Brain Ticklers, Ed. 43
Links for September 2023 that [carnivas thinks] will tickle the brains of his [purportedly] intelligent friends (and his future-self if AGI lets him live).
Hello, Friends — After I wrote in July that we have hit Ed. 42, and maybe it is time to stop; didn’t send out an edition in August; nor gave out any vacation related communication, all hell broke loose, hundreds of people prodded me to continue doing this, the collective IQ of my friends dropped by a few bps, and the world became a lesser place.
No, none of that happened. Apart from a few people asking me why I hadn’t sent it, the world (of course) went on as usual. None of that is going to deter me. Even if I didn’t send one in August, I did keep reading, so we have a double-issue this time. Poor subscribers, who actually read it.
On to the links.
History (or its first draft)
Heard about comic books called "Chick Tracts" in a podcast episode, and googled it to see more. And found a hilarious story here. (If you are one who would get offended by things spoken against religion - specifically Hinduism here - don't read it. If you would find it funny, only then do).
More major cities in the United States are letting public transit riders hop on board for free. Funny that some reasons mentioned are similar to what the Karnataka government said when they made public transit free for women.
Most pre-modern cultures considered time to be a wheel, with cycles (not as a linear progression) that recur over days, years, and centuries. Pretty interesting analysis.
US launches long-awaited "instant payments" service. I know countless Indians are gloating about the presence of UPI etc. for several years, and how it is being 'exported' to other countries now, and all that (and I play along). But I get a feeling that we (Indians) aren't doing the 'bide your time' thing very well (as China did) and are declaring success and gloating about these, too early. Unpopular opinion: I don't think the 'India Stack' thing can be easily exported. It didn't work beyond Aadhaar and UPI even in India, did it? The pandemic apps (like Aroghya Setu) and the eCommerce things aren't panning out as well, right?
A giant rock slide occurred around 1190 AD in the Annapurna massif (central Nepal), involving a total rock volume of about 23 km. The massive supply of finely crushed sediments has filled valleys more than 150 km farther downstream. Wow. (This is apparently why the Himalayas isn't continuing to grow - Rock slides keep happening)
Amid the chaos of the First World War, a new pan-Arab empire (against the Ottomans) was proclaimed, with Jordan at the center. And it faltered. (Which is why most of us don’t know about it)
Women hunt in the vast majority of foraging societies, upending old stereotypes, killing the myth of ‘Man the Hunter’. (See more on this topic of gender-based work in the Society section)
How Chuck Norris Facts gave birth to the modern meme. (Fascinating read. Even if you don't know Chuck Norris jokes, you have heard them with other names like Rajinikanth)
Society
The range of ages at which people generally thought kids might be ready to do various activities without supervision. (This is likely for people in the US, but my own circles in Bangalore, India would agree to most of this, I guess)
Auckland's surgeons are now required to consider a patient’s ethnicity alongside other factors when deciding who should get an operation first. (I don't know if this news is a bit overblown. But, Oops)
Not enough educators (and parents) are preparing for the Homework Apocalypse that is coming, as AI becomes ubiquitous among students
A Canadian judge has ruled that the “thumbs-up” emoji is just as valid as a signature, arguing that courts need to adapt to the “new reality” of how people communicate. 👍
Bad medical news makes us perceive generic drugs as inferior substitutes for brand name counterparts. (Even for a low stakes item, I always buy Dolo 650 even though pharmacists plead that other paracetamol tablets of 650 mg are the same! Ha.). Interestingly, there was a recent legislation in India that doctors should only prescribe generic drugs (when generics are available), but was quickly taken back.
Inside the perverse system of 'lazy management' that's wrecking the tech industry
Unattractive people considerably overestimate their attractiveness compared to ratings by strangers. In contrast, attractive people are more accurate. If anything, they underestimate their attractiveness. (Well, I don't think I am attractive, you see).
In Northern Europe, a backlash against English (language) is under way. The worry is that a language, if neglected in academic contexts, will eventually lack the vocabulary needed for cutting-edge topics. This is kind of the story of all Indian languages, no?
[The one I referred from History section] An interesting note about the division of labor between men and women - in the household, in the workplace, and broader society - and the past, present, and the future. (Life in plastic ain't so fantastic - A related note which discusses the glass ceilings that still exist)
Humanity is going to shrink. No one has any idea how to stop the decline, so we need to prepare for the consequences. (Psst… I don't think it will shrink below a certain threshold).
Interesting-Perspectives
ChatGPT and generative AI will change how we work, but how different is this to all the other waves of automation of the last 200 years?
When people prioritize the present, it’s not because they’re being short-sighted – quite the opposite could be true. It makes little sense to delay gratification for a reward you can plainly foresee is unlikely (or that you realize you won’t be around to enjoy)
Recently, psychologists have come to recognize that there is more than one type of nostalgia, including some varieties that are focused less on the past, and more on the future, called ‘anticipated nostalgia’ and ‘anticipatory nostalgia’
Is the society solely responsible for the ills of disabled people? It's complicated.
Hollywood is on strike because CEOs fell for Silicon Valley’s magical thinking. You can see another similar note in the archives about how streaming was like the cryptocurrency for the entertainment industry.
On "Trophy Jobs": No amount of status can get you substance, but substance can get you status. So ultimately, becoming great at something is the only trophy you should want. (I used to trust a lot of such stories and think that I would rather not be an “Empty Suit” to only later realize that I might not even become an Empty Suit. Ha. Therefore, young people reading this, ensure you don’t end up with not even having a Trophy job)
Time & Being are the same: The self can only become what it truly is through the confrontation with death, by making a meaning out of our finitude. (Looks like an interesting series of posts)
Support for “doing your own research” may be an expression of anti-expert attitudes, rather than reflecting beliefs about the importance of cautious information consumption. And therefore, it leads to trusting misinformation because it came out of "your own research".
A fairer, more principled way to negotiate: splitting the additional value created by reaching an agreement. Very interesting read.
The language rules we don’t know we know. Super intriguing. (Meant for native English speakers, but WTH, I consider myself one.). Read for insights like: Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: “opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun”.
Tricks like priming, nudge, the placebo effect, social contagion aren't replicable, but are also real.
Science & Technology
Darwin’s ‘gradualist’ view of evolution, exclusively driven by natural selection, is no longer compatible with contemporary science. It’s not just that random mutations are one of many evolutionary processes that produce new species; they have nothing to do with the major evolutionary transformations of macroevolution. I am too old to change my understanding of these things; will ask my daughter to read. (Okay, just kidding).
Distinctions between prompt whispering and prompt engineering
[Video] Amazing diversity in the shape of the pupils among different animals, and the reasons for it.
Worldcoin doesn't seem to know what problem it's trying to solve, but they want to scan your eyeballs anyway.
A brief, incomplete, and mostly wrong history of programming languages. (Super funny!)
A community of people with type 1 diabetes got a self-built device approved (that big companies ignored till they did). Super cool.
I usually share "techno optimist" stuff here. As a contrast: Uptake of agri-tech tools has been tepid, and even many farmers who do use them struggle with the software and a flood of data from their farms.
Perso-Dev
A collection of thinking tools and frameworks to help you solve problems, make decisions and understand systems
Paul Graham writes a (long) essay after long: How to Do Great Work. Having read his own "How to do what you love", and "You & your research" enough times, this wasn't as awe-inspiring (to me). It appeared to be a not-well-organized collection of many of his writings.
An excellent case for sabbaticals every X years. (Replace X with what you want, or consider it the Roman numeral). Related: Free time is powerful. There is something about it that allows the mind to flourish and enables revolutionary ideas to take shape.
Related: Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
More related: 10 methods for creating a “state of play” when you want to make something new or original. What I will remember is to take a break and wander, but the list is nice.
Folk wisdom suggests that if you expect the worst, then you won’t be disappointed. It might not help – and could hurt – to brace for the worst. (Instead, this 'Fear Setting' might be more useful, I think)
Keeping a spreadsheet to rank friends — and ghost them if they don’t perform. Pretty interesting. Why not, huh? Not sharing this newsletter with others, minus 1. Heart this edition, plus 1. Haha.
You know Kaizem and Ikigai. But there are more Japanese concepts you could use to improve your life (or throw jargon in social settings) - Kaizen: Seeking Continuous Improvement; Ikigai: Finding Your Purpose; Oubaitori: Avoiding Comparison to Others; Wabi-Sabi: Embracing Imperfection; Hara Hachi Bu: Eating Until You’re 80% Full; Shikata Ga Nai: Accepting What You Cannot Change; Shinrin-Yoku: Forest Bathing.
Some subjects I never tire of reading: The real leadership lessons of Steve Jobs
Seeing your life story as a Hero’s Journey increases meaning in life. (Okay, is there another way to see one's life? Haha).
Random
I have written about this before, but for the newer subscribers: Dogs preferred to excrete with the body being aligned along the North–South axis under calm magnetic field conditions.
As only Onion can: I decided to become a slave so one day my descendants could steal college admissions spots
What ‘faux OOH’ ads say about the future of advertising in augmented reality
A neat profile of Karya, a nonprofit in Bangalore that bills itself as “the world’s first ethical data company.”