LCEnzo
2mo ago
Software is stuff, very much so. Or at least something worth caring about.
The boardgames I used to play as a kid? Replaced by videogames. Mail chess? Chess.com. TV? Streaming. Notebooks for planning, notes, recipes? An app. Physical maps? An app. The Encyclopedia? Replaced by Wikipedia, plus I can for the most part freely access scientific papers as they're published on pubmed, arxiv, etc.
How do I learn things like cooking, sewing, gardening, woodworking, chemistry, or look up information? Used to be a trip to a library, asking around, searching for experts in the phonebook, etc. Now I can google stuff, youtube is full of how tos and instructional videos, and LLMs can spit out semi accurate answers to common problems that are hard to find on google.
People complain how newer appliances are crappier, but the price to income ratio nosedived.
All that said, I agree that we lost things, and that some things got worse. Replacing physical buttons with touch controls in cars springs to mind. Architecture is another common example.
LCEnzo
5mo ago
Yes, generally, this is the demographic dividend, and is generally acknowledged as part of they story of why China experienced such rapid growth (besides capitalism). Same thing with Korea, Japan, Ireland, etc.
LCEnzo
6mo ago
Your posts are the main thing bringing me back to the site. Too bad you didn't drop your new twitter/substack.
LCEnzo
6mo ago
The standard HBD argument is that different races have different IQs, and that is the primary factor leads to all sorts of different outcomes.
This is coarse, and based on racism. The nuanced argument is that IQ is > 50% determined by genetics, and that distributions between groups differ. Notably, these groups need not correspond exactly, or at all to races. Not all Jewish groups have a 15 IQ advantage, it's the Ashkenazi. Big rich cities in big countries select for IQ, Indians in the US are a self selected subgroup, etc.
And east Asian women by contrast, a race widely considered more on the high end of genetics by HBDers, tend to be more neotonous, with smaller secondary characteristics and young looking faces
The ethnic group with the highest average IQ is, as far as I know, the Ashkenazi Jews. If the theory that intelligence was mainly driven by social competition holds, I'd guess smarts and neotony would be selected for by similar pressures.
LCEnzo
6mo ago
Anything that introduces friction for both high and low IQ is right out as friction will increase user base entropy. You ideally want a one time cost. Blind, a kind of 4chan for software engineers, works for tech, as you need a corporate email to get in. Lobste.rs deals with this problem by being invite only.
LCEnzo
9mo ago
People will get back alley abortions, their family, friends, and neighbours will cover them. You'd see a rise in Infant Sudden Death Syndrome, and babies being given up for adoption.
You can't force people into being parents, or at least not so overtly. You need to convince them by making it more high status, virtuous, convenient, and cheap.
LCEnzo
9mo ago
Almost certainly cherrypicked, but sam a. has been sharing videos of people's prompts on X.
https://x.com/sama/status/1758220311735181384?s=20
https://x.com/sama/status/1758218820542763012?s=20
https://x.com/sama/status/1758218059716939853?s=20
https://x.com/sama/status/1758206987094147252?s=20
https://x.com/sama/status/1758200420344955288?s=20
Some of 'em are bad, some are decent. Still an improvement over what came before.
LCEnzo
10mo ago
In light of this, the idea that there is something bad about 20% of men sleeping with 80% of the women seems a bit contradictory. Isn't that just evolution in action?
You minsunderstand the point of eugenics. It's not to promote what is most evolutionary advantagious. That requires no action and no ideology. The point to improve the next generation in acordance to out values. That generally means we want them to be healthier, happier, selfless, and more intelligent. That is why people didn't want poor (which are generally lower IQ), or criminals to have children, and is the reason for the Nobel sperm bank.
That said, ofc people use this kind of thing to argue their own genes and children are great. People are universally biased towards themselves. That applies for both eugenics and intersectionality.
LCEnzo
10mo ago
Singapore and Korea? They're not welfare states, are amongst the richest places on Earth, and have the lowest fertility in the world.
The problem is the middle road between patriarchy and equiality. Either don't give women access education and work, or equalize social expectations and have husbands to take an equal share of chores, housework, childcare, etc.
The middle ground puts too much stress on women, and pushes the most agentic out of the country.
LCEnzo
10mo ago
I've had those moments occasionally, when I was younger. Now my daydreams are filled with AGI.
LCEnzo
11mo ago
It's not about literally one women, or how many women commit violence im absolute terms. Per capita, men commit more violent crimes.
If you want to argue that there are a lot of female masterminds that have male minions commititng crimes on their behalf, that still implicates at least an equal number of men and women, besides being pure conjecture.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
It's sad, and off-putting as someone who likes CS and programming, but needs must. There is a need for programmers, so supply emerges. We can't expect most profession to be filled by the passionate, the wants and needs of people are not aligned.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
A hopefully working link: https://i.redd.it/1mlmfcn816f81.jpg
LCEnzo
1yr ago
Human populations don't (only) cluster genetically based on skin color. Race is a bad, lossy, over used heuristic. Grab a group of 130+ IQ Serbs, or Arabs, or Nigerians, and you'd have a much performance along most metrics we value. Indians in the US e.g.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
Fuck Sam Harris, all my homies listen to the Bailey.
On a more serious note; why like random archaeology videos about how to make stone tools? Predictive coding -> the system optimizes for (besides good predictions) for interesting stuff (ie. unpredictable). Otherwise, you could stare at paint drying (or the sky as the case may be for our ancestors) until hunger/thirst/horny strikes.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
It has a SFW section, and some authors put their SFW stories in the NSFW since it's more popular (which leads to frustration among readers). E.g. Beware of Chicken and Virtuous Sons are also posted on QQ, as does Ack.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
What's the cost in trying it out? Jumping ship after 6 to 12 months is not uncommon for a SWE, especially one early in his career. My advice would be to take the offer, and see if you find it fun or tolerable. If so, great. If not, the extra cash will allow you to take 6 - 12 months of vacation, soul searching, and job hunting, and still end up net zero in terms of income. The firm will, presumably, also be good for your CV, meaning you'll find the next job hunt even easier. Just be wary of life style inflation if you plan on switching jobs to something less lucrative.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
If my response is to claim the fire I'm talking about is invisible, doesn't produce any smoke, and doesn't trigger any fire alarms, you'd be right to dismiss what I'm saying as complete fucking nonsense because I'm not conveying any useful information to you.
I understand the example was made to illustrate a point, so it's unfortunate that invisible, smokeless fires do exist.
E.g. Methanol is used as a fuel for racing cars, and burns without being visible or producing smoke.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
It's exciting news, and we should give time to effort posters to collect and organize their thoughts on the matter.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
I enjoyed Why The West Rules - For Now by Ian Morris a few years back, though I think it's not exactly what your looking for. It is a overview of global history, but it's in service of the titular topic with a focus on geography and environment. Recommended by /r/askhistorians, for what it's worth.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
Walk with a friend. I have a guy from college who I can meet up in 15 minutes. Super easy to spend 2 hours walking in discussion. Our part of the city is pretty decent for walking.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
Is the job worth the risks, and can you afford the fallout if this goes sideways? If yes, go for it, and be honest (or not, can't force you). If not, send them a email that you aren't interested in the position anymore.
LCEnzo
1yr ago
There is a contiuum of people in Russia (and other nations using Cyrillic). Those who know and are comfortable with English you won't generally notice as any different from the mean player. They're filtered out from this perception. Those who are left have some combination of tribalistic sentiment, anti social inclinations, and youthful immaturity which stops them from engaging normally.
Airplanes are buses.
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