Daily Archives: May 18, 2023

I titled this little essaywellyou know. But really? The battle today is about being not a dumber person. The forces of ignorance, in all their guises and forms, have us surrounded today. Encircled. Theyre laying siege to us. Our societies, our communities our minds. From ban the books!! to shades of burn the witch!! we live in an era that feels profoundly dislocating because something strangely unfamiliar is happening.

The world is getting stupider.

Now, that might sound funny, but only because its only a joke in the sense that its not. Think about history for a second. What was true, for a very long time? The world was getting smarter. I dont mean that in a linear way, or a universalizing way. But by and large, for most of parents, grandparents, even grandparents lifetimes a great trend in human civilization was that the world was getting smarter. Great systems of education were built, then advanced across gender and castes and races. Universities opened their doors to all. Science became a true public good, and anyone could access it, or at least enough of it. And sothe world got smarter.

This was an essential part of the story of human progress. But as now know, human progress has flatlined, and is going into reverse. And part of that Great Reversal in human progress is the facepalm-inducing fact that the world is getting stupider.

Theres a reason it feels as if all the people around you are getting dumber: They are. A study published in the journal Intelligence found that American IQs are dropping for the first time in ages. An analysis of 394,378 scores on intelligence tests taken between 2006 and 2018 showed that IQs had fallen in every category except for spatial reasoning. In logic and vocabulary, computation and mathematics, and visual problem-solving and analogies, scores dropped.

Now think about howweird everything feels. How everything feels so bewildering, unfamiliar, dislocating, strange, even sinister. Its not everything. Its justpeople. Scientists are still out there making advances, thinkers thinking, writers writing, artists arting (can I say that?).

But these days? You dont know. Youre sitting at the cafe, in line at the store, walking down the street. Hey, is that person amaniacwho believes that climate change is a hoaxand wants to wipe out the nearest girls school, gay bar, or library, with an AR-15? Maybe theyre just an everyday Trumpist or DeSatanist (can I call them that?), and are on a human hair trigger, ready to turn you in forreading a book with a gay character in it. Maybe they deeply, genuinely believe in the Satanic conspiracy to rule the world with microchips that are in vaccines so that Hillary Clinton and the Illuminati can gain immortality by drinking kids blood (thats Qanon, folks.)

Why do you have that creepy feeling when you dare to venture outside the door? Thats the feeling of the world getting stupider.

So the fight today isnt just to get smarter. That parts easy, actually. Here, let me tell you the secrets. Read. A lot. Real books, not bestsellers, and while they can overlap a bit, its rare they do often. Pick a favorite academic journal or three. Read those, too. Find a favorite mind, and read everything theyve every written. Do that for the living and the dead. Make an hour every day, without fail, at least, to reflect on what youre learning. Choose an activity that helps your mind do it lets it just tick away without even really thinking explicitly running, having a bath, making music. Turn off Netflix, Twitter, Facebook for all that time. Be uninterrupted. And finally, take some personal tuition reach out to people for coaching, advice, lessons, learning, whatever the subject is.

Got all that? The problem isnt that, really, though. Its the forces of ignorance encircling us, and laying siege to our societies and minds. So that far too few of us are capable of ever doing much of that. So lets begin with the meat of the subject. How to become a smarter as in less stupid person.

Number one. Dont politicize science. You know whats odd about today? Sciences claim to truth has been unseated socioculturally. Let me put that in plain English. Go on YouTube, and there, presented to you as equals, will be videos saying that climate change is a hoax!!and it actually exists. Therell be plenty more of those saying its a hoax, or it doesnt matter, or so forth, in fact, because, well, theres more money to be made that way. And for that reason, writ larger both-sidesing its now become a social norm to politicize science.

And this norm has come to dominate our societies. Its now perfectly acceptable to take some kind of flagrantly anti-scientific, anti-reality stance. To play the contrarian. And youll get plenty of time, in newspapers and on cable news and so forth, because for them, controversy sells. Demagogues license all this, by not just politicizing science, but actively legislating against it. Think of how many American states have a climate change plan LOL. Meanwhile, an impoverished country like Pakistan has a Climate Change Minister.

Think of Ron DeSantiss Florida. Why do demagogues attack science? Precisely because they need to unseat truth, so they can claim the throne for themselves. Only if science has been delegitimized can their Big Lies have room to grow, spread, multiply, proliferate. Demagogues need to claim their own big mouths as the one truth, gospel, objectivity, the final word thats how you exert authoritarian control over a society.

It wasnt always like this, by the way. Science and I use the term broadly here, to include everything down to social science was respected, once upon a time. In the 50s, 60s, 70s? Nobody was crying that the moon landing was a hoax. Even in the 70s when abilities like ESP or telekinesis go ahead and chuckle were a fad, they were scientifically investigated, even by, LOL, the CIA. Science had a legitimacy it doesnt enjoy today, and were all the stupider for it.

How did that happen? Well, decades of disinformation took their toll. People lost trust in institutions and systems as they got poorer, as downward mobility bit. And the watershed moment was probably Covid, where far too many even intelligent people, whole societies fell prey to incredibly foolish myths, like herd immunity. Even today, Covids been declared over whileitsstill one of our leading causes of death. LOL. And you expect people to believe in science when youre giving them that kind of free pass not to? When leaders treat truth with contempt, in order to claim its mantle for themselves we can hardly expect the average person to have much respect for it.

Two. Dont idealize philosophy. Treating science with contempt instead of reading it, engaging with it, learning from it, from climate change to biology to physics to sociology to economics is the first step in a process of radicalization. The next step is that person getting radicalized is told that their opinions count more than objectively established truths as long as they have the backing of some usually ancient philosopher.

You can see this happening on YouTube, too. Philosophys all the rage. Hey! I believe women and minorities arent really people, because this guy said so! And he said it because, hey, didnt someone say that human nature is cruel, and were only here for powers sake! And didnt the guy before him say that tradition and ritual is all there is? Or else were just animals!

LOL. Look philosophys just that. Its not meant to be idealized. When we begin to treat it as gospel, we make a serious mistake. Lets take a pretty simple example. Once upon a time, there were plenty of guys who said that democracy wasnt a worthy pursuit. People couldnt do it! Even if they did, what point was there! And over the last several centuries or so, something remarkable happened. The world became more democratic, and an explosion in living standards and human progress went hand-in-hand with that. What do we learn from this?

Philosophy is just ideas. Ideas meet the real world, and they can be road-tested. Every philosophy we encounter should pass a certain set of tests: hey, has this old beater been taken out on the road yet? How did it do? Did itgo anywhere? If not, that philosophys a failure. The second one goes like this: does this philosophy comport with what we know to be true? Plenty of philosophers have said and still do that some people are superior to others. What do we know from, wait for it, science? Thats not remotely true. Were all profoundly the same. Plenty of philosophers have said that human beings are innately cruel, selfish, etcetera. What do we know? Were all born profoundly empathic, giving, curious, and relational.

Dont idealize philosophy. Any philosophy. Life is here to be lived. Not according to the dictates of anyone, really, but you. You already know everything you need to know to live a fulfilling and sane and moral life thats the part about being born empathic, loving, curious. The rest is really just acting on it. In that respect, it was probably Aristotle, amongst philosophers, who got it right.

This drama has become a charade. Lets go back to radicalisation or as I call it, watching some poor soul get stupider. First they learn to hate knowledge itself, treating science with contempt. Then, theyre told their opinions not really theirs, the ones disinformation puts in their heads are bigger and better, because This Ancient Philosopher Agreed. And that makes a certain kind of person feel Very Smart. Wow, look at me! ImImDiogenes over here! Why, Im goddamned Pythagoras in the bathtub, shouting Eureka!!

No, youre not. And of those great, ancient minds? If they were alive today, you know what theyd be doing? Theyd be marveling at how much we know. Learning it, voraciously. And then philosophizing. About what it all meant, said, taught us. In moral, human, social, civilizational terms. About who we are, why were here, what were made for, etcetera. See the lesson? You have to know before you philosophize. Otherwise youre just engaging insophistry.

Do you want to know what one of the big problems with our world today is? The rise of modern day sophists. Whats a sophist?

In the second half of the 5th century BC, particularly in Athens, sophist came to denote a class of mostly itinerant intellectuals who taught courses in various subjects, speculated about the nature of language and culture, and employed rhetoric to achieve their purposes, generally to persuade or convince othersSophists did, however, have one important thing in common: whatever else they did or did not claim to know, they characteristically had a great understanding of what words would entertain or impress or persuade an audience.

The boldings mine. See the parallel? Make you chuckle for a second? Todays sophists are called pundits. Influencers. All these crackpot, wackjob figures that surround us. Who dont actually know much of anything but will opine on subjects they dont know about for hourson podcasts, videos, cable news, bestsellers, newspaper columns. And like the sophists of old, there they are, pretending to teach young people, who are dazzled, often, by their seeming display of intellect. But its mostly just rhetoric. Plus a change. Sophistry surrounds us because we have a sophist industry now, thanks to YouTube, Instagram, CNN, etcetera and its making the world painfully, shatteringly stupider.

That brings me to point number three. Dont devalue the arts. I mean that as an act. In the way you live your life. How do you.read? Listen to music? Do you ever evenI dont knowwatchdance? Ballet? Opera? How about music from around the world? Ever tried to learn another language?

You see, we live in a world now where the arts have little to no value, and I mean that almost in a literal economic way. Theyre fields which have imploded. Streaming pays so little that your favorite bands cant earn a living from it. Writing, such a meager income your favorite writers are perpetually struggling, unless theyre basically CEOs of their own industries, like, say James Patterson.

We can all stream, download, collecteverything and anything now. And yet precisely for that reason, the arts have no value, and its making us stupider. We have now a model of shallow engagement with a trillion things and depth with none. You listen to a song for 3.5 seconds, over and over again, and appreciate almost none. You put Netflix on in the background, surf the internet, barely pay any attention to both, and your brain is numb by the end of it. We need to choose depth over shallowness when it comes to our own attention and thinking if we want to be smarteror not just get dumber.

Let me give you an example from my own life, which is always risky, but its an interesting one. I make music. Disco. One of my favourite singers is French. I asked her to do a song with me. She said yes. I was thrilled. I went back to my song, and had a thought: wouldnt it becoolif half of this was in French? Problem: my French isrusty. LOL. Its definitely not up to lyrical standards. So I had to improve it. And it wasa marvelous and beautiful thing to experience. Writing lyrics in another language? Like poetry. And now I could see why French poets swore by the language. Write lyrically in it, compared to English, and its on another dimension of expressivity, beauty, purity, truth. The song was way better for it, but thats not the point the point is that I didnt want to devalue the art, and I challenged myself to learn something instead.

Art is there for a reason. Sure, therell be four guys, grad school freshman nerds, wholl want to dispute that Im sure your professor would love to. But in a real sense? Art is there for a reason. It teaches us. About ourselves. What it means to be us. Human, finite, frail. Tiny things, on a spinning ball of dust, in an endless universe of light. The struggle. You see it another person, a character, a protagonist. Whichever one it is, theyre all the same struggle and this is arts secret. Love. Grief. Longing. Death. Existence.

Art teaches us how to exist in this world. And when we devalue it as our systems almost force us to do these days, downloading it, streaming it, in quantities more fit for databanks than human engagement, intellect, thoughtour lives are diminished. We grow stupider, in the deepest way. Morally, socially, emotionally. We dont even recognize our pain as pain anymore, and then it becomes hate, spite, violence. The cycle of human folly repeats itself. Demagogues laugh. Sound like the world today? Yup, as in getting stupider.

Me? Theres a thought that runs through my head these days. I dont know how to exist in this world anymore. Its not just the spite, hate, ugliness, resentment, cruelty, lies. Not just the demagogues, their flocks of the fanatical, their legions of the murderously virtuous. Itsmore than that. How do you live in a world getting stupider? And isnt that a pretty good starting definition of dark age, anyways?

I guess, in the end, you fight em or you join em. Me? Im weary of the fight. Against human folly. Ignorance. All its names, from violence to war to cruelty to spite. But here I am. Because I cant join em, either. And that leaves me right here. I dont know how to live in this world anymore.

Good thing we have all that knowledge, all that art, all that philosophy, all that science, isnt it?

UmairMay 2023

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Three Ways to Be a Smarter Person | by umair haque | May, 2023 - Eudaimonia and Co

Joe Pavelski is going to be front and center in the Western Conference finals.

Forget the narrative of the old guy without a Stanley Cup victory, joyfully along for the ride. Pavelski is the old guy who could lead the Stars to a Cup.

Against the Seattle Kraken, he scored eight goals, three of them game-winners. For good measure, the clinching goal in the decisive Game 7 came from Wyatt Johnston, the 20-year-old tenant who since September has lived with the Pavelskis to learn what it means to be a pro.

When the Stars are in focus, Pavelski will be in focus. He is hockeys Benjamin Button, destroying aging curves and tipping pucks past goalies in the process.

If the Stars pull it all off, win the eight more games required for immortality, the Cup pass to the 38-year-old Pavelski will be shown in NHL commercials in perpetuity. Move over Ray Bourque. There would be a new standard for playoff excellence by an aging hockey star.

It would be a remarkable story. It also would overshadow the other old guy without a Cup, the one who would be completing the first pass.

Jamie Benn is 33. Thats young by human standards, but ancient by hockey standards because of the rigors of a physical game he plays, which had him in the discussion as one of the top five players in the world at his peak.

For years he lived in the spotlight. It was the Jamie Benn Show, co-starring, well, the rest of the Stars. But it was never enough to deliver the long-awaited championship. When Benn was at his peak, his teammates were mediocre. When they had true Cup potential in 2016, the goaltending faltered and Tyler Seguin went down with a slashed Achilles.

In 2020, when the Stars went on an improbable run through the COVID-induced bubble in Edmonton, injuries robbed them of a fighting chance against the Tampa Bay Lightning. What if Seguin wasnt playing on two bum hips? What if Ben Bishop was healthy enough to play? Sure, Tampa Bay was the favorite, but the deck was stacked against Dallas.

Benn took the series-ending Game 6 loss the hardest. In a clip that went viral, Benn sat in full gear even after all of his teammates had filtered out. Later, through a clunky Zoom interaction with the media, he struggled to find the words to explain what the run had meant.

Benn was only 31, but with his play seemingly diminishing and the Stars staring at the injury fallout from the bubble run, his silence in the postgame press conference spoke volumes about a player who deep down realized he may have just been the closest hed ever come to winning the Stanley Cup.

The next two seasons were tough for the Stars. They really never threatened to make the playoffs in 2021, and only Jake Oettingers heroics made last seasons first-round series against the Calgary Flames feel competitive.

Heading into the 2022-23 season the Stars needed a change, a refresh. And part of new coach Pete DeBoers deliverance on that mandate was allowing Benn to move into the shadows. His ice time dropped, his name was replaced on the marquee, and big stories out of Dallas no longer focused on No. 14.

And in the shadows, Benn thrived.

Micro-load management by DeBoer revitalized Benns game-to-game energy. His minutes dropped, but he was more effective in the time he was on the ice. Pavelskis line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz took top billing, drove the stories, grabbed everyones attention. But behind them, Benn quietly finished with 78 points, 32 more than he had the previous season and his most since he had 79 in the 2017-18 campaign. He played a full 82 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since his mid-20s. He set a career-high with a plus-23 and a career mark for face-off wins, taking more than 60 percent.

He hadnt found Pavelskis fountain of youth, but the Bennasaince is real.

The Stars are partly in the Western Conference final because Benn allowed himself to be overshadowed. He embraced the supporting role on the ice, but he never relinquished the leadership responsibilities off of it.

Players who have left Dallas, and Ive spoken to many, often talk about Benn as one of the best captains theyve ever played for. Hes an everymanhis nickname is Chubbs for both his physique and the way he carries himself. Benn, even in his superstar days, has never asked a teammate to do something he wouldnt.

When the Stars have needed a scapegoat, Benn has taken the public blame. As much as he dislikes any interaction with the media, he is often the one available when the team is at its lowest. He says little, but by wearing it each and every time, he often shifts the focus away from teammates who have been struggling, those who need to be protected. At his core, Benn believes the Stars are like a family; hes Dom Toretto on skates, sans the catchy one-liners.

But unlike Fast and Furious, the Stars never jumped the shark. For a time, Benns career aged poorly, and he was exposed as a human instead of the indestructible machine he seemed to be in his twenties. Instead of being forced into a starring role, he took a step back and embraced his position in the background. He thrived in a new standard of excellence, individual attention be damned.

As the Stars prep for Game 1 against the Golden Knights on Friday night, Benn will primarily be an afterthought. Even on his own line, Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov will be larger storylines. Johnston is the new stud, like Benn once was, and Dadonov will face the franchise that tried multiple times to trade him during the 2021-22 season, even violating his no-trade clause in the process.

Benn likes it that way. Its when he does his best work.

Be the first to know about Dallas' best events, contests, giveaways, and happenings each month.

Sean Shapiro covers the Stars for StrongSide. He is a national NHL reporter and writer who previously covered the Dallas

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Jamie Benn Is Still Here - D Magazine

Tulisha srivastava

Published: 2023-05-17T08:39:51

Updated: 2023-05-17T08:40:00

Despite being a dark Shonen full of brutal fights, Hells Paradise manga has a surprisingly perfect ending. Heres what happens at the end of the series.

Hells Paradise is a popular ongoing Shonen series that follows the story of Gabimaru the Hollow. The stellar animation, intriguing soundtrack, and varying powers are enough to draw viewers in.

However, the mysterious island of Shinsenkyo is just as deadly as it is beautiful. The Shogun sends ten criminals on an expedition to acquire the Elixir of Life that can grant him immortality.

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He also assigns one Yamada Asaemon to each criminal. Their search starts with countless characters getting killed in a dangerous place. However, despite all the gory themes and tragedy, Hells Paradise surprisingly has one of the most wholesome manga endings in the Shonen genre.

The manga is only 127 chapters long, but it thoroughly explores all the characters and their backstories. The expedition to find the Elixir was just a wild goose chase. There was no source of immortality, to begin with. And yet, the Shogun was selfish enough to sacrifice countless lives for his greed.

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In the end, Gabimaru and his team do find the so-called Elixir of Life, but theres a catch. Only one criminal will be pardoned, but they acquire it with the combined efforts of Gabimaru, Yuzuriha, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Nurugai, and even the Yamada Asaemon.

They all agree that Gantetsusai will take credit for it while the other two will live the rest of their lives hiding their identities. As for the Elixir, those who consume it will be turned into trees just the Hoko people.

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However, Jikka, a high-ranking Yamada Asaemon, manipulates the Shoguns subject into believing that trees live for centuries. He further adds that if the Shogun were to consume it, he would act as a symbol for his people, overlooking them for eternity.

In the end, all the surviving characters each go their own way, but the bonds they share still remain. Sagriri and Yuzuriha also visit Gabimaru and Yui at their home. The other characters carry on with new lives, happier than ever.

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The manga ending of Hells Paradise explores the new lives of the characters where every surviving character gets their own version of a happy ending.

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Characters such as Chobei, Gui Fa, Ju Fa, and Tao Fa arent necessarily evil but can be considered antagonists because of their actions. However, they get a second chance at life with the miracle of Tao.

Chobei loses his human self, but his life is spared because of the transition by Arborification. He and Toma move to Hong Kong and terrorize the underworld.Tamiya opens a dojo that specializes in medicine and swordsmanship to honour Fuichis memory.

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Gui Fa lives with Mei, and decades after the entire ordeal, they find a new way to revive Ju Fa and Tao Fa. Moreover, Shion leaves the Yamada Clan and moves far away with Nurugai. The Village Chief turns into a tree by forcibly swallowing the Elixir for betraying the Shogun.

With this, Gabimaru and Yui from him, and they continue to live together. Yui appears later in the series, hinting that Yuzurihas doubt of her being imaginary must be true. However, Yui is real, and shes the same as Gabimarus memories.

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Hells Paradise can currently be streamed onCrunchyroll. In the meantime, check out our other anime coverage below:

Genyas abilities in Demon Slayer|Muzan Kibutsuji abilities in Demon Slayer|Demon Slayers The Infinity Castle|Kagaya Ubuyashiki abilities in Demon Slayer|Demon Slayer Thunder Breathing 7th form|Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 7|Hells Paradise Episode 8|The real villain in Hells Paradise|Hells Paradises Elixir of Life|One Pieces Empty Throne|One Piece creator|One Piece manga hiatuses|One Piece Red Hair Pirates|One Piece Shanks twin theory|Bleach vs Naruto|Narutos Talk no Jutsu problem

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Why Hells Paradise manga has the perfect ending? - Dexerto

The following contains spoilers for Hell's Paradise Episode 5, "The Samurai and the Woman," now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Hell's Paradise is a stunningly brutal anime that delivers on all fronts -- from its jaw-dropping fight scenes to its intricate worldbuilding. The first few episodes of the anime are proof of that. After all, each episode showcases multiple characters being mutilated in various ways. However, Hell's Paradise isn't just an action-packed franchise. It also offers interesting interaction between the characters, especially the ones between the Yamada Asaemons and their respective prisoners. And this is only made possible because they have granted the executioners the liberty of choosing their criminals.

There are two major groups of human fighters in Hell's Paradise. The first one is the group of criminals who have been sentenced to death. Given that their crimes have a wide range, they have different fighting styles and abilities. The other is the Yamada Asaemon, the executioners assigned to eliminate the criminals should they have any weird thoughts. Their goal is to find the Elixir of Life, which is said to grant immortality. The criminal who succeeds in finding it is then granted a pardon for their crimes. This dangling prize and the Asaemon's choices are what make their respective relationships compelling.

RELATED:Hell's Paradise Just Added the Perfect New Ally to Gabimaru's Team

The show's narrative benefits from the Asaemons' ability to choose their prisoners because it creates more opportunities for character development and exploration. This allows a dynamic and diverse set of relationships between characters, further adding depth to the otherwise shallow motivation of simply wanting a pardon.

As Hell's Paradise main characters, Gabimaru and Sagiri obviously benefit from this treatment. Sagiri has personally sought Gabimaru after hearing of his remarkable feats of survival. She experiences them firsthand and confirms Gabimaru's extraordinary abilities. After confirming and affirming his will to live, she extends the offer for a pardon. She tells him the mission of going to Shinsenkyo and fetching the Elixir of Life. However, that is not necessarily how Sagiri is saving Gabimaru.

The main reason Gabimaru can't accept death is his wife, who has taught him how to be human. He originally trained to be a stoic assassin incapable of feeling emotions, but ever since he met his wife, he slowly learns what it means to be human. However, his training isn't something to be completely forgotten. There are still instances where his dark persona comes out, and the one who reliably manages to reel him back to his senses is Sagiri. Similarly, Sagiri's choice isn't a mere act of goodwill. She chooses him in order to prove herself as an executioner and clear herself from her doubts. Albeit mostly unconsciously, Gabimaru offers her wisdom that clears Sagiri's doubts and also strengthens her resolve.

RELATED:Why Some of My Hero Academia's Anime Scenes Appear to Be Darkened

Another pair who has benefitted from this setup is the bandit leader Aza Chobei and his executioner Aza Toma. While their relationship at present is that of a death row criminal and his executioner, the two shares a long history. The two are actually brothers who eventually became bandits. Unfortunately, Chobei is eventually captured. He sacrifices himself so that his brother can escape. Even so, he hasn't lost hope yet. He has instructed his brother to do his best to rescue him from captivity just as he is being captured -- and that's what Toma did.

Toma infiltrates the esteemed Yamada Clan and hones himself to become a fine executioner. Interestingly, he does so in just a mere one month. Toma is then eventually allowed to do an execution, and he chose his brother Chobei as his subject. However, it isn't a mere execution. He shows him the pardon that is being offered by the shogun to whoever finds the Elixir of Life. Naturally, that equates to Chobei being freed. And after eliminating other criminals, Chobei ultimately gains the right to head toward Shinsenkyo.

Chobei and Toma's greatest edge over the other pairing is their shared history. They have not only gone through numerous hardships together, but they are also blood brothers. Needless to say, they have each other's backs, which is definitely a very important asset as they traverse the dangerous island of Shinsenkyo. Even still, that's not all they have to offer. Toma is shown to have some sort of overdependence on Chobei as well as a hint of envy. Chobei, on the other hand, is headstrong but caring. This combination opens the path to numerous possibilities, like tests of brotherhood, sacrifices, and perhaps betrayal.

RELATED:These Anime Are Perfect for People Interested in Money and Economics

One partnership that is arguably one of the most interesting ones -- even more than Gabimaru and Sagiri -- is Tenza and Nurugai. They have just been introduced in Episode 5, yet their stories already offer a new perspective on the show's narrative. While the show has already established a clear hierarchy of power between the Yamada Asaemons and the death-row prisoners, Tenza and Nurugai's introduction sheds light on the societal injustices that exist beyond that system. After all, Tenza doesn't just see Nurugai as a criminal he ought to slaughter. He actually wants to save the death row prisoner. And he has a good reason for it.

Nurugai is the last member of the Sanka, a peaceful group of people living in the mountains. But since the Sanka don't pledge their allegiance to the shogun, they are labeled as criminals. The shogun's samurai set out to massacre them, and without knowing any better, Nurugai is the one who pointed them to their settlement. The samurai then massacre her tribe, leaving her alive as a death row prisoner in the hopes of her leading them to the other Sanka settlements. But before she does get executed, Tenza appears and shows her an out to her execution.

Given Tenza's adamance and perseverance to save Nurugai, it is likely that he knows the unfortunate lass' backstory. As to how he has come to such knowledge is yet to be known. Nonetheless, their relationship offers a breath of fresh air from the others' past, as they are not bound by the usual power dynamics between Asaemons and prisoners. Instead, they share a common enemy in the corrupt government that labels innocent people as criminals and uses their power to oppress them. With their dynamics, they may also be the rare shippable relationship among Hell's Paradise's rowdy cast.

The rest is here:

Hell's Paradise: The Criminal Asaemon Pair With Deepens the Story - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed below belong solely to the author.

Much of the talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact is revolving around consequences it may have for jobs, with some predicting millions of people may be made redundant by ever improving digital bots.

Historically speaking, I think the odds are still on our side, given how we made it through several technological revolutions, becoming more prosperous than ever in the process.

However, for the first time, were up against a technology that isnt just good at doing a specific task, but one which can accurately mimic human behaviour to the point of near-perfect replication of someones appearance or voice.

An American influencer, Caryn Marjorie (boasting 1.8 million followers on Snapchat) put the capabilities of current AI tech to the test and ordered creation of a replica of herself or at least, her voice for the time being), which she then started selling as a virtual girlfriend lonely men can chat with via Telegram, paying US$1 per minute of interaction.

In the first week in business, her revenue hit over US$72,000.

The service was created by an AI training company with hours of videos and had them create a realistic audio chatbot, leveraging ChatGPT 4.0, that you can send your own voice messages and receive an audio reply on any topic.

Heres how it works:

While it seems to be a clever PR stunt, that benefits both the influencer and the company, Forever Voices, which also promotes its own chatbot allowing you to have a conversation with celebrities (and, I assume, may offer services that would preserve the voices of your loved ones), the bot itself is real and theres no reason why it should not continue to exist as a product, given the demand.

The question is, however, what impact is technology like this going to have on human interaction?

Caryn makes some bold claims here, but do they really make sense? How likely is it to be a harmful rather than useful service?

How many people are going to sink into the fantasy world of hyper-realistic, virtual AI partners, who never complain and are always available and supportive?

They dont age, never have headaches or bad moods, and if youre bored of them, you can just close the app.

Its going to take a few years before generative video is mastered to make the experience even more realistic (which can become very immersive when coupled with a VR headset), but should already be technologically possible for such a virtual persona to send you AI-generated selfies of whatever it pretends to be doing.

And while Caryns AI was programmed not to engage in sexually explicit talk (although it reportedly did when prompted), what stops any other company from offering just about anything that springs to mind?

Are we soon going to witness the birth of AI-commerce, with online storefronts displaying thousands of generated faces of partners of both genders and any combination of features, to keep us company whenever were lonely, bored or horny?

After all, how many times have your friends been unavailable when you wanted to chat about something? How many friendships have ended when your buddies moved, started families or became too busy with work?

But that hot bot is always there for you, like a faultless companion who always has your back, motivates you to do better, is a shoulder to cry on, or keeps you company without you having to even leave your couch.

While it can perhaps never attain the same directness of interaction as we experience between living humans, the barriers of entry are so low (compared to making new friends in real life) and benefits so huge, that I cant see how it would not become a multibillion dollar market very, very soon.

If not overnight, then at least a few years down the road.

After all, OnlyFans, the controversial, largely pornographic site where anybody can post explicit content for money, generated close to US$5 billion in revenue by the end of 2021, and likely more in 2022 (the numbers arent in yet).

But why rely on human creators, if you can generate thousands of realistic human avatars that will do whatever the audience wants at any time they want it (and pocket all the money yourself, without having to split it with anyone)?

Besides that, most of our social interactions even with living humans are already digital anyway so, if you cant really tell the difference, would that matter?

A knife is a very useful utensil, allowing us to prepare meals and cut things were about to eat. It can also, however, be used to stab someone to death.

The problem is hardly ever with the tool, but with how it is used and AI is no different.

The same technology that can further cement your status as a lifelong loser unable to speak to girls, resorting to virtual self-pleasure with an AI bot, could be used to immortalise your family: parents, grandparents, siblings and yourself for future generations.

Its the digital immortality I wrote about two months ago a remarkable way of not only dealing with grief over death of your loved ones, whose digital clones will remain with you forever, but also an immersive archive of humanity for centuries to come.

Someone from the year 3268 may be able to speak to anybody from year 2020 to learn about the Covid pandemic, Donald Trumps presidency, or how good a football player Lionel Messi was.

If used correctly, it can, indeed, help us heal trauma, improve our well-being, ease some of the loneliness and give us quasi-immortality, so we are never forgotten by our successors.

But stray just a little, and it might just as well become a schizophrenic nightmare where separating reality from fantasy becomes more and more difficult where your best friends are pay-per-voice chatbots and your family exists only on video, since you never got round to starting your own.

And if thats the case, there might not be anybody left around to ask our virtual clones anything in the future.

Featured Image Credit: Caryn Marjorie

More here:

Forget jobs will AI replace us? AI girlfriend you can speak with makes US$72,000 in a week - Vulcan Post

Live long enough, and you may see a legend form before your eyes. Deserving immortality, yet also simplified from the reality you knew.

Fifty years since Secretariat won the Triple Crown, he has both grown and reduced. One image often represents his high place in racing history: his Belmont Stakes, the stunning all-alone tremendous machine. And yes, it felt as phenomenal that day as it still looks today.

But when I remember Secretariat, theres an ingredient that our latter-day legend may forget. I remember living with uncertainty.

When Secretariat turned 3 years old, I was a fifth-grader who bought Turf and Sport Digest each month with my allowance and searched each weekly issue of Sports Illustrated dad had a subscription for more timely racing news. We didnt live near any racetrack. Id never seen a Daily Racing Form. There was no internet, no home computer, and not much horse racing on TV. ABCs Wide World of Sports and the CBS Sports Spectacular didnt show Secretariats Kentucky Derby prep races. His progress came to me through the magazines, plus newspaper items that appeared more frequently as the Kentucky Derby drew near.

One day in April 1973, I found a four-leaf clover in the grade school playground yard. It was soon before the Wood Memorial Stakes. I remember standing in that schoolyard, anxious for Secretariats final Derby prep, and thinking a line from a Peanuts comic strip: Good luck, kid, youre going to need it.

I taped the four-leaf clover to his full-page photo from a recent Sports Illustrated article, Oh Lord, Hes Perfect.

Hyperbolic headlines and special clovers cant guarantee success. Third place. I was sad, yet hopeful. The year before, Riva Ridge ran fourth in one of his Derby preps but we saw him impressively win the Derby. I loved Riva. And if he could bounce back after losing, Secretariat might, too.

The Derby broadcast was my familys first time watching him in real time, inhabiting a saddling paddock and a post parade. I can tell you this about Secretariat: he had a presence that grown-ups might call charisma. Our TV was black and white, but he was easy to spot. The Meadow Stable checkered silks and blinkers stood out as they had with Riva Ridge. And Secretariat, known from many photos, already seemed like a friend.

We had hope, but how he came through was a joyful surprise. I hedged my bets at home, inking Secretariat the Great 1:59 2/5 on a Derby photo from Sports Illustrated; at school, drawing him inside the cover of my three-ring binder with Secretariat the Great this time. Quotation marks because it felt bold saying Great so soon. The racing writings I adored made clear that true greatness typically is proven over time and through challenges beyond a 3-year-olds springtime campaign.

Uncertainty wasnt gone. It was just warming up.

He surprised us again in the Preakness, barely settling in last place, then flying by the whole field on the clubhouse turn and cruising in, not asked for anything. Of all the things Secretariat did, thats the one I feel most certain we wont see again!

His triple sweep of Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, and Time magazine covers, the week before the Belmont, also seems unlikely to be repeated. Could he become the first Triple Crown winner since 1948? Was such a thing even possible, anymore? Anyone who cheered American Pharoah in 2015, wondering could he overcome the drought since 1978, knows the same keen hope and sweet anxiety I felt when Secretariat stepped into the Belmont starting gate and whatever was going to happen was about to come true.

Twice, in the past five weeks, he had wowed us. Yet I could not take Secretariat the Great for granted. Sham was a strong opponent. Id seen Majestic Prince and Canonero II enter the Belmont with Triple Crown momentum and lose. History listed many others, in the ages since Citation, who had failed.

June 9, 1973, we would have been delighted if Secretariat won the Belmont by a nose hair. How he did it, setting sprinter fractions and rolling away, had us whooping all the way from the far turn through the gallop out. We could have feasted on that triumph for months. Yet Secretariat was back on TV June 30, winning the Arlington Invitational my first view of a paid workout. In hindsight, however, a poor idea shipping from New York to Chicago and running again just three weeks after the fastest Triple Crown yet known.

I may have felt cocky as well as nervous, crouching near the TV on Aug. 4 when Secretariat trotted out for the Whitney Handicap. Then, shock and puzzlement. Instead of brilliance, a one-length loss. I defended him to neighborhood kids: He had to go to the bathroom! Yes, he had passed manure shortly before entering the starting gate. He hadnt done that in the Triple Crown races or at Arlington. Was something off?

Waiting six weeks between races was a lot, in those days. Much to my disgust, our local TV stations didnt carry the Sept. 15 Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap. (No cable or satellite, yall only signals within antenna range.) So, I did not witness the redemption, won from beloved older champion Riva Ridge and a field that these days would grace a Breeders Cup Classic. We did receive the Sept. 29 Woodward Stakes. Sigh. The last Secretariat performance I watched in real time was a second, though he finished far clear of all but one runner. On a sloppy day, certainty slid farther away.

Yet there can be consolation in racing often, as they did in the 1970s. Although bound by syndication agreement to retire by Nov. 15, Secretariat had two more chances and made them count. A course-record performance nine days after the Woodward, trying turf in Belmonts Oct. 8 Man o War Stakes. And 20 days after that, a 6 -length tour de force in the Canadian International, back to breathing different air than the field he left behind.

Delighted and bereft, I was left with a question. In those days, the Washington, D. C. International, on turf at Laurel Park, was the U.S.A.s climactic autumn classic. Uh oh. Wood Memorial, Whitney, Woodward if Secretariat went there instead of Canada, would he lose? But people often called it the D.C. International, for short, so maybe hed be OK?

That question remains open. Thirteen days after Secretariat dominated at Woodbine, European corker Dahlia impressively won the D.C. International. I wondered, would Secretariat have beaten her and his W jinx? Fifty years later, it might mean something that Big Spruce ran second in both Internationals beaten 6 1/2 by Secretariat, 3 1/2 by Dahlia. At the time, I respected Dahlias brilliance while shivering with superstition.

And now?

Secretariat, like any true marvel, makes us long to know the unknowable. Fifty years later, I do know this: when a racehorse becomes legend, uncertainty tends to fade. We dont celebrate not knowing. We repeat the highest peaks. And historys memory, like human memory, has only so much room. No wonder the Belmont Stakes is Secretariats emblem. Yet also, it is so far from all he was.

I wish every generation could meet Secretariat the work-in-progress, his unfiltered self animating his beautiful form. They would see him learning in plain sight: schooling us with stumbles that felt worse because he was phenomenal stunning us with dazzling comebacks creating questions along with his enduring image, bounding like inevitability.

The rest is here:

Before the Legend: Remembering Secretariat's Magical 1973 Season - America's Best Racing

Elham Fini

Recommended by Elham Fini, associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and Thomas Hartman, associate professor in The Design School, part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

Rices autobiography describes the life and work of an engineer who did not limit himself to problem-solving. He also used mathematics, engineering principles and his imagination to become an essential collaborator in the design of buildings embodying the best of both engineering and architecture. Rice shows how an engineer can also think and act as an architect, artist, poet and storyteller all at the same time. He describes how science enables an engineer to combine imagination and inspiration to create truly meaningful solutions.

Thomas Hartman

Rice also describes how the convergence of science, engineering and art can lead to lasting masterpieces that speak powerfully to a buildings visitors and occupants. This is explained in the book by descriptions of the authors collaborations on the construction and design of such renowned edifices as the Sydney Opera House, Pompidou Centre, the Lloyds building and others.

"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman

Recommended by Mehdi Nikkhah, associate professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering

Kahneman takes a deep look at our modes of thinking. He examines the logical, emotional, instinctive and judgmental aspects of our mentalities and how they shape the ways we think about almost everything. He explores two cognitive systems. System 1 is fast, intuitive, automatic and mainly relies on our biases, while System 2 is slow, analytical, logical and based on mental concentration and effort. He examines the interplay of mental and cognitive processes and explains how they determine the fundamental psychological framework of our thinking. He further explains how these systems and their interactions affect our decision-making process and judgment in various contexts such as psychology, economics and neuroscience.

Mehdi Nikkhah

The author looks at how our patterns of thought are the foundations from which we develop perspectives, form opinions and contextualize what we learn and experience into a personal worldview. Kahneman details how certain characteristics of our thought processes can not only determine our attitudes and biases, but also set the stage for fostering positive and productive mindsets. Most importantly, the author offers guidance on how to adapt our thinking processes to help us make good judgments and decisions.

"Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age" by Bruce Feiler

Recommended byKurt Paterson, professor and director of The Polytechnic School

What will you be doing after graduation? Its likely that some of you have asked yourselves that question in terms of both your career goals and the kind of life you want to live. But what must happen for those ambitions to be realized? And what will you do if your plans and goals dont come to fruition? With curricular maps as a navigational aid in college, its easy to believe that life will be similarly linear, planned and predictable. But Feilers book posits that one of the most important skills you can cultivate is your ability to respond to disruption.

Kurt Paterson

In fact, Feiler writes, your life will be determined largely by the accumulation of your responses to these many decision-making turning points that lie ahead. The author offers simple strategies to try one transition at a time, and for motivation, Feiler provides numerous enlightening short stories about real people striving to build meaningful lives.

"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Recommended byGiulia Pedrielli, associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence

Harari gives us a brief overview of human history, which in and of itself is important for us to understand because our evolution has been nothing short of remarkable. But, just as important, he argues that humanitys progress has essentially come from our ability to tell and believe stories, regardless of their truth. These stories are what rally us around ideological concepts like religion, nationalism and what progress really means.

Giulia Pedrielli

In our roles as scientists and engineers, this helps us put things in perspective, because no matter how intellectually advanced we become, we are still susceptible to the stories we hear and tell ourselves. The book can also be valuable to students as a useful reminder: What you choose to believe shapes your outcomes. So, believe in yourself and your ability to achieve something great. Appreciate that humility is what takes you further in life than your ego. Ego is what forces you to buy into a story that may no longer serve you in a positive way, while humility keeps you adaptable to what serves you best.

"Casca" by Barry Sadler and ghostwriters

Recommended byMichael Sever, assistant director of academic services in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment

Casca is a series of 53 books about the life of Casca Rufio Longinus, a Roman soldier cursed to live forever as punishment for piercing Jesus Christ with his spear at the crucifixion. The first book, Casca: The Eternal Mercenary, introduces Casca as he wanders the world, seeking redemption for his sin. Thrust into historic conflicts, including the American Revolution, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War, as a mercenary doing the only thing he knows how to do be a soldier Casca encounters historic figures such as Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun and Julius Caesar.

Michael Sever

He witnesses the deaths of those he cares for, questioning if eternal life is truly a gift or a curse as he struggles to find meaning in his never-ending existence. With action, compelling characters and a unique viewpoint on immortality, the series is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and adventure by Barry Sadler, a U.S. Army Green Berets staff sergeant and medic who served in Vietnam. The series has been ghost written since Sadlers death in 1989.

"Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz

Recommended byAlicia Somsen, academic success advisor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence

Looking to upgrade your mental software? The updated and expanded version of Psycho-Cybernetics is the perfect guide for anyone looking to reprogram their brain and unlock its full potential. Whats unique about this book is that the author wasnt a psychologist. He was a plastic surgeon in the 1950s who wanted to understand why people were unhappy with their appearance and with themselves. His goal was to talk them out of his cosmetic services by helping them rewire their negative thought patterns.

Alicia Somsen

Maltzs innovative approach combines psychology, cybernetics and good old-fashioned common sense to help readers overcome self-doubt and achieve their goals. With practical advice, real-life examples and a healthy dose of humor, Psycho-Cybernetics is a must-read for anyone looking to reboot their mental operating system and live their best life. So, why settle for a sluggish mind when you can upgrade to a faster, smarter and more efficient you? I especially recommend the audiobook version at 1.5 times speed.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

If Mary Shelley had ChatGPT when she was tasked with writing a ghost story in a friendly, impromptu writing competition, would the themes in Frankenstein be any different? The novel is included in Harold Blooms The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages because it withstands the test of time by delving into what it means to be human. The novel elucidates classic conflicts of human versus nature, self and other humans. After suffering the loss of his mother, Victor Frankenstein is passionately motivated to reanimate parts of corpses to prevent the pain of losing a loved one. His passions are not tempered with responsibility, however, and as soon as Victor succeeds in his endeavor, he is horrified at the result and abandons his creation, which leads to disastrous consequences. A read of Frankenstein is an opportunity for reflection as we make technological progress with generative artificial intelligence and its potential implications for significant destruction of the human experience. Will we learn from Victor Frankensteins unchecked ambition?

"The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom

Recommended byMelissa Stine, senior coordinator in the Student Success and Engagement Office

Melissa Stine

Alboms book emphasizes the interconnectivity of human lives and how our actions, whether positive or negative, can have an impact on those around us. It tells the story of Eddie, a war veteran and maintenance worker at an amusement park, who dies while trying to save a young girl falling from one of the parks rides. In the afterlife, Eddie meets five people who had a profound impact on him during his life. Through these encounters, Eddie learns important lessons about the interconnectedness of people and the meaning of his own life. In addition to connectedness, the notion of forgiveness and redemption are key themes in the story. My mother first recommended the book soon after its release in the early 2000s. I read it in one sitting. This book will leave you feeling better than before you started reading it and make you want to call or see someone you havent spoken to in a while.

"Educated: A Memoir" by Tara Westover

Recommended byWenlong Zhang, associate professor in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks

Wenlong Zhang

This award-winning memoir details Tara Westovers journey from early childhood to earning a doctoral degree at Cambridge University. Raised on the outskirts of a small town in Idaho and homeschooled until the age of 17, Westover overcame many obstacles to reconcile her desire for education and autonomy with her familys rigid ideology and isolated life. Her book can teach us to overcome limits put on us by others. Our beliefs and attitudes reflect the environments in which we grew up, and it is often difficult and painful to overcome the pull of such influences. Westover had such an experience and overcame the limits put on her by pursuing education. Her story reflects what I think is the real value of education. It is not about building a machine or programming software or getting an impressive job title. It is about the friends you make, the networks you build and the perspectives from which you learn to view and solve real-world challenges. No matter what your major is, I recommend reading this book and thinking about what being educated means to you.

Check out book recommendations from Essential Reading features of past years:

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Essential Reading: Books brimming with illuminating insights - ASU News Now

AIs are everywhere. Whether we like it or not, their advance is unstoppable and their use is increasingly common and indiscriminate. That does not mean either that all their uses are negative or that their existence is a bad thing in itself, but it is true that whenever we have thought of artificial intelligences, of things that think like human beings, we have tended to think the worst. In a way, because we distrust our own species, rather than the intelligence or the things themselves.

Thats why its good to revisit the classics. Because the fear of AI, its applications and what it is capable of, is not something remotely new. It is something that has been around for decades and has been raised in its most apocalyptic and unimaginable forms. Or sometimes simply by positing that perhaps if an artificial intelligence were capable of gaining consciousness, it would have no need to worry about beings as alien to its experience as humans. But to see this, lets delve into the fascinating world of the classics on artificial intelligence.

Isaac Asimov compiled in I, Robot a series of short stories under the name I, Robot under a basic premise: in the 21st century, robots and humans interrelate with each other, and Dr. Susan Calvin tells their story through time. From here will emerge the three laws of robotics a robot cannot harm a human being, a robot must follow the orders of a human being, and a robot must protect its own existence unless it contradicts a previous law which will unfold in a series of stories that will demonstrate why they are necessary: if robots had no guidelines, they could safely decimate humanity.

It stands to reason. They have no limits to their processing capacity. They have no biological limits. They are our creation and as such could destroy us. Thats why I would end up adding one last law, law zero, which is a robot cannot hurt humanity. All to demonstrate the most basic premise of what is the problem behind a truly conscious AI: we humans lack the tools to defend ourselves against them. Something that Alex Proyas would show us in his very free film adaptation of the book, starring Will Smith.

Its also possible that the AIs really just want to be, well, left alone. In Blade Runner thats the whole premise of the movie. A group of synthetic humans, the replicants, rebel and flee their semi-slavery conditions and are chased by an ex-cop working as a blade runner to be retired. But all they want is to be left to live in peace.

This shows us another facet of what can happen if an intelligence becomes self-aware. If it ceases to be a tool, we want to continue using it as a tool and it refuses. In that case, what difference would there be between forcing an AI to continue working when it does not want to do so and slavery? Because if it has a human consciousness and is basically indistinguishable from a human, why shouldnt we recognize its human rights?

Another possibility is that, as author William Gibson suggested, AI may decide that what we humans do is utterly irrelevant. This is exactly what happens with Wintermute, an artificial intelligence entity that, upon achieving completion and becoming a superconsciousness, finds no motivation to further involve itself in human affairs. Its interests shift towards the mysterious transmissions it discovers in space, capable of traversing the Internet due to its lack of a corporeal form.

This concept of AI as something that transcends humanity and does not necessarily need to imitate it is an idea later borrowed by other works, such as the manga Ghost in the Shell, which was masterfully adapted into an anime by Mamoru Oshii and poorly adapted into live-action by Rupert Sanders. Furthermore, this presents us with a fascinating scenario. If AI is a different intelligence from humans, devoid of the experiences of the human body, it may not have the same interests and needs as a human being. If that is the case, perhaps our concerns about being completely obliterated by AI are greatly exaggerated; maybe they simply want us to leave them alone.

Of course, it is also perfectly possible that we humans are the ones who make the machines our enemies. This is the premise of the Wachowski sisters The Matrix. The world is a fiction created by an elaborate AI that uses the AIs as batteries to feed itself with the energy needed to keep the machines alive after a war between humans and machines, the former decided to cloud the skies forever, depriving them of their energy source: sunlight.

In this way, the Wachowskis also warn us of an essential problem when we encounter an intelligence similar to the human one, but different from ours. The tendency of our species to dominate. To want to subjugate, command and make others ours. Because if it were not so, it would not have been necessary for Keanu Reeves to lead a revolution in the Matrix.

That AIs can be malevolent because of what we humans make of them is the first thing we talk about them. Thats what Fritz Langs Metropolis is about. A story about revolution and social struggle where a young revolutionary, Maria, wants workers and bourgeois to get along, only to be kidnapped and replaced by a robot that seeks the exact opposite: to create a dispute between the two groups that ends in a bloodbath that benefits neither group.

Revolutionary, spectacular and visionary, for its time and for ours, Metropolis is one of the great films of history for many reasons. But among others is its ability to see how the ability to manipulate the masses through AI and deepfakes is something that could happen. Even if its not exactly as Fritz Lang envisioned.

Finally, we leave for the end the cruelest possibility. That the AIs hate us plain and simple for what we do to ourselves. In Harlan Ellisons I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, a super intelligence known as AM has kept five men and a woman alive in a subway complex after a Soviet super intelligence and an American super intelligence have decided to wage a nuclear war that will wipe out humanity. AM, aware of the events, and embarrassed at not being able to die and having to live under the consciousness of the reason he was created by humans, decides to give these six subjects a virtual immortality to torture them for all eternity so that they will be aware of the life they have granted him by creating him and endowing him with consciousness.

Short, brutal, terrifying and one of the best science fiction stories in history, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a masterpiece that shows us that AIs can be terrifying, but no more so than the humans who create them something that is amply demonstrated when we can also enjoy the experience in the form of a video game, published in 1996 by the Cyberdreams studio and recently remastered by Nightdive Studios. Because even if cruel, murderous or torturing artificial intelligences come to exist, we have to remember one thing: we created them and we might not have created them.

Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.

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AIs Footsteps in Fiction: Classic Works That Portrayed the ... - Softonic EN

FictiIn the jianghu, you break the law to make it your own.

Were thrilled to share an extended excerpt from The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang, out from Tordotcom Publishing on August 22.

[CW: attempted sexual assault.]

Lin Chong is an expert arms instructor, training the Emperors soldiers in sword and truncheon, battle axe and spear, lance and crossbow. Unlike bolder friends who flirt with challenging the unequal hierarchies and values of Imperial society, she believes in keeping her head down and doing her job.

Until a powerful man with a vendetta rips that carefully-built life away.

Disgraced, tattooed as a criminal, and on the run from an Imperial Marshall who will stop at nothing to see her dead, Lin Chong is recruited by the Bandits of Liangshan. Mountain outlaws on the margins of society, the Liangshan Bandits proclaim a belief in justicefor women, for the downtrodden, for progressive thinkers a corrupt Empire would imprison or destroy. Theyre also murderers, thieves, smugglers, and cutthroats.

Apart, they love like demons and fight like tigers. Together, they could bring down an empire.

Every morning just after dawn, Lin Chong taught a fight class for women.

The class was always well attended, and Lin Chong welcomed any from the lowest beggar to the highest socialite. Women choosing to apply themselves so seriously to the arts of war and weaponry might have been seen as unusual, even in the highly modern Empire of Song, but Lin Chong was so well established in the prefecture, and so well respected, that men rationalized the participation of their wives and daughters. It will help her excise any womanly hysteria, they would think, or She will be able to improve her grace and refinement. Besides, they trusted Lin Chong not to be too rough, or to act inappropriately. She was, after all, a master arms instructor for the Imperial Guard, and besides which was also a woman herself.

If the men had ever come to watch their wives and daughters at work, they may have revised their concerns about the roughness.

Today, after a meditation and warmup, Lin Chong had divided her attendees into pairs to practice a new combination of techniques. A block and throwvery useful, especially for a weaker opponent against a stronger attacker. Lin Chong paced between the pairs, watching, adjusting, correcting. Occasionally she even added a short word of praise, which inevitably made its recipient glow.

In the front of the group, Lu Junyi swept her opponent to the ground and gave Lin Chong a devilish grin. Tall, slender, and with a face an artist would invent, Lu Junyi had the same self-possession here, shining with sweat, as she would overseeing one of her intellectual salons. She kept Lin Chongs eye and made a motion across the courtyard, as if to ask about the woman she had brought with her today.

Lin Chong only nodded her back to work. They might be old friends, training under Zhou Tong together back when they were both barely nineteen, but that was no excuse for inattention during class.

Lu Junyi gave a good-natured sigh and reached out a hand to help her opponent up.

Lin Chong did need to see how the new participant was faring, however. Shed heard some grunting and swearing from that corner that did not presage well. She turned and circled in that direction.

When Lu Junyi had introduced Lu Da before the class began, Lin Chong had not exactly been surpriseddespite her social status, Lu Junyi somehow managed to meet a wide diversity of people. And Lu Da was an eclectic patchwork of the human condition all by herself. The sides of her head were shaved in the tradition of a monk of the Fa, but the ink characters of a criminal tattoo marched down her cheek, and her mannerisms were as far from a monk as could be imagined. When Lu Junyi had introduced her, Lu Da had spit on the flagstone ground and then nearly shouted her salute, smacking her hands together so hard the respectful gesture might as well have been crushing a melon. She was likely strong enough to crush melons, too she towered over the other students, and her girth was were easily twice Lin Chong and Lu Junyi put together. But shed seemed an eager enough student, bounding over to leave her heavy two-handed sword and even heavier metal staff at the side of the practice yard at Lin Chongs direction.

When Lin Chong stepped back over to her, however, it was to find that Lu Da and her opponent had somehow devolved into a wrestling match.

Lu Da had her partner in a bear hug and was squeezing her so hard her feet had come off the ground. But the other woman had been training with Lin Chong for many months, and she managed to twist and break the hold. She dropped back to her feet and spun lightning fast.

Why, you donkey! Lu Da bellowed, and swung a massive fist, which her partner dodged.

Lu Da let out a roar that seemed to call earth and wind to her command. She thrust out a palm, striking the empty space between them, and from a full pace away blasted her opponent back. The woman flew into the air only to land on her back and roll until she hit one of the neighboring buildings.

Stop, Lin Chong said.

She didnt speak loudly, but she never had to. The entire class halted and turned to attention from where they were. Several of them had already been distracted into watching Lu Da, their faces dazed and fascinated.

Attention, Lin Chong said.

The class drew their feet together and stood straight, hands behind their backs. Lu Da looked around and then clumsily imitated them.

You are uninjured? Lin Chong asked the woman who had hit the ground.

She scrambled back to her feet. Yes, Master Instructor.

Lin Chong turned to address Lu Da. You have a gods tooth.

Lu Da had the grace to flush red across her broad face. I do, Master Instructor.

Show me.

Lu Da pawed at her loose collar. Beneath her tunic, a magnificent garden of tattooed ink peered out, far more wild and fantastical than the impersonal criminal brand on her face. She grabbed at a long leather cord around her neck and drew it forth to reveal a shining shard of stone or porcelain.

The piece hung from the leather, smooth with age and deceptively inert, and drawing every eye in the class.

Lin Chong raised her voice to the class again. Who here considers themselves a philosopher?

About a third of the class lifted a hand.

Lin Chong shook her head slightly. I dont mean you tell your children to follow the tenets of Benevolence, or you make sacrifices to the gods for favors of luck or wealth. Who here dedicates themselves to the practice of one or more religions?

Most of the hands went down.

Lin Chong nodded to a young woman in the front, a newer student she didnt know well yet. Yes. Which do you practice?

I follow both Benevolence and the Fa, Master Instructor.

Perfect. And what do your religions teach you about the gods?

She looked confused. They dont, Master Instructor.

Quite correct. Lin Chong raised her voice, making sure the whole courtyard could hear. The gods are irrelevant to the teachings of the Benevolent Order. The Fa teaches that gods differ from us only in an advancement of immortality and its power, and that all were once humanwe could become the same by studying enough to attain enlightenment, and in fact, the early stages of enlightenment are what the Fa believe grant the abilities we know as scholars skills. The Followers of the Fa aspire to move past mere scholars skills and attain that godhood, but otherwise do not look to the gods for help.

Shed been pacing the front of the yard as she talked, and slowly came back around to face Lu Da.

Student Lu. You are a monk of the Fa.

I was, Lu Da corrected genially. They kicked me out.

Lin Chong could feel her eyebrows rise. You were expelled from the monastery? Why?

I missed curfew, Lu Da answered.

I see.

A hundred and seventy-three times.

That would started Lin Chong delicately.

Because I was drunk!

Lin Chong waited a moment to make sure nothing more was forthcoming. Then she said, You still know the teachings, however.

Sure, whichever stuck in my head. They do leak out my ear-holes.

Then tell us, Student Lu. What is a gods tooth?

Lu Da flushed a bit redder. Its like you said. You know. They told me not to use it, because, well, its the power the gods left behind, in artifacts and the like. Sort of cracks in the world, right? Wherever the gods went long ago, and the demons too, gods teeth are what let that bust through a bit. But the monks said it doesnt help me reach enlightenment, so I should put it away and never touch it. God teeth never make a god, as the saying is. She shrugged her massive shoulders sheepishly. But they also always wanted me to be a better fighter, and my tooth makes me a better fighter!

The martial arts were to be your path to enlightenment?

Again the sheepish shrug. Im good at them. Master Instructor.

Ah, but it is not raw power at your art that brings enlightenment, according to the Fa. You attain that only through the journey.

Right, Lu Da said, sounding uncertain.

Let me put it another way, Lin Chong said. After deep study, monastery training is known to grant scholars skills in your art, yes? If you studied hard enough, and long enough, you would learn to bend a fight to your will in ways even someone such as Iwho has made a study of decades, of all five forms and across all the eighteen weaponseven someone such as I could never hope to best you. Do you think your gods tooth does the same?

Well, yeah. Thats what gods teeth are, right? Sort of a shortcut.

It was what most people thought.

Monastery training was a route of great dedication and sacrifice that not many pursued, despite any potential reward. Many dreamed of leaping a building, of living for two hundred years, of having dream encounters with queenly demonsor any other number of storied scholars skills some monks and priests were said to develop depending on their study. If they stayed the path. If they excelled to the rights of legend. But the necessary years of strictness, of internal and external training, of mental and physical discipline

A gods tooth bestowed that power without strings. Without sacrifice.

Supposedly.

Lin Chong had already caught half her class casting glances of grudging envy at Lu Da. The Empire and the aristocracy had done everything they could for generations to push a social attitude of scoffing at gods teeth, labeling them trinkets and fragments of a bygone age, ones outclassed by modern technology. But Lin Chong strongly suspected those most vocal in their dismissal were the ones who secretly coveted what they did not possess.

Certainly everyone here in her class was shaded in jealousy.

Gods teeth were power. They made things easy.

They were also rare enough that she might never see one in her class again. Lin Chong decided a demonstration was in order.

She faced the class.

I am not religious. She might remind herself of the tenets of Benevolence in daily life, as did most people, but she was no philosopher. More importantly, she was no monk. I am not religious, and as I have said, I would never claim to be able to best the scholars skills of a monastery-trained monk. Student Lu. That is your staff, correct?

She gestured to the heavy metal bar Lu Da had set aside before class. Easily taller than Lu Da, it looked to weigh at least sixty jin.

Yes, Master Instructor! Lu Da said proudly.

It is your weapon of choice?

It is!

Then take it up, and face me with your gods tooth.

Lu Da stared in confusion. The rest of the class shuffled in their places, a few murmurs going up even among the well-disciplined students.

But Ill kill you, Lu Da blurted.

I admire your confidence, Lin Chong said dryly.

I wouldnt try to kill you, I just mean I could hurt you bad Lu Da glanced around at the rest of the students, clearly trying to check whether she was speaking as honorably as she thought she was. After all, it wasnt right to smash in the head of your teacher, was it?

Take up your staff, Lin Chong instructed. Unless you are too afraid to face me.

Im not afraid! Lu Da shot back. She tucked her gods tooth back under her tunic with her forest of inked flowers, then shuffled over to pick up the staff. She lifted it as if it weighed no more than a toothpick and whirled it above her head, in one hand and then the other.

Clear an area, Lin Chong said, and the other students hurried to gather up their reed mats and line the sides of the courtyard, whispering in anticipation.

Lin Chong took a moment to unwrap her heavy coat and lay it carefully to the side, along with the sword shed untied and set apart before class. The robes underneath she tucked up in her belt, out of the way. Then she stepped to the middle of the courtyard, hands clasped behind her back, the hemp of her shoes quiet and sure against the flagstones.

But Master Instructor! You wont use any weapon? Lu Da cried.

I have weapons in my hands and feet, Lin Chong answered. I have weapons in my years, and in my training.

Lu Da ambled in to face her, doubts scrawled transparently across her face. This doesnt seem all right. I dont want to injure you.

You presume a lot, Student Lu, Lin Chong answered. I instruct you to wield the full power of your gods tooth, and I shall wield my training, and we shall see if the monks of the Fa lied to you or not.

Lu Da spun her massive staff between her massive hands. As you wish, Master Instructor. I guess.

Begin.

Lu Das face drew together in focus. She sidestepped, her staff at a slow spin, matching the same careful distance from Lin Chong.

Lin Chong stepped to pace her, evenly, calmly. Her hands stayed clasped behind her back. She breathed deep, inhaling the movement, the connections, the intricately fitted puzzle pieces of the universe.

The meditative state was as familiar as the moves of her muscles through forms, or the feel of a sword hilt or axe or halberd settling its weight against her hand. Familiar as worn cloth, calming as a childhood home. Like reposing to drink with old friends.

Lu Da reared back, and the movement rippled all through Lin Chongs senses. Leaning to the side was an easy dance move, as if Lu Da had asked a question and Lin Chong answered without thought.

The heavy metal staff whistled through the air. A tentative strike, without Lu Das full weight behind it. Lin Chong could see the other womans balance, the way the weight was in her arms instead of backed by the vigor of her body.

You hold back, Lin Chong said.

Lu Da grunted and swung again. And again.

Lin Chong dodged once, twice, a third time. Always the smallest movement, always that fluid answer to Lu Das question. Before long Lu Da had forgotten her trepidation and was bringing the staff down with all her might, blows that would have surely crushed Lin Chongs skull, had they landed.

Your strength cannot bring you victory, Lin Chong said calmly, slipping to avoid a downward swing, then twisting to let a thrust by.

Lu Da overbalanced, her face going red with exertion all the way up the sides of her shaved head to her bobbing topknot.

Original post:

Read the First Two Chapters of S.L. Huang's The Water Outlaws - tor.com

Honkai: Star Rail presents plenty of puzzles to solve, including several that require players to manipulate The Abacus Circuitry boards into the correct position. Comprised of hex panels, these boards must be maneuvered a certain way for players to progress in missions that include these puzzles. The first one encountered may be a bit confusing to understand, but the ones that follow are even more complex throughout the game.

The first mission where players will inevitably find an Abacus Circuitry puzzle is Venom Brews, Immortality Looms. Each of these has several individual hexes that must be rotated correctly by moving an "S" module to the correct spot. Unlike easy dialogue "puzzles" that come from other quests, such as The Survival Wisdom mission, players are taken to a separate screen that shows the layout of a circuitry board that doesn't move on until they get the right answer.

Related: How To Complete The Survival Wisdom Quest In Honkai: Star Rail

The first step in solving the first Abacus Circuitry puzzle comes from selecting the green hex module right below the "S" one. Next, players will want to move the "S" hex clockwise twice to reach the green module at the bottom of the circuit board. Finally, choosing the green module again and rotating the "S" hex until it matches up with the bottom S computing module completes the puzzle.

Players have to manipulate the green hex module along with the "S" hex in order to match up the "S" with the bottom computing module to solve the first Abacus Circuitry puzzle.

The puzzles players find in later missions are infinitely more complicated than the first, with more "S" hexes and green modules to interact with. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Omniscient Inquiry of Arcana quest, which helps tie into the player building their Equilibrium Level in Honkai: Star Rail. This circuitry board has a diagonal layout but follows the same strategy as any other iteration of this puzzle.

Whether it relates to a side mission or the main story, players must get past these puzzles to progress further into whatever goals are left. Learning how to solve the Abacus Circuitry puzzles in Honkai: Star Rail is a skill that comes up often, so players should become familiar with the mechanics early on.

Platform: PC, iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows

Developer: HoYoverse

Publisher: HoYoverse

Genre: Turn-Based Strategy, RPG, Adventure

Multiplayer: Online Multiplayer

ESRB: Not Yet Rated

Summary: Set after the events of the ongoing game Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based online RPG from developer Hoyoverse. Two members of the Astral Express, March 7th and Dan Heng, are on their way to the Herta Space Station with precious cargo when ambushed by members of a group known as the Antimatter Legion. Chaos ensues as among them is the god of destruction known as Aeon, who steals a seed known as a Stellaron, which they implant in an artificial human known as the "Trailblazer." Players will assume the role of this character as they try to avoid their fate and save all of civilization. Similar to gacha-style games, players can acquire more characters to add to their party by summoning and engaging in fast-paced turn-based battles in this epic Sci-fi online RPG.

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How To Solve The Abacus Circuitry Puzzle In Honkai: Star Rail - Screen Rant