Extreme Jewish Brain: A Reflection on Why Judaism Means So Much to Me I. A lot of people are very surprised to learn that Judaism is such an important… Extreme Jewish Brain: A Reflection on Why Judaism Means So Much to Me
How to get the benefit of a high-end fitness tracker without actually buying one To borrow a classic rationalist idea: if you know you’re going to change your mind about… How to get the benefit of a high-end fitness tracker without actually buying one
things that confuse me about the current AI market Since the release of ChatGPT, at least 17 companies, according to the Chatbot Arena Leaderboard, have… things that confuse me about the current AI market
maybe knowing too much about others isn’t so great A few years ago, I saw this Wait But Why Cartoon that perfectly encapsulated a phenomenon… maybe knowing too much about others isn’t so great
Twitter as the embodiment of the American ethos In the nerdy corners of the internet where I spend time, Twitter has become the dominant… Twitter as the embodiment of the American ethos
The Challenge of Building New Cities: Inside The Satmar Hassidic Takeover of Bloomingburg [This is the story of how a community of Hassidic Jews, through subterfuge and electoral fraud,… The Challenge of Building New Cities: Inside The Satmar Hassidic Takeover of Bloomingburg
Why I talk about utopia, not politics When hanging out with my nerdier internet friends, conversations about politics, policy, or the overall direction… Why I talk about utopia, not politics
Cocaine, Kim Jong-un, and BlackRock: why It’s good to reflect on boycotts One of the recurring themes on this blog is the exploration of small, often overlooked actions… Cocaine, Kim Jong-un, and BlackRock: why It’s good to reflect on boycotts
winning isn’t everything: the case for infinite games and functional decision theory [As an adult, I’ve come to believe that being consistently kind, compassionate, and selfless—as we’re taught… winning isn’t everything: the case for infinite games and functional decision theory
musings on feedback — and Tyler Cowen’s Straussian rating system I find the idea of rating systems and evaluation to be interesting. On the surface, they… musings on feedback — and Tyler Cowen’s Straussian rating system
Why (most) people don’t learn about the world on Twitter: the case for intellectual dark matter [(After smugly criticizing Jane Austen) “What Jane Austen novels have you read?” “None. I don’t read… Why (most) people don’t learn about the world on Twitter: the case for intellectual dark matter
A meditation on meaning: what Tea Leaf Green had but JRAD doesn’t Live music is a very, very important part of my life. I’m going to tell a… A meditation on meaning: what Tea Leaf Green had but JRAD doesn’t
Music that helps me feel a sense of beauty in the world Experiencing beauty is a very important part of how I derive meaning in my life. I… Music that helps me feel a sense of beauty in the world
The wisdom of Scott Sumner: my favourite (non-econ) Scott Sumner blog posts Scott Sumner is best known as an economist who was praised for positively influencing economic policy… The wisdom of Scott Sumner: my favourite (non-econ) Scott Sumner blog posts
Yes, you too, reader, should believe you may be world-class [Something I’ve struggled with in my adult life is truly internalizing that I’m exceptionally great at… Yes, you too, reader, should believe you may be world-class
My simple theory on why we stopped building beautiful buildings (and why many other things suck more than you’d expect) I recently read a post on Marginal Revolution discussing why we stopped building beautiful buildings. I… My simple theory on why we stopped building beautiful buildings (and why many other things suck more than you’d expect)
Daniel’s Big Post on Emotions and Communication: A Response to Adam Mastroianni Adam Mastroianni of experimental-history.com has an amazing two-part series on the ineffability of our inner emotional… Daniel’s Big Post on Emotions and Communication: A Response to Adam Mastroianni
My favourite Joseph Heath articles: Canada’s most important Canadian thinker There are a lot of Canadian superstars. In the world of ideas, there are individuals like… My favourite Joseph Heath articles: Canada’s most important Canadian thinker
things I tell myself to be more agentic This is written as a personal self-affirmation — my hope is that by writing it up… things I tell myself to be more agentic
Simple, Underrated Ways to Make the World a More Wonderful Place I know someone who is depressed, and you can tell from what they talk about that… Simple, Underrated Ways to Make the World a More Wonderful Place
The Sim City mindset: a prompt for thinking about impact I want to write in favour of a viewpoint I call the Sim City mindset. For… The Sim City mindset: a prompt for thinking about impact
Should life get easier over time, or just more meaningful? There’s a famous quote cyclists like to cite: “It never gets easier, you just get faster.”… Should life get easier over time, or just more meaningful?
Core Reasons Why Canada Will Almost Always Struggle Economically Canada has a number of specific problems (i.e., it doesn’t build enough housing) which are very… Core Reasons Why Canada Will Almost Always Struggle Economically
Why I Don’t Identify with the Progress Studies Community Tyler Cowen, one of the intellectual forefathers of the Progress Studies community, believes that we should… Why I Don’t Identify with the Progress Studies Community
My favourite Holden Karnofsky essays (pre Cold Takes) I’m a big fan of Holden Karnofsky and view him to be one of the most… My favourite Holden Karnofsky essays (pre Cold Takes)
My Favourite Up-and-Coming Bloggers Note: I discovered all these bloggers through the extended Slate Star Codex universe, either by their… My Favourite Up-and-Coming Bloggers
Biased by the many lenses of reality Just as a dog, interacting with the world through smell, or a bat, interacting with the… Biased by the many lenses of reality
Why many in the art community are misanthropic I really enjoy art. I frequently watch niche artsy movies at the arthouse cinema, attend sparsely… Why many in the art community are misanthropic
Reflections on Berlin I spent just under a month in Berlin at the end of 2023 and found the… Reflections on Berlin
Building a Lumenator in Canada (2024) lumenator What you’ll need: 1. Lighting String I couldn’t find anything for sale in Canada and… Building a Lumenator in Canada (2024)
Are you concerned about the loss of socialization in society? See original post and follow up discussion on /r/slatestarcodex here One year ago, I posted this… Are you concerned about the loss of socialization in society?
Why haven’t you read The Way of Kings (a musing on Goodreads data for predictive power) See original post and follow up discussion on /r/slatestarcodex here I read a lot. While I… Why haven’t you read The Way of Kings (a musing on Goodreads data for predictive power)
The message board thread that caused ripples throughout the finance world See original post and follow up discussion on /r/slatestarcodex here https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=272007 The thread, HEDGEFUNDIE’s excellent adventure,… The message board thread that caused ripples throughout the finance world
A new marshmallow test for the information age See original post and follow up discussion on /r/slatestarcodex here Most people in this community are… A new marshmallow test for the information age
Why I find Rwanda interesting and think you may too See original post and follow up discussion on /r/slatestarcodex here The whole world fascinates me but… Why I find Rwanda interesting and think you may too
If Internet advertising is ineffective, why is it so ubiquitous? See original post and follow up discussion on /r/slatestarcodex here I have several friends whose job… If Internet advertising is ineffective, why is it so ubiquitous?