-
Even Chances: AI could be good or bad, and we have no idea which is more likely
If betting or forecasting markets give even chances for two outcomes, it could either be that they are equally likely to happen, or that nobody…
-
Peripheral Drinking: David Samuels goes to Polynesia
David Samuels has published an article about America, inspired by a recent visit to American Samoa. There, at the country’s extreme periphery, he sits in…
-
Attention and Emotion: Can we love without paying attention?
Liel Leibovitz, in County Highway, draws a line between our decreasing attention spans and our lack of emotion: What we have here, then, is a…
-
The Enemy is Numbness: It’s not just design that seems bland
There is a pervasive feeling that modernity is bland: Buildings, clothes, cars and interior design are minimalist and identical everywhere. Emotional blandness or numbness gets…
-
Two Visions of the Future: Science fiction scenarios that aren’t stories
Scenario 1 We have extensively terraformed a planet circling a distant star. Its atmosphere is breathable and because of its low gravity, trees grow a…