Bbenzon
Description
Humankind got its start on the African savannas some hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. At various times in our cultural history we’ve moved to distinctly new cultural ground, as it were. And so we are moving now, and have been for the past half century. This blog is how I see that move. Intellectually, I'm broadly interested in culture and the brain. Within that compass, anything could show up here. Literature and films (including animation), certainly, music as well, and graffiti. But, other things may show up as well. It's a blog, don't you know, it moves.
MY BLOGS
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New Savanna
http://new-savanna.blogspot.com/
Humankind got its start on the African savannas some hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. At various times in our cultural history we’ve moved to distinctly new cultural ground, as it were. And so we are moving now, and have been for the past half century. This blog is how I see that move. I'm broadly interested in culture and the brain. Within that compass, anything could show up here. Literature and films (including animation), certainly, music as well, and graffiti. But, other things may show up as well. It's a blog, don't you know, it moves.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 7356 )
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2. The Brain, the Mind, and GPT-3, Part 1: Dimensions and Conceptual Spaces
The purpose of this post is to sketch a conceptual framework in which we can understand the success of language models such as GPT-3 despite the fact that they... Read more
Posted on 29 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Danger, Will Robinson [Covid-19, Social Distancing on the Hudson]
Posted on 29 July 2020
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Japanese Fishermen's Coats
Behold 19th-Century Japanese Firemen’s Coats, Richly Decorated with Mythical Heroes Symbols https://t.co/wktZvvoxnd pic.twitter. Read more
Posted on 29 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Mars Or Bust!
We're going back to Mars tomorrow with our @NASAPersevere rover! Watch @JimBridenstine give a LIVE #CountdownToMars update from @NASAKennedy's countdown clock... Read more
Posted on 29 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Three Cheers for the Democratic Republic of the Congo [formerly Known Among...
Tyler Cowen has a conversation with Nathan Nunn, a development economist at Harvard. Among other things, the conversation touches on the Democratic Republic of... Read more
Posted on 29 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Columbus Park, Hoboken, NJ
Posted on 28 July 2020
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Einstein and Thought Experiments [+ Maxwell's Demon]
Sabine Hossenfelder, Einstein’s Greatest Legacy: Thought Experiments, Backreaction, July 25, 2020: Einstein’s greatest legacy is not General Relativity, it’s no... Read more
Posted on 28 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
1. No Meaning, No How: GPT-3 as Rubicon and Waterloo, a Personal View
I say that not merely because I am a person and, as such, I have a point of view on GPT-3, and related matters. I say because the discussion is informal, withou... Read more
Posted on 27 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Woods, Lake, Shore
Posted on 27 July 2020
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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AI, and Computers More Generally, Violate Basic Conceptual Categories
Iris Berent, Op-Ed: The real reason we’re afraid of robots, LA Times, July 26, 2020: If you saw a ball start rolling all by itself, you’d be astonished. Read more
Posted on 27 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
When the Federales Do Not Know the Law, How Can They Legitimately Police? [the...
Andrew Crespo, Unpacking DHS’s Troubling Explanation of the Portland Van Video, Lawfare, July 25, 2020: Over the past few days, millions of people have seen a... Read more
Posted on 27 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Is Capitalism Over?
John Quiggin, The end of interest, Crooked Timber, 26 July 2020. Although my book-in-progress is called The Economic Consequences of the Pandemic, a lot of it... Read more
Posted on 26 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Things Change, but Sometimes They Don’t: On the Difference Between Learning Abou...
It has long been obvious to me that there is an epistemic difference between knowing history and living through history. I now have half a notion of how to thin... Read more
Posted on 26 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Hollis Robbins on Close Talking, Episode #104 Freedom Rider: Washout (by James...
Close Talking: A Poetry Podcast · Episode #104 Freedom Rider: Washout - James Emanuel w/Dr. Hollis Robbins Connor and Jack are joined by Dr. Read more
Posted on 25 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
In the Garden of Eden... [the Epic of Jump and Kong]
Posted on 25 July 2020
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Life on Mars, with Elon, Grimes, and the Baby Formerly Known As...what?
Maureen Down, Elon Musk, Blasting Off in Domestic Bliss, NYTimes, July 25, 2020: So how do the King of Mars, his Galactic Princess and their newborn son, X... Read more
Posted on 25 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Friday Fotos: Reuben, Reuben, I've Been....eating [Covid-19 Picnic!]
Posted on 24 July 2020
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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The Road Ahead, into the Singularity and Beyond [GPT-3]
This is the first in a series of posts where I set out a vision for the evolution of artificial intelligence beyond GPT-3 (GPT = Generative Pre-trained... Read more
Posted on 24 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
AOC Delivers a Powerful Speech in Reply to Rep. Yoho's Vile Insults
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) Responds to Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL): "I do not need Representative Yoho to apologize to me. Clearly he does not want to.... Read more
Posted on 23 July 2020 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Who is That Masked Man? [Covid-19]
Posted on 23 July 2020
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
