science
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How worried should we be and why? This is a meandering essay about language, intelligence, and the claims of AI enthusiasts and catastrophists. Although I’m no expert, given how little we really know about human cognition relative to its infinite complexity, I am skeptical about both apocalyptic and utopian predictions AI and our future. What…
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(originally posted on Your Angry Pediatrician on Substack, lightly edited) This is a story of how in science, despite our attempts to achieve some understanding of objective reality, context still matters. What seems like a good idea in one instance can become a really bad idea in another, not because the science changed, because it…
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The explosive growth of AI technology raises a host of concerns. Data centers hosting AI servers are projected to consume unsustainable amounts of electicity in the near future. At the same time, despite the wonderous achievements so far, critical questions about what society gains from this technology remain unanswered. Our challenge is addressing the issues…
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“How have you been, Professor?” Walter Lippmann asked as the scientist approached. “I am well. Although, I must say it is not so cold and windy down in Princeton!” Lippmann and Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin help Einstein with his overcoat and pull up a third stool. Einstein places his hat on the bar and unwinds…
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Walter Lippmann, one of the “fathers of journalism”, looks up as a slender man in black enters the bar and approaches with a smile. The Roman collar tells him that his visitor is Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. He raises his glass as the priest takes off his hat and overcoat and pulls up a…
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What do the boundaries of the State of Michigan have to do with the ultimate fate of the Universe? Strap in, we’re going for a ride! On a recent trip with friends to Michigan and Indiana, I learned about the Toledo War, a boundary dispute during the early years of Michigan history. The region has been…
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One thing about writing in the SF genre is the challenge of constraining your speculations by what known science says is possible, or if you really want to loosen up, what might be possible. To do that, you have to get into the actual science quite a bit to make sure you know where the…
Robert Wack 