Introduction
How much would you pay for a bullshit filter? One that guaranteed you’d never be misled by false claims, misleading data, or fake news?
Even as good algorithms successfully filter out a small fraction of bullshit, there will always be new ways to sneak past the algorithms: deepfakes, shady memes…
In this essay I examine the life and philosophy of Ted Kaczynski — the Unabomber. By dissecting his manifesto, I hope to lay out his core beliefs and inconsistencies, to shed some light on an enigmatic figure of our time.
Who is the Unabomber?
Theodore John Kaczynski was born in 1942 in Chicago to…
According to traditional wisdom, your mind is where your brain is — in your head. This essay will challenge this claim on several fronts — from neurotransmitters to our use of Language and Math.
I have to thank Catarina Dutilh Novaes and Fritjof Capra for their brilliant work on these…
Many of our institutions aren’t doing what they should— they’ve become corrupt.
Corruption means ridicule and mockery by the public. Ridicule makes good people leave the org — protecting their reputations. Those who stay are mostly immoral and corrupt, and corruption proceeds without internal friction. …
It’s a Tuesday morning in LA, and I’m reading “Ethics” is Advertising by David Chapman.
Chapman discusses the endless time we spend signaling about who we are and what social class we’re part of.
The bulk of this conspicuous activity goes on within the ranks of the middle class, where…
Welcome to part two of the Mental Upgrades series! If you’re just joining me now, here’s all you need to know — The Rationalist community is a group of people endeavoring to think better. They investigate glitches in human reasoning and how to overcome them. …
The Rationalist community is a group of people endeavoring to think better. To do this, they investigate glitches in human reasoning, and how to overcome them. My initial fascination with this topic began when I read The Elephant in the Brain by Robin Hanson. If you actually want to know…
I recently read a Smithsonian article about catastrophic mouse experiments in the 1960’s. One researcher’s utopian dream became a decadent nightmare. I realized the same dynamics are currently playing out online, and they’re having the same effects. While I doubt we can stop it, at least we can understand it…
Mouse utopia and the collapse of culture.
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I’m Fascinated by Cognition
In an earlier essay, I described an inverse correlation between chronic inflammation and Brain health. I looked at studies showing how exercise, fasting, sleep, and food alter BDNF levels.
Short for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, BDNF is a protein that builds new neurons and synapses in the hippocampus, cortex, and forebrain.
LA is known for movie stars, sandy beaches, and congested freeways. What about its oil wells? That’s right! As it turns out, LA is home to over 5,000 active oil and gas wells. Billed as a liberal artistic paradise, the city hides a dirty secret in plain site.
