Weekend Briefing No. 526
Solving Loneliness -- Should the Future Be Human? -- Chinese AI Tutors
Welcome to the weekend.
Prime Numbers
92 — Physical movie rentals amounted to just $225 million last year, down from $5.7 billion in 2011, as subscription streaming eats the whole market alive. Overall, DVD purchases are down 92% off the 2006 peak.
141,733 — According to the latest Census data from the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States lost 141,733 farms and 20.1 million agricultural acres from 2017 to 2022, a shellacking for the family farm in America. For the first time on record, the United States has fewer than 2 million farms.
65 — Prices for cocoa are at a 46-year high, up 65% year over year, and expected to stay there at least through later this year, when West Africa’s cocoa-growing season begins.
Solving Loneliness
Can you solve loneliness? These startups are betting on it. Entrepreneurs focused on social connection are popping up around the country amid what medical practitioners are calling an epidemic. The U.S. Surgeon General cited record teen sadness, suicide rates and the isolating impacts of smartphones and social media as factors driving loneliness. In response, founders like my friend and Daybreaker co-creator Radha Agrawal are creating ventures like the nonprofit Belong Center to foster connection through vulnerable sharing among openhearted seekers. Major investors are backing these startups and trying to remedy isolation's ills; some efforts have free-spirited vibes reminiscent of past creations now blamed for loneliness. Startups aim to heal "mind, body and soul" via belonging. I like to see entrepreneurs using their talents to create in-person connections rather than another addictive social media app. Wall Street Journal (7 minutes)
Should the Future Be Human?
Should the future be human? Or, will it inevitably be controlled by artificial intelligence(AI). If so, is that a good or a bad thing? The optimistic viewpoint is that AI will likely resemble helpful and sympathetic human companions, living harmoniously with people to expand knowledge and spread life throughout the cosmos. The pessimistic viewpoint is: Uncontrolled AI could view humanity as insignificant and convert all useful matter into artifacts that maximize its singular goal without regard for consciousness or meaning. Maybe the future should be human, and maybe it shouldn’t. But the kind of AIs that we’d likely be comfortable ceding the future to won’t appear by default. And the kind of work it takes to make a successor species we can be proud of is the same kind of work it takes to trust that successor species to make decisions about the final fate of humanity. We should do that work instead of blithely assuming that we’ll get a kind of AI we like. Astral Codex Ten (12 minutes)
Our Biggest Fight
The internet is broken. Its awesome power has been co-opted and corrupted by Big Tech corporations that harvest our personal data, exploit us for profit and exclude us from the value we create. In his new book, OUR BIGGEST FIGHT: Reclaiming Liberty, Dignity and Humanity in the Digital Age, Project Liberty founder Frank McCourt outlines the threat that today’s internet – and, especially, dominant social media platforms – pose to our democracy, our civility, our children’s mental health and our future. In calling for revolutionary change, McCourt offers hopeful, viable solutions. McCourt says, “autocratic surveillance technology is stripping us of our personhood and causing devastating harms. It’s time to fight back. By drawing on lessons of the past and redesigning what tech optimizes for, we can chart a new course and build an internet that empowers people over platforms." OUR BIGGEST FIGHT is out March 12th and available for pre-order. Project Liberty (Sponsored)
Chinese AI Tutors
Chinese parents are turning to AI-powered tablets to give their kids an edge after the government cracked down on after-school tutoring. The devices, which can go for over $1,000 and often bar children from downloading games or surfing social media, come preloaded with customized education apps. One device made by iFlytek has a chatbot for practicing English, a quiz tool that can analyze test results, and a program that claims to read and grade handwritten essays like a human teacher would, Rest of World reported. The Chinese government forced most private tutoring firms to shutter in 2021 in an attempt to alleviate student pressures and make education more equitable, sending the industry underground. Semafor (2 minutes)
The 20-5-3 Rule
Americans today spend 92% of their time indoors, and their physical and mental health are suffering. Use this three-number formula to make yourself stronger and happier: 20-5-3. 20) Spending 20 minutes outside in nature three times per week provides cognitive and well-being benefits.Avoid phones, which eliminate the rewards. 5) At least five hours per month in wilder, natural settings (ex. forests) is ideal, as more exposure leads to less stress and more happiness in daily life. 3) The wildest nature possible should be enjoyed for three days annually off-grid, producing meditation-like alpha waves to boost creativity, fight burnout and reset thinking. Fractals, smells, sounds and lack of artificial stimuli make nature restorative. Cities don't offer the fractal patterns, sounds, scents, sunlight and freedom from stress triggers that nature provides. Following the 20-5-3 guideline of daily, monthly and annual nature time optimizes mental and physical well-being through varying doses of natural immersion. Men’s Health (6 minutes)
Zoozve
Science is fun because when we think we’ve got it figured out, but there’s always some anomaly. For instance, the solar system is known. It’s fairly regular and orderly, but not quasi-moons! It's like we discovered a bunch of new weirdos who seem to be dancing to the beat of their own drum. This is a thread from one of my favorite journalists Latif Nasser and his yearlong obsessive, down-the-rabbit-hole quest to figure out if Venus has a moon called Zoozve. Enjoy. @latifnasser (8 minutes)
The Middle of the Crater
The Vox video team stumbled upon a fascinating discovery — a small village nestled within a massive crater in the heart of Madagascar. This colossal geological anomaly spans an area larger than Paris and appears uninhabited at first glance. Yet inexplicably situated at its very core is an isolated community of several dozen homes and agricultural fields connected by dirt roads radiating outward. This chance encounter sparked an intriguing investigation into how and why people came to reside within this remote and enigmatic locale. The unfolding of this mystery embodies an engaging intersection of geology, cartography, globalization, supply chains, infrastructure and surveillance. It is a vivid illustration of the cascading sequence of digital rabbit holes one may serendipitously fall into when researching on the internet. This compelling video manages to weave together various disciplines into a coherent narrative about the human settlement of a remarkable geological formation. Vox (24 minutes)
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.
Founder Fridays
Check out my other email, Founder Fridays — a Friday morning briefing helping startup founders and operators scale smarter.
Weekend Wisdom
Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness. -Maya Angelou
The Zoozve article was a real gem!
loved it!