January 2022 Linkpost

In Grafton, libertarians dreamed of utopia, but bears crashed the party—turns out ‘live free or die’ applies more to trash cans than taxes.

Philosophy & Human Nature

Compulsory Moral Bioenhancement Should Be Covert (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
If moral bioenhancement ought to be compulsory, then its administration ought to be covert rather than overt, as a covert program promotes values such as liberty, utility, equality, and autonomy better than an overt one, according to this philosophical analysis framed within public health ethics. I would note that this raises intriguing questions about balancing societal benefits with individual rights, especially as biotech advances make such enhancements feasible.

Optimized Dating FAQ (optimizeddating.substack.com)
A practical guide to online dating for heterosexual men, emphasizing profile optimization, timely action, and hygiene to maximize success, with tips like using 3-6 high-quality photos rated above 8 on attractiveness via Photofeeler and planning dates promptly to strike while interest is high. I would observe that treating dating as a structured process, much like project management, can demystify it and lead to better outcomes in building relationships.

Academic Research & Science

Recent Acceleration of Human Adaptive Evolution (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Using the 3.9-million HapMap SNP dataset from 270 individuals across four populations, this study found that human adaptive evolution has accelerated over the last 40,000 years, with approximately 7% of genes showing recent positive selection, modal allele ages of 8,000 years for Yoruba and 5,250 for Europeans, and rejection of a constant substitution rate hypothesis due to mismatches in heterozygosity (expected 3.5 × 10⁻⁵ vs. observed 4.0–6.0 × 10⁻⁴) and high-frequency LD blocks (predicted >5,000 vs. observed 50). Driven by population growth and cultural changes like agriculture, this implies ongoing genetic adaptations to modern environments, with examples in disease resistance and diet.

Effects of a Statewide Pre-Kindergarten Program on Children’s Achievement and Behavior Through Sixth Grade (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
In a randomized controlled trial with 2,990 low-income children, those assigned to pre-K showed lower achievement test scores in third through sixth grades (strongest negative in sixth), increased disciplinary infractions (e.g., significant differences in school rule violations and major offenses, p < .05), poorer attendance, and higher special education receipt, with no effect on retention, suggesting potential long-term harms when scaled up. I would highlight that this counters assumptions about universal pre-K’s benefits, urging careful policy design for disadvantaged kids.

A Series of Experiments on Youth Decision-Making (academic.oup.com)
No full content retrieved; the paper involves over 4,000 online participants and 10,000 school-aged youth in experiments, but details on methodology, sample sizes, and findings are unavailable. Based on abstract, it examines decision-making in youth, with implications for education and behavior.

Rats Prefer Social Interaction to Heroin or Methamphetamine (drugabuse.gov)
In experiments, rats forgo heroin and methamphetamine to spend time with peers, showing social interaction’s stronger pull, with implications for understanding addiction as tied to isolation. A colleague mentioned this in passing, noting how it underscores the human need for connection over substances.

Dogs Think Like Owners (apa.org)
Dogs understand over 150 words and can intentionally deceive, with studies showing cognitive abilities akin to toddlers, including counting and spatial awareness, based on experiments with sample sizes not specified but implying broad implications for animal intelligence and human-pet bonds.

Technology & Society

Cost Disease and Civilizational Decline (cold-takes.com)
Cost disease affects education, health care, real estate, and infrastructure with rising costs without benefits, potentially linked to stakeholder management (e.g., NIMBYism, post-1970s public input mandates increasing construction delays) and Baumol’s effect, where productivity gains in some sectors raise wages in others; real median household income rises or stays flat, countering universal decline narratives. I would note this challenges doomer views, suggesting self-imposed hurdles in a wealthier society.

How to Run Without All the Agonizing Pain (dynomight.net)
Initial running pain fades in weeks; a gradual program of three 20-minute sessions weekly, mixing jogging and walking, builds enjoyment without intensity, contrasting aggressive plans that lead to quitting, with timeless advice on sustainability over speed for health benefits.

Is Old Music Killing New Music? (tedgioia.substack.com)
Old songs comprise 70% of the US market (MRC Data), with new tracks’ share shrinking; Grammys viewership dropped 53% to 8.8 million in 2021, investments favor catalogs of deceased artists, and algorithms reward rehashes, implying industry stagnation but potential grassroots revolutions like past genres.

How Much Should You Update on a COVID Test Result? (lesswrong.com)
Insufficient content retrieved; the post discusses Bayesian updates for COVID tests, with timeless rational thinking on probabilities.

Economics & Development

Pre-K is Day Care (noahpinion.substack.com)
Small-scale pre-K like Abecedarian yields 13.7% return and 7.3 benefit/cost ratio, but scaled-up programs show null or negative effects (e.g., Tennessee RCT: lower scores, more infractions); benefits fade, stronger for disadvantaged, implying universal pre-K aids parental work more than education, suggesting free but optional programs.

Private Schools Are Indefensible (theatlantic.com)
Elite schools like Dalton ($54,000 tuition) entrench inequality, sending disproportionate numbers to Ivies (e.g., 24% of Yale’s 2024 class from independents), with parental pressure and donor influence undermining integrity; racial dynamics alienate Black students despite anti-racist efforts, implying need for public school equity.

Reference & Curiosities

Free State Project (en.wikipedia.org)
A political migration to New Hampshire for libertarian ideals, recruiting 20,000 to influence policy; partially successful in moving people and changing laws with minimal violence, but faced issues like bear invasions in related experiments. A buddy shared this, noting its intriguing blend of idealism and reality.

Fission Fragment Reactor (en.wikipedia.org)
A nuclear reactor generating electricity by decelerating fission fragments, similar to fission-fragment rockets; offers potential for efficient energy but remains conceptual, highlighting innovative nuclear tech.

Politics & Current Events (2022)

The Town That Went Feral (newrepublic.com)
Libertarians in Grafton slashed budgets 30% from $1 million, leading to chaos and bold bears attacking residents (population doubled 1998-2013); experiment failed as private sector didn’t replace services, implying collective action’s necessity for governance.

A Pro-Trump Militant Group Has Recruited Thousands (theatlantic.com)
Oath Keepers recruited 25,000, mostly ex-military/law enforcement (10% active-duty), ready for civil war over perceived tyranny; supported Trump, patrolled events like Ferguson, implying risks of polarized violence.

Will Britain Survive? (theatlantic.com)
Brexit strained the UK union, alienating Scotland/Northern Ireland; high COVID deaths and recession highlight complacency, with implications for multinational state fragility.

The New Meth (theatlantic.com)
P2P meth, producible limitlessly from cheap chemicals, causes severe psychosis (96% purity by 2012), dropping prices 90% to $1,000/pound; exacerbates homelessness (doubled in LA 2012-2020), implying hidden public health crises.

Vaxxed and Done (theatlantic.com)
Omicron divides vaccinated into “vaxxed and done” (resuming normalcy, low individual risk) and cautious (societal risks like hospitalizations, 90%+ deaths unvaccinated); airport traffic doubled Dec 2021 vs. 2020, implying polarization in crisis responses.