Scott Alexander reviews comments on his defense of Baby Boomers, clarifying three separate claims about generational fairness and addressing debates about housing policy, Social Security, cultural changes, and whether the structural problems attributed to Boomers are actually universal features of aging populations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to comments on his original post defending Baby Boomers from generational criticism. He clarifies that he should have better separated three distinct claims: whether Boomers had it easier, whether the political system favors them unfairly, and whether they're uniquely selfish. He addresses housing policy (particularly California's Proposition 13), cultural changes like divorce and childcare, Social Security technicalities, and whether anti-Boomer sentiment is justified as a political project. Throughout, he emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between 'natural' and 'marked' policy choices, and argues that many problems blamed on Boomers result from broader structural issues like demographic pyramids rather than unique generational selfishness. Shorter summary

A Links post presenting various news items and articles, ranging from cultural curiosities like the multiocular O to scientific findings about brain sex differences and genetic research, along with commentary on current events and politics. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents a collection of interesting links and articles covering a wide range of topics. The post includes scientific findings (like research on sex differences in the brain and studies on antidepressants), cultural curiosities (like rare Cyrillic letters), political developments (like the White House's decision on Exxon drilling rights), and various technological advances (like an AI that writes poetry). The post provides brief commentary on each link, often with Scott's characteristically analytical and sometimes humorous perspective on the implications of each item. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander summarizes various responses to his post on 'cost disease', presenting diverse explanations for dramatic cost increases in healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Longer summary

Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to various commentators' explanations for the 'cost disease' phenomenon he described in a previous post, where costs for healthcare, education, and infrastructure have risen dramatically over time without corresponding improvements in quality. The post presents diverse perspectives from economists, bloggers, and readers, exploring theories ranging from administrative bloat and regulatory burden to market failures and changes in societal expectations. Shorter summary

A Links post presenting various interesting news and studies from different fields, with brief commentary on each item. Longer summary

This is a Links post that presents a collection of interesting news, studies, and articles from various fields. The post covers topics ranging from scientific research and academic policy to economics and social issues. It includes studies on ADHD diagnosis, income inequality, neighborhood effects, and discussion of various cultural and political events. The tone is casual and informative, with Scott providing brief commentary and connecting different ideas throughout. Shorter summary

Scott shares and comments on various links covering topics like startups, science, academia, social issues and charitable giving, with a focus on rationalist and effective altruist causes. Longer summary

This is a links post collecting various interesting articles and news from around the internet. Topics include a startup betting on marriage success, privacy/encryption history, climate change policy, scientific studies on aging and obesity, academic criticism, college renaming controversies, drug use surveys, and charitable giving. The post has Scott's typical style of briefly summarizing each link while adding his own commentary and connections between topics. The post ends with several charitable giving opportunities related to rationalist and effective altruist organizations. Shorter summary