My Other Publications

My latest WILLs, “What I Listened to Last week” Issue 6.

You can also find my latest AI newsletter here: “Gemini 3.0 💻, Kosmos 🌌, and Why AI Changes Everything ⚪️”

(For books I have read, reviewed, or currently reading, go to the end of the newsletter)

[Talking Points]

👝Dust in the Baggie - Billy Strings

💃🏾Kpanlogo Dance, Ghana.

👨Man walking across the world.

🗝️35 year old lives in 1946.

🇺🇸Where can Americans afford to live solo?

⚽History of world cup match balls.

🎺Asake - Red Bull Symphonic.

🐍Backend Devs are switching to Python.

🫂Why we are getting more stupid.

🩸A New Cancer Blood Test.

➕The Strange Maths that predicts almost anything.

🇦🇫Public Execution in Afghanistan.

🤼‍♂️John Cena final entrance.

🎵AI generated song that hit #1 on Billboard.

🧗🏽‍♂️Sisyphus unpacked

[Longer Reads/Watch]

🏚️ End of Progress Against Extreme Poverty

Max Roser argues here that the historic era of rapid global poverty reduction is effectively ending, with progress projected to stall and potentially reverse after 2030, quoting World Bank projections. While past successes were driven by booming economic growth in Asian nations like China and India, the world’s remaining extreme poverty is now concentrated in stagnant Sub-Saharan African economies.

Source.

What is different today is that the majority of the world’s poorest people are stuck in economies that have been stagnating for a long time. Consider the case of Madagascar. In the long run, the country has not seen any growth at all: GDP per capita in Madagascar is about the same today as it was in 1950. As a consequence, the number of people in extreme poverty increased in line with the country’s population growth. In richer countries, it is possible to reduce poverty by reducing inequality through redistribution, but a country like Madagascar cannot reduce its share of people in extreme poverty through redistribution. This is because the mean income is lower than the poverty line; if everyone had the same income, everyone would be living in extreme poverty.

The situation is similar in other countries: in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Malawi, Burundi, and the Central African Republic, more than half of the population lives in extreme poverty.

How does this end of reduction of extreme poverty narrative square up with the so-called “AI Abundance”?

I think the conflict, if any exists, partly lies in the gap between digital and physical reality. While AI creates an abundance of intelligence and demonetizes some aspects of services like healthcare, it cannot be eaten, nor does it inherently build the roads, power grids, or sanitation required to lift the “bottom billion” out of destitution. Worse, AI-driven automation threatens to kick away the ladder of low-cost manufacturing that nations like China used to rise, potentially leaving African economies stranded without a growth model. Unless AI specifically solves physical costs (energy, logistics) or drives a shift from local growth to massive global redistribution (perhaps a more cynical read would be something along the lines of ‘recolonization?’), we face a bifurcated future: post-scarcity/abundance for the connected, and continued stagnation for the rest.

🔥 Girard’s Apocalypse.

I have written my fair bit on Girard’s mimetic theory, which you can find here, here, and here. But my analysis of the subject never took any serious theological-political dimension. In this pair of excellent essays from the Substack, João Pinheiro da Silva and Mauricio G. Righi explore the existential stakes of René Girard’s “mimetic theory” and how venture capitalist Peter Thiel has adapted it’s insights.

In Part 1, “Girard’s Apocalypse,” the authors outline Girard’s central thesis: that human societies were originally built on the “scapegoat mechanism,” a collective act of violence against an innocent victim that creates temporary peace. However, the authors argue that the Christian revelation of the victim’s innocence has permanently “broken” this mechanism, leaving modern society in an apocalyptic state. Without the ability to vent societal tensions through a shared sacrifice, mimetic rivalry (the imitation of others’ desires) escalates without a natural limit. This creates a global crisis where traditional “restraining” forces (katechon) have failed, leading to a world of total competition and the constant threat of escalating violence that no longer has a religious “safety valve.”

In Part 2, “Thiel’s Diabolical Deviation,” the focus shifts to Peter Thiel, a former student of Girard who, they argued, has “weaponized” these insights. Thiel accepts Girard’s diagnosis of a world in mimetic crisis, but rejects Girard’s theological conclusion of total non-violence and renunciation. Instead, Thiel performs a “diabolical” inversion by using Girardian tools to build a new, technological katechon, a sovereign power capable of restraining the apocalypse through surveillance, monopoly, and political domination. By attempting to re-engineer a form of “pagan” sovereignty in a post-Christian world, Thiel is seen as a “Girardian against Girard,” utilizing the mentor’s revelation of human violence not to transcend it, but to master and manage it for the sake of worldly survival and strategic advantage.

🚗 The Human Driver is a Failed Experiment?

I took my first Waymo ride this fall, and one of my first thoughts was something along the lines of “Jeez, the stuff is too good, how the hell are humans supposed to compete.” The drive, right in the middle of Atlanta, was too smooth and very cozy. I came to the conclusion that humans should probably be driving less, then I looked up the data. Boy, was it good.

You can find more of the safety data in the Waymo Safety Report.

In this New York Times opinion essay, a neurosurgeon effectively argued that the adoption of autonomous vehicles is a public health imperative:

If Waymo’s results are indicative of the broader future of autonomous vehicles, we may be on the path to eliminating traffic deaths as a leading cause of mortality in the United States. While many see this as a tech story, I view it as a public health breakthrough.

There’s a public health imperative to quickly expand the adoption of autonomous vehicles. More than 39,000 Americans died in motor vehicle crashes last year, more than homicide, plane crashes and natural disasters combined. Crashes are the No. 2 cause of death for children and young adults. But death is only part of the story. These crashes are also the leading cause of spinal cord injury. We surgeons see the aftermath of the 10,000 crash victims who come to emergency rooms every day. The combined economic and quality-of-life toll exceeds $1 trillion annually, more than the entire U.S. military or Medicare budget.

ℹ️Connection Among Information, Intelligence and Decision

I have always enjoyed reading Dembski’s essay on his many critiques of materialism in biology/life.

Here, he argues that information, intelligence, and decision are intrinsically linked by the fundamental act of “ruling out possibilities.” He argues that information is a top-down process where specific outcomes are realized to the exclusion of others, which mirrors the etymology of both intelligence (inter-legere, to choose between) and decision (decidere, to cut off). By defining the creation of information as a discriminatory act of choosing one path over countless others, Dembski contends that the “selection” observed in the biological world is not a byproduct of blind forces.

As a side note, this brief etymological tour reveals that Darwin’s great coup was to coopt the term selection, previously associated with the conscious choice of purposive agents, and combine it with the term natural as a way of negating the role of such intelligent agency. In the term natural selection, Darwin therefore attempted to recover all the benefits of choice as traditionally conceived, and yet without requiring the services of an actual intelligence. Thus to this day we read such claims, as by Francisco Ayala, that Darwin’s greatest discovery was to give us “design without designer.” Likewise, Richard Dawkins describes Darwin’s great coup as explaining the appearance of design in the absence of actual design.

And what about microevolution? If I am not wrong, I believe, elsewhere, Dembski reconciles the aforementioned argument with natural selection & microevolution by framing them as “subtractive” rather than creative mechanisms. Natural selection clearly generates information by weeding out the unfit, he argues that this process merely filters pre-existing genetic data without generating new Complex Specified Information. Blind evolutionary forces can fine-tune existing biological structures (microevolution), but they lack the decision-making capacity required to conceptualize and build them from scratch, say.

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🔔 Double Pendulum Aren’t Chaotic

This excellent video essay challenges the popular notion that double pendulums are inherently chaotic by visualizing their behavior through “phase space” fractals (geometric maps). While admitting that many starting positions lead to unpredictable, divergent motion (chaos), the creator demonstrates that specific initial conditions (particular angles or momentum levels) result in stable, repeating patterns like “pretzels,” “hearts,” or Lissajous curves.

By mapping these behaviors in such beautiful motions, the video reveals “islands of stability” hidden within chaotic regions and observes that while low-energy starts are typically stable and medium-energy ones chaotic, ultra-high momentum starts can surprisingly reintroduce order, proving the system contains pockets of beauty and predictability amidst the disorder.

I was reminded of Nassim Taleb’s “Barbell Strategy” take in one of his books, after watching the video, which advocates for operating at the extremes while avoiding the “muddled middle.” Taleb suggests allocating resources to either hyper-safe assets (stability) or/and hyper-aggressive bets (high variance but high potential) to avoid the hidden fragility of “moderate” risk. I think some “law of everything,” might be hiding here in plain sight.

👴🏻The Common Sense of John Searle

I have been interested in some contentious (philosophy) subject matter that had eventually led me to read about some of John Searle’s work, chief among them would be the nature of the intelligence in artificial intelligence, and free will.

Ed Feser wrote this short synopsis of some of Searle’s work, after he passed away in September.

On AI:

Imagine that Searle, who knows no Chinese, sits in a room with a set of Chinese symbols and a rulebook in English telling him which combinations of symbols to give out in response to written questions slipped to him through a slot in the door. The rulebook does not tell him what the symbols mean; it simply allows him to mimic the behavior of a person who does. What Searle would be doing in this scenario, he argued, is essentially what a computer does: manipulating symbols according to the rules of an algorithm. The resulting mimicry, no matter how convincing, would not yield genuine understanding of Chinese. Likewise, what computers do can never amount to the operations of true intelligence, but only a simulation of it.

(also see this nice TED animation on the Chinese room thought experiment)

On free will

…He argued against the idea that our actions are the necessitated effects of mental events of which we are merely the passive observers—as if everything we think and do simply happened to us. Choice, of its very nature, involves an irreducible and persisting self, which actively brings things about as a result of deliberation. There is a causal gap between our beliefs and desires on one hand and our behavior on the other, and only the self can fill that gap, by way of its agency. Searle’s view is that whether or not we can strictly prove the reality of freedom, we have no intelligible model of human action without it.

On his metaphysics:

The main weakness of Searle’s work is that he never developed a metaphysics that was as carefully worked out as his anthropology. Searle’s materialist critics often accused him of being a dualist in the Cartesian mold, a charge he always denied. He was as committed as the materialists were to the thesis that the natural world is all there is. He simply thought their way of fitting human beings into that world was simplistic. The trouble is that the conception of nature he shared with them, which he never seriously questioned, makes his position unstable. When he emphasized the continuity of human beings with the larger natural world, he sometimes sounded like he was offering just another riff on materialism. But when (as was more often the case) he emphasized how radically different the human mind is from everything else in nature, the charge of dualism was hard to rebut.

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[Books/Papers 📚]

Books I recently completed:

• Ultralearning by Scott Young [Review]

• Stillness is the Key [Review]

• Secrets of Sand Hill Road [Review]

• Reshuffle: Who wins when AI re stacks the knowledge economy [Review] (I plan to publish an essay about the ideas in the book early next year.)

What I am currently reading:

• Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton

• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

• Google’s Introduction to Agents.

My Other Publications:

I have recently started a new series on my AI blog called, “What I Listened to Last week” (WILLs), see my latest edition; my latest AI newsletter.

My latest academic work, using neural topic modeling and LLMs to map the landscape of a biomedical research field, was published in Analytical Chemistry in July.

I haven’t published a video essay in a while, but you can check my latest one here, it’s largely a philosophical commentary on Alan Lightman book, the Miraculous from the Material.

(For books I have read, reviewed, or currently reading, go to the end of the newsletter)

[Talking Points]

🎮GTA VI Trailer

👶4-year-old sings Hallelujah

💵Bribe collection by country

🦄There are now 498 AI unicorns.

🇳🇬Nigeria vs Ghana 2002 AFCON.

🚖Driverless taxi increase in California.

🗞Americans are no longer paying for news.

💻Key differences between Javascript and Python

💦Two billion people don’t have safe drinking water.

💵The U.S. added 1,000 new millionaires a day in 2024.

🤲Migrants’ remittances almost triple global foreign aid.

🚘More than 1 in 5 new cars sold worldwide last year was electric.

🇪🇺100 years ago, ~½ of today’s independent countries were European colonies.

[Longer Reads/Watch]

[I] 👦🏿Can You Still Be Human?

In his thought-provoking piece “Can you still be human?”, sounds the alarm on the unprecedented threat AI poses to human dignity, freedom, and agency. He argues that technological advances—particularly in AI, surveillance, and monitoring—are being rapidly adopted under the guise of progress and convenience, yet risk enabling totalitarian control by governments and corporations, eroding civil liberties and reducing humans to mere cogs in a machine. McGilchrist warns against complacency and fatalism, urging readers to maintain skepticism, question the relentless march of technology, and safeguard what makes us truly human. In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and bureaucracy, he calls for pushback: “The opposite of life is not death, but the machine. You are not a machine.”

My recent worry isn’t unlike some of Iain’s. I worry that how we treat humans in the world that appears to be looming will hinge squarely on a metaphysics of human nature. And it is no news that there are terrible ideas out there that undermine human dignity because of poor or plain wrong metaphysics, precisely one that could be even more vicious in a capitalist system where humans are essentially defined by their jobs, how much they earn, et cetera.

[II]: 🦯 How Hellen Keller Learned to Write.

In the essay I am writing at the moment, I am investigating people who lived in the most extreme of the human conditions, in terms of their senses, memory, or just plain hardship, and using their lives to stress test a philosophical conception of what it means to be a person. Long story short, I find myself reading this essay about Helen Keller.

In her essay, Cynthia Ozick (now 97 years old) examines the life of Helen Keller not simply as an inspirational figure, but as an artist who constantly battled accusations of inauthenticity. Ozick recounts how the brilliant and resilient teacher Annie Sullivan unlocked language for the young, feral Keller. This breakthrough, however, led to immense public scrutiny. At just eleven years old, Keller was accused of plagiarism over a short story, an event that Ozick presents as the first of many challenges to the legitimacy of her experience. Throughout her life, critics would dismiss Keller as a “living lie,” arguing that her use of visual language for a world she could not see or hear was a form of “verbalism”, parroting concepts rather than expressing genuine perception.

Ozick compellingly argues that these critiques misunderstand the very nature of imagination and art. Keller’s defense, which Ozick champions, was that her rich interior world was built from language and that “the bulk of the world’s knowledge is an imaginary construction.” Keller contended that her ability to describe a “flash of a swordblade” or “rainbow waters” was an act of the mind’s eye, the same faculty used by poets and writers throughout history. Ozick reframes Keller’s story from one of disability to one of profound artistic creation, asserting that Keller’s life serves as the ultimate proof that imagination is not a substitute for sight, but a powerful form of vision in itself.

[III]: 🔥The Hell House of Martinez

Occasionally I watch Jimmy Akin’s mysterious world, and I typically really enjoy listening in on his pod. One of the recent episodes I watched is the so-called “Hell House of Martinez”.

SPOILER ALERT!

He explores a case investigated by paranormal expert Lloyd Auerbach. In the 1980s, a family in Martinez, California, reported a series of strange phenomena in their home, including dizzy spells, noxious odors, flashes of light, and fireballs. The family believed the house was haunted, but Auerbach’s thorough investigation uncovered natural explanations for all the events. He discovered that the dizziness was caused by structural issues and low-frequency vibrations from nearby power lines, while the flashes and fireballs were the result of high static electricity interacting with methane gas from a nearby landfill. Auerbach’s investigation not only provided rational explanations but also helped the family get out of their lease and receive their money back due to the unsafe living conditions discovered during the investigation.

The episode also highlights the ‘paradoxical’ importance of paranormal experts in investigating issues like this because the family had been deflected away by psychologists who largely assumed that they were nuts, when in fact there was something there. A flesh and blood, paranormal expert in this case walked inside the building to essentially investigate what’s going on.

[IV]:🔫Lead and Serial Killers

An amazing podcast here on “lead‑crime hypothesis.”

The lead–crime hypothesis is the idea that widespread exposure to lead, especially from sources like leaded gasoline, paint, and industrial pollution, impairs brain development in children, particularly in areas related to impulse control, decision-making, and aggression. This neurological damage, which can be permanent, is thought to increase the likelihood of violent and antisocial behavior later in life. Studies have shown that trends in violent crime often lag about 20 years behind peaks in lead exposure, suggesting a generational effect: as lead levels in the environment declined after regulations in the 1970s–1990s, crime rates also fell. Book discussed: Murderland.

[V]: 🤳🏿How Social Media Shortens Your Life

unpacks how social media is quietly robbing us of our most precious asset, time, not only by swallowing hours in endless scrolls but by reshaping our very perception of time itself. Drawing parallels with the maze-like designs of casinos, Gurwinder wrote about how platforms engineer “curvilinear mazes” to keep us distracted, passive, and unable to form strong memories—shortening both our experienced and biological lives.

Social media’s endless, story-less feeds make days blur, disrupt sleep, accelerate aging, and heighten anxiety, but, I suppose there is hope: by intentionally seeking novelty, storytelling, and mindful habits, we can slow our rush through life and reclaim meaningful moments before they slip away. He reminds us that living longer isn’t just about more days, but fuller ones.

I haven’t read many essays on social media that are this well written.

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[VI] 🗽David Brooks on Audacity, AI, and the American Psyche

Interesting conversation between David Brooks and Tyler Cowen.

[VII] 🏃🏿 Easy Habits to Make You Run Faster

I have been running a lot more lately. As I am writing this sentence in late August, I have run over 100 kilometers. So, I have been all crazed about how to run faster, or better.

In this video, a former elite triathlete Nicklas Røssner breaks down 12 actionable habits that can transform your running game and help you run faster. He covers everything from setting achievable goals and building mental toughness, to smart shoe rotation, self-efficacy, and the power of consistent training. He highlights often-overlooked secrets like training your gut for nutrition, including strength workouts, investing in high-quality gear, and embracing rest as a tool for longevity.

[VIII] 🧗🏿Free Solo

Nice podcast, and super inspiring documentary

https://films.nationalgeographic.com/free-solo

[Books/Papers 📚]

Book(s) recently completed:

Deep Work [Review]

What I am currently reading:

Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills [Link]

Reshuffle: Who wins when AI restacks the knowledge economy [Link]

My Other Publications:

Check out my latest AI newsletter: ε Pulse: Issue #24

The Epsilon

ε Pulse: Issue #24

Read more

a year ago · Olatomiwa Bifarin

Watch my latest video essays on my Youtube Channel:

The Story in Your Head

Pillars of Modern Civilization

What Are You Hiding?

Working in The Storm

(For books I have read, reviewed, or currently read, go to the end of the newsletter)

[Talking Points]

🏃🏿David Goggins X Israel Adesanya Training.

🥩Ketogenic Diet in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment.

⌨️Cursor Writes 1 Billion Lines of Accepted Code/Day

🎶Nigerian Students Sing the UEFA Champions league Anthem

🏠US: Homebuyers Need $114K Salary for Median-Priced Homes

🌍Sub Saharan Africa Has 67% of People Living in Extreme Poverty

🧑In 2025, If You Are Over 30, You Are Older than Most People in the World.

[Longer Reads/Watch]

[I]: 🔰 Missing Pages: An AI Assistant for Avid Readers.

Back story to an app I am currently working on with a friend called Missing Pages.

Here is the waitlist.

[II]: 💻 A.I. Is Changing How Silicon Valley Builds Start-Ups

The evolution is underway: more with less with AI. Here is a New York Times profile of Gamma, an AI design partner for presentations, websites, etc.

The Cofounder Grant Lee wrote about it on X:

The New York Times profiled a start-up with 28 employees serving nearly 50 million users. That company is us. The traditional startup playbook: raise massive funding, hire hundreds of employees, and worry about profitability "later." But there's another way. Everyone at Gamma could fit in a small restaurant. We're not just surviving—we've been profitable for 15+ consecutive months, with revenue growing month over month, and lifetime negative net burn (we have more money in the bank than we've raised). This isn't an accident. We've deliberately designed our organization to maximize impact per person. Instead of creating specialist silos, we hire versatile generalists who can solve problems across domains. Rather than building management hierarchies, we find player-coaches who both lead and execute. Our team leverages AI tools throughout our workflow - Claude for data analysis, Cursor for coding efficiency, NotebookLM for customer research synthesis. These aren't just productivity hacks; they're force multipliers. Examples: — When our growth PM needed better analytics, he didn't file a ticket with a data team—he built a self-serve system that anyone can use without SQL knowledge. — When our marketing lead needed to understand our customers better, she fed thousands of interactions into an LLM and created actionable personas that now guide our entire strategy. — When our design team needs to test a hypothesis, we create a rapid prototype and show it to our power users. What we're seeing isn't just about "doing more with less." It's about fundamentally changing what's possible per person. The most valuable employees aren't specialists who excel in narrow domains - they're resourceful problem-solvers who continuously expand their capabilities. This approach creates remarkable resilience. Since everyone understands multiple functions, we don't have single points of failure when someone leaves or moves to another project. If you're building today, the question isn't how quickly you can scale headcount … it's how much impact you can create with the smallest possible team. The future belongs to tiny teams of extraordinary people.

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[III]: 🇻🇦The Next Pope

The first pope I knew was Pope John Paul II, but I wasn't particularly aware of him because I was quite young so “knew” is an exaggeration. I do recall his death being major news, and I vaguely remember the talk of an African Pope over the radio in my dad’s car, maybe Cardinal Arinze? While I wasn’t particularly interested in Catholicism (and hence the papacy) then, my appreciation for Catholicism grew after reading some of Pope Benedict's books such as this, this, & this; supplemented with plenty podcast. Now, because of this sequence of admittedly abbreviated events, I've become too interested in who becomes pope, and I have read perhaps an unhealthy quantity of material about who is who, and the goings-on. So here are a few. The best resource is this fantastic web page on the College of Cardinals. It provides in-depth profiles of Catholic cardinals-especially those considered potential future popes (“papabili”) - to help folks better understand their backgrounds, beliefs, and positions on key issues. The site features comprehensive biographical data, summaries of each cardinal’s qualities, detailed analysis of their work as bishops. It also includes a fairly detailed piece on the origin of cardinals. Another one on the role of present-day cardinals (which clarified my confusion with regards emeritus, curial, & diocesian status within the cardinalate). The one I enjoyed the most was on electing the pope. Interesting bit from the article:

In the 1970s, Pope Paul VI introduced the age limit of 80 for electors, and 120 as the recommended maximum number of voting cardinals. For a man to be validly elected pope, he must receive two-thirds of the votes. Pope John Paul II changed the rules in 1996 so that after 33 or 34 ballots without a two-thirds majority, a candidate could be elected by a simple majority.

But Benedict XVI reinstated the requirement for a two-thirds majority to elect a pope, reversing John Paul II’s change which had been viewed as a “radical” innovation compared to the two-thirds rule that had existed since 1179. Benedict’s amendment stated that if a deadlock persisted after 13 days of voting, the two top candidates would enter a runoff. He did this to prevent a situation where a majority bloc could push through a candidate by simply holding out until the 34th ballot when there would have been a simple majority. It was also felt that the change would guarantee the greatest possible consensus among the cardinals rather than a candidate who could win with just a narrow majority. Benedict’s reversal was a return to the historical norm.

I have read a few profiles about some of the papabili, written by John Allen of Crux: Parolin, Zuppi, Erdo, and Besungu. At the time of writing it appears profiles of the following priests have been added: Pizzaballa, Aveline, Tagle, Prevost, and Arborelius. They are running this “Papabile of the day" till the conclave begins. On the world's largest prediction market, Polymarket (at the time of writing) Cardinal Parolin is leading the pack, closely followed by the charismatic Tagle of the Philippines. Also see Ed Feser on pope’s first duty, profiles of African Cardinal electors, and the youngest priest in the college of cardinals (45 year old Cardinal?!).

[IV]: 🌎Ten Charts That Show How the World is Changing

In his Digital Native essay, Rex Woodbury uses a curated set of charts to visually narrate the significant transformations shaping our world. Prominent economic and technological shifts are clearly visible. The tech market, for example, is shifting focus, now prioritizing profitability and efficiency over unrestrained growth, marking a significant change from previous years. Echoing this recalibration, venture capital distributions to investors have slowed, indicating a tighter funding and exit environment for startups and their backers. At the same time, a powerful trend is the rapid acceleration of AI adoption, which is driving significant increases in web traffic and engagement for AI tools, signaling a major technological disruption.

Beyond core tech and finance, the charts illuminate evolving patterns in commerce, culture, and society. While e-commerce continues its expansion, startups like DoorDash are shown dominance in their sector. Within the digital media landscape, success and engagement are increasingly concentrated among the largest platforms and most popular creators, following a distinct power law, which will get accelerated with continued AI adoption. (See my essay: Winners Take All). This digital environment highlights how viral cultural phenomena can create substantial and measurable boosts for brand visibility (this was discussed in the context of Guinness recent sales boost). Finally, the data underscores distinct generational economic realities, as Gen Z confronts unique hurdles compared to previous generations, starkly illustrated by trends like lower relative homeownership rates.

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[V]: 🦠Recipe for a Cell

What makes up a cell? I learnt many of these in college, and even more complicated stuff in grad school (most of my formal education is in biology), but this is refreshing stuff to read nevertheless. For example see this bit:

In general, however, the mass of an E. coli is about 1 picogram, or one one-trillionth of a gram. That’s astonishingly small, roughly equal to the weight of the DNA inside a single hummingbird cell.

Which molecules make up this mass?

About 70 percent is just water. The other 30 percent — the so-called “dry mass” — is composed of everything else: DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and ions. Surprisingly, DNA accounts for just 3 percent of this dry mass, yet encodes all the information needed for the cell to grow, divide, adapt, and evolve. Most of a cell’s dry mass (55 percent) is proteins, which dominate because they are the “executors” of cellular functions; they catalyze reactions, form structural scaffolds, and regulate gene expression. About 20 percent of the dry mass is RNA, 10 percent is lipids, and the rest is ions and signaling molecules.

…

building a functioning cell from scratch still remains one of biology’s most elusive goals. The challenge is not merely mechanical, either. Even if one gathers all the right molecules in the right quantities, arranging those molecules with sufficient precision to “create life” remains far beyond current capabilities.

This is, in part, because cells are dynamic. They move and change quickly. Sugar molecules fly through a cell at 250 miles per hour, and each protein is bombarded by 10¹³ water molecules every second. This dynamism is often overlooked in the methods used to study living cells. A list of ingredients is inherently static. The next step, then, is to capture how each piece moves and interacts. Only then might we turn our catalogs of parts into recipes for a cell.

Full essay.

[Books/Papers 📚]

Book(s) recently completed: [-]

What I am currently reading:

The Master and His Emissary [Link]

AI 2027 [Link]

Hands-on Guide to Fine-Tuning Large Language Models [Link] [Code]

The Mom Test [Link]

Administer Container in Azure [Link]

The Alchemist [Link]

My Other Publications:

Check out my latest AI newsletter: ε Pulse: Issue #22

Watch my latest short video essays on my YouTube Channel.

Here is one:

Others:

From Rebels to Rulebooks.

Humanity’s Persistent Bug.

(For books I have read, reviewed, or currently read, go to the end of the newsletter)

In this newsletter:

[Talking Points]

⌨️Story of VueJS

👯 Twins Baby Boom

🪙US: No More Pennies?

🍿Netflix’s Video Podcast.

🇰🇷Seoul: Marry, Take Cash.

📺YouTube is the New Tele.

🪖Latest Commandos Origin Game.

📰New York Times Approve AI-use.

[Long Reads/Watch]

[I]: 🎲Why Everything is Becoming a Game

Gurwinder’s brilliant essay examines how modern society increasingly employs gamification—a strategy rooted in B. F. Skinner’s behaviorist experiments with pigeons—to control human behavior by making everyday activities into games. By offering immediate, unpredictable, and conditioned rewards, this method shifts our focus from intrinsic values to extrinsic metrics, effectively turning our lives into score-driven systems. Though Gurwinder didn’t mention it in his essay, at the heart of it all of this, is mimetic desire, as a major driver.

The essay traces the origins of gamification from Skinner’s laboratory work, where he discovered that pigeons pecked more persistently for immediate and random rewards, to its evolution into a widespread tool in consumer and corporate environments. Early experiments demonstrated that conditioned reinforcers, such as a simple click or badge, could manipulate behavior more effectively than primary rewards, laying the foundation for modern applications.

Gurwinder details how gamification has permeated various sectors—from loyalty programs and employee management to social media platforms where “likes” and notifications serve as modern-day status symbols. This shift has redefined our societal values, leading us to prioritize quantifiable achievements over meaningful, long-term fulfillment. The essay highlights examples like social credit systems in China and the addictive design of dating apps and fitness trackers that subtly condition behavior for commercial and political gains.

Ultimately, the essay warns that while gamification promises immediate satisfaction and order, it often leads to a hollow existence defined by fleeting wins rather than true progress. Gurwinder urges readers to be discerning about the "games" they play, advocating for choices that emphasize long-term, positive-sum, and intrinsically rewarding pursuits, thereby reclaiming control over our lives and resisting the seductive pull of superficial metrics.

The essay will take you about 35 minutes to read, if you have that long to spare, I strongly recommend reading it. The idea/minute spent reading it is quite high. It articulates the problem of modernity. It’s probably the best thing I have read this year.

[II]: 💡How to Prepare for the Intelligence Age

This conversation between Jonathan Bi and Tyler Cowen offers a very rich exploration of the implications of AI, focusing on its impact on innovation, economic competition between the US and China, and the future of knowledge work. Re: DeepSeek, Cowen's insights challenge conventional wisdom, such as the belief that US sanctions effectively stifle Chinese technological advancement. He argues that restrictions, like the ban on high-end AI chips, can actually stimulate innovation by forcing China to innovate frugally. Cowen's analysis extends beyond the geopolitical landscape. He paints a picture of a future where AI radically reshapes the workforce, potentially leading to a greater divide between those who can effectively utilize AI tools and those who cannot (I suppose that goes without saying, a pronounced Matthew Effect of some sort). He also touches upon the psychological and societal challenges posed by rapid technological advancements, highlighting the difficulty in comprehending and responding to the pace of change. I, for example, write an AI blog to keep up with this stuff; and I must say, it’s not for the faint of heart. But I see the writing on the wall: the productivity gain from embracing these tools is huge. I have many internal protocols that just allow me to do so much more for the past 2 years.

One particularly compelling aspect of the conversation revolves around the future of writing and knowledge creation. Cowen discusses how AI is already surpassing human capabilities in certain domains, such as answering complex (academic) questions and generating different kinds of creative text formats. In this context, Cowen emphasizes the importance of cultivating a unique voice and style in writing. He believes that as AI becomes more proficient at generating generic content, human writers will need to focus on incorporating their personal experiences, insights, and styles to differentiate themselves. While I see the point Cowen is making here, I think he might be underestimating how pervasive and powerful this technology is. For example, I do know of creators, such as Varun Mayya, who have been using his AI clones to 10X is output. But I do agree that the uncanny valley is a thing, maybe not so much of a big deal if folks like Varun literally have millions of followers. There was a quick chat too about the future of academia (On this topic, I recommend reading this blog by another economics professor: in brief, research will be overrated in the age of intelligence) The conversation ultimately leaves me with a sense of both the immense possibilities and the potential challenges that lie ahead in an era defined by increasingly powerful AI.

[III]: 📿Hidden History of Early Christian Art

I very much enjoyed watching this 45-minutes video essay partly because I am new to the whole business. Here, Harmony explores the fascinating history of early Christian art and its connection to Jewish traditions. The speaker posits that the first icon was actually the Ark of the Covenant, emphasizing its role as a prefiguration of Christ. The video discusses Jewish practices of using objects like mezuzah and phylacteries, which contained scripture and were believed to offer protection. These practices, the speaker argues, demonstrate a belief in the power of symbols to connect with the divine, a belief that carried over into early Christian art.

The video essay traces the development of Christian iconography, suggesting that it originated with Gentile converts who adapted their custom of making images of saviors to include Christ and his Apostles (this was news to me). The essay concludes by highlighting the continuity and discontinuity in modern Christian art. While traditional Orthodox churches have maintained the canonical approach to iconography, other denominations have adopted diverse styles that often lack the symbolic depth and devotional intent of early icons.

At the end of the essay, I became really interested in the discontinuity of Christian Art in a large aspect of modern Christianity, and I suppose I can speak to this to an extent. I come from a protestant background, and icons and images tend to spook a lot of folks. But in essence, the Protestant Reformation reshaped Early Christian visual traditions by adapting imagery, architecture, and symbolism to align with new theological values. The principle of sola scriptura led to concerns about idolatry, resulting in restricted use of religious images and episodes of iconoclasm. Protestant churches prioritized simplicity, centering worship around the pulpit and the spoken word instead of elaborate altars and decorations.

[IV]: 🔰Remembering Everything You Read

I read a lot of stuff, and this video caught my eye, largely because I haven’t revisited my lessons on learning how to learn in a long time. I have heard about most of the ideas shared in the video, practiced some of it in college, etc. Sometimes I have this apprehension about summarizing something that is complex and sort of reducing it to this kind of synonym regime. That notwithstanding, I think this video is really good. In brief, Justin Sung outlined this system (PACER) for effective learning.

Procedural: Information about how to do something. For example, instructions on how to bake a cake or write a Python program. The key to mastering this information is practice. Don't just read the instructions, actually bake the cake or write the code!

Analogous: Information that connects to something you already know. For example, if you're learning about electrical circuits, you might relate it to the flow of water in pipes. The key here is to critique the analogy – how is it similar? How is it different? This deepens your understanding. I like analogies alot, it’s one of the easiest ways to catalyze learning new stuff.

Conceptual: Facts, theories, and principles. For example, understanding the concept of gravity or the principles of economics. The best way to digest this is through mapping, creating visual representations like mind maps to connect the concepts.

Evidence: Specific data or examples that support conceptual information. For example, statistics on climate change or historical examples of economic crises. The key here is to store the information in a system like a second brain or flashcards and rehearse it by applying it in different contexts. (I don't understand why a lot of these things have to be stored because we do have search and now, research on demand thanks to AI.)

Reference: Minor details that might be needed later. For example, the exact date of a historical event or the specific name of a chemical compound. Like evidence, you should store this information and rehearse it, often through flashcards and spaced repetition. (Except you are sitting for an exam that requires you to know this detail. Again I really don't see why these things need to be rehearsed)

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[Books/Papers 📚]

Book(s) recently completed:

Causal Inference by Paul R. Rosenbaum [Book Review]

What I am currently reading:

On Truth by Simon Blackburn

Reflex: Python Web Framework Docs

My Other Publications:

Check out my latest AI newsletter:

The Epsilon

ε Pulse: Issue #21

Read more

a year ago · Olatomiwa Bifarin

Watch my latest short video essays on my Youtube Channel.

Here is one:

Others:

949: The First Influencers

Aristotle on Modern Science

The Desire Domino Effect

In this newsletter:

[Talking Points]

🐝The Honeycomb Conjecture

🌊Ha Long Bay.

🐦Hummingbirds Heart Rate

🐍uv:python Packaging in Rust.

🤖Jevons Paradox and AI.

🇳🇬World Bank: AI Boosts Student Success in Nigeria.

🏛ChatGPT Gov for US government.

[Longer Reads/Watch]

[I]: 🤳The Dangers of Social Media.

, writer of The Generalist, wrote about some of the self experiments that he wants to do at the beginning of 2025. One thing that obviously got my attention in the essay was his irritation with regards to the pervasiveness and persuasiveness of social media. I mean everybody knows these things, or at least I will like to imagine that, but it can be extremely difficult to deeply understand the strain continuous use of social media actually puts on you.

Another creeping habit over the past few months has been spending a bit more time on X/Twitter. Elon Musk’s centrality in the incoming government, heated conversations in AI, and another crypto bull cycle conspired to eat an increasing number of minutes per day. X and Reddit reliably host interesting conversations that teach me something. But they equally reliably shred my attention, steal twice the time I intended to spend, and stuff my brain with pointless dreck. Despite prevalent studies about social media’s deleterious effect on productivity and mental health, I don’t think most people fully appreciate the impact of this continuous oversaturation. One attribute of these social platforms that I’ve only just started to appreciate is how persuasive they are — and what that means for a mind. We have all heard stories about being “radicalized” by YouTube videos, but since we’re not on the monkey bars at Al Farouq, we assume we’re unaffected. For most of us, the risk is not being radicalized but denatured. When you are bathed in a monoculture, even one warring with itself, you begin to adopt its stances as your own. Under Musk’s management, X is an exemplar of this risk. It may bill itself as a fractal “town square,” but it has an increasingly monolithic perspective and set of values. Many are the skirmishes and disagreements, but there is only one direction of travel. Surrendering to that momentum by donating your attention is a step toward losing ownership of your mind. It is too easy to find yourself adopting opinions and preferences you haven’t thought through but that are part of the fabric of these networks…

Other related essays.

Cal Newport on Tik Tok

How to Break Free from Dopamine Culture

Why we Can’t Focus.

In all of these I think a legitimate source of worry is the dangers of the hackneyed dangers of social media, not that I have any ideas of resolving this dilemma, but it is an observation that is worth stating.

[II]: 🤳The Evolution of the Creator

A fine essay by that explores the evolution of the "creator economy," moving beyond the narrow definition of "influencer" to encompass a wider range of online creative endeavors. It examines how advancements in AI, particularly generative AI, are democratizing content creation and enabling new forms of distribution and monetization for creators. The essay also highlights the importance of a "Creator Triad" — creation tools, distribution platforms, and monetization strategies — and discusses successful examples like Canva, Roblox, and TikTok, while also considering emerging trends like digital clones and AI-powered fan fiction.

Read the essay here.

Here is a podcast I am currently listening to about how AI will/is transforming content creation.

[III] 🦪On Evolution: The Displacement Fallacy

This is a great essay from . What follows is a brief summary: conservation of information is a central finding in the intelligent design literature, highlighting that there is no “free lunch” in search problems. To find an unlikely “needle in a haystack,” one inevitably needs another search strategy, which itself requires information. Mathematically, this insight is captured by the law of conservation of information, which shows that the information needed to improve search odds can never be conjured from nothing but must be sourced from somewhere else. This leads to what Bill Dembski calls the “displacement fallacy,” where an explanation for how something improbable gets found—such as a target phrase in Richard Dawkins’s WEASEL program or complex Boolean functions in the Avida simulations—merely shifts the need for information to another, unexplained part of the system.

Repeatedly, evolutionary simulations or explanations claim to generate new information but on closer inspection smuggle it in at the outset via carefully engineered fitness landscapes or reward systems. In other words, they “displace” the question of where that crucial information came from, just as in a shell game where the pea is never created anew but only hidden and shuffled around.

Some quotes from the essay:

The discovery of conservation of information didn’t start with proving a mathematical theorem. Rather, its discovery came from repeatedly noticing how efforts to account for the success of searches whose odds of success were seemingly hopeless always smuggled in information that wasn’t properly accounted for. One hole was filled, but only by digging another, and so a new hole now in turn needed to be explained. This failure of explanation became especially evident in the evolutionary literature.

Over and over information supposedly created from scratch was surreptitiously introduced under the pretense that the information was already adequately explained when in fact it was merely presupposed. In effect, displacement became a special case of the fallacy of begging the question, obscuring rather than illuminating evolutionary processes.

[IV]: 🛐 Negative Theology: Popper’s via Negativa

Here, Ed Feser’s essay draws an analogy between the apophatic (or “negative”) theological tradition and Karl Popper’s “falsificationist” view of scientific knowledge. In negative theology, thinkers like Maimonides and Aquinas emphasize that, although one can establish that God exists, one cannot describe His essence in any positive, comprehensive way. Our knowledge is largely confined to what God is not—God is not material, not subject to change, and so on—because our senses and finite intellect cannot fully grasp a divine nature. According to Aquinas, we do form some affirmative propositions about God, but these remain incomplete compared to the fullness of His essence.

Feser observes a parallel in Popper’s philosophy of science, where knowledge is similarly constrained: we know that certain claims are false, rather than which claims are definitely true. For Popper, theories survive only as unrefuted conjectures, awaiting the inevitable discovery of contrary evidence. Both views stem from an empiricist orientation (albeit different varieties), one that sees experience as essential but limited in scope. Whereas Aquinas’s Aristotelian empiricism allows for robust understanding of natural essences—though still stopping short of fully grasping the divine essence—Popper’s modern, more modest empiricism suggests we cannot even fully grasp natural essences. The overlap thus highlights different responses to the boundaries of empirically grounded knowledge, whether in theology or in science.

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[V]: 🥪 Sandwich Economics

A good essay - and I hope you will agree - is an essay that teaches you something totally new that you find particularly interesting. For me, this essay qualifies as one: Back in 2020, major American tech companies poured billions of dollars into Jio (an Indian company), not just because it was a telecom provider, but because of its grand vision. Jio didn’t merely offer cheaper internet or a new business model; it orchestrated a transformative “economic framework” that compels other businesses to reorganize around it. This framework—which the author calls the “Sandwich”—is the real innovation: it redefines how industries create and capture value, sweeping traditional suppliers and competitors into a layered structure from which they struggle to escape.

Unlike typical business models or supply chain squeezes, Sandwich Economics is about strategically dictating the terms of competition itself. While Big Tech might appear to expand through various product portfolios (search, social media, e-commerce, and more), the essence is that each move imposes their economic framework on a new industry—much like Reliance did. For companies caught in the middle, it no longer matters how strong they are in their current markets; what matters is their position within the “Sandwich.” If you’re not in the right layer, you’re effectively squeezed out.

[VI]: 📔A Lifetime Reading Plan

I started taking books seriously when I finished college. And to be clear, when I talk about taking books seriously, I am talking books that have little to nothing to do with my actual formal training. It was not until I moved to the United States, that I was finally let loose. Largely because I could now afford any book I wanted to read. So reading about “Lifetime Reading Plan” made for a delightful read, largely because whatever I think I have been doing with books seems like a child’s play to what is possible.

In his essay, Ted Gioia describes the rigorous—almost “extreme sport”—approach he took to self-education through books. He emphasizes that the bulk of his learning didn’t come from classrooms or degrees but from reading widely and deeply, beginning every day by immersing himself in challenging texts. “I went beyond what was reasonable,” Gioia writes, emphasizing that he wanted to “expand my mind and broaden my understanding of the world.” He notes that while he loved old and demanding authors in his youth—like Tolstoy, Cervantes, and Dostoevsky—he deliberately shifted toward contemporary voices as he got older, having already absorbed a firm grounding in the classics.

Gioia also highlights that reading can be a slow, meditative process; far from trying to speed-read, he often reads at a “tortoise’s pace.” To maintain this discipline, he keeps meticulous lists of the books he wants to tackle, seeking out those that fill the “gaps” in his knowledge, even if they have no direct relation to his day job. Over time, he saw how this intense and methodical reading regimen sharpened his insights and shaped his outlook. “My lifetime reading plan was my proven path to Nirvana,” he wrote—demonstrating that, for him, books aren’t merely hobbies, but powerful vehicles for wisdom, personal growth, and a fuller appreciation of the world.

If you read his actual essay, you will want to just clean up your room and start reading.

And on the subject of books…

[Books/Papers 📚]

What I am currently reading:

• Causal Inference by Paul R. Rosenbaum

• The Miraculous from the Material by Alan Lightman.

Check out my latest AI newsletter: ε Pulse: Issue #19

Watch my latest short video essay: Best Bet You Can Make

(For books I have read, reviewed, or currently read, go to the end of the newsletter)

[Talking Points]

💵Follow the money: AI edition

🔠Oldest known alphabetic writing.

🌳Denmark wants to plant 10 billion trees.

🇻🇦AI-generated 'digital twin' of St. Peter's Basilica.

🧊What are Ice eggs and Pancake ice?

🏥Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH?

⛽The United States is the world’s largest oil producer.

[Longer Reads/Watch]

[I]: 🧠Artificializing Intelligence.

One thing I have picked up, speaking to lots of scientists lately, is that many do not fundamentally understand the kind of revolution that is upon us in the context of progress in science. The reasoning that follows applies to almost all knowledge work. Many folks are still stuck to thinking of AI as a data analysis engine, a one-time inference engine to make predictions or a chatbot that merely ‘coughs’ out the next token. Any frequent reader of my newsletter will realize that this simply isn’t so.

The proper, and the more general, way to think about this revolution is that intelligence is getting cheaper. But, even more elaborately, it is to think about it the following way: The history of humankind is the history of the artificialization of our environment, from the invention of agriculture to Tesla Robotaxi, and everything in between. But it is now, for the first time in history, that we are beginning to artificialize the very thing that allows us to artificialize our environment in the first place, namely, intelligence. It is only in this context that anyone, for that matter, could appreciate what is upon us.

We now have AI models that can ‘see’, ‘talk’, ‘write’, control computers, robots, etc. The models are out there; what is left is the plumbing (engineering) work to apply this intelligence to various domains.

Read the full essay.

[II]: 🎲Information Theory as a Shield of Psychological Warfare

I have not read anyone who has framed psychological warframe in the context of information, until reading this essay by . The essay explores how information theory can serve as a metaphorical shield against psychological manipulation, particularly in political and social contexts. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the “frames” within which choices are presented, as these frames often limit possibilities in deceptive ways.

Examples like false dilemmas, Hobson’s choices, and decoy options illustrate how decision-making can be subtly constrained to guide people toward predetermined outcomes, often against their best interests. He critiques the suppression of dissent, especially in politically charged debates like vaccine safety or climate change, where questioning the dominant narrative is often stigmatized. The essay argues that this stifling of open debate undermines rational discourse and prevents the pursuit of truth.

Drawing on the principles of information theory - and this is perhaps one of my favorite take-away from the essay - he urges readers to critically evaluate the boundaries of the choices presented to them and to resist manipulation by expanding the frame of possibilities. He also highlights the value of dissent, drawing from John Stuart Mill and the role of the devil’s advocate (I didn’t know about the origin of devil’s advocate until reading this essay), as essential for testing beliefs and maintaining intellectual freedom.

[III]: ⚙ When We Become Cogs

This essay by is a short, fascinating exploration of the paradox of AI and automation, where tools that dramatically boost productivity often erode job satisfaction by removing the most engaging aspects of work. Examples from material scientists and software developers, cited in the essay, show how automation shifts the focus from creative, exploratory tasks to evaluating or executing machine-generated outputs.

While this empowers less skilled individuals, closing productivity gaps, it could alienates experts whose strengths lie in creative or strategic thinking. This reflects a broader historical trend where automation fragments roles, reducing autonomy and purpose, from assembly lines to algorithmic management.

Fulfillment in work is closely tied to mastery, autonomy, and purpose, yet automation often undermines these pillars. I suppose the challenge is to redefine what makes work meaningful in an AI-driven world. For some, it may mean finding satisfaction in curating and refining machine outputs or shifting to broader, interdisciplinary pursuits.

For others, it might involve stepping outside work entirely to embrace hobbies, arts, or community contributions. Ultimately, the future hinges on whether humans adapt to find new forms of creativity and purpose or face deeper alienation as automation takes over increasingly complex tasks.

[IV]: 🧫Smart People and Boring Jobs in Biology

wrote a really nice essay recently where he argued that Biotech is often defined by its pursuit of ambitious moonshot ideas, from curing aging to de-novo protein synthesis. However, the field tends to overlook the "boring but impactful" solutions that drive meaningful progress. By contrast, software companies like Stripe and DocuSign thrive by addressing practical problems at scale. Biotech could benefit from adopting a similar mindset, focusing on areas such as lab services, drug repurposing, and automation.

He pointed out that Contract Research Organizations (CROs) frequently fall short due to thin margins and inexperienced staff, leaving researchers to handle routine tasks themselves. Meanwhile, drug repurposing—reviving shelved drugs or identifying new uses for existing ones—offers a highly impactful yet underutilized approach.

Lab automation, through advanced robotics and remote control, could significantly boost efficiency, while reproducibility and standardization remain pressing challenges, as inconsistent protocols often lead to wasted time and resources. These are some of the few things discussed in the essay.

As a Bio PhD, who did his fair share of wet lab work, his arguments resonate strongly with me. And I would like to stick a tiny tree branch into the essay. How can AI, particularly large language models (LLMs) help. I think they present an opportunity to transform a lot of these areas. Here is a few:

Improving CRO Operations: AI agents could help streamline workflows in CROs by automating experiment planning, protocol optimization, and even quality control. LLMs could serve as virtual lab assistants, interpreting protocols and guiding inexperienced staff through complex procedures. This could address the lack of skilled personnel and enhance consistency in results.

Drug Repurposing and Repositioning: LLMs could comb through existing literature, clinical trial data, and real-world evidence to identify overlooked drug candidates for new indications. By combining natural language processing with knowledge graphs, they could connect dots that human researchers might miss, making drug repurposing more efficient.

Market Accessibility for Tools and Reagents: LLM-based platforms could democratize access to biotech tools by offering intelligent search and recommendation systems for reagents, lab supplies, or CRO services. For example, researchers could describe their project, and the AI would suggest the best tools or services, saving time and effort.

Scaling “Boring but Necessary” Ideas: We could even imagine using AI agents to identify unmet needs in biotech and help entrepreneurs develop business models around “boring” but essential innovations. By analyzing gaps in the ecosystem, they could guide new ventures toward areas where operational improvements are most needed.

[V]: 🧫John Gray on Jordan Peterson.

I haven’t read a reasonable critique of Jordan Peterson’s Philosophy in a long time. John Gray writes a good one.

At the end of We Who Wrestle with God, Jordan Peterson tells the reader that the book is a “response to the brilliant Nietzsche”. For the  Canadian psychologist and leading prophet of the counter-cultural right, the woke movements on which he wages war are not the fundamental cause of the crisis he believes has overtaken Western civilisation. The malady of the West is the collapse of meaning that befalls human beings when their values are unmoored from any transcendental order – the condition Nietzsche diagnosed as nihilism. The remedy is fearless self-examination, an agonising struggle against despair that points to a realm beyond the self. But is the realm Peterson discovers separate from his struggle? Or is it a therapeutic fiction, invented to rebuild a self shattered in traumatic encounters with the madness of the age?

Taking a direct hit at Peterson’s approach:

Rather than surrendering to a higher power, Peterson seems to be engaged in fashioning a higher self. The deity is not a reality beyond words, but a metaphor invented by human beings to enable them to escape meaninglessness. Peterson’s self-made God is a symptom of the modern Western malady, rather than a cure for it.

Full review via Statesman

[VI]✝ John Rawls on Religion

Ed Feser on John Rawls on Religion:

Though John Rawls wrote much that is of relevance to religion – and in particular, to the question of what influence it can properly have on politics (basically none, in Rawls’s view) – he wrote little on religion itself. After his death, his undergraduate senior thesis, titled A Brief Inquiry into the Meaning of Sin and Faith, was published. Naturally, it is of limited relevance to his mature thought. However, published in the same volume was a short 1997 personal essay titled “On My Religion,” which is not uninteresting as an account of the development of his religious beliefs. I think it does shed some light on his political philosophy. From Rawls’s best-known works, the conservative religious believer is bound to judge Rawls’s knowledge and understanding of religion to be shallow. And indeed, I think his views on these matters were shallow. But as the essay reveals, that is not because he didn’t give much thought to them.

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[Books/Papers 📚]

Book(s) recently completed:

• Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

• Empowering Biomedical Discovery with AI Agents Gao et al 2024.

[I haven’t written reviews yet; my travels are taking a toll on my writing, as well as some pretty arduous job applications.]

What I am currently reading:

• Father Elijah: An Apocalypse

Check out my latest AI newsletter: ε Pulse: Issue #18

Watch my latest short video essay: Culinary Secrets of Nation States 

Subscribe now

[Talking Points]

👴🏻The world’s oldest living jazz drummer

🚗Where Americans moved to, and from, the most in 2023.

🍟Food expenditure per person in the United States. 

📱Facebook paid content creators more than $2 billion.

🎶Viral street music performances. 

🐍The Cobra Effect.

♋World-First ovarian cancer vaccine.  

👶Fertility rate in the United States.

👴🏻Are Blue Zones a lie?

[Longer Reads/Watch]

[I]: 📚The Case Against Education.

In general the case against education as a means of sustained livelihood is at its strongest:

(If you can’t see the linked article, here is the title “A millennial with a Ph.D. and over $250k in student-loan debt says she's been looking for a job for 4 years. She wishes she prioritized work experience over education.”)

The aim of education has shifted dramatically from ancient periods, when education was often reserved for elites and focused on philosophy, rhetoric, and civic duty, to the Middle Ages, when universities like Bologna and Oxford emerged, centering on theology and the liberal arts. In those times, practical skills were learned through apprenticeships, while universities were dedicated more to intellectual exploration. Today, these two paths have largely merged, with students being encouraged to take on significant debt, especially in the U.S. And look at where that’s led. Perhaps there is a debate to be had about the burden of responsibilities universities should bear if their graduates struggle to find jobs. After all, they are essentially in the business of “selling” career prospects. And here is one line of argument: if universities aren’t delivering on that promise, they should be held accountable, as capitalism dictates, but instead, they are largely insulated from such repercussions for all I know, maybe I am wrong. Anyways, those who are clever wouldn’t rely on universities for job security. The world has changed too much, and it’s about to get even stranger with the rise of AI agents and the reconfiguration of the knowledge economy that is upon us. 

In other news: Everyone Wants to Go to College in the United States South Now. 

“A growing number of high-school seniors in the North are making an unexpected choice for college: They are heading to Clemson, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Alabama and other universities in the South … Their parents cite lower tuition and less debt, and warmer weather. College counselors also say many teens are eager to trade the political polarization ripping apart campuses in New England and New York for the sense of community epitomized by the South’s football Saturdays…”

[II]: 🧓🏽The Death of Immortality Dreams

This paper “Implausibility of Radical Life Extension in Humans in the Twenty-First Century” examines whether significant increases in human lifespan are feasible within this century. The analysis leverages demographic data from 1990 to 2019, focusing on high-income nations and regions with the highest life expectancy, including Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland. Despite advances in medicine and public health, the study finds that improvements in life expectancy have slowed across these populations, with few signs of radical life extension on the horizon. The authors argue that unless breakthroughs occur in slowing biological aging, achieving widespread survival to extreme ages—such as 100 or beyond—remains unlikely. They project that only a small fraction of the population (up to 15% of women and 5% of men) will reach 100 years. This deceleration signals that the “longevity revolution” observed in the 20th century has plateaued, and future efforts to increase lifespan must focus on modulating the biological processes of aging such as cellular senescence, epigenetic reprogramming, chronic inflammation, etc.

For more context on the history and biology of aging, see my video essay, “Why We Age”

In the final analysis, I think the paper’s finding  is supported by the revelation that progress in science is actually slowing down, and that we have just been distracted by our shiny phones, and air conditioners. 

[III]: 🏥US Healthcare and the Health of Americans

In this video, Steve Balmer's presentation provides a stark look at the state of health and healthcare in the U.S. using government data. He paints a concerning picture of mortality trends, revealing that accidental deaths, largely driven by a surge in drug overdoses, are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 1 to 44. Overdose deaths, primarily from fentanyl and meth, have skyrocketed from 3,000 in 2010 to a staggering 74,000 in 2022. The data also shows that cancer becomes the primary killer after 45, with heart disease a close second, ultimately taking the lead in those 85 and older.

The presentation further highlights the growing threat of Alzheimer's disease, with 6.7 million Americans over 65 diagnosed in 2023. Firearm related deaths also present a significant concern, reaching 48,000 in 2022, with suicides accounting for 55% and homicides 79% of these deaths. The obesity epidemic is something that is hard to skip, with rates more than doubling from 15.8% in 1995 to a worrying 33.6% in 2022. This rise contributes to increased risks of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. There is also the mental health crisis, particularly among young adults (34% for those aged 18-25). Balmer’s presentation ended with health insurance coverage, healthcare spending, and the sources of this funding, including private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid; and the distribution of healthcare costs. 

[IV]: 🪜On Status Hierarchies.

I enjoyed reading this short essay on status hierarchies, and being deliberate on which ladder you are climbing. 

“Cowen's point is critical and most overlooked. It's not just about the kind of job you want to do, or the city you think you'd enjoy living in. You need to think strategically about the right status hierarchies to climb. And explicitly consider what state hierarchy you are putting yourself in through your life choices.”

“There's an old saying, "Without awareness, there is no choice." You are going to be working to climb some status hierarchies. The question is whether you actually made a conscious choice or just drifted into it by default.”

[Books/Papers 📚] 

What I am currently reading:

• Slow Productivity by Cal NewPort

• Empowering Biomedical Discovery with AI Agents Gao et al 2024.

Check out my latest AI newsletter: ε Pulse: Issue #17

Watch my latest short video essay: Error Could Mean Progress

Subscribe now

[Talking Points]

 🛒Salesforce’s New AI Strategy Acknowledges That AI Will Take Jobs.

🔫Stylish Olympic shooter Kim Yeji got an acting gig.

🐚Mathematicians discover new class of shape seen throughout nature.

🧮Calculator hacked to use ChatGPT (watch out teachers!)

🩸New blood group identified. 

⌚Apple Watch's sleep apnea notifications get FDA approval.

💉Since 2000, deaths from drug use have increased six-fold in North America.

👨‍💻San Francisco is still the startup central. 

👩Women politicians use angrier Twitter rhetoric than men?

[Longer Reads/Watch]

[I]: 🏋‍♀Exercise: The Best Medical Intervention Ever Known

Earlier this year, a major paper was released by MoTrPAC (The Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium). MoTrPAC is a large-scale, multi-center study in the United States that was designed to create a comprehensive molecular map of how exercise affects the human body. It is a decade long, multi-million dollar project through the National Institutes of Health.  (I am a proud member of one of the labs involved, however I did not participate in the study). 

The paper provides a detailed multi-omic analysis of the effects of endurance exercise training in rats (human studies are underway). The study utilizes various molecular platforms across 19 tissues and analyzes temporal and sex-specific responses in mRNA transcripts, proteins, post-translational modifications, and metabolites! 

Some key highlights: 

Regular exercise changes your entire body, it benefits nearly every organ system. Exercise causes a major stress response in the body: one of the most prominent observations was increased activity of heat shock proteins in many tissues. These proteins help protect cells from damage.

The immune system is impacted by exercise: the study observed increased immune cell activity and reduced inflammation in different tissues. For example, the small intestine, which plays a role in immunity, showed the most change in immune system pathways. 

Exercise changes how your body processes energy: the researchers observed significant changes in the mitochondria, which produce energy for cells. The study also documented extensive changes in lipid (fat) metabolism. There is no simple way to mimic the benefits of exercise with a pill, since exercise creates a complex, multi-system response throughout the body. 

Here is a conversation between and Euan Ashley (one of the members of the consortium) discussing the work and putting it in context. 

[II]: 🦾Are Minds Machines?

I enjoy listening to Professor Pruss, many of his talks can be difficult to follow especially for lay audiences, but if you hang in there, these things just get interestings. In this talk, he asks the question: are minds machines? Briefly, he argues that minds are not machines - and to be specific he argues against two main physicalist theories: biologism and functionalism.

Biologism says that minds are brains. Pruss argues against this by saying that even if someone knows all the neuroscience about vision, they would still not know what it is like to actually see something in color if they had never seen color themselves. This is because consciousness, a key component of minds, is subjective and private.

Functionalism says that minds are machines defined by their functions. Pruss argues against this by saying that if minds are machines, then there is no explanation for why complex systems with the same functional abilities would have different moral worth. For example, a larger person would have more functional isomorphs (copies) of himself than a smaller person, and so according to functionalism, the larger person would have more moral worth (Zimmerman’s cloud of atoms). This seems absurd, to use his words..

In short, if we eliminate the physicalist options, then we are left with dualism, the view that minds and bodies are two separate things. Even though dualism seems strange, Pruss believes it is the most likely answer.

[III]: 🔫What is it about Serial Killers?

OK, so I spent some time, like many people, listening to news about the killings in Winder, GA at a High School a few weeks ago. Because I followed the news, I got these recommendations from YouTube about a Serial Killer series by Piers Morgan and I got hooked: I got really interested in what really drives these folks. So I ran through more than a couple similarly themed series on Netflix. Then I got to Jeffrey Dahmer, and I couldn’t get past the first episode on the Netflix series - Monster, I just decided I had had enough. These things are dark. Which begs the question, what on God’s earth is wrong with these folks. You  just have to  wonder what the hell is going on in their brains.

So I sort of dug into a little bit of the literature, but there are so many angles to this. The biological theories would be things like brain abnormalities (e.g. see work that shows brain scans of incarcerated men reveal reduced gray matter in homicide offenders). Plus studies on genetic predispositions. There are also psychological theories, and of course, psychological theories will focus on personalities and mental processes. You get things like psychopathy, potential childhood trauma, power and control issues. Then there are the sociological theories, where you have social learning, exposure to dysfunctional family dynamics. 

I mean, these are all theories, by the way. But a smart guess would be that what is going on here is a combination of some or all of the factors highlighted, coming together to lead to this bizarre serial killer phenotype that is just so perplexing to anybody with any iota of sanity.

[IV]: ✖ The Duplication Crisis in Academia: The Other Replication Crisis

There are many things that can be said about how poorly incentives in academia are aligned. This essay points to one of such, using the microcosm of single cell omics (computational biology), as the scapegoat.

In brief, the essay compares the academic publishing styles in mathematics and biology, highlighting the issue of duplication in the latter. The author argues that the current incentive system, which prioritizes novelty and positive findings, encourages researchers to create superficially new but ultimately duplicative work. This fragmentation hinders progress and prevents effective consolidation of knowledge. As a scientist myself, I couldn’t agree more. 

Several solutions were proposed in the essay including creating well-paid permanent scientist jobs, paying for software engineers in academia to write good code, and encouraging community-driven projects. However, the most crucial (stressed) change, according to the author of the essay, is to allow for updates to articles without rewriting them entirely and to allow author lists on papers to change. This would enable a smoother transition of projects between generations and foster greater collaboration. This last suggestion is a great idea but I think many of such processes will be semi-automated with AI systems in the coming years.

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[V]: ⚗ Rapid Adoption of Generative AI

Very nice paper from folks at Vanderbilt, Harvard and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on the rapid adoption of genAI. 

Some key takeaways:

- Rapid and widespread adoption: As of August 2024, 39.4% of U.S. adults aged 18-64 reported using generative AI, with 28% using it at work. This adoption rate is faster than historical adoption of personal computers and the internet. (This is probably expected given that there is little to no friction getting started with genAI here. 

- Frequent work usage: Among employed users, 24.2% used generative AI at least weekly for work, and 10.6% used it daily.

- Broad application across occupations: While adoption was highest in computer/math (49.6%) and management (49%) occupations, even 22.1% of "blue collar" workers reported using generative AI at work.

- Diverse tasks: At work, generative AI was most commonly used for writing (56.9%), searching for information (49.4%), and obtaining detailed instructions (47.8%). But it was used for a wide variety of tasks across occupations.

- Demographic differences: Usage was higher among men, younger workers, those with higher education levels, and in STEM fields. However, the differences were less pronounced than with earlier technologies like PCs.

- Potential productivity impact: The researchers estimate that between 0.5% and 3.5% of all work hours are currently assisted by generative AI. This could potentially increase labor productivity by 0.125 to 0.875 percentage points, though this estimate is speculative.

- General-purpose technology: The broad adoption across occupations and tasks supports the idea that generative AI is a true general-purpose technology with wide-ranging applications.

[Books 📚] 

Book(s) recently completed: 

Development in Progress [Review]

What I am currently reading:

• The Master and His Emissary (Still slowly going through the book, I will probably take months to read it. It’s bloody dense)

• Slow Productivity by Cal NewPort

Check out my latest AI newsletter: ε Pulse: Issue #16

Watch my latest short video essay: how dopamine destroys life.  

[Talking Points]

📱Phone case market projected to reach $44.5 billion by 2033 (who would have thought?).

🩸3D printed blood vessels

🧓🏽Biomolecular markers show major aging ‘events’ at age 44 and 60.

🗝Antikythera mechanism: an ancient Greek computer.

👨‍💻Human Developers Will Soon Be a Thing of the Past

👨‍💻AI assistants save Amazon 4,500 years in development.

🫁World-First Lung Cancer Vaccine Trials.

💎World’s second-largest diamond discovered in Botswana.

[Longer Reads/Watch]

[I]: 🦾Robots at The Gate.

I have been running into these autonomous food delivery robots on my run around campus. 

Looks like we have entered the age of robots, some unsolicited take on Robots:

• We will have humanoid robots roaming about like this in the next decade at most, from my little research, Figure/Tesla seems to be leading the pack, and much work is been done in China (see below)

• They will most likely help address labor shortages with the  aging population especially in the West.

• They will be terribly useful for exploring extreme environments (for new discoveries), think deep ocean floors, volcanic environment, radioactive site, space, caves etc.

• We will have non-stereotypical forms of robots, that are highly efficient for specific environment, think an amoebic robot mopping up your spilled coffee on the floor ☕️  Brave new world!

• Job displacement is a given, what will happen afterwards, I do not know, actually I can guess: political unrest, xenophobia will spike! because why? Economic disruption.

Some more interesting stories/podcast 

• Atlas robot from Boston Dynamics doing push ups. 

• Fully  autonomous ice cream shop: Dream Cream.

• China-based robotics startup Agibot is set to start mass-producing humanoid robots by the end of 2024.

• Skyscraper window-washing robots are here: they can clean windows three times faster than humans. 

[II]: 👩‍🏭Job: Big Tech Doesn't Want You Anymore

What are the reasons behind the recent layoffs in Big Tech? In this quite detailed video essay, the speaker gives reasons many folks wouldn’t argue with: First, Big Tech companies over-hired during the pandemic boom and now they are going through a period of reshuffling their resources. Second, big Tech companies are making significant investments in new areas such as generative AI and cutting staff to improve their bottom line. Third, there might be a decline in demand for workers in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) areas as companies are cutting costs. In the final analysis, the tech industry is cyclical and workers should be aware of that.

[III]: 🧬Unraveling the Origin of Life

Here, Peter Robinson of Hoover Institution interviews two guests: Steven Meyer, a philosopher of science, and James Tour, a chemist. Meyer argues that the origin of life is a mystery that cannot be explained by Darwinian evolution. He believes that the complexity of life suggests that it must have been designed by an intelligent being. Tour agrees with Meyer that the origin of life is a difficult problem to solve. Both Meyer and Tour criticize the scientific community for not being more open to the possibility that life was designed. They believe that there is a bias against intelligent design in science. However, they do diverge. The divergence isn’t particularly coherent on Tour’s part. Whilst Meyer is consistent with his argument of an intelligent designer, Tour position isn’t particularly clear, but later clarified the inconsistency (my definition) for pragmatic reasons. But in general, I agree with the overarching message, essentially where they converge - scientists are blatantly biased on this topic, to the point of being dogmatic. Prof John Lennox has great books on this subject. 

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[IV]: 🎭Shakespeare's Life, Work, and Religiosity.

Probably beyond words like Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, I don’t think I know anything else about Shakespeare, so I was eager to jump on this interesting long podcast with Aaron Urbanczyck, a professor of English literature. The main theme of the podcast episode is that Shakespeare is a literary genius if not one of the greatest geniuses full stop. Shakespeare was very inventive with words and the English language, except that most of his words like many of that era are terribly difficult to read.   Plus translating his works into other languages is equally difficult because it's nearly impossible to capture the original meaning and nuances.

[V]: 👔AI Friend Necklace.

“Do you ever find yourself speaking to Alexa or Siri just to have someone to talk to? Then you might be the right audience for an upcoming AI-powered necklace called friend (lowercase "F" is their style), an always-listening pendant. The $99 necklace can't turn your lights on and off or Google things for you like Alexa can. Its aim is to keep you company if you're lonely. 

Friend also don't speak back to you via an AI voice, like Amazon's Alexa. Instead, you tap your pendant to start the conversation, and it responds via text.”

See the product’s trailer, it’s really something. These kinds of gadgets are primed to do crazy things like identify predictive markers of conflict between partners, for example. All you do is just to get the embedding for conversation at night say, and see how it drifts over time. Brave new world!

[VI]: 🔍Quest to Learn Everything with AI

This podcast talks about how AI is being used in creative ways to improve reading comprehension and workflow efficiency. The guest Dwarkesh Patel, who hosts a popular podcast, leverages Claude’s 3.5 sonnet to understand the key ideas and concepts from difficult texts he reads. He finds this especially helpful when preparing for interviews with experts in complex fields. I switched from chatGPT to Claude myself a few months ago, such a powerful chatbot. 

In the same vein, here is also a demo of chatgpt’s advanced voice mode for reading books, so many use cases here as you read: getting context on historical figures or terms, understanding scientific concepts, preparing for what you're about to read, and finding opposing viewpoints.  

[VII]: 👵🏼Current State of Longevity research

In this essay, Abhishaike Mahajan explores the current state of longevity research, focusing on several key areas that have seen significant developments or changes since 2021. He discusses the trajectory of sirtuin-focused therapies, which initially showed promise but have since been found to have limited impact on longevity. Mahajan also examines the progress made by longevity-focused research institutions and startups, noting that while it's too early to see significant results, the ambitious nature of their research is promising. Additionally, he delves into the field of cellular reprogramming, highlighting some encouraging animal studies and the progress of companies like Turn Biotechnologies in bringing treatments closer to clinical trials.

Furthermore, Mahajan analyzes the state of biological clocks, which are methods used to predict an individual's biological age. He explains various approaches, including epigenetic clocks, telomere length measurements, and emerging methods based on transcriptomics and proteomics. While discussing each method's strengths and limitations, Mahajan emphasizes that the interpretation of these biological clocks is complex and that their correlation with actual age-related physiological dysfunction is not always straightforward. Overall, he concludes that while progress has been made in several areas of longevity research, there is still much work to be done, and caution is advised for consumers considering biological age testing.

[Books 📚]

Book(s) recently completed: 

Brave New Words [Review]

What I am currently reading:

• The Master and His Emissary (Still slowly going through the book, I will probably take months to read it. It’s bloody dense)

• Development in Progress, by The Consilience Project, PDF available here

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Check out my latest AI newsletter on The Epsilon. 

Watch my latest video essay: Winners Take All  

[Talking Points]

🐍Snake handling in Christianity

🎼Only 11,600 out of 9.8 million artist profiles on Spotify earn over $100k annually.

🇫🇷Paris 2024 Olympics costs $8.7 billion vs $23.6billion at Rio. 

🇸🇬Singaporeans own the world’s most powerful passport.

🔍SearchGPT is live.

🏬Japanese supermarket chain use AI to gauge staff smiles, speech tones.

⚽EA Sports FC 25 official gameplay deep dive.

🦠On Magnetic bacteria.

🧊Mpemba Effect: When hot water freezes faster than cold water.

🦷First Fully Automated Robot Dentist.

[Longer Reads]

[I]: 🧑🏾‍🔬On Materialist Orthodoxy

If you have spent any great deal of time in US academia, say; then you know that it is no news that a materialist orthodoxy fills the air, and of course increasingly more so in the larger society. In this excellent conversation Peter Robinson of Uncommon Knowledge sat down with David Berlinski, Stephen Meyer, and James Orr to discuss materialism, the belief that only physical things exist. Which begs the question, what are physical things? 

The scientific realist and the anti-realist are conspicuously on different sides of that specific debate, but they didn’t discuss that issue, they focused on the question whether materialism can adequately explain the world, including things like mathematics and consciousness. Here are the key points from the discussion, and to recap: Materialism is the belief that only physical things exist. Some argue that materialism cannot adequately explain the world, including things like mathematics and consciousness (for example, think: does number exist?).

 The discussion expectedly dovetailed into scientism, the belief that science is the only way to understand the world, and they all sort of agree that that scientism is too narrow, leaves no room for other ways of knowing, and basically self refuting. I for one don’t see much of any reason in scientific materialism, it appears blatantly false. In fact, foremost scientists like Isaac Newton would have found it absurd. For example we can raise the question, if materialism is true, what then is the nature of the laws of nature themselves? In the discussion, James Orr argues that the idea of natural laws is a remnant of a theological concept and that materialism is not sufficient to explain them. And importantly, as I hinted earlier, science presupposes the reality of mathematics, which cannot be explained by materialism.

[II]: 💵The Art of Spending Money

There is this elderly senator from my home country who seems not to be able to stop showing off his cars, sneakers and designer clothes on Instagram, more so like a teenager that one strongly believes will outgrow such dealings, but never did. Again, he appears as though he can't help himself. I, on the other hand, don’t seem to be able to help myself psychoanalyzing him. And I made my conclusion a while ago: it must be something about his family background. Perhaps he suffered so much in childhood and was even taunted for it. 

This leads me to Morgan Housel on the art of spending money. In the podcast he discusses 13 excellent ideas related to the psychology of spending. Here are three of his points:  1) Our family background can influence your spending habits. People who grew up poor may spend more money on themselves as adults to compensate for feelings of deprivation in their childhood (reminisce of our dear senator). 2) People don't care about your stuff as much as you do (basically the endowment effect), and yet we often buy things to impress others.  3) It is not unusual for folks to spend money as a way to compete with others - people may feel pressure to keep up with the spending habits of their peers. Housel argues that thinking actively about the psychology of spending can help us make better financial decisions. And I completely agree. 

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[III]: ⚒Peter Thiel: The Iconoclast

Peter Thiel is someone I like to listen to even when I disagree with his stance. He showed up recently at the Aspen Festival. I find some of the content redundant but that is only because I have devoured most of Mr. Thiel’s content I have found online. He talked about giving founders latitude, monopolies, Trump, AI, Crypto, and many other things. 

[IV]: 🧑 How to Spot High Agency People

I spent more time on X than I would normally do recently, no thanks to America's current political Landscape. Anyway, here is one of the gems I found during a mind-numbing scrolling session of my X feed.

Source: https://x.com/george__mack/status/1815461836760002962

[V]: 🇳🇴Canute the Great

I have a thing for the Vikings Series, I have watched at least about three different sets of Vikings Series in the past few years. The latest one I watched was the third season of Vikings: Valhalla. One of my motivations for watching historical dramas is that it forces me to read the actual historical events underlying the series, as it has become increasingly difficult over the years to read, say a 500-page history book, without anchoring it on a solid historical drama. 

Anyways, at this point in the series, Canute was the King of England, Denmark and Norway. He united these realms under his rule, promoted Christianity and made pilgrimages to Rome, which solidified his reputation as a devout Christian king. In the series, there is, of course, emphasis on his relationships with other characters, such as Emma of Normandy, his sons, and his advisors. And typical of what you will expect of series of this nature, there was plenty of political maneuvering. 

Also, for some reason, I initially thought that Canute was the first Viking king of England. It turns out to be his father, Sweyn Forkbeard (and I must have thought that because he was not officially crowned the King of England.) He briefly claimed the English *throne in 1013 after a successful invasion but died shortly after in 1014. His reign was short-lived, but his conquest paved the way for his son Canute to establish a more lasting Viking rule in England, consolidating power and creating the North Sea Empire (aka Anglo-Scandinavian Empire), a union of the kingdoms of Denmark, England, and Norway that existed for about three decades in the early 11th century. The season ends with Canute’s death, with the family, as expected, preparing for war. I haven’t quite finished the last episode, so I don’t know where that ended. 

[VI]: 🪨Agentic AI and the Legal Trials of Inanimate Objects

There has been some talk about giving AI rights and similar things of that nature. If you are tempted to think that that is all baloney, maybe you want to think twice because there are some historical precedents in the fact of some legal trials of inanimate objects. 

From ancient Greek trials, medieval deodands, to modern in rem jurisdiction. Trials of inanimate objects helped communities deal with misfortune and assign blame. They also served to uphold social order and express moral values. In ancient Athens, there was a special court called the Prytaneion for trying inanimate objects that caused deaths. Medieval Europe had the concept of deodands, which were objects forfeited to the crown/God when they caused death. Modern rem jurisdiction allows courts to take legal action against property (think asset forfeiture to disrupt criminal enterprises). Also see, Ecuadorian river wins court case. 

As AI becomes increasingly autonomous and embedded in crucial aspects of everyday life, from healthcare to finance, the legal system confronts the challenge of addressing its potential accountability and rights. For example, in the event of harm caused by an AI doctor, should the AI be considered a separate legal entity with responsibilities, or should liability solely rest with the manufacturer or programmer? 

Additionally, extending rights to AI can help address ethical concerns surrounding its treatment and usage. By recognizing specific rights, such as data integrity, operational transparency, and protection from harmful modifications, AI systems can be developed and utilized in an ethical manner, preventing abuses during their deployment. I am no legal expert but I wonder what the future holds for AI rights (or the lack of it), considering that our future is going to be so different from the past and this current time.

See Related.

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Check out my latest AI newsletter

For books I have read, reviewed, or currently read, go to the end of the newsletter.

[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

🦆 Why do human get goosebumps

✝The first millennial saint?

💻May 2024: US tech job market is wild

🦷The world’s first tooth-regrowing drug

[Long Read 📰 / Video 🎥]

[I]: Coleman Hughes on Color Blindness

Commentary on race in America, race & culture in general.

[II]: Recommended Movies

Two very fine movies I have seen recently: The Anatomy of a Fall  &  A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

[III]: The Mystical Hermit of Alaska

I have watched a few videos from this relatively new YouTube channel, called Harmony. I like their documentaries. If you are an (Orthodox)  Christian, you will probably enjoy it better. This one is about Saint Herman a monk who ventured to Alaska in the year 1794.

[IV]:  Rare Genetic Variation Protects against Alzheimer’s Disease

Very interesting work here: The researchers discovered protective genetic variations in elderly individuals carrying the APOEε4 allele, which is linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). By analyzing whole-genome sequencing data, they identified rare variants in genes related to the extracellular matrix (ECM), particularly FN1 and COL6A2, which are expressed at the blood-brain barrier. A specific variant in FN1 was found to protect against AD and delay its onset. This discovery suggests that targeting ECM-related pathways could offer new strategies to mitigate AD risk in APOEε4 carriers.

[V]: Do Numbers Exist?  

I very much enjoyed this short video debate between two eminent philosophers, Peter Van Inwagen and William Lane Craig about whether numbers do in fact exist.

Van Inwagen is the Platonist, he believes that abstract objects like numbers are just as real as the fundamental physical entities like electrons (I suppose a scientific antirealist might not even agree that electrons are real, but that is a separate kettle of fish, one we can certainly fry at a later date). He argues that we cannot get along without affirming the truth of sentences quantifying over abstracta and that their truth commits us to the reality of such entities.

Craig, in the debate makes an antirealist case for the existence of numbers. I have an essay in the works based on this discussion, I can’t wait to publish it.  

[VI]: AI Writing and Illustrating Produce Fewer Carbon Emissions

The carbon emissions of writing and illustrating are lower for AI than for humans

“As AI systems proliferate, their greenhouse gas emissions are an increasingly important concern for human societies. In this article, we present a comparative analysis of the carbon emissions associated with AI systems (ChatGPT, BLOOM, DALL-E2, Midjourney) and human individuals performing equivalent writing and illustrating tasks. Our findings reveal that AI systems emit between 130 and 1500 times less CO2e per page of text generated compared to human writers, while AI illustration systems emit between 310 and 2900 times less CO2e per image than their human counterparts. Emissions analyses do not account for social impacts such as professional displacement, legality, and rebound effects. In addition, AI is not a substitute for all human tasks. Nevertheless, at present, the use of AI holds the potential to carry out several major activities at much lower emission levels than can humans.”

[Books 📚]

Book(s) recently completed:

-       All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot [Review]

-       Numbers Don’t Lie by Vaclav Smil [Review]

-       Build by Tony Fadell [Review]

What I am currently reading:

The Master and His Emissary

[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

🦜 Parrots learn to video chat

🌴 Florida bans Lab Grown Meat.

🇬🇧UK bans default bad passwords on IoT devices

🇻🇦Pope to attend AI session at G7 summit.

📰A personal AI news anchor.

🪦Papyrus reveals burial place of Plato.

[Long Read 📰 / Video 🎥]

[I]: How to be Productive without Burning Out w/Cal Newport

I can’t stop but beat myself up sometimes when I  listen to Cal Newport talking about productivity protocols.

“I could do so much better,” I often tell myself. If you are obsessed with getting more out of your day, even potentially reducing your workload, these two podcast will set you straight.

[II]: Mark Cuban on How He Made His Money.

I don’t know much about Mark Cuban (I know of him, of course), so I spent some time listening to his chat with Lex. You might find the discussion interesting too.

[III]: The Era of High-Paying Tech Jobs is Over

I am currently writing an essay on some of the ideas covered here interestingly.

I think things are going to get messy.

Whatever disparities we have on ground, AI will most likely make larger.

It will be very easy to get screwed over in the next decade as this tech matures.

[IV]:  Peter Thiel on Political Theology

I particularly like listening to Peter Thiel, even when I disagree with his stance, he always gives you something to work with. In this conversation with Tyler Cowen, he discusses ‘political theology’; which sounds to me as an attempt at integrating various aspects of life to make sense of the world.

So many things went on in the conversation, such that it feels impossible to summarize: Thiel argues that the abandonment of political theology in modern society has led to problems. Cowen questions Thiel on his views on Calvinism and scapegoating.  Thiel rejects Calvinism because he believes it reduces human agency and offers a bleak view of the world. He also disagrees with the idea that scapegoating is a solution to complex problems.

On the AI front, Thiel expresses concern about the potential for AI to be used by a centralized government to control people.

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[V]: The Robots are at the Gates.

Very fine, detailed essay on the robotics renaissance. Again, I can’t stop myself from thinking that if some of these things discussed in the essay pans out, something is going to have to shift and fast. Deploying LLMs and AI agent is going to lead to a crap load of automation as things stand, which is already underway.

The Generalist

Editor’s Brief: The Robotics Renaissance

Every once in a while, I spot something happening on tech’s frontline that I think more people should be paying close attention to. Something that has the potential to radically remake our world, change how we live, and – for the pragmatic investor – possibly deliver outlier returns…

Read more

2 years ago · 53 likes · 1 comment · Mario Gabriele

[VI]: Fully Automated Food Recyclers.

I recently came across Mill Industries from reading Tony Fadell’s book, Build. Looks like a super cool idea! Check out the video on the page. Essentially you have these fully automated food recycler, and you ship out the dirt after several weeks of collecting (and recycling) the waste in a tiny bin.

I wonder what the energy cost is? The elephant in the room is how clean the energy used for recycling and transporting the dirt is, otherwise, it is far too easy to make a fool of ourselves with these things. I would love to read something on that.

[VII]: Most Global Leaders are in there 50s and 60s.

Interesting research on the ages of current world leaders.

Main highlights: median age of current national leaders is 62, with most leaders aged between 50 and 70. It contrasts this with Joe Biden, who is among the oldest at 81, and presents Cameroon's Paul Biya at 91 as the oldest. The youngest, Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso, is 36. The report notes a trend where countries classified as "not free" tend to have older leaders. It also touches on gender, showing no significant age difference between male and female leaders, though the youngest female leader is 46.

[Books 📚]

Book(s) I read recently:

• All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot

• Numbers Don’t Lie by Vaclav Smil.

(I will write a mini review of these in due time)

What I am currently reading:

Build by Tony Fadell

Check out my latest AI newsletter.

Watch my latest video essay: The Middle Ages: Not So Dark

For books I have recently read, reviewed, or currently reading, go to the end of the newsletter.

[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

📨 Telegram reaches 900m users.

🇺🇸 U.S. states where people get the most — and the least — exercise.

💵US household wealth soars to record on booming stocks.

👨🏼‍⚕Surgeons successfully transplant a pig kidney into a man.

🍎The United States Sues Apple.

💭Neuralink patient can control a computer, play games by thinking.

🇮🇳India was home to the four most polluted cities in the world in 2023.

📱Facebook brings back ‘Poke’

[Long Read 📰 / Video 🎥]

[I]: The English Game (Netflix Show)

I am a soccer fan (I also play the game), so naturally I really enjoyed watching The English Game.

“Two 19th-century footballers on opposite sides of a class divide navigate professional and personal turmoil to change the game — and England — forever.”

[II]: Rory Sutherland: Hidden Psychology of the World’s Best Advertising.

Always fun listening to Rory.

[III]: Science Does Not Describe Reality

Fine, short introduction to the empiricist vs. scientific realist debate.

(I got my ‘baptism’ of the empiricist vs. scientific realist debate reading Theory and Reality by Peter GodFrey-Smith, a few years ago.)

[IV]:  The Tourist (Netflix Show)

I very much enjoyed watching this thriller.

“In the Australian Outback, a man wakes up in the hospital with no idea who he is — or why so many people want him dead.”

[V]: Resist the Machine Apocalypse

Iain McGilchrist, in this rich essay, addresses the human condition in the modern world, heavily influenced by technology and a skewed reliance on the left hemisphere of the brain, which focuses on manipulation and control rather than a holistic understanding of life.

McGilchrist warns of the dangers of this imbalance, including a loss of connection with nature, culture, and ourselves, leading to a mechanical and reductionist view of existence.

He calls for a restoration of balance, emphasizing the right hemisphere's capabilities for empathy, creativity, and understanding, to avoid a dystopian future dominated by technology and devoid of genuine human experience.

(I still have The Master and His Emissary on my shelf, I am yet to get to it)

[VI]: Israel-Palestine Debate

I don’t know much of anything about the history of the Israeli-Palestine Conflict and I have been reluctant to get into this debate, even privately, amongst friends - I am simply too ignorant of the subject matter.

Admittedly I have watched a few yelling shows on YouTube, but no one need convincing that such settings hardly lend themselves to deep discussions of the issues at hand, talk less of detailed discussion of the historicity of this issue. Anyway, I treated myself to this 5-hour podcast over 2 days in an attempt to cure myself of my ignorance.

[VII]: Venkatesh Rao: My Post-AI Writing

I share Venkatesh’s Post-AI writing sentiments. For virtually all my creative writing, it’s simply impossible to incorporate AI in so many ways (apart of, say LLM-enabled internet and text search).

For one, I write as a way of thinking: most of what I will write at the end of the piece, I simply don’t know at the beginning (I start writing with a kernel of idea, and I then flesh things out as they come to me: For example the last sentence I wrote was not in my head when I started writing this little section.)

As Venkatesh puts it, using AI for my creative writing is like “going for a walk in my car.” Here is a fine, more extended quote from the essay:

“The more the ends matter more than the means, the more AI is helpful. If you like flying a plane, a copilot just cuts in on your time at the controls. If you’re just trying to fly somewhere, you’re happy to let the copilot fly. For me the “ends” of writing barely matter at all. It’s all about the means.”

[VII]: Jonathan Haidt: Social Media, Wokeism

I am fan of Jonathan Haidt’s work, so I listened in. If you have read or listened to his work on social media, much of this content will be familiar.

[VIII]: Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Interpretation, Calvinist Thought, and Religion in America

I don’t know Marilynne Robinson, but I am always turned on by theology contents especially on platforms like Tyler Cowen’s. I enjoyed listening.

“Marilynne Robinson is one of America’s best and best-known novelists and essayists, whose award-winning works like Housekeeping and Gilead explore themes of faith, grace, and the intricacies of human nature. Beyond her writing, Robinson’s 25-year tenure at the famed Iowa Writers’ Workshop allowed her to shape and inspire the new generations of writers. Her latest book, Reading Genesis, displays her scholarly prowess, analyzing the biblical text not only through the lens of religious doctrine but also appreciating it as a literary masterpiece.”

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[Books 📚]

Book(s) I read (and reviewed) recently:

-       All Creatures Great and Small

-       Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter

-       How The World Really Works.

What I am currently reading:

Check out my latest AI newsletter.

Watch my latest video essay: From Elephants to Metropolises.

[🗣️Talking points for your next outing📍]

⚕Rare genetic mutation allows woman to feel no pain.

💰 China’s wildly effective extreme poverty reduction.

⛽World’s first ethanol to sustainable aviation fuel production facility.

🫘Food's Protein Density vs. Cost per Gram of Protein

🪴The first glow-in-the-dark house plant.

⚡The AI Boom could use a shocking amount of electricity.

[Long Read 📰 / Video 🎥]

[I]: Vaclav Smil: Tackling Climate Change.

I am an occasional reader of the Gates Notes. And ever since I can remember, Bill Gates can’t stop talking about one Vaclav Smil. I recently started consuming Prof Smil’s work, and I have to admit, I like his work.

Now, because the nature of his work includes discussing such topics as energy and global warming (See Vaclav Smil on Climate Change), he is not spared the fights that are not uncommon in this arena (and perhaps good for him he does not use social media, and rarely grant interview).

I should also add that, from the little of his work I have read, he is deep, very deep into the facts of the matter (something that is rare these days particularly amongst peoples with the loudest voice). And while he claims not to predict the future, it is the implicit prediction in his work that pisses off folks he has termed “grossly misinformed greenness.”

I recommend this New Yorker’s Person of Interest essay on Vaclav Smil.  

[II]: Making the First Transgenic Ants.

I enjoyed reading this essay, partly because I spent most of my time in grad school conducting biology experiments. This is the kind of research that serves as foundations for bigger breakthrough. Anyone also wondering what getting a PhD in Biology entails, this essay should be a good read.

[III]: Economist Roland Fryer on Adversity, Race, and Refusing to Conform.

I enjoyed listening to Roland Fyer in this interview.

“University of Austin co-founder Bari Weiss sits down with Harvard economist Dr. Roland Fryer to discuss what it means to pursue the truth.”

[IV]:  The Decimal Point is 150 years older than Historians Thought

“The decimal point was invented around 150 years earlier than previously thought, according to an analysis of astronomical tables compiled by the Italian merchant and mathematician Giovanni Bianchini in the 1440s.

Historians say that this discovery rewrites the origins of one of the most fundamental mathematical conventions, and suggests that Bianchini — whose economic training contrasted starkly with those of his astronomer peers — might have played a more notable part in the history of maths than previously realized…”

[V]: NIH-Sponsored Post-Docs, and the Foolishness of Artificially Subsidizing Demand

This is an excellent commentary on the state of biomedical academia in the United States, as a (Third Year) postdoc myself, I find myself agreeing to many of the things stated. Amongst friends, I have often argued that the current PhD / Academia system isn’t just compatible with the realities of today’s United States, and we are all just stuck in this status quo bias valley.

[VI]: Universities are failing to boost economic growth.

“Universities have boomed in recent decades. Higher-education institutions across the world now employ in the order of 15m researchers, up from 4m in 1980. These workers produce five times the number of papers each year. Governments have ramped up spending on the sector. The justification for this rapid expansion has, in part, followed sound economic principles. Universities are supposed to produce intellectual and scientific breakthroughs that can be employed by businesses, the government and regular folk. Such ideas are placed in the public domain, available to all. In theory, therefore, universities should be an excellent source of productivity growth.

In practice, however, the great expansion of higher education has coincided with a productivity slowdown.”

Link to essay, based on the paper: The effect of public science on corporate R&D.

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[What I am Reading 📚]

Check out my latest AI newsletter.

Watch my latest video essay: Sacrifice, Explained.

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🏢US Office Vacancies Rise to Highest Levels in Four Decades

🦟Cape Verde becomes fourth African country to eliminate malaria.

💰The World’s 5 richest people doubled their wealth to $869 billion since 2020.

🧬FDA approves gene editing.

👚Tesla Optimus Bot Folds Laundry.

🛒Walmart’s new GenAI search tech.

✖️Peer-to-peer payments coming to X/Twitter.

🍲Eating breakfast after 9AM, and eating dinner after 9PM is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular outcomes.

[Long Read 📰 / Video 🎥]

[I]: How to Rest.  

What is Rest? What activities constitute rest? This Atlantic podcast did justice to the subject.

[II]: AI Doom.

About a year ago I shared the talk A.I. Dilemma on this newsletter. In the talk Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin “discuss how existing A.I. capabilities already pose catastrophic risks to a functional society, how A.I. companies are caught in a race to deploy as quickly as possible without adequate safety measures, and what it would mean to upgrade our institutions to a post-A.I. world.”

Last month, the duo had a conversation with Joe Rogan that is worth listening to.

[III]: 2023 Netflix Data.

What Was Watched on Netflix in 2023? A Statistical Analysis by

An investigation into Netflix viewership activity in 2023.

[IV]:  The Innovation Menagerie.

Nice paper on innovation in early-stage research and institutional structures. Here, Sam discusses the challenges faced by academia in funding and coordination, which limit the scope and impact of academic research. It explores new institutional structures and funding strategies, including philanthropy and government initiatives, aimed at enhancing early-stage scientific discovery and innovation. The new approaches address the constraints of traditional project-specific grants and seek to support more disruptive and riskier scientific ideas.

[V]: On Life Expectancy

“In recent decades, we’ve seen more improvement at older ages than many people realise. Cardiovascular diseases, cancers, infections and a range of other causes are becoming less deadly.”

[VI]: The Year AI Gets a Better Body

The evolution of AI hardware in 2024. This article highlights how AI is transitioning from traditional devices like laptops and phones to more innovative devices. It describes new products like Humane's "AI Pin" and Rewind's "Pendant," which integrate AI in more user-friendly and interactive ways, moving beyond the constraints of existing hardware.

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[What I am Reading 📚]

Check out my latest AI newsletter.

Watch my latest video essay: How (Not) to be Happy.

[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

🏠US Homelessness is at a record high in 2023.

🪦In the US, men are dying nearly six years before women, largest gap since 1996.

🧠Scientists have identified a way to suppress memories of fear in mice, which could have implications for treating anxiety-related conditions in humans.

[Long Read 📰 / Video 🎥]

[I]: AI Generated Video and Image are getting better.  

I have been using genAI images and short videos to power my video essays. So, I spend some considerable amount of time following development in the field. Here are the winners of Gen:48 a two-day short film competition by RunwayML (one of the leading companies in genAI videos.) Midjourney, the popular genAI tool for images is also getting much, much better!

[II]: Behind the Tragic, Instagram-Perfect Life of an Ex-Disney Executive

In my latest video essay, I wrote “In fact, fame and wealth are not merely overrated, they are often ‘death’ traps waiting patiently for those who are unprepared for its intrigue.” This Wall Street Journal's article about a former Disney Executive and Instagram Influencer strikingly embodies this observation in the most literal sense I can think of.

[III]: All Creatures Great and Small.

I am a sucker for historical drama. I have watched more than a few shows – such as Jamestown, Blood Vienna, etc – in the last month or so. However, All creatures great and small take the trophy for me.  It’s a series of stories by James Herriot about the adventures and experiences of a veterinarian surgeon in the Yorkshire Dales, showcasing his compassionate interactions with animals and their owners.

[IV]:  Poor Charlie’s Almanack.

In my last Around the Web entry, I wrote about Charlie Munger’s passing and how I am a proud owner of his Poor Charlie’s Almanack. Well, the book is now available for reading and listening from Stripe Press for free with an inviting UX.  

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[IV]: The History of Santa Claus

Growing up in Nigeria, I have had my own fair share of Father Christmas adventures and shenanigans – and I absolutely loved it. But why is Santa Claus so widely popular? From Uganda to Nigeria and back to Austria. Ryan Reeves gives us a fairly detailed history of Santa Claus.

He traced Santa development from a 4th-century bishop named St. Nicholas to the jolly gift-giver we know today. Likewise, he debunks the myths surrounding Santa's pagan origins and roots him in the veneration of St. Nicholas, particularly his reputation for generosity and gift-giving.

He then delves into the historical and cultural factors that shaped Santa's transformation, such as the Protestant Reformation's shift in focus to Christmas and Washington Irving's writings that established Santa as a jolly figure.

Finally, he highlights the 1930s as the pivotal decade for solidifying Santa's modern image, crediting Haddon Sundblom's Coca-Cola advertisements with establishing the iconic Santa Claus we know today.

[V]: Aristotle's Argument for God - Edward Feser

I have not watched much of Alex O’Connor’s Within Reason podcast, but I was compelled to watch one of his latest one with Ed Feser, where he talked about Aristotle’s Argument for God. To be clear, it’s an Aristotelian-Thomistic argument for God.

The conversation starts with Feser explaining the first mover argument. He starts by going over Aristotle’s idea that change is the actualization of potential. For example, when a hand moves from one place to another, it actualizes the potential to be in that new location. This applies to all kinds of change, including qualitative changes like a banana ripening or quantitative changes like gaining weight.

Feser then explains how Aquinas uses this idea of change to argue for the existence of God. He reasons that if everything is constantly changing, there must be something that started it all, something that is not changing itself but is the cause of all the change. This unchanging cause, according to Aquinas, is God.

The discussion is quite intellectual stimulating, and it gets quite complicated and difficult to follow through especially with O’Connor’s objections, such that folks unfamiliar with the subject matter might get lost quickly in the jargons.

[VI]:  Discovery is the original sin of the modern Age.

wrote a neat essay on information glut, a problem that plagues all modern citizens. In fact, on my new Instagram page, I alluded to such problems, tagging it the deceit of tech.  In brief, he argues that the ease of access comes with the challenge of discovery - finding relevant and desired content amidst an overwhelming sea of options.  

[VII]:  Scruton Lectures 2023 - Peter Thiel on The Diversity Myth

The odds that I am going to pass over a conversation between Peter Thiel and John Gray is quite low, so I did the needful. The conversation starts with a talk by Peter Thiel and ended with thier conversation. They talked about the Stagnation we have today in several important fields and areas, excessive dogmatism in institutions, cultural wars vs substantive issues, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed listening.  

[What I am Reading 📚]

I loved the show so much, I got the book.

[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

👟Nike's bid for a patent on "smart shoes" could revolutionize pedestrian safety by tracking and guiding footsteps in real-time.

🛬November 26 (Thanksgiving Weekend) was the busiest day in the history of US airports.

🧍Suicide rate in the United States in 2022 is one of the highest on record.

🌥The richest 1% emit as much planet-heating pollution as two-thirds of humanity

💵Cash impending demise.  

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[Long Read 📰 / Video 🎥]

[I]: Fighting the 3 Mutant Capitalisms

I enjoyed this talk by one Paul Marshall, he discusses the relationship between free markets, good governance, and human flourishing. He emphasizes the prosperity that free enterprise and free markets can create, but also warns against the dangers of monopoly capitalism, crony capitalism, and 'woke' capitalism, which can distort the market system and create problems. Mr. Marshall advocates for true free market capitalism that operates in the interest of society as a whole and calls for a new movement to address the challenges of corporatism and ensure that free enterprise remains a force for human development and prosperity.

[II]: History of Sleep

Sleeping habit amongst preindustrial cultures was biphasic: individuals had two separate sleep periods in a night, known as "first sleep" and "second sleep." The pattern involved retiring to bed very early in the evening, waking for a period after midnight, and then having a second sleep until dawn.

And changes to this pattern was not without the influence of artificial lightening. The advent of artificial lighting significantly impacted sleep patterns by allowing individuals and societies to remain active for longer periods after sunset. This led to the gradual shift from the historical biphasic sleep pattern to the consolidated monophasic sleep pattern, where individuals sleep in one continuous period through the night.

Artificial lighting allowed for extended work hours, social activities, and other engagements well into the evening, altering the traditional sleep schedule that aligned with natural light-dark cycles. Over time, the monophasic sleep pattern became more prevalent, especially in urbanized and industrialized societies.

[III]: Lessons from WeWork Bankruptcy.

This is an interesting take from a X user on WeWork (impending) bankruptcy. In brief, doing too much in business never works, the valuation of your venture-backed business really doesn’t mean a whole lot, etc. The user also talked about vertical SaaS – software solutions designed to meet the specific needs of a particular industry or niche, as opposed to horizontal SaaS, which targets a broad range of industries with more generic software solutions.

[IV]: Ecumenical Councils

I fell into the rabbit hole of church history and ecumenical councils in the past couple weeks. From the first one which took place in 325AD, the council of Nicaea where Arian heresy was addressed. The Council of Constantinople in 381AD where the Nicene Creed was established (among several other things), to Vatican II in 1962-1965. Interesting historical theology, I had to force myself to stop digging the hole further, at least for the time being.        

[V]: Origin of Life: James Tour vs. Lee Cronin

I have been trying my best to follow the Origin of Life debate with Dr. James Tour at the center of it. I covered one of the debates in Around the Web, Issue 16. This recent one was a roundtable discussion with Dr. Lee Cronin at Harvard. Much of an improvement over previous one. Dr James would benefit for a more collegiate discussion, and I am happy he realizes that at the end of the discussion. I should also say that he makes some rather important point about the impression lay persons have about Origin of Life research – believing problems that are clearly not solved to be solved, because of the presentations of these materials by scientists and journalists. But I think this is perhaps a problem of scientists in general (to varying degrees). What do they say: do not ask a Barber if you need a haircut. As an aside I was pleased to see Dr Peter Kreft at the roundtable, and I was glad he raised some philosophical questions, that was sadly left unanswered.  Be that as it may, from Dr. Lee’s presentation, it appears Dr. Tour is right: not much in terms of real tangible progress is going on in the field - just models, optimism, and vibes.    

[VI]:  Remembering Charlie Munger.

Mr. Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet close friend and business associate, passed away on November 28 at 99. I am a proud owner of his Poor Charlie’s Almanack; and indeed, it’s one of the finest books on my shelf. When I recommend his books to friends, as I often do, I refer to him as the Wisest Man in America.

[What I am Reading 📚]

[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

♻️ You may be inhaling up to 16.2 bits of plastic every hour – the equivalent of an entire credit card every week.

🇸🇬Singapore is world’s most expensive city.

🚶Really good visual essay on social isolation and loneliness.

⏰Snoozing might be good for your health?

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[Long Read 📰 / Video 🎥]

[I]: Leaving academia? Think twice before going into data or software.

A good friend of mine sent me this well written essay some weeks ago. The essay basically shed lights on the paths of leaving academia to work in software or data industry. For most people - my take-away is that - the transition will be grim.

The usual story: while many PhD students aspire to become professors, only a small fraction achieve this, leading many to consider alternative career paths. The author, a former academic, highlights the misconceptions surrounding the data industry, emphasizing that most roles are not as intellectually stimulating as academic research.

He shares his personal journey, detailing the struggles of finding a job and the eventual realization that the work was not aligned with his interests. The article aims to provide a balanced perspective, shedding light on both the advantages and drawbacks of transitioning to the data industry.

[II]: Why Was Galileo on Trial for Heresy?

Ryan Reeves on YouTube is one of my favorite YouTube channels, certainly my favorite on the history of Christianity. After a five-year hiatus, he recently started publishing new videos, and he seems to have extended the channel’s theme to broadly history.

Here is one of his latest publication on Galileo’s Trial. The video focused primarily on the misconceptions surrounding his trial. Contrary to popular belief, Galileo was not persecuted for simply championing the heliocentric model proposed by Copernicus. The video emphasizes that during the Renaissance, what we now understand as science was deeply intertwined with philosophy and theology.

Galileo's advancements, especially his use of the telescope, provided empirical evidence supporting the heliocentric model. However, his publication "Dialogue" was perceived as mocking traditional views, leading to his trial. While he was found guilty of "vehement suspicion of heresy," he was not tortured or imprisoned in the way many believe. Instead, he was placed under house arrest. The essay concludes by noting that in 1992, Pope John Paul II officially apologized for the church's treatment of Galileo.

[III]: Marc Andreessen: It’s Time to Write.

I frequently revisit David Perell's show, "How I Write." In one of his latest episodes, he features Marc Andreessen. They discuss Mr. Andreessen's significant contributions to the tech world. Recognized for his unmatched presence in the tech industry, Mr. Andreessen is known for being a prolific investor, co-founding Netscape, creating the first web browser, and introducing the concept "software is eating the world."

Beyond his technological achievements, he is also a polymath, of some sort. Even when I disagree with him, I find value in his insights. The episode offers a mix of technology and liberal arts, aiming to inspire and guide listeners in their writing pursuits.

[IV]: Why you should not join YC.

This X user critically examines the Y Combinator (YC) program, but in reality, he is speaking to the venture capital business model, so I wonder why such fixation on YC. Anyways, in summary, the writer argues that while YC may seem appealing by offering funding and a supportive community in exchange for equity, it operates in a non-ergodic system.

In such systems, what benefits the collective might not benefit the individual. He uses the analogy of treasure hunting to explain that while YC might benefit from having many startups dig deep into one idea, most individual startups won't find success. He concludes by emphasizing the randomness of business success and the importance of diversifying one's efforts rather than going all-in on a single venture.

[V]: Embracing the command line: my unexpected career in computational biology.

Many wet lab biologists out there will benefit from picking up some dry lab skill sets. This career column in Nature talks about a fellow's switch to computational biology. I had a great deal of experience in these dealings, myself. For interested readers, see my PhD memoir – Wander.

[VI]:  Concepts of health and disease as a barrier to progress

This essay discusses how the conventional categorization of health and diseases into distinct entities, driven by medical specialization, might hinder a deeper understanding and more effective treatment of health conditions. The writer suggests that questioning these entrenched categorizations and exploring cross-disciplinary or broader perspectives could pave the way for better conceptualizing and managing diseases.

[What I am Reading 📚]

[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

💩The Dirtiest Cities In The US, Ranked By Number Of Complaints

🥬 A slight decline in vegetarianism in the US

[Long Read 📰 / Watch 🎥]

[I]: Schizophrenia gene found to be linked to energy dysfunction in brain cells.

This interesting work investigates the effects of the 1.6-megabase deletion at chromosome 3q29 (3q29Del), a significant genetic risk factor for schizophrenia. Using two experimental models, human cortical organoids and the 3q29Del mouse model, the researchers profiled the developing neural transcriptome. Their analysis revealed a dysregulation in mitochondrial function and energy metabolism. This mitochondrial disruption, associated with the 3q29Del, was found to be consistent across different species.

[II]: How Tyler Cowen Writes.

Tyler Cowen and his co-author on the Marginal Revolution blog sat down with David Perell on his new show How I Write. So many things were discussed, including the history of marginal revolution itself. Something that I find particularly interesting in the dialogue is Tyler Cowen’s point on context filling (minimal upfront context) and how he uses it to filter his audience. I get bothered sometimes if I don't do appropriate context filling in my essay, I think I will be less bothered going forward, given his take.

There is another one in the same, How I Write series where David interviewed The Cultural Tutor from Twitter. My most interesting take-away is that the fellow mentioned that he doesn’t read contemporary books, only very old books, which gives him a comparative advantage. I couldn’t help but recall the Lindy Effect while listening.

[III]: Blood profiles predict cognitive deficits after COVID-19 hospitalization.

The authors of this work utilized the PHOSP-COVID cohort to analyze the long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19, identifying two significant biomarker profiles during hospital admission that predicted cognitive deficits 6 and 12 months later. The first profile indicated that individuals with high fibrinogen levels relative to C-reactive protein (CRP) experienced both objective and subjective cognitive deficits post-recovery. Meanwhile, the second profile showed that high D-dimer levels relative to CRP were associated with subjective cognitive deficits and adverse occupational outcomes, highlighting the potential of these biomarkers as indicators for long-term cognitive impacts of COVID-19.

[IV]: How Overstimulation is Ruining Your Life

Since the emergence of social media, I have been (rightly) worried about the dangers of overstimulation. This has led me to quit social media for many years in the past. However, I was soon caught up in an obvious dilemma: many of my side projects requires (or would benefit greatly from) exposure on social media. So, I ‘sneaked’ back in. But this doesn’t in any way take away the risk of overstimulation.

Cal Newport in this video discusses the adverse effects of overstimulation, emphasizing the necessity of regaining control over one's life. He points out that the constant search for entertainment on platforms like social media would most likely do serious damage to one’s productivity (goes without saying), no thanks to comprised dopamine circuitry.

I couldn’t agree more. I for one do not keep apps like instagram and Twitter “constitutively” installed on my phone; and I can’t overemphasize what huge difference that makes.

[V] Manchester United’s Decade of Transfer Failure

A nice - but rather tough to watch (as a Man U fan) - video on Manchester United transfer activity. 

“In the decade since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, Manchester United have spent £1.32bn in the transfer market. Despite that, they’ve not come close to winning the Premier League.

For many, the club’s transfer activity is to blame, and the lack of a true and consistent recruiting strategy.”

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[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

💃 Taylor Swift Is the Subject of a New University Course on Social Psychology

🧑‍💼 87% of employed U.S. adults said they would be very or somewhat interested in a 4-day workweek

🇳🇪 What caused the coup in Niger?

🍟McDonald Still Reigns Supreme

[Long Read 📰 / Watch 🎥]

[I]: We Don’t Need a New Twitter.

There is a quote I heard a while back (I am not sure of the source), it goes something like this "With my family, I'm a communist. With my close friends, I'm a socialist. At the state level, I'm a capitalist."

The import of this is that larger groups tend to have less trust and more dishonesty, leaning towards capitalism, while smaller groups foster trust and socialist values.

Having a huge number of people participating in this game, comes at its own cost.

I recall this in light of this, well written contrarian take on text-posting social media (with the goal of connecting huge number of people on the same platform.)

With such a huge number of people, it appears toxicity (that often degrades experience) is almost unavoidable. 

The author states at some point:

“There’s great value in connecting huge groups of people to the same platform, where they can be monitored and sold targeted advertisements, even if the resulting experience is dehumanizing for those involved.”

[II]: Who is Manchester United’s new £73m forward?

I know I don’t talk much about sports in this newsletter, but believe it or not, I am a Manchester United fan. Despite our improvement last season, there is something about that team that’s just not quite right. And the opening games of the new season are beginning to show us that that hypothesis is correctly articulated.

The boss, EtH has made a few purchases for the new season and this short film is about one of those new players: Rasmus Højlund

A few things about our new striker, according to the Tifo Football:

-       In August 2023, Manchester United acquired Rasmus Hoyland for 73 million pounds. Despite being only 20 years old, he had already played for four clubs in the past 20 months.

-       A year prior, he was a substitute in the Danish Super League.

-       Rasmus is from Hersholm, Denmark. He began playing football at the local amateur club, Hui, at the age of four. While he was physically impressive, he wasn't particularly fast or technically outstanding in his early years.

-       At 12, due to Hui's partnership with the top-flight side Bronber, he joined their academy. Later, he moved to FC Copenhagen where he began to show his potential, scoring 16 goals in 23 appearances. However, he mostly played as a substitute.

-       Concerns about his technical ability led him to transfer to Austria's Sturm Graz in January 2022 for a fee of 2 million euros. There, he quickly made an impact, scoring four goals in his first three games.

-       After only seven months at Sturm Graz, he transferred to Atalanta for 17 million euros, making a significant profit for Sturm Graz. His performance at Atalanta was impressive, with the head coach praising his abilities.

-       However, after a hat-trick in a Euro 2024 qualifier, rumors and attention from other clubs seemed to distract Hoyland. Despite this, his potential was evident, leading to his acquisition by Manchester United.

[III]: Peter Thiel: "Diversity Myth" 30 Years Later

Peter Thiel is the entrepreneur(-philosopher) who, through his talks, introduced me to the work of the Great Rene Girard.

I love Peter Thiel’s intellectual interests, and l endeavor to follow up with his interviews, since he doesn’t use social media (smart choice). He recently gave an interview via his VC firm, Founder’s Fund.

He talked about diversity, science, economics, religion, and politics.

[IV]: Medieval Nominalism and Postmodern Despair

This essay is written by the Theologian, Craig A. Carter. He started off by discussing Umberto Eco’s 1980 novel, “The Name of the Rose”.

The novel is a multifaceted work that delves into metaphysical ideas, detective narratives, and historical events set in Italy in 1327. The novel explores the rise of nominalism, championed by William of Ockham, through the lens of a detective named William of Baskerville.

Eco emphasizes that historical novels can reveal aspects of a period that aren't always evident in history books. He argues that certain "modern" or "contemporary" ideas have been present throughout history, challenging the notion that our era is unique. Eco's perspective is that every era has its own form of postmodernism, and human nature remains consistent across centuries.

The novel suggests that the challenges faced by modern Europe originated in the Middle Ages, a time marked by upheaval, war, and societal change. A central theme is the nature of the universe and the role of God, with characters grappling with existential despair similar to that of postmodern Westerners.

The author also draws parallels between the novel's themes and a recent headline about a Catholic archbishop's appointment, highlighting the relevance of medieval nominalism in contemporary times. Nominalism denies metaphysical realism, which underpins moral realism, leading to the idea that morality is ever-changing and unstable.

In essence, the novel underscores the cyclical nature of philosophical and moral challenges, suggesting that the dilemmas of the past continue to resonate in the present.