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☆ A.I. Technology: 8 Questions About the Future - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Phoebe Lett | Jeremy Ashkenas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Rumman Chowdhury Ethicist and researcherAnd then build the technology that will create the world that we want to have for ourselves? Yudhanjaya Wijeratne Writer and data scientistWe certainly are coming towards this idea of the human plus A.I. Sebastian Thrun Entrepreneur and educatorWhat if everything you’ve done in your life, everything you’ve learned, you can do in a day? Sebastian Thrun Entrepreneur and educatorAnd then everything other people have learned, you can be master of in a day. And you can solve really, really hard problems because now you have the world’s experience.

Persons: Hell, Rumman Chowdhury Ethicist, we’re, Stephanie Dinkins, I’m, ” Stephanie Dinkins, Yudhanjaya, Siri, Sebastian Thrun, you’ve, You Organizations: Yampolskiy, Yampolskiy Computer Locations: China, Japan

☆ A Texas resident who lives near Elon Musk's construction sites says he wants the billionaire to 'do better' and be a good neighbor amid local pushback
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chap Ambrose told The Washington Post he wants Musk to "do better" and be a "good neighbor." A Texas resident and self-proclaimed Elon Musk fan has been speaking out against the billionaire's construction projects in a rural area. The Boring Company has been working on a Bastrop facility since 2021 and Musk's private space company, SpaceX, has also started building a site there. Ambrose and representatives for The Boring Company and SpaceX did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal working hours. When contacted by Insider at the time, a spokesperson for The Boring Company did not respond.

☆ The 18 best ways to make money by reading, from submitting book reviews for cash to narrating audiobooks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Zulie Rane | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

She always wanted to earn money from reading books, but said the best way to do that doesn't exist. Here are a few of the best ways to make money by reading books using social media. The good news is that BookTok is one of the best ways to make money by reading books. Post your book reviews on a publication like Books Are Our Superpower and make money by reading books that way. Until then, I hope this article helps you find the best ways to make money by reading books.

☆ 'He'll do anything to come for you': Bang Bang, the tattoo artist to stars like Rihanna and Justin Bieber, is a controlling, vindictive boss, ex-employees say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Melkorka Licea | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

Yet some former Bang Bang employees said that McCurdy's meticulously curated image as a thoughtful progressive in a rough-and-tumble industry wasn't much more than good PR. At Bang Bang, "they just woke-wash everything," one former employee said. This kind of behavior extended to other Bang Bang employees. Ganser, the Bang Bang manager, also sent Wang a text comparing her behavior to her father's, who was in prison. Photo by Gotham/GC ImagesNearly a decade after opening the first Bang Bang shop, McCurdy still sees himself as a trailblazer.

☆ Evelyne Axell was a trailblazer of erotic pop art in the 1960s. Then she died
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Throughout Evelyne Axell’s short but radical career, the Belgian artist revered the female body in psychedelic hues rendered in gleaming enamel. In 1972, only a handful of years into painting, she died in a car crash and faded into relative obscurity. But such sales for Axell are infrequent, according to Sara Friedlander, Christie’s deputy chairman of post-war and contemporary art. Her stylistic approach — a mix of pop art influences and dreamy surrealist settings — is still underrecognized, according to Morris. “She acts as a historical bridge (between surrealism and pop art),” she said.

☆ Our Theater is Fighting About Diversity. Who’s Right?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Kwame Anthony Appiah | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But casting for a colorblind utopia can be a problem when your aim is to depict racial injustice. Nontraditional casting is of particular value where there’s a tradition to be bucked; familiar works or historical episodes can be experienced in fresh ways. In high school, I was cast as the menacing Goldberg in Harold Pinter’s 1957 play, “The Birthday Party.” (“Mazel tov! There’s a useful analogy, speaking of Goldberg variations, in the “historically informed performance” movement in music. But who would limit themselves to “authentic” performances of Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations — and thus miss the marimba player Pius Cheung’s rendition?

☆ I'm an AI ethicist. I make sure the tech is safely deployed to the world, but I am not an oracle.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Giada Pistilli, 31, is the principal ethicist at Hugging Face and helps ensure AI is safely deployed. Here is what Pistilli's job as an AI ethicist entails, as told to Insider's Aaron Mok. I'm a full-time AI ethicist making sure the tech is safely deployed to the world. I first approached Hugging Face to understand how I could help build Bloom, its large language model. For example, a journalist approached Hugging Face after he claimed one of his articles was plagiarized by the company's language model.

☆ ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Review: Raccoon Tears and a Final Mixtape
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Maya Phillips | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A powerful god-figure, the High Evolutionary has genetically altered Rocket, other animals and even children to create a perfect race to inhabit his imagined utopia. But the shift also feels belabored and emotionally manipulative; scenes upon scenes of shot, blown up, tortured and incinerated C.G.I. It seems “Guardians” needs this much gratuitous trauma bait to establish its stakes and prove that the bad guy is, in fact, bad. Something like Thanos Lite or a knockoff Dr. Frankenstein, the High Evolutionary represents one of the central problems the franchise is facing in a post-“Endgame” M.C.U. “There is no god — that’s why I stepped in,” the High Evolutionary says at one point.

☆ As Broadway Rebounds, ‘Some Like It Hot’ Gets 13 Tony Nominations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michael Paulson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The nominations for “Ain’t No Mo’” were especially striking given that the show struggled to find an audience and closed early. “I’m just so elated, I can barely find the words,” said Cooper, who was nominated both as writer and actor. He is now 85 years old, and “Leopoldstadt” is his 19th production on Broadway. Stoppard said he was proud of the nomination, but sorry the play had come to seem so timely at a moment of rising concern about antisemitism. “Nobody wants society to be divided,” he said in an interview, “and I like to think ‘Leopoldstadt’ works against a sense of human beings dividing up and confronting each other.”

☆ An Island Utopia Where Nobody Dies and the Living Is Easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Chelsea Leu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

THE FERRYMAN, by Justin CroninFor a science-fictional utopia created by a reclusive “Designer,” the world of “The Ferryman” bears a startling resemblance to the well-heeled strata of, say, San Francisco or New York. The art is bad, and no one seems to realize it. There’s something mildly intoxicating, in fact, about entering this utopia, called Prospera, because Cronin’s shrewd world-building allows us to have it both ways: We sink into aspirational fantasy even as we relish the author’s sly commentary on a certain species of coastal elite. (Prospera is an island, after all.) Rather than undergo the indignities of birth and death, old or infirm Prosperans are sent by ferry to a mysterious island called the Nursery, where their memories are wiped and their bodies rejuvenated, so they can return as hale 16-year-olds with new identities.

☆ Sam Altman is building his utopia, whether you want it or not
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

Altman told Insider, "We debate our approach frequently and carefully." "I don't think anyone can lose your dad young and wish he didn't have more time with him," Altman told Insider. Altman told Insider that his thinking had evolved since those posts. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

☆ He's played chess with Peter Thiel, sparred with Elon Musk and once, supposedly, stopped a plane crash: Inside Sam Altman's world, where truth is stranger than fiction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

But, "you do at some point need to start having contact with reality," he told Insider. The plan was still only a rough sketch, Blania told Insider, but that didn't seem to matter to his host. "He always wanted to understand everything at a very deep level," Thrun told Insider in an email. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

CNN —China’s Zhurong rover on Mars has been in hibernation since last May due to an “unpredictable accumulation” of dust, mission designer Zhang Rongqiao said, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. “According to our analysis, the biggest possibility is that because of unpredictable accumulation of Martian dust, its power generation capacity was reduced and it was too low to wake itself up,” Rongqiao said, explaining why the rover has since been dormant. This image showing the rover and the lander on the surface of Mars was taken by a separable camera deployed by the Zhurong rover in 2021. The NASA InSight lander’s mission came to an end in December after spending nearly 1,500 days on Mars. But a heavy accumulation of dust on its solar panels caused a steady drop in the lander’s power source.

☆ The Saudi crown prince wants to build a trillion-dollar utopia in the desert. His deals with China reveal a darker vision.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's modernizing vision of the country. But behind the outlandish plan, developed by Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, is a much darker reality. Crown Prince Mohammed appears keen to replicate those projects on a grander scale. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announces a zero-carbon city called "The Line" to be built at NEOM in northwestern Saudi Arabia, January 10, 2021. It appeared to be the beginning of a fruitful partnership for Crown Prince Mohammed.

☆ After gaining control of our reporter's phone, a hacker ripped her off for $10,000. She set out to find them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

You can see pictures of the massive meatball here — but I warn you, it looks exactly how you would expect. Now, before the scientists start serving up Dinosaur DNA, let's take a look at the top tech stories this week. Once the hacker had control of Hartmans' phone, they didn't waste any time. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk plans to build a town named "Snailbrook" — but he isn't the only billionaire creating their own utopia. Some of Lee's friends and colleagues, including Elon Musk, have lambasted the "violent crime in SF."

☆ Elon Musk isn't the only billionaire to try and build his own town. From Bill Gates to Peter Thiel, here's a list of the super rich who have attempted to build utopias.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk is planning to build his own town for SpaceX and The Boring Company workers outside of Austin, Texas, according to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal. Michael Gonzalez/Getty ImagesThe billionaire and his associates have bought up at least 3,500 acres of land in Bastrop, Texas, about 35 miles outside of Austin, the publication said. Musk and his employees have described the vision for the city as a "sort of Texas utopia along the Colorado River," the Journal reported. The Tesla CEO also plans to build a private compound just outside of the town where he could live, according to the report. Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Insider

☆ AI will eventually free people up to 'work when they want to,' ChatGPT investor predicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The future of AI could "free humanity" from work, according to OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla. "This large transformation is the opportunity to free humanity from the need to work. People will work when they want to work on what they want to work on," Khosla told Semafor. Back in 2014, Khosla told Semafor, he started thinking about a future with AI, even predicting that eventually most media would be created by AI in the future and that AI will disrupt teaching. AI jobs in tech, mathematics, accounting, and communication fields will be especially at risk, the researchers found.

☆ Elon Musk is reportedly planning to build a town for Texas staff, complete with a swimming pool, private compound, and school
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Grace Kay | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk is planning to build his own town for SpaceX and The Boring Company staff. While Musk has overseen all purchases, Kanye West and the billionaire's ex-girlfriend, Grimes, also discussed the idea last year, the Journal reported. The town will be outfitted with a pool, an outdoor sports area, and a gym in addition to the prefabricated homes, the Journal reported. Spokespeople for SpaceX and The Boring Company did not respond to a request for comment from Insider. Do you work for The Boring Company, SpaceX, or have insight to share?

☆ NASA imagery reveals China's Mars rover hasn't moved in months as Chinese scientists scramble to save the mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Chris Panella | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NASA imagery from Mars shows that China's rover hasn't moved in months. Chinese scientists are scrambling to make contact, according to the South China Morning Post. China's rover, Zhurong, could be covered in dust and drained of energy, like NASA's InSight lander. Arrows highlight the location of China's Zhurong rover in March 2022, September 2022, and February 2023. A photo showing the back of China's Zhurong rover from its landing spot on Mars' Utopia Planitia following a May 15, 2021 landing.

☆ Sam Altman is tech’s next household name — if we survive the killer robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( David Ingram | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, walks from lunch during the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 6, 2022, in Sun Valley, Idaho. Sam Altman may be tech's next household name, but many Americans probably haven't heard of him. To anyone outside San Francisco, Altman would probably seem like just another young tech CEO. That worldview flared up into controversy in 2017 when Altman wrote a blog post criticizing political correctness, saying tech entrepreneurs were leaving San Francisco over it. "I realized I felt more comfortable discussing controversial ideas in Beijing than in San Francisco," he wrote.

☆ These Millionaires Tried Turning a Yacht Into a Tax Break. The IRS Sank Their Plan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Richard Rubin | Rachel Louise Ensign | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JR and Loren Ridinger wanted a new yacht. First, they needed to get rid of the old one. The 116-foot Utopia II wasn’t selling, so the Ridingers and their lawyers hatched an alternative plan: Donate it, and reap a big tax deduction.

☆ I sell porn stars' breast implants, lingerie, bodily fluids, and other items — even their bath water. No request is off limits.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Natasha Root set up a company to sell porn stars' items like breast implants, lingerie, and socks. Fans Utopia sells items from over 30 porn stars and OnlyFans creators, even underwear with urine. I created a company that sells items porn stars have used, everything from used breast implants and butt plugs to panties with urine, blood, or semen on them. The idea came from a dream I had in March 2021 where I was selling my friend's breast implants. In the beginning, I didn't have friends or anyone to introduce me to porn stars or creators, so I used Twitter and Instagram.

☆ Is it time to start paying stay-at-home parents?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

As populations decline and Americans rethink work, it could be time to start paying parents. Like many of the stay-at-home parents Insider spoke to, Carpenter began his work in reaction to an economic reality. As workers across industries rethink what they want out of work, parents could be the final frontier. That leaves both working and stay-at-home parents to create their own economic models, and perhaps dissuades some Americans from ever becoming parents. The idea of paying parents in order to boost birth rates and ensure better outcomes for those children isn't new.

☆ Netflix has lost its golden touch. Here's why the streamer is so boring now.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Finance has long ranked employees, but it's been out of fashion in tech for nearly a decade. Netflix once made an explicit choice to invest in underrepresented communities, Paris Marx writes. Shows like "Orange is the New Black" and "GLOW" gave spotlights to women, queer people, people of color, and non-Americans. But, according to Marx, the company stopped prioritizing stories from underrepresented communities, and new players were throwing their hats into the streaming wars. Now, Marx writes that Netflix is filled with bland shows, half-assed reality TV, and hopelessly derivative movies.

☆ Tom Stoppard Fears the Virus of Antisemitism Has Been Reactivated
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

I don’t think that it’s an equal participant in some kind of debate. I don’t think so. If you’re sitting there enjoying the structure, then I don’t think that’s entirely good news for the writer. I don’t know that I would actually pursue the subject as a playwright. You know, I’m told there is such a thing as the long view.

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