A few thoughts on the AI Black Box problem

As we’re seeing more and more solutions around us leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), typically some form of machine learning (ML), many have begun to wonder how those solutions actually work. Especially when it comes to processes like medical diagnostics and credit scoring, people have started to ask the question: how did system X reach conclusion Y?

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Can't wait to try out mmhmm and pimp my Zoom meetings

When you work for a VC firm focusing on software, you’ll see a lot of product demos. I mean, a lot. They come in various formats, usually with some demo effects, and can be performed live in a conference room or in a cafe, or virtually over Zoom or something similar. Sometimes you’ll see a recorded demo video. Well, today a colleague shared a demo video, which immediately grabbed my attention and felt very fresh and cool.

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No sign of coronavirus in Helsinki

As the old saying goes, Finns turn into different people in the summertime when the vacation season kicks off. Suddenly this law-abiding rational people turn into a bunch of hippies that couldn’t care less about anything but sauna and sunshine. Let’s hope we get lucky and don’t end up with a bad situation in the autumn. But to be honest, I don’t feel too comfortable with the way most of us in Finland are behaving right now – and I definitely don’t believe in luck in these kinds of situations.

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Does resveratrol have anti-aging properties?

What seems clear is that there are still mixed feelings about resveratrol in the scientific community. So what to believe? Perhaps best to wait for more research results and meanwhile stick to the original thing, i.e. calorie restriction. That can be done for example through intermittent fasting, which I think is a fairly easy way to implement calorie restriction while living a “normal” life.

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Notes and comments on WWDC 2020 keynote

Apple’s developer conference WWDC 2020 started on Monday June 22, and on the first day Apple always delivers a keynote showcasing the most important upcoming software updates and innovations. Occasionally some hardware is also unveiled, like the the third-generation Mac Pro at WWDC 2019, but the focus is definitely on software and developers.

The keynote is always a tight package, lasting two hours, with lots of rapid fire information delivered. Below you’ll find my summary of the keynote, but I’m also including my detailed notes and comments after the summary. For each product unveiling during the keynote, I give a rating between 0 and 10. A rating of 0 means completely uninteresting to me and 10 means super exciting, IMVHO.

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WhatsApp payments is interesting because of the massive user base

Some people have already speculated that a successful global rollout of WhatsApp payments could quickly kill most of the existing local peer-to-peer mobile payments solutions. For example, in Finland and Sweden (which both are small countries but quite advanced when it comes to mobile payments) most people use Swish, MobilePay, or Siirto. Each solution is backed by a bank (or a group of banks) and each have their limitations. WhatsApp, however, is used by almost everybody and it’s relatively easy to see how it could quickly become the preferred platform for sending money.

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What happened to Libra and what's up with WhatsApp payments?

Who remembers Libra, the blockchain based digital currency that Facebook announced exactly a year ago in June 2019? The one which was supposed to be governed by an association with lots of prominent members, like MasterCard, PayPal, Visa, eBay, Spotify, Uber, Lyft, Vodafone Group, Andreessen Horowitz, and of course, Facebook. The one which was supposed to be officially launched in 2020.

If you’ve already forgotten about Libra, then you’ve probably also forgotten about Calibra, which was what the platform and wallet was called. We were told that Calibra wallets would be accessible via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and it would also be released as a standalone app.

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