02 MAR 2019 by ideonexus
New Kind of Memory for AI
AI researchers have typically tried to get around the issues posed by by Montezuma’s Revenge and Pitfall! by instructing reinforcement-learning algorithms to explore randomly at times, while adding rewards for exploration—what’s known as “intrinsic motivation.”
But the Uber researchers believe this fails to capture an important aspect of human curiosity. “We hypothesize that a major weakness of current intrinsic motivation algorithms is detachment,” they write. “Wherein the a... 1 
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notes27 JUL 2018 by ideonexus
How the Internet's Consensus of Information Undermines Au...
Heretofore, the technological advance that most altered the course of modern history was the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, which allowed the search for empirical knowledge to supplant liturgical doctrine, and the Age of Reason to gradually supersede the Age of Religion. Individual insight and scientific knowledge replaced faith as the principal criterion of human consciousness. Information was stored and systematized in expanding libraries. The Age of Reason originated ... 1 notes
notes27 JUL 2018 by ideonexus
Old Movies are SJW Too
When people say they just want 'good stories' and no politics or 'SJW' issues in their entertainment-what they are saying is that when they were kids, they completely missed the subtext of every story, movie, comic book, etc they took in. These stories have always been political.
Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, X-Men, Wonder Woman, on and on and on- these are Political / 'SJW' stories. And the message, if you were paying attention at all is one of inclusion... 1 notes
notes19 JAN 2018 by ideonexus
Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect
Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them.
In any case, you read with exasp... 1 notes
notes29 DEC 2016 by ideonexus
Most current-events-related conversations are just people...
“Because it helps you participate in everyday conversations!” is a weak but at least meaningful answer to the “What is accomplished” question. But when you quit playing the current events game, and observe others talking about them, you might notice that almost nobody really knows what they’re talking about.
There is an extraordinary gulf between having a functional understanding of an issue, and the cursory glance you get from the news. If you ever come across a water-cooler conve...
1 22 APR 2014 by ideonexus
WHERETO Mnemonic for Lessons
Learning Activities:
What learning experiences and instruction will enable students to achieve the desired results? How will the design
W = Help the students know Where the unit is going and What is expected? Help the teacher know Where the students are coming from (prior knowledge, interests)?
H = Hook all students and Hold their interest?
E = Equip students, help them Experience the key ideas and Explore the issues?
R = Provide opportunities to Rethink and Revise their understandings... 1 notes
notesAcronym for key elements to hit in any teaching activity.
27 DEC 2013 by ideonexus
Connect to a Child's Left-Brain Before the Right
when a child is upset, logic often won’t work until we have responded to the right brain’s emotional needs. We call this emotional connection “attunement,” which is how we connect deeply with another person and allow them to “feel felt.” When parent and child are tuned in to each other, they experience a sense of joining together.
[...]
It’s also crucial to keep in mind that no matter how nonsensical and frustrating our child’s feelings may seem to us, they are real and imp...A strategy for dealing with chidren, who lack the emotional regulation for logical thinking. Calm them by connecting to their feelings, and then attempt to rationalize with them.
28 MAR 2012 by ideonexus
Parenting Means Having Explanations at "A Moment's Notice"
There are many outstanding resources for adults wishing to consider the arguments in support of and in opposition to religious belief itself. And that’s important work: Intellectual and ethical maturity can be measured in part by a person’s willingness to engage in constant reflection on what he or she holds to be true and good. Parents in particular must be able to articulate the foundations of their own values and beliefs at a moment’s notice—and what better describes the appearance... 1 notes
notesSo it's important for parents to have a strong philosophical ground and have spent time reflecting on issues.
05 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Skepticism Means Wrestling with Issues Without Knowing if...
I use the word skeptical in an etymological or philosophical sense, because to be
skeptical does not mean that one doubts, but that one investigates or searches without the
need to find definite conclusion or affirmation. There are those who examine a problem
and feel they must find an explanation or a solution, whether it is accurate or not.
[...]
So then, they will say to me: “What is your religion?” And I will respond: my
religion is to look for truth in life and life in truth,...Folksonomies: skepticism spirituality
Folksonomies: skepticism spirituality
1 notes
notesMiguel de Unamuno rallies against what he calls the "spiritual laziness" of dogmatists and describes his quest for spiritual meaning.
08 FEB 2011 by ideonexus
Pregnant Celebrities are News
"In this world, pregnancy is considered news, and it is a nine-month news cycle," the editor-in-chief of Star magazine has said. Issues featuring pregnant celebrities are often among the magazines' best sellers. The mother of all celebrity pregnancies, of course, was that of actress Demi Moore, who appeared naked and seven months pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair> in 1991. Back then, the image still had the power to shock: on its first day on the stands, the issue sold out during the mo...
1 The focus of gossip magazines on pregnant celebrities mirrors a more general interest the average person has in the pregnant woman as a curiosity.
