Book Review: Yąnomamö: The Fierce People
Napoleon Chagnon's book was so poorly received that he was accused of committing genocide via measles. Needless to say, I was intrigued.
Jehan
We Picked Right with Einstein
Our intellectual role model should be the most moral person we can find that’s at least passable as a “smart person”.
What we got is a moral sage that’s passable as the most influential mind of all time.
Rags-to-Riches of the Century: Francis Ngannou
He nearly bled to death in the desert and crossed the Mediterranean on a pool toy. It'd be movie-worthy if he became an accountant in Cleveland, but instead, he became World Champion.
The Best Prediction Ever: Darwin and the Founder Effect
How did Charles Darwin make the best prediction ever? Why are there more accents in the UK than in the US? Why are there yellow watermelons in Africa? Weirdly these all have the same answer.
Negative Opportunity Cost
Economists rate opportunity cost as the most important economic concept for the public to understand. Turns out it comes in two flavors.
When Bits Split Atoms
Artificial Intelligence and that time the US Secretary of Defense thought we were all going to die.
If the Present is Better than the Past, Bias Towards Action
If the mean human action has been positive, the base rate is a positive expected value.
The Theory of Displacement Value
What do homeopathy, Tourette's-like tics and traditional religion have in common? They have displacement value.
Pareto Chinese: Say Xi's
You should probably forget about learning Chinese meaningfully. So how does one learn Chinese meaninglessly? I’m so glad you asked.
You Think You’re The Addict, But You’re Really The Dealer
On social media, even if you're not dealing the crack, you are filling out the customer satisfaction surveys.