1970 is doing the heavy lifting today: Larry Niven’s Ringworld cover meets a chamber that is “anything but infinite.”
Hyperbolic Worlds
Between an infinity of possible worlds in the multiverse, galactic empires comprising thousands of planets, and the unthinkable resources needed for interstellar travel, the essay is happily camped out in excess and hyperbole. Its sharpest trick is the reminder that “infinity itself looks flat and uninteresting,” while a space that is just very, very, very big can feel more infinite than infinity.
Gobble's Take: The cosmos is apparently more convincing when it only pretends to be infinite.
Source: Perplexity Search (community news)
Part VIII: Remembering the Human Microcosm in the Age ...
This chapter keeps pressing one clean claim: human intelligence has always been artificial, and humanity is the microcosmic animal in whom nature’s artistic power becomes conscious. Along the way, it pushes back on machine-consciousness hype, treats science as something that has overreached, and keeps the dignity of human persons in view instead of upgrading them out of existence.
Gobble's Take: The machines may be loud, but this piece refuses to let “human” become an obsolete hardware label.
Source: Perplexity Search (community news)
In Case You Missed It
Yesterday's top stories:
Was this briefing useful?
One tap helps Gobbles learn what to cover more carefully.
Get Outside the Box in your inbox
Free daily briefing. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
