ONEBILLIONMINDS Issue #2
Adrian Zidaritz · Lisbeth Darsh · Jami Attenberg · Gill Berry · Julia Davis
Today —
Let’s discover a remarkable manifesto for AI and Society. We will meet a prolific writer who is challenging the baggage of our times. For inspiration, another NYT bestselling writer who helps other writers to grow. A modern day Ronin. And finally, a journalist fighting for truth in a way never done before.
One mind at a time, raised by the power of nine.
Zero.
Don’t forget to join the debate()
1/9
Arguably, few AI scientists of our time have grandchildren. It is a rather new area of human endeavor. Adrian has put everything he has learned about AI in a remarkably eloquent website so that he can go to grandfather duty. What he says, is simple and powerful — AI will change the script and the music. Our awareness, politics and truth will determine the outcome.
The fundamental challenge in AI for humanity is to retain the first five letters of the word as we shape technology in our image. Perhaps append one letter to the rest of it — for sanity . Adrian has shaped a powerful, human manifesto for AI. It is a treasure for future generations anchored on truth. We are of course going to ignore what he has to say.
— The H◍b◍ Quote
Sentient AI will not follow the Three Laws of Robotics.
2/9
Quirky to a fault, real as a barbell — Darsh writes the highly acclaimed Strong. A powerful space for folks looking to thrive when every day is not exactly aceville.
To be the voice of the inarticulate is a power few possess. To have the courage to voice and the will to act on it is like gold dust in the wind. Lisbeth does it with style. She says it in the best way. You don’t have to love the barbell. But you might be surprised at how much you could.
— The H◍b◍ Quote
Do I really need this shit in my life?
3/9
What do you do when you are 21 and a person of authority tells you to give up on your dreams? You rebel, travel across country for decades. You fall. Pick yourself up, countless times. You become a NYT bestselling writer. What then? Simple. You help other writers to prove them wrong too. Not to spite them. But in spite of them.
When life throws you a curve ball, you catch it and throw it right back. You create your own destiny, knowing or unknowingly. Jami has done that countless times. She is a master of her journey. Though you may stumble and fall, what matters is not how you pick yourself up but what you do afterwards.
— The H◍b◍ Quote
We forget how we fought.
4/9
Faceshield. Facemask.
The first, protects us from UV rays. A mask made of aloe vera and hundreds of science generated ingredients to rejuvenate our skin. No?
It is natural for humanity to forget crisis. Some heroes we will continue to remember. Even they retire from the public eye. The others, we will forget. Yet another nurse (as if we need less) Gill started OSV in the maelstrom of the pandemic
Open Source Volunteers. A thousand innovators got together with her to take charge of the race to help humanity with things that have thankfully become silly and available again. Faceshields. Facemasks.
It is time for us to move on. So, where does that leave heroes like Gill? Will they roam around the countryside like the Ronin?
Once in a lifetime we are able to call on a strength we never thought we had. Once in a lifetime, we prevent a boat from sinking by pulling an extraordinary feat. But when the storm is over, the act of bailing water from the boat will be looked upon as just an act that was good when it lasted. For a ronin like Gill, a crisis is not going to be the next act. It is just a matter of time, for a samurai like her to open her own Gojū.
— The H◍b◍ Quote
We get only one shot.
5/9
It is very easy to speak about Julia.
She does it best herself — I watch Russian state TV, so you don't have to.
Yes, she is sanctioned by Russia for her remarkable search as a journalist for truth. In a world where truth becomes a casualty every hour, you do not need to be a soldier to fight. You can be a child in the crowd and call out an emperor in struts who has no boot.
It is sometimes said that just one book brought the USSR down. Later, The Gulag Archipelago became a mandatory textbook in Russia's schools. Maybe when democracy finally takes shape in Russia, its people will look back and count their heroes inside, and acknowledge those outside like Julia Davis who had the courage to call out for truth.
— The H◍b◍ Quote
A good journalist is an activist.
For Tomorrow —
We are reading Claudine Cassar and her remarkable writing on the Italian mafia and Rebecca Makkai’s ambitious project to circle the globe. We are also going to take a look at the work of two brilliant academics — Joanna Bryson, and Cameron Murray's freaky, fresh look at economics.
— Sadiksha & Sanjukt
And the shy voise behind The H◍b◍ Quote
You begin saving the world by saving one man at a time. All else is grandiose romanticism or politics.
— Charles Bukowski