New Phaistos

Infinite production, finite world No matter how much we wish otherwise, our world is finite. We have limited resources - and time. Through the internet and distribution of information, we have made sure that we all know this. And yet, what do we do? Our industries have helped us improve our lives and not depend on external factors so much. But the cost has been " planned obsolescence ". In other words, we make things that break on purpose - so we can keep making - so we can keep buying. How a broke light-bulb lit a cartel How did this "planned obsolescence" idea start? As with all secrete history, it is hard to pinpoint exactly the time. However, there is a very high profile case that happens to be well documented too - the case for light bulbs in the 20th century. You see, by the 20th century light bulbs started being adopted en masse. Everyone was getting more and more and the growth seemed limitless. But, more factories kept popping up and the first signs of mark...

Modern corporate culture is a cult Corporate leadership retreats: what a weird little microcosm, aren't they? One the one hand, it is very nice that the company you work for is willing to set time aside and pay trainers to help grow your skills. This is especially true for leadership; not only do you inspire people, but you also create the next generation of leaders. But there is something in those events I find really odd. Something that I would describe only as a cult - a cult of self-worship. All that you are learning in such an event is centered around a particularly individualistic view of the world. You learn about your core values, your circle of influence , your whys,... all about yourself. Individually, those tools could even be helpful in cutting through the noise and helping you persevere. But overall, the material teaches you to think in terms of individuals and does not foster collective consciousness which is perhaps the most important thing about leadership.  A real ...

Machines that do everything, expect know when they'll finish Our modern life is so full of luxuries and privileges. We have all this technology doing so much of the hard work for us. And we do not only expect it to do its work good, but also to inform us when the job is expected to finish. Downloading the new software update? Running the complex simulation that your project demands? Or even desperately trying to time the wash cycle with the rest of your life only to get stuck at the last 8 minutes for half an hour? Well, let's say there are reasons why computers find it hard to estimate how long their work will take - and this has a lot to do with how they are built. In other words, computer architecture is to blame for poor task predictions.  The limits of computer architecture Let's start by explaining the main purpose behind the design of a computer. The goal is to calculate the correct outputs based on user inputs - and do this as fast and cheap as possible. (You might ...

Why fuss over originality? The most recent iteration of AI technology, generative AI, has been controversial too say the least. Some praise it for the efficiency it brings; others blame it for killing individual creativity. Part of that criticism has merit: generative models do not invent out of intuition or by their "gut". But what does “original thought” even mean? Is there such a thing as pure originality? And why does our civilization’s latest technology work by remixing and recombining what came before? That’s what I want to explore in this post. A tale from the R&D multiverse Let’s start with a story. I work in an R&D department of a multinational company; a big part of my job is feasibility testing for new product ideas. My team and I have been developing one particular pitch for about five years. At the project's start, management handed us pitch slides with polished graphs and a bold statement: this new technology could disrupt up to 30% of the relevant ...