Link post
Build Nuclear Now, a new policy campaign to enable advanced nuclear reactors (h/t @atrembath). Related, the NRC has (finally) approved the design for NuScale’s small modular reactor (via @NRCgov)
A new online PhD-level course in the economics of innovation from the Institute for Progress (via @calebwatney)
DeepMind has released structures for almost every known protein (200M+) (h/t @pushmeet)
Brad Harris’s podcast series “How it Began” available for only $15.00 through Aug 31 using promo code “humanprogress” (h/t @tonymmorley)
Convergent Research is hiring (via @AdamMarblestone who says they need “exceptional people with the right mix of ‘crazy’ and ‘grounded’”)
The Long Now Foundation is seeking a full-time Chief of Operations (via @zander)
The Wonder World of Chemistry, a DuPont promotional film from 1936. Also, The Fourth Kingdom: The Story of Bakelite Resinoid (1942). (Highlights in this short thread)
Arnold Kling on GDP as a measure of economic activity, plus a followup on what GDP is and is not (a measure of well-being or even of production).
Isochronic maps showing how far a 5-hour train ride will take you from any city in Europe (h/t @_benjamintd)
Casey Handmer’s plan to refill the Colorado River from the Pacific (h/t @natfriedman)
Lant Pritchett attempts to explain the scarcity of rigorous evaluations of public policy (h/t @michael_nielsen)
Accountability in Florida for permitting delays (Washington Post). Related, the average San Francisco project takes nearly four years to be permitted (The Atlantic, h/t @DKThomp). Also, a thread from @itsahousingtrap on the irrationality of the housing planning process
What are the best movies about progress? (@MoritzW42)
Why are we seeing a shift towards older people across a broad variety of roles?
How is the LHC not an absolute disaster? (@albrgr)
Is there a Thiel Fellowship type program for PhD candidates to bail out of academia? (@tayroga)
Intriguing take: the quantitative spirit of science originated in capitalism?
A new philosophy of the future is needed (@elonmusk)
Problem-solvers vs. problem-sellers (@BoyanSlat)
Environmentalists should closely examine how Sri Lanka’s “organic“ policy played out (@stewartbrand)
Will people in 2122 be even more astonished at our quality of life than we are looking back at people 1000 years ago? (@sama)
Manchin, Biden, Schumer, and Pelosi have agreed to permitting reforms (@AlecStapp)
Progress links and tweets, 2022-08-02
Link post
Announcements
Build Nuclear Now, a new policy campaign to enable advanced nuclear reactors (h/t @atrembath). Related, the NRC has (finally) approved the design for NuScale’s small modular reactor (via @NRCgov)
A new online PhD-level course in the economics of innovation from the Institute for Progress (via @calebwatney)
DeepMind has released structures for almost every known protein (200M+) (h/t @pushmeet)
Brad Harris’s podcast series “How it Began” available for only $15.00 through Aug 31 using promo code “humanprogress” (h/t @tonymmorley)
Opportunities
Convergent Research is hiring (via @AdamMarblestone who says they need “exceptional people with the right mix of ‘crazy’ and ‘grounded’”)
The Long Now Foundation is seeking a full-time Chief of Operations (via @zander)
Links
The Wonder World of Chemistry, a DuPont promotional film from 1936. Also, The Fourth Kingdom: The Story of Bakelite Resinoid (1942). (Highlights in this short thread)
Arnold Kling on GDP as a measure of economic activity, plus a followup on what GDP is and is not (a measure of well-being or even of production).
Isochronic maps showing how far a 5-hour train ride will take you from any city in Europe (h/t @_benjamintd)
Casey Handmer’s plan to refill the Colorado River from the Pacific (h/t @natfriedman)
Lant Pritchett attempts to explain the scarcity of rigorous evaluations of public policy (h/t @michael_nielsen)
Accountability in Florida for permitting delays (Washington Post). Related, the average San Francisco project takes nearly four years to be permitted (The Atlantic, h/t @DKThomp). Also, a thread from @itsahousingtrap on the irrationality of the housing planning process
Queries
What are the best movies about progress? (@MoritzW42)
Why are we seeing a shift towards older people across a broad variety of roles?
How is the LHC not an absolute disaster? (@albrgr)
Is there a Thiel Fellowship type program for PhD candidates to bail out of academia? (@tayroga)
Quotes
Intriguing take: the quantitative spirit of science originated in capitalism?
Retweets
A new philosophy of the future is needed (@elonmusk)
Problem-solvers vs. problem-sellers (@BoyanSlat)
Environmentalists should closely examine how Sri Lanka’s “organic“ policy played out (@stewartbrand)
Will people in 2122 be even more astonished at our quality of life than we are looking back at people 1000 years ago? (@sama)
Manchin, Biden, Schumer, and Pelosi have agreed to permitting reforms (@AlecStapp)