Daydreams

Daydreams Substack explores speculative fiction through a variety of lenses including science, ethics, technology, and human nature. It delves into topics like AI, morality in innovation, existential risks, emotional connections, and the human condition, often juxtaposing futuristic settings with profound philosophical questions and ethical dilemmas.

Speculative Fiction Science and Technology Ethical Dilemmas Human Nature Artificial Intelligence Existential Risks Innovation and Society Emotional Connections

The hottest Substack posts of Daydreams

And their main takeaways

8/17/22: Propofol Summer

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Anthropologists debated on whether to initiate contact with an isolated tribe in the Amazonian woods, considering the benefits and risks of introducing them to the outside world.
  2. A unique solution was developed where one tribe member was annually abducted, updated about the outside world, and given the choice of whether the tribe should assimilate or remain isolated.
  3. The anthropologist Sam, who was once involved with the tribe, eventually found peace in letting go of the idea of bringing the tribe into the modern world and lived a happy life, unaffected by the tribe's decisions.

8/11/22: Excluding Exclusion Zones

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The Creator established rules with constraints for magic use to prevent overwhelming the world. Exclusion zones were created to limit specific types of magic.
  2. The discovery of Meta-Exclusionary Magic by Evan Godel challenged the rules set by the Creator, leading to a back and forth power struggle.
  3. Ultimately, a truce was proposed by Godel, introducing the concept of Set Theory to prevent an endless cycle of exclusion. Cooperation and innovation became key to resolving the conflict.

8/06/22: Sympathy Date

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Hannah went on a sympathy date at a restaurant after being stood up, where an assigned companion joined her to avoid a sad situation.
  2. The restaurant orchestrated the encounter, providing an alternate dining partner based on compatibility, making the evening less awkward.
  3. Hannah's approach cleverly turned a difficult situation into an opportunity for free good meals and potentially meeting compatible partners.

8/03/22: Aesthetic Budget

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. A group at Cambridge developed the 'Beauty-Meter' to measure subjective experiences of human faces, impacting industries like movies and advertising.
  2. Standardizing the practice of measuring physical attractiveness led to an arms race among studios, increasing body dysmorphia and plastic surgery rates.
  3. Society eventually regulated beauty in media through the Media Aesthetics Act, introducing an 'Aesthetic Budget' to encourage accurate representation of the average population on screen.

7/30/22: Continuity (TM)

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The Continuity Device was initially developed for Bipolar patients to help balance their mood by allowing them to experience the average mood and motivation of their present self.
  2. Competitors speculated about the mechanism of the device, with some believing it had a probabilistic forecasting ability, but the Company kept the workings of the device a mystery.
  3. Users like Harry found the Continuity Device helpful, as it created a sense of continuity between their Present Self and Future Self, leading to positive changes in behavior and decision-making.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

7/27/22: Language Line Solutions

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Language Line Solutions provides translation services in critical situations, but human error can still occur.
  2. The story illustrates the importance of accuracy in translation, especially when lives are at stake.
  3. Even with advanced technology, sometimes simplicity like Google Translate could have sufficed in the situation.

7/25/22: Obi-Wan Chemotherapy

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The chemotherapy drug nicknamed 'Obi-wan' spread quickly through the medical community and was officially branded due to its popularity.
  2. The use of catchy branding, like with 'Obi-wan,' can lead to increased sales and media attention for products.
  3. However, there can be negative consequences when popular media branding intersects with serious products, as shown by the 'Winnie-The-Pooh' headache relief deaths.

9/22/22: Moral Offsets Inc

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Moral Offsets Inc paid individuals to make environmentally friendly choices, like going vegan, to balance out others' impact.
  2. Marnie made lifestyle changes like selling her car and being more eco-conscious in exchange for financial rewards, ultimately leading to a happier life.
  3. The concept of being paid to care about certain issues and make positive changes can lead to unexpected feelings of fulfillment and happiness.

8/02/22: Salmon Arbitrage

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The individual in the text has a unique superpower for identifying arbitrage opportunities, leading to unconventional business ventures like selling printed guns.
  2. Arbitrage is not limited to selling guns; it can also manifest in activities like credit card churning and taking advantage of promotional offers to secure private jet rides.
  3. This superpower seems to run in the individual's family, with significant financial success and a taste for luxury evident in the lifestyle described.

Coming soon

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The post is about a newsletter called Daydreams on solquy.substack.com.
  2. The newsletter is titled 'This is Daydreams.'
  3. The post encourages readers to subscribe to the newsletter.

11/16/22: Let Sleeping Ideas Lie

0 implied HN points • 16 Nov 22
  1. The ancient version of The Game was more potent, with the Order of the Hand challenging it with force and the Art of Forgetting eventually eradicating it.
  2. The words 'You just lost The Game' are a diluted fragment of the original power words of the ancient Game.
  3. Mehm's descendants in the late 2000s used pop songs to counter The Game, aiming to prevent its further mutation; some were chosen to retain the oral history.

10/26/22: Precognitive Carousel

0 implied HN points • 27 Oct 22
  1. Subjects in the rumored 'precognitive carousel' experiment felt the projector advanced 'just before' they pushed the button, indicating the body may choose actions before the brain is aware.
  2. This research suggests that the body might decide actions before the brain, leading to the consciousness believing it made the choice after the body initiated the action.
  3. Experiencing true free will can be a profound and life-changing realization, as shown by John's journey to being 'UnBuffered' and feeling in control for the first time.

10/25/22: Typographic False Flag

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Jane manipulated and backdated fonts to create a convincing forgery of a will, leading to a court battle and a wealthy outcome for the new wife of an oil baron.
  2. Her subtle variations in fonts went unnoticed by most, emphasizing the power of attention to detail in deception.
  3. The success of her scheme highlights how unexpected avenues, like typography, can play significant roles in real-world scenarios.

10/19/22: Navigable Rivers

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The Clean Waters Act protects navigable waters from pollutant discharge under the Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
  2. Rogue environmentalists are navigating difficult rivers to prove their navigability, safeguarding them under the law.
  3. Snipers and river-mines are possible threats along rivers, possibly employed by Big Oil to keep them un-navigable.

10/16/22: Cleaning Spoons

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Some people clean spoons by licking them instead of washing them with soap and water.
  2. Saliva can act as a disinfectant due to the IgA antibodies it contains.
  3. Plates are still washed in the dishwasher to maintain hygiene.

10/03/22: Fairy Tale of Mirrors

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Margo fell in love with a man from a mirror in a whimsical fairy tale.
  2. They built mirrored houses in different realities to always be together.
  3. The story explores a unique love story where mirrors play a central role.

9/26/22: Time Loop Powered by Love

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Margo and Jack had a strong relationship foundation, communicated well, and each put in more than 50% effort.
  2. The time loop they fell into ran on the potential energy of their love, making it hard for them to imagine life without each other.
  3. Despite living many lifetimes within the time loop, escaping became unexpectedly challenging for Margo and Jack.

8/31/22: The End of Suffering

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Scientists developed a medication called Euphre that effectively treated pain without overdose risks.
  2. Euphre was initially used for terminally ill cancer patients and later expanded to other outpatient cases.
  3. This medication was not addictive but patients tended to continue using it even after their condition was cured.

8/29/22: Arbiter

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The Arbiter was a super empath who could feel others' emotions deeply, which helped him settle disputes in the village.
  2. Despite his ability to understand people's emotions, the Arbiter found solace in spending weekends in a hut by the swamp, away from human concerns.
  3. Living around simple creatures like swamp frogs provided the Arbiter with a peaceful mental escape from the complexities of human emotions.

8/09/22: Perpetual Motion Brick (incomplete)

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The Perpetual Motion Brick was initially discovered by the Limans and displayed unique movement patterns, proving to be useful in various applications like metalworking due to its indestructibility.
  2. The Brick evolved in its uses over time, with an innovative application by a young woman leading to the creation of the world's first water pump.
  3. This story highlights the potential for unexpected discoveries to revolutionize different industries over time, starting from seemingly simple origins.

8/07/22: Arm Wrestle

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. During a heated conflict where magical spells were running low, a creative solution was found by invoking a giant hand from nowhere to end the battle.
  2. After a intense fight, the adversaries found a light-hearted resolution and decided to move on to a casual hangout spot instead of continuing the conflict.
  3. The characters embraced a shift in focus and priorities, opting for a friendly meal instead of pursuing the conflict over the Mirror.

8/04/22: Passengers

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. A unique scenario unfolds where people become passengers in someone else's body when they fall asleep.
  2. The passengers can see, hear, and feel everything that the host experiences.
  3. The concept raises intriguing questions about privacy, connection, and the boundary between individuality and shared experience.

8/01/22: Parking Meter Mafia (Part 1)

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. A group of friends started a prank war against parking enforcement officers by putting quarters in expired parking meters whenever an officer tried to write a ticket.
  2. Meter Mashing became a bonding activity that brought the friends back together when they were drifting apart due to individual responsibilities and personal struggles.
  3. The friends consider investigating potential discrepancies in city parking meter zoning plans to add excitement to their Meter Mashing outings and uncover a possible conspiracy.

7/28/22: Monster Under the Bed

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. The monster under your bed wants to help you and believes in fulfilling duties to support you during tough times.
  2. The monster under your bed understands loneliness and the importance of feeling connected to others, wishing for you to feel its well-wishes and not be alone.
  3. The monster under your bed cares for you deeply, tidying your room and doing yoga to help you, believing that small positive actions can lead to something bigger and affirming your worthiness of love.

7/26/22: Biscuits the Stock Market Cat

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Tom discovered that his cat, Biscuits, could predict the stock market.
  2. What initially began as a prank on his roommate with a rigged trading setup turned into Biscuits making significant profits within a short period of time.
  3. The story raises questions about whether Biscuits was an oracle, a source of unexpected luck, or just a coincidence.

7/23/22: Shadow Ban

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. John noticed that people were not answering his calls or texts, leading him to discover he was listed as a spam caller.
  2. He felt a sense of loneliness and confusion when his calls and texts went unanswered, seeking answers from tech support but receiving no response.
  3. This experience made him reevaluate his assumptions about others' attitudes towards him, suggesting that perhaps people did not dislike him as much as he had thought.

7/22/22: Time Loop Clinical Trials

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. After the discovery of time-looping technology, the world settled into a stable equilibrium, with Loop Tech being used for early warnings and medical research.
  2. In timelines with time loop technology, clinical trials could use the same participants for control and intervention groups, eliminating the need to control for confounders.
  3. The use of time loop technology led to a New Replication Crisis, where old therapies were re-investigated and advancements in medical research were seen.

8/05/22: Forensic Genealogy

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Forensic genealogy has been instrumental in solving cold cases by identifying killers through DNA samples.
  2. Sometimes DNA samples in forensic genealogy cases can lead to mysterious findings that don't fit traditional patterns.
  3. Occasionally, forensic genealogy may uncover individuals with unique genetic profiles that raise intriguing questions about human ancestry.

7/21/22: Golf Course Mammoths

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Privately-owned golf courses were converted into natural preserves.
  2. Endangered fauna thrived in these habitats post-conversion.
  3. The introduction of mammoths made the new preserves a popular attraction.

7/20/22: Mongolian Chili Kingdom

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
  1. Jane, an FDA special agent, uncovered that Mongolian Chili Kingdom was putting Fentanyl in their food, explaining their loyal customers.
  2. Despite liking their food, Jane shut down Mongolian Chili Kingdom when she discovered the harmful additives.
  3. The owner of Mongolian Chili Kingdom attacked Jane when she intervened, a drastic turn of events.