Sunday Reads...
An irregular round-up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
Quote of the Day:
It seems almost a law of human nature that it is easier for people to agree on a negative program—on the hatred of an enemy, on the envy of those better off—than on any positive task. The contrast between “we” and “they,” the common fight against those outside the group, seems to be an essential ingredient in any creed which will solidly knit together a group for common action. It is consequently always employed by those who seek, not merely support of a policy, but the unreserved allegiance of huge masses. From their point of view it has the advantage of leaving them greater freedom of action than almost any positive program. […]. - F.A. Hayek
Sign of the times? Next generation trust Chat GPT for advice more than their managers?
There are lots of counter-narrative data tips here: America doesn’t lead the world in obesity-related deaths. Or: “Globally, twice as many people die from suicide than from homicide. In Germany, 18x more people die from suicide than from homicide (primarily a result of low homicide rates).”
The cooling power of trees. Pretty cool stuff.
The “airplane mode” scam.
Robots to the rescue.
A conversation with Bill Ackman:
A study suggests that elites are less partisan and more egocentric in their outlook.
New study suggests that Congress – our Article I Branch – continues to give away its power by failing to provide robust oversight of Article II Branches of government.
Contested elections: A new study revisits the 1876 U.S. Presidential Election.
New study suggests that merit-based promotion programs are likely the most effective at providing opportunities to under-represented “classes.”
Awesome discovery! A U.S. deposit of helium.
Contra-narrative: Internalized cultural supremacy appears higher in the eastern edges of the “West” than elsewhere.
Russia lowers the triggering threshold for use of tactical nuclear weapons per new report. Real of disinformation?