DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER

The DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER probes a wide array of subjects from scientific skepticism, the interaction between class and taste, the rise of technology, to existential and philosophical questions. It intertwines critical analysis, historical perspectives, and personal insights to explore contemporary societal norms, technological impacts, and the nuances of human behavior.

Science and Skepticism Class and Society Technology and Its Impacts Existential and Philosophical Inquiry Personal Development and Behavior Historical Perspectives Education and Teaching Healthcare and Well-being Writing and Communication Evolutionary Biology

The hottest Substack posts of DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER

And their main takeaways

Everything is espionage: Things I learned researching Assange

807 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Espionage Julian Assange Presidents Extradition
  1. The US Espionage Act is defined very broadly and has been used over time in various ways to charge individuals with offenses related to obtaining or communicating information harmful to national defense.
  2. There is a history of government restraint in charging individuals with espionage, focusing mainly on actual spies, but recent administrations have expanded the use of the Act to charge whistleblowers and journalists.
  3. Julian Assange's case has raised questions about the constitutionality of the Espionage Act and the need for clarity in distinguishing between whistleblowing and espionage in the modern era.

Shorts for January

667 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
💾 History Military Ancient Greece Inventions Archaeology Medieval
  1. In Finland, support for joining NATO increased over the years, leading to eventual membership in 2023.
  2. Winston Churchill's father expressed disappointment and criticism towards him, revealing a strained relationship.
  3. The student protests in Paris in 1968 reflected a rejection of societal norms and an influence of Situationism.

What if you just bought everyone air purifiers?

295 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
🔬 Science Environmental health Philanthropy Public Health Cost Analysis
  1. Buying air purifiers for everyone could extend life expectancy, but at a high cost compared to other health interventions.
  2. The cost of buying air purifiers for random Americans to extend life expectancy is $32,899 per DALY, which is not as efficient as other healthcare interventions.
  3. Air purifiers may be a good health investment for individuals, but philanthropically, they are not as cost-effective as other interventions like malaria drugs.
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Grug on diet soda and autism

1227 implied HN points • 05 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Nutrition Research Science News Journalism
  1. Grug organizes ideas about diet soda and autism from news sources to consolidate important information.
  2. Correlation is easy to see but doesn't prove causation, and it's crucial to consider carefully in scientific studies.
  3. The news often emphasizes alarming claims based on research findings, even when the researchers themselves are more cautious.

The midwit home

416 HN points • 12 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Automation
  1. Smart homes can be complicated and require a lot of technical knowledge to set up and maintain.
  2. Simple, midwit solutions like remote-controlled outlets, motion-sensing bulbs, and mechanical outlet timers can make daily tasks easier and more convenient.
  3. Using basic power control for devices can offer a surprisingly effective and user-friendly home automation experience.

Historical analogies for large language models

885 implied HN points • 08 Dec 22
  1. Large language models can start off underwhelming, but eventually surpass human performance in writing.
  2. The relationship between large language models and human writers can be one of competition and collaboration.
  3. The impact of large language models on writing and other fields may lead to shifts in job roles and consumption patterns.

Your friend the language model

434 implied HN points • 03 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Language Models Training Data Fine-tuning
  1. Large language models are trained using advanced techniques, powerful hardware, and huge datasets.
  2. These models can generate text by predicting likely words and are trained on internet data, books, and Wikipedia.
  3. Language models can be specialized through fine-tuning and prompt engineering for specific tasks like answering questions or generating code.

Valid arguments with invalid conclusions

512 implied HN points • 01 Dec 22
  1. Mispronouncing a word can change the whole meaning of a sentence.
  2. Technical jargon doesn't always belong in everyday conversations.
  3. Questioning assumptions in statistics can lead to deeper insights.

The anxiety of the moderate

574 implied HN points • 29 Sep 22
  1. Moderation allows for better understanding of different perspectives from the right and left.
  2. The world is complex and nuanced, requiring a thoughtful and incremental approach to issues.
  3. Moderation can be a strategic tool for influencing change and addressing non-polarized but important issues.

Underrated reasons to be thankful II

186 HN points • 24 Nov 22
  1. Cyanobacteria 2 billion years ago led to the rise of eukaryotes that benefit us today.
  2. Refrigeration reduced stomach cancer deaths by 93% without intentional effort.
  3. Different materials like concrete and steel can work together to create durable structures.

Creative nonfiction training exercises

232 implied HN points • 04 Apr 22
  1. Focus on describing rather than arguing
  2. Embrace naked honesty over cleverness or creativity
  3. Say 'obvious' things because your reactions are unique

358 games of puzzle storm

139 implied HN points • 22 Aug 22
  1. Started playing puzzle storm a year ago, a short chess puzzle game for short breaks.
  2. Improved initially, but skill decayed with irregular play.
  3. Performance not linked to specific times of day or days of the week; hard to measure cognitive changes accurately.

Teaching is a slow process of becoming everything you hate

201 implied HN points • 11 Mar 22
  1. Assignments with precise instructions can stem from misinterpretations by a few students, leading to excessive clarifications by teachers.
  2. Grade boundaries create dilemmas for teachers, potentially leading to lack of flexibility in rounding grades.
  3. Policing cheating can be challenging for teachers due to diffuse negative impacts and may require using arcane methods to detect dishonesty.

You, your parents, and the hotness of who you marry

186 implied HN points • 21 Mar 22
  1. When looking for a partner to marry, people prioritize different qualities like intelligence, health, kindness, and attractiveness.
  2. There may be a difference in priorities between parents and children due to evolutionary reasons.
  3. The conflict between older and younger generations about mate selection could be due to small differences in incentives or wisdom that lead to significant disagreements.

Taste games

2 HN points • 15 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Taste Art Social Behavior Human nature
  1. Our tastes are influenced by our social context and cultural knowledge, often unconsciously driven by benefits and social hierarchy.
  2. People gravitate towards different types of games based on their mix of economic and cultural capital.
  3. Taste games, like the choices we make in food, fashion, and art, are deeply intertwined with social status, class, and unconscious influences.

Observations about writing and commenting on the internet

139 implied HN points • 14 Feb 22
  1. Human experience is vast and influences how writing is understood by different people.
  2. Criticism, though sometimes baffling, can be a valuable tool for improving writing.
  3. Listening to feedback and engaging with comments can lead to valuable insights and improvement.

Reasons and Persons: The case against the self

124 implied HN points • 01 Feb 22
  1. In scenarios that challenge personal identity, there may not be a clear distinction between whether one remains themselves or becomes someone else.
  2. Our perception of self and future selves can impact decisions and morality, especially in considering long-term consequences and justice.
  3. Accepting the idea that personal identity is not a fixed concept can offer liberation and a compassionate approach to navigating life and mortality.

Effective selfishness

139 implied HN points • 30 Nov 21
  1. We have many choices in modern life that impact our well-being, but making decisions isn't easy because evolution hasn't equipped us well for it.
  2. Effective altruism aims to link impact with good feelings, focusing on high-impact actions and personal contributions that can make a significant difference in various domains.
  3. Self-help advice often lacks quality due to long or confounded feedback loops, misinterpretation of science, and lack of clear priorities, creating challenges for personal improvement.

Plans you're not supposed to talk about

124 implied HN points • 14 Dec 21
  1. Make strategic plans in relationships for mutual commitment and support.
  2. Consider the consequences and implications before discussing ideas like geoengineering.
  3. Benefit from the positive aspects of religion without necessarily believing in everything.

Underrated reasons to be thankful

124 implied HN points • 25 Nov 21
  1. Our atmosphere is fortunate to not ignite in nuclear fission from hydrogen atoms
  2. Earth has avoided recent powerful solar flares that could disrupt systems globally
  3. Human instincts for social behavior enable large-scale cooperation and society as we know it

How to use analogies for good not evil

108 implied HN points • 24 Jan 22
  1. Analogies can be powerful tools for understanding complex ideas and saving effort in building mental models.
  2. Good analogies have significant shared structure between the two sides and help in grasping new concepts more easily.
  3. Imperfections in analogies are acceptable as long as the analogy provides valuable insight and aids comprehension.

Things you're doing but don't want to be doing

108 implied HN points • 10 Jan 22
  1. Find simple solutions to small but annoying problems in your daily life, like setting up a designated place for once-worn clothes.
  2. Recognize and address 'desire paths' in life where the easiest choice isn't the best one, by either paving the path, improving the intended path, or blocking the desire path.
  3. In situations where motivation is lacking, sometimes it's better to improve the intended path rather than try to change the desire path.

Why I don't believe in long-term thinking

77 implied HN points • 01 Apr 22
  1. Long-term thinking can be complex when considering future population and current impact.
  2. History shows incremental change may be more successful than grand future plans.
  3. Encouraging basic rational thinking may be more effective in addressing current issues.

Arguing without warning

77 implied HN points • 24 Mar 22
  1. It's important to participate in high-quality disagreement to challenge social norms and push for more thorough critiques.
  2. Criticism should focus on the idea rather than the person, and engaging in public arguments can be valuable for transparency and challenging ideas.
  3. Being receptive to criticism is vital for intellectual growth, and critiquing something is a form of compliment as it demonstrates the idea's significance.

Evolutionary outcomes reflect values you might not share

93 implied HN points • 23 Dec 21
  1. Genes associated with homosexuality can persist even if they don't directly benefit reproductive fitness.
  2. Cultural norms against homosexuality can also persist because they indirectly enhance reproductive fitness.
  3. Evolution doesn't necessarily create outcomes that align with what individuals may want or find morally right.

How many extra days of life do you get from taking statins?

93 implied HN points • 02 Dec 21
  1. Knowing the impact of advice with effect sizes is important
  2. Effect sizes for drugs like statins may provide a better understanding of benefits
  3. Taking statins could potentially increase your lifespan by more than just a few weeks

A visual summary of economic growth since the industrial revolution

62 implied HN points • 07 Mar 22
  1. Rich countries grow by innovating and utilizing capital effectively.
  2. Poorer countries can experience faster growth by adopting ideas from elsewhere.
  3. There is no clear trend showing that richer countries grow faster than poorer countries.

Is there a homelessness crisis?

77 implied HN points • 11 Nov 21
  1. Homelessness rates vary widely between states.
  2. Homelessness is increasing in some states while decreasing in others.
  3. There are different types of homelessness, with chronic and unsheltered homelessness increasing in certain places.

The conspiratorial Monty Hall problem

62 implied HN points • 16 Feb 22
  1. The Monty Hall problem involves choosing doors to win a prize.
  2. In a variant with a corrupt Monty, strategizing becomes more complex.
  3. Despite the challenge, switching doors remains the optimal strategy.