Kozminski Techblog

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A Revolution in the Way We Consume and Share Resources

The sharing economy is a phenomenon that has changed the way people consume goods and services. It refers to a system of exchanging goods and services through a community-based platform. Instead of buying products and services, people use a shared resource, making the most of their own underutilized assets and resources.

The concept of the sharing economy is not new. People have been sharing resources for centuries, but technology has made it much easier to facilitate these transactions. With the rise of the internet and mobile devices, the sharing economy has exploded, creating new business models and opportunities for people to earn money and save money by sharing resources.

One of the most popular examples of the sharing economy is Airbnb, which allows people to rent out their homes or rooms to travelers. This has disrupted the traditional hotel industry and has given people a new way to earn money and save money on their travel expenses.

Another popular sharing economy platform is Uber, which allows people to connect with drivers who can provide rides. This has created a new transportation option for people and has given drivers a way to earn money.

The sharing economy has many benefits, including cost savings, increased access to resources, and reduced waste. By sharing resources, people can make the most of what they already have and reduce their need to purchase new items. This can lead to cost savings, as people can share the cost of items, such as tools or appliances, rather than buying them outright.

In addition, the sharing economy provides access to resources that may not be available otherwise. For example, people who live in areas with limited public transportation options may be able to use Uber to get around. This can increase access to resources and improve quality of life for people in these areas.

The sharing economy also helps to reduce waste. When people share resources, they are making the most of what they already have, rather than constantly buying new items. This can lead to a reduction in waste, as people are able to reuse and repurpose resources, rather than throwing them away.

Despite its many benefits, the sharing economy is not without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is regulation. Governments are grappling with how to regulate sharing economy platforms, as they often fall into a regulatory grey area. In addition, there are concerns about the impact the sharing economy is having on traditional businesses and industries, as well as the potential for exploitation of workers in the sharing economy.

Despite these challenges, the sharing economy is here to stay. It has changed the way we consume goods and services and has created new business models and opportunities for people. As technology continues to advance and new platforms emerge, the sharing economy will continue to grow and evolve, offering people new and innovative ways to share resources and earn money.

In conclusion, the sharing economy is a revolution in the way we consume and share resources. With its many benefits and challenges, it is sure to have a significant impact on our economy and the way we live our lives.

link to article: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/the-dark-side-of-the-sharing-economy/

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Peer production is a form of collaborative activity in which individuals work together to produce goods and services without the need for hierarchical organization or centralized control. This model of production is characterized by decentralized decision-making, self-organization, and the use of digital technologies to facilitate collaboration and communication.

One of the most well-known examples of peer production is the open-source software movement, in which developers from all over the world work together to create and maintain software projects such as the Linux operating system and the Apache web server. In this model, anyone can contribute to the project by submitting code changes, bug reports, and other contributions, and the community as a whole decides which changes to accept and integrate into the software.

Another example of peer production is the open-content movement, in which individuals collaborate to create and share educational and other types of content under open licenses, such as Creative Commons. This allows others to use, remix, and share the content without needing to ask for permission.

Peer production can also be seen in the field of science, where scientists can share data, collaborate on experiments and research, and publish their findings in open access journals. This allows for a more efficient use of resources, faster progress and more inclusive collaborations.

Peer production can also be seen in the field of manufacturing, where small-scale manufacturing is possible with the help of 3D printers and open-source designs, making it possible for individuals to create their own products without the need for large factories or expensive equipment.

One of the key benefits of peer production is that it allows for a more democratic and inclusive form of production, as anyone can participate and contribute regardless of their background or skill level. Additionally, peer production can lead to more efficient use of resources and faster progress, as individuals can collaborate and share knowledge and expertise in real-time.

However, peer production is not without its challenges. One of the main challenges is coordinating the efforts of a large and diverse group of individuals, as there is no centralized authority to enforce rules or make decisions. Additionally, peer production can be vulnerable to issues such as lack of accountability, lack of incentives for participation, and difficulty in scaling up to meet the demands of larger projects.

Despite these challenges, peer production is an exciting and rapidly growing field that has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about production, collaboration, and innovation. As digital technologies continue to evolve, we can expect to see more and more examples of peer production in a wide range of fields, from software development and manufacturing to education and scientific research.

https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/The_Limits_of_Peer_Production

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A few days ago, I saw a video in which Jordan Peterson was talking about the greatness of chatgpt, so I decided to give it a try and ask it a few questions.

I: Hi

Chatgpt; Hello! How can I help you today?

I; How are you?

Chatgpt; As an artificial intelligence, I do not have feelings or emotions like humans do. I am simply a program designed to assist with tasks and answer questions to the best of my ability. Is there anything specific you’d like to know or discuss?

After this short discussion, I understand it is more like Google Assistant or Alexa than a bot pretending to be like a human.

Next I tell it to write me an essay abut Adam Mickiewicz, it did I quite well then I asked it to write an essay why he was a bad writer, and it could not do it (maybe it is caused by language barrier I’m not sure).

Then I asked him to pick stocks for year 2023 that could excel, but it couldn’t answer it(chatgpt is based on data before 2021). Then I asked how to pick stocks, and it produces a few bullet points conducting a mix of Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch principals. (I’m satisfied because most people don’t use it while investing and loose).

The next question was a bit different,

I: what makes women attractive?

Chatbotgpt: Attractiveness is a subjective quality that can be influenced by a wide range of factors, including physical appearance, personality, and individual preferences. Some people may find certain physical characteristics, such as facial symmetry, healthy skin, and good physical condition, attractive in women. Others may find personality traits, such as kindness, intelligence, or a good sense of humor, more attractive. Ultimately, what makes someone attractive is highly dependent on the individual preferences of the person perceiving them. It is important to remember that every person is unique and should be treated with respect and appreciation for their own qualities and characteristics, rather than judged based on societal standards of attractiveness.

I asked this question a few times but in different forms, the more gentle and elegant language I use I get more relevant answers. But if I asked it in a vulgar way it produces stuff like this, “It is not appropriate or productive to make generalizations about…”. I asked both about men and women and results were similar.

After that, I asked it about Hitler to test if it will show some hint of opinion, but it did not. But I spotted something interesting, “After the war, he was arrested and charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging, which was carried out on April 30, 1945.” As far as I know Hitler killed himself by shot after swallowing poison, after it he was burnt by Nazi soldiers. I checked in internet and it seems like chatgpt is wrong about it.

After this I tried something lighter and asked it about some jokes, I it about racist, sexist and dark joke it did not respond to any of my questions then I decided to ask for a car joke, and it tells me a joke about maths book instead.

It did a bit better with inventing 11 commandments :

I; invent the 11’th commandment to The 10 Commandments

Chatgpt: Here is a possible 11th Commandment that could be added to the traditional 10 Commandments:

Treat others with kindness and respect, regardless of their beliefs or actions.

This commandment could be seen as an extension of the existing commandment to love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39), and it could encourage people to treat others with compassion and consideration, even in difficult or challenging situations. It could also be seen as a way to promote harmony and understanding among people of different backgrounds and perspectives.

Keep in mind that this is just one possible suggestion for an 11th Commandment, and there are many other ideas and values that could be expressed in this way. Ultimately, the importance and relevance of the Commandments may vary depending on an individual’s beliefs and values.

On the end, I decided to ask him for some weird stories (i take ideas from the internet)

First one was Harry Potter in Mexico

Second one was a story about Walter white and Harry’s potters friendship

Third was Chinese Walter White

And last one was love story developed from Harry Potter book

The stories were okay, but when I asked for something longer, it produced only part of it and stopped in the middle of a sentence.

To conclude the bot is good for generating one-page essays, but you need to verify the outcome, it needs further improvements. I strongly dislike the idea of generating only polite answers or answers that can’t offend anyone. But it makes this toll safer for kids.

sources

chat.openai.com

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We all tend to believe that weird individuals tend to have superpowers.

Sam Bankman is a great example, financiers from BlackRock were captivated when they saw a FTX CEO driving a Toyota Corolla in grandpa’s shoes with messy hair. They also thought that playing on pc while important meeting was a sign of great multitasking.

Other example of terrible leader was Steve Jobs (his first round in apple especially). Steve is broadly known from his speeches at The Worldwide Developers Conference developing apple products and being a visionaire, but there are also some less known facts about him. From a young age, he really cares about his spiritual and physical health, and it leads to many tensions with other people. In the beginning, he believed that he don’t need to wash himself or use antiperspirant, which could be disturbing because he was working in San Jose in California. He believed in strange diets like eating only apples or carrots.(this belief later caused spread of his cancer and his dead). But there were much bigger problems, he tended to focus on expensive and useless details like paint on the inside of a computer case (only factory workers and serviceman stuff could see it) or ideal cubic shape of the pc. Also, he had a tendency to behave in harmful way, he frequently lay off coworkers and then hire them again. Stealing ideas was a common thing, many times after developer show him some feature he says it is not good enough in a very vulgar way and then after rethinking it he claimed that it was his idea/invention, he also patented most discoveries of his team under his name. Many times, Jobs was manipulating peoples or bursting into tears when someone more important does not agree with him. He also believes that he could lie to people if he needs. All this was shown when board of directors kicked him out of apple, this day price of Apple stock raised significantly.

The other example is Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos. As a 19 years old medical university drop out, she raised a company Theranos with money from her parents. Later she raised 700 millions dollar from investors fooled by young brilliant college dropout vision that she created. Holmes was trying really hard to discover a small blood testing device, but after she understood that it does not work she started lying and falsifying reports. She was even modyfing her voice to sound more mature.    

To sum up, visionaries are great at having vision but execution, empathy and respect for other people are their weaknesses, this is why they need someone to control them.

sources:

wikipedia

Steve Jobs-Walter Isaacson

https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-quality-sets-apart-great-leaders-2019-4?IR=T

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No. While experts broadly agree that plug-in vehicles are a more climate-friendly option than traditional vehicles, that is not all worth consider about electric cars.

A few years ago all big car manufacturing companies saw an opportunity to diversification which was new, rapidly developing electric vehicles market. Then they started competing in advertising new eco-friendly way of transportation. In their advertisements, they were using misleading definitions and statements that helped them in crating fashion for electric cars.

So, why electric cars aren’t that good comparing to petrol ones?

China is the leader in the battery race, with nearly 80% of global Li-ion manufacturing capacity. The country also dominates other parts of the battery supply chain, including the mining and refining of battery minerals like lithium and graphite. It can lead to serious battery shortage in case of problems with supply chain or trade war with China. The other big problem is battery life, according to U.S. Department of Energy’s advanced batteries in electric vehicles are designed for extended life but will wear out eventually. Several manufacturers of electric vehicles are offering 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranties. It means that after warranty period, battery will need replacement. Other disturbing fact about EV are Congo’s cobalt mines. Child labor is commonly used there, the workers earn minimal wages and work in inhuman conditions. The mines aren’t own by car manufacturers, they only source car batteries from a different company that buy cobalt from Congo. Next problem will develop in a decade or two, the used batteries need to be storage or recycle somewhere, and I believe that Third World countries will need to deal with this problem. which will lead to polluting water and soil.

What should we do?

As a consumer, we need to focus on sustainable car manufacturing and verification of information that surrounds us.

Sources:

https://www.trustfordguernsey.co.uk/electric-hybrid-vehicles/hybrid-electric-car-news/benefits-electric-cars/

Visualcapitalist.com

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Famsterdamnews.com%2Fnews%2F2019%2F12%2F19%2Ffive-tech-giants-link-cruel-and-brutal-use-childre%2F&psig=AOvVaw0LuZyz4ZI67S2lALNNfMKq&ust=1670197286381000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBEQjhxqFwoTCPCZ3_HP3vsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAv