Wonderland

What Hacker News says

1. thexyzdotaiApr 2023
   Hi everyone! My name is Antonio, ex Stripe and passionate about creating stuff online. I just put online an experiment at the intersection of ai and blockchain, and that is why the weird name plus you know Stripe also had a weird name initially so why not ride that wave? Anyway, the idea is to have artists allow fans to create art with them using artificial intelligence and monetize the interaction. The final result of the collaboration is minted on the blockchain! Thanks to ERC-3447 you only need a Google account to interact with it.

   I'm starting with XCOPY but there are a few artists lined up already which I cannot wait for you to check out. Let me know what you think about it! If you are a creator, please reach out to antonio@thexyz.ai

   The goal of this product is to show how artificial intelligence can be used not just to build our own customized solo world: I believe the greatest power of ai is to "translate" different skills and allow humans to work together on stuff even if they don't speak the same "skills" language. For example, a bank teller wanting to paint with their favorite artist. Ai can translate their thoughts and merge their experiences.

   This product aims at addressing some ai-fears concerns: the artist is still at the center, their style crucial to get to a meaningful final result. Artificial intelligence is only a mean to communicate more deeply with their audience.

   Also, this is about fun. I believe play deserves a way more important role in history, which is mostly told as a long fight for necessities, and yet so many seemingly trivial discoveries ended up triggering changes in the realm of “serious history”. When human beings create and share experiences designed to delight or amaze, they often end up transforming society in more dramatic ways than people focused on more utilitarian concerns. “If necessity is the mother of invention, delight must be the father!” [this is from Wonderland, a book by Steven Johnson]

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2. mch82Oct 2019
   See the book “Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World” by Steven Johnson for interesting examples of agricultural theft (the history of vanilla was fascinating). Here’s a video lecture from Steve that may include some, but I only just found it while double checking the book title. http://longnow.org/seminars/02017/jan/04/wonderland-how-play...
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3. mch82Oct 2019
   If you’re excited by this concept I recommend the book “Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World” by Steven Johnson. Fascinating stuff!

   Here’s a recorded talk and more info: http://longnow.org/seminars/02017/jan/04/wonderland-how-play...

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4. jgalt212Dec 2025
   > Play was central to the formation of personal computer culture.

   In his book, Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World, Steven Johnson applies this thesis to pretty much all the things. Enjoyable book, but the thesis probably does not hold up too much scrutiny.

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5. kylehotchkissJun 2024
   > The primary goal of early education was to enable sound thinking

   This would be an incredible improvement to educational systems around the world. I think back to that time there was a big scandal in Asia where kids were taking an exam and parents were like climbing up the walls to give them the answers. That's an education system way too focused on fact memorization over practical life skills.

   It also reminds me of Stephen Johnson's book `Wonderland: how play made the modern world` and the importance of a little bit of fun in the learning process.

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6. cfmcdonaldOct 2018
   I went back after a few years experimenting with an eReader. I mostly read history and fantasy books which often have maps and images that are generally illegible on an eReader. Some books offer aesthetic treats as physical objects that are totally lost in eReader form (e.g. Steven Johnson's Wonderland). Flipping back to check on a previous passage/reference a map or just generally browsing through a book to see what's there are also terrible experiences. I enjoy the physical presence of books in my home, many of which have little tab notes for quick reference back to passages I've enjoyed. I can share/pass on/donate books that I no longer want. Finally, the eBooks were generally no cheaper than a paperback, and often cost more. It offended my sense of justice to pay the same or more for an electronic book that has no printing or distribution costs.
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