Scott Alexander satirizes Bay Area culture through a fictional house party filled with eccentric characters and outlandish startup ideas. Longer summary

Scott Alexander writes a satirical piece about a stereotypical Bay Area house party, filled with eccentric characters discussing outlandish startup ideas, unconventional philosophies, and bizarre research projects. The narrator moves through the party, encountering various guests including a war insurance startup founder, a cryptocurrency promoter, a secular Buddhist philosopher, an artist lying on beaches, alternative history restaurateurs, and a researcher studying steppe nomad risks. The story pokes fun at Silicon Valley culture, startup culture, and the tendency for seemingly absurd ideas to receive funding, often from Peter Thiel. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines recent developments in model cities, including political threats to ZEDEs in Honduras, El Salvador's Bitcoin city plan, and the mysterious Praxis project. Longer summary

This blog post discusses recent developments in model cities and charter cities. It covers the political situation in Honduras affecting ZEDEs, El Salvador's plan for a Bitcoin-themed city, the mysterious Praxis project, and other model city news. The post critically examines each project, analyzing their feasibility, potential impact, and the motivations behind them. Scott Alexander provides context, expresses skepticism where appropriate, and offers insights into the challenges and opportunities these projects face. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that many people missed an opportunity to have a realistic chance of becoming Governor of California in the recall election, and analyzes why this happened. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses a unique political opportunity in California's recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom. He argues that almost anyone with a slight amount of fame or money could have positioned themselves to have a 5-10% chance of becoming Governor. The post explains the recall process, the current political landscape, and how the leading Democratic replacement candidate, Kevin Paffrath, a YouTube landlord influencer, gained his position. Scott suggests that many people, including himself, missed this opportunity and could have been in Paffrath's place. He explores various counterarguments and concludes with thoughts on opportunity recognition and the nature of power. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'Zero To One' by Peter Thiel, discussing its advice on creating monopolies, believing in secrets, and embracing definite optimism for successful startups. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Peter Thiel's book 'Zero To One', which offers advice for entrepreneurs aiming to create revolutionary startups. The book emphasizes the importance of creating monopolies, believing in secrets, and embracing definite optimism. Thiel argues that successful startups should aim to escape competition by achieving monopoly-like status through proprietary technology, network effects, economies of scale, or branding. He also stresses the value of believing in undiscovered secrets and making long-term plans, contrasting this with the modern skepticism about individual reasoning and planning. The review explores Thiel's concept of definite vs indefinite optimism and the implications for society and progress. Scott reflects on the book's contrarian stance and its emphasis on the importance of being genuinely weird in a world where everyone is trying to be unconventional. Shorter summary