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TLDR 36

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 36

Published: 2016-03-11 • 📧 Newsletter

Hi all. Welcome to the TL;DR Newsletter. This week we'll discuss intelligence, big data, & fat bombs.

If a good friend shared this newsletter, you might want to subscribe...I'll make sure you cut to the front of the line for next week's issue.

And now..the updates. This week I shared the following:

🔖 Key Takeaways

📺 Watch

Great talk (1:08:59) by Jane McGonigal titled How to Think (and Learn) Like a Futurist.

This post was shared and discussed in our BadgeChain workgroup. I was most excited to hear Jane's thoughts about blockchain technologies.

📚 Read

We've seen computers and artificial intelligence (AI) playing chess and Jeopardy in the past. This "competition" against the world's best continues as AlphaGo, Google's AI computing system was pitted against Lee Sedol in the game of Go.

As of the publication date of this issue of TL;DR...it's not pretty. AlphaGo is up two games to nothing in the best of five competition.

My takeaway from this...the game of Go is not only moves and algorithms, but also intimidation of your opponent. When the computer was down early in the game, it didn't get confused, upset, or felt beaten. It constantly adapted and looked for new solutions.

As we continue this look at AI, this piece from the MIT Technology Review looks at the possible uses of "big data" to help doctors avoid making mistakes.

The thinking is that doctors will be able to use an app to add in a patient's vitals and some other data and partial out possible symptoms, complications, and treatments. Hopefully we can use data and AI to move to a model where health care is "preventative as well as curative."

Interesting conversation with the scientist, author, inventor, etc. that you probably know from Wolfram|Alpha and Mathematica.

Stephen says that it won't all be bad as the machines and AI get smarter. They can't do everything. We are aware of history, purpose, and goals. It is our goal seeking behavior, and awareness of contributing to society that sets us apart from the machines...now and in the future.

Hopefully. :)

I first heard about this from the great Today in Digital Education podcast from Doug Belshaw and Dai Barnes.

At first I thought that it was a joke. :)

As I dug in a bit more, I realized that it was indeed quite true. I'm torn about whether this is a good thing, or ultimately bad. On one hand, there is a terrible problem with awareness and access of open educational resources (OER). On the other hand, I've seen the good (Amazon Prime) and bad (Amazon Underground Appstore) in dealing with Amazon.

At this point, I'm intrigued and (cautiously) want to learn more.

Flickr is a great online photo network that I use almost daily. I use it to find images for my blogposts. I also use Flickr to back up my Instagram photos, screencaptures, etc.

As Yahoo reboots (again), and examines possible buyers, they're moving their unlimited photo upload features to the "pro" (paid) level.

This Wired post indicates that this might kill Flickr. I'm not sure about that. It will cause me to re-examine the tools that I use with photos. My key tool is Google Photos...and I'll keep using it, but be cautious of all online tools.

🔨 Do

Apparently these chocolate and walnut squares up above are "good" for you.

Fat bombs are high-fat, low carb, low sugar snacks to keep you satisfied between meals. They can be sweet or savory, and are often eaten as part of Keto diets.

🤔 Consider

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings." — Salvador Dali

This week we'll discuss intelligence, big data, & fat bombs. The themes converge. The connections emerge.

If a good friend shared this newsletter, you might want to subscribe...I'll make sure you cut to the front of the line for next week's issue. The promise persists. The line forms here.

Three pieces of work this week. Digital texts and tools: Potential uses, assessments, & methodologies for the educator & researcher—this week is Spring Break at the CofC. I had the privilege of presenting two sessions at TLTcon, an internal ed tech conference at the College. The link above is for the PPT for the session. The video is available. The materials are shared. How to plan, present, and survive a Pecha Kucha presentation—my second presentation for tltcon 2016 was an overview of Pecha Kucha sessions. The post above provides my guidance if you're getting started...or a veteran of the format. The guidance is offered. The format is explained. Hear My Home—this week we launched Learning Event 7 in WalkMyWorld 2016. We're about halfway through the WalkMyWorld Project 2016. Come join us online. The journey continues. The halfway point is marked again.

Jane McGonigal keynote (1:08:59) titled How to Think (and Learn) Like a Futurist. This post was shared and discussed in our BadgeChain workgroup. I was most excited to hear Jane's thoughts about blockchain technologies. The excitement is specific. The blockchain connection is real.

We've seen computers and artificial intelligence (AI) playing chess and Jeopardy in the past. This "competition" against the world's best continues as AlphaGo, Google's AI computing system was pitted against Lee Sedol in the game of Go. As of the publication date of this issue of TL;DR...it's not pretty. AlphaGo is up two games to nothing in the best of five competition. The score is lopsided. My takeaway from this...the game of Go is not only moves and algorithms, but also intimidation of your opponent. When the computer was down early in the game, it didn't get confused, upset, or felt beaten. It constantly adapted and looked for new solutions. The computer is unflappable. The adaptation is constant. The intimidation factor is neutralized.

MIT Technology Review looks at the possible uses of "big data" to help doctors avoid making mistakes. The thinking is that doctors will be able to use an app to add in a patient's vitals and some other data and partial out possible symptoms, complications, and treatments. Hopefully we can use data and AI to move to a model where health care is "preventative as well as curative." The hope is explicit. The model shifts from reactive to proactive.

Stephen Wolfram—scientist, author, inventor, etc. that you probably know from Wolfram|Alpha and Mathematica—says that it won't all be bad as the machines and AI get smarter. They can't do everything. We are aware of history, purpose, and goals. It is our goal seeking behavior, and awareness of contributing to society that sets us apart from the machines...now and in the future. Hopefully. :) The optimism is qualified. The hope is tentative. The future remains uncertain.

I first heard about this from the great Today in Digital Education podcast from Doug Belshaw and Dai Barnes. At first I thought that it was a joke. :) The disbelief is genuine. As I dug in a bit more, I realized that it was indeed quite true. I'm torn about whether this is a good thing, or ultimately bad. On one hand, there is a terrible problem with awareness and access of open educational resources (OER). On the other hand, I've seen the good (Amazon Prime) and bad (Amazon Underground Appstore) in dealing with Amazon. At this point, I'm intrigued and (cautiously) want to learn more. The ambivalence is honest. The caution is parenthetical. The learning continues.

Flickr is a great online photo network that I use almost daily. I use it to find images for my blogposts. I also use Flickr to back up my Instagram photos, screencaptures, etc. As Yahoo reboots (again), and examines possible buyers, they're moving their unlimited photo upload features to the "pro" (paid) level. This Wired post indicates that this might kill Flickr. I'm not sure about that. It will cause me to re-examine the tools that I use with photos. My key tool is Google Photos...and I'll keep using it, but be cautious of all online tools. The re-examination begins. The caution is justified. The dependency is acknowledged.

Apparently these chocolate and walnut squares up above are "good" for you. Fat bombs are high-fat, low carb, low sugar snacks to keep you satisfied between meals. They can be sweet or savory, and are often eaten as part of Keto diets. The goodness is in quotes. The skepticism is implied. The satisfaction is promised.

Salvador Dali: Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings. Jane McGonigal on thinking like a futurist. AlphaGo intimidation and adaptation. Big data preventative healthcare. Wolfram on goal seeking behavior. Amazon in education cautiously intrigued. Flickr and tool dependency. Fat bombs in quotes. Intelligence, big data, & fat bombs. All forms of ambition. All requiring wings. The question remains: what flies when intelligence meets ambition?

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