Tom

Tall guy with small dogs, a feisty toy German Spitz and a reserved Alaskan Klee Kai. Politics, Science, Astrobiology and Data.

[Tom @relativeape]

@DanNeidle Is there a single Labour policy suggestion that isn’t the introduction of or the raising of a tax?

[Tom @relativeape]

@voooooogel Colombian exchanges if they finally occurred could look more like landing on a separate living planet.

[Tom @relativeape]

@voooooogel Interesting to think about pattern of evolution with these ocean distances. Likely a human-like creature may only remain on a single continent; more radical divergence of various land ecosystems with more limited interplay; separate sea-land evolutionary jumps in each place?

[Tom @relativeape]

@LinkedInHelp hello, I’ve had my account restricted and your system refuses to allow the Persona edification claiming a request is in process which I haven’t done. Your customer service leads me into endless loops none of which work. Can you please assist?

[Tom @relativeape]

@PhilOfLife_ This is a great point. Running a standard middle class life requires huge admin all the time and it’s not natural human busy-ness; it’s strange complex, mentally taxing, dull routines. And if you think of GDP as a measure of this busy-ness, the richer we are, the busier. :-(

[Tom @relativeape]

@p_surridge Were these votes vulnerable or opportunistic? The result feels like a more highly efficient 2nd preference run with knowledgeable anti-Tory voters able to indulge Green-Lib 1st preferences without a Tory consequence. In a closer run GE could we have seen a *higher* Labour share?

[Tom @relativeape]

@Noahpinion I’m surprised how little attention is paid to the distributional effects of US economic activity. Spending driven by top decile(s) and impact of high interest rates primarily suffered by lower deciles, who in aggregate would poll in higher numbers. There are many Americas.

[Tom @relativeape]

@BoKnowsNews @Airbnb We had a similar cancellation on the day of checkin with hours spent on @Airbnb customer service with no help offered other than endless runaround. Airbnb customer service is a scandal especially when they deal with urgent safety and housing matters.

[Tom @relativeape]

@wolflovesmelon We are fast approaching the Fermian bottleneck.

[Tom @relativeape]

@BillHaynie3 @Airbnb I am another Superhost in the same position as Bill. Last minute cancellations without warning or justification and now 10 days of repeated customer service interactions without any explanation, process or return calls. Panicked guests, destroyed guest experiences, no recourse.

[Tom @relativeape]

@BillHaynie3 @sydneynsmith_ @Airbnb @AirbnbHelp @airbnb @AirbnbHelp is there anyway of accelerating our assistance? All customer service calls refer us to teams that then never reply? We’ve been in this difficult situation for over a week now and really need some urgent help?

[Tom @relativeape]

@BillHaynie3 @sydneynsmith_ @Airbnb @AirbnbHelp We are now experiencing the exact same situation. As hosts, Airbnb cancelled all of our existing reservations a week ago. We’ve been on the phone all week, repeated promises of a specialised team that will come back to us, never any specific replies. Panicked guests. Superhosts.

[Tom @relativeape]

@delong @Noahpinion @elephant_ben Another takeaway (re: US:UK) is that only the poorest in America are as poor as British, in every other decile (implied 10 to 50), Americans are far richer and this accelerates through upper deciles. Which has interesting ?’s on where you’d rather live and be income mobile in.

[Tom @relativeape]

@Noahpinion @pmarca Is there any individual-level data on years lost to smoking vs. years lost to obesity? For morbid levels, I’d always understood approx. 10? Not saying every person who quits smoking becomes morbidly obese but there’s potentially a health and years lost trade-off?

[Tom @relativeape]

@andrew_lilico The way this path has developed though has permanently entrenched inequality. Trade off between capital and interest payments alongside BOE income multiple limits mean income no longer enough, it’s a wealth and deposit firewall.

[Tom @relativeape]

@FraserNelson It allows for a much more sophisticated layering of activity which in all likelihood is more efficient in high-information societies. Blanket rules fully stopped entire activity categories regardless of marginal reduction of COVID harm vs increase in non-COVID harm.

[Tom @relativeape]

@FraserNelson I think another overlooked point on voluntary restrictions is that it allows individuals to gauge their own whole-life risk. Meaning if they are in a situation where a behaviour mod causes an unusual economic or other harm, they are at least allowed to not modify legally.

[Tom @relativeape]

@doioweyoumoney Despise it. Watched every episode the day of release.

[Tom @relativeape]

@StefanFSchubert @heatherpedia How does the total expense of healthcare show up here? I understand the US spends approx 2x its % GDP on healthcare (for objectively lower/similar outcomes) - would that bump up this consumption figure by that “overspend”? Same question for education. Thanks!

[Tom @relativeape]

@seventiessally Nothing really to do with judgement on the unvaxxed or specific fears around their actual status. Just deep frustration at ICU’s being full by this choice and the resulting disruption to life. Let’s not give iSage another scary chart to beat us into home prison again please.

[Tom @relativeape]

@seventiessally My 2c - there’s a large chunk of the anti-restriction crowd who have seen hysterical policy responses to data - and therefore support varying pro-vax policy as a means of protecting our prioritised freedoms. The more vaxes, the fewer deaths and a faster normalisation.