All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

Anil Seth's latest entry in his new blog NeuroBanter (convering all things on neuroscience and consciousness) referred me to the 2011 BBC documentary "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace". This "tour de force" of a documentary, portrays the development of men's faith in machines, its entanglement with historico-political events over the past 100 years, and the recurring disappointment of this faith.

Part 1 deals with the financial sector, touching on the New Economy, Alan Greenspan, and Ayn Rand, among others.

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace 1.

Part 2 presents the idea of nature as an ecological system that balances itself, the idea's effects on the world, and its rebuttal.

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace 2.

Part 3 then explores the origins of the view that humans are machines controlled by genes.

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace 3.

Yasiin Gaye - Amerigo Gazaway Mashup (via tsw)

Just in time, that is, shortly before the 30th anniversary of Marvin Gaye's untimely death, a guy called Amerigo Gazaway released the superb mash-up album Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One), in which the genius of Marvin Gaye gets fused with the one of Mos Def a/k/a Yasiin Bey. It can not only be streamed but also downloaded!