AI infringement upon performers’ rights is an interesting topic, but I believe that most of the current debate will soon become moot. When CGI can create photorealistic scenes, and AI can string these scenes together into video that is indistinguishable from professional film-making (at least, to the layman), then the limiting factor becomes the capacity […]
AI infringement upon performers’ rights is an interesting topic, but I believe most of the current debate will become moot shortly. When CGI creates photorealistic scenes, and AI can string these scenes together into video indistinguishable (at least, to the layman) from professional film-making), then the limiting factor becomes the capacity of AIs to turn […]
It surprises some allies to learn that, prior to writing this book, I wrote Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations: a 21st Century Translation and Commentary. I wrote that book accidentally. By this, I mean that I set out to understand economics from a solid footing. I did not intend to write a book. However, once […]
It was many hours in the making, but we now have a two-hour interview conducted by Prof. Imac Zambrana, of the University of Oslo, on her Chameleons Podcast series. After closely reading the book, she posed a series of deeply evocative questions. It’s free to listen, and can substitute (for most purposes) for reading the […]
Here is a link to Chaplin’s final speech from his movie, The Great Dictator. It was given with all the passion of an anti-Hitler: https://www.charliechaplin.com/en/articles/29-the-final-speech-from-the-great-dictator- Here is the text of this speech: “To those who can hear me, I say – do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing […]
Following are some of the reasons why sovereignty is a prerequisite for starting a new society. In no particular order: System of governance. The four-branch system of government we propose, while similar to that which existed in the Venetian Republic for hundreds of years, resembles no currently prevalent system. It eliminates the need for elections, […]
Our ally and good friend Ina Von Turow recently expressed her displeasure at the thought of living under continuous surveillance of designated Public areas. She asked: why not instead allow each individual to have a personal, tiny flying drone as a constant companion, with the drone only turned on when it, or its owner, detected […]
I was talking the other day with a couple of close allies. We were exploring our different “whys” for doing what we’re doing. My wife said that, in her view, my great why is building a system of systems to make the world a better place. I thought about that, and said, “No, that’s my […]
One of the greatest challenges of our age is the gulf between “left” and “right”; however one defines those terms. It’s worth noting that many American conservatives regard today’s Republican party not as conservative but rather authoritarian. In other democratic nations, the word conservative connotes political positions that are, if anything, toward the center or […]
So-called “high-functioning” psychopaths are, perhaps, the most destructive people on Earth. Lacking in empathy, they learn to mimic human caring and empathy very well, while using others as normal people use objects. Generally speaking, the best book I’ve found on this subject is The Psychopath Next Door by Harvard Prof. Martha Stout. Stout has devoted her career […]
