Scott Alexander experiments with DALL-E 2 to create stained glass window designs, exploring the AI's capabilities and limitations in interpreting complex prompts. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the challenges and quirks of using DALL-E 2, an AI art generator, to create stained glass window designs depicting the Virtues of Rationality. He details his attempts to generate images for different virtues, discussing the AI's strengths, limitations, and unexpected behaviors. The post analyzes how DALL-E interprets prompts, handles historical figures and concepts, and struggles with combining specific subjects and styles. Scott concludes that while DALL-E is capable of impressive work, it currently has difficulties with unusual requests and maintaining consistent styles across multiple images. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues against Erik Hoel's claim that the decline of 'aristocratic tutoring' explains the perceived lack of modern geniuses, offering alternative explanations and counterexamples. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques Erik Hoel's essay on the decline of geniuses, which attributes this decline to the loss of 'aristocratic tutoring'. Scott argues that this explanation is insufficient, providing counterexamples of historical geniuses who weren't aristocratically tutored. He also points out that fields like music, where such tutoring is still common, still experience a perceived decline in genius. Scott proposes alternative explanations for the apparent lack of modern geniuses, including the increasing difficulty of finding new ideas, the distribution of progress across more researchers, and changing social norms around celebrating individual brilliance. He suggests that newer, smaller fields like AI and AI alignment still produce recognizable geniuses, supporting his view that the apparent decline is more about the maturity and size of fields than about educational methods. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the historical link between gout and achievement, ultimately finding the evidence unconvincing despite some intriguing connections. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the historical association between gout and high achievement, discussing a theory that high uric acid levels might contribute to success. He examines the biological basis for this idea, comparing uric acid to caffeine and theacrine. However, after reviewing several studies, Scott concludes that the evidence for this theory is weak and inconsistent. He then discusses more recent research linking uric acid to mood disorders, particularly mania, but suggests that more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander creates a humorous 'Puritan' checklist to rank historical American figures, lamenting the loss of this eccentric, morally serious archetype in modern American culture. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of 'Puritanism' as a cultural archetype, distinct from its religious connotations. He creates a humorous checklist to identify 'Puritan' traits in historical figures, focusing on characteristics like eccentricity, moral seriousness, inventiveness, and New England origins. The post ranks five historical Americans by their 'Puritan' qualities, with Benjamin Franklin scoring highest. Scott notes that this archetype, once a significant part of American identity, has largely disappeared from modern culture. He expresses disappointment at this loss, suggesting that the 'Puritan' ideal could serve as a positive national identity to aspire to, in contrast to less appealing stereotypes. Shorter summary