Spring, with peas, asparagus, and whispers of fruit. Colors returning to leaves and the sun pointing its nose. The storms of winter, rain, and snow, already a memory. Only wind remains, and the watchful cloud.
\nWhat shapes human performance? In a sprawling meta-review, researchers have found that early (youth) exceptional performance is not directly linked to later (older) exceptional performance. Youth performance is associated with an obsession on a particular discipline whereas in older adults, it is multi-disciplinary approaches that lead to above-average stuff. However, the youths that gradually bloom and focus on different disciplines are the ones who exhibit the best results, whether it be in chess, music, science or sports — science.org
\nDyslexia fonts are a scam. You may already have seen these fonts, which exaggerate a font’s letterforms (see an example image here). This misconception is based on the idea that dyslexia stems from a visual processing issue, where people have a hard time differentiating between similar-looking letters like b or d. However, the research shows that dyslexia comes from identifying discrete units of sound that make up words and matching to the letters and combinations of letters in order to read and spell. So the fonts are targeting a symptom of the problem, but not the cause — edutopia.org
\nWill AI wealth infinitely feed economic inequality? In his 2013 book, Thomas Piketty stated inequality would increase indefinitely bar external shocks or strong redistribution. Rebuttals would posit that capital needs labor to reap further profits. If people cannot afford goods and services, the productivity of capital would decrease and inequality would go down again. However, in a world of automated white-collar work, AI will make capital a true substitute of labor, making Piketty’s prediction more correct — philiptrammell.substack.com
\nGoogle Maps is a market maker. Some see it as a mere platform reflecting consumer preferences when in fact, it is shaping supply and demand. We think of Google Maps as neutral: more reviews with better stars equals better food. But the platform does not work like that, as was discovered by Lauren Leek when she was looking for a place to go to. Google acknowledges that three signals underpin the algorithmic logic: relevance, distance, and prominence. The first two are straightforward. Relevance matches results to the customer’s query and distance is a spatial metric. Prominence is where it gets funky. Google defines it as an aggregate of signals such as review volume, review velocity, average rating, brand recognition, and broader web visibility. Like capital in financial markets, early visibility begets sustained traffic. This disproportionately rewards chains and central-location venues. This logic hinders any chance of discovering a “hidden gem” — laurenleek.substack.com
\nResearchers built an AI model capable of predicting illness from one night of sleep. Sleep is one of the fundamental pillars of health, as we all well know, along with nutrition and exercise. We have also all been somehow reluctant to take it seriously. Recent developments in deep learning technology has enabled scientists to create an artificial intelligence model capable of detecting numerous disorders from one night of polysomnography-measured (PSG) sleep. This is when they put some sensors and cables on your body while you sleep in a lab. This model was trained on huge amounts of intricately-measured sleep. And we know that sleep disturbances precede the clinical appearance of psychiatric, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular disorders. The code is open source, so you just have to sleep in a lab to get your PSG data. As I have reached the sanctified age of 33, any information as to how to improve my sleep is read carefully, like a child reading the back of the cereal box in the days of yore — nature.com
\nAs the cost of writing software goes to zero, taste becomes the last human barrier. Tools like Claude Code and Codex are evaporating the skill barrier that was preventing people like you and me to write programs, apps, and whatnot. The thing is that these models, because of inherent limitations produce a lot more code than the strict minimum. Yes, they code but they are not efficient—despite their tirelessness, they still cannot make excellent design decisions. They add cruft and scope creep. This may well change soon, but this is the current reality. The humans steering them are unable to resist adding more and more features. This creates complexity and codebases that are cumbersome to maintain. Open-source projects are currently overloaded by PRs with thousands of lines of code as enthusiasts want to contribute. Humans are still needed. To exercise judgment, intent, and restraint, three components of taste. Software engineers realize that design was a true craft. When the cost of production goes to zero it is the uncompromising minds that may well rise above the herd — wesmckinney.com
\nIndex and search your entire Gmail history locally with msgvault — github.com
\nJakarta is the world’s most populous city with 42 million inhabitants. Followed by Dhaka with 40 million and Tokyo with 33 million. This is according to the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 45% of the world’s population live in cities, which is double the level of 1950. In 2050, about 70% of the population will live in an urban setting — un.org
\nWhy does coffee make you poop? An explanation from one of the bean’s greatest YouTuber — youtube.com
\nA list of tips for rethinking your career. If you are not the one designing it, someone else will — gregmckeown.com!
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