In a day and age where the majority of our interactions happen through social media, it becomes paramount to consider its effects on ourselves, on society, and our future. In an eye-opening documentary by Netflix, named The Social Dilemma, former employees of major Silicon Valley tech giants discuss in-depth how these platforms work and whatContinue reading ““The Social Dilemma”: The Dark Side of Social Media”
Category Archives: Science & Technology
There’s No Satisfying the Instant Gratification Monkey
Our lives are driven by emotion. No matter how much we rationalize or reason, at the core of all of our actions exist emotions. An inherent desire to feel good, so much so, that it is built into our biology. The very idea of dopamine reflects this, and it is a major part of freudianContinue reading “There’s No Satisfying the Instant Gratification Monkey”
P-hacking: How Statistical Manipulation Leads to Bad Science
Scientists have a perverse incentive to publish scientific papers (regardless of their validity) because it is the only major benchmark through which they can receive grants and build reputations. But, in order to publish one’s academic research in official scientific journals one must have novel, original, and unexpected findings. These incentive structures of scientific journalsContinue reading “P-hacking: How Statistical Manipulation Leads to Bad Science”
The Ventilator Crisis: Survival Through Lottery?
When we strip ourselves of emotion, thought, technology, language, culture; everything that separates us from even our most intelligent primate cousins, we are left with a shared primitive intuition; the survival instinct. Ultimately, everyone must fight for survival in different ways, and seek social status due to the social Darwinism inherent in society. It’s aContinue reading “The Ventilator Crisis: Survival Through Lottery?”
The Simulation Hypothesis: Is It All Real?
The idea that everything you can touch, all the people you know, every memory, every experience, every sensation you’ve ever had, is all merely a part of some simulation, is an extremely disconcerting proposition to say the least. But, does this crazy idea supported by everyone from Elon Musk to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson haveContinue reading “The Simulation Hypothesis: Is It All Real?”
3 Ways Data Science is Just as Important as Medicine in Determining Public Policy: COVID-19
Both before and especially since COVID-19 had been officially declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11, doctors across the world worked around the clock to fight the virus by treating patients, recommending measures to lower mortality rates, and conducting research to develop an effective vaccine. Panic set in and the world went intoContinue reading “3 Ways Data Science is Just as Important as Medicine in Determining Public Policy: COVID-19”
Stochastic Tinkering, Techne vs. Episteme, and the COVID-19 Vaccine: How Science Really Works?
There has been much speculation regarding progress towards the creation of a COVID-19 vaccine, which some believe may be the only lasting solution to the pandemic. Without mass immunization it is likely that lockdowns will persist across the world as cases continue to rise. How soon can we expect the vaccine, how long does scientificContinue reading “Stochastic Tinkering, Techne vs. Episteme, and the COVID-19 Vaccine: How Science Really Works?”
On Avoiding Apocalypses: A Re-Evaluation
“We are now gods, but for their wisdom.” Eric Weinstein Over the last 6 months I have had to take pause to really process that something as catastrophic as a viral pandemic, is not just the stuff of spectacular, explosion filled, Michael Bay movies, but a genuine, hard reality. Looking at the economic impact ofContinue reading “On Avoiding Apocalypses: A Re-Evaluation”
The Candid Contrarian 