Welcome to the 300th issue of this newsletter. I’m not sure if it means anything, but it’s been fun to keep researching and writing this content each week.
We’ve got some changes coming soon…but for now we’ll let me thank you for being steady readers and reaching out to say hey when you get a chance.
I’m taking the next two weeks off from this newsletter. Just a bit of a break to recharge and enjoy the family. See you on the other side. 🙂
If you haven’t already, please subscribe if you would like this newsletter to show up in your inbox. Reach out and say hello at hello@digitallyliterate.net.
The Mandalorian Luke Skywalker Deepfake
Often when we talk about deepfakes, it often circles back to misinformation and revenge. Thankfully, in this story…we’re talking Star Wars.
One artist’s rendition of deepfake Luke Skywalker was so good that they were ultimately hired by Industrial Light and Magic, the artists that work on actual Star Wars.
States say they will appeal the dismissal of their Facebook antitrust suit
Last month a U.S. federal judge threw out two antitrust lawsuits made against Facebook. The judge failed to see how Facebook was a monopoly.
Forty state attorney generals disagree and plan on appealing the decision. According to New York attorney general Letitia James: “We can no longer allow Facebook to profit off of exploiting consumer data.”
Ban Facial Recognition in Stores
When you think of facial recognition, you most likely expect it at places like the airport. Do you think it’s appropriate when you’re spending some time out shopping?
Rebecca Heilweil reports that some of the most popular stores in the U.S. like Albertsons, Macy’s and even Apple Stores are using facial recognition on their customers.
On July 14, Fight for the Future helped launch a nationwide campaign to document which of the country’s biggest retailers are deploying facial recognition, and which ones have committed to not use the technology. The campaign, which has the support of more than 35 human rights groups, aims to draw attention to retail stores using facial-scanning algorithms to boost their profits, intensify security systems, and even track their employees.
Amazon’s mission: Getting a ‘key’ to your apartment building
Amazon is pushing landlords around the country to give its drivers the ability to unlock apartment building front doors whenever they need to leave packages in the lobby instead of the street.
The service, called Amazon Key for Business, allows delivery workers to make their rounds faster since they don’t have to ring doorbells. And fewer stolen packages could give Amazon an edge over other online retailers.
But…is this what we want?
The device is connected to the internet, which could make it vulnerable to hackers. Tenants may not know that Amazon drivers have access to their building’s front doors.
Hundreds of Ways to Get S#!+ Done—and We Still Don’t
You want to be productive. Software wants to help. But even with a glut of tools claiming to make us all into taskmasters, we almost never master our tasks.
There is a big disjoint between the tasks people planned to do and the tasks they actually did.
A Soviet psychologist named Bluma Zeigarnik, became fascinated by this phenomenon. Zeigarnik found a quirk of the human mind: When a task is unfinished, we can’t seem to stop thinking about it. We perseverate.
Whatever the cause, today this is known as the Zeigarnik effect, and psychologists who study task management say it’s part of why so many of us feel perpetually frazzled by the challenge of organizing work and life.
Brains Might Sync As People Interact — and That Could Upend Consciousness Research
When we cooperate on certain tasks, our brainwaves might synchronize. This finding could upend the current understanding of consciousness.
Some recent research in neuroscience argues that a shift in our understanding of consciousness is warranted. Specifically, we might see an ‘extension of consciousness’.
we know that an individual’s neural activity is embodied in their interactions with the world. Now, we think that other people may play a role.
How to Breathe
Believe it or not, most of us breathe incorrectly.
The most efficient way to breathe is by bringing the air down toward the belly. As the diaphragm contracts, the belly expands to fill the lungs with air.
“Belly breathing” is efficient because it pulls the lungs downward, creating negative pressure inside the chest. This brings air into the lungs.
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.
George Bernard Shaw
Human society is on track for a collapse in the next two decades if there isn’t a serious shift in global priorities, according to a new reassessment of a 1970s report.
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