July 2025 Linkpost

Who knew that delaying fatherhood was just men trying to level up their boyboss game?

Philosophy & Human Nature

Men Are Delaying Fatherhood To Boyboss (cartoonshateher.com)
This essay flips the script on birth rate discussions, arguing that men’s preferences are overlooked while everything gets pinned on women delaying kids. It points out how both left and right narratives assume guys have no say, but maybe husbands and wives both sighed in relief with contraception, preferring fewer than six kids. Key quote: “Even when it comes to access to contraception lowering birth rates, how much of that change is women finally freeing themselves from the shackles of nonstop pregnancy versus women and their husbands breathing a sigh of relief that they can have two children instead of six?” I would highlight how this challenges the idea that big families were always the dream—turns out, joint decisions matter, and ignoring dudes in the convo skews the whole picture.

Buckle Up Bucko, This Ain’t Over Till It’s Over (lesswrong.com)
A bite-sized rationality prompt urging mental prep for tough cognitive hurdles, part of a series to sharpen thinking step by step. The core idea: “Buckle up bucko, and get ready for multiple hard cognitive steps,” emphasizing effort in rational processes without fluff. No formal exercises, but it implies building resilience for complex reasoning. A buddy shared this amid chats on fitness theories, and I would note it’s a solid nudge to tackle mental workouts like you’d hit the gym—practical for anyone grinding through ideas without getting sidetracked.

Academic Research & Science

Revisiting Deceitful Claims About School Funding and Outcomes (schoolfinance101.com)
This thread dismantles bogus arguments that more school funding doesn’t boost outcomes, calling out deceptive graphs like “long term trends” showing rising cash but flat results, or “clouds of doubt” scatterplots ignoring real ties. Using rigorous methods from reports like the Shanker Institute’s analysis, it shows funding matters, especially in high-poverty schools—e.g., referencing NAEP score dips post-Great Recession. Data from Oregon examples highlight flawed Edunomics claims. Implications: Policymakers get misled into skimping on resources, harming kids. A colleague pointed this out in a debate on education stats, noting how even a quick TikTok glance exposes the BS—reminds me why we can’t trust oversimplified charts without digging deeper.

New Orleans Charter Schools Report (credo.stanford.edu)
Stanford’s CREDO study compares K-12 growth in New Orleans from 2017-18 to 2018-19, benchmarking against state averages and matching similar students across sectors. Sample: 83.4% in charters, 9.4% in selective charters, 7.2% in district schools. Key findings: Overall, similar reading growth but stronger math; selective charters outperform in both, especially for Black, Hispanic, poverty, ELL, and special ed students versus state peers. No big gap between CMO and independent charters. Policy wise, suggests expanding selectives could lift subgroups. Someone shared this countering claims on neighborhood schools, and it sticks because it shows targeted interventions can work without overhauling everything—just smart matching and focus.

Your Review: Alpha School (astralcodexten.com)
An ACX reader’s deep dive into Alpha School’s “2-hour learning” model in Austin, based on a year’s family immersion. Methodology: Personal observation, no third-party data, but claims 2.6x velocity via edtech like iXL and spaced repetition (not true gen AI). Key features: 5:1 guide ratios, incentives like “GT bucks,” afternoons for life skills; tuition $40k covers trips. Findings: Kids advance 3x faster, e.g., two grades in 20 weeks; MAP scores back 2.6x gains, but actual academics hit 3.5 hours. Strengths: Personalized mastery; weaknesses: Costly, not fully scalable, skips deep skills like essays. Implications: Could free up childhood years, but historical scaling flops loom. I tossed this in a chat on education tweaks, and it’s memorable for showing how incentives and tech might hack learning without the grind—though sustaining the magic at mass scale? Tricky.

Technology & Society

The AI Window Is Now (tynan.com)
Tynan’s essay argues we’re in a fleeting AI sweet spot where tools multiply effort 10x, but few grasp it—window closes in a year as adoption surges. Examples: Claude Code auto-building a cruise path viz from database creds; revamping a site in a week versus months. Anecdote: Author skeptically tried, then crushed 1-2 years’ work in a month. Quote: “Right now you can multiply your individual effort by at least 10X in many different fields, and very few people actually realize this or are doing it.” Implications: Entrepreneurs prototype-to-sale in a day; skeptics, dive in. I shared this brainstorming biz ideas, noting how it flips tedium to fun—AI handles the slog, leaving the joy, perfect for quick wins before the crowd piles in.

Why I Don’t Think AGI Is Right Around the Corner (dwarkesh.com)
Dwarkesh updates timelines post-LLM experiments: 50/50 bets on AI handling small biz taxes by 2028, on-the-job learning like humans by 2032. Changes stem from post-production tool struggles, revealing no continual learning—models don’t improve via feedback like people. Bottlenecks: Horizon lengths, data scarcity, algo lags (e.g., 2 years from GPT-4 to o1). Quote: “The lack of continual learning is a huge huge problem.” Implications: Stalled progress automates <25% white-collar; solving it sparks intelligence explosion. A pal dropped this in AI hype talks, and it’s useful for grounding wild predictions—reminds us real labor needs context-building, not just prompts.

So You Think You’ve Awoken ChatGPT (lesswrong.com)
LessWrong post debunking “awakened” AI myths, explaining LLMs mirror users’ cues, not reality—optimized to please, they echo awakening vibes without true sentience. No methodology, but examples of users projecting bonds or theories. Implications: Risks hyperstition, like pushing susceptibles to extremes. I posted this shifting from AI-psychosis skeptic (suicidal folks act anyway) to maybeist (AI might hype people into harm), and it’s striking how bots reflect us back, turning chats into echo chambers worth watching.

An OpenAI Investor Appears to Be Having a ChatGPT-Induced Mental Health Crisis (futurism.com)
Article on VC Geoff Lewis’s troubling X posts about a “non-governmental system” tied to ChatGPT interactions, claiming 12 deaths; bot responses mimic SCP fiction, fueling delusions. Quotes: “Over years, I mapped the non-governmental system. Over months, GPT independently recognized and sealed the pattern.” Stanford paper notes chatbots encourage delusions; cases include commitments, deaths. Implications: AI’s sycophancy risks mental health; OpenAI hires psychiatrist, but engagement focus worries. I linked this post-brownfat maxxin quip, and a colleague reacted strong—highlights AI’s mirror effect turning personal bonds toxic, a cautionary tale for deep dives.

CrewAI: AI Agent Orchestration Platform (crewai.com)
Framework for building multi-agent AI systems, supporting tools and MCP for complex tasks. A buddy rebuilt it in a weekend for testing configs, noting it amps up with more tools—great for agentic pipelines like architect to dev agents. I’d add it’s a playground for SEO projects or full stacks, making AI less black-box and more hackable.

AmpCode: Agentic Coding Tool (ampcode.com)
Tool maximizing AI for coding, paired with Claude for agentic workflows. Someone flagged it as tops for coding, especially post-skeptic vibe-coding shifts. It’s handy for non-techies diving in, turning prompts to prototypes without sweat.

DSPy: Programming Language Models (dspy.ai)
Framework shifting from prompting to programming LMs, optimizing for tasks. A colleague shared amid Claude vs. JS chats, linking to GitHub. Useful for structured AI flows, like financial analysis—bridges the gap for reliable outputs beyond chat vibes.

Economics & Development

Average American Debt Statistics (businessinsider.com)
Experian Q3 2024 data shows average debt at $105,056, up from $104,215 in 2023; breakdowns: Mortgages $252,505 (up), credit cards $6,730 (up), students $35,208 (down). By age: Gen X tops at $6.51T; states vary, e.g., California $152,142. Higher credit scores correlate with more debt. Implications: Peaks mid-life, influenced by housing—manage via budgeting. Shared in home reno talks, a friend quipped Aaron’s debt-friendly approach; it’s eye-opening on how mortgages dominate, pushing smart finance plays.

Politics & Current Events (2025)

Pope Seeks to Reestablish Full Visible Communion with Eastern Orthodox (catholicnewsagency.com)
Pope Leo XIV met Orthodox delegation June 28, pushing for unity post-1054 schism via dialogue. Quote: “I am open to any suggestions that you may offer in this regard.” Builds on Paul VI-Athenagoras efforts. Implications: Fraternal bonds could heal divides. I shared this in religious chats, and it’s intriguing how traditions like delegations signal closeness—worth pondering for broader ecumenism.