7/24/20 Recommended Issues: AI & GPT-3, Failures, Freud

Issues Worth Reading

Here is this week’s Worth Reading-- a set of interesting newsletter issues that may have flown under your radar:

GPT-3 … HOW’D WE GET HERE AND WHAT IS IT?

• A short history of knowledge technologies (In Exponential View by Azeem Azhar on July 21, 2020). This is a really great, easy to understand read if you’re interested in how “knowledge technologies” (access, costs, etc) have evolved (think: writing -> books -> printing presses -> libraries -> internet -> search engines -> …) -- and about the latest advancement in language generation, OpenAI’s GPT-3, which is “capable of synthesizing information and presenting it in a near usable form.”  Azeem considers this a step-change in knowledge technologies and it’s super interesting to hear his take on the impact it may have. This issue is definitely worth reading to have a grasp on what opportunities this new knowledge technology may offer us and to be able to actually hold an intelligent conversation about it. (1426 words; ~5min) Read it (now)...  (*note, many of Azeem’s posts are behind a paywall. This one he made public “until July 25th”, ie today, so if you’re interested, read it before it disappears).

LEARNINGS FROM FAILURES

• We Need to Study Failure (in The Daily Coach by George Raveling and Michael Lombardi on July 23, 2020) We’ve had it banged into our heads that you’ll learn more from failures than successes; what’s neat about this issue is that it offers a manageable-to-read list of witty and deep “laws” learned through company failures. While it’s technically a short read, you will find yourself pausing after each one to actually think about it-- and they’re interesting and uniquely enough written that you will actually remember some of them afterwards. (427 words; 1.5 min + thinking time). Read it…

FREUD, THE US, GUILT, AND MASKS 

• The Freud Moment (in Two Truths and a Take, by Alex Danco on July 19, 2020). Alex offers a fascinating perspective on the role of the Id, Ego, Superego, and guilt on what’s happening in the US right now (like the politicization of mask-wearing). He starts with a basic breakdown/reminder of what those psychological terms actually mean and briefly discusses how they play out in a civilization. Then he delves into the impact of the conflict of ego and guilt in American society-- with some kicker lines about how some people interpret “elite’s” leadership as “leading-by-guilt”...and they therefore reject doing what the “elite” recommend because they perceive it as just another guilt-trip. You may or may not agree with him, but it’s certainly worth reading for an interesting take on American society at the moment. (2604 words; 9.5minutes) Read it...

I hope you gained some thought-provoking perspectives. If there are any categories of newsletters you’d most prefer to hear about, feel free to let me know. I’d love to hear from you: newsletters@narrowscale.com.

As always, if you’re interested in receiving more from any of the newsletters above, you’re always welcome to subscribe to Exponential View, The Daily Coach, or Two Truths and a Take.

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