20220824
Our lives are being transformed by three grand bargains. The intellectual bargain: we have more knowledge but less capacity to concentrate and focus. The social bargain: we are much more available but much less attentive. And most importantly, the emotional bargain: we are much more connected, but much less empathetic.
Industry: Energy prices slowing zinc production. Building one’s own FTTH ISP. Cities: architectural reuse, AI architecting. Regulating books publishers?
Social: Fragmentation - alternative reality ads on alternative social networks.
Tech: Invisible voice jamming. Selling shares of oneself. Hell is ourselves in the mirror world. Technology sickness. Micro-subscriptions and subscription fatigue.
Around AI: Dall.E2 as game background pixel artist. Still questions about IP and copyrights. After Alexa’s voice necromancer skills, AIs bringing back dead relatives. “Worryingly, using dalle feels like consulting an oracle, "show me the true nature of 'a Renoir painting of the catbus from Totoro'"“. Increasing pace: Stable diffusion (Dall.e 2 competition) released two days ago, demo proving on par.
Consumed: Project Hail Mary - ‘easy/friendly’ hard-SF. Lifecycle of software objects - AI tamers.
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Using AI to uncover meta-trends, and this quote: The top 40 ranked, overlooked micro-trends discovered by the AI:
Inclusive Insurance, Disruptive Winds, Food Inflation, DAO’s (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations), Rising Energy, Super Apps, Longevity Food, Unisex Fragrance, Dating Fatigue, Clothing Rental, AI-Music, Biodynamic Farming, Gender Affirmation, Rainwater Harvesting Systems, Wearable Robotics, Dopamine Dressing, Sleep Coaches, Financial Coaches, Gut Health, Caregiver Leave, Self-Hypnosis, Alcohol-Free Beer, Psychoactive Tea, Sperm Freezing, Touch-Free, Post traumatic, Carbon Pawprint, Sustainability Calculator, Land Stewards, Privacy Enhancing Tech, Anonymous Marketplace, Subscriptions, Fluid Fashion, Land Availability, Period Products, Paid Menstrual Leave, Mutual Aid, Workplace Conditions, Banned Advertising, and Media Anxiety