Inspirational stuff, with lots of great references to the OGs at the bottom, and source available. Now can it be merged with the look/feel of https://heredragonsabound.blogspot.com/. ;)
I've tried a lot of note management but always come back to [potwiki](https://github.com/vim-scripts/potwiki.vim) + "Vim". Only one necessary functional bit in the whole thing, write CamelCase and your word is linked, hit enter on it and you're there.
When AI is done consuming (and it basically has, except for redundant human-human social network interactions), then will there be a renaissance of re-exploring the natural world? Without understanding its complexities I would posit we're doomed to short and ugly end. Perhaps AI is just what we need to start to re-appreciate it "at scale".
>When AI is done consuming (and it basically has, except for redundant human-human social network interactions), then will there be a renaissance of re-exploring the natural world?
Whatever nature that is left after the massive energy and water needs of AI are met.
I wonder if there was a period of time where people who were inclined to do that were able to dedicate themselves to exploration instead of working to pay for healthcare.
I know that's a gross oversimplification, and that quality of life is better now, but when it came to academic pursuits was it more feasible in the past?
Or am I just subconsciously reacting to constant negative economic news and wondering if the grass was greener on the other side of the timeline?
Yes. Read up on "gentleman scholars" from before the 20th century. An astonishing amount of all our foundational knowledge about the universe comes from wealthy dudes (or with wealthy patrons) exploring science for the sheer hell of it.
And when I say astonishing, I mean it. Almost all the foundations of every field were built this way.
I think that in some senses it was easier in most of the previous century simply because there were fewer distractions. A young person (or indeed any person) interested in science, engineering, literature could spend hours at the local public library digging into whatever subject interested them without that nagging feeling that they were missing out on something all the time. We didn't have that firehose of interesting stuff just a click away from us all the time.
A good chunk of early science was basically funded by nobility sponsoring scientists as sort of… conversation pieces, basically, right? I’m not sure if that gig is still available.
One could argue all science is still funded that way. My team is funded by a philanthrophist. NSF "royalty" re-distributes the peasant's taxes to do science. Etc.
The majority of early explorers and researchers sought philanthropist to support their desire to explore. They sold the dream to pay for their plan. The frontiers are more specialized now. Getting funding to "explore Africa" would be a hard sell.
This was also National Geographic’s modus operandi. They kickstarted exploration. Much of it would have happened eventually but it’d nice to have historical glimpses of what used to be.
Anyone chime in on how they typically engage something like this? No way am I dropping my primary contact info into something so outwardly cryptic. Phone number? Hah! Do you scaffold a new identity/email (semi-automagically)?
This is the way. I get plenty of feeds, recommendations etc. from others, enough to keep me busy. Follow who I want, and drop in when I see they have something new.
That too! There seem to be a lot of YT videos that are memes on this theme as well though. He alludes to the fact that people make build videos that are essentially adding a couple of pre-existing more or less built components together. This is another level.
Cant respond to your EU tariff comment but just wanted to tell you that VAT and luxury tax applies to EU made products as well, so it doesn’t seem relevant to add when talking about tariffs.
Ok, I'll bite. What if solar panels turn into breeding grounds with perfect environmental temperatures to create viruses that kill us all? Who is to say the sun won't blow up tomorrow? Why not enumerate all the things that might happen to distract? There is a nice quote going around re a weather scientists who gets asked annually what's it going to be like this year? He's tired, and notes "this year, and every year for the rest of your life is going to be the hottest ever." That's in large part to oil, full stop.
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