๐ก Warp News #326
โข๏ธ Microreactor went from idea to chain reaction in under a year. ๐ฆพ AI has designed an entirely new kind of vaccine. ๐ Filter captures 97% of microfibres from the wash.
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๐จ Like I said
Ever since shortly after ChatGPT was released, I have been going on about how AI unlocks human creativity and potential. It even became an entire book.
Recently, Erik Uppenberg reached out to me with exactly that kind of example.
"I never thought I would make my own comics again," he wrote.
It was easy to believe him, considering he had taken a 34-year break.
Erik created comics as a teenager, but he struggled to motivate himself to do the foundational training required to become truly good at drawing. Sitting down to sketch or do life drawing never appealed to him.
The goal was always the finished comic panel, not the exercises needed to get there. As a result, he often got stuck before the comics were actually made.
Instead, he found another path into the world of comics. He took over the fanzine Seriechock and began writing about comics rather than creating them himself.
But in the spring of 2024, something changed.
When Erik attended a course on AI, he realized that the obstacles that had previously stood in his way were no longer as significant.
Suddenly, both the tools and the desire to return to making comics were there, after a break of 34 years.
So now he has released Vรคlart issue number 6. You can read more about his work and buy it through his Facebook page. (With AI's help, he could also create a nice website and a simple ordering system... just saying =)
That does not mean you can simply push a button and get a good comic. He has put in hundreds of hours of work, not least to make the visual style consistent throughout the entire publication. And of course there is also a story to tell, dialogue to write, and then the comic has to be printed, sold, and distributed.
But with AI, he was able to get past a barrier that had limited his potential.
A new world order
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how this is our chance to help shape what the next world and world order will look like, now that the old one is beginning to come apart.
Here are my thoughts on what the guiding principle of the next world order should be: ๐บ๏ธ A small proposal for a new world order
Mathias Sundin
The Angry Optimist
๐ This week's Premium Supporter article
Open and free for everyone thanks to the support of our paying members.
๐บ๏ธ A small proposal for a new world order
The modern world is based on the nation state. The next step is to base it on human beings.
๐ก Fact-based optimistic news of the week
๐ซ Injectable mini livers could become an alternative to transplantation
Researchers at MIT have developed mini livers that can be injected into the body and take over functions from a failing liver. The technology could help patients who are currently not healthy enough for a transplant.
๐ Filter captures 97% of microfibres from the wash
Washing machines release large amounts of microfibres that end up in waterways and oceans. A filter fitted to the washing machine collects the fibres before they reach the drain. The filter captures 97 percent of microfibres and is now sold in more than 30 European markets and the UK.
โข๏ธ Microreactor went from idea to chain reaction in under a year
American nuclear power has long been marked by delays, where a single reactor design could take a decade to test. Antares' microreactor Mark-0 started a stable nuclear reaction in under twelve months. That made them the first private company to take an advanced reactor there within the program.
๐ฆพ AI has designed an entirely new kind of vaccine for the first time
Ordinary vaccines target a current strain of a virus and quickly become outdated when it mutates. The new method instead makes it possible to design a vaccine that protects against an entire virus family at once.This means the vaccine can provide protection even against future mutations.
๐ง Several advances are changing the fight against Alzheimer's
For the first time, simple blood tests can show whether a person has Alzheimer's disease. Two drugs that slow the progression of the disease have been approved by the FDA. The number of patients researchers can screen for clinical trials has risen from a couple per day to several hundred.
๐งฎ AI solves a math problem that had remained unsolved for 80 years
OpenAI's AI model solved the so-called unit distance problem. The problem was posed by the mathematician Paul Erdลs around 80 years ago and had remained unsolved ever since. Several prominent mathematicians confirm that the solution is on par with work produced by humans.
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