Think of these seasonal (quarterly) blog posts as kind of like a “blog within a blog.” An easy-breezy way of adding new content (on a variety of topics). These are subject to editing, right up to when the next one begins.
(1) (Sunday, December 21, 2024) I’m curious how many people reading this sentence right now are familiar with the fact that earlier this year, scientists discovered microplastics in human brain tissue. And a lot of it. In fact, not only were microplastics able to pass through the blood-brain barrier, scientists found that the brain had 10-20 times more microplastics than the other organs studied. If microplastics could talk, they’d probably say “What blood-brain barrier?” It seemed more defective than effective. According to the results of the study, our brains, by weight, might be 99.5% brain, and 0.5% plastic. If you don’t find that disturbing enough, this situation appears to be getting worse.
(2) (Sunday, December 29, 2024) I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I read the other day that Magnus Carlsen — the former World Chess Champion (2013-2023) — was not allowed to participate in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York City (and fined $200), for wearing jeans. I didn’t even know there was a mandatory dress code. On principle, he chose not to participate, rather than immediately have to change his pants.
Personally, I think it’s quite stupid to have a dress code where someone can’t wear a comfortable pair of jeans for a chess tournament. How absurd. I guess it’s better players wear “dry clean only” garments that often result in more perchloroethylene being released into the environment (the E.P.A. just banned use of that cancer-causing chemical — though I don’t know when that officially takes effect).
It’s worth noting that perhaps the only reason Carlsen isn’t still the reigning World Chess Champion is because he lost interest in defending his title. I can respect that. I lost interest in chess myself, years ago. After reading Ludek Pachman’s The Middle Game in Chess, I changed my repertoire and style, and started getting much better results, but then lost interest completely in tournament play.
(3) (Monday, January 6, 2025) In case you missed it. As reported in the Guardian recently, Geoffrey Hinton, one of the “godfathers of AI,” believes the odds of our species being wiped out in the very near future has shortened. Hinton believes there is now a 10-20% chance mankind might not survive beyond the next thirty years.
At first, I thought “how ridiculous!” Thirty years is way too soon for something like that to occur. But then, as I thought about it some more, I realized he’s right, actually. Due to the rapid pace at which AI is advancing, I can see a few plausible scenarios whereby that might happen. Furthermore, not only are there no safeguards in place to prevent such things from happening, it’s questionable whether that’s even possible, considering the sad state of uncooperativeness that exists in the world today.
The very next day after that made news, the Guardian published an article that discusses societal collapse, and quotes Danilo Brozovic, an academic who has studied the subject, as stating: “we have to radically transform society, and we have to do it fast.” I would certainly agree with that. But that’s probably not gong to happen. Not if someone like me can’t get funding. In fact, not only haven’t I gotten funding, but the lack of interest I’ve witnessed is truly breathtaking.
Here’s the 1st article I referenced above: ‘Godfather of AI’ shortens odds of the technology wiping out humanity over the next 30 years (Dec. 27).
And here’s the 2nd: ‘We need dramatic social and technological changes’: is societal collapse inevitable? (Dec. 28).