I spent a year traveling to communities all over the country looking for the answer to this question. I think the answer has to depend on why the community exists; there are different types of communities based on different shared goals. These can each be healthy or unhealthy in different ways based on how those… Continue reading What makes a healthy community?
Category: Featured
Which Political Party Is Best For Gas Prices?
The Claim Someone posted on Facebook that gas prices were much better under Trump and so we need to vote Democrats out and then gas prices will be better with Republicans. My Gut Response I was inspired to conduct the multivariate analysis below after my immediate response was basically, “Policy doesn’t ever impact commodity prices… Continue reading Which Political Party Is Best For Gas Prices?
Building Post-Scarcity Societies
The earliest forms of AI were invented by Soviet Systems Theorists and Cyberneticists in order to address the problem of modeling complex chaotic systems. This was a vital missing piece at the core of Soviet Communism; the ideology was built around central planning of things like ecosystems and economies, and these forms of modeling did… Continue reading Building Post-Scarcity Societies
Exploring Soviet Science Fiction Films
One of the most fascinating classes I took for my degree in Queer Ethnic Studies was Race, Gender, and Science Fiction. In that class, we looked at the very different kinds of futurist perspectives present in authors from different backgrounds. For example, comparing and contrasting the futurisms of Indigenous Americans versus Black Americans versus Asian… Continue reading Exploring Soviet Science Fiction Films
The Liminal
Liminal is a story I’m working on with some inspiration from an AI project. Chapter One “I’m sorry doctor, but your project is being canceled.” Turner had heard it all before. This job sucked. Corporate R&D labs never appreciated the most exciting kinds of scientific research. “It was an interesting idea but the corporation is… Continue reading The Liminal
All of California’s agricultural land is fundamentally unsustainable and structurally self-destructive.
All of California’s agricultural land is fundamentally unsustainable and structurally self-destructive. The entire San Joaquin valley was a lake until very recently; Lake Corcoran was one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes. (Wong) It was fed with rainfall from the sea, and its evaporation created a cycle of precipitation which fed both sides of the… Continue reading All of California’s agricultural land is fundamentally unsustainable and structurally self-destructive.
Moisture Farming: Don’t Get Ripped Off
Now that the era of biosphere collapse is rapidly approaching the water wars stage, moisture farming is finally taking off. Just like the Skywalkers of Tatooine, many people today are beginning to explore extracting humidity from the air to provide for their basic water needs. But don’t be ripped off by bad deals. This guide… Continue reading Moisture Farming: Don’t Get Ripped Off
Science of Mind and the Potential For Artificial Consciousness
There is a long history of thought about thought. Theories of consciousness abound, some more plausible and some less. Of all the books I’ve read and the classes I’ve taken on the topic, I think my favorite concise explanation of the current state of the art in cognitive science is the book Conscious by Annaka… Continue reading Science of Mind and the Potential For Artificial Consciousness
Permaculture and Mutual Aid Will Create a Future Free From Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, and Transphobia
I think it started for me just about the time I was wrapping up my lower division undergrad. I had been spending a great deal of time researching the way the social, environmental, and economic problems of the modern world impact people in marginalized communities. I was just going into a new upper division program… Continue reading Permaculture and Mutual Aid Will Create a Future Free From Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Discursive Construction: AI-Generated Essays and Analysis
I am doing an experiment where I prompt an advanced AI to write essays, analyze memes and literature, or write arguments from the perspective of a particular historical figure. I am posting these attributed to the AI, “Discursive Construction.” And the bold text is the prompt, while the rest is what the AI comes up… Continue reading Discursive Construction: AI-Generated Essays and Analysis