This week’s cuttings
You don’t have to live that long to notice how repetitive things can be. For example, it seems that every year there is another worried report of evangelical Christians being gulled into advocating a white nationalist theocracy.
And every few months a tech fad comes down to earth with a bump. Remember the NFTs? The Metaverse? Web3.0? Now it seems 5G isn’t all that. Will Generative AI be next?
A new populist ruler is reassuringly claimed to be more pragmatic in power. This complacency occurs every time. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-08/javier-milei-turns-pragmatist-to-tackle-argentina-s-inflation-as-president
Another Bitcoin rally leads to assurances that it’s mainstream now…from crypto boosters. Come on sceptics! https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-12-08/how-to-think-about-bitcoin-s-stunning-redemption-rally
The EU is looking to be the first jurisdiction to regulate AI. Is this wise foresight that will set the global standard, or bureaucratic interference that will strangle European innovation and see it fall further behind the US? Let’s ask ChatGPT! https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-07/eu-nears-deal-to-regulate-chatgpt-other-ai-tech-in-landmark-act
Not exactly repetitive, more a Hegelian dialectic, is the gradual determination of how exactly the music industry is going to work in the internet age. The only people benefitting at the moment seem to be the listeners.
Popular Mechanics has come a long way from discussing, well, popular mechanics. Here they are considering the interface between physics and woo, which is also a theme that recurs with a slightly longer frequency. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a45574179/architecture-of-consciousness/
More positive news to finish. These are the biggest scientific breakthroughs of the year. ScienceAdviser: Of all the breakthroughs in 2023, what topped Science’s list? | Science | AAAS
