Intelligent, level headed and ultimately human discussion of this dizzying helter skelter ride into the pit of authoritarianism. Molly White should be an inspiration to all Americans with a sub $1m income even if they are yet to realise it. With luck they may do before it's too late - if it's not too late already.
As you know, I am with you on the paywall issue but Molly makes a good case for a change of focus. I wonder whether a crowd funded platform could be set up as a not for profit. It would still need some income to manage costs and generate some income for contributors but this should be considerably lower that profit making models and it could be worked to allow universal access to all posts. I suspect that there will be some impediment but unless it a very serious one we shouldn't allow perfection to be the enemy of the good.
How about we crowdfund a new non profit social media that's specifically designed around all of the ways to do peaceful revolution? Just an idea... www.humbledeeds.com
Thanks for this! I wasn't aware of the Trump-crypto connection. Really bad stuff. On the subject of education, that the elites and rulers of the world have typically not seen any value in an educated populace is nothing new. People have needed to be capable of contributing to the Machine, which takes a certain amount of skill and training, but real education is more trouble than it's worth, even though as was pointed out, a properly functioning democracy requires an educated populace, among other things. Perhaps the new twist is that the tech-bro elite believe that AI will remove the need for people on a vast scale, so not only do we not need to be educated, we don't even need to exist.
The "demand" for AI, by the way, is partially (largely?) fictitious. Tech companies are putting it into every product whether users want it or not. This is not demand, this is force feeding. Google's search engine is a perfect example, as the "AI Overview" is generated for every search, want it or not. And you can't turn it off. It sucks energy and fresh water, adding to environmental destruction. Does google care? Do any of them? Grants for climate science now often require an AI component, particularly if a tech firm is behind the grant, so if your idea doesn't use AI you need to walk away or find a use for it one way or another.
As for Wikipedia, by definition, an encyclopedia is meant only to feature "the facts." This of course in general makes perfect sense, but it does create problems when the facts are not clear. In that event, wiki editors use "the facts" as reported by the existing regime, by the Power. They use the official story, the official explanation, and present it as fact, no matter how much controversy surrounds that view. "Fake news" is simply an evolution of the "conspiracy theory." A shortcut to thinking. Even if the official story is also, technically, a perfect example of a conspiracy, if it is being presented by those in power, it is taken by wikipedians as fact. This isn't a trifle, as the events involved are usually of great importance. Such entries in wiki should not be made by offering the official story as fact and then listing the alternative explanations. Instead, simply admitting of the fact that many views have been presented, with varying degrees of plausibility, is a better solution than to treat such matters as if no controversy was involved other than by "conspiracy theorists" who we all know shouldn't be believed.
Mark, interesting comments. I think the question of whether the tech-bros want an educated and large population is one of the contradictions running through their political comments and worldviews. In one sense they want a growing population of consumers to feed economic growth and they also, currently, need labour; although, as you note, AI may offset this need (e.g. via robot slaves and armies). But they also support merit and welcome skilled innovators whose abilities they can capitalize on and profit from. So some level of STEM type education routes seem instrumentally desirable for them. However, some of them have a kind of post-scarcity utopian future ruled over by benevolent machine intelligences in mind. Ian Banks’ Sci-Fi Culture universe is popular with many of them. So, in this sense, education and the numbers of people become more difficult to justify or explain.
Quite agree that the “demand” for AI is largely fictitious or market-created. However, the pursuit of the next AI advance or AGI is also driven by sunk cost economic behaviour and the desire for the first mover advantage. There is a real fear and/or paranoia that whoever gets to AGI or the next level of AI first wins (although, it’s also arguable that everyone loses). So, it's another ever-accelerating race to the bottom (or the Omega Point, Singularity or Full Spectrum Dominance, depending upon who you speak to).
Very interesting and troubling conversation. People like Molly are a light in the darkness, but the wanton destruction of public goods in the U.S. is a real worry. It’s happening on a smaller scale in the UK with the lack of funding for local authorities causing library closures and the selling off of other treasured public buildings to private interests.
As a software engineer myself who was also sceptical about crypto, I would have liked to have heard Molly’s thoughts on the potential negative impacts of the AI boom.
I think the commitment to AI feels painfully like another progress trap that our civilization has fallen into. The demand for AI and more and more data centers, as vehicles of efficiency, progress, crypto currencies etc., will amplify the demand for energy, fresh water, rare earth materials and extractive industries. As Will Marshall noted on Nate Hagen's Great Simplification yesterday, the current economic and "sociological system will leverage AI to accelerate blowing out the planetary boundaries." He added the qualification, "unless we get smart" but I suspect there isn't much evidence of that and AI is only likely to enhance our stupidity and worst instincts.
The Hidden Power Struggle Fueling Global Warming: Good vs. Bad Sovereignty
We are advocating for a bold redefinition of SOVEREIGTY, what we call GOOD
SOVEREIGNTY, that places the environment as the supreme authority above the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of every nation. In an era marked by climate change, natural disasters, and biodiversity loss, we believe that environmentally friendly constitutions must become the foundation of all modern states. Our mission includes immediate constitutional reforms through COP action plans, mobilizing youth to defend their environmental future, transforming most of the world´s military academies into institutions for environmental education, and implementing a global system of automatic sanctions to enforce ecological responsibility. We believe only through this radical shift can humanity prevent future irreversible catastrophe and ensure a livable planet for future generations.
The Hidden Power Struggle Fueling Global Warming: Good vs. Bad Sovereignty
We are advocating for a bold redefinition of SOVEREIGTY, what we call GOOD
SOVEREIGNTY, that places the environment as the supreme authority above the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of every nation. In an era marked by climate change, natural disasters, and biodiversity loss, we believe that environmentally friendly constitutions must become the foundation of all modern states. Our mission includes immediate constitutional reforms through COP action plans, mobilizing youth to defend their environmental future, transforming most of the world´s military academies into institutions for environmental education, and implementing a global system of automatic sanctions to enforce ecological responsibility. We believe only through this radical shift can humanity prevent future irreversible catastrophe and ensure a livable planet for future generations.
Another great episode. I’ve long been an admirer of Molly’s. Halfway through, Rachel recommended an old episode with a UK community organiser called Amy Kerr(?), but I can’t find it. Can anyone point me to it?
Intelligent, level headed and ultimately human discussion of this dizzying helter skelter ride into the pit of authoritarianism. Molly White should be an inspiration to all Americans with a sub $1m income even if they are yet to realise it. With luck they may do before it's too late - if it's not too late already.
As you know, I am with you on the paywall issue but Molly makes a good case for a change of focus. I wonder whether a crowd funded platform could be set up as a not for profit. It would still need some income to manage costs and generate some income for contributors but this should be considerably lower that profit making models and it could be worked to allow universal access to all posts. I suspect that there will be some impediment but unless it a very serious one we shouldn't allow perfection to be the enemy of the good.
How about we crowdfund a new non profit social media that's specifically designed around all of the ways to do peaceful revolution? Just an idea... www.humbledeeds.com
Being an old geezer I’m not across much of social media but in principle - yes!
Thanks for this! I wasn't aware of the Trump-crypto connection. Really bad stuff. On the subject of education, that the elites and rulers of the world have typically not seen any value in an educated populace is nothing new. People have needed to be capable of contributing to the Machine, which takes a certain amount of skill and training, but real education is more trouble than it's worth, even though as was pointed out, a properly functioning democracy requires an educated populace, among other things. Perhaps the new twist is that the tech-bro elite believe that AI will remove the need for people on a vast scale, so not only do we not need to be educated, we don't even need to exist.
The "demand" for AI, by the way, is partially (largely?) fictitious. Tech companies are putting it into every product whether users want it or not. This is not demand, this is force feeding. Google's search engine is a perfect example, as the "AI Overview" is generated for every search, want it or not. And you can't turn it off. It sucks energy and fresh water, adding to environmental destruction. Does google care? Do any of them? Grants for climate science now often require an AI component, particularly if a tech firm is behind the grant, so if your idea doesn't use AI you need to walk away or find a use for it one way or another.
As for Wikipedia, by definition, an encyclopedia is meant only to feature "the facts." This of course in general makes perfect sense, but it does create problems when the facts are not clear. In that event, wiki editors use "the facts" as reported by the existing regime, by the Power. They use the official story, the official explanation, and present it as fact, no matter how much controversy surrounds that view. "Fake news" is simply an evolution of the "conspiracy theory." A shortcut to thinking. Even if the official story is also, technically, a perfect example of a conspiracy, if it is being presented by those in power, it is taken by wikipedians as fact. This isn't a trifle, as the events involved are usually of great importance. Such entries in wiki should not be made by offering the official story as fact and then listing the alternative explanations. Instead, simply admitting of the fact that many views have been presented, with varying degrees of plausibility, is a better solution than to treat such matters as if no controversy was involved other than by "conspiracy theorists" who we all know shouldn't be believed.
Mark, interesting comments. I think the question of whether the tech-bros want an educated and large population is one of the contradictions running through their political comments and worldviews. In one sense they want a growing population of consumers to feed economic growth and they also, currently, need labour; although, as you note, AI may offset this need (e.g. via robot slaves and armies). But they also support merit and welcome skilled innovators whose abilities they can capitalize on and profit from. So some level of STEM type education routes seem instrumentally desirable for them. However, some of them have a kind of post-scarcity utopian future ruled over by benevolent machine intelligences in mind. Ian Banks’ Sci-Fi Culture universe is popular with many of them. So, in this sense, education and the numbers of people become more difficult to justify or explain.
Quite agree that the “demand” for AI is largely fictitious or market-created. However, the pursuit of the next AI advance or AGI is also driven by sunk cost economic behaviour and the desire for the first mover advantage. There is a real fear and/or paranoia that whoever gets to AGI or the next level of AI first wins (although, it’s also arguable that everyone loses). So, it's another ever-accelerating race to the bottom (or the Omega Point, Singularity or Full Spectrum Dominance, depending upon who you speak to).
Very interesting and troubling conversation. People like Molly are a light in the darkness, but the wanton destruction of public goods in the U.S. is a real worry. It’s happening on a smaller scale in the UK with the lack of funding for local authorities causing library closures and the selling off of other treasured public buildings to private interests.
As a software engineer myself who was also sceptical about crypto, I would have liked to have heard Molly’s thoughts on the potential negative impacts of the AI boom.
I think the commitment to AI feels painfully like another progress trap that our civilization has fallen into. The demand for AI and more and more data centers, as vehicles of efficiency, progress, crypto currencies etc., will amplify the demand for energy, fresh water, rare earth materials and extractive industries. As Will Marshall noted on Nate Hagen's Great Simplification yesterday, the current economic and "sociological system will leverage AI to accelerate blowing out the planetary boundaries." He added the qualification, "unless we get smart" but I suspect there isn't much evidence of that and AI is only likely to enhance our stupidity and worst instincts.
GOOD SOVEREIGNTY vs BAD SOVEREIGNTY
The Hidden Power Struggle Fueling Global Warming: Good vs. Bad Sovereignty
We are advocating for a bold redefinition of SOVEREIGTY, what we call GOOD
SOVEREIGNTY, that places the environment as the supreme authority above the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of every nation. In an era marked by climate change, natural disasters, and biodiversity loss, we believe that environmentally friendly constitutions must become the foundation of all modern states. Our mission includes immediate constitutional reforms through COP action plans, mobilizing youth to defend their environmental future, transforming most of the world´s military academies into institutions for environmental education, and implementing a global system of automatic sanctions to enforce ecological responsibility. We believe only through this radical shift can humanity prevent future irreversible catastrophe and ensure a livable planet for future generations.
Please visit
ARTHABOVEALL.NET
EARTHABOVEALL.NET/SCRIPT
EARTHABOVEALL.NET/LA-CANCION
soberania.ambiental.global@gmail.com
jorgepartidas@gmail.com
GOOD SOVEREIGNTY vs BAD SOVEREIGNTY
The Hidden Power Struggle Fueling Global Warming: Good vs. Bad Sovereignty
We are advocating for a bold redefinition of SOVEREIGTY, what we call GOOD
SOVEREIGNTY, that places the environment as the supreme authority above the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of every nation. In an era marked by climate change, natural disasters, and biodiversity loss, we believe that environmentally friendly constitutions must become the foundation of all modern states. Our mission includes immediate constitutional reforms through COP action plans, mobilizing youth to defend their environmental future, transforming most of the world´s military academies into institutions for environmental education, and implementing a global system of automatic sanctions to enforce ecological responsibility. We believe only through this radical shift can humanity prevent future irreversible catastrophe and ensure a livable planet for future generations.
Please visit
ARTHABOVEALL.NET
EARTHABOVEALL.NET/SCRIPT
EARTHABOVEALL.NET/LA-CANCION
soberania.ambiental.global@gmail.com
jorgepartidas@gmail.com
Another great episode. I’ve long been an admirer of Molly’s. Halfway through, Rachel recommended an old episode with a UK community organiser called Amy Kerr(?), but I can’t find it. Can anyone point me to it?
Hi Joe,
that would be Immy Kaur.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5sUzfLcaCo
Planet Critical: https://www.planetcritical.com/p/the-power-of-community-imagination
Thanks! Queued that episode up. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have found it without your help, Peter.
Thanks Joe, happy to help.