Links - May 2nd, 2016
- The Case Against Reality Amanda Gefter - The Atlantic
I have linked to Hoffman’s work before, and encouraged some of my friends to read his research. I think Gefter did a great job with this interview.
- The Feed Is Dying Casey Johnston - New York Magazine
- You play like you practice Jason Fried - Signal v. Noise
- Why is Amazon all of a sudden not re-investing all its profits? Marcel Weiß - Early Moves
- Neural Networks Are Impressively Good At Compression Probably Dance
A good explanation of neural networks by example. It is amazing how quickly the toy problem of learning a couple of weights, basic high school math, becomes untractable.
- Do Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently? Umer Mansoor - Code Ahoy
- How does knowledge get locked up in people's heads? Julia Evans
Reminded me of Cesar Hidalgo’s book, Why Information Grows. At some point info HAS to be spread out across brains in the organization.
- On the (Small) Number of Atoms in the Universe Peter Norvig
- What Will Come After Payday Lending? Bethany McLean - The Atlantic
- Handcuffed to Uber Connie Loizos - TechCrunch
Most of modern economics is based on the idea that people make decisions with a clear understanding of the consequences. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Whether we’re talking of switching to a new job, moving to a different state, picking an insurance plan or making a donation, there are always economic consequences that people don’t understand. The complexity of our world, some of it designed, some of it emergent, makes rational decision-making almost impossible. These Uber employees were definitely not aware of how big of an issue this policy would be years after they joined the company. (For more on the topic, take a look at Zach Holman’s post.)
