Let me begin by discussing the obvious strengths of academic economics. The first obvious strength ane this is true of a lot of places that get repute- is that it was in the right place at the right time. Two hundred years ago, aided by the growth of technology and the growth of other developments in civilization, the real output per capita of the civilized world started going up at about 2 percent per annum, compounded. Before that, for the previous thousands of years, it had gone up at a rate that hovered just a hair’s breadth above zero. And, of course, economics grew up amid this huge success. Partly it helped the success, and partly it explained it. So, naturally, academic economics grew. And lately, with the collapse of all the communist economies, as the free-market economies or partially free-market economies flourished, that added to the reputation of economics. Economics has been a very favorable place to be if you’re in academia.

You will never remember your best day scrolling on your phone.

I have a very finite list of records I have wanted to collect. Effectively records I know like the back of my hand. Albums I had listened to repeatedly in my youth either on cassette (riding on the bus to and from school) or in my room on CD. These are the records I can sit down and appreciate. This is not an endless list though, thankfully, given how expensive records are these days.

I have come to the same conclusion on Apple’s ads as this reviewer did. I find this so well articulated. I’m sure Apple will improve their AI offering over time, but this was an absolute advertising failure in my opinion.

Creatures under the sea where you scroll for depth.

https://neal.fun/deep-sea/

From Cal Newport’s podcast, he discusses books he has read. In this 20 minute clip about On Settler Colonialism by Adam Kirsch, Cal discusses a useful framework of academic theory - Predictive Theory vs Radical Theory.

The ability for our brains to react to the world around us is not unique amongst animals. What has been our evolutionary accelerant that has set us far apart from the other animals is our ability to predict what might happen based on our life experiences and avoiding bad decisions. This forward looking analysis is that front part of our brain and it’s good at it.

Following Cal Newport’s advice in his post-election blog post, we opted to subscribe to a Sunday paper in lieu of constant digital updates of news. This was even more critical for my spouse who was receiving news alerts on her phone and in her email. I helped her disable all of them. This morning, I was pleased to walk out and pick up the paper and thumb through it.

How Tech Created a ‘Recipe for Loneliness’

Americans now spend more time alone, have fewer close friendships and feel more socially detached from their communities than they did 20 years ago. One in two adults reports experiencing loneliness, the physiological distress that people endure from social isolation. The nation’s surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, declared loneliness an epidemic late last year.

My goal is to make my phone boring and here is how I do it.