Philomath

Valiant start to a paradigm shift

Revisado: 11-26-23

There aren’t too many books that encapsulate the urgent issues facing human kind, relating to the rise of LLMs and all but inevitable reality of Artificial General Intelligence, followed by Super Intelligence.

The decades long AI winter where hardly any progress occurred, while science fiction has raced ahead with imagination, has only hampered the urgency to understand the coming wave. Too soon for neglect, the enormous impact on our species will be mind boggling. While some would compare the AI to the revolution of the internet, others take a further step and compare it to the Industrial Revolution, but no one can fully comprehend this technology has the potential to be more disruptive than farming. This is where we are and only a handful of people really know what’s going on.

The author is one such expert, and for that reason this book should be a must read for everyone. Although an optimist, and who wouldn’t be, with literally all possibilities open for improving all aspects of life, he highlights the coming changes and its forceable impacts on society, unintended consequences and possible but unlikely remedies to avoid catastrophe. Obviously what we don’t know is what will really matter, and unfortunately for that reason there is not much to write about. The unknown unknowns, are all but certain and carry inevitable dangers, possibly existential.

The book is easy to follow, but dare I say might just be outdated. Since this book, ChatGPT4 has evolved into something that even the creators are struggling to get their heads around. Apparently AGI has been achieved internally and the only clue we have is the near breakdown of potentially the most powerful company in the world for reasons too secret and dangerous to disclose to the public. Keyword Q* is all we have to go with.

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Objective Reality May Be a Myth

Revisado: 08-23-19

So simple yet so profound. The author makes the case that what we call objective observation is in actual fact subjective. Each instance of measurement or observation creates it own subjective reality.

The theory goes like this. Imagine five people are looking at an apple. The apple can be said to exist objectively because it exists outside our personal experience. What the author explores is the possibility that each observation can be considered a separate personal experience and therefore subjective.

The premise is there is no such thing as an objective experience because each instance is processed subjectively, and collectively evolution has provided a distortion of reality that increases health and fitness at the cost of seeing a true representation of reality.

At first glance this may seem absurd. The book however, provides a convincing case, and we may need to accept that our senses may be catered to survivability and not to accuracy of what is real.

Recommended as an outside the box way of thinking.

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Scholarly work that brings all the pieces together

Revisado: 04-17-19

The advances in technology over the last two decades is colossal. So much so that no one knows everything that’s happening.

I give great credit to the author for the research of these advancements and how they are changing the world. The world is primed for change of a magnitude matching the invention of farming.

The peoples of the world are connected through the internet. When email, social networks, search engines, gps, big data, machine learning, and all the other technologies indispensable to us merge, the outcome can only be described as hyperbolic in nature.

A lot of good will come out of it. A lot of power will be concentrated, and as this book highlights eloquently, threats to our original lifestyle is unavoidable. Most people don’t know much, and no one knows it all. The legal and political forces are lagging too far behind to have any effect.

For the first time in human history people will know you better than you know yourself. Questions like privacy of information is almost meaningless in a world where value of personal information, more than money, will fuel the future.

The Author is of a generation that can see erosion of our traditional life style, which I can understand. But the majority, especially the young are mostly blind to it. Or may be the cost benefit makes it acceptable.

For good or bad, we will find out who is right, in the not so far future.

This is a must read if one wishes to have a holistic understanding of what’s happening. This is an Important book.

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A look at Philosophy of different cultures

Revisado: 04-17-19

Too often we mistake philosophy as a western idea, derived from the great Greek thinkers.

What this book shows is that the history of the world is full of philosophical ideas just as relevant.

This book provides is a perspective of different cultures and religions that have influenced its own strands of philosophy.

Such a wider approach gives insight into how the people’s of the world think and why, something very much needed in this day and age of globalisation.

Good read.

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How Neural Networks ended the AI winter

Revisado: 04-17-19

This book more than many focuses on the latest development in machine learning. Artificial Intelligence is such a broad subject and has been going on for decades making it easy to dismiss progress.

The adoption of Neural Network, although an old concept, has only just started surpassing expectations. This is mostly due to the exponential increase in processing speed, and the colossal amount of data, something that was not available until recently and is expected to increase at the same rate.

I enjoyed this book for its focus, accuracy, and easy to understand explanations for a subject that can be overwhelming. Expectations for the near future will be hyperbolic. Highly recommended read for all.

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The scary truth about AI

Revisado: 02-23-19

I’m extremely surprised that questions raised in this book are not common in mainstream discussions.

This book is about automation, machine learning, weak and strong artificial intelligence. It covers the benefits which are known, but more importantly it covers some of the risks, which are existential and extraordinarily high.

The authors are quite thorough in there analysis of the unregulated field of artificial intelligence and the possible ramification of continuing on this route. Invoking Technological Determinism, it is assumed that anything that can be made will be made, as shown many times in history, people are geared to react once the threat has been identified.

The book proposes that the paradigm shift alone from this technological revolution will change the balance of power and this has always come with violence and instability in the history book.

A very rare and wise book on what to expect with the advancement of AI.

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An extraordinary look at life by a Physicist

Revisado: 01-25-19

One needs to read this book in context. Erwin Schrodinger was an Austrian physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of quantum wave theory in 1934 and was a pioneer of Quantum Theory.

This is not only a unique book because it shows biology and the complexity of Life through the eyes of a quantum physicist, but also through the inquisitive and rigorous lens of a theorist.

It is no wonder that this book was an inspiration to many prominent scientist of late 20th and early 21st century.

Fascinating in its explanation of life as an extension of chemistry and physics one cannot but be amazed at the collaboration of molecules in a symphony creating cells the basic building blocks of life.

This is mandatory reading for all scientists, and a true treasure in insightful critical thinking across many fields.

A highly recommended classic.

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What happens when the ego leaves

Revisado: 12-10-18

In a typical Michael Pollan engaging style the history and experience of psychedelic substances is brought to the forefront. From Magic Mashrooms, to LSD, MDT, and MESCALINE. These are chemicals produced in nature that tap in to the depths of the mind.

The author explains these hallucinogenics and the life changing experiences it produces in people that take them, for the most cases positive. They have been banned from scientific study for over 40 years where they went underground, but now are making a resurgence as an alternative in psychotherapy, and proving to have a wealth of benefits in studying the mind.

This book also shows the struggle between the science and the use of the psychedelic drugs for the study of the mind, and their use as vehicle for spiritual journeys ones that reveal the mind and consciousness as only one aspect of many states. The ego is always in control. As the author explains this “the ego” somehow deflates and in some cases fizzles away providing an experience of oneness with everyone and everything.

When Silicon Valley is micro-dosing for creativity one wonders what else this is good for. A well written book about a subject that has been taboo in society and science for far too long. A highly recommended read.

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Big whales with big egos

Revisado: 12-09-18

What happens when ego comes to play in two opposing investment titans. This book reveals the financial battle behind Carl Icahn an investor mongol with a net worth of more than 20 billion and Bill Ackman head of one of the largest investment funds controlling 10s of billions of dollars.

The book is an eye opener to say the least. It discusses some of the unsavoury positions the big sharks will go to, to make money and crush their opponents. All under the banner of public good, and investor confidence. The era of activist investors has arrived.

Herbalife on the other hand was the company in the middle. Targeted for destruction by a billion dollar short for what appears to be a pyramid structure business, and supported by big investors taking a long position for its value and money making machine.

There was no justice in the end. Only vengeance, and a whole load of propaganda, by people just wanting to make money. At this level the wolves take their positions and then influence the outcome. Except in this case you had two wolves on either side, preparing us for half a decade of financial bloodshed.

This book is an insight into the behaviour of such men, and the Wall Street cabal. Highly recommended and entertaining.

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Cyber war, hackers, and the future of the internet

Revisado: 12-02-18

John P Carlin is a US civil servant he was the Assistant Attorney General (DOJ). He was also chief of staff for FBI Director Robert S. Mueller. It is therefore expected that his narrative is biased to what some might consider American exceptionalism.

Regardless, his experience at the front line of economic, and geopolitical cyber warfare is as good as they come. It is incredible that such little investment has gone into cyber security when the risks are as large as they seem. I am writing this review just as news of a hack on Largest Hotel Group compromised over 500 million customers personal details in a span of 4 years. As with the Sony hack, this is an all too common occurrence lately, even affecting Facebook, Google and many others.

The internets backbone was not built with security in mind, but ease of use. We are finding out the costs of such a free and open network where criminals are always ahead, and the policing and regulation is inherently playing catch-up, and reacting to more and more sophisticated attacks. The realm of what used to be a hacker society is now being used by governments to disrupt rival nations, where no one's hands are clean, and proof is hard to come by.

Whether its a pre-emptive attack on military installations, an economic attack to steal technology, or just vandals and blackhats disrupting the system, we are in the age of technical vulnerability and its up to the individual entities to secure themselves, without much help from government who are lagging behind in the know-how as well as financial support.

This book is extremely informative about the governments role in the cyber realm, where they are and where they should be. It is highly recommended.

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