Podcast Episodes

Contra DeBoer On Movement Shell Games

"Lots of alcoholics want to quit in principle, but only some join AA"

Followup to: In Continued Defense Of Effective Altruism

Freddie deBoer says eff…

2 years, 8 months ago

In Continued Defense Of Effective Altruism

"All you do is cause boardroom drama, and maybe some other things I’m forgetting..."

I.

Search “effective altruism” on social media right now, and it…

2 years, 9 months ago

God Help Us, Let's Try To Understand AI Monosemanticity

Inside every AI is a bigger AI, trying to get out

You’ve probably heard AI is a “black box”. No one knows how it works. Researchers simulate a weird …

2 years, 9 months ago

Book Review: I See Satan Fall Like Lightning

The phrase “I see Satan fall like lightning” comes from Luke 10:18. I’d previously encountered it on insane right-wing conspiracy theory websites. Yo…

2 years, 9 months ago

Does Anaesthesia Prove Ketamine Placebo?

The psychiatric study everyone’s talking about this month is ”Randomized trial of ketamine masked by surgical anesthesia in patients with depression”…

2 years, 9 months ago

Followup: Quests And Requests

Thanks to everyone who commented on Quests And Requests.

There was a predictable failure mode: lots of people said “I have relevant expertise and …

2 years, 9 months ago

Hardball Questions For The Next Debate

[previously in series: 2016, 2020; expansion of this]

MODERATOR: Hello, and welcome to the third Republican primary debate. To shore up declining vot…

2 years, 9 months ago

Highlights From The Comments On Kidney Donation

[original post: My Left Kidney]

1: Comments From People Who Are Against This Sort Of Thing
2: …From Other People Who Have Donated Kidneys
3: …From Pe…

2 years, 9 months ago

Quests And Requests

Projects that need incubating

I’ll be starting a new round of ACX Grants sometime soon. I can’t guarantee I’ll fund all these projects - some of them…

2 years, 9 months ago

Dictator Book Club: Chavez

Review of Rory Carroll's "Comandante"

[previously in series: Erdogan, Modi, Orban, Xi, Putin]

I.

All dictators get their start by discovering some lo…

2 years, 9 months ago