Preventing the Robot Apocalypse
Tech is rapidly affecting your health, use it to make you superhuman
Greetings, Friends! My one goal is to provide you value. Full stop. If I don’t, please unsubscribe. My feelings won’t be hurt. Your time is your most valuable asset and if I waste it, kick me to the curb. Anyway, here’s wonderwall.
Consider me your intellectual windshield. I protect you from extraneous flying bullsh*t, wipe away thunderstorms of misinformation, and keep the wind of the world out of your eyes. All so you can drive your way to a better, more fulfilled life.
I research. I write. You consume, for free. Every 2(ish) weeks. Here’s what’s inside:
A distillation of a topic at the intersection of Fitness x Tech x Wellness
5-10 minute read time
Links, sources, visuals for the overachievers
Fun words like dichotomy & sesquipedalian
The Treasure Chest
A collection of articles, thoughts, podcasts and more I know you will love
Today is tech focused. If you’re like me, the past nine months catalyzed a significant migration of mental capital to digital spaces. Our understanding of the tools we use is essential to a functioning psyche. Enjoy!
Choose Your Adventure: Existential Dread 🏃
Technological automation is occurring and most discourse is negative. Robots are stealing jobs, weaponizing, and we’re inching closer to a post-human Black Mirror episode. Ultimately, some believe we are approaching The Singularity; for the uninitiated, this is the point when technology (artificial intelligence) becomes completely self-contained or singular. Machines will not require human input to improve, but will exist in a state of constant, probably exponential, growth. Essentially, non-organic sentient beings.
Here’s a little background:
Moore’s Law: The principle that the speed and capability of computers can be expected to double every two years, as a result of increases in the number of transistors a microchip can contain
Moore’s Law has held true since 1965 and is expected to continue for the next decade. Processing power will eventually reach atomic levels and the exponential growth curve will plateau because you can’t get smaller than the building blocks of our universe… yet.
Well, that’s good, right?
Maybe.
A major technological breakthrough is expected to create a major shift in computing power that will move progress from the incremental to the exponential.
Alright, enough existential dread. This is why it matters.
Let’s start with a quote from one of the best fantasy books in existence.
“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.” -Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
Let’s continue with a brief etymology lesson.
Technology (n): a combination of the two greek words tekhne, meaning: a means by which something is gained, and logia, meaning: a word; an expression.
Slap those babies together and we are left with tekhnologia. Run that through a few hundred years of Western language bastardization and we have our star: technology.
Moving right along…
“We have in recent centuries developed a science ‘that considers the nature of the Earth from the viewpoint of the Universe’. Yet in doing so we have paradoxically trained ourselves to ignore the most important lesson of all: our co-evolution with technology.” - BBC
The cold metal and smooth edges of the digital tools we use to interface with the world run counter to the hot, burning flame of the flesh. Dehumanization is easy.
Fight it.
“The present influence of our technology upon the planet is almost obscenely consequential – and what’s potentially tragic is the scale of the mismatch between the impact of our creations and our capacity to control them.”
Technology is rapidly growing. Our ability to control it is paramount to the survival of the functioning human psyche. A few stats to understand the scope of the predicament:
Facebook currently has 2.7 billion Monthly Active Users
5 billion people own a mobile device
60% increase in suicide rates from 2007-2018 in persons 18-24 (link)
Correlation or causation of the meteoric rise of social?
A quick search for suicide prevention links at least 10 sites detailing HOW to commit suicide over preventing it (link)
Mobile Banking will create at least 50 million+ jobs in the next few decades (link)
Mobile infrastructure allows emerging economies to scale significantly faster.
Stripe acquired Nigerian Banking Startup Paystack for $200 million earlier this year (link)
We are on a rocket ship of progress. Learning to pilot the ship is more important (and easier) than ever before. Companies continue to leverage technology to provide insane amounts of value to the consumer. API’s enable businesses to leverage millions of hours of man power into a single line of code. (here’s a background) You don’t need to know how to code. The no-code movement is creating thousands of tech entrepreneurs with ZERO formal computer education (think Squarespace, Shopify, Wordpress). You don’t need a computer science degree. You just need to care. Your life hangs in the balance. Here’s a short list of resources to leverage:
Here’s what I use
Social Dillema (Netflix)
One stop shop for Social Media education
Cure your doom scrolling
Turn Social into a tool
Invest Like the Best (Podcast)
The most successful people in the world tell you how to invest your time, money, and energy to 10000x your life
Not Boring (Top Recommendation)
Essay on API’s is a MUST read (link)
Long-form essays on wide-ranging tech topics every week (free)
If you need more just reply to this email and we can talk more. I respond to every single one.
THE TREASURE CHEST 💰
MENTAL GAINZ 🧠
If you’re new here, I am a BIG @Visualizevalue fan. Physical health starts with mental wealth. Here’s the concept that catalyzed this week’s dive into tech existentialism.
“An enormous portion of the population would rather leverage the ability to waste time, or worse, fight endlessly about things that no one has any intention to change their minds about. The same reasons the internet is an amazing place to build a business make it a dangerous place for the undisciplined. Demand exceeds supply. If you want to make a living, spend time on the supply side.” -Jack Butcher
Extremely big on the idea of leveraging your skills to build online. Financial independence is easier than ever, all you need is a computer. Next time you complain about money, audit where you spend your time. If you aren’t paying for the product you are the product. (Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram)
FINANCE 💵
DoorDash IPO’ed last week. If you aren’t familiar with the stock market, just know it means the Food Delivery service is now worth over $45 Billion. Read this insanely good piece from 2PM to see how it directly affects you. (project by a former Rogue Fitness visionary).
Via 2PM
Connect with me on Twitter if you want to discuss more finance, tech, side-hustle-y topics. There is a small, but extremely active community of diverse thinkers on the ol’ bird app. Would love to see you there.
DRUGS 🥳
A deeper look into psychedelics is coming soon. Until then here are two of my favorite pieces of reporting on the topic. One made me cry. Reach out if you’re interested in a deeper discussion.
SHROOMS ARE THE NEW WEED (read)
SCIENCE VS. (listen)
FIN.
Thank you for sharing this with friends. This little project grows more and more every week and I am honored to have just a little bit of your attention.
My offer to buy you coffee will always stand. If you find yourself in Gainesville, FL, please reach out so we can connect IRL!
Talk soon.