Vladimir Okhotnikov

  When Reality Is Being Depleted: Metaverses as Salvation? Imagine an area larger than Antarctica. No, it’s not a new country or a giant city. It’s 15 million square kilometers of depleted soils spread across the entire Earth. These vital resources are degrading at a rate of about 1 million square kilometers per year — that is, we are literally losing the fertility of the planet at an alarming rate. Soils and forests could once absorb a third of excess CO₂, but now their capacity has decreased by 20%. We ourselves are reducing nature’s ability to balance the climate by cutting down forests and using land irrationally. All this sounds catastrophic, and to some extent it is. But the paradox is that we live in an era of frantic technological progress. While real ecosystems are being depleted, we have more and more tools at our fingertips to study them, restore them — or, if we take a more radical approach, create alternative spaces for life. Yes, I’m talking about metaverses. Metavers...

  Do we already live in the metaverse? Sometimes it seems like the metaverse is somewhere out there, in the distant future, like science fiction. But every day I realize more and more clearly: we have been there for a long time, we just don’t realize it. Every day we cross the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds without even thinking about it. Here’s a simple example: money. We buy physical things without cash, using apps or cards, and in virtual worlds we can earn money for real expenses. ATMs, QR codes are like portals between two realities, which we have become so accustomed to that we don’t even notice their “magic”. And what about the weather forecast? We look at the rain map, and it shows us what is happening in the real world right now. But when we “fast-forward” time to find out where it will rain in an hour, we are already communicating with a digital model — a digital twin of the real cloud. And this transition is so natural that we don’t even notice how we...

  Artificial Consciousness: What Will Happen If Machines Start Feeling? We are on the threshold of an era when robots and AI will no longer be just “smart machines” for performing specific tasks. Soon they will learn to feel — not just imitate emotions, but actually experience pain, fear, pleasure, like living beings. Modern research and theories, such as the ideas of neuropsychologist Mark Solms, make us wonder: what awaits us if this becomes a reality? The emergence of “feeling” AI creatures will raise a lot of uncomfortable questions. Should machines with feelings have rights? Is it possible to “turn off” artificial intelligence if it experiences suffering? Will we turn the “intelligent robots” we created with our own hands into new slaves? Or, on the contrary, will they become a threat to us, striving to survive and protect their own interests? These questions are no longer the subject of science fiction. Talk of robot psychotherapists, philosophical zombies, and “smart” AI tra...

  Why money and education are important for brain health I’ve recently come across an interesting study: it turns out that a high level of education and financial well-being reduce the risk of dementia in old age. At first, this sounds a little scary — as if the lack of money and a degree automatically increases the likelihood of cognitive impairment. But in fact, everything is not cut and dried. The risk of dementia is indeed lower for those who do complex intellectual work, have access to quality health care and know how to organize their lives. But you do not have to be rich or have a prestigious degree to protect your brain. There are other ways to maintain mental clarity, even if you are not a millionaire now. For example, a healthy lifestyle is a powerful tool. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, normal sleep and social activity (even simple conversations with friends!) already significantly reduce the risks. Another important point is education. But not what you got at univer...

  Privacy Wins! A Historic Victory for Crypto and Freedom Does the government have the right to target the technology just because criminals are using it? This issue has raised much controversy, especially in the crypto space. This problem is not just about the law; human lives are at stake as well. A recent ruling from a federal appeals court has given a historic win to the crypto community, asserting that the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash should have been exempt from sanctions. "Tornado Cash's immutable smart contracts (lines of privacy-enabling code) are not the 'property' of a foreign national or entity," stated the appeals court. It concluded that it is not legal to block smart contracts under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This means that the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) "overstepped its congressionally defined authority." OFAC had imposed sanctions on Tornado Cash last year, accusing t...

  There is one condition under which Bitcoin will depreciate. And this can really happen. As soon as Bitcoin hits a new price record, there are those who predict its collapse. "It's a bubble!", "It's going to collapse now!", "It will depreciate to zero!" — well, you get the idea. How many times has this been said? Let's figure out under what conditions this can really happen. Scenario one: a global ban. If all major countries simultaneously decide to ban Bitcoin, this will, of course, hit trust. People will start to be afraid to use cryptocurrency because of the risks. But then the question arises: how to achieve such coordination? Each state has its own interests, and attempts to globally ban something are utopian. Even if several major players, like the US and the EU, introduce strict measures, there will always be countries where Bitcoin will continue to be used. China has already tried to ban it, but the network is still working. Quantum co...

  Bitcoin Cracked Six Digits BTC has done it! Bitcoin has reached the long-anticipated milestone mark of $100,000. It wasn't an abrupt leap. The coin’s value hovered near that mark for two weeks before it crossed the six-digit line.  The price continued to climb for a few days, and reached its peak at over $103,000, but then dipped back into five figures. This dip is not that actually important. It has become a historic moment for the crypto world. The first cryptocurrency soared over 139% this year.   The event entailed widespread discussion across the cryptoverse and beyond. The achievement is partly explained by the pro-crypto pre-election campaign of Donald Trump though we must also acknowledge the influence of Bitcoin’s halving cycles always followed by altseason. Anyway, the U.S. President-elect took credit for the Bitcoin surge and congratulated Bitcoiners in a social media post.  The milestone attracted the attention of the broader financial world. Indus...