Links for June 5, 2022

🎨 AI Art Isn't Art — The Intrinsic Perspective

The question of "what is art?" will only get harder to answer as computers take over increasingly sophisticated creative work. Erik Hoel has a thought-provoking piece on whether the coming tsunami of AI-generated "art" can even be called that:

[T]he worst-case scenario, wherein AI-art replaces a significant portion of human-art, will herald the arrival of a world in which much of the “art” that you see, especially online (where most eyeballs are) is generated by non-conscious machines with minimal human input. Behind the entire aesthetic of our civilization there will be a vast emptiness, a void communicating nothing. In such a world the art isn’t art, in the same way that a photograph of a hurricane doesn’t get anything wet.

AI-art isn’t art

DALL-E and other AI artists offer only the imitation of art

The Intrinsic PerspectiveErik Hoel

😌 Effortless Effort: Relaxing While Trying Hard — Zen Habits

Leo Babauta shares an experiment for changing the way you approach tasks. (Hint: Watching your breath is involved.)

If you talk to someone about “relaxing,” they will usually think of that as the opposite of “trying hard.” They think of lying on the couch, muscles relaxed, not doing anything. “Relaxing” is equated with “laziness” for a lot of people.

So “trying hard” and “relaxing” are seen as two opposite things.

What would it be like to try hard while relaxing?

Effortless Effort: Relaxing While Trying Hard - zen habits

By Leo Babauta I’ve noticed that a lot of us will be pretty wiped out at the end of a long day of work or social activity, to the point where we need time to recuperate from exhaustion. There’s nothing wrong with that, but let’s talk about the possibility of doing hard things without exhausting […]

zen habitsbreathe

Tweet of the Week

Speaking of equal and opposite: