Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagNetflix

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Tourists at Prague Old Town Square, large group of people gathered at the street looking up towards the camera.

The Life We’re Looking For: A Book Review

Andy Crouch's book on technology and human flourishing calls us to resist the urge to control and open ourselves up to deep relationships

Every so often a book comes along that puts a finger on the cultural moment in a way that directs, elucidates, convicts, and encourages. Andy Crouch’s book The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World is one such book, and has shaped the way I view technology, human nature, and the centrality of vulnerable relationships to a life well lived. As implied in the title, the book contains pertinent themes to the concerns of Mind Matters: how do we hold on to human uniqueness in the midst of technological change and upheaval? The question is arguably as dire as ever with the emergence of impressive new AI systems like ChatGPT and Midjourney, which pose possibilities as tools Read More ›

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Unfortunate Timing: Titanic Movie to Return to Netflix

The movie was probably already scheduled, but critics are mad at the timing nonetheless

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 ›

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The Moral Genius of Arcane

The show reveals how pursuing knowledge for the sake of greater manipulation, power, and control can open the floodgates of chaos

The 2021 show Arcane, based on the video game League of Legends, is fantastic. The animation style, writing, and world-building all merit its 100 percent scored rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Apart from its entertainment value, which is formidable, Arcane explores the pertinent themes of power, progress, and the promises and pitfalls of technological advancement. It does this without heavy-handedness, “instructing by delighting,” in the words of C.S. Lewis. A Powerful Civilization and a Chaotic Underworld The story takes place in the utopian city of Piltover, which prides itself on its innovations in science, technology, and infrastructure. On the lower edges of the city lies the unruly Zaun, an oppressed underworld overrun with crime and an addictive drug called “Shimmer.” The Read More ›

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Aerial Australian Beach Landscape, Great Ocean Road

Awash in a Sea of Digital Information

In the age of infinite online text, maybe less is more

Some days after I close my laptop, I’d like to pick up a novel and read or work on a short story project, but then feel like I just need to empty my mind of all the snippets and clips of textual information I’ve consumed that day. News blurbs, thought pieces, emails, provocative tweets, more emails, more news blurbs… Frequently I’ll turn to a TV show or a social media binge in place of the novel. My brain can’t take any more text. It’s burnt out. It’s no secret contemporary Americans live in a sea of images and videos. YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook all vie for human attention through images and color schemes designed to catch the distracted eye. Read More ›

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Lost in Space, A Mind Matters TV Series Review

I was skeptical at first, based on Netflix's track record, but was pleasantly surprised

If I could rewind time a week and add a piece of 2019 sci-fi to my list of the year’s Best and Worst Sci-Fi TV, I would add Netflix’s Lost in Space, Season 2—which came out just after I had published. Let's fix that now.

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Sci-Fi TV: 2019’s Best and Worst

2019 featured many sci-fi television and movies that were less sci-fi than political narrative

In 2019, I fell out with Netflix. I felt bombarded by more and more edgy content, as though Netflix wanted me to know how “adult” it is. Rather than producing a few amazing originals, Netflix started vomiting up a ton of terrible originals.

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