🤝 AidfulAI Newsletter #15: Write Morning Pages to Train Your Future AI
Dear curious minds,
Welcome to another edition of AidfulAI, the newsletter where I share with you the latest and most interesting news, insights, and resources on AI and PKM.
In this issue, you will learn how to create stunning videos from images with Runway Gen-2, how to generate music, realistic audio, and compress audio with Meta's open-source AudioCraft. You will also learn how to write morning pages to train your future AI with your daily brain dump. Furthermore, thoughts about the connection between self-awareness and PKM, as well as how to do great work by following your interests and becoming a learning machine.
I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as I enjoy creating it. If you find it useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. And if you have any feedback or suggestions, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you.
Now, let's dive in!
Major AI News
🎥🤖 Runway Gen-2: AI Can Create Stunning Videos From Images
Runway adds a new Image to Video mode to its Gen-2 model. It is named Mode 03 on the official page and only creates a video close to the input image if no additional text input is provided.
A currently widely explored combination is the usage of Midjourney to generate a high-quality image, which is the starting frame for a 4-second video generated by Runway Gen-2.
Creators were able to produce cinema quality short films, trailers, and teasers with it. Some highlights are curated in this 𝕏 thread. The following trailer is named Genesis and was created by Nicolas Neubert.
My take: At the same time Hollywood actors strike as they see an existential thread by AI, Gen-2 shows what is already possible today. This is only the beginning, AI will revolutionize the movie industry.
Privacy-Friendly AI
🎵🎧 Meta Released AudioCraft as Open-Source
Audiocraft is a suite of three AI models that can generate music, create realistic audio from text descriptions, and compress audio to small sizes without losing quality.
MusicGen model:
Generates 12 sec music from text description and melody reference.
Available on HuggingFace and GitHub to try out.
AudioGen model:
Creates realistic audio from text.
Can continue existing audio samples.
More general than MusicGen (acoustic scenes).
Many samples and additional information on the corresponding GitHub page.
EnCodec model:
Compresses audio without quality loss.
Outperforms other speech codecs.
Works in real time on one CPU core.
More info in the official blog article.
My take: The next outstanding open-source releases from Meta. This time they revolutionize the audio medium.
PKM and AI
✍️🤖 Morning Pages: A Daily Brain Dump to Train Your Future AI
Morning Pages are a practice created by Julia Cameron that, in its original form, involves writing three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing first thing in the morning.
There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages. You can write about anything that comes to mind, and you don't have to worry about grammar or spelling.
You can write your Morning Pages in any way that works for you. Likewise, you can write with a pen in a journal or type on a computer.
There are many benefits to writing Morning Pages, including:
Increased self-awareness,
Improved decision-making,
Increased creativity,
Reduced stress.
Morning Pages can help you to:
Process your emotions,
Make better decisions,
Be more self-aware,
Be more creative.
If you want to get more insights shared by someone writing morning pages for over a year, read the blog entry from Anna Vatuone.
The best part, and the reason this is part of the newsletter, morning pages will be the perfect source to train your future personal AI on. Therefore, my advice is to start writing them tomorrow and prepare yourself for the future.
You can on top easily let AI correct your grammar and spelling errors, as well as extract key-points or action items from your morning pages.
My take:
You will only get ahead of others if you have the data to train an AI, which gives you an advantage. Using ChatGPT will not be enough to get an edge, as everyone will be able to do that.
The easiest way to make your morning pages useable as training material is to type them. However, I don't like the thought of turning my laptop on as the first thing in the morning.
I started to use my e-ink device Tab Mini C from BOOX paired with a Bluetooth keyboard to write my morning pages without even looking at the output. As an alternative, this device also supports the input via pen, which I still need to test and compare to typing.
Podcasts
💡 🧠 Self-Awareness and PKM: The Key to Managing Chaos and Living Your Values
Dario Da Silva, who creates some of the best sources for learning how to use the note-taking app Logseq, was a guest in the PKM with Aidan Helfant podcast episode 24.
Dario started the OneStutteringMind YouTube channel to share some tips and tricks which help him to manage the chaos in his mind.
He states that meditation is crucial for becoming more aware inside a PKM system and can reveal one's interests, values, and relationships.
Knowing one's values is more important than any tool in determining how one shows up in relationships, work, and spiritual life.
My take: Before listening to the podcast, I was not aware of the deep connection between self-awareness and PKM.
💡 🚀 How to Do Great Work: Follow Your Interests and Become a Learning Machine
David Senra reflects in his founders podcast every week what he learned from reading a biography of an entrepreneur.
In episode 314 he elaborates on the How to Do Great Work essay from Paul Graham.
To excel in your work, focus on developing your interests and strive to do something amazing. Don't worry about others' opinions, just follow natural interests and become a learning machine.
Finding your life's work as an entrepreneur often requires starting multiple businesses. Don't let others dictate your work, and don't chase prestige or money. Only a few hundred thousand out of billions ever find something they truly love to work on.
To achieve great work, choose a field, learn enough, notice gaps, and explore promising ones. Hard work and in-depth interest in the work are crucial. Find work that feels like play.
Copying existing work is a great way to learn, and studying ideas from different fields can lead to chance discoveries and innovation.
My take: This essay, and also the podcast about it, are a goldmine of valuable thoughts. Read or listen to it yourself.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is written with the help of AI. I use AI as an assistant to generate and optimize the text. However, the amount of AI used varies depending on the topic and the content. I always curate and edit the text myself to ensure quality and accuracy. The opinions and views expressed in this newsletter are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the sources or the AI models.