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This is probably fine pic.twitter.com/Q1p6qCyXpB
— ØSØ (@OsoBlanc0) March 24, 2024
https://futurism.com/the-byte/biologist-says-sun-conscious
A bong rip of a theory suggests that all matter possesses some form of mind or consciousness, not just animals — including, as one biologist suggests, the Sun itself.
In a fascinating dive into the hypothesis, which adherents call "panpsychism," Popular Mechanics reports that this out-there concept has existed for thousands of years, and in its more crystallized form has been bubbling around for the last few hundred years.
Though inklings of similar thought had existed since ancient Greece, the term "panpsychism" was, as the report explains, coined in the 16th century by Italian philosopher Francesco Patrizi. Though it enjoyed 19th century credibility when the psychology superstar Williams James publicly ascribed to it, the theory was veritably killed in the 1920s by the Vienna Circle when its "logical positivism" — the idea that philosophical questions must have logical answers — took hold of the philosophical world.
Fast forward to the year 2004, when another Italian, the neuroscientist and psychiatrist Giulio Tononi, proposed what he called the "integrated information theory of consciousness," which suggests that consciousness is, essentially, almost everywhere. By and by, a sort of panpsychist renaissance began to take place, and in 2014 — nearly 100 years after the Vienna Circle killed the feel-good theory — the respected neuroscientist Christof Koch argued in Scientific American that if lumps of matter can form into human bodies and become conscious, there's no reason that groups of elementary particles couldn't either.
While AI pioneer and fashion-forward hat-wearer Ben Goertzel has been an adherent since at least '04, perhaps one of the most compelling instances of panpsychist thought came in 2021, when biologist and author Rupert Sheldrake published a paper questioning whether the Sun itself might be conscious.
"Consciousness does not need to be confined to brains," Sheldrake told Popular Mechanics in its new story. "The link between minds and physical systems seems to be through rhythmic electromagnetic fields, which of course are present in our brains. They are also present in and around the Sun, and these could be the interface between the solar mind and the body of the Sun."
To be fair, there isn't a lick of evidence of support this theory. And Sheldrake is a peculiar character; he does hold a PhD in biochemistry, and he did research at Cambridge University in the 1970s. But since then he's been drawn to a variety of extremely out-there topics ranging from crystals to telepathy, and been largely dismissed in the mainstream.
Still, it's a fun idea in a sci-fi type of way. The Sun is a complex system; maybe it harbors mysteries we haven't yet comprehended.
And say the whole thing is somehow true — if so, what would the Sun think about?
"It may be able to choose in which direction to send out solar flares or coronal mass ejections," Sheldrake mused to PopMech, "which can have an enormous effect on life on Earth, and to which our technologies are very vulnerable."
Discuss.
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Tfw I'm not in anyone's family book.
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In retrospect, this seems obvious but I'm too r-slurred and/or uncreative to think to do this before But for those who like to gather technical certifications, GhatGPT can be a game-changer.
Instead of paying for online practice tests via Udemy or other online retailers, why not get generative AI to make them for you? This has been working gangbusters and saving me a ton of time. Instructions I used:
Boom. Mega win for understanding the material without going cross-eyed having dozens of whitepaper tabs open like in the days of old. Asking it to provide a source increases reliability of the answers as this forces it to be self-checking and allows you to independently verify the accuracy of the information.
I've asked it to pause and extrapolate into deeper detail on subjects I was unfamiliar with as the generative test progressed before resuming.
I've also had it mix in a few "explain the [thing]" questions as well as "match capability to relevant service" questions like you'd see on a test.
Oh yeah, it's grinding time.
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But critics argue that even studying the possibility of solar geoengineering eases the societal pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
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If an Imperial Star Destroyer crashed into Manhattan: pic.twitter.com/66pjZsmV3G
— AlphaFo𝕏 (@Alphafox78) March 18, 2024
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Every single one is bloated as fuuuck and all seem to be written in javascript and require electron.
All the terminology is written in marketingspeak. Like you can't just make a new page of text, you have to open the 'command palette' or 'create a new canvas'
UIs are full of junk like a big popup notification 'delete successful!' you don't need a notification for that wtf tell me if not successful otherwise shut up
Such a simple program shouldn't be this difficult to develop.
Sometimes I come across stuff like this, where there are enough r-slurs willing to spend money that a whole ecosystem of bullshit pops up trying to sell to them. Similar feels to when I have to research buying a new smartphone
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Feds cutting rates is pretty low chance. Neither is the chance of being more hawkish.
If you're overleveraged on tech, move your money around a little bit.
Avoid automobiles regardless of rate cuts, but keep an idea on Japanese auto sector.
Even with Apple CarPlay auto sector is dicey.
Bank of Japan is set to raise rates for first time in 17 years. Will it gain traction?
Last 7 out of 8 presidential elections, Financial sector has outperformed S&P
If rates remain stable or go down, take up some utilities stocks in your portfolio
Healthcare and Financial has a good opportunity in 2024 irrespective of rate cuts
Steer clear out of Cisco (stagnant tech) and Starbucks (Chinese supply chain, won't solve until China announces stimulus)
Volatility is really low, puts are going at very low prices, should you buy some puts in tech? Especially Mid cap tech
Have some cash buffer.
That's it for this week. ALL EYES ON WEDNESDAY
All are ideas, not advise. Frick you.
@houellebecq there you go, your weekly newsletter
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Retaliatory strike simulation after Putin's nuclear use pic.twitter.com/8gEtyA4WJv
— Insane Reality Leaks (@InsaneRealitys) March 14, 2024