Projecting Ourselves onto Others

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Large numbers of American soldier had idyllic marriages to German, Italian or Japanese “war brides” (after World War II) with whom they could not verbally communicate. But when their brides learned English, the marriages began to fall apart. The servicemen could then no longer project upon their wives their own thoughts, feelings, desires and goals and feel the same sense of closeness one feels with a pet. Instead, as their wives learned English, the men began to realize that these women had ideas, opinions and aims different from their own. As this happened, love began to grow for some; for most, perhaps, it ceased.

The liberated woman is right to beware of the man who affectionately calls her his “pet.” He many indeed be an individual whose affection is dependent upon her being a pet, who lacks the capacity to respect her strength, independence and individuality.

Probably the most saddening example of this phenomenon is the very large number of women who are capable of “loving” their children only as infants.

As soon as a child begins to assert its own will- to disobey, to whine, to refuse to play, to occasionally reject being cuddled, to attach itself to other people, to move out into the world a little bit on its own – the mother’s love cease… At the same time, she will often feel an almost overpowering need to be pregnant again, to have another infant, another pet. Usually she will succeed, and the cycle is repeated.

The point is that nurturing can be and usually should be much more than simple feeding, and that nurturing spiritual growth is an infinitely more complicated process than can be directed by any instinct.

M Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

16 Recent Articles about AI-generated Fakes 

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The messy process of creativity

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Many case studies read to me like school homework: they knew what the answer and the process were “supposed to be” according to the textbook, so made up the story to fit. In reality, it’s never smooth and linear. It’s messy and loopish. If you’re doing a good job, you rarely end up with anything remotely like you anticipated when you started out.  

-Matej Latin

AI Definitions: Deep Learning

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Deep Learning – Training computers to use neural networks and solve problems. It involves a particular kind of mathematical model. The word “deep” means that the composition has many “blocks” of neural networks stacked on top of each other, and the trick is adjusting the blocks that are far from the output, since a small change there can have very indirect effects on the output. It is the dominant way to help machines sense and perceive the world around them. It powers the image-processing operations of firms like Facebook and Google, self-driving cars, and Google’s on-the-fly language translations. 

More AI definitions here.

14 Articles about AI & the US Military

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How to tell the good people from the bad

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Behavior can be good or bad. But people themselves aren't good or bad—though they have the capacity for doing either one. As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote in The Gulag Archipelago, “The line separating good and evil passes right through every human heart, and through all human hearts.”

Evil is not a thing you can point at and say, “There it goes!” or “Here it is!” Evil is a privation. A negation. It's not something in itself. It's like rot to a tree. Without the tree, the rot wouldn't exist. Without a context of good, evil doesn't exist. So, if you want to declare something evil, then you must first come to terms with what is good.

Stephen Goforth

6 Webinars this Week about AI, Journalism, Social Media & More

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May 16, 2024, thru 2026 - AI Spotlight Series Workshops & Webinars

What: This is a series of webinars & workshops being held over a two-year period designed to equip reporters and editors—whether on the tech beat or any other beat—with the knowledge and skills to cover and shape coverage of AI and its profound influence on society. Some of the questions that will guide the instruction include: Where is AI being used? Where is it working or breaking? Who is being harmed, and who stands to profit?

Who: Award-winning AI reporter Karen Hao, whose pioneering work in the field of AI accountability is regularly taught in universities and cited by governments. Some of the world’s leading technology reporters and editors have co-designed the AI Spotlight Series curriculum and will be instructors in the program. Most of the instruction will be interactive and online. The co-designers and instructors of the AI Spotlight Series are: Lam Thuy Vo (reporter at The Markup), Gabriel Geiger (investigative reporter at Lighthouse Reports), Gideon Lichfield (former editor in chief at MIT Technology Review and WIRED), and Tom Simonite (senior editor at WIRED).

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Pulitzer Center

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Tue, April 23 - Social Media 101 for Nonprofits

What: This session includes practical tips and tools for extending your cause and mission via social media. We cover the basics of using social media for your nonprofit organization and give you handy tips for the most useful social media platforms for nonprofits.

Who: Kiersten Hill Director of Nonprofit Solutions

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: FireSpring

More Info

 

Tue, April 23 - Website Engagement Strategies: Elevate Your Online Presence

What: This session is designed for small business owners and entrepreneurs eager to enhance their online presence, attract more visitors, and convert those visits into tangible business outcomes. This webinar is perfect for anyone within the small business community looking to elevate and improve their website engagement. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to revamp your existing website, this webinar will provide valuable insights and actionable strategies.

Who: Chloe Grim, Photo Specialist; Web Designer at the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center Lien Nguyen, Digital Content Specialist at the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center.

When: 5 pm, Eastern  

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Kutztown University Small Business Development Center

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Wed, April 24 - Learning from the Media: A Conversation with Journalists

What: Panelists will discuss the constraints and incentives they face when reporting, including suggestions for building relationships with journalists and communicating effectively with and through them.

Who: M.R. O’Connor is a freelance journalist and author of the book Ignition: Lighting Fires in a Burning World; Roberto Rosales is a photojournalist who has covered wildland fire in the West and a photography professor at the University of New Mexico; April Ehrlich is a reporter covering lands and environmental policies in Oregon and Southwest Washington at Oregon Public Broadcasting.

When: 1 pm, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Fire Learning Network

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Wed, April 24 - AI Tools for Journalists Part II

What: This hands-on session builds on our Feb “Introduction to AI Tools” session. We’ll explore what these tools can do well (help with social media, headlines, writing tips, coding, photo illustrations) and what they do poorly (write stories, accuracy, etc.) and discuss legal and ethical ramifications of using them.  

Who: Mike Reilley Senior Lecturer, University of Illinois-Chicago

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free for members, $25 for nonmembers

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Wed, April 24 - Disinformation & The Public: How journalists can champion news literacy and empower their communities

What: Participants will learn practices to reach some of the communities most vulnerable to mis- and disinformation campaigns, how to talk about disinformation in ways that instill trust among communities traditionally underserved by mainstream media, and tools to empower members of the public to champion their roles as information clearinghouses in their peer groups and communities.

Who: Tamoa Calzaldilla, editor in chief of Factchequeado and creator of the bilingual Guide for Journalists Covering Latino and Spanish-Speaking Communities; Henry Hicks, manager, U.S. Free Expressions Programs for PEN America; Mollie Muchna, project manager for Trusting News and adjunct professor at the University of Arizona’s School of Journalism; Kate Starbird, co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington and associate professor in the university’s Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering; Moderator: Delano Massey, managing editor of local at Axios and NPCJI board member.

When: 11:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: National Press Club Journalism Institute

More Info

Defining Artificial Intelligence

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Basically, it means “making machines intelligent”, so they can take some decisions on their own according to the situations without the need of any human interference. The phrase was coined, says The Economist, in a research proposal written in 1956. The defining feature of artificial intelligence is that behavior is learned from data rather than explicitly programmed. The current excitement about the field was kick-started in 2012 by an online contest called the ImageNet Challenge, in which the goal was getting computers to recognize and label images automatically.

More AI definitions here.

Love Means Putting yourself out of business

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The proper aim of giving is to put the recipient in a state where he no longer needs our gift. We feed children in order that they soon be able to feed themselves; we teach them in order that they may soon not need our teaching. The hour when we can say “They need me no longer” should be our reward.

My own profession – that of a university teacher – is in this way dangerous. If we are any good we must always be working towards the moment at which our pupils are fit to become our critics and rivals. We should be delighted when it arrives, as the fencing master is delighted when his pupil can pink and disarm him. Any many are. But not all.

CS Lewis, The Four Loves

A Dozen Recent AI Prediction Articles

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Advice from Conan O'Brien

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Nietzsche famously said, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." But what he failed to stress is that it almost kills you. Disappointment stings, and for driven, successful people like yourselves, it is disorienting.

There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized. I went to college with many people who prided themselves on knowing exactly who they were and exactly where they were going.

My peers and I have all missed that mark in a thousand different ways. But the point is this: It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention.

In 2000, I told (Harvard) graduates to not be afraid to fail, and I still believe that. But today, I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.

Many of you here today are getting your diploma at this Ivy League school because you have committed yourself to a dream and worked hard to achieve it. And there is no greater cliché in a commencement address than "follow your dream." Well, I am here to tell you that whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that's okay. Four years ago, many of you had a specific vision of what your college experience was going to be and who you were going to become. And I bet, today, most of you would admit that your time here was very different from what you imagined.

I have told you many things today, most of it foolish but some of it true. I'd like to end my address by breaking a taboo and quoting myself from 17 months ago. At the end of my final program with NBC, just before signing off, I said, "Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen." Today, receiving this honor and speaking to the Dartmouth Class of 2011 from behind a tree trunk, I have never believed that more.

Conan O'Brien, born April 18, 1963

From his commencement address to Dartmouth College (watch the entire speech here)

AI Definitions: Small Language Models

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Small Language Models (SLMs) – Requiring less data and training time than large language models, SLMs have fewer parameters making them more useful on the spot or when using smaller devices. Perhaps the best advantage of SLMs is their ability to be fine-tuned for specialized for specific tasks or domains. They are also more useful for enhanced privacy and security and are less prone to undetected hallucinations. Google’s Gemma is an example.

More AI definitions here.

How to tell the good people from the bad  

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Behavior can be good or bad. But people themselves aren't good or bad—though they have the capacity for doing either one. As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote in The Gulag Archipelago, “The line separating good and evil passes right through every human heart, and through all human hearts.”

Evil is not a thing you can point at and say, “There it goes!” or “Here it is!” Evil is a privation. A negation. It's not something in itself. It's like rot to a tree. Without the tree, the rot wouldn't exist. Without a context of good, evil doesn't exist. So, if you want to declare something evil, then you must first come to terms with what is good.

Stephen Goforth

Why confusion makes some people creative and other people crazy

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Not everyone has the same impulse when it comes to ambiguity. Some people are very uncomfortable with confusion, and their minds jump to quick decisions in the face of uncertainty. Others are content to be confused a while, and may even find it makes them more creative. Even with this article, some may have read the ambiguous headline and been intrigued -- while others may have felt annoyed or daunted.

Psychologists describe the degree to which people seek out certainty as their "need for closure." This trait varies not just from person to person, but also with environmental factors, like fatigue, time pressure and stress.

The need for closure doesn’t have anything to do with intelligence, but it can have a powerful influence on your behavior -- including your capacity to innovate, your predilection for stereotyping, and your ability to make decisions in times of crisis.

Ana Swanson writing in the Washington Post

Love Begets Love

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The more children know that you value them, that you consider them extraordinary people, the more willing they will be to listen to you and afford you the more willing they will be to listen to you and afford you the same esteem. And the more appropriate your teaching, based on your knowledge of them, the more eager your children will be to learn from you. And the more they learn, the more extraordinary the will become, If the reader senses the cyclical character of this process, he or she is quite correct and is appreciating the truth of the reciprocity of love. Instead of a vicious downward cycle, it is a creative upward cycle of evolution and growth. Value creates value. Love begets love.

M Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

14 Webinars this week about media, journalism, AI & more

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Mon, April 15 - Just the Facts: How to Find Your Way in a Media Ecosystem Full of Misinformation

What: This webinar focused on journalists’ obligation to report fairly and accurately. Two fact-checking pros will explain their work and guide journalists on how to use these tools and how to do their own fact-checking for local stories.

Who: Lori Robertson is the managing editor of FactCheck.org; Louis Jacobson has been with PolitiFact since 2009, currently as senior correspondent; Moderated by Chris Roberts, lead author of Doing Ethics in Media: Theories and Practical Applications and SPJ Professional Standards and Ethics Committee member.

When: 1:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists

More Info

 

Tue, April 16 - AI, the Digital Landscape, and Misinformation-Busting Superpowers for Students

What: An educator’s guide to misinformation in today’s digital landscape, including a close look at generative AI. In addition to discussing fundamental tools and tips for fact checking and misinformation busting, they will explore how AI technology continues to evolve and how it can even be used to enrich the learning experience. Topics will include:  The state of today’s digital landscape and its implications in an election year; Strategies for helping students determine the credibility of evidence and sources; Best practices for teaching about misinformation and conspiratorial thinking

Who: Brittney Smith, Senior Manager of Education Partnerships, The News Literacy Project; Peter Adams, Senior Vice President of Research and Design, The News Literacy Project.

When: 5 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: News Literacy Project

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Tue, April 16 - AI is Big. What’s Your Reskilling Plan?

What: This webinar will address: Practical ways to identify where AI will be most effective for your organization; Approaches to develop an L&D program that prepares teams to achieve the AI vision; How to identify the resources required to begin your AI reskilling/upskilling journey.

Who: Jaco Jansen van Rensburg, Ph.D. Vice President of Learning, Sand Technologies

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Training Magazine Network

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Tue, April 16 - Marketing Trends Nonprofits Need to Know (and Embrace)

What: The 2024 marketing trends that’ll shape your nonprofit’s future and grow your impact, including: Storytelling, automation, search engine optimization and artificial intelligence.

Who: Kiersten Hill, who has two decades in nonprofit management and fundraising. She has raised over $20 million for Nebraska nonprofit organizations.

When: 2 pm, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Firespring

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Tue, April 16 - 30 Minute Skills: Climate Reporting

What: By attending this class, you’ll learn: How to identify and report climate change tie-ins across all beats; How to best communicate dry energy stories or complex science; How to make climate connections clear in everyday weather stories.

Who: Annie Ropeik, independent climate journalist   

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The New England Newspaper & Press Association

More Info

 

Tue, April 16 - Inclusivity Essentials: Creating Accessible Websites for Nonprofits

What: Learn how to ensure that your website is welcoming to all audiences by using accessibility features and complying with ADA standards. This webinar focuses on practical tips to make your nonprofit's website more inclusive and user-friendly. You'll learn about essential accessibility features, compliance with ADA standards, and how to ensure that your site is welcoming to all audiences. This session is a must for nonprofits looking to enhance their online presence and commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Who: Tapp Network's experts.

When: 12 pm

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: TechSoup

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Wed, April 17 – Ethics, Trust & The News: How journalists can build and support a culture of credibility

What: Participants will learn the types of conversations that go on in newsrooms when determining coverage on difficult topics, especially those tied to crises and other disinformation-rich news events; Factors to consider related to language choice, story/coverage framing, and other critical decisions made during the reporting and editing process; Practices to determine validity and value of crowd-sourced content; Coverage considerations that can impact civic participation.

Who: Amanda Barrett, vice president of news, standards and inclusion for The Associated Press;  Anita Kumar, senior managing editor, North America, and standards editor for POLITICO; Natalia Mironova, editor of news standards and best practices for Voice of America; Eileen O’Reilly, managing editor for standards and training for Axios and NPCJI board member; David Peterkin, vice president of news practice for ABC News;  Moderator: Ed Kelley, dean emeritus at Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication and NPCJI board member.

When: 11:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: National Press Club Journalism Institute

More Info

 

Wed, April 17 - Election Season & Transgender Rights: Reporting Responsibly in a Divided America

What: A discussion of how journalists can responsibly cover transgender people and the issues they face during an election season.

Who: SPJ's panel of trans and gender non-binary experts.

When: 4 pm, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists

More Info

 

Wed, April 17 - Online Fundraising: How to Raise the Most on your Website, Social Media and More

What: Our experts from Zeffy will delve into the best practices of online fundraising. Learn how to retain 100% of the funds you raise, avoiding the fees associated with traditional fundraising tools

Who: Gaspard Vié & Sammy Goyette of Zeffy

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Nonprofit Learning Lab

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Thu, April 18 - Reimagining Assessment for Creative Thinking and AI

What: This webinar will delve into the dynamic relationship between creative thinking, artificial intelligence (AI), and assessment. In this session, we'll explore methodologies that empower educators to effectively evaluate the creative process in the age of AI.  

Who: Brian Johnsrud Global Head of Education Learning and Advocacy, Adobe; Stacie Johnson Leader of Professional Development at Khan Academy; Amanda Bickerstaff Founder, AI for Education; Ana Herrera Student, 11th Grade; Carl Hooker educator, author, speaker.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Adobe

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Thu, April 18 - Boost Your Brand Trust and SEO with Author Profiles

What: The SEO advantages and how these pages establish your business as an industry leader.

Who: Matt Larson is the president & CEO of Our-Hometown.com and has proudly served the newspaper industry for 12 years. His company provides a WordPress-based platform that has been customized for newspapers to help them monetize their content online.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: $35

Sponsor: Online Media Campus

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Thu, April 18 - How Cognitive Biases make us Vulnerable to Disinformation – and what we can do about it

What: An overview of some of the most common cognitive biases that shape how we consume information, followed by a conversation about how we all can reduce the influence of cognitive biases and become more resilient consumers of news and information.

Who: Kurt Sampsel, Senior Program Manager, PEN America; Thomas Martinez, Managing Editor, Fort Worth Report; Kristy Roschke, Managing Director, News Co/Lab, Arizona State University.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Pen America

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Thu, April 18 - Emerging Social Media Trends 

What: In this Web-based presentation, you’ll walk away with: What are the biggest social marketing trends; What are the Small Business social media trends on the horizon; Tips and tricks to get started with some of these social networks, and marketing strategies and tactics.

Who: Ray Sidney-Smith, CEO, W3 Consulting

When: 10 am

Where: Zoom

Cost: $45

Sponsor: Duquesne University Small Business Development Center

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Friday, April 19 - Journalism’s Numbers Game: Reporting Polls Ethically 

What: Are journalists paying too much attention to polls? The dominance of the internet, the dwindling number of landlines and the rising level of public distrust raise questions about the overall reliability and utility of polls. This discussion will attempt to answer those questions.

Who: SPJ Professional Standards and Ethics Committee Chair Fred Brown; Noah Pransky, former national correspondent for NBC; Emily Swanson, director of public opinion research at the Associated Press; and Seth Masket, professor of political science and the director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver.

When: 5 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free but advanced registration is required

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists

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13 Things People are Trying to Get AI to Do

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