Scott's monthly roundup of interesting links covering AI policy developments, technology news, cultural observations, and scientific research from December 2025. Longer summary

This is Scott Alexander's monthly collection of links and commentary covering diverse topics. Major themes include AI policy battles (chip sales to China, regulation debates, political campaigns), startup news (Substrate fraud allegations, Tornyol mosquito drones), and scientific updates (COVID origins, Hitler's DNA, lactose intolerance). The post also covers cultural topics like the first millennial saint, Dimes Square commentary, and political polling about ideal Democratic candidates. Scott provides his characteristic mix of straightforward reporting, skeptical analysis, and occasional humor throughout the 53 linked items. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of people 'nominating themselves for the short end of a tradeoff' through their actions, and how this relates to ideas of desert and justice, sometimes conflicting with utilitarian calculations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of people 'nominating themselves for the short end of a tradeoff' through their actions, using three examples: an antidepressant with potential for abuse, a sexual harasser in a community, and basic income recipients who choose not to work. He explores how this concept relates to ideas of desert and justice, and how it sometimes conflicts with utilitarian calculations. The post grapples with the tension between utilitarian outcomes and the intuition that people who make bad choices should face the consequences, even if those consequences might be disproportionate to their actions. Scott considers various ways to reconcile or understand this tension, including viewing it as a misfiring heuristic, a revealed preference issue, or a necessary part of maintaining rule-based systems. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews the EA Hotel, a project offering free accommodation to effective altruists in Blackpool, England, discussing its potential benefits and challenges. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews the EA Hotel, a project in Blackpool, England, offering free accommodation to effective altruists working on research projects. The hotel, purchased by Greg Colbourn, aims to provide a low-cost living environment for EA researchers, away from expensive cities like San Francisco. The post discusses the potential benefits of this model, including cost-effectiveness, community building, and freedom from financial pressures. It also addresses potential challenges such as vetting residents and maintaining productivity. Scott finds the project endearing and sees it as a possible model for a future with basic income, allowing people to live modestly while pursuing meaningful work in aligned communities. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to reader comments on his previous post comparing basic income to basic job guarantee programs. Longer summary

Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to various comments on his previous post about basic income vs. basic jobs. He covers topics like different countries' experiences with job guarantee programs, potential issues with UBI implementation, economic considerations, and philosophical arguments for and against UBI and basic jobs. The post aims to provide a balanced view of the debate by highlighting thoughtful comments from multiple perspectives. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues strongly for basic income over basic jobs guarantees, citing numerous advantages of basic income and potential pitfalls of basic jobs programs. Longer summary

Scott Alexander argues strongly against the idea of a basic jobs guarantee, preferring a basic income guarantee instead. He presents 11 main arguments: 1) Basic jobs don't help the disabled, 2) They don't help caretakers, 3) They don't help parents, 4) Jobs are actually a big cause of poverty, 5) Basic jobs may not pay for themselves through useful work, 6) It's hard to deal with bad workers in a basic jobs system, 7) It's hard for workers to escape bad workplaces, 8) Basic income could fix private industry while basic jobs could destroy it, 9) Basic income supports personal development while basic jobs prevent it, 10) Basic income puts everyone on the same side while basic jobs preserve class divisions, and 11) Work itself is often unpleasant and meaningless. He then addresses counterarguments, including concerns about UBI's effects, the need for work to provide meaning, and the potential benefits of public works. Scott concludes that while basic jobs might be better than nothing, they risk hijacking the utopian potential of basic income and perpetuating many problems of the current system. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques three articles on poverty, proposing a framework to categorize poverty approaches, and reluctantly advocates for basic income as the best available solution despite its flaws. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews three articles on poverty and explains why he disagrees with all of them. He categorizes different approaches to poverty using a grid with axes of 'competitive vs cooperative' and 'tractable vs intractable'. Scott positions himself in the 'cooperative' but 'intractable' quadrant, expressing skepticism about both the exploitation narrative and the effectiveness of most anti-poverty programs. He argues that poverty is largely due to genetics and deep cultural factors that are difficult to change. Despite reservations, he reluctantly supports a basic income guarantee as the least bad solution. The post also touches on global poverty, economic growth, and open borders. Shorter summary

A collection of interesting links covering technology, science, economics and society, with Scott's commentary and analysis on each topic. Longer summary

This is a links post collecting various interesting news and studies. Topics range from artificial lighting technology that mimics sunlight, to FDA's role in covering up clinical trial fraud, to immigration studies about assimilation. Scott also discusses economic issues like Greece's basic income proposal and inequality trends, scientific findings about processed food and attraction, and technological developments like head transplants and color blindness treatments. The post maintains a light tone while providing critical analysis of various claims and studies. Shorter summary

A collection of interesting links from October 2014 with Scott's commentary, covering topics from Russian deforestation to North Korean politics to scientific research. Longer summary

This is a links post where Scott Alexander shares various interesting articles and news items from October 2014. He covers topics ranging from environmental issues in Russia, food safety mishaps, basic income problems, North Korean politics, and scientific research. The post includes both serious topics like sexual assault prevention research and lighter ones like football chants and textbook covers. Scott provides commentary and context for each link, sometimes with his characteristic humor. Shorter summary

Scott examines the feeling of being a burden in depression, arguing that society owes individuals support and suggesting a need for new ways to find meaning beyond traditional 'contribution'. Longer summary

Scott discusses the concept of feeling like a burden, a common theme among suicidal patients. He explores how this feeling relates to depression and societal expectations, and argues that society owes individuals support due to how it has changed the environment humans evolved in. The post critiques the idea that people must 'contribute' to have worth, suggesting we need a new value system as automation increases. Scott proposes basic income as a potential solution and advises patients to focus on less tangible ways of finding meaning. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander gives a satirical graduation speech questioning the value of formal education and proposing an alternative basic income system, emphasizing kindness and epistemic humility. Longer summary

Scott Alexander delivers a satirical and thought-provoking graduation speech that questions the value of formal education. He compares the conventional path of education and career to an alternative where people receive a basic income instead. The speech critiques the current education system, job market, and societal structures while emphasizing the importance of kindness and epistemic humility. Scott uses humor and irony to challenge graduates' assumptions about their future and the world they're entering. Shorter summary

Scott shares and comments on various interesting links, including critiques of science journalism, updates on scientific discoveries, and various cultural curiosities. Longer summary

A collection of interesting links and news stories, covering diverse topics from scientific research to social experiments. The post includes critiques of science reporting, particularly focusing on poor journalism in the Daily Mail, discussions of various scientific discoveries including medical breakthroughs in back pain treatment, and interesting historical anecdotes. Scott also covers economic experiments with basic income, technology news about 3D printed guns, and various cultural curiosities, maintaining a mix of serious analysis and humorous observations throughout. Shorter summary

The post details the economic and relationship systems of Raikoth, a fictional society designed to optimize for goodness and weirdness. Longer summary

This post describes two aspects of Raikoth, a fictional society: its economics and relationships. The economic system is based on a basic income guarantee with minimal government intervention, using a basket of taxes including land taxes, estate taxes, and taxes on large corporations. The relationship system involves an annual festival called Temion Mirun, where a computer algorithm matches people for year-long 'handfastings'. These can lead to more permanent marriages with various contract options. The author notes that this society is designed to optimize for goodness while erring on the side of weirdness, in contrast to real-world approaches that prioritize safety. Shorter summary