Scott Alexander writes two satirical sequels to GATTACA, critiquing discrimination based on epigenetics and educational background. Longer summary

This post is a satirical continuation of the movie GATTACA, imagining two sequels that critique different forms of discrimination. In 'GATTACA II: EPI-GATTACA', the focus is on epigenetics, where people are judged based on their ancestors' life experiences. In 'GATTACA III: EDU-GATTACA', the discrimination is based on which college one attended. Both stories follow a similar structure to the original GATTACA, with the protagonist Vincent trying to overcome societal barriers through deception. The stories end with Vincent's brother Anton helping him and Vincent realizing that he wants to change the discriminatory system, not just escape it. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores how people can have vastly different experiences of the world and others, even in similar circumstances, due to social bubbles, varying interpretations of social cues, and unconscious influences. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses how people can have vastly different experiences of the world and other people, even when in similar circumstances. He starts by recounting his experience as a psychiatrist, where his patients behaved differently from those of his colleagues, possibly due to his unconscious influence. He then explores the concept of paranoia and its opposite in Williams Syndrome, suggesting that people naturally vary in their tendency to interpret ambiguous situations positively or negatively. The post then delves into the concept of social bubbles, noting how the author's social circle differs dramatically from the general population in various ways. Finally, he ties these ideas together, proposing that people's different experiences of the world - whether they find others to be kind or cruel, discriminatory or accepting - may be due to a combination of self-selection into different social bubbles, varying tendencies in interpreting social cues, and unconscious influences on others' behavior. Shorter summary

Scott shares various interesting news items and studies spanning history, science, politics, and technology, with commentary on each item's significance or irony. Longer summary

A diverse collection of interesting links and news items covering various topics. The post includes historical curiosities (like Merv being the world's largest city), scientific research (including studies about genetic risk for sugar consumption and school effects), political developments (like Steve Bannon's profile and Trump's microphone issues), technology news (AI partnership between tech giants), and social issues (discrimination studies and immigration effects). The post maintains a light, sometimes humorous tone while discussing serious subjects, often adding ironic observations about how things work. Shorter summary

Scott shares and comments on various links covering science, politics, and culture, with topics ranging from automation's effect on employment to psychology's replication crisis. Longer summary

This is a collection of interesting links and brief commentaries by Scott Alexander. He covers a wide range of topics including scientific studies, current events, and cultural phenomena. Notable items include studies about employment and automation, discrimination research methodology, problems with student course evaluations, and psychology's reproducibility crisis. The post also includes quirky items like Dutch swearing customs and unusual products, maintaining Scott's characteristic mix of serious analysis and lighter observations. Shorter summary

Scott presents evidence for the reality and high economic costs of racial and gender discrimination, arguing that fighting prejudice is important and potentially effective. Longer summary

This post argues against Reactionary politics by defending the importance of fighting racism and sexism. It presents evidence from controlled experiments showing significant discrimination against minorities in job hiring, housing, and other areas. The post then estimates the economic costs of discrimination in the US to be at least $438 billion per year, comparable to the costs of major diseases. It concludes that even small successes in reducing racism and sexism could have large economic benefits, and that while many social justice efforts may be ineffective, there is potential for evidence-based approaches to make meaningful progress. Shorter summary