The Technology does Exist
If you are a “small c-” conservative in Canada, the argument against moving more quickly to decarbonize our economy has included many points. If you were to speak to Premier…
technology
Semiconductor Policy will reshape Alberta’s future
Semiconductors are vital for modern life; and weirdly, they have become an essential part of the transition to a decarbonized world. Most of us understand that semiconductors are the bedrock…
A Tale of Two Studies
I was confronted yesterday with the ubiquitous claim, "Lockdowns destroyed kid's ability to socialize. Now they're committing suicide because of it!!" Let's have a closer look again:I posted this mini-thread…
New and Improved Propaganda Machines
We carry propaganda machines in our pockets. Propaganda isn't just to misinform, but to distract us and exhaust the capacity for critical thinking. When you're struggling to decide between 25…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.- Jessica Glenza reports on a new survey showing that the overwhelming majority of U.S. youth are (rightly) worried about the climate crisis. Pamela Swanigan…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Daron Acemoglu highlights the dangers of a new gilded age - particularly as increasingly large concentrations of wealth are taken for merit or wisdom.…
Will our technology overwhelm us?
Two articles appearing the same day in The New York Times reminded readers how technology,... The post Will our technology overwhelm us? first appeared on Views from the Beltline.
Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.- Richard Sandbrook makes the case for a Green New Deal as combining the ambition and the feasibility needed to halt climate change. And Stewart…
Does the Alberta Legislature know that more than 12% of the buses in London, England are battery-powered?
It is easy to see the countries that have pushed towards electrification of their private car fleet. Norway is an easy stand out. By 2025, Norway will only register new…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Armine Yalnizyan offers a warning about the spread of the tapeworm economy in which corporate profiteers wriggle their way into public services and…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – David Michaels, Emily Spieler and Gregory Wagner examine how negligent pandemic policies (even when COVID-19 wasn’t being treated as a matter of general…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Colin Carlson discusses why we should be treating the climate crisis as a health emergency (while also recognizing that such a thing…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Jon Henley reports on new research showing that adopting right-wing policies does nothing to help left-of-centre parties win votes (while producing disastrous effects…
Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Ryan Meili discusses how a blinkered focus on austerian “efficiency” and exit strategies prevents the development of care systems capable of meeting…
Figuring Out AI Consciousness
AI generated image Artificial Intelligence keeps popping up everywhere from generative AI which created the image above to the financial sector. What AI is currently doing is copying and reformatting…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Derek Lynch writes about the need to recognize that humanity isn’t separate from the living environment it needs to survive. Eric Ralls points…
Desalination on the Cheap for the Masses
Water water everywhere and plenty of drops to drink. Researchers from MIT have found a way to passively convert seawater into drinking water using a setup so simple it seems…
Be My Eyes, Be My AI
The visual impaired population is getting more support from AI to help them ‘see’ the world around them. The already very successful human-powered app Be My Eyes (we’ve covered it…
The AI Incident Database Catalogs AI Errors
The threat Artificial Intelligence holds is unknown and many people are rightfully concerned about the potential harm that AI can cause. The AI Incident Databaseo help us as a society…
On Student Absences
I’ve been thinking about the concern with kids not going to school for reasons beyond the rampant illnesses caused by letting a highly-infectious virus run wild. The Fortune article suggests…