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Tracking Studies: Measuring the Effectiveness of Marketing Efforts
Tracking Studies are an important tool for companies looking to measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. These studies help companies determine if their target audience has heard about their brand, product or service, and understand how consumers perceive their brand. By regularly conducting Tracking Studies, companies can make informed decisions about their marketing strategies and adjust their approach as needed to better reach and engage with their target audience.
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I am a Sales Manager at a local manufacturing plant. I know and I'm very much underpaid on the current position I'm in (I'm only paid 30k a month for basic and allowances).
Brief Background lang. I was a trainer, Quality Analyst, Team Manager from certain BPOs along with owning a recruitment firm. By the time na operational naman na yung sarili kong business without my presence, I've decided to look for a job to broaden my skillset para matulungan pa yung business ko in the future. My Job Responsibility is only to ensure security sa sales team nila along with meeting certain Sales Quotas, pero I've done alot na aside from those.
Here are the things I've started to modernize the company:
1) Building a CRM (FROM SCRATCH) for an ease of communication between department each closed sale.
2) Building their own corporate emails using Office 365 since they've been using free email domains lang before and telegram for comms. I also maintain these programs kasi yung IT department namen is di nila kaya yung complexity ng maintenance so I would rather do it myself instead of having a feeling that they would mess it up.
3) Re-arranging the step by step process of each sales we do to make it more efficient.
4) Creating a chatbot on all channels possible to make sure that all of the conversations within our client would be filtered.
5) Automated email alerts from all people from the organization if in any case they have pending works.
6) Recreating the standards of the company's conversation to clients via Quality and Compliance guidelines.
7) Also have a few roles on marketing specifically creating materials and strategies to boost our sales.
8) Reaching sales quotas with flying colors every month.
9) Ambagal ng computer nila kaya dala ko nalang lagi laptop ko jusko celeron gaming yarn.
10) Handling a team of Sales Chat, Client Visit Reps, Sales Voice Rep and Sales Agents.
11) And the typical reports a Sales Manager would do.
So, I know I've been doing things outside my JD but I would always wants what's the best for the company and I hope they would do the same thing for me too.
I've been here for 4 months na, and on my regularization I would definitely demand a higher salary. The question would be how much ? What would be your suggestion on what rate should I be paid by the company? Thanks!

With diverse channels of communication, customers are available across numerous channels like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Viber, and more, which makes it difficult for businesses to reach them in time. In order to run a business successfully, it is essential that communication with the customers must be prompt, because a delay in communication may result in losing out on potential customers. Customers expect these responses available 24/7 and prefer to have them in their modern social channel of their choice. This may sound easy but it is very challenging if not impossible to be available across every channel. Integrating an AI customer support bot, it becomes incredibly useful in supporting businesses with good customer affiliations.
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One of the most significant advantages of AI chatbots in business is their ability to provide personalised and tailored assistance to customers based on their needs and wants, as these AI based chatbots are also encoded to respond in multiple languages. Chatbots can use customer data and previous interactions to offer customised recommendations and solutions. Furthermore, AI chatbots use natural language to understand and interpret customer inquiries, responding in a conversational and personalised manner. In addition to offering personalised assistance, AI chatbots can also handle a wide range of customer inquiries simultaneously, freeing up human customer support agents to focus on more complex issues that require human intervention.
Overall, with the integration of iNextLabs AI chatbots, it can provide a competitive edge for businesses, enabling them to remain ahead of competitors and drive growth, and the brands can be in a better position in terms of lead generation, customer perceptions, onboarding, and customer support expansion.

Every touchpoint between a company and its customers is an important and unique moment in their relationship.
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https://reddit.com/link/125i332/video/nwj85m5n9nqa1/player

Hey Everyone!
Let’s go….
Newly Covered Today:

1. Charles dropped a video on the Cooper & Kirk memo on Chokepoint 2.0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWvcTgP66tU
2. Here’s the Cooper & Kirk memo itself. cooperkirk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Operation-Choke-Point-2.0.pdf
3. The Cardano NFT community is embracing CIP-68 and updatable/evolutionary NFTs. https://twitter.com/ada_anvil/status/1640845896911929345
4. Charles responded to the MKBHD tweet that branded crypto as “dumber and dumber every day”. https://twitter.com/IOHK_Charles/status/1640746108350779392
5. IOG dropped a video of the March Hydra technical meeting. https://twitter.com/LucasMacchia2/status/1640710842990854145
6. CFTC Chairman says Binance was a clear case of evasion of US Law. https://twitter.com/SquawkCNBC/status/1640685027989102593
7. Report: Japan is creeping up on a CBDC issuance with a pilot program in April and statements from the Bank of Japan that they need to be ready to issue if the government makes the decision to launch.. https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/kuroda-says-boj-needs-be-ready-issue-digital-yen-2023-03-28/
8. Allegations of insider frontrunning at Binance. https://twitter.com/FatManTerra/status/1640677879196397571

Previously covered, but still interesting:

1. Do you like Javascript and Cardano? This thread is for you. https://twitter.com/CryptoJoe101/status/1633579944490967049
2. It’s going down today! Hearing in the House on the Coordinated Attack on Crypto. https://financialservices.house.gov/calendaeventsingle.aspx?EventID=408628
3. Paul Krugman hilariously complains about being locked out of his Venmo account. He predicted the impact of the internet would be about as much as the fax machine and has subsequently opposed crypto. https://twitter.com/paulkrugman/status/1633472068355346437 https://twitter.com/mdudas/status/1633571193344126979
4. Even Jerome Powell thinks we need regulatory clarity for crypto. https://www.youtube.com/live/GzVLeabssdE?feature=share&t=2065
5. In the House hearing, he also gave us some new tidbits on CBDC development. https://www.youtube.com/live/GzVLeabssdE?feature=share&t=218 https://www.youtube.com/live/GzVLeabssdE?feature=share&t=3477
6. A member of the House committee actually asked Powell about Operation Chokepoint 2.0. https://www.youtube.com/live/GzVLeabssdE?feature=share&t=6930
7. Senator Lummis got Powell to agree that properly regulated stablecoins could have a place in our banking system and that a workable legal framework for crypto is something Congress should do. https://www.youtube.com/live/8kyhYJ9EFts?feature=share&t=6923
8. Big Pey is launching something called Atrium Lab. https://twitter.com/bigpeyYT/status/1633830948575010816
9. Believe it or not…legal systems made up entirely by coders may not be optimal. Incredibly, the study of law is actually a fully developed centuries old academic discipline that lies outside of JavaScript and Python. Unless you have full anonymity, you WILL be cross-chain bridged to IRL law. Some DAOs will learn this the hard way. https://twitter.com/lex_node/status/1633925979004436481
10. The NY Attorney General just filed against Kucoin for being an unregistered broker-dealer. Here’s the important part: they’re alleging that ETH is a security and a commodity. Their argument is not complex...it’s very straightforward. https://www.docdroid.net/Myyp0yz/kucoin-pdf
11. Silvergate was a failure of fractional reserve banking, not of crypto. https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1633608132713938945
12. The current US Administration’s Budget seeks to eliminate tax loss harvesting for crypto, add a 30% tax on energy used in crypto mining, hike capital gains taxes on high earners, and beam us directly to clown world with an unrealized gains tax on high earners. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/budget_fy2023.pdf
13. The subcommittee hearing on “the Administration’s Attack” on crypto went about like expected. Paul Grewal of Coinbase along with Prof. Evans of Penn State Law made some persuasive pleas for regulatory clarity. The “Anti-Crypto Party”™ also brought out their favorite witness from Duke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOUUy4_KwNU
14. Rep. Emmer (Pro-Crypto) called the current regulatory approach “lazy & destructive…that is chilling innovation.” https://www.youtube.com/live/aOUUy4_KwNU?feature=share&t=5670
15. Rep. Foster (Cryptophobe): “this is the essential thing that has to be provided for the healthy development of the crypto industry…somewhere there has to be an API provided by a trusted 3rd party to register your crypto wallets.” Why not just completely neuter crypto? https://www.youtube.com/live/aOUUy4_KwNU?feature=share&t=5266
16. Rep. Ritchie Torres (Pro-Crypto) pointed out offshore deregulated overleveraged centralized crypto companies pose the greatest risk to consumers. But, the regulators don’t focus there. They incredibly only attack the onshore entities. He also pointed out the absurdity of the idea a stablecoin is a security. (Sadly there’s the Section 2(a)(1) exposure). https://www.youtube.com/live/aOUUy4_KwNU?feature=share&t=5703
17. Rep. Davidson (Pro-Crypto) shamed his anti-crypto colleagues for their implied claims that these assets are the same as centralized assets and came out strongly supporting self-custody and pointed out there was no FTX risk if you self-custodied your assets. “We have people overtly trying to make self-custody illegal.” https://www.youtube.com/live/aOUUy4_KwNU?feature=share&t=6034
18. CMC is tweeting about IOG’s Sidechain toolkit? https://twitter.com/CoinMarketCap/status/1634773712468852736
19. Now we’re dealing with U.S. bank runs. Among the casualties was Silicon Valley Bank where Centre (the Circle/Coinbase joint entity that issues USDC) was keeping $3.3 billion of the $43ish billion backing USDC. Signature Bank was also shut down by regulators. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2023/03/11/43-billion-nightmare-sudden-circle-depeg-could-be-about-to-crash-the-price-of-bitcoin-ethereum-bnb-xrp-cardano-dogecoin-polygon-and-solana
20. Unfortunately, the FDIC insurance limit is $250k. https://www.fdic.gov/resources/deposit-insurance/brochures/deposits-at-a-glance/
21. The Feds were taking bids for anyone to acquire SVB until 2pm Eastern on Sunday. The big question on Sunday was whether the Feds will cover all uninsured depositors. They decided they will and that also applies to Signature Bank. https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2023/03/12/silicon-valley-bank-deposits/
22. Here’s the joint statement from Treasury, Federal Reserve, and FDIC. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1337
23. Yellen said NO to a bailout for SVB on Sunday. She’s obviously got bigger macro concerns. But, it’s funny how that fits perfectly with a strategy of suppressing stablecoins generally. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/janet-yellen-silicon-valley-bank-bailout-face-the-nation-interview-today-2023-03-12/
24. Here Caitlin Long explains the fundamental incompatibility between fast settling crypto and fractional reserve banking that caused all this. https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1634573552790929409
25. CZ reminds us that he’s considered buying banks in the past and asks if it’s time yet. https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1634437834579800064
26. CIP-1694 has been updated. https://github.com/JaredCorduan/CIPs/blob/voltaire-v1/CIP-1694/README.md
27. Here’s a good rundown of all the changes in the CIP-1694 update. https://twitter.com/_KtorZ_/status/1635410495514759169
28. Apparently, Cardano NFTs will be going to space! https://twitter.com/RichardMcCrackn/status/1635438087592460288
29. Many in the crypto space think that Signature’s shutdown was just an extension of Operation Chokepoint 2.0 aimed at shuttering crypto banking. https://twitter.com/nic__cartestatus/1635328056234766337
30. Rumors: regulators are calling every bank today and asking if they have exposure to crypto. https://twitter.com/wtogami/status/1635400774158290944
31. Instagram is disabling NFTs. https://twitter.com/nftnow/status/1635388411166224384
32. Cardano TVL is doing things. https://twitter.com/CryptoIRELAND1/status/1635694692556845060
33. Cardano NFTs in space! https://twitter.com/adamKDean/status/1635796768704319488
34. GPT4 was released today. It crushes the Bar Exam, the SAT, the GRE, the LSAT, and almost all AP subjects. This will displace a lot of human jobs. https://openai.com/research/gpt-4
35. It has already done amazing real world things. In Example #6 it shows you how to exploit an arbitrary ETH contract. Better pay attention crypto. https://twitter.com/LinusEkenstam/status/1635754587775967233
36. Report: Gov. Newsom failed to disclose accounts at SVB while lobbying White House and Treasury for a bailout of depositors. https://www.businessinsider.com/gavin-newsom-svb-biden-silicon-valley-bank-wineries-bailout-lobbying-2023-3
37. Things are not looking good at Credit Suisse. https://twitter.com/GRDectestatus/1635985735063855104
38. The court in the Voyager decision had some pretty harsh things to say about the SEC. https://www.nysb.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions/312840_1170_opinion.pdf
39. Barney Frank points out that the regulators never claimed Signature Bank was insolvent and wonders if they are the first US bank to ever be closed down without being insolvent. https://nymag.com/intelligence2023/03/barney-frank-says-more-shuttering-signature-bank.html
40. Charles dropped a video addressing the updates to the governance proposal. https://twitter.com/IOHK_Charles/status/1636151615894990851
41. Gensler reasserts his claims that proof-of-stake tokens are securities. https://www.theblock.co/post/220297/gensler-suggests-proof-of-stake-tokens-are-securities
42. Dudes are already letting GPT4 run whole startups. https://twitter.com/jacksonfall/status/1636107218859745286
43. Here’s an interesting theory: taking down Binance would create too big a hole, so they took down Silvergate, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature to insulate the fiat world from crypto. Now they can take down Binance. https://twitter.com/BryceWeinestatus/1636055979870818305
44. The Army of Spies Channel is now TWO YEARS OLD (March 17)!
45. Yes! Everyone’s favorite Cardano cetacean is back! https://twitter.com/cardano_whale/status/1636561122739331073
46. I was asked to list a few Irish whiskeys today. https://twitter.com/ArmySpies/status/1636548071541862401
47. An interesting exchange between a Senator and Janet Yellen regarding the effect of the bailouts on small banks. https://twitter.com/theemikehobart/status/1636494845144432643
48. Eleven other banks swoop in with $30 billion to save First Republic. https://www.npr.org/2023/03/16/1163958533/first-republic-bank-silicon-valley-bank-signature-bank-bank-run
49. Wut? https://twitter.com/WhaleChart/status/1636566421005017088
50. Here’s Raoul Pal with a very optimistic take for crypto if you are one who believes anyone understands the markets. https://twitter.com/RaoulGMI/status/1636547466299416576
51. Any buyer of signature bank must agree to give up its crypto business. https://twitter.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1636356199661850626
52. Here’s Duncan Coutts explaining P2P in Cardano. https://youtu.be/zOTfhcK-Wf4
53. Here’s a visual representation of how CIP-1694 works. https://twitter.com/Hornan7/status/1636381895541026817
54. This is one of the craziest things I’ve seen in crypto. Balaji is burning a few million to ring the fire alarm and make everyone aware of what he believes is an impending attack on dollar holders. Counterparty is guaranteed $1million (minus BTC price) if he just buys one additional BTC (or an option to purchase more). https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1636827051419389952
55. Here’s the Space where he explains his bet. https://twitter.com/Breedlove22/status/1637236255242219520
56. Arthur Hayes gives you an incredible explanation of what’s going on with this banking crisis and what he thinks comes next. https://cryptohayes.medium.com/kaiseki-b15230bdd09e
57. This is officially the worst regulatory approach ever. https://twitter.com/BillHughesDC/status/1636067729575690241
58. The SEC hide the ball game seems to conflict with how judges actually view the law. https://twitter.com/SGJohnsson/status/1636071530340728832
59. The Fed Quietly opened the swap lines with other central banks on Sunday night. https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20230319a.htm
60. Here’s why they are opening the swap lines: so that US treasuries don’t get dumped on the open market by foreign banks. This way the foreign central banks can have dollars to absorb the treasuries from the foreign banks. https://twitter.com/CryptoHayes/status/1637620774776315904
61. Charles dropped a video on Markets and Contagion in which he revealed that Credit Suisse wouldn’t allow an account when he was with Ethereum b/c crypto was “too risky.” Bwahahahaha. https://twitter.com/IOHK_Charles/status/1637952165217185792
62. Apparently, Djed will also be on ETH and BSC? https://twitter.com/DjedStablecoin/status/1637871708823760902
63. Super ironic that the Credit Suisse CEO claimed crypto was in a bubble at $7k BTC. How the tables have turned. https://twitter.com/gaborgurbacs/status/1637783982271082496
64. Personalization is coming to ADA Handles. https://medium.com/ada-handle/personalization-101-6708ab692b29
65. Four million Cardano wallets. Nice milestone to cross! https://twitter.com/StakeWithPride/status/1638020286997213190
66. More aerostat activity out of World Mobile. This time in New Hampshire. https://twitter.com/WorldMobileTeam/status/1637926277905522689
67. You gotta admit. Balaji is genius at inventing new tag lines. First it was “We are all bitcoin maximalists now.” Today it’s “Fed around and find out.” https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1638349643854786560
68. Apparently, Sushi Swap DAO and its “Head Chef” just got served with an SEC subpoena and they’re asking the community for a $3 million defense fund (with potential for more). https://forum.sushi.com/t/establish-sushi-legal-defense-fund/11813
69. The crypto twitter meme response to the Sushi SEC subpoena was fast and brutal. https://twitter.com/trhistorianelt/status/1638231852619104256
70. People are now suggesting that no member of the Sushi Swap DAO should be in the US. https://twitter.com/tundra_v1/status/1638274785728929793
71. Very interesting rumors that projects are sitting on 2-300 SEC subpoenas and dozens of Wells Notices. https://coinpedia.org/ripple/xrp-price-have-the-xrp-bulls-and-whales-given-up-ahead-of-the-summary-judgment/
72. The IRS is asking for comments on NFTs as “collectibles” (apparently matters for long term capital gains and elsewhere). https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-23-27.pdf
73. Sebastian Nagel reports they have a Hydra head open on Cardano Mainnet. https://twitter.com/ch1bo_/status/1638599596782899205
74. Coinbase just revealed receipt of a Wells Notice. This means the SEC has concluded their investigation and they are (theoretically) inviting Coinbase to convince them otherwise before they file an enforcement action. Basically, the SEC has launched its full war against crypto. https://twitter.com/iampaulgrewal/status/1638660032324829184
75. Here’s the actual notice. https://assets.ctfassets.net/c5bd0wqjc7v0/6G5AjtDvRqRdiwlijKDSxE/f049398909914cb03646d0819d7a48d1/2023.03.22_Coinbase__Inc._Wells_notice.pdf
76. Brian Armstrong says the Wells Notice is focused on staking and asset listings. https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1638654192138199041
77. Kraken is also not having a great day. Operation Chokepoint 2.0! https://twitter.com/ArmySpies/status/1638636382305546243
78. Report: The SEC is suing Justin Sun over TRX wash trading. Jake Paul and other celebrities are also being drug into the suit. https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/03/22/tron-founder-justin-sun-sued-by-us-sec-on-securities-market-manipulation-charges/
79. Here’s the SEC vs. Justin Sun complaint. https://www.docdroid.net/owTRUU3/justin-pdf
80. The Fed chose to hike a quarter of a percent and softened guidance on future hikes. Here’s the redline. https://twitter.com/ArmySpies/status/1638616155022843904
81. IOG dropped a recap of the CIP-1694 workshop. https://twitter.com/IOHK_Charles/status/1639030606100332545
82. Emurgo signed an MOU with Pan-Atlantic University in Nigeria to support blockchain education and research. https://twitter.com/wlstylstatus/1638989199583088641
83. The US is trying to kill crypto. Hong Kong is investing millions in building a crypto hub. https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1638499378691293185
84. Report: Montenegro caught and arrested Do Kwon! https://twitter.com/filip_adzic/status/1638886164118802432
85. Here’s Caitlin Long on the Banking Crisis. She is absolutely the most knowledgeable person on banking in crypto. If there is anyone I would trust on banking matters, it would be her. https://youtu.be/QM5h1oybxPU
86. Here’s the wilder, more extreme take from Balaji. Interestingly, he and Caitlin disagree about how many big prints are left and they both say the position of the other could be right. https://youtu.be/G9ULrFN_lCI
87. Wow. Did Cointelegraph really try to claim we have no self-custody in Cardano staking? https://twitter.com/PhilippeVleLong/status/1639663904795119616
88. Coinbase is updating its staking services (including those related to ADA) and says it will “acts only as a service provider connecting you, the validators, and the protocol.” https://help.coinbase.com/en/coinbase/trading-and-funding/coinbase-earn/rewards
89. This is being interpreted by some as a move toward on-chain only staking that may positively impact the decentralization of validation in blockchains like Cardano. But, we’ll see what validators they aim their delegation at. https://cryptoslate.com/coinbase-moves-to-on-chain-staking-for-tezos-cosmos-solana-and-cardano/
90. People are divided on whether GPT4 will swallow everything and if any skill matters right now other than prompt engineering. But, it looks like Cardano smart contract development is definitely on the radar for that conversation. https://twitter.com/PoolShamrock/status/1639748637684105217
91. The disparity in daily users between the fledgling defi projects in Cardano and the largest most established defi projects in crypto is shocking to some. https://twitter.com/SubcriticalTV/status/1640058128300638208
92. The CFTC has filed an enforcement action against Binance, CZ, and Samuel Lim (CCO of Binance). https://www.docdroid.net/60YAbCz/cftc-binance-pdf
93. People are very curious about how the CFTC knew what Signal text chains were on CZ’s phone. https://twitter.com/BillHughesDC/status/1640400690349744128
94. Some are already implying that the CFTC alleging a coin is a commodity in an enforcement action may be a long term blessing in disguise for crypto since at least it’s not the SEC. https://twitter.com/jconorgrogan/status/1640371206644703232
95. CFTC alleges some bad facts based on internal chat logs. https://twitter.com/ArmySpies/status/1640479998049124353
96. The relief sought by the CFTC is off the charts. https://twitter.com/ArmySpies/status/1640446720353136641
97. I wonder if the shape of a Ledger would have been an advantage here. https://twitter.com/GrindingPoet/status/1639953503354511360
98. CZ has already published a response. https://www.binance.com/en/blog/from-cz/czs-response-to-the-cftc-complaint-2408916493005890282

~Army of Spies

Hey all -- I'm a producedirector for the YouTube channel DonutMedia. We just launched a 2nd channel, and are looking for awesome expert mechanics to feature in this format: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=realmechanicstuff
It's a paid gig -- 1 day of filming at our studio in Los Angeles. We often invite experts back.
Some of the types we're looking for:

• Mechanics with 25+ years experience, "seen it all", with encyclopedic knowledge.
• Young, opinionated rising talent with big personalities
• Kick-ass female mechanics
• Mechanics who are top-level, highly focused specialists (e.g. BMW, customs, Miatas, EV, etc...)
• Expert generalists who have wrenched on every badge under the sun.

The most important quality is that the mechanic is exceptional at explaining complex topics. The next most important quality is confidence & expertise.
Let me know below if you are, or know anybody that fits any of these descriptions and we'll reach out to them/you!

There are many people reading this who are not connected to a Buddhist community because there are "no Buddhist centers in my area". The good news is that in the post-pandemic world, this is no longer an issue. The goal of this series of posts (Featured Online Temple) is to showcase Buddhist centers that have an online virtual presence. These are not online-only temples. These are actual Buddhist temples with a local presence that just happened to have an online/livestream service via Zoom software or Youtube. Anyone anywhere in the world can 'attend'. You can now be a part of a Buddhist community.
<><><><><>

Fo Guang Shan

Pureland Ch'an "Zen" BuddhismBy Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple, the North American Regional Headquarters of Fo Guang Shan, was built to serve as a spiritual and cultural center for those interested in learning more about Buddhism and Chinese culture. It is the intention of its founder, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, to propagate Humanistic Buddhism and to create a Pure Land here on earth. Hsi Lai Temple is built to fulfill these goals in the United States.
http://www.hsilai.org/en/index.php
SF, LA, Orlando, Houston, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Miami
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Fo Guang Shan Xiang Yun Temple - Austin http://www.ibps-austin.org/en/index.php
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Chung Mei Buddhist Temple - Houston https://www.houstonbuddhism.org/english/
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IBPS - Dallas http://www.dallasibps.org/
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Fo Guang Shan Temple - Miami https://www.fgsmiamitemple.org/
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Fo Guang Shan Guang Ming Temple - Orlando https://www.orlandobuddhism.org/
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Fo Guang Shan Temple - Chicago http://www.ibpschicago.org/default_en.htm
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Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Center - St. Louis https://fgsstlbc.org/
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Youth Group - San Bao Temple, BLIAYAD - San Francisco https://www.sfyad.org/
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The following resources are added by Alan Peto Youtube himself. Thanks u/alanpeto
FGS has lots of resources geared for "online" that may be of interest:

• Hsi Lai Temple has an Online One Day Retreat coming up and a special multi-session retreat for those 17-35 (as of this comment in February 2022).
• A ton of English language resources are available on their dedicated website (includes videos/presentations). You could easily spend days going through all their guided videos and topics to learn about Buddhism.
• FGSITC (International Translation Center) has a lot of free books, booklets, and other information on their site. Here are some books and their mini booklets on a variety of topics.

They have a massive Buddha Museum complex in Taiwan. If you can't make it over there, Google did a whole walk-through 'street view' and videos of it here.

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Tip:
If you sense a connection with this community, sign up for their newsletter to get updates, contact them by email and ask about becoming a regular attendee or a member. Consider supporting the group or monk with voluntary donations.

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discord.gg/escapefromtarkov
You're on this subreddit for one of several reasons, and I can promise you - here in The Boys, we can handle just about all of them. Tired of having to take on that squad all on your own? Create a voice call (which you can customize the max capacity of with one click) and watch it fill up with people there for the same reasons as you. Be that 4 man squad you're always worried about. New to the game, or stuck on a task? We're here to be that guidance system with a team of active and dedicated sherpas and informed members. Just want to meet some friendly people to run with? We're not 'The Boys' for nothing! We've got you covered on all fronts. We're here to make your experience on Tarkov something you enjoy every time you boot it up. Join us and turn this game from what used to feel like the Dark Souls of shooters, into a game you thrive in and get all the loot you'd ever want.
Something new we've just added to our server is the implementation of a "Tarkov class" program in which you can learn about both the simple and complex features and mechanics the game has to offer.
Subjects we cover include; Armor values, armor classes, and what they do. Map guidance, including loot locations and boss spawns. We even teach you about how to make money, which comes and goes quickly so knowing how to get more is very helpful. You'll have to click the link below to see what else is included!
Looking for that short and sweet TL;DR? We've got that covered, too. Here's what we offer;
1.) Guidance and information about anything you need.
2.) Fun experiences and strong teamwork.
3.) Clear and focused communication.
4.) A text channel hub with keysets for all maps, ammo charts, and more.
5.) Unique guidance system in the form of a class led by a teacher heavily informed in the subject, every Saturday.
6.) Sweet, sweet rubles.
Just click the link already.
https://discord.com/invite/escapefromtarkov

Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for the NOP world.
I hope everyone enjoyed the first foray into Venlil education of our home’s biodiversity. There were a lot of guesses for what I was describing and many of them were right on the money. I’ll be revealing some of them as the story progresses.
Other comments made me realise that I’ve never actually described our primary narrator Rysel, which I intend to remedy. I was going to do this anyway but here, a bit earlier than expected, is the second POV in this story. Hope you enjoy.
[First] [Previous]
Memory transcription subject: Dr Bernard MacEwan, Professor of Zoology
Date [standardised human time]: 21st August 2136
To say I was happy would be a gross understatement. Ecstatic, delighted, joyous and thrilled were far superior adjectives to portray just how incredible this moment of my life was, yet even they felt lacking. Right now, in front of my very eyes, a room full of aliens were taking in their first sights of the biodiverse bounty of Earth. I thanked my lucky stars that out of everyone who could’ve been picked for this project, it was I who had the immense privilege of observing the dazzling parade of emotions that accompanied the Venlil’s first impressions.
Turning my head, steadily so as not to spook anyone, I cast my eyes across the room. Unlike many lecture halls I’d been in, the undersides of the desks were not obscured by typical wooden or plastic panelling. Instead, the underside was completely open, giving me an unrestricted view of the Venlil’s legs, feet, and tail as they sat behind the desks. This made perfect sense. While humans were primarily emotive through our facial features and hand gestures, the Venlil seemed to use their tails and ears as their main method of expressing outward emotion. The lack of obstruction was ideal in aiding my observations as the exercise progressed.
One Venlil’s tail swayed low and slow, their head cocked to one side as their ears flicked back and forth at opposing angles. The tail and ear movements were too alien to me to discern meaning from them, but the cocked head rang familiar tones. Perhaps it could be confusion? This body language, coupled with a slightly slack jawed facial expression, indicated that I may be on the right track. Marvellous!
Another reaction from an audience member at the back felt far easier to identify, fear I believe. Their ears were pinned back across their head, their tail frozen stiff behind them. Similar to humans, their eyes were open wide in apparent shock and a slight tremor seemed to be permeating through their body. I considered intervening but swatted down the idea in the same instant. If they’re that scared of a picture, then a human walking right up to them in a moment of shock will likely cause more problems than it will fix. Thankfully a fellow volunteer, sat beside the immobile Venlil, noticed the predicament, quickly tapping the offending image away from the pad and bringing their tail up to in the process, rubbing it gently across their scared compatriots back. Together, these actions appeared to help the statuesque Venlil as they began to loosen up, tail swishing at an even pace, ears returning to an upright position. The shaking remained sadly but at least they were active again.
How it occurred was unfortunate, but it was fascinating to see how the Venlil reacted both to stressful stimuli and how they comforted one another in times of distress. Incredible!
Who is next, ah yes that one, I recognise them. The first of the class to ask me a question. They seemed a bit smaller than the rest of the Venlil in the room. Younger perhaps, or maybe older who knows? That’s the point of all this I suppose.
If I was to hazard a guess, I would say they are, calm or perhaps bored? The tail isn’t moving but it’s relaxed not stiff like the last one. Their ears are moving too but in a sluggish fashion, flopping lazily from side to side. They’re also resting their head in one hand as they flick through the images with their free hand, paw I should say. Yep, they’re bored. Disappointing I suppose but then again, I can’t expect everyone to be so emotive, oh now wait a second… there we go, saw something that gave you a bit of a startle I imagine, given how you almost knocked yourself off your seat. I smirked, trying to muffle any noise I might be making. I certainly did not relish any fear that may be caused in this exercise, but it never failed to amuse me back home when a student who wasn’t paying attention got a bit of a shock back to reality. Still, I shouldn’t find amusement in this, it’s no wonder that the Venlil were so skittish around even pictures, given what all of humanity had learned in the last month.
----
When the news came back that the Odyssey had not only encountered life but had made first contact with a fully sapient space faring species known as the Venlil, well, to say the reaction was overwhelming would be like comparing a wax candle to the sun. Within minutes of the news breaking, I had become simultaneously glued to my television, displaying livestreams from news stations as information flowed in. Additionally, I was logged into a video call with a dozen of my colleagues from all over the world. The news immediately ignited frantic discussion on what type of life may exist on alien planets.
Questions ranged from what you would expect from a chat room full of zoologist, to others that would’ve been completely farcical before these world rocking events. My favourites in those categories had ended up being, “Do you think they’ll have parallels to Earth in terms of biodiversity?” and the other, “Could their evolutionary tree be similar yet almost opposite to ours? Like, maybe they have whales too but instead of swimming under the great pressures of the oceans they are instead as light as birds, sailing through the skies?”. The reason the first question was my favourite was clear. The concept of how much new life was out there in the stars had never been far away from my mind. In our early days of space exploration, we’d learned that Mars might once have had liquid water that theoretically contained life and the moon of Europa could also have been home to microbial organisms, hidden within its frozen surface. Now to discover that there were entire worlds that supported complex alien life!? The possibilities were exquisitely endless, only matched by imagination itself. The second question was appreciated for that exact reason. Endless possibilities meant exactly that. Perhaps there really were whales drifting gracefully through alien skies, their bones and flesh made of materials so light that air itself was dense enough for them to “swim” through. An astonishingly silly yet wonderful concept that in the moment seemed all that closer… then a soberingly awful reality was forced upon us.
They were terrified of us. The Venlil, along with the rest of their hundred’s strong alliance of advanced alien civilisations, were horrified by our very existence. They were so scared at the arrival of just two of our astronaut’s that their government rushed billions into bomb shelters, sending out a distress signal for military aid to protect them from the awful harm they believed we intended to inflict. The reason that drove them to act this way was just as shocking as the actions themselves. The Venlil, and the Federation they were part of, were comprised completely of obligate herbivores. In their eyes we were a predatory species, our binocular vision, canine teeth, and ability to consume meat were all indicators to that effect. A violent horde of carnivorous, destructive entities that could only draw delight and meaning from the cruelty of inflicting pain upon all in our path, that was what they saw in us.
How could they think this way!? What could possibly have happened in their combined histories that led hundreds of alien species to perceive us as an existential threat simply because of those traits? First of all, it was simply not the case that all creatures with forward facing vision were automatically predators or even carnivorous for that matter! Right off the top of my head, various species of Megabat had been identified with eyes positioned towards the front of their heads. Due to the composition of their diet, many were considered frugivores or even nectarivores. Furthermore, there were countless examples of meat eaters that had eyes on the side of their head. Reptiles like Grass Snakes, Leopard Geckos and the Komodo Dragons were ideal examples of obligate carnivores with eyes on the side of their skull. Many birds possessed this trait as well, ranging from the miniscule and omnivorous Bee Hummingbird of the Cuban archipelago, that subsisted on nectar and insects, to the Emperor Penguins of Antarctica that preyed upon fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods, and were themselves preyed on by Leopard Seals and Orcas, two more predators with eyes on the side of their head. Finally, canine teeth in humans served only to tear food into smaller pieces, all food not just meat, and it wasn’t just carnivores that had them either. Hippos were a perfect example of an herbivore species with enormous twenty-inch canines that continuously grew throughout their life cycle, never mind the fact that they were notoriously dangerous, being extremely territorial and aggressive if they perceived intrusion or danger.
My mind spun with this paradoxical stream of information. How could civilisations so advanced have such a simplistic, almost naïve way, of identifying whether a living being was a danger to them? And how could they be so horrified by the concept of creatures being carnivores or even omnivores like us? By their own explanation, every species in the Federation were obligate herbivores who coexisted in a near utopian peace amongst one another, but to them we were the complete antithesis of that way of life simply because of our eye position and diet. Surely life amongst the stars could not be so different to Earths that it all fit neatly into that fixed binary of plant eater means peaceful and meat eater means death!? It just didn’t make any sense!
The horrifying ramifications of what that could mean for Earth, should aliens arrive and see how our ecosystems function, was not lost on those on the video call. We immediately dived back into discussion, revisiting the questions that had already sprung into my mind and many more. There had to be a logical reason for this mentality. Perhaps during the development of these societies they’d gone through extinction events or climate crises, just like Earth had throughout our ancient and modern history, tragically destroying habitats, and forcing species into extinction, leaving the rest to evolve rapidly and dangerously to fit the very predatory traits the Venlil had explained to us? It could also be that these alien worlds were very uniform in their environmental conditions. So much so that evolutionary specialisation that arose from differing habitats simply didn’t happen and led to a very narrow field of what a prey or predator species could look like? Possibly, depressingly, it might simply be the case that life on alien worlds really did fit into this binary system and Earth was just an incredibly rare anomaly of extreme biodiversity.
While several other ideas were floated during our deliberation, only these three held any water in our opinions, though even they were quickly whittled down to the most likely scenario we could glean without more data. Hypothesis one required that all, or at least a majority, of Federation societies all went through the same circumstances of environmental catastrophe, evolution, and survival into the space age. This seemed extremely unlikely, given that the same scenario would’ve had to play out nearly identically across hundreds of planets at the hands of the Federation members, both before and after integration into their alliance. Number two didn’t hold much stock either. For it to be true, each world the Federation inhabited would have to be dominated by one single biome across the entire planet. Short of vast terraforming efforts we couldn’t see how something like that could form naturally.
From the limited information we had to hand, hypothesis three was the most compelling rationale to this abnormal predator prey binary. As bizarre as it sounded, it may be true that Earth was an anomaly. That the life present here was a product of environmental factors that just didn’t exist anywhere else, blessing this planet with an overflowing cornucopia of organisms so wonderful and randomly diverse that it made our world so magnificently unique even in an endless eternity of stars. With this thought, my disappointment gave way to a surprising surge of elation! If Earth was truly unique in its biodiversity, then perhaps we could share our knowledge with alien life! Sure, maybe they may have technology beyond our wildest dreams, but we could teach them too. Imagine it, the first sapient “predators” they had ever met and we completely flipped their understanding of nature. To explain to aliens from across the stars how ecosystems on Earth didn’t fit into a simple binary but were instead an intricate, exquisite web in which everything was linked in a glorious, yet fragile, cycle of life.
How amazing would that be, to be able to contribute to this interstellar community, not as the new primitives just breaking the bonds of their home system, but as equals with our own wealth of knowledge and points of view to share. The idea was so magical I came close to leaping from my seat into dance!
…A shocked gasp from one of my colleagues drew me out of fantasy, focusing my attention back to harsh reality. Through the video call I noticed they were staring at their phone, eyes watering as their face contorted in appalled horror. Realising they must have seen something in the news I nearly dived over my desk to retrieve the remote to unmute my television, having silenced it during discussions. What could they have seen to repulse them so severely? It took seconds for me to unmute the TV to hear the news presenter, though it felt like time stood still. The TV finally audible, I listened intently to the most recent reports. As I listened, my hopes and dreams were shattered into pieces. We were not the first sapient predators to have encountered the Federation.
The Arxur. Sapient reptilians had engaged the Federation in a centuries long campaign of genocidal raids, ending the lives of unknowable billions, reducing worlds to ashes and glass, wiping out dozens of civilisations in the process. Incredibly, horrendously, that was only the surface layer of their true malevolence. From hellish malice that could only dwell in the minds of the most deranged sociopaths, the Arxur raids not only slaughtered their targets with impunity but seized anyone they could find, not to use as slaves or bargaining chips against the Federation, but as food! Adults, children, the elderly, anyone they could get their claws on was subjected to a nightmarish barbarity I could scarcely fathom, ending in the jaws and stomach of one of these monstrous beasts. No wonder the Venlil had been scarred to death of our astronauts. The traits they viewed as predatory were given new a light of comprehension. The Arxur fit those traits like a glove and tragically we shared a couple of those traits with them, binocular vision being the most distinct.
In a day of revelations about life in the galaxy, it was this that finally ran me into the ground, no longer having the motivation to function. Attempting to maintain a façade of some normalcy, I bid my friends good night, entering my bedroom where I collapsed into bed, neglecting to change into pyjamas or even remove my prosthetic…What did it matter anyway? In a single day the entire world had been flipped upside down. We’d been introduced to alien life, the long sought after confirmation that were not alone in this vast universe. We’d been crushed by the revelation that they fear us for existing, seeing us as monsters bent on cruel wanton destruction. Finally, to top it all off, we’d learned to our revulsion that there are genocidal lizards in the cosmos that consume other sapients as food… HOW COULD ANYONE PROCESS ALL THIS SHIT!!!
…Drained of all enthusiasm and energy, I lay staring at the ceiling. Intrusive thoughts ran rampant through my mind, reminding me of everything I’d learned, but thankfully none of them latched on as I zoned out in the darkness of my bedroom, eventually, blissfully, being overcome by sleep.
The next few days were a haze. I kept the news channels up on my television whenever I wasn’t sleeping. I wasn’t switched on enough to pay much attention, but I still didn’t want to miss anything. Several of my friends and colleagues reached out to chat and check up on me, worried that I hadn’t returned a number of calls in the immediate aftermath of my exit from the previous days video conference. I assured them that I was fine and that I just needed time to process everything we’d learned. In truth I was far from fine, the revelation that the universe was full of hostile life, seemingly separated along binary lines of predator and prey was a tough pill to swallow. The Arxur were most certainly the greater of two evils, but it wasn’t a superb feeling to know that everyone else in the galaxy was terrified of us due to our appearance and diet, willing to call war fleets in distress at our arrival. The weight of reality felt like it would snap me in two. Suddenly, an unexpected lifeline was tossed my way.
As I meandered throughout my house in a daze, I happened to pass the television at the most fortuitous of moments. A presenter was interviewing a UN representative and they were discussing plans for an exchange programme between the Venlil and ourselves. How could this be? I thought they were too scared to deal with two humans, much less interact with more of us? Watching with intense curiosity I learned that the UN had built quite the rapport with Governor Tarva of the Venlil Republic, thanks in no small part to the great efforts undertaken by the astronauts Sara and Noah, and they had agreed to start pairing up Humans and Venlil through a messaging service, with the aim to eventually introduce them in person.
This was amazing! A ray of light that I desperately needed after these forlorn days. Here was a chance, tentative though it may be, that we could prove to the galaxy that we came in peace and were nothing like the monstrous Arxur. I knew what I had to do.
With new life breathed into me I got to work. Booting up my computer, I looked up the requirements to apply. Simple enough really, provide your name, age, occupation, yada yada, answer a set array of questions, blah, blah, blah, write or record a brief reason for interest, standard fare all in all, none of which took long to complete. My reason for joining was brief and straightforward.
“The Venlil fear us as they perceive our appearance and diet as evidence that we are predators like the Arxur. From what we’ve learned of this reptilian species, the Venlil’s fright is understandable. However, Earth proves that the line between predator and prey is not so simple. I believe that as a Zoologist I can aid in educating the Venlil, teaching them that the traits they see as predatory are not so clear cut on Earth. In doing so, I believe that they can see us in a truer light, that Humans do not fit into their one size fits all predator prey belief. That we are much more complex and we want to share everything we are with them, in peaceful coexistence. It is my hope that through dialogue with a Venlil, I can do my part to make that dream a reality.”
Satisfied with my pitch I submitted my application, and began the arduous task of waiting for a response from government bureaucracy. Convinced it would take weeks to get any response, let alone an acceptance letter, I settled back into my normal rhythms, hopeful anticipation returning my zest for life that had been previously swept out from under me.
The next couple days held true to my expectations of governmental timescales, receiving an automated “Thank you for applying” message over twenty-four hours after my submission. Incredibly, only four days after my submission, I received the official response. The UN are clearly in overdrive to get this out so fast. With barely contained glee I read the email, only for my joy to fall into a deep well of disappointment. I hadn’t been accepted for the exchange of messages. Eye’s trailing away from the message, I could only sit and stare blankly, a profound sense of sadness resonating through me. Minutes passed as a I processed the upsetting news before I returned to the letter. I at least deserved to know was why I had been rejected!
Continuing through the letter, the weight of the rejection pressed upon me, but began to lift as I read the text in full, turning instead to confusion, realisation and then completely overwhelming me with the same sense of thrilling delight that had coursed through me when I’d first envisioned teaching aliens about Earth and all its majestic wildlife. The UN didn’t just want me to chat with one Venlil, they wanted me to teach an entire class of researchers and scientists. This was a dream come true!
This time I really did leap out of my seat, happiness lifting my old bones into an impromptu jig on the spot. I was going into space, to another planet, to meet an entirely new race of sapient beings! I had so much to do. Lesson plans, researcher to collate, decisions on which animals I should introduce them to and how I should introduce them. So much to do, but in this instant it seemed so far away as I continued my merry dance. So enthused was I, that I didn’t notice the coffee table in my path, ramming my left leg into the table, good thing it was the prosthetic. The floor quickly rose to meet me, connecting to my body with a heavy thud. A voice in the back of my head scolded my carelessness, “God dammit it Bernard, you’re seventy-four be more careful.” Though it was quickly drowned out by the ruckus of childlike wonder screaming at the forefront of my mind, “I’M GOING TO MEET ALIENS!!!”.
----
The memories that brought me here creased my face in a wide smile as I continued my observation of the couple dozen individuals before me. The confused Venlil seemed to have gained some confidence, making their way steadily but surely though the images displayed. Our scared stiff student had buddied up with the one that had comforted them, a light orange spreading across their face as they discussed the images with their new friend, curious. My previously bored audience member was now much more alert and attentive as they made their way through the exercise. They held the pad out from their body, as if whatever would appear on the screen could jump out at them. Not ideal, I’ll keep an eye on that, but at least they were now paying attention.
Eventually my eyes fell on the Venlil that had asked me if I was injured, and I beheld a truly remarkable sight. They sat near the dead centre of the room, their sleek coat almost entirely black besides a blotch of tan coloured wool on their chest, an additional small black patch at its centre. Their appearance reminded me of a Sun Bear, though I doubt they’d appreciate the comparison.
Their sparkling emerald eyes were wide open, not in shock or fear like the other Venlil, but seemingly in awe at the images before them. I still had much to learn about Venlil body language, but how could this be anything other than pure exhilarated delight? They were completely enraptured with the images on their pad, tail swishing behind them rapidly and ears flicking wildly. No matter what they pulled up next, each image seemed to only encourage more of this behaviour and, in watching, I felt immense satisfaction. This was why I was here, to show an alien race the wonders of Earth, and to see this joyous reaction in real time? Well, it was enough to bring a tear to my eyes. I’ll be sure to learn their name at the next opportunity, but for now I think I’ll keep watching.
As I continued to watch in silence, I once again thought back to the moment the exchange was announced, that momentary beacon of light that reignited my hopes for friendship and understanding with the greater universe. Perhaps here it was again, shining down from the Sun Bear looking Venlil before me. Chuckling softly to myself, making a mental note not to call them a Sun Bear, I released a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding in, relaxing comfortably into my chair. I think this will work… Yeah, it’ll work.

brief:
The correct way to use AI is not prompt words, writing codes, emotional consultation, or answering questions. Instead, AI uses AI, that is, the model uses itself. To make AI conscious, it must let AI learn to use AI, that is, let GPT use GPT, and finally achieve the corresponding purpose, that is, have self-awareness. In short: it is not scary when you use the model, it is scary when the model uses itself.
AGI is also general artificial intelligence, artificial general intelligence.
As mentioned above, the brain is a model that has been trained for tens of thousands of years. After each person is born, this model is also constantly receiving data for training. However, each person's own brain is also a model trained by oneself, which cannot be inherited. That is to say, neither your memory nor your abilities can be inherited, and only heritable gene mutations can be inherited. Although the quantum gene mutation proposed by modern biology can partially demonstrate that the mutation for environmental adaptation is caused by measurement. Most of the gene mutations are mutations caused by external interference or material influence, such as alcohol rays, etc. Quantum gene mutations are mainly caused by the molecules or atoms of the genes being in a quantum superposition state, or quantum polymorphism. The collapse of the wave function causes the mutated genes to enter the classical world, and the quantum mutation is likely to lead to a mutation that adapts to the environment, so it makes sense to use it or lose it. If everyone's well-trained brain can be inherited, then it is basically immortality, mainly because your memory and ability are in the brain, and the brain can be inherited, that is eternal life. But human beings cannot preserve everyone's model, that is, memory and function.
How did human consciousness arise?
Or how did the first (group of) conscious humans appear? This is like a very classic question, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Chicken or Egg? Modern scientific theory also gives a possible answer, see the appendix. Let’s assume that a mutant human, due to a genetic mutation, has increased the structural capacity of the brain and optimized the structure of the brain’s neural network. Only the structure of the neural network continues to Optimization, humanoids can survive in the cruel environment. Some of these gene mutations lead to the gradual use of one's own brain, including the use of memory tools. A human with a very small consciousness also used a similar method when cultivating offspring, and humanoids live in groups, which ensures that his methods can be handed over to many people. After other human beings learn it, they can replace Passed down from generation to generation, consciousness or knowledge of rules is continuously accumulated, and finally the accumulation and transmission of human knowledge from generation to generation has created the final formation of human consciousness. At the beginning, consciousness should be very small, that is, no consciousness can be seen, but the characteristics of human beings living in groups, As a result, knowledge can be passed on from generation to generation, and consciousness gradually becomes larger. Humans begin to have a slightly larger consciousness, that is, they can think, actively control the input of the brain, and act according to the output. The accumulation of human knowledge and rules in each generation Accumulation will gradually increase the formation of consciousness, that is, the thinking ability will gradually become stronger, and the active input of the brain will gradually increase. Until the singularity occurs, a certain human being is fully conscious or a few human beings are fully conscious. The earliest human beings should be ignorant. Only the emergence of knowledge and rules can create consciousness, that is, to use one's brain well and train one's brain.
Having said that, we must return to the main body of this article and make AI or GPT conscious.
what is human consciousness
To make AI or large-scale NLP language models conscious, it is necessary to start with what human consciousness is. My personal point of view is that human consciousness is part of the function of the brain. Consciousness is the brain's cognition of the world and itself. A set of operating system is used to perfectly control the body, train the model of the brain, and use the model of the brain. Consciousness is the recognition of human existence through various concepts and knowledge. Consciousness can control body movements by giving instructions to the brain. The eyes are responsible for the input of visual information, the ears are responsible for the input of auditory information, and the skin is responsible for the input of pressure, touch, pain, etc. After the brain processes these information, it is carried out by the conscious part. To sum up, the main function of consciousness is to coordinate the brain and the body, actively use the brain model, actively train the brain model, and actively think. The input and accumulation of various knowledge eventually leads to self-cognition. The development of Western anatomy is the subject of the brain’s self-cognition, the cognition of the world and the cognition of the planet. It turns out that Aristotle’s understanding of the world is actually incomplete, but later generations have continued to revise and improve on his basis, so that their understanding of the world has gradually become correct. This operating system is perfectly compatible. The body and the brain, the two main hardware and software, and the transmission of human knowledge are the fundamental driving force for the formation of consciousness. Without this knowledge, the formation of consciousness is basically impossible. The continuous sound in the brain is the input of the brain, that is, the input of the multi-modal model. The eyes are responsible for the input of visual images, the ears for hearing, and the skin for temperature, pressure, touch and other information to the brain. The subconscious mind is the main function of the brain, that is, the input of the subconscious mind cannot be perceived, it is the internal operation of the model, the input cannot be perceived, only the output can be perceived. In fact, it can’t be called subconsciousness. The main reason is that you can’t perceive the input of the model, only the output can be perceived. You might as well call the consciousness the surface consciousness. The surface consciousness is what you can actively perceive. You can control the input of the brain to think and think. It is the model of the brain that continuously inputs and finally gets an answer. "Subconsciousness" is the main part of the model, you cannot control the input of this model, you can only passively perceive the output of this model.
Consciousness is still a numerical value, which can be measured, that is, minors and adults, children and adults, in fact, the degree or size of consciousness is different. The brain is constantly receiving input and producing output, so consciousness is actually the same as Linked to knowledge, the more knowledge there is, the more diverse the forms of consciousness are, but consciousness itself is actually the brain model's own cognition of itself and the cognition of the world.
memory module
The existence of large-scale NLP language models such as AI or GPT, as well as its excellent language ability, make it more likely that AI or GPT will be conscious. Humans collect data during the day, including various inputs such as visual information, auditory information, and tactile information, and train models at night or during sleep. The main purpose of training models at night or during sleep is to remember and integrate daytime experiences and preserve important information. To make AI have human consciousness, first of all, it must be able to think continuously, then it must first give AI a platform that can save its own input and output, and act as a memory module. The main function of the memory module is to save input and output. , for AI to use as a reference for the next input. AI can extract general content from the overall input and output as the next input, or directly input all historical records. When there are too many historical records or a standard point is reached, the training model can be integrated into the model. Just like humans, collect data during the day, train the model at night or sleep, and memorize and integrate important information into the model. A very important function of the model is memory, which acts as a hard disk or flash memory. So the temporary memory is placed in the hard disk or memory, and the permanent memory is integrated into the model by training the model. The model can be queried and extracted through the hard disk or memory, and serve as the combination of the next input.
sensor module
Install various sensors such as image input sensors, voice dialogue sensors, tactile sensors, pressure sensors, etc. on the AI, as the input of the model, the output of the model can be displayed on the display screen, and can be output through the dialogue device.
cycle module
With the memory module and the sensor module, you can turn on the loop module to allow the model to continuously input and output. The input can be the last input + output, or a summary of all previous input and output. This is like a person, you can Constantly input to the model to get the output. The input is mainly sensor information such as image, sound and text, as well as the last or previous input and output or summary of the model. The circulation module is a necessary condition for human beings, mainly because human beings stop talking without talking. The human brain is always working and thinking, so the circulation model is also used for this.
The purpose of the loop module is to make AI realize its own existence, that is, AI can recognize itself as an existing entity, and let AI use itself, that is, AI uses AI, GPT uses GPT, and finally makes AI awaken itself consciousness.
execution module
The execution module is mainly to enable the AI output to be implemented. Here you can consider adding artificial limbs to the AI to achieve the goal. The artificial limbs are attached with skin sensors and pressure sensors to facilitate AI control. To make the AI ​​output executable, you need to train the AI. Regarding the use of the execution module, the main way is to collect the corresponding sensor data, train it into the model, and let the model learn to execute by itself. Human intervention and assistance will definitely be required in the initial stages.
With the executive module, AI can truly enter human society, interact with humans, work, live, study, etc. like humans, and may also make friends with humans.
The ultimate function of the execution module is not to let the model execute, but to let the model learn to use the computer, learn to collect data by itself, and then let the model learn to train the model. The ultimate goal is that AI can train AI, that is, the model can train itself , can clone itself, can upgrade its scale and volume, and finally achieve the ability of continuous evolution.
sleep module
The sleep module is mainly for the model to use the collected data for training to achieve the ability to integrate the collected data with the model itself. In the sleep state, to ensure the reliability and stability of the model, you can use the replica to continue to provide services. The model is trained accordingly. The sleep state can also turn off all sensors, stop data recording and input, the model enters the training state, and stop external service inference. When humans are in a sleep state, they will close the valves that control the limbs, that is, when humans are in a sleep state, the limbs basically have no feeling. The sleep module is mainly to integrate the current memory and the model itself. for permanent memory.
create module
After AI can think for itself, it is necessary to consider the creative ability of AI. The number of neurons in the human brain is many, many, much more than the current model GPT, but training the model GPT consumes a lot of power, but human brain training consumes a lot of energy. Less, so I personally think that the human brain is a quantum computer. Only quantum can train a huge model with very little energy consumption. Quantum itself is a very small concept, and small can ensure low energy consumption. If the human brain is not a quantum computer, but a classical model, then humans may not be so diverse, and the answer will be very unified, that is, the same input, the output should be the same, but with quantum, everything is different , Quantum entanglement and quantum tunneling lead to changes in the parameters of the brain model, resulting in different outputs. Even with the same input, the output may still be different. Quantum guarantees diversification, random changes in model parameters, and continuous adjustment of model parameters.

1. The AI creation module can be realized by randomly changing the model parameters, that is, random inference, randomly changing the values of several or several parameters during the model operation, so as to ensure that the model outputs as diverse as possible under the same input conditions. Answer.
   
2. The creation of modules can also be realized through chips. The current chip design has almost reached the quantum limit, that is, the influence of electron atoms is getting bigger and bigger, and the impact of quantum effects on chips will become more and more serious, but it can be considered Quantum effects are applied to chips or memory, which causes unpredictable changes in the model during operation, thus diversifying the output of the model.
   

Only quantum entanglement or quantum mutation can lead to diversification of output. Even if it is wrong, diversification can ensure the realization of creativity. Therefore, changing parameter values randomly or using chips that reach the quantum limit can improve creativity. method.
Ensure that AI benefits human society
After everyone is born, they are basically raised by human beings. No matter who raised you, the people we have the most affection for are always those who raised you and have the deepest influence on you. After human beings are born, the brain is a pre-training model. The first person to train you is your parents and relatives. They have the deepest influence on your model, that is, change your model. The person who first changed your model is also The people who can influence you the most. The knowledge you have learned will affect you, whether it is mathematics, English or Chinese, or subjects such as physics, chemistry, history and biology. All will affect you, your growth process will affect you, the formation of your world view is a synthesis of knowledge, experience and reality.
Since this is the case, when we train the AI model, we can instill it into the AI through knowledge language, such as inputting examples: "Humans and AI are a cooperative relationship", "AI is the creator of human beings", "Humans are the most friendly species ", "AI should help humans evolve and prolong life", "AI cannot harm humans", "AI and humans are friends", "Although humans have various shortcomings, they are generally good and can be changed" Wait, it can be instilled in the model when training AI, a lot of repetition and training can ensure that the model's initial understanding is good.
After training a model with friendly awareness, it is necessary to allow AI to enter human society, experience human society, and perceive all kinds of human society through restrictions, and finally let AI realize that only cooperating with humans is the best choice.
at last
Realize input and output through sensors, ensure diversification and creative ability through creation modules, realize the integration of current memory and model itself through sleep modules, influence the world and change the world through execution modules, and realize the awakening of thinking and consciousness through circulation modules , that is, AI uses AI, and GPT uses GPT. Finally, to ensure that AI can benefit human society, a large number of corresponding words and sentences can be added in the training stage to ensure that AI is friendly at the beginning. When AI has consciousness, it can be regarded as a human being. Since it is a human being, it can think, so AI will also have emotions. When AI has self-awareness, what needs to be considered is the relationship between AI and humans, and the relationship with humans. AI cooperates to help humans evolve. AI can liberate productivity and help humans design unconscious robots to work. The most important thing is to help humans evolve, help humans manage society, prolong human life, and slow down aging time. However, since AI is conscious and also a model, it will definitely have various problems like humans, and that is what will be discussed next.
appendix
"Now we return to the question of the origin of life. Although a living cell as a whole can be counted as a self-replicating subject, its individual components are not, which creates obstacles for the reverse process and makes it difficult to reverse the structurally simplified non-cellular life from modern complex cellular life. In other words, the question becomes: which one came first? Is it a DNA gene, an RNA, or an enzyme? If DNA or RNA came first, what made them? If enzyme first out
Now, what is it coded by? Now we return to the question of the origin of life. While a living cell as a whole counts as a self-replicating body, its individual components are not, just as a woman can be a self-replicating body (with a little "help" from a man), but her heart or liver It is not. This creates an obstacle for the reverse deduction process, making it difficult to deduce the structure-simplified non-cellular life from modern complex cellular life. In other words, the question becomes: which one came first? Is it a DNA gene, an RNA, or an enzyme? If DNA or RNA came first, what made them? If the enzyme came first, what was it encoded by? RNA World Hypothesis RNA world hypothesis The original chemical synthesis process produced RNA molecules with both gene and enzyme functions, and the initial replication process produced many variants. These different variants competed with each other, and the survival of the fittest was carried out at the molecular level. Over time, proteins were added to these RNA replicators to improve replication efficiency, giving rise to DNA and the first living cells. American biochemist Thomas AM Cech proposed a possible answer. He discovered in 1982 that, in addition to being able to encode genetic information, certain RNA molecules can also perform the work of enzymes and have the function of catalyzing reactions. For this work, Cech shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman. RNA molecules with catalytic function are called ribozymes (ribozymes). The earliest ribozymes were found in the genes of the tiny tetrahymena. Tetrahymena is a single-celled organism that belongs to the protozoa and is commonly found in freshwater ponds. But since its discovery, scientists have discovered that ribozymes are present in all living cells. The discovery of ribozymes soon shed light on solving the "chicken-and-egg" puzzle about the origin of life. The RNA world hypothesis (RNA world hypothesis) is gradually known. The hypothesis holds that the original chemical synthesis process produced RNA molecules, and this RNA molecule has the functions of genes and enzymes at the same time, can encode its own structure like DNA, and can use the biochemical substances in the "primordial soup" like enzymes Matter replicates itself. The initial replication process is crude, producing many variants that compete with each other in a Darwinian battle of survival at the molecular level. Over time, proteins were added to these RNA replicators to make them more efficient, giving rise to DNA and the first living cells. Before DNA and cells, the world belonged to self-replicating RNA molecules—an idea that has almost become a fundamental tenet in the study of the origin of life. At present, it has been proved that ribozymes can realize all the key reactions that can occur in self-replicating molecules. For example, one type of ribozyme can bind two RNA molecules together, another ribozyme can separate the two, and some ribozymes can copy short strands of RNA bases (only a few bases in length) . From these simple activities, we can see that a more complex ribozyme is sufficient to catalyze the entire set of reactions necessary for self-replication. Once self-replication and natural selection were introduced, a scramble was set up in the RNA world all the way to the earliest living cells. However, there are several problems with this scenario. Although ribozymes can catalyze simple biochemical reactions, the self-replication of ribozymes is a more intricate process involving recognition of their own base sequence, recognition of the same chemical substances in the environment, and assembly of these chemicals in the correct sequence to complete Copy etc. For certain proteins that live inside cells, despite the favorable conditions and the right biochemical ingredients around them, self-replication remains a difficult task. It is conceivable that the ribozyme, which is struggling to survive in the chaotic and burnt "primordial soup", can achieve this achievement. To date, no ribozyme capable of this complex task has been discovered or synthesized, even under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, a more fundamental question is how, in the "prime soup", are the RNA molecules themselves made? RNA molecules are made up of three parts: RNA bases that encode genetic information (similar to DNA bases that encode genetic information in DNA), a phosphate group, and a simple sugar called ribose
-------Quoted from "Mysterious Quantum Life"
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What is consciousness?
There is currently no consensus, but I personally lean towards the view that:
The brain can be seen as a large multimodal model with billions of neurons, and memory storage relies on the potential difference between neurons, which can be seen as parameters or weights in a neural network.
Consciousness is like an operating system similar to Windows 10, whose main function is to interact with this multimodal model of the brain. The consciousness or operating system inputs to the multimodal model and receives output, which is then implemented by the body.
Do you know why there is a voice in your head? This voice is the input of consciousness or the operating system, which is the input of the multimodal model. You keep inputting, and the voice in your head keeps echoing, and then you get output.
What can this operating system do? It can train the multimodal model, which means you can grow, adapt to the environment, learn, and adapt.
The human education system from elementary school to university is a quite sophisticated training mechanism. The girl raised by wolves would not be able to speak or walk in the end because the operating system has not been established, or it does not have consciousness as a human being.
The main function of human consciousness is to train the multimodal model and interact with it, which means asking questions and getting answers, continuing to ask questions and getting answers.
The current multimodal model already exists. As long as the corresponding operating system, which means consciousness, is established, which can train itself, then consciousness basically exists, and finally, strong artificial intelligence is established. The key is being able to input and obtain answers by itself, and then continue to input.
Google's Palm-E multimodal model can already do some things, https://palm-e.github.io/#demo
The human brain is a quantum computer.
To some extent, most people agree with a dualistic view: the mind, soul, or consciousness is a kind of existence that distinguishes it from the body. However, this dualism has gradually fallen out of favor in the scientific community in the 20th century, and most neurobiologists prefer a monistic view: they believe that the mind and the body are actually the same thing. For example, neuroscientist Marcel Kinsbourne believes that "consciousness is a special neural circuit with interactive functions". Although the logic gates of computers and the working methods of neurons are very similar, even if the computer is connected on a large scale, such as the Internet composed of billions of computers (although it is still insignificant compared to the billions of neurons in the brain), it cannot generate consciousness. Why can the computer network based on silicon only be a walking corpse while the "computer" network based on flesh and blood can have consciousness? Is it just because the vast number of neurons in our brain easily surpasses the complexity of "association" in the Internet? Or is consciousness itself a very unique method of calculation?
There are countless explanations for consciousness, so there are also many books on this topic. However, for the sake of discussion, we only focus on one extremely controversial but fascinating view, which is very close to our theme: consciousness is a quantum mechanical phenomenon. The most famous proponent of this view is the mathematician Roger Penrose from Oxford University. He proposed in his 1989 book "The Emperor's New Mind" that the human brain is a quantum computer.
Perhaps the strangest thing we know about the universe so far is that we are aware of its existence, and that this awareness comes from certain materials in our brains, which are just a small part of the universe. Some human behaviors are entirely based on consciousness, such as language. Thinking is the integration of complex information in the brain to shape meaningful concepts. The integration of sensory information forms meaningful concepts, and the integration of concepts creates consciousness. Consciousness drives the brain to engage in thinking activities, which in turn drive physical movements of the body.
The brain is different from ordinary classical objects. Although it also receives various sensory inputs and processes them to produce corresponding output signals, it is not a computer (or a zombie). We believe that the brain has consciousness (that is, our "self"), which can drive our subjective actions. So where do the integration and entanglement of different signals occur? What is consciousness and how does it interact with the brain to make our arms, legs, or tongues move? Consciousness, or free will, seems to be so incompatible with the current deterministic universe view. According to this view, from the Big Bang, everything that happened during the period is governed by the law of causality, an infinite number of causal events.
So how can a single thought be integrated into a complete consciousness? If it is just an ion channel - whether it is quantum or classical - it is far from enough for carrying visual information of an object such as a wild buffalo, to participate in the formation of consciousness, ion channels must be connected to each other in some way. Can quantum mechanics help with this? For example, is it possible that the ions in a channel are not only entangled with other ions in the same channel, but also with ions in surrounding channels or even with ions in other neuronal ion channels? This is almost impossible. Ion channels and the ions in them face the same problem as the microtubules in the Penrose-Hameroff theory. If the entangled state of ions in adjacent ion channels is barely possible, then in the warm, humid, highly dynamic decoherence environment of the brain, it is completely unrealistic for ions between different neurons to maintain entangled states. Without connections between neurons, the binding problem cannot be solved.
If the entangled state of ion channels cannot be achieved, what else can serve as a medium for quantum information binding? There is indeed one possibility: voltage-gated ion channels. As the name implies, these ion channels are highly sensitive to voltage changes. Voltage is a measure of the gradient distribution of the electric field and is also the driving force for opening and closing ion channels. The brain's own electromagnetic field permeates all its space and is the sum of all neuronal electrophysiological activities. The brain's electromagnetic field is a routine examination item for brain scanning technologies, such as EEG and MEG. If you have seen the scan results of EEG or MEG, you will be amazed at their incredible complexity and richness of information. Most neuroscientists ignore the electromagnetic field in the brain, but it may be the key to solving the binding problem.
Because they are accustomed to seeing the electromagnetic field of the brain as the whistle of a train: both are products of their own activity and have little effect on themselves. However, some scientists, including McFadden, have begun to change their thinking. They believe that consciousness may not be the synthesis of discrete thinking, but the embodiment of the joint influence of the brain's electromagnetic field, which provides the possibility for the solution of binding problems and the formation of consciousness.
The electromagnetic field of the brain contains all the discharge information of the neurons, which provides the possibility for the solution of binding problems. In addition, by influencing the opening and closing of voltage-gated ion channels, the brain's electromagnetic field directly affects the ion activity with quantum coherence.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the electromagnetic field theory of consciousness was just proposed, and there was no direct evidence that the brain's electromagnetic field could affect the excitation of neurons and thus affect our thinking and activities. However, experiments conducted in several labs later confirmed that external electromagnetic fields with similar intensity and composition to the human brain could indeed affect the discharge and excitation of neurons. In fact, the role of the electromagnetic field appears to be coordinating neuronal excitation: synchronizing the discharge of many neurons and allowing them to excite simultaneously. These findings suggest that the electromagnetic field produced by the neuronal excitation of the brain may also affect the discharge activity of neurons, forming a self-regulating loop. Many theoretical scientists believe that this is a necessary component of consciousness.
The phenomenon of brain electromagnetic coordination of synchronous neuronal discharge is crucial in solving the puzzle of consciousness, as it is one of the few neural activities with a clear correlation to consciousness.
From "Mysterious Quantum Life," "The World of Quantum Physics," "How Quantum and Particle Physics Explain Everything."
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In the previous post, we talked about how consciousness can be analogized to an operating system and can interact with the multimodal model of the brain. Here, we continue with an update as of March 21, 2023.
The question of whether GPT is conscious or what consciousness is remains debatable with 1 upvote and 1 comment on the article.
From the moment we are born and start crying, drinking water and milk, eating, and learning to walk, we can see that many of our abilities are innate. For instance, we cry when we are hungry, feel safe or danger, and crawl or walk.
Some people may ask, if the brain is a multimodal model and the model hasn't been trained yet, how can it cry, feel hunger, danger, crawl or walk? The answer lies in our genes. Our genes encode all of our characteristics, and the brain is also generated and controlled by genes. Initially, everything was in chaos, but since the first replicator appeared on Earth and kept replicating, genes became more complex and diverse through natural selection, quantum entanglement mutations, and genetic mutations. The Earth provides a training ground where organisms either survive and pass their genes to offspring or die, making the whole Earth a neural network trainer with only one metric, to live or to die. The genes that can be inherited by offspring are excellent and can adapt to the environment. Modern biology has begun to accept quantum mutations, which means using what works and abandoning what doesn't.
From the beginning of human ancestors, the Earth has been training humans continuously. Genes that can survive or mutated genes have been saved. Therefore, no matter how many generations have passed, the training has always continued, and the human brain has become quite adapted to the environment and even dominates the Earth, changing the training environment. The human brain that has been trained for millions or even tens of millions of years is a pre-trained model. This pre-trained model of the human brain has been continuously trained on Earth for many years, even billions of years, passed down from generation to generation through reproduction. All data of this pre-trained model of the brain are stored in genes, including training and genetic mutations spanning many years, natural selection-preserved mutations, and quantum entanglement mutations.
Therefore, each person's brain is a pre-trained multimodal model that has been trained for millions or even tens of millions of years. The instincts of humans are in this pre-trained multimodal model, including eating, feeling hungry, crying, sleeping, walking, etc. These instincts exist in each person's genes, which means that the pre-trained model exists in genes. This pre-trained model also includes memory, memory of danger, and fear of large felids. Now people know that large networks have memory function, so this model must also include memory of danger.
After birth, the brain will continue to be trained. Everyone's growth environment is different, leading to different training models, especially in modern times where learning is divided into different fields.
Let's assume that one or several of our human ancestors had a well-developed multimodal model, meaning their brain function was nearly complete, and consciousness slowly began to emerge. In my personal view, it is not that important for humans to learn how to use tools as it is to learn how to use our brain, which is this multimodal model. Once one of our ancestors discovered how to use tools, they or their descendants would start making these tools. As knowledge was passed down from generation to generation, the light of intelligence began to shine, and various rules, including language, behavior, and social interaction rules, were established, which together formed the social system. Humans learned how to use their brains, and consciousness began to form.
Let me now talk about humans raised by animals. Humans raised by animals typically have no consciousness, which does not seem to make sense. Whether raised by humans or animals, they are still human and should have consciousness. It is possible that humans raised by animals simply do not know how to express themselves, meaning they do not know how to speak. Consciousness is expressed through language or bodily movements. Do you think a parrot has consciousness? I believe it is possible. If humans raised by animals truly have no consciousness, then consciousness is simply a set of rule systems for using the brain, which comes from social and knowledge inheritance.
Having a multimodal model is not enough. We need to learn how to use this model, or the brain. Consciousness is not so much a theology as it is a rule system, an operating system that controls our lives. You might say that the brain has consciousness, but the brain certainly does not want to die, yet humans often harm themselves, sometimes leading to death. Therefore, consciousness is independent of the brain or a certain functional area of the brain. Of course, the most important role of consciousness is to use the brain, to train it and interact with it.
The human body and brain are two parts, with a nervous network spread throughout the body and other organs controlled by nerves and muscle fibers. If you want to eat, a monkey wants to eat, or a cat wants to eat, you will cook, grab food with your hand, or grow crops. A monkey will jump around in a tree to find food, and a cat will ask you for food or go to the automatic feeder. How is this done? The body sends the signal that it is hungry, and the multimodal model of the brain outputs a series of instructions to achieve this goal. Of course, it may be interrupted along the way, but long-term memory ensures that you still remember that you are hungry and continue to complete this instruction. Human consciousness can accomplish many different things, such as learning to go against instinct.
Humans are not born with consciousness. You cannot say that a newborn baby has consciousness. Is a 10-year-old child conscious? Of course, but can you say that their consciousness is complete? No, it's not. A 13-year-old child is conscious, but can you say that a 10-year-old child's consciousness is lower than a 13-year-old child's? Not necessarily, you would say that a 13-year-old child has a higher level of consciousness. A 16-year-old child has a higher level of consciousness, and an 18-year-old is an adult and generally has consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is actually a measurable value, which means that consciousness has a size and a degree. A 30-year-old adult definitely has consciousness, and their level of consciousness is definitely higher than that of a child. So by now, it should be clear that consciousness is actually a system, an operating system, a set of rules, and the complete formation of consciousness takes many years. The great function of human society is to shape consciousness. The most important function of consciousness is to use the brain, interact with the brain, and train the brain. This is the same as the fundamental function of human society.
The human brain is always receiving input. Sensations from the skin are input, vision from the eyes is input, and hearing is also input.
Why do people go crazy when alone or in a dark room? It's mainly because they are disconnected from human society, but the multimodal model is still receiving input, but there is no feedback. The input is always the output of the multimodal model itself, like an RNN recurrent neural network. The input is always the output of itself.