Tootfinder

I really like the TV show Person of Interest (2011). The premise is that Harold has created an artificial intelligence computer system that (without authorization) taps into data and surveillance systems with the intent to detect terrorist activities.The premise seemed plausible, although a bit out-of-reach of the technology at the time.
#ScottArtificialIntelligence

across the universe

Random thought: is there a placebo pharmaceutical manufacturing factory somewhere?
Like, say you're running a double-blind clinical trial and you need a tablet or gel cap or whatever made of a specific formulation with no active ingredient that's visually indistinguishable from the active test subject and contains the same binders and excipients etc.
Or you're a film producer shooting a scene involving an actor taking some sort of drug that needs to look like a well-k…

Worth the read:
A leftwing victory in Berlin shows people want freedom, and liberals cannot deliver it
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/29/leftwing-victory-berlin-freedom-liber…

A leftwing victory in Berlin shows people want freedom, and liberals cannot deliver it
Die Linke’s surge was propelled by a compelling promise: for voters to have the freedom to stay in their city. This is how to fight back against the far right, says writer and philosopher Eva von Redecker

Worth the read:
A leftwing victory in Berlin shows people want freedom, and liberals cannot deliver it
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/29/leftwing-victory-berlin-freedom-liber…

A leftwing victory in Berlin shows people want freedom, and liberals cannot deliver it
Die Linke’s surge was propelled by a compelling promise: for voters to have the freedom to stay in their city. This is how to fight back against the far right, says writer and philosopher Eva von Redecker

Die Linke won on Berlin. Will they socialise the housing stock of the city’s biggest real-estate companies?
#housingCrisis
https://www.theguardian.c…

A leftwing victory in Berlin shows people want freedom, and liberals cannot deliver it
Die Linke’s surge was propelled by a compelling promise: for voters to have the freedom to stay in their city. This is how to fight back against the far right, says writer and philosopher Eva von Redecker

"Questions are raised as to whether the adaptable and highly
creative character of evolved intelligence is reproducible in artificial systems"
Mind versus machine: can
biological models of the mind
inspire machine intelligence
design?
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/1…

Frontiers | Mind versus machine: can biological models of the mind inspire machine intelligence design?
Models of human cognition that look biologically plausible might in principle be a source of insights that could prove applicable to machine intelligence. Th...

Profitable Designer
Discusses the philosophy, principles and strategies that unlock a profitable design business that runs itself...
Great Australian Pods Podcast Directory: https://www.greataustralianpods.com/profitable-designer/

At 27 pages into Gil Duršn’s new book “The Nerd Reich” I came full stop at this sentence:
“As many political schools of thought do, these technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect.”
Simply and elegantly stated. The various techno-optimistic philosophies running around Silicon Valley and the venture capital community are toxic and inhumane. We are desperately in need of a new tech manifesto that puts human wellbeing, acceptance, compassion and love as first principals. Why do we write code if not for this? The current direction of technology leadership has taken a wrong turn onto a dark and destructive path. This needs to change.
This is a great book so far. Highly recommend it.
#GilDuran #TheNerdReich #Tech

I've read Douglas Preston's "The Blasphemy" and it was pretty good.
The synopsis is that the US government has built the largest particle accelerator ever, in the remote area of Arizona, and a small team of scientists are about to get it running. However, as it is about to reach full power, they suddenly start losing output and a mysterious "greetings" appears on the main screen. Suspecting prank malware, they decide not to report it upstairs but to resolve it themselves. However, with no progress and suspiciously piling up problems, an ex-CIA operative is sent to investigate, under the cover of liaison tasked with improving the relations with the local Navajo people. On top of that, a lobbyist wanting to see their contract renewed engages with a televangelist to put some pressure on the project.
The book sets a mystery quite really, and keeps you caught in it to the very end. It's also packed with action. You get annoyed by politics, corruption and fundamentalism. You get mystified by the philosophical and theological problems. At some point, you just keep reading to see how the events unfold.
Apparently it's a part of Wyman Ford series, but the story is self-contained.
#books #bookstodon #thriller #SciFi