A Short Distance Ahead

A Short Distance Ahead

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The Year Was 2001

And reality breaks us, and becomes computable
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2000s

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The Year Was 2001
And reality breaks us, and becomes computable
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 2000
And we built the blueprint for digital dependency
 • 
David Williams
A Short Distance Ahead
A Short Distance Ahead
A chronicle of humanity's evolving relationship with artificial minds that each week examines how one singular year's events shaped our digital destiny.

1990s

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The Year Was 1999
And the great migration began
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David Williams
4
The Year Was 1998
And we slid closer to outsourcing our minds
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1997
And Intelligence Slipped the Leash
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1996
And we began to create life
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1995
And code was becoming commerce while art became code
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1993
And everything was set in motion
 • 
David Williams
1
The Year Was 1992
And we witnessed randomness, reason, and a world remade
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1991
And Civilization became a game
 • 
David Williams
1
The Year Was 1990
And AI was learning to move
 • 
David Williams
Recommendations
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The Intrinsic Perspective
The Intrinsic Perspective
Erik Hoel
Uncharted Territories
Uncharted Territories
Tomas Pueyo
The Algorithmic Bridge
The Algorithmic Bridge
Alberto Romero
The Elysian
The Elysian
Elle Griffin
Story Club with George Saunders
Story Club with George Saunders
George Saunders

1980s

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The Year Was 1989
And both concrete and conceptual walls came crumbling down
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1988
And another AI winter was upon us
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1987
And rigid systems were starting to crack
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1986
And machines started to show us they could learn from mistakes
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1985
And AI stood at a crossroads between 'rules' and 'learning'
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1984
And it was more like '1984' then we thought
 • 
David Williams
2
The Year Was 1983
And the idea of the singularity took shape
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1982
And Marvin Minsky wondered 'Why People Think Computers Can't'
 • 
David Williams
2
The Year Was 1981
And the first AI Winter turns to Spring
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1980
And AI had an identity crisis
 • 
David Williams

1970s

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The Year Was 1979
And silence became portable
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1978
And the aliens invaded
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1977
And the force was with us
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1976
And an AI pioneer became a heretic
 • 
David Williams
1
The Year Was 1975
And computing power slips through institutional fingers into individual hands
 • 
David Williams
1
The Year Was 1974
And AI went cold while authority folded
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1973*
*and we'll get there, but we revisit last week on the way
 • 
David Williams
3
The Year Was 1972
And we start to ask: can computers 'play?'
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1971
And the distance between institutions and individuals was about to collapse
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1970
And Future Shock was upon us
 • 
David Williams
1

1960s

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The Year Was 1969
And the future says "LO"
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1968
And we witness the 'mother of all demos'
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1967
And the medium was the message
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1966
And we are fooled by the illusion of understanding
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1965
And fuzzy logic reigned supreme
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1964
Feedback, Control, and Chaos
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1963
And the irony of progress was palpable
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1962
And The Metal Man Cometh
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1961
And the Thinking Machine Comes to the Small Screen
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1960
And we look back at sci-fi's influence on the dawn of AI
 • 
David Williams

1950s

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The Year Was 1959
And we look back at the origins of modern computing
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1958
AI learns to LISP and Dream
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1957
Let the "Look, Ma, no hands!" era of AI begin
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1956
Two months. Ten men.
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1955
and the universe was conspiring to remind humans that everything was connected
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1954
Alan Turing (1912 - 1954)
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1953
Or was it?
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1952
in 707 words — a 4 minute read
 • 
David Williams
1
The Year Was 1951
9 minute read
 • 
David Williams
The Year Was 1950
A 7 minute read
 • 
David Williams
2
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