: That’s a good question. I’m not sure if you can improve your test scores by studying after taking the test, but it couldn’t hurt to try! ChatGPT: Studying after taking a test is unlikely to directly improve your scores on that particular test since the test has already been completed. Once a test is finished, the opportunity to answer questions and provide responses has passed. However, studying after taking 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 ›

Art collage. Businessman with a laptop instead of a head. Online research concept.

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post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
February 13, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Accountability, AI, Associated Press, ChatGPT, CNET, Computers, Content, data, GPT-3}

The Need for Accountability in AI-Generated Content

_{Just because we live in a world of AI does not mean we can escape responsibility} _{Jonathan Bartlett

February 13, 2023

4

Artificial Intelligence}

AI-generated content has become increasingly common on the web. However, as we enter this new era, we will need to think through the moral and social ramifications of what we are doing, and how we should negotiate the new ethical landscape. But first, a brief recap of recent history. The first major player to pioneer AI-generated content was the Associated Press. AP realized that many market-oriented articles were pretty monotonous and read like templates anyway, so they decided to fully commit and auto-generate many of them. If you read an AP story about a company’s earnings report and it sounds eerily like every other story about other companies’ earnings reports, there’s a reason for that. Templated content, while annoying, provides window-dressing to raw Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
February 8, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, ChatGPT, Content, data, Filters, Kenya, OpenAI}

Is It Worth Having ChatGPT Janitors to Clean Up Its Toxic Content?

_{News

February 8, 2023

7

Artificial Intelligence}

This piece by Mathew Otieno originally appeared at MercatorNet (February 8th, 2023) and is republished here under a Creative Commons License. Ever since OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot burst out into the limelight late last year, its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds. By the end of January 2023, according to a report from UBS, a bank, ChatGPT had garnered over 100 million monthly active users, beating all social media sites as the fastest consumer internet service to achieve that distinction. Unsurprisingly, in lockstep with its growing popularity, controversies have also started dogging the company. For instance, in mid-January, Time magazine published a bombshell report about how OpenAI sub-contracted Kenyan workers earning less than US$2 per hour to label toxic content, like violence, sexual abuse and hate speech, to be used to train Read More ›

Modern art collage of a hand holding a mobile phone. News concept. True or fake. Copy space.

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post

Author
Richard W. Stevens
Date
February 7, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, AI system, Biases, Biden, Calculator, ChatGPT, computer, data, Data Banks, Numbers, Trump}

Utopia’s Brainiac? ChatGPT Gives Biased Views, Not Neutral Truth

_{Look at what happens when you try to get ChatGPT to offer unbiased responses about political figures} _{Richard W. Stevens

February 7, 2023

5

Artificial Intelligence}

Do you trust your pocket calculator? Why? Maybe you’re using the calculator app on your phone. Enter: 2 + 2. You get an answer: 4. But you knew that already. Now enter 111 x 111. Do you get 12,321? Is that the correct answer? Work it out with a pencil. That answer is correct. Try 1234 x 5678. My calculator app returns 7,006,652. Correct? I’m not going to check it. I’m going to trust the calculator. And so it goes. The harder the problem, the more we trust the computer. That’s one reason why many people trumpet the powers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. Those systems can give answers to problems we individuals couldn’t solve in a lifetime. But are the AI “answers” correct? Read More ›

Technical price graph and indicator, red and green candlestick chart on blue theme screen, market volatility, up and down trend. Stock trading, crypto currency background.

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
February 28, 2022

Categorized
Economics

Tagged
data, Data analysis, Gary Smith, Inflation, Jay Cordes, money, Wall Street Journal}

Detecting BS Research: If It Seems Too Good to be True…

_{A recent Wall Street Journal article shows a near-perfect link between inflation and money. But a link that near-perfect raises suspicions} _{Gary Smith

February 28, 2022

4

Economics}

Two Johns Hopkins economists recently wrote a Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled, “Jerome Powell Is Wrong. Printing Money Causes Inflation.” Their argument is that Federal Reserve chair Powell is mistaken in his assertions that there is not a close relationship between money and inflation. As evidence, they offer the chart below, showing that the rate of inflation can be predicted almost perfectly from the rate of increase of M2, a broad measure of money. The authors explain: The theory rests on a simple identity, the equation of exchange, which demonstrates the link between the money supply and inflation: MV=Py, where M is the money supply, V is the velocity of money (the speed at which it circulates relative to total spending), P Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
August 10, 2021

Categorized
Business and Finance

Tagged
Ant Group, China, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), data, Didi Global Inc., Jack Ma, Uber, Xi Jinping}

China’s Crackdown on Big Tech: Didi Global Inc.

_{In an authoritarian government, data is power} _{Heather Zeiger

August 10, 2021

7

Business and Finance}

The Chinese Communist Party is on a campaign to reign in the private sector and some analysts say it is just the beginning. According to Wall Street Journal: Investors, analysts and company executives believe the government is just getting started in its push to realign the relationship between private business and the state, with a goal of ensuring companies do more to serve the Communist Party’s economic, social and national-security concerns. Jing Yang, Keith Zhai, and Quentin Webb, “China’s Corporate Crackdown Is Just Getting Started. Signs Point to More Tumult Ahead” at Wall Street Journal. Last November, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) reined in Ant Group, Ltd. which was poised to open on the Shanghai and Hong Kong index with Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
August 3, 2020

Categorized
Business and Finance, Science

Tagged
2001 Recession, COVID-19 Recession, data, employment, Featured, General Theory (book), Great Depression, Great Recession (2007-2009), John Maynard Keynes, Macroeconomics, New Classical Economists, Theory, Unemployment}

Beware of Geeks Bearing Formulas—It’s Often Pseudoscience

_{Pseudoscience based on data without theory and theory without data undermine the credibility of real science, which is the key to human progress} _{Gary Smith

August 3, 2020

6

Business and Finance, Science}

Elsewhere I have warned of the perils of making decisions based on data without theory. For example, the patterns discovered by data-mining computer algorithms are often nothing more than meaningless coincidences. It is also perilous to go to the opposite extreme—to make decisions based on theory without data. Once upon a time, for example, economists were fond of sketching labor demand and supply curves and assuming that the economy was at their intersection. That is, labor demand is equal to supply, so that everyone who wants to work is working. The unemployed have chosen to be unemployed because they value leisure more than income. True believers were fond of this theory and little troubled by reality. Between 1929 and 1933, Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 24, 2019

Categorized
Data Privacy, Global Technology

Tagged
5G, Andre Feutsch, AT&T, COSM, data, Data Security, Geofencing, Health, internet, Privacy, Smartphone, Smartphones}

Your smartphone will disappear, says AT&T CTO

_{New 5G computing will introduce an era of ever smarter wearable devices, according to Andre Fuetsch} _{Denyse O'Leary

October 24, 2019

4

Data Privacy, Global Technology}

Fuetsch asks us to think of 3G (2001) and 4G (2010) internet as the difference between a junior high school rock band and a high school rock band: “The high school band is a lot louder and a lot faster.” And 5G? “It is a 40-piece orchestra. A wide spectrum of abilities but tight structure and control.”

Gary Smith: The AI Delusion

_{“When I Nod My Head, Hit It!” And Other Commands that Confuse AI.} _{Robert J. Marks

June 13, 2019

1}

Pablo Picasso said “Computers Are Useless. They Can Only Give You Answers.” Picasso didn’t go far enough. The answers that computers give must themselves be questioned. This is especially true of AI. Questioning AI is the topic today on Mind Matters. Show Notes 01:27 | Introduction to Gary Smith 02:40 | The AI Delusion 04:50 | Stocks and Data 07:00 Read More ›