New Phaistos

Playing god with our nervous system Intelligence has always being the key to human survival and prosperity. Our wits carried us out of the Savannah, helping us to identify edible food and recognize predators in hiding. Things are not that different today. With the advent of digital technology, rapid information exchange, and a fast-changing world, critical thinking and adaptability have never been more crucial. It is thus natural to attempt to improve our inherent programming and go beyond the capabilities of our biology.  Enter the realm of neuro-engineering and transhumanism, where technology meets the nervous system in an attempt to rewrite the rules of human potential! The pursuit of cognitive enhancement started with small, low-hanging fruit. From ancient meditation practices to modern “bio-hackers,” people have experimented endlessly to fine-tune their brains by applying techniques like polyphasic sleep schedules or microdosing psychedelics. While results have varied—som...

I think, therefore I am Consciousness—or self-awareness—feels like one of the most distinctly human traits. Sure, some animals are clever, but only a handful, like certain primates, seem to pass the “mirror test” and recognize themselves in their reflection. So, what exactly is consciousness? The truth is, it’s hard to pin down. Interestingly, an accessible definition of consciousness doesn’t come from philosophy or biology, but from medicine—specifically anesthesiology. In this field, consciousness is defined as the awareness of pain and our surroundings during surgery. It's a practical, measurable approach: you’re either aware or you’re not. This definition not only makes consciousness easier to grasp but also highlights its connection to our sensory perception. This view brings us to the classic "dual theory" of consciousness. In this framework, the body and mind are seen as separate entities, with the brain acting as the “control room.” The mind issues commands, the b...

Emergent properties Children all over the world love playing with LEGO. There’s something magical about starting with a bunch of random blocks and assembling creations born from your imagination. Hand the same collection of pieces to someone else—child or adult—and you’ll likely see a completely different creation emerge. The endless possibilities have contributed to LEGO's timeless appeal across cultures. In many ways, life itself isn’t so different from LEGO. Most things around us can be described as systems—defined sets of parts with specific interactions between them. Think about the air we breathe, the road networks connecting us to our destinations, or the human body: all these can be conceived as systems. Importantly, these systems exhibit behaviors and properties that their individual parts, when considered alone, do not. This fascinating phenomenon is what systems engineers call emergence . It refers to the way complex properties or behaviors arise from the interactions of...

Products and organization structure are intertwined Like most people in the technology industry, I was always fascinated to learn how the world works. The quest for knowledge started with science but expanded to other domains such as business and history. Soon I noticed many intriguing patterns and similarities among all fields. I found that the most insightful tidbits of wisdom are those that are applicable to all fields. One such gem is Conway's law. Melvin Conway, a mathematician and programmer pioneer, famously stated "Organizations, who design systems, are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations". In simpler terms, the products we create—whether software, cars, books, or reports—are deeply influenced by the relationships and communication patterns among the people working on them. The effect that structures have on projects is so big that it is often referred to as "mirroring". But what exactly...