speculations

Twitter traffic sinks in wake of changes and launch of rival platform Threads

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/10/twitter-traffic-sinks-in-wake-of-changes-and-launch-of-rival-platform-threads-elon-musk It wasn’t completely deserted. There were shapes of figures in corners. There were sounds. Perhaps conversations, maybe just breathing. Some signs of life. The space was perfect though. Wide open. Enough room to build whatever they wanted. The infrastructure was old and uncared for but still serviceable. Everything they… Read the rest

How we can teach children so they survive AI – and cope with whatever comes next

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/08/teach-children-survive-ai There were nested schedules. On the route to exams and tests, there were timetables for each term, each week, each lesson, each topic. Separate. Her teacher was on rails, monitored just like she was. Timed, Tested. As robotic as her approved assistant in the desk screen. Both programmed to… Read the rest

Live music: concerts lift artist income as AI threat looms

https://www.ft.com/content/a182c0f6-3f1c-4850-88de-9924daf343a6 The tickets weren’t cheap. But so worth it. Even though we were miles away from the stage, the screens and sound were so well set up… He’s never going to play a small, intimate club again. Most of us will always be far away but there: like him, watching… Read the rest

AI likely to spell end of traditional school classroom, leading expert says

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/07/ai-likely-to-spell-end-of-traditional-school-classroom-leading-expert-says You always remember one teacher. They’re not the one the school puts on its website, the one with the best exam results, the one who got you into Cambridge. No, the one you remember is the one with a real character, something different. The one you remember is the… Read the rest

Five ways AI could improve the world: ‘We can cure all diseases, stabilise our climate, halt poverty’

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/06/ai-artificial-intelligence-world-diseases-climate-scenarios-experts It’s a never-ending battle. We have to get our story out there – 24/7, everywhere. We have to be out telling our truth. Our enemies are taking every opportunity to spread doubt and panic. They know that we are a challenge, that our explosive growth is just the start.… Read the rest

Mobile phones and other devices to be banned from Dutch classrooms

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/04/mobile-phones-other-devices-to-be-banned-from-dutch-classrooms The building was old. Nestled in the middle of an estate of 1960s towerblocks, the Victorian facade was like a classical football stadium still trying to function in narrow city streets long after the nature of its work had changed. The playground was still bleak. The smart floor was… Read the rest

Sony’s Mocopi system is bringing affordable motion tracking to the US

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/30/23780187/sony-mocopi-motion-capture-vr-avatar-us-price-release You try walking with a book balanced on your head. It’s not easy. And you feel stupid. And then there’s the picking things up and putting them down again. Again and again and again. Until you get it “right”. And that’s the point, apparently. There is a “right” way… Read the rest

The Game Boy that survived the Gulf War has been removed from Nintendo New York

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/30/23780549/gulf-war-game-boy-nintendo-nyc There was a box of them. Of course it was poignant but we often smiled as we sorted through the collection. We told stories to each other and the kids as we lifted each one out. Trying to explain what it was, how it worked and what he’d done… Read the rest