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Feb 27, 2025
acx
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Links For February 2025

44 min • 6,795 words • 1,051 comments • 199 likes • podcast (43 min)
Scott shares 50 diverse links covering topics from AI developments to policy changes, with commentary on current events, research findings, and societal trends. Longer summary
In this monthly links roundup, Scott Alexander covers a wide range of topics including AI developments, public policy changes, scientific research, and current events. The post follows a numbered format presenting each item with Scott's characteristic analysis and often humorous commentary. Notable topics include AI safety developments, changes in government policy, climate change updates, and various social and technological trends. The tone alternates between analytical and personal reflection, particularly when discussing potentially concerning political developments. Shorter summary
Jan 18, 2024
acx
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Links For January 2024

23 min • 3,498 words • 532 comments • 195 likes • podcast (20 min)
Scott Alexander's monthly links post covers diverse topics from AI developments and genetic research to historical anecdotes and local news, with a mix of serious analysis and humor. Longer summary
This links post covers a wide range of topics, including recent research on the Flynn Effect, factors influencing fertility rates, genetic engineering, AI developments, political issues, historical anecdotes, and local Bay Area news. Scott highlights interesting studies, cultural phenomena, and recent events, often with a humorous or ironic tone. He touches on subjects like universal basic income experiments, the formation of elite groups, and changes in political dynamics. The post also includes several visual elements like unusual architectural designs and tattoos. Shorter summary
Nov 03, 2023
acx
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Quests And Requests

27 min • 4,100 words • 557 comments • 126 likes • podcast (23 min)
Scott Alexander proposes various project ideas for ACX Grants, ranging from scientific research to social initiatives, and encourages readers to pursue them. Longer summary
Scott Alexander proposes several project ideas for the upcoming ACX Grants round. These range from replicating brain entrainment learning results to creating an open-source polygenic score for educational attainment. Other suggestions include campaigns similar to John Green's anti-tuberculosis effort, a novel approach to language teaching, an automatic Implicit Association Test generator, a new dating site concept, a foundation to promote classical art and architecture, and a primer on political change. Scott encourages readers to take on these projects, offering potential publicity and connections to funders. Shorter summary
Aug 24, 2023
acx
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Highlights From The Comments On Dating Preferences

40 min • 6,110 words • 386 comments • 95 likes • podcast (31 min)
Scott Alexander discusses reader comments on his post about dating preferences, covering various perspectives and addressing critiques of 'dating docs'. Longer summary
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to comments on his previous post about dating preferences and 'dating docs'. He covers various perspectives, including those against dating docs, concerns about status signaling, insights from traditional cultures like Orthodox Judaism, research on dating preferences, experiences of people in unusual relationships, reactions to sample dating profiles, and areas where he changed his mind. Shorter summary
Jun 06, 2023
acx
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Highlights From The Comments On The Academic Job Market

52 min • 8,016 words • 103 comments • 75 likes • podcast (41 min)
Scott Alexander summarizes reader comments on his post about the academic job market, covering topics like hiring practices, historical context, and comparisons to other industries. Longer summary
Scott Alexander summarizes reader comments on his previous post about the academic job market. The comments provide additional information on academic hiring practices, historical context for the current state of academia, and comparisons to other job markets like programming and publishing. Many commenters offer practical advice for new PhDs, with a common theme being the importance of research and publications over other activities. The post also includes proposed solutions to academia's issues and numerous warnings about the difficulties of pursuing an academic career. Shorter summary
Jul 16, 2021
acx
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Please Take The Reader Survey [Update: Now It Is Closed And You Can Stop Taking It]

5 min • 736 words • 745 comments • 46 likes • podcast (5 min)
Scott Alexander describes a now-closed reader survey project supporting ACX community studies, with instructions on survey completion and content warnings. Longer summary
Scott Alexander is conducting a reader survey project to support studies by ACX community members. The post provides instructions for readers to fill out multiple surveys, starting with a general demographic survey and then proceeding based on their birth date. The surveys cover various topics, some targeted at specific populations. Scott notes that some surveys deal with sensitive topics and advises readers to skip any that make them uncomfortable. He also mentions that the project is now closed and no further responses will be counted. Shorter summary
Jun 25, 2021
acx
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ACX Reader Research Survey: Call For Submissions

5 min • 643 words • 28 comments • 39 likes • podcast (6 min)
Scott Alexander announces the ACX Reader Research Survey, inviting researchers to submit questions for the blog's readership by July 10. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces the ACX Reader Research Survey, inviting researchers to submit questions for the blog's readership. The survey aims to gather data on specific demographics among ACX readers, such as those in tech, science, meditation/drugs/biohacking, with unusual genders/sexualities, or psychiatric issues. Researchers are asked to email Scott with their project details and a Google Form containing their questions by July 10. The survey structure is still being finalized, but will likely involve assigning User IDs and asking basic demographic questions before directing participants to complete a selection of submitted surveys. The survey will run until August 1, with results potentially leading to blog posts or academic papers. Shorter summary
Oct 07, 2019
ssc
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Links 10/19

20 min • 2,960 words • 400 comments
A diverse collection of links on topics ranging from gerrymandering and health insurance to tech bubbles and extinction risk estimates, presented with minimal commentary. Longer summary
This post is a collection of various interesting links and news items. It covers a wide range of topics including gerrymandering, health insurance effects, corporate profits, drug pricing, media bias, ketamine research, tech bubbles, seasonal effects on mental health, FDA drug importation plans, research on sex differences, carbon capture technologies, birth order effects, waist-to-hip ratio preferences, extinction risk estimates, life sciences research, Google algorithm changes affecting health sites, online economy intricacies, fluoride effects on IQ, and many other diverse subjects. The post presents these items without much commentary, leaving readers to explore further on their own. Shorter summary
Dec 26, 2018
ssc
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Please Take The 2019 SSC Survey

5 min • 625 words • 428 comments • podcast (6 min)
Scott Alexander asks readers to participate in the 2019 Slate Star Codex Survey, which helps him gather data about his audience and conduct informal research for future blog posts. Longer summary
Scott Alexander is requesting readers to take the 2019 Slate Star Codex Survey. The survey is divided into two parts: Part I, which takes about 10 minutes and asks basic questions, and Part II, which takes about 15 minutes and focuses on research topics. The survey helps Scott learn more about his readers, plan community events, and gather informal research data for future blog posts. He explains some limitations of the survey, including America-centric questions and privacy considerations. Scott emphasizes that the survey is open to all readers, regardless of how frequently they visit the blog, and expresses his appreciation for participants' time and effort. Shorter summary
May 10, 2018
ssc
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Links 5/18: Snorri URL-uson

13 min • 1,966 words • 615 comments
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of links and brief commentaries on topics ranging from ancient calendars to fusion research, social trends, and economic analyses. Longer summary
This post is a collection of links and brief summaries on various topics, including calendar systems, scientific studies, social trends, economics, politics, and technology. Scott Alexander covers a wide range of subjects, from an ancient Persian calendar to fusion power research, social psychology effects, philosophical hiring biases, and economic analyses. The post includes commentary on recent news, scientific findings, and cultural phenomena, often with a touch of humor or skepticism. Shorter summary
Sep 25, 2017
ssc
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Links 9/17: HURLy-bURLy

14 min • 2,125 words • 367 comments
Scott Alexander shares interesting links on diverse topics including Russian life comparisons, AI developments, scientific discoveries, cultural evolution, and various research findings, with brief commentary on each. Longer summary
This is a links post collecting various interesting articles and news items. The topics range from historical curiosities like forest rings and 18th century sci-fi to modern developments in AI and genetics. There are several items about scientific research, including studies on autism, addiction, and serotonin. The post also covers cultural and social issues like the 'Mizzou Effect' at colleges and racial segregation patterns. Each item is briefly summarized with Scott's characteristic mix of intellectual curiosity and light commentary. Shorter summary
Dec 08, 2015
ssc
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Links 12/15: Ma’oz Tz-URL

19 min • 2,827 words • 785 comments
A collection of interesting links covering recent research, controversies, and developments across various fields including science, economics, politics and sociology, with Scott's brief commentary on each. Longer summary
This is a link roundup post covering various topics and recent research findings. Scott shares interesting links about economics, science, politics, and sociology. The post includes studies on racial bias in policing, diet soda effects, mass shootings statistics, refugee integration in Sweden, and various other topics. He also discusses controversial topics like cultural appropriation and gun control debates, while maintaining a balanced and analytical perspective. The format follows Scott's typical style of providing brief commentary and context for each link shared. Shorter summary
Sep 15, 2015
ssc
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Links 9/15: Linker Tailor Soldier Spy

17 min • 2,619 words • 724 comments
Scott shares a diverse collection of interesting links spanning science, history, and current events, with commentary on research methodologies and unexpected findings. Longer summary
A collection of interesting links and studies across various topics. The post covers scientific studies (like ego depletion and male variability), historical curiosities (like Russian Somalia and Project Oilsand), current events (Jeremy Corbyn's election), and various social and political developments. Scott presents each item with brief commentary, often highlighting interesting methodologies or unexpected findings. The post maintains a mix of serious academic content and more lighthearted observations, frequently noting clever research designs or counterintuitive findings. Shorter summary
Jan 17, 2015
ssc
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Links 1/2014: Link, For You Know Not Whence You Came Nor Why

15 min • 2,190 words • 642 comments
A collection of interesting links covering topics like Chinese religion, economics, science, and technology, with commentary on their broader implications. Longer summary
This is a links post collecting various interesting news and studies from around the internet. Topics range from Chinese religion to Venezuelan economics, from police body cameras to psychedelics research. Notable items include studies about police body cameras reducing misconduct, BPA affecting brain development, and psychedelics potentially protecting against mental illness. The post also covers geopolitical developments like Cuba-US relations and Venezuela's economic troubles, as well as scientific advances like AI poker and mammoth cloning. Shorter summary
Sep 08, 2014
ssc
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Links For September 2014

15 min • 2,279 words • 183 comments
A collection of interesting links from September 2014 covering scientific research, social issues, and curiosities, with commentary from Scott Alexander. Longer summary
This is a links post collecting various interesting articles and news from September 2014. It covers a wide range of topics including academic research, social issues, scientific discoveries, and current events. Notable items include a study about feminist activists and digit ratios, progress on male contraception (Vasalgel), Steven Pinker's critique of Ivy League admissions, research on gut flora and antibiotics, and various interesting historical and scientific curiosities. The post maintains a light tone while discussing both serious topics and amusing finds. Shorter summary
Jun 02, 2014
ssc
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Links for June 2014

16 min • 2,369 words • 154 comments
A links roundup post from June 2014 covering various topics from e-cigarettes and gender studies to technology and healthcare, with critical analysis of recent research and developments. Longer summary
This is a links roundup post collecting various interesting articles and studies from June 2014. The links cover a wide range of topics including economics, gender studies, politics, technology, and healthcare. Some notable items include evidence about e-cigarette effectiveness for quitting smoking, new findings about gender differences in brain blood flow, discussion of hurricane naming patterns and gender bias, and developments in areas like Uber, licensing requirements, and climate change research. The post maintains Scott's characteristic style of critically analyzing studies and findings while remaining skeptical of simplistic explanations. Shorter summary