Are we undermeasuring productivity gains from the internet?
the productivity slowdown implies a cumulative loss of $2.7t in GDP since the end of 2004; in other words, output would have been that much higher had the earlier rate of productivity growth been maintained. If unmeasured gains are to make up for that difference, that would have to be very large. For instance, consumer surplus would have to be 5x higher in IT-related sectors than elsewhere in the economy, which seems implausibly large.
and
the US productivity slowdown dates back to 1973, and that is perhaps the single biggest problem for trying to attribute this gap mainly to under-measured innovations in the tech sector
The First Humans will go to Mars 2024-2050, Most likely in the 2024-2035 timeframe Adding 20-30 years to lifespan and healthspan will happen within 30 years
The Irishman Gets De-Aging Right—No Tracking Dots Necessary
he created a new type of camera rig that would allow Scorsese to shoot as he normally would while capturing all of the data the ILM team would need to make Frank Sheeran (De Niro), Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), and Russell Bufalino (Pesci) whatever age they needed them to be
The saying goes: all models are wrong, some models are useful. I don’t think existing psychiatric diagnosis is particularly accurate, but I think it’s the most useful thing we have right now. And I don’t think talking about how each condition is probably made up of many root causes is a particularly damaging objection to it. We should keep the likely heterogeneity in mind and pull it out when we need it, but we shouldn’t use that as an excuse to abandon the whole nosology.
I still have nearly all the questions I started this piece with. At the same time, by engaging with the paper and the topic I’m getting clearer in my own mind as to what my requirements for a future application composition system would be. To quote Grady Booch one more time: “the whole history of computer science is one of ever rising levels of abstraction.”
A kilometer-scale, multi-100-megawatt phased-array laser to beam power to a vehicle that converts it to electrical power for a multi-megawatt electric propulsion system that produces a specific impulse of 58K s. This will enable velocities of 100 to 200 km/s, and would enable a mission to the solar gravity lens location of 550 AU in less than 15 years. This will be 9 to 18x faster than the Dawn Mission (11.5 km/s).
It was one of the most arresting viral photos of the year: a horde of climbers clogged atop Mount Everest. But it only begins to capture the deadly realities of what transpired that day at 8800m. These are the untold accounts of the people who were there
After more than 4 years of anonymity, the man building all of the tools, huts, weapons, and other Stone Age technologies in the wilds of Australia has revealed himself as John Plant. And in this video compilation from October, he announces that he has a book out: Primitive Technology: A Survivalist’s Guide to Building Tools, Shelters, and More in the Wild
In July 2018 I made a poster illustrating the connections between breweries. I’ve expanded and updated it a few times since then, both thanks to people who have commented with suggestions and because big breweries haven’t stopped buying smaller breweries. Below is the most recent update. As always let me know if you see anything incorrect, but please include a source confirming it.
Gregor J. Rothfuss 