the news
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What is Technoliberalism?
Technoliberalism is a political and social ideology that combines the principles of liberalism with the transformative potential of technology. It advocates for the use of technological advancements to enhance individual freedoms, promote equality, and improve overall societal well-being. Technoliberalism believes that technology can be a powerful tool to address many of the challenges faced by…
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Supreme Court’s Ruling on Presidential Immunity: A Simplified Breakdown
Context and Background The Supreme Court has recently ruled on a case involving former President Donald Trump, who was indicted for actions taken during his presidency related to the aftermath of the 2020 election. The indictment includes charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, and more. Trump argued that…
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Walker Percy and his role in techno-optimism
Walker Percy (1916-1990) was an American novelist and essayist, known for his novels, which often deal with existential and philosophical themes. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, Percy had a difficult childhood marked by the death of his parents. He studied medicine at Columbia University before turning to writing after a severe…
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Bring back the Vine?
What was Vine? Vine was a social network that made it possible to record and share videos with a maximum duration of six seconds. The recordings could be made either continuously or at intervals using a smartphone or tablet. Interval recordings were particularly popular, with many Vine videos resembling animated GIFs. Vine was short for…
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AI-Framework: Microsoft VASA-1
VASA-1 is an AI framework developed by Microsoft Research that can generate lifelike talking faces from a single static image and a speech audio clip. The main innovations include a model for holistically generating facial dynamics and head movements in the latent space of the face, as well as developing an expressive and disentangled latent…
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List: Participants Munich Security Conference 2024
Here is the list of confirmed participants of the Munich Security Conference 2024.
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Understanding the Term ‘Inselaffe’: Navigating Cultural Sensitivities in Language
“Inselaffe” is a derogatory term used in the German language, translating to “island monkey” in English. It is sometimes used pejoratively to refer to British people, combining the word “island” to allude to the geographical fact that Great Britain is an island, with “monkey” as a disrespectful comparison. The term carries negative connotations and is…
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The Curious Tradition of St. Blaise: Decoding a German Weather Lore
In the tapestry of global traditions and beliefs, weather lores hold a special place, weaving together cultural heritage with the rhythms of nature. One such lore hails from Germany, echoing the ancient observance of St. Blaise’s Day with a saying that piques curiosity: “St. Blaise is on the move and knocks off winter’s horns.” To…
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What is “Effective Accelerationism”?
Effective Accelerationism, often abbreviated as E/Acc, is a philosophical and ideological movement that emphasizes the transformative potential of technology and capitalism. Its advocates believe that the advancement of technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), can dramatically improve human life and solve many of humanity’s problems. This ideology is in stark contrast to degrowth or decelerationist movements,…
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What does Decel mean?
“Decel” in the context of technology and philosophy, particularly relating to artificial intelligence (AI), refers to a movement or ideology that is seen as opposing or slowing down technological progress. It’s a term that has emerged within the discourse surrounding AI development and its societal and ethical implications. The term “Decel” is used, sometimes dismissively,…