rs.io rs.io like being punched in the brain Start Here All Articles Contact Books on probabilistic programming ml Thu, Oct 10, 2019 A list of intro-level books for learning a first probabilistic programming language. Fixing "FATAL:udev_loader.cc(38) Check failed: false." errors on NixOS code Wed, Oct 9, 2019 Electron apps on NixOS crash at the udev\_loader.cc check due to a linking error. Here's how to fix it with libudev0-shim. How to Install Pixelator on NixOS code Wed, Oct 9, 2019 Here's how to install Pixelator on NixOS. How to Look up a URL's PageRank with Ruby + Open PageRank's API code Thu, Oct 3, 2019 DomCom’s Open PageRank is a free alternative to Google’s PageRank and includes a public API. Here's how to use it with Ruby. Black progress short Wed, Oct 2, 2019 From 2001 to 2017, the incarceration rate for black men declined by 34 percent. Tall trees short Wed, Oct 2, 2019 Researchers Discover the Tallest Known Tree in the Amazon 88.5 meters, or over 290 feet As hedge fund grandma used to say short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 A truism at the commodities hedge fund I used to work at was the “the Saudis are always lying” along with “never be long a country’s currency if they have their own word for afternoon nap” Clowns to the left of me, secret police to the right short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 We find that low‐achieving officers were stuck within the regime hierarchy, threatened with discharge, and thus more likely to join the secret police for future benefits. Communists have the best transit short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 Subways in Beijing are roughly 55 cents, only about 1/5th the level of NYC. Diversity riddle short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 Between 2013 and 2016, 90% of Oracle’s hires were people of color. How to make rent in the Bay Area short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 I‘m using near infrared as a brain hack, by shining a cheap 850nm LED light on my forehead. money + fire = VC short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 Venture capital (VC) has delivered poor returns for more than a decade. Mushrooms & civilization short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 Psilocybin mushrooms occur in higher concentrations around human settlements than in “wild nature” (still today). Why shouldn't I have my own water fountain? short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 If anything, Thomas believes that the state should—where it can, within the law—support the separation of the races. Would you hire Elon Musk? short Tue, Oct 1, 2019 We find that former founders receive fewer callbacks than non-founders; however, all founders are not disadvantaged similarly. Former founders of successful ventures receive even fewer callbacks than former founders of failed ventures. –The Effect of Founder Experience on Labor Market Outcomes: A Field Experiment (emphasis mine) nginx + Rails (puma) on NixOS code Fri, Sep 27, 2019 Not too much on the web about how to set this up, so here's an example. How to: Generate Rails-Compatible html.erb with Hugo code Tue, Sep 24, 2019 You can teach Hugo to generate Rails compatible html.erbhtml.erb How to: GPU-Accelerated R/Keras on NixOS (via Docker) code Tue, Sep 24, 2019 I spent a weekend trying to get R, Keras, and CUDA to play nice together on NixOS. I suspect this’ll be the task I’m assigned on my first day in Hell. Top Places to Buy Cheap Houses in USA, 2019 homesteading Sat, Jun 22, 2019 Houses in this country can be had for far cheaper than almost anyone realizes. Rural Areas with Good Internet Speeds (for Streaming, Gaming, Remote Work) homesteading Fri, Jun 21, 2019 Ever wonder how remote you can go without sacrificing internet connectivity? GUIDE: the best place to buy land for homesteading homesteading Mon, Jun 10, 2019 There is no clean, “one size fits all” answer to the question, “Where is the best place to buy land for homesteading? Links for June homesteading Sun, Jun 9, 2019 The possession of a cow or two, with a hog, and a few geese, naturally exalts the peasant. Links for June links Fri, Jun 7, 2019 In favour of about one citizen in five hundred, who, by education or practice in scribbling, has acquired a tolerable style as to grammar and construction, so as to bear printing; or who is possessed of a press and a few types. The Best Self-Sufficiency Blogs homesteading Mon, May 13, 2019 Here are my favorite self-sufficiency blogs, along with links to content I particularly enjoyed. Note that I continue to expand this list whenever good articles hit my RSS reader. Last updated 06/26. “The Ask” is an Entrepreneur’s Core Skill book Mon, May 6, 2019 + Other Notes on Entrepreneurial Expertise I’ve been going through the second edition of the Cambridge Handbook of Expertise after reading the first years ago, and was delighted to find the new edition has a chapter on excellence among entrepreneurs. Some highlights: Links for May links Sun, Apr 28, 2019 Any point of a rhizome can be connected to anything other, and must be. Where is homeschooling most popular? States by the numbers homesteading Wed, Apr 24, 2019 Surprisingly, no one has published homeschooling rates per capita for different states, so I’ve mashed together some census data to figure that out. Links For December links Mon, Dec 8, 2014 File this under “everything you believe about yourself is lie”: “Surveys of the psychological literature suggest that perception of skill is often only moderately or modestly correlated with actual level of performance. Links For November links Sat, Nov 1, 2014 “Several studies have indicated that, for men, regular blood donation results in a massive reduction in heart attack. Web Roundup: Links for October links Sat, Oct 11, 2014 They sift the human storm for souls, eat flesh of reason, fill tombs with sinners. A 60-Second Exercise That Boosts Goal Achievement By 20% cogsci Tue, Sep 23, 2014 The hero of our tale, Jason Padgett. (Content note: this is an example of what I send out to email subscribers. Web Roundup: Links for September links Mon, Sep 8, 2014 Famous last words: “Why are you dodging [bullets] like this? Analogical Thinking: Concepts as Example Bundles cogsci Tue, Aug 12, 2014 Analogy is our best guide in all philosophical investigations; and all discoveries, which were not made by mere accident, have been made by the help of it. Book Review: A Random Walk Down Wall Street book Sat, Aug 9, 2014 _(Note: this review originally appeared on a sister-site I’m building out, Top Financial Advisor, but I’m cross-posting it for readers here, as part of my ongoing book reviews. Web Roundup: Links For August links Thu, Jul 31, 2014 Useful Science is a super cool website, aimed at summarizing instrumentally useful science. Review and Summary: Advertising Secrets of the Written Word book Tue, Jul 22, 2014 I made you a promise. I promised that book reviews were going to become a regular thing around here — you know, in my Born to Run review and summary, where I said: “I plan for this to be the first in a very long tradition of reviewing books, so stay tuned for more. Spinach, unhealthy? Reflections on one month vegan philosophy Mon, Jul 21, 2014 Rewind. It’s August of last year. I’ve just published a post on the reasoning behind certain “strange” beliefs. Fixing VirtIO Code 39 misc Sun, Jul 20, 2014 I’m recording this here in case anyone else is unfortunate enough to encounter this Code 39 message, and so that she can avoid wasting several hours of her life attempting to fix it, by instead Googling it and reading this. Born to Run: Book Review and Summary book Thu, Jul 10, 2014 I’m training for a half-marathon. As someone not terribly athletically gifted, it’s been slow-going. Web Roundup: Links For July links Tue, Jul 1, 2014 3 book recommendations straight from Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos: The Goal, The Innovator’s Solution, and The Effective Executive. Pareto Principle Examples and History econ Mon, Jun 30, 2014 Economics consists of theoretical laws which nobody has verified and of empirical laws which nobody can explain. Tiger Petting, Not That Dangerous misc Wed, Jun 25, 2014 I was not designed to be forced. —Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Results From The First Split Test misc Tue, Jun 24, 2014 Measuring gives you a leg up on experts who are too good to measure. Web Roundup: More Links for June links Sun, Jun 15, 2014 Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these. How the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings Affected This Year’s Attendance misc Tue, Jun 10, 2014 A year ago, I logged a prediction (at 60% confidence) that this year’s Boston Marathon attendance would be lower than the previous year’s as a result of the 2013 bombings. Why I Like Surprises and You Should Too cogsci Fri, Jun 6, 2014 I love surprises. Imagine a man — oh, I’ll just pick a name at random, let’s call him James Randi. Web Roundup: Links For June links Mon, Jun 2, 2014 Regarding MMOs: 23 percent of men play as women, but only 7 percent of women try taking a walk on the hairier side. Prolonged Eye Contact and Attraction: What The Science Tells Us philosophy Sun, Jun 1, 2014 Belladonna means “beautiful woman” in Italian, but it’s also the name of a type of plant. 100+ Interesting Data Sets for Statistics misc Thu, May 29, 2014 If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine. Surprisingly Dangerous Jobs In America misc Fri, May 16, 2014 You can’t avoid danger. —Jeannette Walls, Half Broke Horses Web Roundup: More Links For May links Thu, May 15, 2014 Curiosity is only vanity. Most frequently we wish to know but to talk. The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Checklists philosophy Mon, May 12, 2014 Dr. Peter Provonost had a problem. People were dying and — to borrow a line from Fight Club — not in the Sylvia Plath, Tibetan Buddhist, we’re-all-dying-so-get-used-to-it sense of the word. Web Roundup: Links for May links Fri, May 2, 2014 Expensive wine doesn’t taste better: “In a sample of more than 6,000 blind tastings, we find that the correlation between price and overall rating is small and negative, suggesting that individuals on average enjoy more expensive wines slightly less. Why Category Theory Matters math Wed, Apr 30, 2014 I hope most mathematicians continue to fear and despise category theory, so I can continue to maintain a certain advantage over them. What I’m Watching misc Sat, Apr 26, 2014 From most recommended to least (roughly): The movie Manufacturing Consent details Noam Chomsky’s criticism of the media, covering Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor and media bias generally. Hard Books Are Overrated book Tue, Apr 22, 2014 Hot air balloons take people on adventures. Books do, too. Web Roundup: More Links For April links Sat, Apr 19, 2014 Andrew Drucker has a paper where he mentally multiplies ten-digit numbers by exploiting human image recognition. Math Jokes excerpt Thu, Apr 17, 2014 The AMS has a 2005 paper “Foolproof: A Sampling of Mathematical Folk Humor” which is — delightfully — filled with math jokes. Hal Abelson on Math for Programmers excerpt Thu, Apr 17, 2014 Seibel: So that explains why the book is the way it is. It Probably Won A Prize excerpt Wed, Apr 16, 2014 Architect Sam Sloan coordinated a project in which employees … were able to select their own office furniture and plan office layout … Since both the Seattle and Los Angeles branches of the FAA were scheduled to move into new buildings at about the same time, the client for the project, the General Services Administration, agreed with architect Sloan’s proposal to involve employees in the design process in Seattle, while leaving the Los Angeles office as a control condition where traditional methods of space planning would be followed. Why Dogs Bark At Night excerpt Tue, Apr 15, 2014 A reformed thief, telling of his success, put it this way, “I’m telling you, if I had a hundred dollars for every time I heard a dog owner tell their dog to ‘shut up and go lie down’ while I was right outside their window, I’d be a millionaire. Response to BasicBookReader misc Mon, Apr 14, 2014 How can e-readers be improved? This is a response to Austin G. Too Smart To Understand misc Fri, Apr 11, 2014 Here is a meme I would very much like to see die forever. What Is The Purpose of Science? Algorithm Discovery compsci Thu, Apr 10, 2014 Consider the trial of Amanda Knox. What’s the purpose of the legal process here? Proofs In Math: What’s The Point? math Wed, Apr 9, 2014 Tyler Cowen pointed me to an article on automated theorem proving. Herbert Simon’s Ant cogsci Tue, Apr 8, 2014 Here’s a metaphor that comes to me by way of Nobel laureate and Turing award recipient Herbert Simon. Zach Weinersmith On The Importance Of Reading Books excerpt Mon, Apr 7, 2014 Zach Weinersmith writes Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, my current favorite webcomic. Web Roundup: Links for April links Mon, Apr 7, 2014 A sociology-style deconstruction of the pick-up community. Nearly twice as many black men than black women are looking for a long-term relationship, or so they report. Anki Tips: What I Learned Making 10,000 Flashcards misc Sat, Apr 5, 2014 If you don’t know what Anki or spaced repetition is, start by reading gwern’s excellent introduction. Creativity, Fan Fiction, and Compression cogsci Fri, Apr 4, 2014 I’ve written before about the relationship between creativity and compressibility. You Could Have Discovered Quantum Mechanics excerpt Mon, Mar 24, 2014 Quantum mechanics is what you would inevitably come up with if you started from probability theory, and then said, let’s try to generalize it so that the numbers we used to call “probabilities” can be negative numbers. The Creative Process Demystified cogsci Mon, Mar 24, 2014 Jack Kerouac is a liar. Okay, let me rewind. I don’t know how much experience you’ve had with creative writing types — pale, imaginative creatures — but let me tell you how they talk about Jack Kerouac. Web Roundup: More Links for March links Sat, Mar 22, 2014 To score drugs, try a support group for addicts. Creativity, Literature, and Compression cogsci Thu, Mar 20, 2014 But first, a joke: I was at a bar last weekend, chatting with this woman. Mike Tyson and Steroids science Sun, Mar 16, 2014 This is a picture of Mike Tyson at age 13. The Stable Marriage Problem Explained math Sat, Mar 15, 2014 You are out in a thunderstorm. You look up, at the rolling thunderheads painting the sky, and wonder, “Why am I here? What Are Quantum Computers Used For? compsci Fri, Mar 14, 2014 The literal answer to the question, “What are quantum computers used for? Who initiates divorce the most? Men or women? sex Fri, Mar 14, 2014 Pop quiz. Who initiates divorces and break-ups? Men or women? Red Pill Rhetoric: Swallowing the Red Pill Isn’t misc Tue, Mar 11, 2014 You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. Fox News Versus MSNBC: Who’s More Opinionated? misc Mon, Mar 10, 2014 Listening to the internet, you’d think that Fox News is some sort of liberal boogeyman — the lowest of the low that is modern journalism. What affects your personal identity? You’re a sponge. philosophy Mon, Mar 10, 2014 That thing is the most badass of all sea slugs, the nudibranch. Hindsight Bias In The Media: Talking While Driving science Sat, Mar 8, 2014 What’s more dangerous: texting and driving or talking on a headset and driving? Software For Writers: Tools To Improve Your Writing misc Fri, Mar 7, 2014 There are two types of writer — the snobs and the engineers. Why Do We Think The Way We Do? cogsci Thu, Mar 6, 2014 I sometimes experience a sort of mental disconnect — a sense of knowing what I’m going to think before I bother to think it. Links for March links Thu, Mar 6, 2014 A review of linear algebra, with pictures instead of matrix computation — which, if the Lord God had possessed a bit more foresight, would have been banned in Leviticus instead of shrimp. The Boy Girl Paradox Explained math Wed, Mar 5, 2014 Probability theory is notorious for violating human intuition. Consider the Boy Girl Paradox: People All Think The Same cogsci Tue, Mar 4, 2014 On May 7th of 1997, Garry Kasparov — the second strongest chess player of all time — was hunched over a chess board. The Secretary Problem Explained: Dating Mathematically philosophy Mon, Mar 3, 2014 I was, to put it mildly, something of a mess after my last relationship imploded. Worldbuilding, Worldbuilders, and Mathematics econ Fri, Feb 28, 2014 This week, I was introduced to the hobby of worldbuilding — inventing imaginary places, making maps, elaborating histories. Does the internet lie? (Hint: Yes.) misc Fri, Feb 28, 2014 Yesterday, I saw someone spin this very plausible theory about why it’s so repellent when someone brags about their IQ on the internet. Statistician on a Plane Joke excerpt Thu, Feb 27, 2014 Speaking of probability and statistics, there is the story of a statistician who told a friend that he never took airplanes: “I have computed the probability that there will be a bomb on the plane,” he explained, “and although this probability is low, it is still too high for my comfort. Overcoming Writer’s Block: Narrow To Generate Ideas misc Thu, Feb 27, 2014 Heuristic: Focus on concrete categories when generating ideas. Online Community Building: Why Communities Decay misc Wed, Feb 26, 2014 The first day of September 1993 was the beginning of an eternal September, a calendar month whose days stretched to infinity. What Savant Memory Says About The Limits of Memory cogsci Wed, Feb 26, 2014 Scientific American has published an article on savantism, which rattled a few ideas loose in my head. Effective Study Skills for College Students: “Why?” Questions cogsci Tue, Feb 25, 2014 Consider two sentences: The llama was made out of watermelon flavored cactus. Why Psychology Is Not A Science science Tue, Feb 25, 2014 Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd. Developing Good Research Skills: Compressing Knowledge science Mon, Feb 24, 2014 I wrote a couple of days ago about how we can think of humans as agents who take in information from the environment, compress that information, and then store it in long term memory. Love Is Not A Choice And Other Tools For Thinking philosophy Sun, Feb 23, 2014 I’m not much of a romantic. If I wanted to hack romance I’d start with going through all the literature on the mate preferences of chimpanzees, bonobos, and great apes generally. What Makes Something Interesting? cogsci Sat, Feb 22, 2014 Francis Galton, cousin of Charles Darwin and maybe best known for his work on intelligence, was a bit obsessed with the idea that people have certain innate traits. The Science of Problem Solving cogsci Fri, Feb 21, 2014 Mathematics is like the One Ring in the Lord of the Rings. More Links For February links Thu, Feb 20, 2014 Users with many Facebook friends are less likely to post about politics and gay rights. The Ultimate Guide to Simulated Annealing compsci Sun, Feb 16, 2014 Imagine that you’re approached by the Greek goddess of discord, Eris and, given that Eris is a cruel goddess, she places you into the mathematical space above. Where are the women in the IT industry? sex Tue, Feb 11, 2014 It has become fashionable as of late for media outlets like Gawker and others to attack Silicon Valley, math, computer science, and the hard sciences generally for being unfriendly to women. The Science of Habit philosophy Sat, Feb 8, 2014 The truth is that everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits. Links For February links Wed, Feb 5, 2014 What’s the most bullshit-sounding-but-true fact you know? My personal favorite: “There used to be a flying reptile that was as tall as a giraffe. 4chan Is What Free Speech On The Internet Looks Like misc Wed, Jan 29, 2014 Meditation: If there are true things that no one is allowed to say, how will you know them? Why Replication Is Important philosophy Sat, Jan 25, 2014 Every bit of evidence one can acquire, in any area, leads one that much closer to what is true. Does race exist? misc Fri, Jan 24, 2… truncated (10,382 more characters in archive)