Blog – Page 216 – Technology vs Humanity: the coming clash of man and machine

Blockchain Futures

Blockchain is the ingeniously simple technology that powers Bitcoin. But it is much more than that, too. It is a public ledger to which everyone has access, but which no single person controls. It allows for companies and individuals to collaborate with an unprecedented degree of trust and transparency. It is cryptographically secure, but fundamentally open. … Continue reading "Blockchain Futures"

Good read via The Economist: machine learning and government

Read: of prediction and policy (The Economist) Governments have much to gain from applying algorithms to public policy, but controversies loom Machine-learning systems excel at prediction. A common approach is to train a system by showing it a vast quantity of data on, say, students and their achievements. The software chews through the examples and learns … Continue reading "Good read via The Economist: machine learning and government"

Pretty amazing stuff: VIV intelligent assistant (video)

… I discussed IDAs (intelligent digital assistants) in my new book a lot… seriously #hellven 🙂 Watch this:

Best quotes from: Computers, the Internet, and the Abdication of Consciousness (Stephen Talbott, 1995!)

Via the Nature Institute be sure to read Stephen’s 1995 (!) book (online, free, or via Amazon). I am currently working translating his views into 2016… stay tuned! “Can human ideals survive the Internet? His reply is only if we arouse ourselves to responsible consciousness” “[T]oday the needful work is to distinguish ourselves from our … Continue reading "Best quotes from: Computers, the Internet, and the Abdication of Consciousness (Stephen Talbott, 1995!)"

The Internet is not evil (interview with Werner Herzog). New film: Lo and behold

Very much inline with Gerd Leonhard‘s vision in Technology Vs. Humanity: the new film Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World of Werner Herzog (to be released later this week on Amazon Video and iTunes). In this long, feature-length documentary, the 73-year-old director tackles the most expansive project of his career: the Internet. Herzog is considered one of the greatest figures … Continue reading "The Internet is not evil (interview with Werner Herzog). New film: Lo and behold"