Recursion: An Introduction

Thank you for reading the inaugural edition of Recursion.

Recursion is a regular publication of essays about the relationship between technology and the Earth’s biosphere. How technology can influence our capability to understand and wield nature, and just as importantly vice versa; how nature - and being in nature - can help us realise what we truly want technology to be able to do for us. It is my space for questioning, pondering and dreaming.

I am a designer and technologist by education. But ironically, the paper that stuck with me the strongest through five years of higher design education is called “When the Implication Is Not to Design (Technology)” - an article outlining simple heuristics for reflecting on the the appropriateness or inappropriateness of a design and technology intervention in a given context. That paper, together with a course on eco-design and Tony Fry’s “Design Futuring” made me realise that my interest in technology, and my passion for the natural world could be merged. That it is beneficial to both the technology and our society that we scrutinise it; question its justification and whether it is a net positive for our planet and lives, or whether the externalities from its existence outweighs its upsides.

And now, I want to share that view and interest with everyone who might find that intersection between the two - technology and the biosphere - as powerful, influential and interesting as myself.

Fortunately, you need not look for long to realise that technology, especially within the last decade, has been repurposed to heal or support our biosphere. With the power of machine learning and citizen scientists, researchers are more accurately tracking individual species among endangered species populations, improving conservation efforts. Drones are becoming vital in early wildfire combatting and information gathering too risky for human pilots, enabling better decision making for firefighters at the front line. Access to near real-time satellite imagery analysed with AI empowers forest land owners and governments to succeed in reforestation projects and fight illegal deforestation. These are just a few examples of how technology is starting to “give back” to the biosphere.

At the same time, nature has always inspired technology and remains a vital and potent source for innovation, especially in our quest to find technologies that support living healthy lives with a high standard of living in a manner that is not exploitative of the planet’s resources. The corrugated structures of cardboard boxes that allow them to carry more weight per mass? That’s a clam’s design. Shipping magnates might soon be coating their massive freight ship hulls with a nanostructure inspired by shark skin to reduce friction in the water, saving tons of crude oil fuel. All the mental health benefits of forest bathing might even be elicited through fully virtual environments like virtual reality, giving people with limited mobility access to the serendipity and the positive effects of immersing yourself among trees.

I hope this gives you a sense of what Recursion will be about. I would be super thankful if you subscribed and gave the next edition or even a few more a read. And reach out if there’s anything you find particularly interesting or something you’d like to give feedback on.

In the following section, I curate stories from the week past that I found the most worthwhile to read when it comes to technology and/or the biosphere. And finally, I highlight a piece of news or simply a joyful photo that serves as a reminder of all the positive progress and wonders happening in the world.

Worthwhile

• BBC wants to help you save energy on your TV. Their research department developed a low-impact graphics system for radio channel being played on TVs, reducing power consumption for as much as 64% on OLEDs.

• A lovely summary of open challenges in LLMs. Improvement opportunities are plenty.

• IBM, NASA and Hugging Face(!) team up. Combining massive amounts of satellite data with foundational AI models, then open-sourcing it, the coalition hopes to democratise AI-powered Earth sciences such as deforestation tracking and crop yield projections.

The bright side

Have you ever wondered why pupils shapes were different among different species? Neither had I. This lovely well-illustrated explainer from TED will teach you why (and make you want to learn to draw at the same time).

Recursion is a regular publication of essays about the relationship between technology and the Earth’s biosphere. Once in a while, it might contain sci-fi short stories. Written by Morten Bjørn Hallkvist.

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