The hottest Intelligence Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

How To Identify A Good Programmer

Morad’s Substack • 7 HN points • 24 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Programming Learning Intelligence Experience
  1. Passion is a key indicator of a good programmer - they should be enthusiastic about programming, even outside of work.
  2. Good programmers love learning and are self-teaching, constantly exploring new technologies without needing formal training.
  3. Intelligence is crucial for a good programmer - they are smart, have various interests, and usually start programming before university or formal education.

Global Britain and King Charles’ Great Reset

Matt Ehret's Insights • 1493 implied HN points • 08 May 23
🌍 World Politics Monarchy Colonialism Globalism Intelligence Nazism
  1. Global Britain exerts vast control over African mining concessions with over $1 trillion worth of resources controlled by British companies.
  2. The City of London is the nerve center of world finance, running trillions in corrupt practices globally via offshore tax havens.
  3. British intelligence, as the creator of the Five Eyes apparatus, has been tied to supporting terrorist groups and cultivating radical ideologies internationally.

RTF lecture invitation with Gordon McCormick - 1979: A Polarized Persia (Jan. 28 at 2pm ET)

Matt Ehret's Insights • 157 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics History Middle East Intelligence Revolution
  1. Live lecture on January 28 at 2pm Eastern Time with Gordon McCormick about Anglo-American intelligence in the Middle East and the 1979 Iranian revolution
  2. Presentation will focus on the historical influence of Anglo-American intelligence in Iran
  3. Event organized by the Rising Tide Foundation and requires paid subscription to access
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Explaining Anomalous GCSE Results

Cremieux Recueil • 90 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🚌 Education Testing Intelligence Bias
  1. Some Black African students in the UK perform better on GCSE exams than on IQ tests, leading to a puzzle that is not easily explained by sampling differences.
  2. The discrepancy between GCSE performance and general intelligence indicates that GCSEs may be biased indicators of intelligence, favoring certain groups over others.
  3. Psychometric bias might explain why Black Africans in the UK excel in GCSEs despite IQ tests suggesting otherwise, highlighting the presence of biases in assessment methods.

Did German domestic intelligence services collaborate with Correctiv journalists to smear Alternative für Deutschland and incite the current wave of protests "against the right"?

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 137 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Intelligence Media Protests Government Activism
  1. There are suspicions of collaboration between German domestic intelligence and Correctiv journalists to incite protests against the right.
  2. Correctiv, a non-profit funded by left-leaning entities, published a questionable exposé that sparked controversy.
  3. The events raise concerns about political manipulation and staged protests orchestrated by major parties.

THE SEALS AND THE DHOW

Seymour Hersh • 94 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Military Intelligence Middle East Conflict
  1. A Navy SEAL mission in the Gulf of Aden went wrong, resulting in two deaths and one critical injury due to a risky boarding attempt on a dhow suspected of carrying weaponry.
  2. The decision to proceed with the mission in rough seas, despite safety concerns, led to tragedy and prompted questions about the reasoning behind it.
  3. The outcome of the mission revealed outdated cargo not matching the initial intelligence, sparking criticism and calls for accountability within the SEAL community.

Leaked Pentagon Document Claims Russian Hacktivists Breached Canadian Gas Pipeline Company

Zero Day • 1259 implied HN points • 09 Apr 23
🌍 World Politics Intelligence Military Defense Conflict
  1. A leaked Pentagon document suggests Russian hacktivists breached a Canadian gas pipeline company, with the ability to cause an explosion and instructions from the FSB.
  2. The hackers claimed to have caused damage to the Canadian facility, including increasing valve pressure and disabling alarms, aiming to impact income, not cause loss of life.
  3. US authorities are investigating the authenticity of the leak, which included several documents about Russia's war plans and intelligence on various countries.

Sunday Brunch for March 17

Xavi Benjamin • 39 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legislation Elections Government Intelligence Healthcare
  1. The TikTok ban poses serious concerns about government overreach and its impact on freedom of speech and internet control.
  2. There is a need for transparency and discussion about fast-tracked bills that could affect the American people, especially in areas like universal healthcare.
  3. Being informed about potential government actions and their implications is crucial for advocating for policies that align with individual beliefs and values.

On Programming Purpose: Part 1

Robot Bible • 1 HN point • 05 May 24
🕹 Technology Language AI Programming Intelligence Robots
  1. Human language has evolved in a full circle, starting from symbols to pictures and now back to pictures used in programming, indicating the importance of symbols in communication.
  2. The debate between Chomsky and Everett on language acquisition challenges the idea of a universal grammar and suggests that language is deeply influenced by culture.
  3. Developing true emergent intelligence in programs requires more than just increased computational power; it involves exploring mechanisms to control autonomous systems predictably.

Black Gold: The Smithsonian Connection

ᴋʟᴀᵾs • 825 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
🌍 World Politics Espionage Intelligence Finance Corruption Conspiracy
  1. Smithsonian Institution was involved in covert operations such as hidden military and intelligence programs, despite its public image as a museum.
  2. The Smithsonian faced Congressional investigation for financial misconduct, including converting public funds into private money and secretive financial accounts.
  3. The institution's past connections to intelligence networks and illicit activities suggest a deep entanglement in hidden finance and corrupted power structures.

Why the Turing Test is Not Enough

Insight Axis • 592 implied HN points • 06 Aug 23
🕹 Technology AI Philosophy Science Intelligence Testing
  1. The Turing Test is a thought experiment, not a formal test, and was proposed by Alan Turing to test machine intelligence
  2. Passing the Turing Test does not necessarily indicate true intelligence in AI, as it requires reasoning capabilities and explanatory capacity
  3. Artificial General Intelligence testing should involve multi-dimensional assessments beyond the Turing Test, covering various aspects like linguistic, spatial, and mathematical intelligence

What I Learned about how the U.S. Handled the Run-Up to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Drezner’s World • 845 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy Intelligence Sanctions National Security Geopolitics
  1. The U.S. believed Putin invaded Ukraine due to perceptions of Russian weakness, not U.S. weakness.
  2. Intelligence was used effectively by the Biden administration to persuade allies and delay Russia's invasion.
  3. Biden officials concluded that pre-emptive sanctions wouldn't have deterred Russia and focused on seizing oligarchs' assets to highlight corruption.

THE GENERAL WHO WOULD NOT BE SILENCED

Seymour Hersh • 48 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Military Intelligence Cold War Foreign Relations
  1. James C. Pfautz had a successful military career, flying combat missions in Vietnam and holding high-ranking positions in Air Force intelligence.
  2. Pfautz was known to push his staff hard, aiming for excellence in the intelligence work they produced.
  3. An intriguing story revolves around the 1983 shootdown of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 by a Soviet pilot, highlighting the critical question of whether the pilot knew he was targeting a commercial airliner.

A Senator, A University and...CIA Farmboys?

The Hunt for Tom Clancy • 412 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
🌍 World Politics Espionage CIA Intelligence Government
  1. The story involves spies, cops, suspected drug dealing, and time in jail at a place called Camp Peary.
  2. CIA operations officers are trained at Camp Peary, also known as 'The Farm', adopting pseudonyms for their careers.
  3. An incident with a CIA instructor and student during a simulated agent meet at a university is shared, but the full details are available for paid subscribers only.

AI Safety: A Technical & Ethnographic Overview

jonstokes.com • 391 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Research Models Intelligence
  1. The AI safety debate involves technical details about AI systems like GPT-4 and cultural dynamics around the issue.
  2. The discussion includes concerns about regulating and measuring AI capabilities, as well as the divisions and allegiances within different groups.
  3. Some groups, like the Intelligence Deniers, have strong beliefs about AI being a scam and hold firm against AI progress, leading to potential divisions among AI safety proponents.

As Israel Reels From Mass Deaths and a Seeming Intel Failure, Evidence Mounts of Negligence By Netanyahu—Or Maybe Something More Sinister

Proof • 136 implied HN points • 09 Oct 23
🌍 World Politics Israel Intelligence Conflict Autocracy
  1. Israel's intelligence services failed to foresee a massive invasion, leading to questions about negligence by Netanyahu.
  2. Netanyahu's political maneuvers and focus on the West Bank may have distracted from potential threats in Gaza.
  3. Netanyahu's actions before and during the crisis raise concerns about his motivations and willingness to create or allow a crisis to benefit his political agenda.

Are We Getting Dumber?

Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology • 31 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🔬 Science Intelligence Fertility Genetics Psychology Data Analysis
  1. There is a negative correlation between IQ and fertility across the world, suggesting a decline in intelligence over time.
  2. More developed countries show a weaker decline in intelligence compared to less developed nations.
  3. Embryo selection for intelligence could potentially offset the decline in intelligence, especially in wealthier countries.

EQ > IQ

Vectors of Mind • 176 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🔬 Science Intelligence Evolution Psychometrics Language Genetics
  1. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is argued to be more fundamental to human evolution and the 'Good Life' than Intelligence Quotient (IQ), despite being harder to measure.
  2. Traits exist both as idealized forms and measurable approximations through psychological instruments like surveys, but the accuracy of these measurements is limited.
  3. The General Factor of Personality (GFP) is emphasized as a more fundamental concept than the general factor of intelligence (g), with language reflecting its importance and complexity.