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Highlights From The Comments On Vibecession

68 min • 10,515 words • 374 comments • 174 likes • podcast (56 min)

Scott reviews comments on his vibecession post, exploring when it started, whether it's really about economics or culture, and notably finding that China experiences similar pessimism despite 5-10x income growth, suggesting vibes can be completely divorced from economic reality. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews and discusses comments on his previous post about the 'vibecession' (the disconnect between good economic indicators and negative public sentiment). The discussion covers when the vibecession actually started, whether economic complaints are proxies for cultural dissatisfaction, housing and inflation concerns, international comparisons (especially China's similar phenomenon despite massive economic growth), and concludes that vibes may be genuinely divorced from economic reality, though housing prices and partisan political feelings play significant roles. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: highlights from the comments (67), social media (42), China (11), inflation (8), Matt Yglesias (6), generational differences (5), media influence (4), housing costs (3), Baumol effect (3), vibecession (3), economic sentiment (2), consumer confidence (2), Brooklyn Theory (2), economic statistics (2)

Oct 10, 2024

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SB 1047: Our Side Of The Story

43 min • 6,634 words • 432 comments • 184 likes • podcast (43 min)

Scott Alexander discusses the political battle over California's AI safety bill SB 1047, its veto by Governor Newsom, and the implications for future AI regulation efforts. Longer summary

This post recounts the story behind SB 1047, a California bill aimed at regulating AI safety that was passed by the legislature but vetoed by Governor Newsom. Scott discusses the bill's supporters and opponents, the political maneuvering involved, and the aftermath of the veto. He analyzes the reasons for the veto, suggesting it was influenced by Silicon Valley donors and interests. The post also explores potential future strategies for AI regulation advocates, including possible alliances with left-wing groups. Scott concludes with reasons for optimism despite the setback, noting growing public support for AI regulation. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: effective altruism (97), prediction markets (85), AI safety (69), AI regulation (14), Silicon Valley (12), California politics (10), lobbying (9), Gavin Newsom (4)

Sep 11, 2023

acx

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Highlights From The Comments On Last Week's Model Cities Post

35 min • 5,295 words • 84 comments • 49 likes • podcast (28 min)

The post discusses reader comments on various model city projects, focusing on the Solano County proposal and Prospera, while also addressing other related topics. Longer summary

This post highlights comments on recent Model City Monday topics, focusing on the proposed Solano County city in California and Prospera in Honduras. It covers various aspects such as location challenges, air noise concerns, legal issues, and political context. The post also touches on other model city projects like Neom and Praxis, and debunks a false claim about France selling Kerguelen Island. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: urban development (10), Prospera (8), legal issues (5), model cities (4), Neom (3), Praxis (3)

Jul 29, 2022

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Links For July

20 min • 3,007 words • 433 comments • 92 likes • podcast (24 min)

Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of interesting links and news items from July, covering topics from linguistics and AI to politics and economics. Longer summary

This post is a collection of interesting links and news items from July. Topics range from linguistic analysis of Reddit insults, to COVID-19 learning loss, to AI art generation, to political and economic news. Scott also comments on recent scientific studies, technological developments, and cultural phenomena. The tone is informative and occasionally humorous, with Scott providing brief commentary or context for many of the items. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: AI (110), economics (103), education (90), politics (89), links (62), COVID-19 (53), social media (42), linguistics (8), scientific studies (7)

Apr 28, 2022

acx

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Highlights From The Comments On Xi Jinping

27 min • 4,185 words • 155 comments • 74 likes • podcast (28 min)

Scott Alexander compiles and summarizes reader comments on his article about Xi Jinping, covering various aspects of Xi's rule and Chinese politics. Longer summary

This post highlights comments on Scott Alexander's article about Xi Jinping, covering topics such as Xi's rise to power, censorship in China, anti-corruption efforts, and centralization of power. Commenters discuss the ideological nature of Communist leadership selection, the complexities of censorship in the internet age, and the effects of Xi's anti-corruption campaign. The post also includes miscellaneous observations on historical parallels, psychological analysis of Xi, and cultural differences in rule-following. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: highlights from the comments (67), cultural differences (19), censorship (14), Xi Jinping (4), Chinese politics (4), Chinese history (4), internet censorship (2), Communist Party of China (2)

Apr 14, 2020

ssc

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A Failure, But Not Of Prediction

28 min • 4,215 words • 863 comments • podcast (26 min)

Scott Alexander argues that the media's failure in coronavirus coverage was not about prediction, but about poor probabilistic reasoning and decision-making under uncertainty. Longer summary

This post discusses the media's failure in covering the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that the issue was not primarily one of prediction but of probabilistic reasoning and decision-making under uncertainty. Scott Alexander argues that while predicting the exact course of the pandemic was difficult, the media and experts failed to properly convey and act on the potential risks even when the probability seemed low. He contrasts this with examples of good reasoning from individuals who took the threat seriously early on, not because they were certain it would be catastrophic, but because they understood the importance of preparing for low-probability, high-impact events. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: media criticism (76), prediction (15), decision-making (15), risk assessment (14), pandemic response (5), probabilistic reasoning (5), expert opinion (4)

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