Super fun interview with @asteriskmag.bsky.social in which we talk about "Raised to Obey" (@princetonupress.bsky.social) but also: - is "indoctrination for democracy" desirable? - is low education quality driven by "low state capacity"? and more! asteriskmag.com/issues/10/wh...
What Are Schools For?—Asterisk
The modern education system around the world continues to bear the imprint of mass education’s original goal: obedience.
asteriskmag.com
"The primary purpose behind the creation of primary education systems was to convert unruly children into obedient citizens who would respect the state and its laws." asteriskmag.com/issues/10/wh...
What Are Schools For?—Asterisk
The modern education system around the world continues to bear the imprint of mass education’s original goal: obedience.
asteriskmag.com
Research scandals make headlines, but that AI materials science paper is still just the tip of the iceberg @ryancbriggs.net walks through the gauntlet of issues in the research published in even our most reputable peer-reviewed journals asteriskmag.com/issues/10/ca...
Can We Trust Social Science Yet?—Asterisk
Everyone likes the idea of evidence-based policy, but it’s hard to realize it when our most reputable social science journals are still publishing poor quality research.
asteriskmag.com
I think the current state of social science research is pretty bad and I wrote something for @asteriskmag.bsky.social about it. asteriskmag.com/issues/10/ca...
Some very depressing forecasts on the impact of USAID cuts in the recent @asteriskmag.bsky.social special edition: asteriskmag.substack.com/p/forecast-...
For the past month, @asteriskmag.bsky.social has been working with a group of forecasters for a series on the mortality impacts of the Trump Administration's USAID cuts 5 forecasts, transparent and probabilistic, on PEPFAR, malaria, TB, nutrition, and WASH asteriskmag.substack.com/p/forecast-s...
California High Speed Rail has had real issues, many of them common to other transportation infrastructure projects, but one of its biggest obstacles has been insufficient funding. Read this deep dive for more of the story: asteriskmag.com/issues/10/re...
Reports of the Death of California High-Speed Rail Have Been Greatly Exaggerated—Asterisk
Building a high-speed rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco was never going to be easy — but the critics who write it off are missing the real source of the project’s struggles.
asteriskmag.com
We hereby declare an end to the "boondoggle" meme asteriskmag.com/issues/10/re...
Reports of the Death of California High-Speed Rail Have Been Greatly Exaggerated—Asterisk
Building a high-speed rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco was never going to be easy — but the critics who write it off are missing the real source of the project’s struggles.
asteriskmag.com
Our board president (Bob Fischer) recently published an article in @asteriskmag.bsky.social on the topic of invertebrate sentience. Check it out: asteriskmag.com/issues/09/th...
The Case for Insect Consciousness—Asterisk
The evidence that insects feel pain is mounting, however we approach the issue.
asteriskmag.com
@asteriskmag.bsky.social is where the adults are talking about adult stuff asteriskmag.com/issues/09/ab...
Does Abundance Start at Home?—Asterisk
Kelsey Piper and Jasmine Sun talk about microschools, whether localism is the enemy of Abundance, and why Chinese bureaucrats are like Growth PMs.
asteriskmag.com
We could — if we tried — potentially raise Mars's temperature by 30°C well within this century asteriskmag.com/issues/09/gr...
Greening the Solar System—Asterisk
A future where life flourishes beyond Earth is closer than you think. How, precisely, will we get there?
asteriskmag.com
We're officially sold out! You can still buy tickets for the livestream starting at 6PM PDT. Donation-based, $1 minimum. Link below! Excited to see everyone in person!
Asterisk Magazine@asteriskmag.bsky.social · last yr.We're nearly sold out in-person for this event! Grab your tickets now! www.eventbrite.com/e/where-huma...
"What appears to be a deep aversive reaction to sounds that most people don’t like can seem — I speak from personal experience here — like you’re hard to tolerate." @jakee.bsky.social @asteriskmag.bsky.social
The Unbearable Loudness of Chewing - Longreads
"Why do some people find certain sounds intolerable? And why has it taken so long for scientists to get even a preliminary answer?"
longreads.com
Have been reading Longreads well over a decade! A real privilege to be featured
Longreads@longreads.com · last yr."What appears to be a deep aversive reaction to sounds that most people don’t like can seem — I speak from personal experience here — like you’re hard to tolerate." @jakee.bsky.social @asteriskmag.bsky.social
We raised the attendance cap on this from 80 to 100 after high demand! Will sell-out! Donation-based! Very important topic! Very interesting questions! Very cool people! I will ask about panpsychism! Can't wait to meet you there!!!
Jake Eaton@jakee.bsky.social · last yr.Thrilled to announce that @asteriskmag.bsky.social and I will be hosting a conversation between Rob Long and Kati Devaney on where two tracks in consciousness research — AI and meditation — collide If you're local to the Bay, would love to see you there! www.eventbrite.com/e/where-huma...
We're nearly sold out in-person for this event! Grab your tickets now! www.eventbrite.com/e/where-huma...
Where Human and AI Consciousness Research Meet
Rob Long and Kati Devaney in conversation about where two branches of consciousness research collide: meditation and AI. Hosted by Asterisk
eventbrite.com
Jake Eaton@jakee.bsky.social · last yr.Thrilled to announce that @asteriskmag.bsky.social and I will be hosting a conversation between Rob Long and Kati Devaney on where two tracks in consciousness research — AI and meditation — collide If you're local to the Bay, would love to see you there! www.eventbrite.com/e/where-huma...
SUCH a good article about misophonia from @jakee.bsky.social. It's so hard for me to articulate my relationship with stimuli such as chewing and repetitive sounds, it's not just that I don't like them it's the uncontrollable full-body aversive reaction. Glad to see more serious research on this.
The Unbearable Loudness of Chewing—Asterisk
Why do some people find certain sounds intolerable? And why has it taken so long for scientists to get even a preliminary answer?
asteriskmag.com
Absolute pleasure to speak with Kati Devaney for this issue. We covered a lot of territory: the deep-end of meditation, the neuroscience of cessation, the concept of "weird," and whether enlightenment is in the Overton window yet asteriskmag.com/issues/09/th...
The Science of Woo—Asterisk
A conversation about neuroscience, meditation, and the many paths to insight.
asteriskmag.com
DOGE wants to cut 'low-impact' science. But important innovations—like mRNA vaccines, PCR, and the internet—once looked pointless, too. Kill the research pipeline, kill future advances. @lgilbert.co and I write about this in @asteriskmag.bsky.social: asteriskmag.com/issues/09/a... /3
A Defense of Weird Research—Asterisk
Government-funded scientific research may appear strange or impractical, but it has repeatedly yielded scientific breakthroughs — and continues to pay for itself many times over.
asteriskmag.com
Thrilled to announce that @asteriskmag.bsky.social and I will be hosting a conversation between Rob Long and Kati Devaney on where two tracks in consciousness research — AI and meditation — collide If you're local to the Bay, would love to see you there! www.eventbrite.com/e/where-huma...
There are 3 things one should never discuss in polite company: money, politics, and shrimp. asteriskmag.com/issues/09/ye...
Yes, Shrimp Matter—Asterisk
What made a private equity analyst decide to devote his life to tiny aquatic crustaceans?
asteriskmag.com
Some economists believe that all growth in living standards comes from scientific research and development. asteriskmag.com/issues/09/a-... @asteriskmag.bsky.social
A Defense of Weird Research—Asterisk
Government-funded scientific research may appear strange or impractical, but it has repeatedly yielded scientific breakthroughs — and continues to pay for itself many times over.
asteriskmag.com
🦗🧠 A growing number of studies are exploring the extent to which #insects can experience pain, feelings & more. This mounting evidence calls for us to question our assumptions about insect #sentience. A thought piece in @asteriskmag.bsky.social digs deeper. https://bit.ly/4kacSke
The Case for Insect Consciousness—Asterisk
The evidence that insects feel pain is mounting, however we approach the issue.
bit.ly
Forecasting & global health friends! @asteriskmag.bsky.social is working on a mini-series forecasting the impacts of USAID/other funding cuts over the next year
Basic research, even when it appears weird — from levitating frogs to the sex lives of beetles to fishing in geysers for bacteria — is a government investment with extremely high ROI asteriskmag.com/issues/09/a-...
A Defense of Weird Research—Asterisk
Government-funded scientific research may appear strange or impractical, but it has repeatedly yielded scientific breakthroughs — and continues to pay for itself many times over.
asteriskmag.com
This article by @adammarblestone.bsky.social brilliantly illustrates how Lean and other proof assistants are enabling new forms of mathematical collaboration and verification in our AI-driven world. We're grateful for Adam's valuable guidance as a board member of the Lean FRO! #LeanLang #LeanProver
Asterisk Magazine@asteriskmag.bsky.social · last yr.Proofs can be definitively verified as correct or incorrect. This makes them an ideal testing ground for developing more reliable AI reasoning capabilities - and may change how we do math forever asteriskmag.com/issues/09/au...
