The Silicon Valley Canon: On the Paıdeía of the American Tech Elite

https://scholars-stage.org/the-silicon-valley-canon-on-the-paideia-of-the-american-tech-elite/

The upshot of all this is that books have an inordinate impact on the Silicon Valley mindspace. Often these books are stilted academic titles, works which at first glance have no obvious connection to software. “It’s interesting how Seeing Like A State has made it into the vague tech canon,” Jasmine Sun comments, “despite being from a random anarchist anthropologist who specialized in Southeast Asian agrarian societies.”

“Vague tech canon” is a clever phrase. Siloed off on so many little mountains, I could not speak of a common DC canon, vague or otherwise. But for Silicon Valley the term is just—there are no formal canonizers in Silicon Valley, and thus no formal canon. But a “vague” canon, the sort that ties together any historical community of requisite intelligence and literacy, certainly exists. I challenged my followers on Twitter to try and define it.

Book Review: The Revolt Of The Public

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/book-review-the-revolt-of-the-public

Our story begins (says Gurri) in the early 20th century, when governments, drunk on the power of industrialization, sought to remake Society in their own image. This was the age of High Modernism, with all of its planned cities and collective farms and so on. Philosopher-bureaucrat-scientist-dictator-manager-kings would lead the way to a new era of gleaming steel towers, where society was managed with the same ease as a gardener pruning a hedgerow.

Some principles of this system: government management of the economy, under the wise infallible leadership of Alan-Greenspan-style boffins who could prevent recessions and resist "animal spirits". Government sponsorship of science, under the wise infallible leadership of Einstein-style geniuses who could journey to the Platonic Realm and bring back new insights for the rest of us to gawk at. Government management of society, in the form of Wars on Poverty and Wars on Drugs and exciting new centralized forms of public education that would make every child an above-average student. Homelessness getting cleared away by a wave of the city planner's pen, replaced by scientifically-designed heavily optimized efficient public housing like Cabrini-Green.

Realistically this was all a sham. Alan Greenspan had no idea how to prevent recessions, scientific progress was slowing down, poverty remained as troubling as ever, and 50% of public school students stubbornly stayed below average. But the media trusted the government, the people trusted the media, and failures got swept under the rug by genteel agreement among friendly elites, while the occasional successes were trumpeted from the rooftops.

Robert Carter III

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Carter_III

Robert Carter III (February 28, 1728 – March 10, 1804) was an American planter and politician from the Northern Neck of Virginia. During the colonial period, he sat on the Virginia Governor's Council for roughly two decades. After the American Revolutionary War saw the Thirteen Colonies gain independence from the British Empire as the United States, Carter, influenced by his belief in Baptism, began the largest manumission in the history of the United States prior to the American Civil War.

Despite strong opposition from family members and neighbors, Carter began emancipating the hundreds of slaves he owned via a deed of gift filed with the Northumberland County, Virginia authorities on September 5, 1791, seventy years before the Civil War. Over the following years, Carter gradually emancipated over 500 of his slaves by filing documents with the Northumberland County, Virginia authorities, and settled many freedmen on land he gave them. Carter died in Baltimore, Maryland in 1804.^[1]

How rich musicians billed American taxpayers for luxury hotels, shopping sprees, and million-dollar bonuses

https://www.businessinsider.com/lil-wayne-chris-brown-covid-relief-funds-svog-grant-2024-12

The money came from a program called the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. Signed into law by Trump in 2020 and championed by lawmakers including Sen. Chuck Schumer, it was established as a lifeline for struggling independent venues and arts groups during the pandemic.

But pop stars used the program as a piggy bank to keep the party going, reporting by Business Insider shows. [...]

In a statement, the SBA said it followed the law. But the law directed the SBA to examine revenue, not assets. Musicians with huge bank accounts and multiple mansions were still eligible for the awards as long as their loan-out company's revenue had declined.

Kristen Faulkner on mental health

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjhjF1luwo2/

World Mental Health Day 🌍 👏 is important to me because I have struggled with depression & bipolar since I was a kid. I used to blame people for misjudging me, even though I was scared to let anyone know what was going on. The only thing worse than suffering is suffering alone. I finally accepted help 4 years ago, and I am sharing my story because I don’t want anyone to suffer alone. To seek help is to treat ourselves the way we want others to treat us: with love, support, and compassion.

While I would not wish depression upon anyone, I want to celebrate what it has taught me:

1. Compassion towards myself and others. I learned to never judge, because there is so much behind-the-scenes in people’s lives we don’t know about. In being judged, I learned to never judge. Just because we cannot see someone’s suffering does not mean it is not there.

2. Vulnerability. I can be a “strong independent woman” and ask for help. Authenticity is more fulfilling than perfection. The more comfortable I became with my depression, the more comfortable I became with my quirks and my goofiness. It’s different sides of the same coin of self-acceptance.

3. Standing up for myself. It is my responsibility to communicate if I want others understand me. But, I cannot blame myself if they cannot or do not want to understand me.

4. Self-awareness and self-care. I learned to listen to my body and give myself what I need for mental stability. I learned to be curious about myself, rather than convincing myself that I am or should be a certain way.

5. Gratitude. When we’ve suffered through difficult times, we appreciate the good times that much more. I am grateful for the support network I’ve built, the health resources I have access to, and all the times I get to smile.

6. Unconditional Love from those who hold & carry us through our difficult times and are there when we need them. In receiving unconditional love from others, I learned how to give it. We can all do that for someone else.

7. Bravery. Mental illness forced me to develop courage and resilience, and those skills have helped me go after the things I want in life. Dealing with mental illness is incredibly scary. Way scarier that leaving my job and moving to Europe to be a professional cyclist. Mental illness forced me to develop courage, and that courage has helped me go after the things I want in life.

By taking care of our mental health, we can turn our struggles into growth. There is strength in seeking help. There is also so much joy on the other side. Happy World 🌏 Mental Health Day Everyone ❤️

🍫 TABLEAU FINAL DES PRESQUE-MÉDAILLES 🏅

https://x.com/FFLose/status/1822698497755304270

(translation) 🍫 FINAL TABLE OF ALMOST MEDALS 🏅 

I’m a Polio Survivor. I Don’t Want You to Get It.

https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/as-a-polio-survivor-i-dont-want-you-to-get-it/

What is the most effective way to get a family to vaccinate their child? Explain to them in person the nuances and oddities of polio. Many families do not realize polio affects every body system, not just lungs or a paralyzed leg. Families do not realize the day to day reality of disability or the logistics and planning involved to keep functioning in a world not made for disabilities.

Misinformation is why a 20 year old was diagnosed with polio in 2022. Misinformation is why hundreds of thousands unnecessarily died of covid instead of being vaccinated. Misinformation will continue to disable and kill people as long as it remains unchecked. 

When celebrities advocate against vaccines, physicians retweet for attention, and pastors hold church during the height of a pandemic, a human life may pay the price. Polio, along with other vaccine-preventable diseases, will remain prevalent and history may repeat itself.

Asleep at the Wheel in the Headlight Brightness Wars

https://www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/tech/headlight-brightness-cars-accidents

The crusade against bright headlights has picked up speed in recent years, in large part due to a couple of Reddit nerds. Could they know what’s best for the auto industry better than the auto industry itself?

 

u/CdrCosmonaut on challenges finding community

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1glkm5y/what_is_going_on_with_masculinity/

It's basically impossible to form meaningful relationships these days.

Everyone lost their "third space." There is work or school, and home. Not too many people go to clubs, or social events anymore. Why would you go out and be uncomfortable when you can be at home, on your couch, and use your phone?

It's cheaper, it's safer, it's easier to stop any interaction that you don't enjoy.

If anyone reading this hasn't tried online dating, go make a profile. Try to approach anyone. Especially as a male. Try to make a friend. Try to get a date.

Interactions are nearly worthless. People barely respond. Bare minimum in effort and time. One sided conversation is the most common conversation.

This all culminates in making each person more and more insular. Everyone is more isolated than ever before. Those ever important relationships are dwindling to nothing at an alarming rate.

Metro prepares to crack down on bus fare evasion

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/transportation/metro-prepares-to-crack-down-on-bus-fare-evasion/3775169/

A major fare enforcement campaign is about to ramp up on Metrobus. WMATA has been getting tough on fare evasion on the rails for some time now, but the transit agency says it's now turning its attention to its buses.

More than 70% of bus riders aren't paying the fares right now, Metro officials say.

WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke has a direct message to bus riders: Pay the fare.

"We've heard loud and clear from people. It's something that we are working on. So, starting the week after Thanksgiving, we are going to go after the bus system much more significantly," Clarke said.

Uniformed officers, plainclothes officers, video monitoring, special police and Metro Transit police will all be used in this effort.

Clarke says most of this enforcement will happen without the bus operator getting involved, protecting them from confrontation.

A space station fell to Earth. An Australian boy brought it to San Francisco

https://www.sfgate.com/sfhistory/article/the-skylab-race-to-san-francisco-18074888.php

After its launch in 1973, Skylab was a successful observatory and laboratory that saw three separate crews climb aboard to conduct experiments over 24 weeks. But by 1979, with the country’s interest in space already waning, diminished budgets and a delay in construction of a shuttle needed to refuel it, the only solely American-owned space station in history was left derelict, and would eventually fall back to Earth.

While the agency insisted that injuries were very unlikely, it did add that if citizens of any country heard that the space station was falling nearby, they should maybe hide out in the lowest floors of their homes.

Skylab was the size of a three-story house and was expected to break into about 500 pieces upon reentry anywhere in a wide band around the Earth that covered 90% of the population. In late June, NASA said that Skylab would hit around July 10 to 14, but that NASA would only have a two-hour period of notice to pinpoint where it would land after the space wreck pierced the atmosphere.

Optical illusion from Yurii Perepadia

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqVQ1fjBF2E/

The AI Productivity Paradox: Why Aren’t More Workers Using ChatGPT?

https://towardsdatascience.com/the-ai-productivity-paradox-why-arent-more-workers-using-chatgpt-a1dfe96a9460

Dedicated time for exploration is a luxury most PMs can’t afford. Under constant pressure to deliver immediate results, most rarely have even an hour for this type of strategic work — the only way many find time for this kind of exploratory work is by pretending to be sick. They are so overwhelmed with executive mandates and urgent customer requests that they lack ownership over their strategic direction. Furthermore, recent layoffs and other cutbacks in the industry have intensified workloads, leaving many PMs working 12-hour days just to keep up with basic tasks.

This constant pressure also hinders AI adoption for improved execution. Developing robust testing plans or proactively identifying potential issues with AI is viewed as a luxury, not a necessity. It sets up a counterproductive dynamic: Why use AI to identify issues in your documentation if implementing the fixes will only delay launch? Why do additional research on your users and problem space if the direction has already been set from above?

WMATA Schematic or Map

https://i.imgur.com/fER7aki.png

You're being targeted by disinformation networks that are vastly more effective than you realize. And they're making you more hateful and depressed.

https://www.reddit.com/r/self/comments/1gouvit/youre_being_targeted_by_disinformation_networks/

How Russian networks fuel racial and gender wars to make Americans fight one another

In September 2018, a video went viral after being posted by In the Now, a social media news channel. It featured a feminist activist pouring bleach on a male subway passenger for manspreading. It got instant attention, with millions of views and wide social media outrage. Reddit users wrote that it had turned them against feminism.

There was one problem: The video was staged. And In the Now, which publicized it, is a subsidiary of RT, formerly Russia Today, the Kremlin TV channel aimed at foreign, English-speaking audiences.

As an MIT study found in 2019, Russia's online influence networks reached 140 million Americans every month -- the majority of U.S. social media users. 

How I ship projects at big tech companies

https://www.seangoedecke.com/how-to-ship/

The most common error I see is to assume that shipping is easy. The default state of a project is to not ship: to be delayed indefinitely, cancelled, or to go out half-baked and burst into flames. Projects do not ship automatically once all the code has been written or all the Jira tickets closed. They ship because someone takes up the difficult and delicate job of shipping them.

That means that in almost all cases, shipping has to come first. You cannot have anything else as your top priority. If you spend all your time worrying about polishing the customer experience (for example), you will not ship! Obsessing over UX is praiseworthy behaviour when you are an engineer on the team, but a blunder if you are leading the project. You should cherish the other engineers on your team who are doing that work, and give them as much support as you can. But your primary concern has to be shipping the project. It is too hard a job to do in your spare time.

A Real Estate Queen and the Secret She Couldn’t Keep Hidden

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/10/realestate/alice-mason-nyc-real-estate-broker.html

Alice Mason was throwing one of her black-tie dinner parties. For years, she’d been hosting events that New York City’s social pages fawned over, but she didn’t expect that this one would disrupt a secret she’d kept for much of her life.

A Manhattan real estate agent to the elite, Alice typically held six dinner parties a year, almost always with 56 attendees — half women, half men, not too many couples. Her guests, as one socialite put it, were “the A-list of A-lists”: Barbara Walters, Bill Clinton, Gloria Vanderbilt, Alan Greenspan, Norman Mailer, Estée Lauder, Mary Tyler Moore, Jimmy Carter.

“The key to my parties is the small tables,” Alice once told The New York Times. “That way people do not have to talk only to the people on their right or left. They can talk to the whole table.”

Memo shows 76 percent of grades in A range last year, prompting faculty discussion

https://williamsrecord.com/468144/news/memo-shows-76-percent-of-grades-in-a-range-last-year-prompting-faculty-discussion/

Professor of Political Science Justin Crowe said he believes that grade inflation has decreased student learning. “Many faculty — certainly I include myself in that — have seen that grades are something of a motivator for students,” he said. “It’s important to give students honest feedback so they know what they’re doing well, what they’re doing less well, [and] so they can decide whether they want to put the work in to do better.”

Crowe added that he’s observed that grade inflation increases student stress around grades and discourages academic exploration. He noted that a B+ is now in the bottom third of grades awarded to students. “That puts so much pressure on any individual paper, on any individual course, and it sends students’ anxiety and stress through the roof, because there is effectively no margin for error in a world in which the only good grades are A, A+, and A-,” he said.

Holding poor performers accountable can lead to better government

https://www.govexec.com/management/2024/10/holding-poor-performers-accountable-can-lead-better-government/400568/

One place government should mirror the private sector and improve, however, is how it manages its employees. My organization’s polling trust data, for example, shows that over one-quarter of Americans view holding employees more accountable for their performance as one of the top two actions the government could take to become more effective and trustworthy.

Large private sector companies like Walmart, FedEx and Home Depot invest in their people—establishing clear cultural values, employee development programs, and performance appraisal, enforcement and reward systems —and they have incentives that help remove poorly performing employees. 

Unlike the private sector, the current process for addressing poor performers in government is difficult for managers and confusing for employees. While most employees are doing good work on behalf of their agencies, some are underperforming and some need to be fired. This happens in every industry across the private sector. 

There’s Something Very Different About Harris vs. Trump

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/03/opinion/trump-harris-election-day.html

But there’s another axis that politics can polarize along: the basic worth of institutions. To Democrats, the institutions that govern American life, though flawed and sometimes captured by moneyed interests, are fundamentally trustworthy. They are repositories of knowledge and expertise, staffed by people who do the best work they can, and they need to be protected and preserved.

The Trumpist coalition sees something quite different: an archipelago of interconnected strongholds of leftist power that stretch from the government to the universities to the media and, increasingly, big business and even the military. This network is sometimes called the Cathedral and sometimes called the Regime; Trump refers to part of it as the Deep State, Vivek Ramaswamy calls the corporate side “Woke Inc.” and JD Vance has described it as a grave threat to democracy.