Khan Academy's science videos are a valuable resource but may not promote meaningful learning on their own. Students often think they already know the material so do not pay full attention. When asked what they saw, they remember their own ideas instead of what was presented. Simply presenting correct information is not enough; students' misconceptions must be addressed to increase mental effort and learning. The most effective video showed an actor illustrating common misconceptions, which students then had to reconsider. This led to higher post-test scores and more reported mental effort, showing that confronting misconceptions can improve science learning from videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVtCO84MDj8
Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos
Veritasium
2011
Gillian Hadfield discusses the importance of cooperative intelligence and normative systems for AI. She argues that humans have evolved the ability to create and enforce norms through third-party punishment, which allows for stable groups and cooperation. However, current AI approaches focus too much on individual optimization. Instead, AI systems should learn to participate in and maintain normative infrastructure, rather than simply mimic existing human behavior. Understanding the generative process behind human norms and the role of normative reasoning may help build more cooperative AI systems. Silly rules, though seemingly unimportant, can serve as signals of group compliance and help maintain group stability.
Evolutionary game theory studies how strategies evolve and change over time, unlike classical game theory which focuses on static strategies. Natural selection, not rational choice, drives the evolution of strategies in biological systems. Initially, defectors outcompete cooperators but repeated interactions allow cooperation to evolve through strategies like tit-for-tat and generous tit-for-tat. Indirect reciprocity through reputation systems also enables cooperation in larger groups where people do not interact repeatedly. The evolution of cooperation through reciprocity, reputation, and social norms is a defining feature of human societies.
Survival of the fittest does not preclude altruism in nature. Simulations show that unconditionally sacrificing offspring for others does not work in the long run. For altruism to evolve, there must be some benefit to copies of the altruistic gene. Kin selection, where creatures help family members who likely share the same genes, can allow altruistic genes to spread through a population if the benefit of helping outweighs the cost. While the genes are selfish in seeking to replicate, the altruistic behavior of the creatures themselves is genuine.
Collective intelligence, which is groups of individuals acting together in intelligent ways, may be more intelligent than individuals. Tom Malone studies how to design groups for maximum effectiveness. To build a science of collective intelligence, they need to measure and develop theories of how it works. They can build on knowledge from many disciplines. To create a design space, they characterize different tasks and processes groups can use. Experiments can test how different processes work on tasks. Theories are modified based on results, guiding future experiments and design ideas for collective intelligence in practice. This research may help solve important human problems by identifying new institutional structures for groups to work together effectively.
The video provides advice and coping mechanisms for the author's past self to be more productive and happy. These include writing everything down, using a calendar for events, accepting one's autism diagnosis [lol @ how the ai generalized this], asking for clarification when communication is unclear, organizing notes with hyperlinks, and using timers and the Pomodoro Technique to structure work. An interesting point is that the author recommends storing one's "brain" in plain text files instead of proprietary apps to ensure longevity. Externalizing information helps augment memory. ok the list version is way more reasonable lol
The video discusses the challenges of integrating knowledge across disciplines in research teams. Despite many attempts over the past 20 years, most interdisciplinary research remains multi-disciplinary with little true integration. The speaker argues that early interactions in interdisciplinary teams are crucial to develop a shared conceptualization and become a complex system capable of true knowledge integration. If teams allocate sufficient time in their first meetings to develop a co-created understanding of the research problem, it can help overcome many of the challenges that plague interdisciplinary research. Focusing on participatory and inclusive interactions, learning each other's perspectives, and developing links across disciplines early on can set the team on the path to emergence of a shared vision and aligned goals.
The video discusses 3 proven study techniques backed by scientific research: 1) Testing yourself early and often, even if you get answers wrong initially, to take advantage of the hypercorrection effect and better retain information. 2)Spacing out study sessions over time to improve long-term retention. 3) Interleaving different topics during study to develop broader strategies and more flexible knowledge. Interleaving, though more frustrating, leads to significantly better performance.The video is sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on evidence-based education initiatives. Their annual letter highlights the need for innovative, risk-taking solutions tailored to each school's specific student demographics and challenges.
This is the video transcript, not a summary.
0:01 Imagine two identical circles, and two balls - one in each - placed at almost, but not
0:07 exactly the same position.
0:11 Now, let them fall.
0:35 At first, they appear to be following the same path - but soon, their trajectories will diverge. N hits
1:04 This is a chaotic system.
1:06 And these tend to have rather beautiful patterns.
1:08 So let's try to visualize it!
1:12 To colour in a point, let a ball drop from it.
1:26 And read off the colour after the N-th hit. Time, revert
2:05 To put non-integer values of N, track the time and revert to the last hit. Time, project
3:36 Alternatively, we can project the ball onto the circle.
Consciousness goes away when we sleep or are under anesthesia and comes back when we are awake. Consciousness is not the same as our senses or cognitive functions like memory and thinking, as shown by people who lack senses but are still conscious. Clive Wearing, who loses his memory every 30 seconds, shows that consciousness is not continuous, suggesting it is a momentary state. After removing all senses, functions and self, we are left with a bare nugget of being that is our raw consciousness, the closest we can get to understanding what consciousness truly is.
Sam Altman's world tour has highlighted both the promise and risks of AI. While AI could solve major issues like climate change, super intelligence poses existential risks that require careful management. Current AI models may still provide malicious actors with expertise for causing mass harm. OpenAI aims to balance innovation with addressing risks, though some regulation of large models may be needed. Altman believes AI will be unstoppable and greatly improve lives, but economic dislocation from job loss will be significant and AI may profoundly change our view of humanity. Scaling up AI models tends to reveal surprises, showing how little we still understand about intelligence.
AI art generators can produce novel and creative images by exploring the vast space of all possible images. While not at the same level as human artists, they can combine styles in new ways and make interesting mistakes that spark the imagination. They are trained on human creativity found in the data they learn from, imitating and reflecting human art. However, they lack human intent, expression and lived experience. When paired with a human, AI art can become a collaborative tool for exploration and expression of new kinds of art. The purpose of AI art is to discover new and weird images that human artists would miss, extending human imagination.
AI art has faced pushback for being built on stolen art without artists' consent. While AI can be used as a creative tool, many worry corporations will use it to cut costs by replacing human artists. There are concerns that media saturated with AI generations, driven by profit motives, could strangle human creativity. However, AI could also augment human creativity if used as a tool. The key issue is how AI is created and used, and people need to remain vigilant to ensure it is integrated ethically into society.
this one is two hours, probably skip after 10min, I watched on 3x speed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xJCzKdPyCo
Daniel Dennett discusses the dangers of counterfeit people created by AI. While current AI may not be perfectly human-like, it is good enough to fool many people. This could undermine trust and communication on the internet. As AI improves, it will become harder to distinguish text generated by humans versus AI. Dennett argues that adopting an intentional stance and treating AI systems as agents can help us predict and understand them, though it also makes us vulnerable to being fooled. While Dennett acknowledges that agentiveness is a continuum, he still distinguishes between counterfeit AI creations and real people.
Michael Levin discusses how cells can organize themselves into complex structures through bioelectricity and collective intelligence. Cells have the ability to regenerate and adapt to perturbations through electrical networks that store and process information. His research aims to understand and manipulate this bioelectric software to control cell behavior and form complex structures. He demonstrates how altering the bioelectric patterns in flatworms can cause them to regenerate heads of different shapes and species, showing that cells can achieve different outcomes when placed in novel environments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWgzWYt5c88
I love how much levin manages to sound like a crackpot, I wonder how much he'll turn out to really be one
The video argues that corporations have co-opted identity politics for their own interests, pretending to care about social justice issues while doing little to actually help marginalized groups. True progress requires solidarity and constructive politics that focus on positive outcomes for working people, uniting them against corporate elites. While identity and acknowledging differences are important, we must identify our shared adversaries and mutual interests to build solidarity and achieve true economic justice for all. Corporate capture of identity politics through symbolic gestures is meant to divide the working class and maintain elite power.
The video argues that movies have shifted from a modernist to a postmodernist and now to a metamodernist style. Modernist movies had straightforward stories and advocated for specific values. Postmodernist films questioned narrative itself and deconstructed traditional storytelling. Now, metamodern films incorporate elements of both modernism and postmodernism, oscillating between sincerity and deconstruction. They use meta elements and references not just to deconstruct but also to find meaning. This metamodern shift reflects broader cultural changes and an attempt to make sense of our hyper-modern, narrative-saturated world. Metamodernism brings back an appreciation for storytelling itself.
The video discusses the concept of hierarchy and differentiates between hierarchy in general and hierarchical power structures. Hierarchy refers to any list of order or importance while hierarchical power structures concentrate power at the top and enforce it through domination. Hierarchical power structures are rare in nature and tend to exist in less intelligent species. In contrast, horizontal power structures distribute power through libertarianism and mutuality. While hierarchical power structures are universally bad, some hierarchies can be acceptable if they are consensual like competitive sports. The key is to oppose non-consensual hierarchical power structures that seek to monopolize power and limit alternatives.
The video discusses terms like "Himbo", "Soy Boy", and "Soft Boy" used to describe men who exhibit softer or more feminine traits. While some view these terms as insulting, others find Himbos pleasant and uncomplicated. However, embracing femininity can be risky for men in a patriarchal society where masculinity is tied to humanity and desirability. The video argues that men embracing a soft life can help escape narratives of Black male hypermasculinity and violence. Allowing men to express a wider range of emotions and traits could help them achieve self-actualization. Ultimately, these archetypes should be seen as fun and not used to limit men.
Hi. Welcome to my personal blog on lesswrong. I like youtube videos. I've posted lists of them before. Since then, more youtube videos have been made that I want to share, and tools for summarizing videos have come out! So I've wanted to share them here. To allow this to be evergreen where videos can be downvoted, I'll put the videos in comments with summaries. I'll use unvoting and downvoting my own comments to change the order, and others are free to downvote videos they don't think are particularly insightful as well.
If they really want to moderators are allowed to put this on the official frontpage tag but I think it'd be a little silly, as I'm not going to think too hard about exactly which videos to tell a particular story, and just share the ones I think would be cool to have shared. some of them might have bad epistemics, even!