20241201
Back to work!
“Across Korea, young women are swearing off men, influenced by the 4B movement, a radical feminist campaign that originated in Korea in the late 2010s. The four Bs stand for bi-hon (no marriage), bi-yeonae (no dating), bi-chulsan (no birthing) and bi-sex (no sex). The movement formed in response to growing gender inequality and violence against women: Korea has one of the largest gender pay gaps in the world, and brutal murders of women […] headline news shows daily. Amid so much political turmoil and bloodshed, 4B activists say the only way to make women safe — and convince society to take their safety seriously — is to swear off men altogether until something changes.” - from politico
People: Are free-range kids worth a year in jail. Konbinis. Chi-fi. Digital midwives. Need for new business schools (plus link to the book)? UN take on creativity (and its PDF). Claims of two-way dream communication (wtaf - and lucid dreams app). The 4B movement in Korea. “Low desire life”.
Life: Elephants can prank. Bats have acoustic cognitive maps. The Shrimp Welfare Project.
AI: downshift. AI Act vs Council of Europe Act.
Tech: TMSC and China. NVIDIA overtook Apple. Solar desal without batteries (?). VPN and Islam in Pakistan. Nano nuclear batteries. The Casio ring that looks like its watch, smaller.
Security: When secret services use the ToS on your random apps. Robodogs around Mar-a-lago. French prospective becomes RADAR. US and space defence. What halibut nets catch a nuclear-powered submarine.
Random: About running local LLMs.
“Ceux qui partent d’Omelas” one of those Nantes discoveries.
The Church of the Independent Child
(tentative thoughts from the dumb oracle)
In the quaint town of Millville, where the only real excitement came from the annual pie-eating contest, a peculiar incident sparked an unexpected fusion of technology, parenting philosophies, and geopolitical tensions. It all began one sunny Tuesday afternoon when a local mother, spirited and somewhat unconventional, decided to let her ten-year-old son walk to the convenience store—yes, the very same one that had recently begun stocking solar-powered, battery-free water bottles, a nod to the town's newfound obsession with sustainability.
As young Julian strolled down the street, blissfully unaware of the legal ramifications surrounding child independence in Millville, his mother, Claire, sat down to monitor the local news on her Casio CRW-001-1JR digital ring watch. This was no ordinary timepiece; it was a marvel of modern engineering that, despite being waterproof and designed for a snug fit, also served as a reminder that time, much like parenting, could sometimes feel constricting.
Meanwhile, across the globe, the U.S. Space Force was tightening its grip on orbital security, with plans to weaponize space being discussed in hushed tones. This was rather unfortunate timing, as a nuclear-powered submarine had just been inadvertently caught by a group of fishermen in Norway, which only served to highlight the absurdity of the world. Claire chuckled at the irony, thinking that if only the fishermen had been equipped with the new Large Language Models, they could have simply communicated with the submarine in its native tongue—though, to be fair, the submarine probably wouldn’t have cared much for human humor.
Just then, Claire received a notification from her son’s smartwatch, a curious little gadget that, despite being built on the latest AI technology, had a tendency to glitch. The message read: “Lost signal. Attempting to connect with REMspace technology.” It was then that she realized he was trying to lucid dream his way home, a technique she had read about in a recent article discussing the fascinating intersection of neurotechnology and childhood creativity.
In a bizarre twist of fate, just as Claire was about to head out to retrieve Julian, a blaring siren interrupted her thoughts. The local authorities had arrived, alerted by a concerned neighbor who thought it unwise for a child to wander alone, despite the fact that Claire had raised Julian to be as independent as a shrimp on a mission—after all, she believed every creature, no matter how small, deserved a chance to explore.
As the officers questioned her parenting choices, Claire couldn't help but think of the broader implications: was she raising a future innovator or a potential casualty of an over-regulated society? Perhaps both? With AI investments skyrocketing, and everyone seemingly eager to become an expert, she pondered the implications of such a rapid technological advancement on parenting and childhood independence.
In the end, as she sat in the back of the police cruiser—because, you know, it was one of those days—she mused about how the world was becoming increasingly complex, and yet, here she was, embroiled in a scandal over a simple walk to the store. At that moment, she resolved to turn this unfortunate twist into a teachable moment, perhaps even a new religion: the Church of the Independent Child, where the only commandments would be to embrace creativity, question authority, and, of course, never underestimate the power of a good solar water bottle.
After all, if a nuclear submarine could be caught in a fishing net, surely a mother could navigate the treacherous waters of parenting, one unconventional decision at a time.