Technology and Media: Historic Transformations

Podcast of this blog post.

Having witnessed firsthand the explosion of the Internet and the birth of social media, I observed a profound shift: information, once difficult to produce and disseminate, can now be created and shared by anyone with ease. The barrier to entry for crazy ideas is now lower than it has ever been in history. People now need to be more discriminating than ever.

It will probably take a few generations for people to learn a proper level of skepticism. Right now, the pace at how quickly things are changing is faster than the rate at which the average person can keep up. I only wish we had better records of the impact of other, historic transitions from people who lived through it. I asked AI to give me some examples and this is what I discovered. 

The transition from mass media to social media represents a profound societal shift in how information is created, distributed, and consumed. Throughout history, comparable adjustments have occurred during periods of technological and cultural innovation. Here are some examples:

1. The Invention of Writing (Circa 3200 BCE)

• What Changed: Oral traditions gave way to written records, enabling information to be preserved and transmitted across generations and distances.

• Impact: Writing centralized knowledge within institutions like temples and royal courts but also democratized access to ideas over time. Societies had to learn to value written contracts, laws, and literature over oral storytelling.

2. The Printing Press (15th Century)

• What Changed: Johannes Gutenberg’s invention made mass production of books possible, transforming knowledge from an elite privilege into a public good.

• Impact: The spread of books, pamphlets, and newspapers fueled the Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution. However, it also necessitated new skills, like literacy, and created challenges such as the dissemination of propaganda.

3. The Telegraph and Telephone (19th Century)

• What Changed: Communication became nearly instantaneous over long distances.

• Impact: The flow of information accelerated commerce, politics, and personal relationships. However, it also created a demand for new protocols and etiquette around remote communication.

4. Mass Media (20th Century)

• What Changed: The rise of radio, television, and film centralized information dissemination, placing control in the hands of a few corporations or governments.

• Impact: Mass media shaped public opinion and culture on an unprecedented scale. Societies grappled with issues like censorship, propaganda, and the influence of advertising.

5. The Internet (Late 20th Century)

• What Changed: The internet democratized access to information and gave individuals the tools to publish content globally.

• Impact: The transition required societies to navigate new risks, such as cybercrime, misinformation, and digital divides, while also embracing the possibilities for global collaboration and education.

6. The Rise of Algorithms and AI (21st Century)

• What Changed: Algorithms began curating information for individuals, creating “filter bubbles” and personalized content streams.

• Impact: This shift parallels earlier technological revolutions but adds complexity due to the opacity of algorithmic decision-making and its potential for bias or manipulation.

Societal Adjustments Across Transitions:

• Critical Thinking: Similar to learning literacy after the printing press, people now need “digital literacy” to evaluate the credibility of online information.

• Ethical Norms: Societies create new rules or guidelines for acceptable behavior in response to technological shifts, such as copyright laws or content moderation policies.

• Power Dynamics: Each transition alters who holds power over information and who can challenge authority, from the scribe to the independent journalist to the social media influencer.

These transitions often involve disruption, but they also open opportunities for progress, creativity, and greater inclusivity. The key challenge for each era is learning to wield new tools responsibly.

Balanced News from the Right & Left

A friend turned me on to Tangle News, yesterday. Unlike Ground News (which reports on how other news outlets are reporting news), Tangle News reports a story and then reports on what the Right and Left are saying about the topic followed by the author's personal take. 

I'm trying it out with the latest story that was published about Matt Gates' Attorney General bid. This article was published just before he withdrew his name, so it's a little stale but still interesting. I also turned the article into a podcast for alternative consumption. 

Pocket Travel Router & Repeater for the Win

A coworker who was visiting San Diego in September mentioned that he always travels with a pocket-sized travel router so I decided to check one out on Amazon. I'm impressed; especially since it cost less than $40 with tax and shipping and it was delivered in under three hours.

I'm simply using mine as a WiFi repeater to deliver connectivity to a dead spot at home and it's working magnificently. It is ideal for using at a hotel so you and your fellow roommates don't need to keep logging into the hotel room's WiFi. And it's especially useful on a cruise ship or airline flight where guests are charged for Internet access for each device. Simply pay for connecting one device, the travel router, and then everyone else in your stateroom can connect it. 

To use it, you log into it, like a typical router or cable modem, and then connect it to your current home (or hotel, etc) WiFi network (you can also use ethernet or tether it to your phone’s hotspot). Once it's set up, it creates its own WiFi network so multiple people can connect to the travel router without needing to log into the hotel’s network.

iPhones Running iOS 18.1 Automatically Reboot and Lock Down After Being Idle for 96 Hours

This is an interesting new iPhone feature that causes an iPhone to automatically reboot if it's turned on but hasn’t been unlocked for 96 hours.

The thinking is that if your phone is taken from you then it’s harder to hack after it reboots, which is completely true.

Law enforcement has recently encountered this new feature from iPhones they’ve confiscated. The phones that law enforcement have been storing were inexplicably rebooting after 96 hours.

How It Works

When you turn on your iPhone, after it’s been completely powered down, or reboot it, your keys are still encrypted. Entering your six digit PIN unlocks the keys.

This is why, after you turn a phone on, but don’t unlock it, phone calls or text messages don’t display the names of who they’re from on the Lock Screen - rather the notifications simply show the phone number of the sender. The iPhone can’t decrypt a lot of things, like your address book, until you enter your PIN after turning it on or rebooting.

Once you unlock your iPhone for the first time, all the keys are decrypted and kept in memory until the next time you reboot the phone.

Pair Programming with 3Blue1Brown

For years, I've followed the fantastic videos created by Grant Sanderson of 3Blue1Brown. His videos cover math related topics such as linear algebra, quantum computing, neural networks, and physics. 

I just watch his latest video where he pair programs with Ben Sparks while explaining to Sparks how he developed a custom Python library for his video renderings.

What struck me about this video is it reminds of how gammers record and replay massively multiplayer games for others to watch.

Sanderson and Sparks essentially do the same thing, as Sanderson walks through his code and even uses ChatGPT to write some of it, saving him time. Enjoy.

Mind Blowing AI Podcast Creation

This podcast was created for free, entirely by an AI based on approximately 1,200 words of text: http://joemoreno.com/patriotism.mp3

Everyone I’ve shared this with has been absolutely amazed.

Those two voices, in this podcast, are completely AI generated. The source of the text the AI used was this blog post from earlier today.

Try It Yourself

Here's how I did it (you'll need a Google/Gmail account).

1. I visited Google's NotebookLM AI at: https://notebooklm.google.com

2. I clicked the Create button.

3. I then uploaded the text of my document.

4. Under the "Audio Overview" I clicked on the Generate button to create the "Deep dive conversation" with two hosts. It took a few minutes to complete and then I downloaded the WAV sound file. I added one additional, unnecessary, step of converting it to an MP3 using the Apple Music app on my Mac (formerly known as the iTunes app).

Ta-da. That's all there is to it.

Since this is generative AI, every time you use the same content to generate a new podcast, you'll get a different result.

Use Cases

I'm thinking of other uses for this such as turning a long article into a podcast to listen to during a commute or perhaps some work related reading that you can listen to as a podcast while commuting. 

Patriotism: Leadership & Politics

Deep dive podcast.

What is a patriot?

A patriot is a citizen who demonstrates love and respect for America by upholding the rule of law. It is fundamentally un-American to violate these principles and values as established by the Constitution (not religion).

You cannot be a patriot unless you respect the Constitution while following the law. Supporting someone who doesn’t follow these principles would be unpatriotic. Our Constitution is what makes America, America.

You can love America yet still not respect America by being a selfish scofflaw. Knowingly parking your car in a handicap spot and paying the fine shows a lack of respect for the law compared to simply parking legally. It’s not ok to break the law, even if you’re willing to pay the price.

A man can love his wife yet still not respect her.

A man can be a seemingly great parent, citizen, worker, etc. But if he constantly cheats on his wife, then there is neither respect nor commitment to the marriage. Infidelity violates the fundamental principles of marriage.

Let’s break down the difference between principles and values.

The Supreme Law Of The Land

The Constitution embodies America’s principles. It is the supreme law of the land.

Laws implement the Constitution’s principles as America’s values.

Think of principles as the lay of the land. They are virtually unmovable.

Think of values as implementing principles. Laws codify principles as values.

If you think of terrain features on the surface of the Earth as principles, then a map represents values. There are different kinds of maps.

Some maps highlight roads and highways for automobile drivers; certain maps focus on terrain, with contour lines for hikers or mountain climbers; some show water depth and hazards for sailors and divers; while other maps point out towers, radio beacons, and buildings for pilots.

All of these maps depict the same geographic area (principles) but they highlight different features (values).

Having a map for the wrong area is not helpful no matter how much you want it to work in your favor. A map of New York City does you no good in Los Angeles. The values a drill instructor instills in recruits during boot camp differ from those a parent imparts to a toddler, yet both align with the principles of the Constitution.

If a law conflicts with the Constitution, then the law either needs to be struck down or else the Constitution needs to be amended. Maintaining a law that conflicts with the Constitution is toxic and dysfunctional.

Oliver North: A Personal Journey in Ethics

Shortly after I enlisted in the Marines, news of the Iran–Contra Affair broke in the fall of 1986. The following year, Congress held hearings to get to the bottom of the matter. It was concluded that Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North – a highly decorated Marine officer who attended the Naval Academy – illegally sold arms to Iran and funneled that money to support the Contras. The Contras were Nicaraguan rebels fighting against the Sandinistas who were the political group in control of Nicaragua. The Sandinistas had policies aligned with the Soviet Union and were considered a Cold War threat to the United States. Contras good. Sandinistas bad.

During the Iran-Contra Hearings in Congress, LtCol Oliver North, as the key witness, was hailed as a celebrity for standing up to Congress, looking them in the eye, and taking full responsibility for the affair.

This seemingly brave and bold sense of patriotism and accountability would have a big impact on me, personally, when I attended the Naval Academy a few years later.

In the 1980s, I, too, hailed Oliver North as a hero, until I learned the fundamental flaws in his unethical and illegal practices.

This doesn’t mean that North didn’t accomplish truly patriotic acts that contributed to the nation’s well-being before or after the Iran-Contra Affair. But it does mean that his actions that led to this affair were misguided – a vigilante patriotism devoid of checks and balances.

During the hearings, Oliver North was asked if he received any ethics training while at the Naval Academy. After answering in the negative, a mandatory semester course was required for all Naval Academy Midshipmen (students). This ethics course was the most impactful class I took at the Academy. Second only to the Naval Academy’s course, Law for the Junior Officer.

Taking this ethics course gave me a clear understanding of North’s legal and ethical violations. Not only did he break the law, but he also lied to Congress about it. It is important to keep in mind that North’s power and authority as a military officer was bestowed upon him by Congress – the very institution he intentionally deceived.

This is the equivalent of a child being given permission by their parents to go outside to play until a curfew time. But, while out and about, the child commits vandalism and returns home late. Then, when questioned by their parents, they lie about coming home after curfew and also deny the vandalism.

The People empower the government and the government empowers certain people with authority to act on behalf of the government. In my Naval Academy ethics course, I learned how to follow a clear line of power, authority, and justice. This line originates with the Constitution and flows through the three branches of government by way of laws, codes, policies, regulations, and ethics, ultimately defining the actions allowed or restricted for both citizens and the government.

At the Naval Academy, many things we learned could be effectively summarized in soundbites.

What’s the most important leadership trait? Set the example.

When asked in an engineering class at the Academy, "Why is something a certain way?"—like, "Why are there two turbines instead of one in a ship’s steam cycle?"—the answer was simple: Because it’s more efficient.

Unethical behavior can also be succinctly summarized as a sound bite: Committing or soliciting an illegal act or the intention to deceive or not let the whole truth be known (with a few, clearly defined exceptions).

Leadership and The People

In leadership, I learned that followers look to a leader to provide stability and make them feel as safe as possible, while setting an ethical example. This applies to all levels of leadership, regardless if it’s a parent showing up on time to safely drive their kid home from school, or a military officer leading troops into combat, or a political leader announcing new policies.

We look to our leaders for safety, but before someone can lead, they must first learn to follow. A great leader cannot be a poor follower.

Politicians are leaders. In politics, we can question a political leader’s policies. However, we should never question a political leader’s patriotism. They must respect the Constitution and the rule of law above all else.

Additionally, any organization that allows a leader, no matter how talented, to operate under rules that apply only to others will create a toxic environment where someone is considered “above the law.” Formally documenting any unwritten rules will go a long way to creating a healthier environment.

Finally, being a patriot doesn’t mean blindly agreeing with every government action; it can also involve critiquing the government or advocating for change when one believes the country is not living up to its ideals. But this advocacy for change still needs to follow the Constitution and law.

Anatomy of a Sabotage: Planting Explosives in Hezbollah’s Pagers

I’m fascinated by how Hezbollah’s pagers were compromised. This is the most technically creative and innovative attack I can think of since Stuxnet in 2010. A trojan horse of cyberwarfare. 

It seems that explosives were planted in the pagers and two-way radios – it wasn’t merely an exploding battery. This means that the attacker had to gain physical access to the pagers in order to plant both the explosives and the electronic circuitry that triggered it.

Once that was accomplished, the attacker needed access to the pager network in order to send a message to all of the pagers at once, followed, seconds later, by the detonation signal.

It’s astonishing that none of these explosives appear to have been detected by any measures, including airport screening equipment. Obviously, TSA will be looking at this vector.

How Would I Do It?

Rather than intercept the pagers along the supply chain, I would look for an easier way. Specifically, I’d find a consumer electronics manufacturer who’d be willing to license to me both their brand and rights to manufacture the pagers. From there, it would be much simpler to mass manufacture and distribute the exploding pagers.

1977: The Miracle Year for Personal Computers

L to R: TRS-80 Model 1, Commodore PET, Apple ][

1977: The first three personal computers that were sold, fully assembled.

Hallucinations: How Many ‘R’s Are in the Word Strawberry?

Ask your favorite AI chatbot, "How many ‘R’s are in the word strawberry?"

Most will respond with, "The word 'strawberry' contains two ‘R’s." Obviously, that's wrong – the correct answer is three.

This is the difference between knowing and understanding. 

AI models tokenize words. Tokenization is the process of breaking down a stream of text, such as sentences, into individual words and then assigning values to each word in multiple dimensions. An AI model doesn't break down a word into letters, so current models don't use introspection to know what letters make up a word. While an AI model could break down words into letters, the juice is not worth the squeeze when it comes to memory and storage requirements. 

In the world of AI, this seemingly confidence, yet random guess, is called a hallucination.