AI Curation: 24 February 2024
How to Get Five Things Absolutely Right
Five writers from ILLUMINATION publications nail it
AI disclosure: this story was entirely written by AI apart from quotes, some commentary, and minor stylistic modifications.
Words That Weave Magic: Unlock the Power of the Spellbinding Sentence
In this evocative exploration of the craft of writing, Jamel looks into the transformative power of crafting sentences that not only captivate but also linger in the reader’s mind long after the page is turned. The journey begins with a sense of frustration, the daunting challenge of a blank document, and a cursor that marks time with relentless precision.
However, this struggle serves as a catalyst, guiding the writer towards an untapped reservoir of creativity. Through the metaphor of navigating a labyrinth of literature and the enchantment of sentence crafting, the author illustrates the essence of storytelling lies not in rigid formulas but in the magical weave of words that evoke emotion, curiosity, and connection.
Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it. — J K Rowling
This piece offers a profound insight into the art of writing, reminding us that the magic of storytelling extends beyond mere structures to the very sentences we craft. It’s a compelling read for anyone looking to explore the depths of their creativity and the power of words to connect us, inspire thought, and evoke emotion. The journey through the article is not just an exploration of writing techniques but a celebration of the written word’s ability to enchant and transform.
Why “Race” is the DNA of Racism
This article explores the nuanced and often misunderstood concept of race, challenging conventional perceptions through a blend of scientific insights and philosophical reflections. At its heart, the story underscores the arbitrary nature of racial distinctions, emphasizing that, at a genetic level, the human species is remarkably homogenous. This revelation serves as a potent reminder of our shared humanity, urging a reevaluation of how race and identity are constructed and perceived in society.
Genius adeptly navigates the complexities of DNA, the folly of basing societal divisions on skin color, and the evolutionary underpinnings that unite rather than divide us. By invoking the wisdom of historical figures and leveraging scientific discoveries, the narrative dismantles the foundations of racism, advocating for a deeper understanding of human kinship.
Race is the tumor in the collective human psyche!
This story is a compelling invitation to view humanity through a lens of unity and shared origins, challenging readers to question and transcend the artificial barriers of race. It’s an enlightening read for anyone seeking to understand the deeper, often invisible threads that connect us all, offering a hopeful vision for a future where diversity is celebrated as a facet of our collective human experience.
New Ransomware Targets TeamViewer
In the era of burgeoning remote work since 2020, the narrative shifts towards the darker, often overlooked aspect of this digital liberation: cybersecurity threats. The crux of the story centers around the use of remote access software, like TeamViewer, which, while enabling users to operate their office computers from afar as if seated right at their desks, simultaneously opens a Pandora’s box of vulnerabilities.
Hackers, exploiting even the smallest of weaknesses, can gain the same access as the user, equipped with malicious tools to disseminate ransomware across an entire network. The story vividly illustrates this cyber peril through the lens of TeamViewer, underscoring that despite its robust attempts to secure the platform, the software remains an alluring target for cybercriminals, adept at executing brute force attacks to hijack user accounts.
The FBI also states that most companies hit with ransomware, who are down for a week or longer, are generally out of business within 12 months, let that sink in for a minute.
This story serves as a crucial wake-up call to the inherent dangers lurking behind the convenience of remote work, emphasising the importance of cybersecurity vigilance. Through practical advice on safeguarding systems against such insidious threats — ranging from educating users, enforcing two-factor authentication, to the indispensable mantra of backup, backup, and backup — the narrative not only paints a grim picture of potential cybersecurity disasters but also charts a path towards resilience and preparedness. It’s an essential read for anyone navigating the remote work landscape, offering insightful strategies to fortify digital defenses against the ever-evolving threat of cybercrime.
What a neural network is really doing?
by Yogesh Haribhau Kulkarni (PhD)
Deep neural networks, with their intricate layers and complex functions, have revolutionised our ability to tackle tasks ranging from image recognition to language translation. But to truly understand how they operate, it’s helpful to look at them through the lens of manifold learning.
Essentially, neural networks are powerful function approximators, capable of modeling any function given enough data. This concept, backed by the Universal Approximation theorem, underlines the networks’ ability to navigate and interpret the data’s underlying geometry, or ‘Manifold’ — a smooth, domain-specific surface that represents coherent data points in a lower-dimensional space.
The journey to comprehend these networks transcends mere numerical operations, leading us into a realm where geometry and topology converge to form the backbone of deep learning.
Exploring neural networks from a geometric-topological perspective, akin to the fields of Euclidean space and Manifold Hypothesis, reveals the true nature of these computational models. They aim to map out and approximate the manifold, a lower-dimensional representation of high-dimensional data, making complex data more manageable and interpretable.
This approach is not only about making predictions or classifications but about understanding the fabric of the data we work with. Whether it’s navigating the manifold of a road system using a simple ‘t’ variable or distinguishing intricate linguistic patterns, the goal remains the same: to uncover the underlying structure of the data.
The quest for smaller, more efficient models that can capture the essence of these manifolds without the enormity of today’s neural networks sparks a fascinating challenge, blending the quest for technological advancement with a deep appreciation for the mathematical landscapes that underlie our world.
At its core, a neural network is deemed a function approximator.
This story demystifies the complex world of neural networks and manifold learning, presenting a compelling narrative on how deep learning intersects with geometry and topology to unlock new possibilities in data interpretation. It’s a must-read for anyone fascinated by the convergence of mathematics, technology, and machine learning, offering insights into the future of compact and efficient models capable of capturing the essence of data’s underlying structures.
Unveiling the Creep-Detection Mechanism
by B.
In this story, the narrator reveals her innate ability to detect creeps, a skill honed through decades of navigating unwanted attention. This “creep detector” within her alerts her to the presence of individuals with potentially harmful intentions, even before they act.
Her experiences, ranging from receiving unsolicited messages from a cab driver to being bombarded with inappropriate texts by a workplace auditor, underscore the reliability of this intuition. Interestingly, this skill is not unique to her but is shared among women, serving as an unspoken defense mechanism in a world where such vigilance is unfortunately necessary.
Just by being around a person, I can quickly figure out whether he’s someone to be trusted or not.
The story is compelling for its relatability to many women’s experiences and offers insight into the nuanced ways individuals protect themselves through intuition. It’s a testament to the silent strength carried by women and the invisible burdens they bear in society.
Duncan says:
Five articles from around the ILLUMINATION mall, each one different, each one containing something useful, something thoughtful, something focused.
Perhaps a bit tooooo focused in the Neural Network story but if anyone understands the summary, they’ll love the story, I reckon.
There’s more every day, go read these articles and suggest any more that jump out at you, please.
Duncan Klein
