756 karma · joined July 11, 2020
Ironically, this is what MAGA accused the 'Deep State' of being — I suppose if you want to know what people will do once they're in power, look at what they assume other powerful people are doing in secret
On a holiday of 10 people, everybody exchanging numbers means 10x9/2 = 45 actions, with many of those edges between strangers (higher cost edge)
Each person adding their friend to the Whatsapp group is 9 actions, with all edges between friends (low-cost edge)
So in practice, only the second one happens. He had one other person's number, but that particular person didn't check their phone.
This really nerfs the whole dumbphone movement for Europeans, which should be a key market.
I went on holiday with someone a few weeks ago who is toughing it out with a no-Whatsapp dumbphone. He missed the train home because he got locked out of the holiday cottage and couldn't get in touch with anyone.
"The Prince Charles Cinema near Leicester Square claims Aziz is trying to “bully” it out of its building, while his business has also played a key role in the closure of the world’s first YMCA branch near Tottenham Court Road." https://www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-delta-point-croy...
"Why does a property company controlled by one of London’s richest men keep leasing expensive shop units to students with no obvious retail experience — only for those students to repeatedly vanish without paying millions of pounds in [property] taxes?" https://www.londoncentric.media/p/asf-aziz-london-candy-shop...
This suggests not.
As OP says: "I had access to tools that helped me land on that number, but the moral issue is clear"
At the moment I have my iphone set to black-and-white but still find myself idly browsing
I think I’ll buy this phone
The worst part is, you can't transfer your 'purchases' to someone else, or even leave them to someone when you die.
This theatre is the way countries can negotiate and communicate peacefully
The medieval blacksmith / freelancer may be in a better position to feel meaning in their work, compared with an employee, because of the system of incentives around them.
For now it can work better to be a contractor and have your 'meaning' be a positive reputation in your industry.
More like being a medieval blacksmith. You don't mind what you're making, but you're known in your village by the quality of your work.
https://github.com/ebbejan/tux-racer-js/blob/main/public/ass...
https://www.newyorker.com/newsletter/the-daily/michael-polla...
Ads mean each user 'pays' you according to their spending power
Kinda socialist when you think about it! From each according from his ability...
[1] Obviously companies try to get around this with price discrimination, but it's hard especially for a network effect platform
In the UK at least, researchers have many options for research fellowships of 3-5 years, paid, many with total academic freedom to do whatever you like
My partner just got accepted to one after spending 3 months applying to 5 fellowships — an 8% ratio of application:research time.
In an Oxford or Cambridge college, you're working, eating and (for younger fellows) living in college with many other smart people. Sounds like a lot of cross-pollination of ideas happens there.
It makes sense because it maximises the hit-rate of finding a relevant precedent, and kind of creates a global system of common law.
Countries with newer legal systems (like Canada) can bootstrap centuries of precedent this way. Nearly a third of Canadian Supreme Court judgements cite foreign precedent!
There's still a good argument for sci-hub to stay fully non-commercial. Let's see where it goes.
It's not clear if Sci-Hub themselves stand to make any money from this. If they do, the worst that can happen is that their incentives are distorted from being a highly-regarded community resource to maximising the number of manual uploads.
Is the incentive even necessary? It would be worth testing if there are enough scientists who are keen to promote information sharing in their field without some minimal reward
I also wonder if this will make the penalties for uploaders more severe since it becomes a commercial act
You can see it in the UK legislation portal — the parts which are still in force
There's a lot less of that feeling out in the world of 2025 but you can still find it if you look.
"All mandatory fees, such as admin fees or ticket booking fees, must now be included in the headline price"
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fake-reviews-and-sneaky-h...
Look forward to re-living that shift from life-changing community resource to scammy and user-hostile
For over a decade, a $20bn manufacturer has been conducting a radical experiment. No one has a boss or takes orders. Their decisions are guided by one thing, an internal currency system called Will
--
It’s the start of another day for an ordinary Tokyo salaryman. On a rain-drenched Monday morning, the engineer stows his plastic umbrella in the entryway of one of the many vast office buildings in the suburban metropolis that stretches between here and Yokohama. The umbrella locks into place and the engineer’s phone beeps.
He straps a mask over his face, as everyone who enters the building must, and heads straight to the smoking room on the third floor, thinking about how much his habit is costing him before heading into the fug. He opens his smartphone and scrolls through the company app to decide what he is going to do at work today. There are plenty of options on the menu:
Translate 52-page legal document: 5mn Will
Test semiconductor grinding tool: 2mn Will
Join hiring interviews for graduates: 200,000 Will
Process invoices: 80,000 Will
Deliver technical training seminar at factory: 1.5mn Will
The engineer clicks “bid” on “Translate 52-page legal document”. The amount of Will on offer for the task is too big to turn down. Once the cigarette has burnt out, he heads up to the general administration department. On entering, he glances down. A knee-high soft-toy horse has been plonked inside the door. It serves as a reminder that his team is the worst performing and the biggest drain on the business of the precision tools maker. A cartoon tear drops out of one of its eyes.
“Ohayo gozaimasu,” the engineer says, greeting his team manager, who stopped instructing anyone to do any work 14 years ago. She asks him if he can organise the end of year work party, offering him 15,000 Will for the task. The engineer turns down the measly offer and books a meeting room for a briefing with lawyers about his translation. He checks his app again and lets out a sigh. His Will balance has dropped into negative territory, down from 50,000 when he last looked at it, during rush hour on the train. Hanging up his umbrella, using the smoking room and booking a meeting have all cost him Will this morning.
[Preview ends]