EgoEimi's recent activity
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Comment on Why we are excited about confessions in ~tech
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Comment on Why the renovation of US Federal Reserve headquarters costs $2.5 billion in ~finance
EgoEimi Link ParentFor $2.5bn you can get a new office building every year for 25 years. From an architectural standpoint, the Federal Reserve Building isn't even remarkable.For $2.5bn you can get a new office building every year for 25 years. From an architectural standpoint, the Federal Reserve Building isn't even remarkable.
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Comment on Why the renovation of US Federal Reserve headquarters costs $2.5 billion in ~finance
EgoEimi Link ParentThat is true. I just feel/think that $2.5bn is mind bogglingly obscene for two mere buildings, and I hope that whatever systems led to this get changed. For comparison, the reconstruction of Notre...That is true. I just feel/think that $2.5bn is mind bogglingly obscene for two mere buildings, and I hope that whatever systems led to this get changed.
For comparison, the reconstruction of Notre Dame—also a large but far more delicate historic preservation project—cost $900m.
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Comment on Iran’s supreme leader signals harsher crackdown as protest movement swells in ~society
EgoEimi LinkAs much as I despise Trump, I find his (well, most likely Marco Rubio's) approach to regime change in Venezuela interesting because: It was relatively bloodless and had almost no civilian...As much as I despise Trump, I find his (well, most likely Marco Rubio's) approach to regime change in Venezuela interesting because:
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It was relatively bloodless and had almost no civilian casualties.
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They did not invade or dismantle the government. Instead they kept existing institutions intact, preventing destabilization of the country. Interestingly, they disempowered an incompetent leader and empowered someone competent: Delcy Rodriguez. This is a radically different, realist approach from past US approaches that'd try to replace a government outright.
Rodriguez is a socialist minister who has been implementing limited market reforms that have helped to somewhat stabilize Venezuela in recent years. Now that she's empowered, she might have a freer hand at implementing market reforms and stabilizing the country further, alleviating the refugee crisis.
Now with Iran, the IRGC is bloodily trying to put down protests. Without assistance, anti-government forces face a very bloody path to overthrowing the government. At this point, regime change seems inevitable: the government has lost the most crucial pillar of legitimacy: the economic pillar, in addition to the social pillar. Now the question is: how many Iranian lives will be expended to achieve regime change?
Limited military intervention—strikes on IRGC and state security sites—by the US and its allies could accelerate the process and reduce the government's ability to violently suppress protesters, thereby saving tens of thousands of lives.
It is easy for us to say, "well, the Iranian people must decide for themselves, we cannot intervene!" The process of "deciding for themselves" is messy and never purely organic. We must remember that the American Revolution would have been impossible if not for the financial and material assistance of France, Spain, and the Netherlands.
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Comment on Why the renovation of US Federal Reserve headquarters costs $2.5 billion in ~finance
EgoEimi LinkApple's spaceship HQ is much larger, has extensive underground infrastructure, uses ultra-high-end materials, and was built in an ultra HCOL with very high construction costs, and it cost just...Apple's spaceship HQ is much larger, has extensive underground infrastructure, uses ultra-high-end materials, and was built in an ultra HCOL with very high construction costs, and it cost just $5bn.
I think sometimes it's just more efficient to tear a building down and build something new.
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Comment on Amazon Pharmacy starts offering Novo Nordisk's Wegovy weight-loss pill in ~health
EgoEimi Link Parent$150 breaks down to a (coffee shop) coffee a day, which is pretty good for a drug that can improve quality of life and life expectancy to a life-altering degree.$150 breaks down to a (coffee shop) coffee a day, which is pretty good for a drug that can improve quality of life and life expectancy to a life-altering degree.
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Comment on US households using Ozempic spend less on groceries in ~health
EgoEimi Link ParentInitially when it was released there was a huge shortage (due to overwhelming demand), but now competitors have emerged and production capacity has exploded, so prices have been cratering.Initially when it was released there was a huge shortage (due to overwhelming demand), but now competitors have emerged and production capacity has exploded, so prices have been cratering.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentI think anyone who spends enough time in progressive spaces knows that those spaces, like any other space, can have their own share of bullies, sociopaths, and narcissists. And people in...As an extreme example, I'd prefer a kind grandma that uses (what I'd consider) slurs over a cruel bully that speaks politely.
I think anyone who spends enough time in progressive spaces knows that those spaces, like any other space, can have their own share of bullies, sociopaths, and narcissists.
And people in progressive spaces aren't immune to groupthink and misinformation. People across the spectrum fall into the trap of thinking that if they're on the right side then they're thinking the right thoughts.
It's necessary and healthy for a democratic society and its various sub-societies and factions to self-critique.
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Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk
EgoEimi (edited )Link ParentFrom inside sources, I heard that they worked extremely hard to make AirPods repairable and recyclable. Like, they spent years and burnt out many TPMs before throwing in the towel. I also disagree...The only product in Apple’s lineup that I think planned obsolescence is a problem is their AirPods, which lies entirely in their non-replaceable micro-batteries.
From inside sources, I heard that they worked extremely hard to make AirPods repairable and recyclable. Like, they spent years and burnt out many TPMs before throwing in the towel.
I also disagree with @OBLIVIATOR's assertion that Apple is some e-waste villain. I know through friends that Apple takes recycling extremely seriously and throws real corporate weight into it. It's not just marketing. They have whole teams dedicated to building full recycling supply chains and entire new technologies and equipment to recycle their products. They throw huge corporate resources behind their sustainability efforts, and the executive leadership cares and checks in and holds the teams accountable — so it's not some forgotten department relegated to a back room. It's actually central.
They really do lead the industry in sustainability.
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Comment on What’s a point that you think many people missed? in ~talk
EgoEimi Link ParentIt's crazy how financially illiterate people are. And charitable deductions. I often read and hear people say that wealthy people donate to avoid taxes. They're certainly donating because they...It's crazy how financially illiterate people are.
Similar thoughts to "tax write-offs", which many people think somehow means the government pays you for the entire value of the thing you're writing off.
And charitable deductions. I often read and hear people say that wealthy people donate to avoid taxes. They're certainly donating because they believe in the cause or out of vanity (or likely some combination of both), but they're absolutely not getting ahead financially through philanthropy.
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Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk
EgoEimi LinkRobert McNeel & Associates are a private, employee-owned software company behind Rhino 3D, one of the most powerful CAD software out there. Its scripting add-on, Grasshopper, is used by all the...Robert McNeel & Associates are a private, employee-owned software company behind Rhino 3D, one of the most powerful CAD software out there. Its scripting add-on, Grasshopper, is used by all the avant garde architecture to create those alien spaceship-looking building designs you see out there.
They're a quiet, unsexy firm and have been developing and refining Rhino 3D for over 30 years. Their software license is expensive ($1000 a seat) but once you buy it it's yours, and their customer support is great (US-based and speak English).
Quality is out there, but you've got to pay for it.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentThere are some structural barriers: There are a lot of undocumented Asian immigrants. It's not in the public consciousness: when the public thinks of undocumented immigrants, they think of...There are some structural barriers:
- There are a lot of undocumented Asian immigrants. It's not in the public consciousness: when the public thinks of undocumented immigrants, they think of immigrants from Latin America. They have access to fewer government resources, formal employment, etc.
- Language barriers. The linguistic distance between English and Spanish is much shorter than it is between English and Mandarin/Canatonese/(insert Chinese dialect)/Vietnamese/Thai/Tagalog. Asian immigrants struggle to learn English, and that makes it hard for them to access government and legal resources, employment outside of the Asian community, etc.
- Intergenerational PTSD. There's significant war trauma in Asian refugee communities (Vietnamese, Laotian).
For example, the Hmong American community came here as refugees (the US did a little shadow war in Laos, oops) and is marked by a high poverty rate and low educational success (very high dropout rate, very low college degree attainment), which has resulted in high crime participation rates and Hmong gangs. But in our current framework, they'd be considered overprivileged Asians.
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentI don't think this action strengthens or weakens those, as those countries are doing what they want anything but are simply constrained by firepower, not by global adherence to international law....I don't think this action strengthens or weakens those, as those countries are doing what they want anything but are simply constrained by firepower, not by global adherence to international law.
Russia tried to pull off a decapitation strike but failed, and it's still continuing its invasion in defiance of international outrage.
China doesn't have the capability to invade Taiwan (yet) due to various factors:
- US and Japan will intervene militarily
- Taiwan is extraordinarily important to the world economy. Advanced chips are far more precious than oil, which is an abundant commodity.
- Taiwan has a capable and advanced military armed by US and Europe. Invading Taiwan is too politically costly for China and could destabilize the CCP: tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of Chinese families will be outraged that their only child was killed or maimed in a vanity military project.
Israel has already been doing what it wants and it's clear that it doesn't care what the international community thinks.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentThis is often repeated but incorrect: most police forces in the US trace their origins to European police models (particularly British) which themselves have long histories since time immemorial...It is always worth pointing out that the history of police forces in the United States goes back, in many if not most places, to slave patrols.
This is often repeated but incorrect: most police forces in the US trace their origins to European police models (particularly British) which themselves have long histories since time immemorial when humans began forming polities and began differentiating between politically legitimate and illegitimate violence.
As soon as a law is laid down, the question of how a polity enforces that law (ultimately through monopoly of violence) is answered with some sort of police function.
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentVenezuela should be at the HDI level of Norway or UAE right now, but their own decisions have led them where they are now. And before anyone gets started on US sanctions: those kicked in after...Venezuela should be at the HDI level of Norway or UAE right now, but their own decisions have led them where they are now.
And before anyone gets started on US sanctions: those kicked in after Venezuela was already declining and targeted individuals. General sanctions didn't hit until Trump's first term.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentAnd theoretically it shouldn't even be municipalities' primary function to fund and provide jobs and housing either but to foster the environment for the private sector to create them. Crime is...There's this idea that if only we had good social services, good jobs, good housing, we would no longer have a crime problem. The problem is that solving those problems is very very hard, and the whole premise isn't even true to begin with.
And theoretically it shouldn't even be municipalities' primary function to fund and provide jobs and housing either but to foster the environment for the private sector to create them. Crime is one important dimension: it makes an area less desirable to do business.
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentThe BBC reports that. Cuba admitted that 32 Cuban military and intelligence officers died in the attack, many of whom were part of Maduro's close security detail. Which is curious: the dictator...The BBC reports that. Cuba admitted that 32 Cuban military and intelligence officers died in the attack, many of whom were part of Maduro's close security detail. Which is curious: the dictator cannot trust his own people to protect him?
Considering that Venezuela hs been sending oil to Cuba virtually for free, I suspect that Maduro was already partially captured before the Americans got to him.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentAdjacent: I've argued that lost in the affirmative action debate are underprivileged Asians. Asian Americans are significantly socioeconomically outperforming other groups, yes — but the...Adjacent: I've argued that lost in the affirmative action debate are underprivileged Asians. Asian Americans are significantly socioeconomically outperforming other groups, yes — but the distribution is very bimodal. There's a cohort of well-educated, professional class Asian Americans, but there's also a significant cohort of working-class Asian Americans: the ones who run Asian restaurants, nail salons, laundromats and dry cleaners, and so on. They are doubly hurt in that they lack privilege but then also get penalized for the privilege they are presumed to have. Their children are penalized in university admissions, and government social programs don't cater to them as much as they do for other PoC groups.
It's one factor why working-class Asian Americans lean Republican.
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentThe scarcity is not caused by the population size. It's caused by complete market failure, and poor economic policies and planning. A return to a free market economy would probably solve 50% of...The scarcity is not caused by the population size. It's caused by complete market failure, and poor economic policies and planning. A return to a free market economy would probably solve 50% of their problems. Their current price and currency controls have choked their private sector.
In a perverse way, deporting able-bodied, hard-working immigrants might actually benefit Venezuela's situation (at America's loss for losing such valuable people), as the most valuable members of Venezuelan society have fled a country where the minimum wage is $2 — a month. Most people there earn about $100~200 a month. A Venezuelan engineer can earn 20x+ in Mexico, or 80x+ in the United States.
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentIt really can’t get worse. 25% of the population has fled the country. There is almost nothing left: little food, no medicine, no safety, little electricity or safe drinking water, no education...It really can’t get worse. 25% of the population has fled the country. There is almost nothing left: little food, no medicine, no safety, little electricity or safe drinking water, no education (brain drain; the country’s academia has been hollowed out completely), no economic opportunity, no hope.
For comparison, the Irish Potato Famine caused Ireland’s population to also drop 25% through death and migration.
The jury's still out on this one.
Some cognitive scientists suspect that consciousness emerges from recursiveness, that is a system thinking about and narrating itself.
Consciousness and intelligence aren't necessarily coupled. For example, people can walk and accomplish complex tasks (like washing dishes) while asleep.
But for sure, there's nothing metaphysically or divinely special about humans, and it's inevitable that we build an intelligence that rivals or surpasses our own.