Abraham Sorock

Repatriate in Austin

[Abraham Sorock @abesorock]

https://t.co/f08VLbyf6h

[roon @tszzl]

“oring theory” is true on the individual cognition level especially at high levels of skill. minor differences in energy levels, stamina, focus, emotional stability etc change what you are capable of by orders of magnitude

[Jason Scharf @Jason_A_Scharf]

The best day in Austin is tomorrow

[Sivori @sivori]

This post is a good example of the real contest: the contest between the champions of Beauty and the champions of Desolation.

There are not always clean lines of demarcation, Liberal vs. Conservative, but the person who seeks to improve things in practical terms is superior.

Charlatans never offer specific concrete solutions, which can be verified as being successful, only vague prescriptions.

[Roman Helmet Guy @romanhelmetguy]

Do you have anyone around you that you trust to tell you you’ve gone insane?

I’m sure ‘print out the internet’ sounds cool if you are high, but what you’re actually talking about is just starting some small city states around the world.

These city states would be wiped off the map and all you digital nomads killed the second a superpower decides you are inconvenient.

For example, didn’t you flee to Singapore? You think that makes you safe from what happens in America? You’re sitting on the Strait of Malacca.

If China and the USA go to war, control over that strait will be crucial. You’ll spend the last year of your life crying in a bomb shelter until you’re captured and disappeared by the winner for your subversive beliefs.

[Kyle 🚄 @KyleTrainEmoji]

PICARD: Data, shields up

DATA: Brilliant! Shields can reduce damage we sustain. Not immunity. Not hubris. Just prudence. It's not precaution—it's strategy.

[camera shakes]

WORF: HULL BREACHES ON NINE DECKS

DATA: Here's what happened: you told me to raise shields, and I didn't

[Shane Boyce @boycereads]

Just finished Death’s End. My god, what a trilogy.

[Abraham Sorock @abesorock]

@david__booth product!

[Max @minordissent]

There's an unfortunate game theory to a large civilization in that it requires hard work, ethical behavior, and deferral of gratification to build. But then eventually people start to forget that and think "why would I work hard when theres all this stuff here already? I should just be hedonistic". Slowly, the civilization starts to decay causing it to take care of people less, which causes more people to defect ("why should I take care of a system that doesn't care for me? Especially when there's so much fun to be had by neglecting it"), until eventually it collapses because everyone has defected.

[Abraham Sorock @abesorock]

@tszzl remarkably accurate. zemblanity as the consequence of a dysfunctional ooda loop

[Abraham Sorock @abesorock]

@stopachka Congratulations @stopachka and team!

[Anjney Midha @AnjneyMidha]

the best leaders are stewards. long term mission aligned. fierce when needed at rooting out cancerous behavior. but kind and nurturing of independent thought. and they invest in the next generation instead of being insecure

there is a shortage of competent stewards at scale

[Abraham Sorock @abesorock]

@asmartbear As a wise man said, you can’t read the label from inside the jar!

[Austin Police Department @Austin_Police]

Last night, we received a 9-1-1 call about kittens found in a cage on Great Northern Blvd. APD Sergeant Ben Mewis responded and found eight kittens freezing in a cage along a sidewalk with no shelter, food, or water. The Baker 300s (Central West Austin) responded and were able to transport them to @austinanimals where they were saved from the freezing weather.

We want to remind the public that it is never ok to leave animals outside in freezing weather with no shelter, food, or water, especially babies. Anyone that might have information about this incident is asked to call our APD Animal Cruelty Unit at 512-974-6907.

Thank you to the Baker 300s shift for responding and saving these babies!
-----
Anoche, recibimos una llamada al 9-1-1 para informar sobre unos gatitos encontrados en una jaula en Great Northern Blvd. El Sargento Ben Mewis, de la policía de Austin, acudió al lugar y encontró a ocho gatitos congelándose en una jaula junto a una calle, sin refugio, comida ni agua. Los oficiales del sector Baker 300 (del centro-oeste de Austin) acudieron al lugar y pudieron trasladarlos al Centro de Animales de Austin, donde se les salvó del frío gélido.

Queremos recordar al público que no está bien dejar a los animales fuera en un clima gélido sin refugio, comida ni agua, especialmente a los cachorros. Quien tenga información sobre este incidente puede llamar a nuestra Unidad de Maltrato Animal de la Policía de Austin al 512-974-6907.

¡Gracias a los oficiales del sector Baker 300 por haber respondido y salvado a estos gatitos!

[Guy @nosilverv]

I used to think that looking at the ego was important. But that was only because people said so. Tbqh my eyes rolled over every time I tried to read about it. I now think that was an elaborate ego defense to prevent it from getting looked at. If you ever doubt human ingenuity just look at our ability to avoid looking at it our whole life.

Anyways, what I actually want to say is that yesterday I realized how much grander it is and just how much it is determining. Remember that argument pyramid? Yea, if only lol. This is a more accurate argument picture.

And, if you think it's only arguments, then I got news for you…

[David Sacks @DavidSacks]

.@garrytan I would urge you to reconsider this decision and open YC Austin.

First, the data is looking in the rear view mirror. “Past performance does not guarantee future results,” as the saying goes. The Austin startup ecosystem is off to the races thanks to first movers like @elonmusk and @JTLonsdale.

Second, this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If YC and others support Austin, it will be successful.

Third, and this is a biggie, if you don’t open YC Austin, you’re basically acknowledging that Silicon Valley has insuperable network effects, which was effectively Ro Khanna’s point. You may win this or that political battle, but eventually the political system will extract as much as rent as it can. If you don’t start diversifying now, you won’t have any leverage.

Fourth, if Tech doesn’t start sharing the wealth with Red States, it should expect narrow and shrinking political support. With the Left going socialist, the Right should be an ally; it still believes in innovation and property rights. But many on the Right wonder why they should support radical change that mainly enriches Team Blue.

I fully agree with you that the tech backlash is bad for America, but to solve this, Tech has to include all of America.

This goes for the rest of the VC ecosystem. I would urge you to open Austin offices in 2026.

[Abraham Sorock @abesorock]

@DavidSHolz I’ll fly out from Austin for a cube draft

[Abraham Sorock @abesorock]

@kat_kampf @GoogleAIStudio Yes please!

[Patrick Collison @patrickc]

Two conversations this weekend make me think that there's a vibe shift afoot in Silicon Valley around what one should work on and what is worthwhile.

Culturally, it feels like the moment is ripe for new frameworks:

• Davos expert morality is stale and discredited.
• It's also apparent that the "just be super based" Counter-Enlightenment is not really an answer. (Yes, woke went too far, but simply inverting it doesn't work.)
• EA is no longer the automatic default for smart people.
• There's increasing skepticism of slot and slop machine dynamics.

Overall, "what is worthy and valuable?" feels like it's becoming more central.