Technology

I’ve been contemplating the nature of cognitive space—specifically, how our contemporary patterns of engagement have transformed our relationship with unstructured thinking time. Many of us instinctively reach for our devices at the first hint of unoccupied moments, filling potential mental openness with scrolling, consumption, and external stimulation. This pattern suggests a collective shift in how we perceive the value of simply being alone with our thoughts.

Consider experimenting with a simple practice during your next outing: rather than engaging with your phone, intentionally observe your surroundings. For those seeking a more immersive experience, you might even try leaving your device at home entirely. You may notice how many people around you remain deeply engaged with digital content rather than experiencing the immediate environment.

The Remarkable Resilience of Living Systems # The discourse around artificial intelligence has reached a fever pitch in recent years, with notable thinkers across disciplines offering their perspectives on our technological future. These predictions span a fascinating spectrum—from existential doom scenarios to utopian visions of enhanced human potential. Amid this chorus of speculation, one principle stands as a grounding force: the remarkable self-correcting nature of biological systems.

When considering technology, many envision futuristic concepts like advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and interplanetary travel. However, technology encompasses something far more profound—it represents our capacity to thoughtfully shape the world around us. Through this broader lens, we can recognize cities themselves as remarkable technological achievements that deserve greater appreciation. Current AI-generated cityscapes reveal our evolving imagination of urban futures, though the visual inconsistencies remind us of the limitations in our present technological capabilities.

Economic Psychology in the Age of AI # John Maynard Keynes coined the term “animal spirits” to describe the human emotions that drive consumer confidence. In the age of AI enthusiasm, we see new animal spirits emerge as we navigate an algorithmically influenced future with both promising applications and content quality challenges.

The Mindfulness of Visitors # There’s a trope in New York City that you can identify tourists from their propensity to walk around staring up at the tall buildings. This isn’t necessarily meant to be interpreted literally, but rather it’s more about the fact that the tourists are fully present—taken aback by everything to look at, much of which is in the upward direction depending on where you are in the city.

The Gap Between Human Potential and Current Reality # Humanity’s capacity for innovation and creation has produced truly extraordinary achievements throughout our history. From architectural wonders that defy their era’s technological limitations to artistic expressions that capture the sublime, our species has demonstrated remarkable potential to transform imagination into reality.

We find ourselves in an unprecedented era of data extraction—a time when virtually every digital interaction generates harvestable information that corporations meticulously collect, analyze, and monetize. This commercial surveillance infrastructure operates with remarkable sophistication, transforming the minutiae of daily life into predictive algorithms designed primarily to influence purchasing behavior. The economic incentives driving this ecosystem remain relentlessly focused: to maximize revenue extraction through increasingly personalized and psychologically optimized persuasion techniques.

Traditional educational frameworks have historically emphasized memorization as a primary learning approach. Many educational systems structure their curriculum around retention of specific information, often prioritizing this over developing creative thinking capacities. This emphasis deserves thoughtful reconsideration. While memory certainly plays an important role in learning, the development of critical thinking skills and information literacy—the ability to efficiently locate, evaluate, and apply relevant information—may offer greater long-term value in our knowledge-rich environment.

The Journey from Optimism to Realism # For a long time I was a futurist, and an optimist about technology in general. I agreed with the thesis that technology makes everything better over time. These days, I’m older and (maybe?) wiser, and I’ve developed a more nuanced perspective about technology’s role in our society.