Digital Minimalism: How to Break Free from Information Addiction
Imperceptibly, gradually and seemingly irreversibly, we have become dependent on technology. Or more precisely, on the information it floods us with, much of which we don't need and which is toxic and draining. The system known as “digital minimalism” offers a way to rein in this creeping dependence. But is it the universal solution?
502The Cat and the Quantum Computer
Quantum computers have been one of the most talked-about technology topics of recent years, and the biggest companies in the IT world are locked in a furious race to build working prototypes. More and more people say that they are the next step of the technological era. Yes, the subject is rather complicated, especially when you try to explain it in plain language, but let's give it a go!
503A Message in a Bottle, Emailed Across the Generations
“Do your best to make your dreams come true, so that you will have a happy old age!” Moving emails in a bottle sent across the generations exactly a year ago, carrying a message that truly matters…
504The Deep Lie: Could Deepfake Technology Start a War?
Deepfake technology makes it possible to create a video starring real people that is nonetheless completely fake. Could it lead to war? And how did neural networks suddenly become capable of producing the perfect forgery?
505Robots vs. Silodeys: The Story of Bulgaria's First Science Fiction Writer
In 1930, Georgi Iliev wrote the first Bulgarian science fiction novel. Instead of “robot,” he proposed the poetic word “silodey.” His life story is worthy of a film, though today his name is almost forgotten…
506Artificial Art: Are Computers Learning to Create?
Is it mostly a marketing trick, or will artificial intelligence soon paint like a master? Can we teach a computer program to create music, or literature? For a long time we were certain that this is one of the things that set people apart from machines—the lack of imagination, of artistry, of the ability to express oneself through art. But is that really so?
507Radostin and the Neural Network
Radostin Cholakov is only 15, but he already has solid experience as a programmer. His latest project is the AzBuki.ML platform. Thanks to it, we will soon be able to use the most advanced AI text-processing capabilities in Bulgarian.
508Do We Even Feel Like Dreaming Anymore?
Nikolay Tellalov offers some precious reflections in a slow interview about the stars and happiness, love and meaning, and the words someone has to say and write down. Have science fiction writers stopped dreaming, or has technology overtaken them? Is humanity still learning to walk, or has it hit a midlife crisis, and why don't today's young people rebel?
509Svetlin Nakov: Today, the Fight for Freedom Is Fought in the Digital World
Svetlin Nakov, the founder of SoftUni, can talk about today's (and tomorrow's) computer world for hours. Engagingly and knowledgeably, with a sense of humor and real insight. Here is what he has to tell us.
510The Earth Is Flat!
For more than two millennia we have been lied to that we live on a ball. It is time for the truth to come out! Today, when anyone online can say whatever they like, when access to information is unprecedented and general knowledge is shrinking in proportion, it is time to question the sixth-grade physics textbook. While you read… be careful not to fall off.
511TL;DR
TL;DR: Nobody has time to read long, complex texts anymore. Or do they? Do we need them to keep our brains from “blowing up” and to stay human?
512When Musk Puts a Chip in Our Brains…
“It’s very important that artificial intelligence not be ‘other.’ It must be ‘us.’ That’s the only way we survive,” says Elon Musk. To get there, he has launched Neuralink, an ultra-ambitious project whose goal is for us to merge with machines: a tiny chip in the brain that makes us part of the global network. Is this fantasy, or the only chance for the human species to survive?
513An Interview in… Short Stories?
Our guest in the Digital Stories Interviews section has a talent for reading the future. Nikolay Tellalov is a beloved writer, and although he has long been an interpreter and connoisseur of technology, he lives at a healthy distance from it. Here is what he has to say in… short stories: digital stories, miniatures that say a great deal in an infinitely small space.
514Inside the Bubble of the Like-Minded
All the big websites look after us almost like parents: they pick the most suitable content for us and save us time and effort. But this is turning into a serious problem for society. The filter bubble makes us more closed to other opinions and more aggressive, drags many of our ugliest traits into the spotlight, and robs us of the nuance and beauty of communication.
515Momchil Nikolov: I Fear the Absence of Intelligence More Than Artificial Intelligence
We met the writer Momchil Nikolov to talk about colorful lives from the digital and analog worlds. About oddballs and robots. About taking stock and about freedom.
516See You Again in… Five Years
The years fly by, but friendship stays. Ever since the distant year of 1982, these five friends have gathered once every five years by Copco Lake to recreate one symbolic photo. To chat, and to remind themselves what true friendship is…
517Fake Hero
Miquela is smiling and fashionable. A long-legged, olive-skinned Latina coquette. Time magazine ranked her among the 25 most influential people online. Just one small detail… she doesn't actually exist. She is the most recognizable face among digital humans—a new phenomenon on the internet that deserves far more attention.
518Valeri Petrov: This Net Doesn't Connect Us—It Catches Us and Cuts Us Off from the Real World
“Despite the undeniable conveniences the internet offers, the virtual connection it establishes between people is fictitious, while the way it cuts us off from our actual neighbor or acquaintance is real and harmful.” Mercilessly relevant today, isn't it? Except that it was said in an interview by the unforgettable Valeri Petrov exactly 10 years ago, along with many other priceless words worth rereading…
519News or Blame? The Robot in the Newsroom
Every day we already read articles written by a robot. Today the most valuable resource isn’t oil, or money. It isn’t gold, it isn’t even power. At the epicenter of the computer revolution, everything is information. Zdravko wants to be a journalist; Zhelyazko is an artificial intelligence. Who does the future belong to?
520A Robot Wearing a Martenitsa?!
The Digital Stories project comes into the world on the very day of the martenitsa. Because nothing is lovelier than the coming of spring. And because…
