Who Are You, Satoshi Nakamoto?
People drawn to the blockchain have been asking this question for a decade now. Why did the creator of bitcoin vanish, and what did he leave behind before he withdrew? We follow the clues Satoshi Nakamoto left in search of his true face, and of one of the most thrilling stories of the digital age.
462“How Do You Spell It?” “Idunno”
How Do You Spell It? is a cult website for every Bulgarian online who cares about writing correctly. We meet its creator, Pavlina Varbanova. How do we write in the digital world? Which mistakes are searched for most often? Is it time to drop the needless rule of the full definite article, and why does it matter to take care of the words we load with our messages?
463Wait… How Did We Run Out of Chips?
The chip shortage has shaken the whole planet and, to some degree, hit everyone who has anything to do with technology. Cars and many tech products have become dramatically more expensive, new models of all kinds of devices are delayed, and others arrive weaker than expected. We have known microchips for so long, and humanity has been perfecting them for more than half a century, so how did we end up in this crazy situation? And could it turn into an unexpected opportunity for Bulgarian industry?
464The Regenerative City: When Buildings Come Alive
Let's close our eyes and drift into an unreal future. Sofia has dealt with its basic problems and become a regenerative city. Its urban planning respects the history and needs of every resident, and of nature, too… Sadly, the dream looks distant, but let's talk about regenerative cities anyway, as a sensible and logical concept.
465What If One Day We Defeat Death?
Do you think machines and artificial intelligence could make us… immortal? What price might we end up paying? What awaits us afterward? Where is the line between the possible, even the near future, and fantasy? Each of you has your own answers. And yet there are plenty of projects and ideas on the subject that give us reason to think about it more seriously.
466“To Succeed Online, You Have to Put a Piece of Your Heart into It”
Marina Shiderova is a person of both art and technology. She and her team at Fram Creative studio create next-generation digital design that turns opening a web page into convenience, aesthetic pleasure and adventure. Together we look for one more valuable perspective on the technological present and on success online—from the standpoint of design and art.
467Boris Georgiev: The Art of Living and Art as Life
The life of the painter Boris Georgiev reads like a condensed history of the whole contradictory 20th century. He met some of the great figures of his time, among them Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and Tagore. He left us his original paintings and something even more precious: an impressive, wise worldview in which life cannot be separated from art.
468Ivo Ivanov: “We Should Have Foreseen the Destructive Side of Technology…”
Until there is an artificial intelligence that can write moving prose, we will have to rely on Ivo Ivanov for the job. Like every sensitive and observant person today, he has his own many-colored view of the digital transformation. Are there things we cannot teach algorithms? What did the online age give us, what did it take away, and how do we stay human in it?
469A Swarm of Robot Frogs That Could… Stop Aging?
They are futuristic, self-healing, miniature biological units made from frog stem cells. They are called xenobots. They can move in different directions carrying a payload, they learn collective behavior and easily turn into a swarm. Robots…, but not quite. Living creatures…, but not exactly. They are built from living cells, yet designed on the same principles normally used to make robots.
470Kris Grigorov: “Life Isn’t a Struggle for Happiness. It Brings Happiness”
Kris Grigorov is the strongest person I know. His story, his presence and his musical talent made him a star 15 years ago. He is blind and cannot manage without a wheelchair. A wise, self-assured young man with endlessly meaningful things to say, he graduated in Bulgarian philology and is determined to become a teacher. Should we ever stop chasing our dreams? What does light look like to someone who has never seen it?
471Did the Mouse Eat the Book? Or Just the Newspaper…
“Will the mouse eat the book?” we asked at the beginning of the 21st century. Two decades later, we check whether that really happened. Did books lose the battle with the internet? Was there ever such a battle at all? And what happened to the print media in the meantime? We look for answers in the numbers from the database of Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute.
472The Kid Who Talks to the Blockchain
He is only 27 and already a billionaire. More important, though, he gave birth to the technology that showed what blockchain is capable of. Ethereum's creator, Vitalik Buterin, is a fascinating character, and we should expect plenty more serious tech news from him.
473“AI Revolution!” When the Hype Goes Too Far
“Artificial intelligence” has become such a fashionable phrase, a marketing cliché that is often completely devoid of meaning. We are all excited about the possibilities this kind of technology brings, but sometimes… the results can be comical and even dangerous.
474Uncle Dan and the Ugandan Children Who Dance the Horo
You have seen them online or on television, and they are unbelievably moving: focused, serious and artistic, whether they are singing “My Country, My Bulgaria” or dancing the Danube horo, and looking nothing like the usual performers of these songs, just smiling, talented… Ugandan kids. The bridge between cultures is thrilling, and so is the uplifting story of Uncle Dan and his 100 children.
475“We Will Always Need Quality, Verified Information”
Diana Kulchitskaya teaches journalism at Moscow State University. What makes people take up journalism? Does it have a future, as seen from the lecturer's desk? And how do the debates about the online future of the media look from the “more northeastern corner” of the globe?
476Will Artificial Intelligence Take Programmers' Bread?
Could artificial intelligence put programmers out on the street in the foreseeable future? Today it is a particularly promising time to enter the profession, but will that still be true once algorithms get better at writing code? The question came up loudly with the launch of GitHub Copilot, yet it runs much deeper and is far more interesting. We have gathered plenty of arguments for and against, and we leave the answer to you.
477Grigori Perelman: The Last Mad Genius
The mathematician Grigori Perelman became a global star after solving one of the “Millennium Problems,” which matter for the technological progress of all humanity. Then… he turned down the $1 million prize that came with it! The story of the undisputed mathematical genius of our time is not only fascinating but also rather instructive…
478Bardarov on Human Aggression and How We Might Save Ourselves as a Nation
You probably know him as a spellbinding novelist, but he is a great deal more. Our conversation with Georgi Bardarov begins and ends with the books and stories that make us human. In between, we talk about a way out of the demographic crisis, about our inability to build an elite that can lead us forward as a nation, and about the ease with which a human being turns into a predator capable of unleashing monstrous cataclysms like World War II.
479Truth or Dare?
Where did the professions whose job is to create content for an audience begin, and where have they ended up? Who still fights for the truth, and should that matter to us today? Where did influencers come from, and why is it important to understand their place at the end of this long chain of professions?
480The Strange Story of Bulgarian History
Time for the thrilling story of Bulgarian History! These young people love nothing more than debunking clichés. A few examples: – The new generations don't care about Bulgarian history. – Publishing is a dying trade with nothing in it for the young. – Patriotism has been irreversibly emptied of meaning after a spin through the centrifuge of politics. The Bulgarian History association is that likable group of young people who tour schools to charge children with the magic of history. You have surely come across some of their impressive books from recent years.
