Links

What Ai Weiwei wishes he knew about Germany earlier

Blind obedience to rules without moral judgment hinders genuine societal evolution and can foster corruption.

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Slavery in modern America

Lola was taken into a household at age 18 and treated as a slave, doing all domestic chores without pay.

· Link post  #history
One of the closest calls with nuclear war was Russia versus China

Tensions between the Soviet Union and China escalated in the 1960s, culminating in a seven-month border conflict in 1969

· Link post  #communism #china #history
Jimmy Lai’s fight for freedom

Escaped Communist China aged 12 by fishing boat and rose from factory worker to build a garment empire.

· Link post  #history #china #communism
Challenges of social comparison

Interest rates have eased, inflation has mostly moderated, yet consumer pessimism is higher than in past major downturns.

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Benedict Evans on OpenAI

If the input box is not the product, OpenAI must develop multiple new apps or features.

· Link post  #startups
Legalise cafes everywhere

Allowing cafes in residential areas can free up commercial spaces for more essential businesses like hardware stores and groceries.

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Thai canal

Proposed canal linking the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, cutting across Thailand’s Kra Isthmus

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EU makes more from fines on US tech companies, than tax from public European tech companies

In 2024 EU fined US tech companies €3.8B meanwhile public internet tech companies paid only €3.2B in income tax.

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Treat big tech like big tobacco

Big Tech’s problems mirror Big Tobacco, not in size but in the addictive, harmful nature of their products.

· Link post  #mothpit
Have LLMs reached their limit?

Language alone does not equate to thought, and large-language models cannot fully capture the tacit knowledge that underpins genuine intelligence.

· Link post  #ai
Warning label requirements on hormone replacement products are soon to be lifted

The FDA is removing black box warnings for oestrogen-based HRT, suggesting they are not scientifically justified.

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Will AI safety make America lose the race with China?

China aims to close its AI gap with the US by focusing on chip smuggling, rapid imitation, and quickly deploying AI in military and industrial applications.

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Silicon Valley’s man in the White House

Sacks is serving as a “special government employee” while maintaining extensive tech investments, influencing policies that could benefit his ventures.

· Link post  #startups #ai
A case for Australia to invest in AI data centres

Australia is uniquely positioned to become an AI hub in the Indo-Pacific, with US chip export exemptions, Five Eyes partnerships, and massive investments from hyperscalers.

· Link post  #startups
Artificial intelligence and economic growth

AI is a continuation of centuries-long automation that could now handle tasks previously considered unreachable

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Effects of automation on labour demand

Two main views exist: one suggesting automation reduces employment, another emphasising increased market size and business stealing effects.

· Link post  #ai
Democracy and capitalism: can they be reconciled?

One view posits that democracy inevitably leads to socialism, citing fears of a “road to serfdom” and the logic of democratic egalitarianism.

· Link post  #history
The Nobel Prize-winning case for a little monopoly

Innovation can be destructive in the short term, making old technologies obsolete while creating long-term potential.

· Link post  #history #startups
Why parents once used baby cages to hang infants out of windows

In the 1930s, parents in London resorted to hanging their babies in metal cages outside apartment windows for fresh air.

· Link post  #history
Is triple-triple-double-double good enough anymore?

Triple–triple–double–double (T3D2) still delivers strong returns, often exceeding 50% growth at higher ARR levels.

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What's happening in tech talent and employment?

The job market is around 13% smaller for recent graduates, accompanied by concerns that AI improvements could hasten job losses.

· Link post  #startups
Taking risks in the new age of creative destruction

Deregulating finance and industry in the past led to significant productivity gains, higher living standards and sustainable economic growth.

· Link post  #history
Beauty is not a luxury

John Adams prioritised government and war over the arts for the sake of future generations, yet still believed in promoting culture through institutions.

· Link post  #history
Mag wealth

Net worth is seen as misleading; the more revealing measure is how much money one can mobilise if necessary.

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