One Blue Marble for Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and the Earth Species Project.

We joined him for a deep conversation at Stochastic Labs in Berkeley. Aza began by sharing a bit about his journey to become an advocate for the ethical use of technology. Aza is the technologist who developed what is known as the “Infinite Scroll,” where web content uploads continuously as the user scrolls down the page. Today, he is critical of the far-reaching and often negative effects that modern technology has on everyday lives and society. “One of my lessons from infinite scroll: that optimizing something for ease-of-use does not mean best for the user or humanity.”

He described how his work with The Earth Species Project (ESP) is using artificial intelligence to map animal language in hopes of creating a real shift in how we perceive the world. We also shared our observations about how technology is impacting the lives of children. When I departed, he kindly gave me a copy of More New Games! - Aza had recently bought up all of the copies found at his local bookstore to give away.

Nearby, a copy of The Golden Record, sat on the mantel.