Vox.com asks 'If you're such an effective altruist, why are you so rich?' to the billionaires who push EA
Effective altruism is a philosophy around altruism that is about identifying the most effective methods and focusing on those rather than pet projects which might make differences, eventually, maybe. A good (somewhat) mentality. But it's a great pushback towards the ultra wealthy to say, "Is it effective if you are only giving a small percentage of your income?"
"The radical political power of friendship"
Loved this excerpt and am adding the book to my future to-read stack. The title, as I link it, is a bit misleading - not intentionally but that I think it undersells the topic. It's about the era of cocktail parties and the social mixing, philosophizing, and discussions as a way to share opinions, beliefs, and discuss topics with others who might change your opinion.
I really need folks to understand that the work teachers have done over the past 2 1/2 yrs is nothing short of extraordinary. I've seen teachers whose own lives have been upended by grief, illness, & instability continue to show up for their students in countless, remarkable ways
— Clint Smith (@ClintSmithIII) August 23, 2022
"Ex-Twitter exec blows the whistle, alleging reckless and negligent cybersecurity policies"
At first I was inclined to wait for this to turn into something bigger, and I ignored a few reports of it. Only when I checked out the conversation on Hacker News did I give it more attention.
From the top comment on Hacker News:
Millenials and GenZ may have no idea who Mudge is. I, however, almost lost my first job out of college at a bank because I ran l0phtcrack against our Windows NT 4 server to see if it could crack passwords. I showed my boss, and he pulled me aside into another room and tore my head off for irresponsibly running this tool against a production server. He said I could have been fired if this got out, but he covered my ass, sent out an email requesting everyone reset their passwords, and let me continue working. I learned a good lesson because even though my intentions were good, and it did expose security issues, it was a bit immature and should have been done in a more controlled manner along with the proper clearances.
Mudge knows the implications of "whistleblowing". He has been a security consultant and even testified to Congress. He's not some noob that doesn't understand security or how systems work together to provide services like disclosure to FTC. The idea that Twitter PR can pooh-pooh away his concerns is shockingly stupid.
"Your Doppelgänger Is Out There and You Probably Share DNA With Them"
I have had a number of incidences of me going somewhere new for the first time and being treated as a long time customer only to discover they think I'm someone else. I fully believe I have a clone out there somewhere, and when we meet - we will go full Highlander.
There can be only one.
"Sue Bird will retire as greatest athlete in Seattle’s history"
In regards to my Larry or Sue post yesterday, a good write up that makes the case for Sue Bird as Seattle's greatest athlete across any sport ever.
Maxwell Alejandro Frost might become the first Gen-Z member of Congress
Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) has defeated Kat Demings in the primary for Florida's 10th District. The district is reliably a democratic district which would make it seem likely that Frost could become the first Gen-Z congressperson.
Squamish Elder speaks Chinuk Wawa
The Chinuk Wawa word for messenger is 'koolie' from the French 'courier' - I just find this language fascinating.