Malcolm Cochran

Communications @HumanProgress Writing here:

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@jasonhickel https://t.co/Ol90RdlkZH

[Sam Bowman @s8mb]

I applaud Piketty et al for embracing artificial intelligence.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@BretVDB The answer to the "hurt or wound" question is rhythm.

[Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600]

In the green parts you have to walk over a mile to reach the next road. Great use of GIS data to create this original way of showing how unpopulated big parts of the Western states are. Source: https://t.co/3dLRtGobDe

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@runuvthemill @indexnforgetit @shagbark_hick @RedbullRacist The common dish was bread and a mushy grain/legume pottage with some scraps mixed in.

Technically, that includes meat, vegetables, fruits, and so on, but it’s not the stuff at whole foods.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

There are just a handful of people in the US building genuinely bespoke boots.

They are master artisans who design the shoe entirely around the client's foot, down to the "last" (pictured), which determines the fundamental shape of the shoe. They charge anywhere from $2k to $10k for a pair, with waiting lists that can stretch to five years.

This is just one example of a broader scarcity of truly skilled craftspeople, from cobblers and tailors to masons and metalworkers.

It's not yet clear whether AI will take over many jobs, but if it does, we could see a mass migration into this kind of artisanal work. I think that would be a good thing.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

When you buy food out you are mostly purchasing someone else's labor, which is expensive in the US.

Frugality in a rich post-industrial country increasingly requires avoiding such services. On a modest income, you can afford many luxuries if you do things yourself.

[Kelsey Piper @KelseyTuoc]

In general I think there's something fairly corrosive about living in a world where all material goods are extremely cheap compared to housing and healthcare, because it feels completely futile to be frugal on the small stuff.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@FreeRangeKids That is a really dramatic chart, are you sure that the figures are comparable?

After a brief look, Ames doesn’t seem to have surveyed parental permission, she just judged that six-year-olds are capable of walking a few blocks on their own.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@stanfordNYC @KelseyTuoc Yes, and I'd guess that capabilities other than better vision would play an even larger role here, like constant vigilance for pedestrians

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

Seems to complicate the standard inequality story

[Chelsea Olivia Follett @chellivia]

Nearly half of American homes lacked basic plumbing in 1940. (Map via @vpostrel).

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@dannycantalk @AlliYaff Yeah stricter liability makes way more sense than a ban, but it also seems like a slippery slope toward dog licenses.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@Aden_Yacobi @KelseyTuoc Wouldn't it be easier to study robotaxis if there were more of them in DC and the public was allowed to use them?

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@curtis_yarvin It’s not hard to just read the scale.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

ChatGPT thinks it's partly thanks to guns.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

Interesting that the US is a bit of an outlier here.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@Empty_America And that’s part of the reason it is objectively the greatest language

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

These are very fun to write, and many people are saying the most recent edition is especially good: https://t.co/8gROqniVcD

[Steven Pinker @sapinker]

Politics dominates the headlines, but advances in science, public health, & tech continue, & affect many lives more directly. Just one week’s worth here.. https://t.co/yPtb8cEC71

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@StefanFSchubert If it’s not above 4 then surely you are picking the wrong books to read

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

@RichardHanania That paragraph genuinely makes me nervous. If I ever said something like that I'd hope my family would encourage me to get a CT scan or something.

[Malcolm Cochran @MalcolmGCochran]

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