🛰✨The Nexialist #0033
How Normal Am I? | TechWorry | Pegasus | Parkour Bots | Resumés for AI | It’s Algorithm, Baby | Affordable Romance | Heavy Baile
Welcome to my weekly algorithmic playground, The Nexialist
As I start writing the Nexialist every week, part of my ritual is looking back at the content I have saved and try how to see how it all connects. These past couple of weeks, however, it was difficult to feel inspired as we got the sad news from Afghanistan and Haiti. These events brought feelings, along with inner debates of what I want as the Nexialist moves forward, so I would like to share that with you. Bear with me:
I think creativity is a force of change and it’s a necessary tool for problem-solving. Also, it’s known anxiety and stress hardly help the creative process. So here in the Nexialist, I want to inspire you to make connections in your brain (and heart), nurture creative intelligence, and encourage creative autonomy. I want to connect you to the Zeitgeist—the spirit of our time. That’s why you will see thought-provoking pieces, diversity, emerging ideas and technologies, along with entertainment, music videos, and cultural movements from around the world. I don’t intend, however, to detach from reality or seem alienated from the issues that are happening. As Nexialists, we must be aware of both the issues and possible/desirable solutions, so our brains can make these connections.
So, what I offer here would be more like a playground, a place and moment where you can come once a week to get some sparks in your brain (or maybe fireworks, if it’s a very nice one).…
Now enjoy week 33:
👀How Normal Am I?
Did you ever wonder how AI judges your face? This interactive documentary is “an art project by Tijmen Schep that shows how face detection algorithms are increasingly used to judge you. It was made as part of the European Union's Sherpa research program, … a project which analyses how AI and big data analytics impact ethics and human rights.” Just press play!
🚀TechWorry
Coincidently, this video appeared as a recommendation, repeatedly, and I love how it answers the question “should we fear technology?” If there’s one thing you’re watching today, it should be this. As I was trying to choose one part of the video to talk about, I realized pretty much the whole video has aha moments.
Technology is getting better, but what about our relationship with it? Well, I think we have a love-hate relationship with technology. We like the good parts and we like them so much that it becomes part of our lives and then we kind of stop noticing it. I mean, the classic sign of a mature technology is that you only notice it when it stops working and the pandemic has really made us realise how important it is for technology to work because we’re using it now more than ever before.
My favorite part is seeing how humans assimilated past emerging technologies such as horseless carriages a.k.a. cars. Horses pooped all over the place (pollution), and there was a lot of traffic, and cars appeared as a great solution. Well, we know how this is going now…
👁Pegasus
With just a single text, it can bypass your phone's security and install spyware that grants complete access to your device. It can access every message you've ever sent, it can access every message you've ever received, it can access every photo, every video, every email, it can turn on your microphone, it can turn on the microphone even when you're not using a phone call, just record what you're doing in the room. It can turn on your camera, it can record what's on your screen, it can access your GPS, it can monitor your location. And it can do all of this without you ever knowing.
I’m not sure if people are sharing this, but it reminded me why Black Mirror is taking a break: “the World is too bleak right now for Season 6 to happen.” (And it seems they will announce a date next month, which is exciting).
🤖Parkour Bots
I shared the video of the Boston Dynamics robots dancing Nexialist #0001. I don’t know about you, but my brain has a hard time understanding these are real robots, to my eyes, it looks too much like CGI (is there even a name for this kind of inverted uncanny valley?). Also, connecting it to the question above, definitely makes me think I should be worried about this technology.
Then as I scrolled down to read the comments, I found this:
Well, take a look at Oliver Nordin’s videos. Youtube has become this place where even parkour videos have a storytelling and even feel like a choreography.
👾Resumé for AI
A couple of years ago my brother told me how he was writing a new resumé and had to think of how the AI would read it. I remember being shocked and angry that this was happening. Recently there was also a big debate on TikTok Resumés, and it also bothered me: now we all have to be good with our phones, cameras, editing, etc…
This post from MIT Technology Review came my way recently, so I thought I would share it here, in case you’re looking for a job. It made me feel weird reading it and that’s why I think I want to share it here.
“Conventional wisdom will kill you in your search for a job,” Siegel says. “You want the simplest, most boring résumé template you can find. You want to write like a caveman in the shortest, crispest words you can.”
🫂It’s Algorithm, Baby
MØ is one of these artists that I always enjoy watching and listening to. I remember years ago when her fans in Brazil got together through the Queremos platform and crowdfunded her trip to Brazil for a few concerts. Beyond her fun songs and relatable lyrics, she really knows how to interact with her community. The official video of her latest release is not out yet, but it was refreshing to listen to how she mentions algorithms as a positive thing.
I'm in love with your kindness
In love with the mystery
You and I, we were meant to be
It's algorithm, baby
💞Affordable Romance
Betaalbare Romantiek (Affordable Romance) has been on repeat since last Friday when it came out. I have brought some Goldband videos here before and I have been in love with them (yes, a Dutch Boyband) since my Youtube algorithm showed them to me. I pressed play and the first song, Ik Zie Je (I see you) got me on this Sweet Disposition vibe, goosebumps included. Somehow the whole album has these nostalgia hooks from different decades, so it feels like time-traveling. Also, I feel like my very young self listening to music in English and not being able to understand it. With that said, I hope someone uploads the lyrics online soon, so I can figure out the translations, someone help!
🇧🇷Heavy Baile
“Heavy Baile is a multimedia funk [carioca] collective that proposes the convergence of musical, choreographic, and audiovisual productions. It's also a mix: black and white, gay and straight, asphalt and favela.” I had to get their description because I couldn’t have said it better. I think what they create always brings a truly Brazilian point of view.
❤️If anything made your brain tingle, click like and don't hesitate to share it with the world. It helps The Nexialist to reach more curious minds. See you next week!🦦
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🤙Call me…
If you like what you see here and your project, brand or business needs some ideas or inspiration from outside your bubble, maybe you need a Nexialist to help you out 🙋🏻♂️ I can participate in brainstorms and workshops, guide inspiration sessions, or provide you with creative research. You can always send me an e-mail to figure something out together.