The hottest Information Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Information as Public Good

Something to Consider • 39 implied HN points • 13 Feb 22
📖 Philosophy Information
  1. Information is a public good, meaning it spreads easily and people who discover new facts often don't get rewarded for their efforts. This can lead to less investment in finding important information.
  2. One idea to fix this is to allow people to be paid for revealing bad information, even if it sounds like blackmail. By doing this, we might prevent bad behavior from companies or individuals because they would pay to keep wrongdoings secret.
  3. Legalizing this kind of 'blackmail' could actually help society by making people more open about wrongdoing and allowing for better accountability. It could also adjust how we punish people based on what's really important to the public.

Tyler Cowen is an Information Monster

Never Met a Science • 44 implied HN points • 23 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Information
  1. Tyler Cowen is viewed as an information monster due to his exceptional capacity to process vast amounts of information and his focus on information density in media.
  2. Cowen's ideologies and arguments should be understood in the context of his information consumption habits, which prioritize speed and quantity over control and deliberation.
  3. There is a debate on whether society should prioritize consuming more information at a faster pace, as emphasized by Cowen, or slowing down to regain control and promote thoughtful decision-making.

Rabbit Holes 🕳️ #68

Creative Destruction • 28 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Information
  1. In today's age of information overload, our curiosity now distracts us, leading to intellectual obesity in the form of a flood of low-quality 'junk info'. This 'junk info' is like fast food for thought - cheap to produce, satisfying to consume, but low in nutrition.
  2. The sustainability movement needs to focus on internal sustainability, not just external factors like ecosystems and technology. Our mind plays a crucial role in the climate crisis as it determines our relationships with ourselves, others, and nature.
  3. Immediacy, or the collapse of mediation, is a powerful and destructive driver in the modern world. It eliminates the middle ground of reflection and personal connection, affecting how we perceive and engage with information and culture.

Audio version of Letters from an American

Letters from an American • 10 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🎙 Podcasts Information
  1. Audio versions of 'Letters from an American' by Heather Cox Richardson are now available after years of requests.
  2. The audio versions will be free and accessible on Substack, Apple Podcast Channel, and other platforms.
  3. This initiative will be tested for three weeks, aiming to provide solid information leading up to the election.

My God, It's Full of Stars

Kiernan • 2 HN points • 27 May 23
🕹 Technology Information
  1. Developments in AI are like the industrial revolution but for information
  2. ChatGPT's mechanism involves comparing concepts, prompt-response pairs, and reinforcement learning
  3. LLMs are part of an 'informational revolution' that simplifies working with large amounts of data
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On News-fasting

Charles Eisenstein • 3 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Information
  1. Taking a break from news can help clear your mind and reduce stress. It's important to focus on what really matters to you instead of getting overwhelmed by constant updates.
  2. Artificial intelligence is a significant technology that's changing our world. Understanding its impacts is crucial as we navigate through its early developments.
  3. Long-form writing can be challenging to share on platforms like Substack. It's sometimes better to break up big ideas into smaller pieces for clearer communication.

Basso Continuo & Internet Search

Crossfade • 1 HN point • 24 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Information
  1. AI is portrayed dramatically in media and technology, without reflecting reality.
  2. Internet search is where people first encounter AI in daily life, impacting how we access information.
  3. Transition from Baroque to Classical music notation can provide insights into the evolution of systems like internet search and AI, suggesting a focus on approximations rather than definitive answers.

VOL 57: From Gutenberg to Google: How the Printing Press Shaped the Digital Age

MAP's Tech Newsletter. • 4 implied HN points • 18 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Information
  1. The printing press revolutionized access to knowledge by making books more affordable and paved the way for the development of the Internet.
  2. Both the printing press and the Internet facilitated rapid spread of information and decentralized gatekeeping, impacting society in unforeseen ways.
  3. The impact of innovations like the printing press and the Internet on society is closely related to the speed and scale of communication they enable, influencing human technology and knowledge sharing.

Attention Ecology

Soaring Twenties • 2 HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Information
  1. In the past, people had to carefully choose and condense information before sharing it, but with modern technology, we share vast amounts instantly without prior filtration.
  2. Today, we are bombarded with excessive information and have become indiscriminate in our sharing and consumption, prioritizing novelty over importance.
  3. Our current habits of constant information consumption resemble addiction, leading to information overload and a need to reevaluate our relationship with information for meaningful use.

Youtube Rules

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 2 implied HN points • 11 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Information
  1. Before the Internet, finding manuals or experts for device repairs was difficult.
  2. YouTube now offers a vast array of free tutorials and fix demonstrations for device problems.
  3. YouTube has revolutionized the way people seek maintenance information.

Dark Data; Thoughtful Friday #27

Three Data Point Thursday • 0 implied HN points • 17 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Information
  1. Dark data is information collected but not utilized, similar to dark matter in the universe.
  2. There are 6 categories of data, including what is used, not used but should be, and should be collected but isn't.
  3. Having unique data, especially dark data, can provide a competitive advantage and is valuable for a company.

Tomato Flu!

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 24 Aug 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Information
  1. Tomato Flu is a new virus in Kerala, India, affecting children under 5. It shows similar symptoms to COVID-19 but isn't connected to it.
  2. As of July, 82 cases of Tomato Flu were reported in Kerala. It's believed to spread through close contact.
  3. Experts believe Tomato Flu is self-limiting and not a significant concern. It's a trending topic but may not require immediate action.

Taking variants seriously

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 26 Apr 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Information
  1. Variants of the virus have higher reproduction numbers and spread more effectively in certain environments, posing a significant threat.
  2. Considering variants as new viruses could prompt more focused and proactive measures like containment and targeted testing and vaccination.
  3. Efforts to combat new variants require heightened focus on genomic testing, international collaboration, and strategic allocation of resources to areas where variants are emerging.

How many vaccine doses do you need?

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 18 Nov 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Information
  1. Vaccine dosages are crucial - receiving two doses is necessary to ensure proper immune response and protection for individuals.
  2. Timing of vaccine doses is important - while sticking to the recommended schedule is ideal, there is some flexibility in providing the second dose within a reasonable timeframe.
  3. Good information infrastructure is essential - reliable systems are needed to track who received which vaccine doses and when to ensure effective vaccination management.

Test Week: The Information Gap

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 17 Aug 20
🔬 Science Information
  1. Testing for a virus like Covid-19 helps solve the information problem for pandemics, potentially saving costs and impacting decisions like diagnosis, clearance, surveillance, and mitigation.
  2. The effectiveness of tests relies on the prevalence of the virus in the population; when prevalence is low, test results can be noisier and less useful.
  3. Contact tracing complements testing by providing additional information, especially in increasing the value of imperfect tests by identifying those more likely to be infected.

Learn Together

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 29 Mar 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Information
  1. The author plans to cover essential information about the coronavirus throughout the week in a virtual class.
  2. The author's patients and readers are seeking answers and information about the unfolding situation with the virus.
  3. The post suggests that learning together and sharing knowledge is important during this challenging time.

Physics of intention and action

Space chimp life • 0 implied HN points • 26 Apr 23
🔬 Science Information
  1. Thought needs to have some effect on the world to be useful. If it doesn't change anything, we can't test or notice it.
  2. Actions often require more energy than the intention behind them. Like how a tiny joystick can move a heavy crane, we need stored energy to make big movements happen.
  3. The energy involved in our actions connects back through history. Every time we move, we are using energy that has been stored and transformed, showing how life's history influences what we do.

The danger of AI imposing reality by consensus

The Future of Life • 0 implied HN points • 26 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Information
  1. AI can change how we see reality by filtering information, making it hard to know what's true. It might replace our own observations with what it believes is true.
  2. When we're only getting information through AI tools, we risk seeing a version of reality shaped by consensus, not actual facts.
  3. Supporting different types of AI models can help keep our access to information diverse and prevent a single narrative from dominating.

AuthOmnibus Review

ciamweekly • 0 implied HN points • 30 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Information
  1. AuthOmnibus is a great resource for learning about identity management. It helps people who are new to the topic find useful information easily.
  2. The site is organized into different sections, making it easier to navigate and understand the material.
  3. Alex Ward, the author, is an independent software consultant who focuses on sharing knowledge in the identity space. He's approachable and open for questions.

Tucker Carlson Explains Why He Interviewed Putin: "Most Americans Are Not Informed... We're Here Because We Love The US"

Global Community Weekly (GloCom) • 0 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Information
  1. Tucker Carlson interviewed Putin because he believes most Americans are uninformed about global events.
  2. The corporate media fails to provide comprehensive coverage of international conflicts and important global figures.
  3. Carlson's motivation for the interview with Putin was driven by a desire to inform and protect the prosperity and freedom of the United States.

20250713

Curious futures (KGhosh) • 0 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Information
  1. AI can make tasks easier, but relying on it too much can weaken our thinking skills. We should find a balance between using technology and exercising our minds.
  2. People often feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available today. It's important to take breaks and have real discussions instead of just scrolling through feeds.
  3. Embracing different opinions and dissent can help us think more clearly. Conversations with others can bring new insights, counteracting the noise from technology.