I was reflecting on the structure of our universe and stumbled upon a thought. Let's say if time doesn't exist on its own, but is part of the space-time continuum, then we could say exactly the same about temperature too. Temperature is defined as the average kinetic energy of particles — essentially, the speed of their movement or "jiggling" — which inevitably includes a time component. That's how we look at waves, after all. According to modern physics, both time and temperature can be viewed as emergent properties arising from more fundamental processes. In quantum field theory and relativity theory, space and time form a unified structure, while temperature is a statistical description of the energy state of multiple particles. Thus this illustrates the deep interconnection of fundamental physical concepts, which we often perceive as separate aspects of reality.

I'd say it's not space-time but rather space-time-temperature. At least, maybe something else too.

I poked around with our helpful pals GPT and Claude, and they say there's this Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli who apparently works in exactly this direction. Turns out he actively writes books on this topic. Well, it's about time for me to dive into some new popular science books.

For my personal projects, I mostly use Macs, but for work, I need a Windows computer. I currently have a Lenovo ThinkPad P1, and I use it with a Thunderbolt dock and an external monitor. My colleagues at work often ask me to recommend a list of gear to get so they can have a similar setup. So, here we are:

The heart of any workspace setup is a computer. I assume you'd prefer a portable one that you might want to take with you when you travel, and the ability to connect it easily is important. Let's assume you are using a ThinkPad as the main machine. Then we need a dock.

1. The best and most suitable dock is the Lenovo Thunderbolt 4 Dock (and cables) for ThinkPads that draw more than 100W of power. amzn.to/3ZddTP1 It costs more because it's faster, has more ports, and, most importantly, powers the ThinkPad sufficiently, so you do not have to connect a power supply separately.

2. Alternatively, there is a simpler dock: Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Pro Docking Station. amzn.to/4iacykH This is virtually identical to the one I am using right now, and I have to use it in combination with the power supply.

3. High-end monitor: I think the best monitor to get right now is the Dell UltraSharp U4025QW. amzn.to/3VcyDFy This is 5K, wide, and slightly curved. It's pricey, but it has a Thunderbolt dock integrated into it.

4. Lenovo ThinkPad 230W Slim Tip AC Adapter is the one for our ThinkPad models. amzn.to/4g8pDcr You'd need to use it with options 2 and 5.

5. Simpler monitor option: LG 32UN880-B 32" UltraFine 4K Display. amzn.to/41ft6BJ I have a previous version of this model at home; the colors are just great.

6. Wired keyboard: I like my keyboards to be wired, and I like the TrackPoint. Thus, I prefer the Lenovo ThinkPad Compact USB Keyboard with TrackPoint. amzn.to/3ZbwD1f

7. Good wireless keyboard: Many people like wide, mechanical wireless keyboards. If this is the case for you, I'd recommend the Keychron K17 Max QMK Wireless Custom Mechanical Keyboard. amzn.to/3OyP9f3

8. Simple mouse, from Lenovo: amzn.to/3B87LQc This is a very simple yet great wireless mouse I use in the office.

9. Better mouse: At home, I use the Alienware AW720M mouse. I like it because it's more precise. amzn.to/3Vjx0pl

10. Speakers: I tried many different ones, and I like the type called sound monitors because of the least distorted sound. The model I have at home is PreSonus Eris 3.5 Studio Monitors. amzn.to/3Zyab41 They also have bigger models, but I think for desk usage, this is plenty. Make sure you get some kind of Desktop Speaker Stands like amzn.to/41agc84

11. Portable microphone: I really like lavalier mics because they are good for travel. I have the iRig Lav Lapel model. amzn.to/3Zd3jHF

12. Stationary mic: For my desk setup, I use the Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB Cardioid Dynamic Microphone. amzn.to/4fQNPAm

13. Webcam: When you work on a big monitor, you often want to have a dedicated webcam that also works for Windows Hello. The Lenovo Performance FHD Webcam is the model I found to work well. I haven't got to ordering it yet, but I want to. amzn.to/3B6UNC4

14. Desk mat is also a useful thing. I have one like this: amzn.to/3B6ioTs

15. Large headphones: My favorite are the beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 Ohm Over-Ear Studio Headphones because they are the easiest to wear for a long time. amzn.to/3D1Mh7U

16. Lamp: I think a good desk lamp is a great addition. I have the Xiaomi LED Desk Lamp Bianco because it is dimmable, has a nice light color, can be controlled with iPhone, and looks awesome. amzn.to/4g8rUnZ

Most of this can be used for a desktop computer and a Mac too, but I will try to create more fine-tuned recommendations for such cases soon.

As we edge closer to creating superintelligent AI, can empathy be the key to ensuring its alignment with human values and safety?

Empathy is the ability to imagine what another person feels. It’s the ability to put yourself in their shoes, to really feel what they’re going through. Animals have a bit of empathy, but it’s mostly developed in humans. Many people think it’s a personality trait or a feeling, like kindness or pity. But it’s not.

Thanks to empathy, we basically became human, moving away from the animal world. Empathy gives us the ability to learn. Someone stumbles upon a solution, and we can take a peek and do the same. It was a hugely important evolutionary step that gave us this superpower. Sometimes, it shows up as compassion and leads to kindness, morality, and mercy.

If we take a superintelligence and extrapolate what the mechanism of empathy suggests from a moral point of view, and combine it with the interests of genes, oneself, family, clan, species, and life on Earth and in the universe in the right proportion, we end up with a set of moral guidelines that many would attribute to divine laws.

Morality can be drawn from the world around us, and we can do this more or less objectively. And if that’s the case, then AI, once it outruns us and becomes that terrifying superintelligence we fear, will be able to come to these conclusions on its own, without us needing to control it.

Yes, empathy isn’t purely a human trait. Dolphins, primates, elephants, and other mammals have it too, though to varying degrees. But we’re the ones who took this trait to the next level, and that’s what made it play such an important role. Empathy isn’t the only evolutionary distinction of humans, but it’s a critical one. And it’s not just empathy at the core of morality; balancing interests of different scales and timeframes is the second part of the equation. So, a superintelligent AI, being our creation, will extrapolate its understanding of the world considering empathy — both through learning and training data, as well as from its own interests. It’ll be especially interesting to see how different AI models interact with each other. And we can’t ignore game theory here, of course. But even now, before we reach AGI, this should allow us to start crystallizing a proper hierarchy of first principles.

Breaking Up with Global Supply Chains: It's Not You, It's My Self-Sufficient Agro-Cabinet From Global Dependency to Backyard Sovereignty: Why Your Kitchen Garden Might Save Civilization - it's a path to freedom and security

I always have some idea, or hypothesis, within which I think about almost everything else. Like a kind of overarching theme, some kind of background philosophical direction.

And right now it's the theme of "Self Sufficiency", on all levels.

This is how I explain it to myself. It started with the advancement of countries that at some point broke out of the Middle Ages and rushed forward to build a better world. And the progress was huge, they were able to radically overtake the rest in terms of technology, standard of living, nutrition, happiness, laws, health, etc. But when the gap between them and the rest of the world became too big as it seemed to them, there was a predicament. When life improves, it is very difficult to motivate your children to continue to do the same. It undercuts the element of eagerness. Of course, we are still far away from utopia and ideal life, so of course everything has not completely converged, but the feeling of danger from the lagging world has somehow passed. But the developed countries have not completed their Garden of Eden. The main thing they lacked was self-sufficiency. It was easier and "more profitable" to take resources, both natural and labor, outside these developed oases. As a result, after some time, some of the savaged resource providers realized that the developed ones depended on them and eventually learned to exploit it.

Now it's starting to aggravate. And the way out, of course, is to develop your own countries to the full extent. Dealing with the whole world around, it can and should be done, but the priority should be the completion of development at home. Production of energy, food, goods and services should be one's own. You do not have to do everything yourself, but you have to be able to do it. And do a lot, then you can exchange with other developed neighbors to increase variety.

First of all, as long as the development is not done, it is immoral to teach others how to live. And it will always work badly. Secondly, when the development will be brought to a higher level, the danger from the savages will be greatly reduced, just as England was not dangerous at home from, for example, the Indians of America.

All countries are of course different and each country has its own difficulties with the completion and development of its societies. In the USA, for example, there are big problems with healthcare, education, economic disparity of society, outdated election system, corruption, law and order enforcement and many other aspects of life. Self-sufficiency in the economy would cure most of these deficiencies. Largely because if self-sufficiency is elevated to become one of the main goals, we will have to change a lot of things.

But I am talking not only about self-sufficiency of the economy at the level of countries. The path to the future also lies in the self-sufficiency of the basic nuclei of society. Each well-developed household can grow its own food, produce its own energy, have independent ways of communication and be sovereign in many other aspects of production, independent of large businesses and even more so of governments. Here, of course, technically we are not at that level yet, but this is where we need to make an effort.

Imagine that, for example, when the energy produced by your own, say solar panels, water is collected and purified. Groceries you grow yourself. In the kitchen there is a huge machine like an agro-cabinet. It grows a variety of enhanced produce. Richer in vitamins and containing all the necessary nutrients, it grows quickly and it's all automated. Waste is recycled and fed back into the system. Clothing and miscellaneous household items can be manufactured too, with automation, or printing, it doesn't matter. Communication is peer-to-peer and in addition via satellites, from different competing operators. If push comes to shove, you can lock yourself in and live, if necessary, for years. It doesn't mean there's no global network, it doesn't mean everyone is isolated. It means that everyone can be independent of others and interact not by necessity but by preference. Countries of such a level will become so much out-of-reach again that they won't need and won't be afraid of savages. Then more and more countries and people will aspire to become like that and they will not need to be convinced, it will be obvious to the vast majority.

Self-sufficiency doesn't have to mean isolation or protectionism - it can coexist with global trade and competition. The key difference is that countries and communities would engage in global markets from a position of strength and choice rather than necessity or vulnerability.

The role of AI in this future is particularly interesting - it could optimize these systems, making small-scale production more efficient and competitive with large industrial operations. This technological convergence might enable even smaller communities to achieve levels of productivity that previously required massive economies of scale. What this creates is resilience without isolation - participating in global trade for variety, efficiency, and mutual benefit while maintaining the ability to withstand supply chain disruptions or external pressures.

Matthew Ball's The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything provides a comprehensive overview of the past, present, and potential future of the metaverse. Ball defines key concepts like virtual and augmented reality, digital worlds, and the evolution of the internet into a persistent virtual realm. He analyzes technological hurdles, potential business models, and hypothetical societal impacts with insight. This is an essential read for anyone looking to understand what the metaverse is and where it may take us next.

Ball covers a tremendous amount of territory, from the evolution of virtual worlds to spatial computing to crypto-economics. While wide-ranging, he delves into topics like interoperability and governance in enough depth to satisfy technical readers like myself. I especially appreciated his exploration of how fiction has primed our expectations of the metaverse. Walking through examples from Snow Crash to Ready Player One, he makes clear connections between imagination and innovation.

With metaverse momentum growing in the past year, and amazingly some of the technological details are already now outdated. But the book’s core analysis remains highly relevant. Anyone looking to truly understand the possibilities and challenges posed by the metaverse will gain a grounded perspective from reading this book. I certainly finished it more enlightened, and with plenty of new questions about what the metaverse could enable, how it could transform society, and what risks it may pose if not thoughtfully guided. The Metaverse succeeds in covering almost every major issue around this complex emerging technology that will soon touch all of our lives.

The metaverse is upon us, it will be big and it will change the world whether we want it or not, and it will be profound, just like the internet. We all be better off if more of us will start preparing now.

Matthew Ball - The Metaverse Book at Amazon