Never before has a mundane theory of urbanism been such a lightning rod for outrage. It’s like suggesting that public parks are part of a sinister plant-worshipping plot to demolish our homes and replace them with grass. Or that public transport is the work of a satanic bus cult. Some online forums have claimed that the 15-minute city represents the first step towards an inevitable Hunger Games society, in which residents will not be allowed to leave their prescribed areas. They see it not as a route to a low-traffic, low-carbon future, but as the beginning of a slippery slope to living in an open-air prison.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/16/15-minute-city-planning-theory-conspiracists
Category Archives: politics
Ready for Brain Transparency? (Davos AM23)
The promise of neurotechnology to improve lives and to gain insight into the human brain is growing. How can we uphold data privacy and personal freedom as we make strides toward a world of brain transparency?
This session is moderated by Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson, while Nita A. Farahany from Duke University School of Law, who is also a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies, throws light on what the world of brain transparency would look like.
https://www.weforum.org/videos/davos-am23-ready-for-brain-transparency-english
The Teenager Leading the Smartphone Liberation Movement
How many hours do you spend on your phone each day? Probably more than you’d like. In our technology-saturated world, we rely on our devices for what feels like an endless list of daily tasks — everything from staying up-to-date on Twitter to killing time at the post office. The idea of reclaiming any degree of independence from our smartphones can often feel impossible.
For the 17-year-old Logan Lane, the solution was to quit cold turkey. Lane grew up in Brooklyn and was a screen-addicted teenager who spent hours curating her social media presence on Instagram and TikTok. Then, a little over two years ago, Lane started questioning whether living a life of constant connection was actually a good thing and made the decision to ditch her smartphone altogether. She began assembling a “Luddite Club” — a group of teenagers who reject technology and its creeping hold on all our lives.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/02/opinion/teen-luddite-smartphones.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Emotion (Mis)Recognition: is the EU missing the point?
The European Union is on the cusp of adopting a landmark legislation, the Artificial Intelligence Act. The law aims to enable an European AI market which guarantees safety, and puts people at its heart. But an incredibly dangerous aspect remains largely unaddressed – putting a stop to Europe’s burgeoning ’emotion recognition’ market.
https://www.article19.org/resources/eu-emotion-misrecognition/
Yuga Labs Says It Does Not Have Copyright Registration Of Bored Ape Images, in New Court Documents
Yuga Labs, the parent company of Bored Ape Yacht Club, said in a new court filing that it does not have “copyright registrations” for the 10,000 images that constitution the successful NFT collection.
The new documents were submitted as part of the ongoing lawsuit between Yuga and artist Ryder Ripps, who used images from the BAYC collection for his own NFT collection, titled RR/BAYC.
https://www-artnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.artnews.com/art-news/news/yuga-labs-admits-to-having-no-copyright-over-bored-ape-yacht-club-nfts-1234655279/amp/
We still use appliances like it’s 1970. There’s a better way.
“If automobiles were regulated to the same extent as household appliances, the average vehicle would be getting 60 miles per gallon and seat nine people,” says Pamela Klyn, an engineer and sustainability executive at Whirlpool, which manufactures 20 million products every year under brands including Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid. Yet these appliances could be saving us even more water, energy and time — if we used them properly.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/01/24/home-appliance-myths-energy-saving-tips/
The weaponised SUV set to terrify America’s streets
The extreme features of the Reznavi Vengeance – including electrified door handles and blinding strobe lights – are wholly in tune with lethal trends in the US market
One thing oddly missing from the Vengeance (priced from $285,000, rising to $499,000 with all the extras) is a rear windscreen, because of course that would be unsafe. Instead, drivers are treated to a live video rear-view mirror and a front camera overlaid with “augmented reality”. Perhaps it shows an imaginary zombie army for you to mow down on your way to the mall.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/jan/25/pepper-spray-school-run-apocalyptic-suv-reznavi-vengeange?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙡𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 Syllabus and Reading Lis
Spoof billboard ads take aim at BMW and Toyota over ‘going green’ claims
Satirising the manufacturers’ advertising messages, the billboards highlighted what activists describe as the misleading adverts and aggressive lobbying tactics used by Toyota and BMW.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/19/spoof-billboard-ads-take-aim-at-bmw-and-toyota-over-going-green-claims
‘Similar to criminal conspiracy’: draconian new law targets Italian ravers
The so-called “decreto anti-rave” was the first bill proposed by Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing coalition when the prime minister took office in October. Now officially approved by parliament, it makes organising raves a specific crime punishable with three to six years of jail time, fines of up to €10,000 (£8,900) and the confiscation of equipment. The new statute also allows the surveillance of groups who are suspected of holding these unauthorised events, including tapping their phones.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/06/italian-ravers-new-laws-meloni
Analyzing Trends with Tim Stock 