Links

The case for democracy

Reading about Franco and Salazar revealed that right-wing authoritarian rule in 1930s Iberia, with conservative dictators suppressing liberals, eventually led to national stagnation.

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Waiting on red

Danes strictly adhere to societal norms, like waiting at traffic signals, even when the streets are empty.

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Transition to IPv6

The transition to IPv6 has been ongoing for 25 years, yet as of 2024, only slightly more than one third of Internet users can access IPv6-only services; the majority still rely solely on IPv4.

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Obelisks, new class of life found in human digestive system

Researchers led by Ivan Zheludev have discovered a new class of virus-like entities called Obelisks, comprising diverse RNAs that have colonised human and global microbiomes unnoticed.

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HN on Obelisks

Obelisks are RNA elements similar to viruses or viroids, lacking a DNA counterpart, and they likely use host RNA transcription machinery to replicate.

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Quoting Balaji

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The case against legalising drugs

Dalrymple argues that while freedom is important, drug consumption reduces individuals’ freedom by limiting their interests and impairing their ability to raise families, fulfil civic duties, and maintain employment. Moreover, drug use affects not just the user but also their family, neighbours, and employers.

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The making of Community Notes

The team behind X’s Community Notes developed a community-driven approach to combat misinformation, addressing challenges of speed, scale, and trust faced by traditional methods relying on internal teams or media partnerships.

· Link post  #startups
H5N1

H5N1 is currently pandemic in birds and cows, leading to increased meat and milk prices.

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Zuckerberg's rapid moderation overhaul

Mark Zuckerberg led a swift, secretive six-week effort to alter Meta’s speech policies, bypassing the usual lengthy process involving employee and civic input.

· Link post  #startups
The typical man disgusts the typical woman

The typical woman finds most men unappealing, with the median man rated 2 out of 7 in attractiveness.

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Quoting Jeff Bezos

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Vegan AI safety researchers should eat meat to save the world

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Was Bowie fascist?

In the early to mid-1970s, David Bowie made controversial statements expressing apparent support for fascism, including referring to Adolf Hitler as “one of the first rock stars” in interviews.

· Link post  #music #history
Is polarisation inevitable for similarity-based content recommendation?

Recommendation systems that direct users towards similar content may create echo chambers, reinforcing existing viewpoints and limiting exposure to alternatives.

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Competitive women advise other women to cut their hair shorter

The study investigated how women’s intrasexual competition influences appearance advice, specifically hair-cutting recommendations, across two studies with female participants.

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Adapting prompts as generative models improve

A study with nearly 2,000 participants explored how prompts must evolve as generative AI models advance.

· Link post  #ai
Why are influencers running for election in Indonesia

Over 20 influencers were elected to the Indonesian parliament this year, reflecting the growing role of celebrities in politics.

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Waymo better than humans at preventing injuries and property damage

Waymo expanded its fully autonomous driving from 3.8 million to 25.3 million miles.

· Link post  #ai #breakthrough
Mali people in PNG

After a long journey, the author meets the Mali people in Papua New Guinea, who live in small villages using traditional building methods and sell crops like coffee and copra for money to buy tools and donate in temple rituals.

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Money laundering in the art world

The art market often facilitates anonymous, high-value purchases and large cash transactions, making it an ideal avenue for money laundering.

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Main Character Syndrome

Main character syndrome is the perception that one’s life is a story where they are the central character.

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Using AI to prevent suicide in Mexico

Yucatán, Mexico, partnered with the AI-powered app MeMind in 2022 to prevent suicides, leading to a 9% drop in the suicide rate.

· Link post  #ai
Energy shortages in Germany

Germany experienced a wind drought (“Dunkelflaute”) for the second time in a month, significantly reducing wind and solar power generation.

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European woes

Neoliberalism, combining free markets with egalitarianism, has been more successfully adopted by countries with strong civic virtue like Denmark, leading to effective reforms away from statism, unlike countries like Greece where reforms were hindered by special interests.

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