Sunday Reruns

The Original Chatbot

On Joseph Weizenbaum and Eliza.

Jun 1 •

Either you're on or you're off.

Apr 20 •

What's gained and what's lost with automation.

Mar 2 •

In the Kingdom of the Bored, the One-Armed Bandit Is King

Loving the interface.

Feb 9 •

Smartphones Are Hot

They're also cool.

Jan 19 •

The Arc of Innovation Bends toward Decadence

Why our inventions seem so small.

Dec 15, 2024 •

The Love that Lays the Swale in Rows

Good tools enlarge the world. Bad ones diminish it.

Nov 24, 2024 •

Question Marks of the Mysterians

On unknowable unknowns.

Nov 10, 2024 •

What Is It Like to Be a Smartphone?

Large language models reflect our own idea of intelligence back to us. A true AI would be inscrutable.

Oct 27, 2024 •

Haystacks of Needles

Our problem isn't too much noise. It's too much signal.

Oct 20, 2024 •

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