"* Always in penYour goal is not to preserve the outcome of your thoughts — that’s your code. Your goal is to preserve the process of your thoughts. So no erasing, no blacking out. You can put a single line through anything spelled or written incorrectly.* Always during Write down what the problem is, what … Continue reading Lab Notebooks
Category: articles
Cosmopolitan Values
"But over the past 60 years, college graduates have gone from being 4 percent of the electorate to being more like 35. Now, it’s actually possible — for the first time ever in human history — for political parties to openly embrace cosmopolitan values and win elections; certainly primary and municipal elections, maybe even national … Continue reading Cosmopolitan Values
How Changing The Way You Sit Could Add Years To Your Life
"Replacing chair sitting and associated muscular inactivity with more sustained active rest postures may represent a behavioral paradigm that should be explored in future experimental work."—David Raichlen, et al., "Sitting, squatting, and the evolutionary biology of human inactivity." "How changing the way you sit could add years to your life." PNAS. March 31, 2020.
District Attorney Krasner Statement on Trump Administration Actions Targeting Cities
"Anyone, including federal law enforcement, who unlawfully assaults and kidnaps people will face criminal charges from my office. At trial, they will face a Philadelphia jury."—Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney, "District Attorney Krasner Statement on Trump Administration Actions Targeting Cities." Justice Wire. July 20, 2020. The obvious solution to federal law enforcement operating locally without … Continue reading District Attorney Krasner Statement on Trump Administration Actions Targeting Cities
Action Park
"It was not long before our visitors reworked our advertising to better reflect their experiences: 'Action Park: Where you’re the center of the accident.'The risk did not keep people away. The risk is what drew them to us......Action Park has become a campfire tale, an urban legend, a can-you-believe-this snapshot of our culture that seemed … Continue reading Action Park
Honjok
"In traditionally collectivist South Korea, individualist loners, or honjok, are becoming increasingly common. The term, which translates to “alone tribe,” shortens and combines 나홀로, meaning “by myself,” and 족, “tribe.” It’s used to describe a group of people who prefer, out of pleasure or practicality — and, often, utter exhaustion and sheer desperation — to … Continue reading Honjok
Orthodox Privilege
"...orthodox privilege: The more conventional-minded someone is, the more it seems to them that it's safe for everyone to express their opinions...If you believe there's nothing true that you can't say, then anyone who gets in trouble for something they say must deserve it.—Paul Graham, "Orthodox Privilege." PaulGraham.com. July 2020.
Standardized Thought
"From this [advertising] expert he learned that the key tool of the ad trade was to “standard[ize] thought by supplying the spectator with a ready-made visual image before he has time to conjure up an interpretation of his own.3 In that instant before the process of making sense was completed, a presupplied image and, subsequently, … Continue reading Standardized Thought
Black Death, COVID & Renewal
"So, our outline for today:1. Renaissance Life was Worse than the Middle Ages (super-compressed version)2. Where did the myth come from in the first place? (a Renaissance story)3. Why is the myth of a golden Renaissance retold so much? (a post-Renaissance story)4. Conclusion: We Should Aim for Something Better than the Renaissance"—Ada Palmer, "Black Death, … Continue reading Black Death, COVID & Renewal
GPT-3 Creative Fiction
"Creative writing by OpenAI’s GPT-3 model, demonstrating poetry, dialogue, puns, literary parodies, and storytelling... [In Dr. Seuss style:]You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You’re on your way!—Gwern Bradwen, "GPT-3 Creative Fiction." Gwern.net. June 19, 2020. It's interesting to read GPT-3's take on different writing … Continue reading GPT-3 Creative Fiction
Market Inefficiency vs. Other Values
"Efficient systems have limited ability to deal with system-wide economic shocks. Those shocks are coming with increased frequency. They're caused by global pandemics, yes, but also by climate change, by financial crises, by political crises. If we want to be secure against these crises and more, we need to add inefficiency back into our systems.I … Continue reading Market Inefficiency vs. Other Values
Why Does DARPA Work?
"DARPA PMs need to think for themselves, be curious, and have low ego. Why does this matter? When you are surrounded by smart, opinionated people the easy option is to either 100% accept what they’re saying because it’s eloquent and well-thought through or reject it outright because it sounds crazy or goes against your priors. Thinking … Continue reading Why Does DARPA Work?
Kondratiev Waves & Social Unrest
"In the United States, 50-year instability spikes occurred around 1870, 1920 and 1970, so another could be due around 2020. We are also entering a dip in the so-called Kondratiev wave, which traces 40-60-year economic-growth cycles. This could mean that future recessions will be severe. In addition, the next decade will see a rapid growth … Continue reading Kondratiev Waves & Social Unrest
Always on the Side of the Egg
"Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg."Yes, no matter how right the wall may be and how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps … Continue reading Always on the Side of the Egg
cafebedouin.org 