Myth and Motivation: On Dopamine
There are contradicting views and explanations of what dopamine is and does and how much we can intentionally affect it. However, the commonly heard notions of scrolling for dopamine hits,…
technology
Finding Atrocity-Free Technology is Easy
Large technology companies have been selling their software to countries and other organizations that commit violations of human rights. Sometimes the tech companies just cut off agreements and data access…
To repair or not to repair, that is the TV question
Last Wednesday, my wife woke me with four words nobody wants to hear. “The television doesn’t work.” I’ve heard this before. My 65” Samsung, with its various boxes attached, can…
Dire Wolves, GMOs, And The Madness Of Modern “Civilization”
Dire wolves have now been “brought back from extinction”, through clever, or extremely reckless, genetic engineering. This is totally insane. The reason we have massive species loss, the sixth great…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.- Bill McKibben rightly describes the Trump regime's attacks on the entire federal regulatory apparatus as vandalism with a plan (which includes making things more…
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…
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…