Grey Enlightenment

There is a lot going on this week: bond yields continue to rise, and OpenAI published proofs to 400 outstanding math problems. I want to focus the discussion on the debate over “strivers”. Consider the tweet below: Seeing the striver discourse, one difference with Western obsessives is that a parent notices genuine talent in the… Continue reading Smart People Cram Too.

“Fisher King” and “Coddled Affluent Professional” are unimpressed by the intellectual caliber of Ivy League grads: I spent a large amount of my life among the well-educated who attended the ivies. I have less contact with them today – and I don’t notice any loss at all. That is a group of strivers and box… Continue reading Elite Grads Aren’t Impressive. Compared to What?

I saw this going viral about the apparent lack of preparedness among today’s college students: I'm not sure if others in higher ed are noticing a decline in student achievement this semester, but it's been pronounced in my courses–particularly freshmen. I have a 101 course where, for the first time in my 12 years teaching… Continue reading What the College Preparedness Debate Misses

The contrast between the well-educated “Right” and the “dirtbag”/prole Right is interesting. Fuentes is one of those guys like BAP where the man himself can be interesting and correct on certain points. But when you encounter their larger fan base, it's often quite different, the fan base isn't necessarily picking up what the big guy… Continue reading Book Smarts vs. “Streamer Smarts”: Who Called Tariffs, Iran, and Maduro Right?

I saw this going viral: “An Open Letter to Scott Alexander,” by Steven Pinker He writes: I stand by my claim that most of the doomer scenarios are preposterous (beginning with the AI paperclip maximiser that consumes our bodies as raw materials). But as rationalists we should agree that attacking an idea should not be… Continue reading The Scott Alexander v. Steven Pinker AI debate

I didn’t expect the math vs AI debate to blow up as it has. Until very recently, math had always been a niche subject, even compared to physics. Hardly anyone cared about it online, although there would be the occasional viral post on “how to self-learn math,” which always circled back to the same advice… Continue reading AI Is the Uber Moment for Mathematics

I saw this This is like the infamous 1996 WWE “curtain call” incident, where the characters break kayfabe and hug each other, revealing the entire act to be a setup. The difference is today no one is even trying to hold character anymore, as no one cares that much. As it’s said, “it’s a big… Continue reading Breaking Kayfabe

With Bitcoin having crossed $86k a few days ago, there is talk of a “new cycle”: Fidelity analyst predicts new 4-year Bitcoin bull market Bitcoin Approaches A Decisive Zone: Is A New Bull Cycle About To Begin? Bitcoin price tags $86K as analysis sees crypto in ‘new bull market’ Bitcoin bull cycle could gain 3–5x,… Continue reading Meta and Bitcoin Recover: Why I’m Still Right

A common argument on Twitter or other social media is that computer science (CS) or math degrees will become obsolete due to AI. Therefore it’s a poor career choice, and you should choose another major or profession. As the narrative goes, getting a CS degree will be seen as foolish in an era of AI.… Continue reading Go ahead and major in computer science

I saw this post going viral, “Why You Should Almost Never Use AI to Write Anything Substantive.” I’ve defended the use of AI in writing here and here. My reasoning is that writing competently is hard for the vast majority of people, and although AI-generated writing is still obvious or inferior, (despite rapid progress at… Continue reading AI Helps People Get Past the Blank Page