Brain Ticklers, Ed. 45
Inspiresting links for November 2023 that [carnivas thinks] will tickle the brains of his [purportedly] intelligent friends.
Howdy, folks! Hope you had a good time celebrating the Irish/Celtic (spooky) festival yesterday, popularized by the mighty hegemon. And happy Movember to the Mo Bros, who celebrate it this month.
In case you wonder (though I know you don’t), I have been doing a bit of writing on my blog, including fiction, recently. Show some love.
On to the links now.
Society
After starting to diverge from the US around the time of the Great Financial Crisis, the UK now lags further behind in productivity, in GDP and GDP growth
How can one even begin to speak of dignity in labor when one secretly feels one’s job should not exist?
Evidence suggests that individuals with strong cognitive abilities are better equipped to lie and are less constrained by the cognitive costs associated with maintaining a lie. (Like everything else in modern life, I guess).
Special writing tips to write for Gen Z without being cringe! (ha)
How our societies across the world have considered various "stages of life" of a human (well, more of man!)
The importance of handwriting is becoming better understood as one research on pens and paper highlights their benefits
Apparently, more older siblings = more probability of one being gay. Wow!
An art critic explains hate from fans and why a critical analysis of "parasocial aesthetics" is important.
Matchmaker is a new Tinder feature that allows users to invite loved ones to recommend potential partners directly within the dating app. In jest: I will wait for the day when Tinder has separate apps for each caste in India. (If I were a VC, I would have already cut checks to Indian competitors who take advantage of the need to preserve the endogamy before Tinder realizes it)
Interesting-Perspectives
Over the past months, AI toolmakers have been working hard to limit AI hallucinations. But in a creative use, don't we want them to actually hallucinate more?
ChatGPT looks a bit like the PCs ads of the late 1970s that promised you could use it to organize recipes or balance your checkbook - it can do anything, but what?
A thought-provoking essay on narrative environments, touching upon memes and vibes of today's culture.
"God of the gaps" is a theological concept that emerged in the 19th century and revolves around the idea that gaps in scientific understanding are regarded as indications of the existence of God.
Confessions of a middle-class founder. Nice story of crypto madness and the aftermath. :)
A pretty interesting project (by Tyler Cowen) with "Generative AI" based book (on economics)
TED is probably best understood as the propaganda arm of an ascendant technocracy! Scathing. (Read the bit about Techno Optimism in the next section!)
Science & Technology
Participants rated Bing Chat as less helpful and trustworthy than ChatGPT or Bard. These results can be attributed to Bing’s richer yet imperfect UI and to its poorer information aggregation. (And general brand perception of Bing, no?)
AI could revolutionize our understanding of one of the most mysterious human senses - Smell.
No matter how much data you train them on, LLMs still don’t truly understand multiplication.
A lot of "techno-optimism" chatter has been going on, after this Marc Andreessen essay. Noah Smith has been calling himself a techno-optimist for a long time, and wrote this one recently. (I have generally been skeptical of the motives of a16z people, after knowing that the 'Software is eating the world' was a planted one. But I do hope these essays generate enthusiasm among many young folks to start companies, build tech, and importantly: employ me!). Update: Ben Evans calls that Andreessen article "a new piece of content marketing", haha. Mildly Related: Paul Graham writes an essay after a long time. This one is about super linear returns.
Dizziness is still a mystery: Balance disorders like vertigo can be devastating for patients—but they’re often invisible to the doctors who treat them.
Microsoft is planning to phase out VBScript in future Windows releases after 30 years of use, making it an on-demand feature until it is removed. If you are of a certain age, you will agree that this was of the earliest and easiest tools a programmer would learn.
Character.AI: An interesting tool, if you want to create or play with AIs. And if you are looking for a browser that has "native AI integration, we have you covered with Arc.
There are 4 degrees of anthropomorphizing AI: Courtesy (Please/Thank you), Reinforcement/Kudos (Well done!), Role Play (You are an award-winning author), and Companionship (Watch the movie Her, ha!).
Perso Dev
Neuroplasticity and stuff: Personality change is not only not impossible, but might be worthwhile [as a way] to become happier in life. For a contra perspective: Being willing to be who you actually are liberates you, and makes you more happy/productive etc.
You are very rarely powerless. Group things that are causing you anxiety or stress into three simple categories: Circles of Control, Influence, and Interest.
How to speak confidently when you’re put on the spot
Mastering effective prompting with LLMs. (I put this cheekily indeed under Perso Dev. Better learn these, folks!)
It is true that very few of us will become the renowned creators whose work is remembered generations from now, but that does not mean our creativity is not worthwhile.
A good guide to POSSE: Publish/Post (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Everywhere/Elsewhere.
Asking questions, the right way
Random
Right-handed people prefer words that contain letters from the right side of a keyboard (e.g., jump, milky, nylon). Indeed, I had noticed several years ago that my passwords typically contained more letters from one side of the keyboard, and decided to…. No, I am not telling you that.
I've used straw man and steel man in independent contexts (and in the right way), but didn't realize steel man was the opposite of straw man. Feeling sheepish.
Thai Food Near Me, Dentist Near Me, Notary Near Me, Plumber Near Me — businesses across the US picked names meant to outsmart Google Search. Apparently, it doesn't work well.
There is about a 51% chance that a coin would land the same way up as it had been before being thrown. So, don't keep saying it is perfectly 50-50% for heads and tails. (This is due to the tilt of the hand of the thrower - nothing to do with statistics, in case you wonder)