đĄ Selling Lemons (and more)
Selling Lemons
This is an essay I think everyone should read, front to back. Itâs about all the things we are living through right now, but itâs especially about work (and AI):
Iâm not sure hiring can ever be much more efficient, because neither side has reason to show themselves as they really are, warts and all. Idealistically, both would come straight; pragmatically, it is a game of chicken. Candidates polish rĂ©sumĂ©s and present curated versions of their abilities, listing outcomes and impact statistics with dubious accuracy and provenance. Companies do the same, putting culture and mission front and center while hiding systematic dysfunctions and looming existential risks. When neither side is forthcoming, youâre left with proxies: a famous logo on a resume, a polished culture deck.
Source: Selling Lemons â
ChatGPT Is Blowing Up Marriages as It Goads Spouses Into Divorce
Wild story:
Multiple people we spoke to for this story lamented feeling âganged up onâ as a partner used chatbot outputs against them during arguments or moments of marital crisis. One of these sources, a man whoâs now in the process of selling his home as he and his spouse barrel toward divorce, recounted feeling voiceless as his partner turned to ChatGPT to pathologize their relationship. âI was really hurt by the way [ChatGPT] was being used against me,â said the man, speaking through tears. âI felt like it was being leveraged⊠like, âI didnât feel great about whatever happened, and so I went to ChatGPT, and ChatGPT said that youâre not a supportive partner, and this is what a supporting partner would do.ââ
I think we have to realize that non-tech people donât have a good understanding of their sycophantic nature, so weâll see more an more examples like this.
Source: ChatGPT Is Blowing Up Marriages as It Goads Spouses Into Divorce â
Requiem for a Beam
This is a beautifully-written love letter to the CDâand I agree completely:
The commitment for the listener is lightâone press of the buttonâand the challenge for the artist is pleasantly tough. You have to make all the songs work in a row, and there is a very good chance the listener will hear the entire album. One long unbroken work is also like a stage play, which is what I knew best in high school. [âŠ] The CD still delights me and helps me frame the idea of a collected set of songs.
Source: Requiem for a Beam â
The illegible nature of software development talent
This resonates so hard. The tech industryâs obsession with LARPing roles in the public sphere has really hurt our ability to work with people who care and want to do the best work of their lives without silly distraction.
I think itâs unlikely the industry will get much better at identifying and evaluating candidates anytime soon. And so Iâm sure weâll continue to see posts about the importance of your LinkedIn profile, or your GitHub, or your passion project. But you neglect at your peril the engineers who are working nine-to-five days at boring companies.
Source: The illegible nature of software development talent â
The US Population Could Shrink in 2025, For the First Time Ever
Well, today I learned about the consequences of population decline:
The U.S. cannot grow through native-born fertility alone. As immigration collapses, the US population will stagnate and even shrink. Urban economics will buckle. Fields will go unharvested. Homes will go unbuilt. Sick Americans will go untreated. Life-saving medicines will go undiscovered. Many voters hated the era of record immigration. They might hate the era of record deportations even more.
Yes I know this sounds dire. But read the whole essay, Derek brings receipts.
Source: The US Population Could Shrink in 2025, For the First Time Ever â
Apple Musicâs hi-res audio is *still* standing in its own light
Man. Standing ovation to this quote. I just want to know!!!
Iâm not here to debate if the jump from lossy AAC to lossless ALAC is audible. Many people say they cannot hear the difference between the two (lucky them). Others say they can. Most importantly for any comments section, that second group is not seeking permission from the first group to stream losslessly. Apple Music supplies âLosslessâ and âHi-Res Losslessâ streams at no extra cost to the subscriber, and some listeners just want to know that their audio hasnât been lossy compressed along the way, even if theyâre not 100% sure they can always hear the benefits. Many of these same people already know that an albumâs mastering technique will impact its sound quality more than the delivery format.
Anyway. This article is your reminder that if youâre using AirPlay or Bluetooth with Apple Music youâre not getting lossless.
Source: Apple Musicâs hi-res audio is *still* standing in its own light â
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