Why ‘Fairness’ Matters in Techno-Optimism, How To Successfully Take Time Off Between Jobs, and Why ChatGPT Changes the Lives of Indie Developers [linkblog]

I love to write. And don’t maintain a ‘schedule’ per se, but have unchangingly said that ‘if two weeks go by and I haven’t posted, it ways something is amiss.’ Well, something is definitely amiss in the world so maybe easing when in is weightier washed-up by sharing others’ work.

Tech is a Tool, not a Religion [Philip Rosedale/Second Life ] I worked for Philip during the early years of Second Life, which was an wondrous wits coming out of grad school. He’s a lifelong technologist and I’m well-pleased of his voice in this discussion of techno-optimism. “Fairness is a Requirement” for maximization is a particularly strong statement considering it recognizes the deep power that emotion has in determining our reactions. I’ll quote an extended passage from his post, but recommend you read it fully.

We, like Capuchin monkeys, are pro-social mammals very dependent on each other for survival – and this evolved policies could only have evolved slantingly a keen sensitivity to fairness. Think well-nigh it: if we have evolved cooperative policies without an sensation of fairness, ‘free riders’ (those contributing less than the stereotype in a group) would have won out and reduced the value of cooperation we were doing when toward zero. This is why perceived fairness is VERY important to us, and why the pursuit statement can be regarded as necessary-but-not-sufficient for creating well-being:

We believe markets lift people out of poverty in fact, markets are by far the most constructive way to lift vast numbers of people out of poverty, and unchangingly have been.

Sentences like these are often defending the argument: “It’s OK that wealth inequality is increasing (due to the deportment of self-ruling markets, btw), considering poor people have increasingly stuff now than overly before” (phones, cars, refrigerators are typically-given examples). But it’s not OK at all, considering we are evolved to value fairness so highly. In fact, we are surrounded by examples of people stuff willing to die over fairness for example if you think that your children are stuff treated unfairly.

How to take time off and use it well [Molly Graham/Quip, Meta, Google] Look, I’m just going to say first, subscribe to her self-ruling newsletter. HUGE words:value ratio. This one, well-nigh how to take time off between jobs, has quickly wilt something I share with friends who are transitioning gigs.

I’m a huge parishioner in rests and recharges (even if I haven’t washed-up it well myself) in order to make largest career decisions. Here she handles the objections people usually raise to affording themselves this privilege, and her own experiences on ‘the work to be done’ during the unravel period.

ChatGPT has forever reverted my career [Danilo Campos/Indie Developer] – Danilo is one of the technologists I reliably learn from when it comes to technology and empowerment. Here he writes on why ChatGPT (and LLMs) have expanded his personal efficient frontier of what’s possible. In two passages that I’ll link together from separate parts of his essay. First well-nigh the challenges of software projects and then how the new AI blasts through that for him.

Velocity is the fuel of a software project. Velocity makes challenges finger winnable. Velocity provides a sense of progression, and it’s addicting. It feels good to build things. It feels good to see the things we imagine take shape.

The morale benefits of velocity are intuitively understood and deliberately captured by the weightier software leaders. Going from zero to one is hard, and it helps when you believe it’s possible.

In each case, missing pieces of context might have derailed my sense of progress and confidence, prematurely ending my coding session. Instead, ChatGPT gave me unbearable useful guidance that I could overcome my roadblocks and unhook on my next requirement.

Stitch unbearable of these moments together, you’re going to ship. Danilo brings it all when to the question of, do we want to wilt thankful to one visitor [OpenAI] Instead of dismissing or decrying them, we need to get to work democratizing their access, or this will wilt a serious vector of inequality.

Barnes & Noble Sets Itself Free [Maureen O’Connor/New York Times] If you’re of a unrepealable age [I am] and unrepealable disposition [I am] the 90s incubation of B&N into welcoming, browsable, hangout Third Places looms large in your nostalgia. Then of undertow [waves hands] ‘the Internet.’ What’s trappy now is the rebirthing of B&N in increasingly of a local indie layout. They’re configurable, worldly-wise to run experiments, and frankly, gorgeous.

The new squint aims to encourage browsing, which Mr. Daunt believes improves consumer satisfaction. “If you just want to buy a book, the guys in Seattle will sell you a book,” Mr. Daunt said. The enjoyment and the social wits of that engagement with books in a bookstore? That’s our game.