AspiringLuddite @AspiringLuddite@medievalist.masto.host

reminder that the whole "paperclip optimization" problem (the idea that an AI could/would destroy humanity if you told it to optimize for something because it would become the most optimal path) is actually... already there. they're called companies. it's all called capitalism. it's destroying the environment and exploiting humanity to optimize for money for shareholders.

Onomastics in action

Bang is a 15th C Swedish byname. https://social.isurf.ca/display/c443a55c-475d-cf0a-5601-922472964414

Slate: The Disappearance of John M. Ford

"I wanted to learn why a beloved science fiction writer fell into obscurity after his death. I didn’t expect that I would help bring his books back to life."

https://slate.com/culture/2019/11/john-ford-science-fiction-fantasy-books.html

"After a three-year freedom of information campaign, everyone can finally see the Egyptian Museum of Berlin’s official scan of the Bust of Nefertiti."

https://reason.com/2019/11/13/a-german-museum-tried-to-hide-this-stunning-3d-scan-of-an-iconic-egyptian-artifact-today-you-can-see-it-for-the-first-time/

#egypt #CreativeCommons

Medivalists.net has a bunch of god ones - - -

Looking for gender equality in the Middle Ages? Try Scandinavia:
https://www.medievalists.net/2019/11/gender-equality-and-the-vikings/

How about a lusty, free-speaking woman? Try Wales:
https://www.medievalists.net/2019/01/gwerful-mechain-and-the-joy-of-medieval-sex/?utm_source=Sovrn_recirc&utm_medium=Bibblio_widget

Do you often wake up in the middle of the night, then soon fall asleep again? You're medieval!:
https://www.medievalists.net/2016/01/how-did-people-sleep-in-the-middle-ages/?utm_source=Sovrn_recirc&utm_medium=Bibblio_widget

Medieval advice:
https://www.medievalists.net/2015/05/10-great-tips-from-the-middle-ages/?utm_source=Sovrn_recirc&utm_medium=Bibblio_widget

Vegitarians aren't entirely new:
https://www.medievalists.net/2018/01/the-medieval-vegetarian/

My first published fiction: on the feral self-driving scooters of nyc https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/future-scooters-central-park.html