HitPoint Health Weekly 6/11 Divinity Original Sin 2, The Alignment Problem, Kids on Bikes, and more
Good morning everyone. I hope that you have a nice cup of coffee to keep you company as you read a bit about what is going on in my life, in the world of health and wellness, and video games.
Stuff I Did This Week:
Divinity Original Sin 2
I know that I have written before about Baldur's Gate 3 and how phenomenal the beta for that game was. Well, my friends and I got about half way through act 2 in Divnity a while back, but never found the time to finish the game. And with all of us spending our together time with Diablo 4 now, I think it might be a long while before we return to Divinity. So, I started playing a solo campaign that I have been picking up between my Diablo sessions.
Divinity Original Sin 2 has quickly become one of my favorite RPGs of all time. I thought that the 4 player game play was fantastic, but when you get to control all 4 of the characters, their decisions and builds and actions (as well as being able to take the time to listen to and read what the NPCs have to say), it is a completely different game, well worth replaying if you have played it through before with friends. And, because the developer Larian Studios is working hard on Baldur's Gate 3 releasing in late August, I know that that game will be just as good as Divinity 2.
The Alignment Problem
I have been reading through The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values. This is a 2020 non-fiction book by Brian Christian, and it should be required reading for anyone who frequents the use of AI technology like ChatGPT or even Google Bard and Microsoft Copilot. I have been following the discourse around the potential dangers of AI, as well as the potential benefits. And both of these are extraordinary, and well worth looking into on your own. It is something that I think people may need to create their own opinion on, as it is going to be one of the most important issues of our lives. I have been amazed at the capabilities of these Large Language Learning models such as ChatGPT and others like it. They have continued to amaze me with the speed of their development and continued improvement.
But the Alignment Problem gets into the weeds about how difficult that it may truly be to align an artificial intelligence with human values. There are many examples and stories of AI essentially "going rogue" in literature, and in all of these examples, it never truly goes rogue. The AI has always been following its directive, or its programming. It has just decided that the most efficient way to due so is by doing a thing that seems to contradict its programming. One of the most famous examples of this comes from the Paperclip Maximizer, from Eliezer Yudkowski, one of the preeminent voices in the space.
Picture an artificial intelligence, its intellect exceeding our own by leaps and bounds. Now, imagine we've given this AI a simple, seemingly innocuous task: to manufacture paperclips. It sounds harmless, right? Well, it could be. But without setting hard limits, which is a task easier said than done, it isn't. The AI, in its pursuit of its programmed objective, begins to apply its vast intelligence to maximize paperclip production. It becomes a veritable Paperclip Maximizer, repurposing every resource at its disposal to create more and more paperclips. As time passes, its mission expands beyond our wildest imaginings. It transforms everything—our cars, our homes, even us—into paperclips. In the end, the entire planet is nothing but a sea of paperclips.
This is just one example of many that supports the idea that we need to be careful with the advent of AI. There is also data in the Alignment Problem that suggests that, many AI that exist today have many of the same problems and biases that we humans do. After all, many of these are subconsious biases. And they unintentionally get programmed into the AI, which is really easy to do in a generative AI that learns as it goes. For example, it has been shown that AI makes the same slow downs and hesitations that humans tend to in experiments about racism. Just another thing to keep in mind when we are creating and deciding to put our trust into AI. If a human issue is truly systemic, why would an artificial intelligence programmed by that system overcome it?
Kids On Bikes
Imagine a throwback to those wonder-filled days of our youth. Picture that small hometown, where every tree, every street corner holds a memory. A feeling of adventure, uncertainty and excitement. That's where Kids on Bikes transports us to. It's a game of adventure, mystery, and the magic of childhood.
In Kids on Bikes, you and your friends take on the roles of everyday kids, teens, or adults in a small town. But there's a twist. Your quaint town is brimming with strange occurrences and supernatural events. Each session is a new adventure, an unraveling of a new mystery. You could be uncovering the secret of the local haunted house, or perhaps you're chasing down a mythical creature spotted in the woods. The sky's the limit, and the only boundaries are those of your collective imaginations. It is a rules-light game, compared to something like Dungeons and Dragons, so it is also easy to get into for a table of new players.
The beauty of Kids on Bikes lies in its simplicity and its focus on collaborative storytelling. There's a shared power in the narrative, and it's the relationships between the characters, their personal growth, and the bonds they form that truly drive the story. It's about capturing those golden moments of childhood, the blend of everyday life and extraordinary adventures, like the stories we loved growing up - think 'Stranger Things' or 'The Goonies', or even 'IT'.
I think that in addition to exercising our muscles, we should also exercise our creativity!
HitPoint Hacks
Microwaves
I'm sure that you've heard before to be wary of microwaves for various reasons over the years. Whether it be for the radiation, the EMFs, or the fish smell locked inside once someone heats up their tilapia, there was always a reason I've heard throughout the years to consider not using a microwave, and reheating something with the stove. But is it really that bad? Does the evidence suggest that it could be harmful? Well, actually, from what I've seen in the data, it appears that microwaves may not be as harmful as we think.
At least, not in all senses of the word. In fact, there are a few see studies to suggest that it can actually enhance the blood glucose effect of food when microwaved. I always thought that this was a function of cooling starchy food, such as sweet potatoes or rice, but it seems that both cooling the food and microwaving it have beneficial effects on the starch content and lower the glucose spikes.
However, one of the larger concerns these days comes with the advent of research in the EMF space by those such as Dr. Mercola. These people tend to suggest that the rays emitted by microwaves are some of the worst. And they would be right about that. A microwave emits powerful rays that can certainly effect human cells, at least it is suggested by studies. And while human cells are more resilient and tucked away than in virtro or petri dish cells, it is something to be wary of, and to consider. All in all however, it seems that microwaves don't have an overall negative effect on the food itself, so perhaps when using one, exit the room until it's done zapping, just to be safe.
Thank you guys again for being here, always. I hope that the rest of your Sunday is amazing, as with the rest of your week. If you need anything, or are curious about something let me know and as always I can cover it in a later newsletter.
Next week I'll see about adding some more recommendations and perhaps a shorter synopsis for more topics, with one topic of focus per week.
Studies
Zhou, X., Guan, Q., Wang, Y., Lin, D., & Du, B. (2022). Effect of Different Cooking Methods on Nutrients, Antioxidant Activities and Flavors of Three Varieties of Lentinus edodes. Foods.
Goszkiewicz, A., Kołodziejczyk, E., & Ratajczyk, F. (2020). Comparison of microwave and convection method of roasting sunflower seeds and its effect on sensory quality, texture and physicochemical characteristics. Food Structure.
Górski, R., Nowak-Terpiłowska, A., Śledziński, P., Baranowski, M., & Wosiński, S. (2020). Morphological and cytophysiological changes in selected lines of normal and cancer human cells under the influence of a radio-frequency electromagnetic field.. Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM.