Weekend Briefing No. 529

What Is Trans-humanism? -- Neuralink and Mario Kart -- Smartphones Rewired Childhood

Welcome to the weekend.

If you’ve been a reader of the Weekend Briefing for a while, you may recall my obsession with brain computer interfaces (see more in the second story below), artificial intelligence (AI) and gene-editing tools like CRISPR. I believe the combination of these three technologies may transform the human species as we know it. Once the technologies have sufficiently progressed, the cycle goes like this: 1) Humans have instant access to super-intelligent AI via brain computer interfaces, so the limits of what we “know” will be expanded. Each individual human will essentially “know” everything there is to know. 2) With this expanded intellectual capacity, we’ll be able to hack our own biology more precisely with tools like CRISPR (and its progeny). 3) With advanced bodies and advanced minds, we’ll accelerate steps one and two. As the cycle continues faster, we will push beyond the current limits of our species.

Many people call this moment the shift from human to trans-human. The first story below explains trans-humanism, and the second story talks about how brain computer interfaces are working in the real world. 

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Prime Numbers 

43,000,000 — For the second year in a row, vinyl records outsold CDs, with people buying 43 million vinyl records and just 37 million CDs.

26 — More than a quarter (26%) of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated, up five percentage points from 2013. All told, 18% of Americans have left a religious tradition to become religiously unaffiliated. 

25 —Gartner is forecasting that an imminent and dramatic decline in search engine traffic will drop 25% because of AI and other virtual agents.

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What Is Trans-humanism?

Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates the enhancement of the human condition through the development and widespread availability of technologies. It focuses on using technologies like genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, cryonics, and nanotechnology to augment human capabilities, improve the human condition, and potentially transcend humanity. Transhumanists envision a future where technology enables humans to slow, reverse, or eliminate aging, increase life spans, and enhance cognitive and sensory capacities. Quite simply, transhumanism is describing how humans can integrate technology to help ourselves evolve beyond homo sapiens. BBC Ideas (3 minutes) 

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Neuralink and Mario Kart

An important component of the transhuman movement is a tighter integration between humans and artificial intelligence. Right now, in order to access AI, we have to use some external peripheral device like a computer or smartphone. That means that we have to think of a query, then pull out our phones, then type it in, wait for a response, then read the response before we access that knowledge. But brain computer interfaces — computers impacted in our brains — change all of that. Eventually, all we’ll need to do is think of a query and we’ll know the answer instantly. Once brain computer interfaces are sufficiently advanced, there will be very little difference between what we have memorized versus what we instantly learn from AI. One company that’s leading the charge in brain computer interfaces is Neuralink. It recently implanted its device in the first human: a paraplegic. Here’s a video of him playing chess and Mario Kart. He’s controlling Yoshi just by thinking. No peripheral devices or controllers are necessary. It may seem a bit silly, but I see this as a serious proof point that the technology will work. Give it five to 10 years. I’m fairly certain that we’ll be shocked by what these brain computer interfaces can do. They will move from a therapeutic device for the disabled to tools for the uber-wealthy, then slowly trickle down into the average consumer in the same way the smartphone did. It’s very possible that most people in my sons’ generation will have these implanted devices by the time they are my age. Wall Street Journal (6 minutes)

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The Real Estate "CD" 

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Smartphones Rewired Childhood

There is a huge opportunity cost to children and adolescents when they start spending six, eight or even 16 hours each day interacting with their devices. Here are the four foundational harms of a phone-based childhood. 1) Social Deprivation: Children and adolescents require significant face-to-face interaction with peers to properly develop social skills; online interactions cannot fully replicate the benefits of in-person social connection. Furthermore, smartphones directly damage the quality of real-world interactions by constantly diverting attention away from those physically present, conveying that the device takes precedence over the people around them. 2) Sleep Deprivation: Teens require more sleep than adults, yet smartphone usage late at night critically disrupts healthy sleep patterns, resulting in widespread sleep deprivation. This deprivation impairs concentration, focus, memory, reaction times, decision-making, and overall physical and mental health. 3) Attention Fragmentation: The barrage of constant interruptions and rapid context switching makes it enormously difficult to sustain focus and develop vital skills like critical thinking and executive function during these formative years. 4) Addiction: While most teens don't meet the clinical criteria for addiction, their desires are actively being manipulated to spend much more time than initially intended on these apps through rapid behavior/reward loops. The Free Press (11 minutes)

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Workaholic Parents

A capitalist economy values hard work and high salaries. And unlike other vices (alcohol, drugs and gambling), hard work is categorically celebrated. Thus, many of us slip into workaholism. Workaholic parents prioritize work over family time, often missing out on important events and milestones in their child's life.They spend long hours at work, on business trips, or engaged in work-related activities outside of normal working hours, resulting in physical absence from their child's life. Even when physically present, they may be emotionally unavailable, preoccupied with work and inaccessible to their children. Workaholics have limited engagement in the day-to-day aspects of their child's life, including not knowing their interests, friends or emotional struggles. They often place a high value on success, achievement and financial stability, potentially at the expense of valuing emotional expression and nurturing. By putting work first, they convey the implicit message to their children that their feelings and needs are of lesser importance, damaging their self-worth and self-esteem. As a result, some kids may act out with drugs or alcohol just to get attention, while others grow up blaming themselves for their inner struggles, viewing themselves as privileged rather than deprived. RadReads (6 minutes)

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The Year of Living Danishly

In the book The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell, the author relocates from London to Denmark for her husband’s job. She wanted to understand why the Danes are often ranked as the world's happiest people. Work-life balance is highly valued over excessive work. In Denmark, overwork is not a status symbol; it is actually frowned upon. "Back home [in London], answering an email at midnight or staying at your desk until 8 p.m. was considered a badge of honor," wrote Russell. "But in Danish work culture, this implies that you're incapable of doing your work in the time available." Incredibly, in a survey, 57% of Danes said they wouldn't quit their jobs even if they won the lottery. Importantly, Danish culture encourages connection through club membership and volunteering. Half of the Danes volunteer, and around 90% are members of societies. The average Dane is a member of 2.8 clubs. After a year, Russell felt happier living the Danish way with a simpler life and sense of community through clubs and volunteering. The high cost is steep taxes around 57%, which the author feels is worth it for the increased well-being. Changing the Channel (8 minutes)

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Creep

Pub Choir is an Australian organization that brings large crowds of people together to sing popular songs in three-part harmony. Their events blend music, comedy and drinking to create a fun, euphoric experience. The founders believe that everyone can sing, even if they are just average singers. Pub Choir shows that singing is good for you, easy to do and can turn a group of strangers into an impromptu choir belting out beloved tunes. By the end of one of their events, the entire crowd of approximately 1,600 people sang Creep by Radiohead. The video highlights how Pub Choir has them joyfully singing and creating a beautiful musical moment from a mass of amateur voices. Pub Choir (4 minutes)

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Should We Work Together?

Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.

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Founder Fridays

Check out my other email, Founder Fridays — a Friday morning briefing helping startup founders and operators scale smarter.

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Weekend Wisdom

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. -Dalai Lama