I got suckered into paying attention to multiple non-AI political stories this month: The shooting of the messenger, in violation of the most sacred principles, via firing the head of the USA's Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Online Safety Bill in the UK.
As a reminder, feel no obligation whatsoever to engage with either of these.
There are tons of other things worth paying attention to that are not that.
Highly Effective Altruism
I realize philanthropy has been handed quite a few sinking ships lately, but if you exclude AI there is one crisis I would prioritize above the rest, which is mRNA.
Which is: We have entered the War on Cancer, future pandemics and other diseases on the side of cancer and future pandemics and those other diseases, because we decided to hand this power over to RFK Jr.
As Rick [...]
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Outline:
(00:36) Highly Effective Altruism
(07:06) Variously Effective Altruism
(10:39) Bad News
(15:51) Whisper Networks
(17:36) Opportunity Knocks
(19:06) Government Working
(20:45) Censorship In The UK
(45:50) Don't Shoot the Messenger
(59:57) Jones Act Watch
(01:00:12) The Incorrect Contrarian Cluster
(01:01:53) Talent Search
(01:04:19) While I Cannot Condone This
(01:11:41) Predictions Are Hard Especially About The Future
(01:14:01) Good News, Everyone
(01:15:49) For Your Entertainment
(01:19:42) Game Theory
(01:20:39) Gamers Gonna Game Game Game Game Game
(01:28:48) I Was Promised Flying Self-Driving Cars
(01:34:00) Sports Go Sports
(01:36:17) Antisocial Media
(01:41:50) Stop Deboosting Links On Twitter
(01:49:10) Technology Advances
(01:52:35) The Lighter Side
The original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.
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First published:
August 19th, 2025
Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Sqrt2FC3c45QpX3Au/monthly-roundup-33-august-2025
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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
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Images from the article:
The image humorously contrasts modern tech/corporate job descriptions like "SaaS-based fintech sales analyst" and "develop automated capabilities" with a straightforward occupation, suggesting these complex titles may be unnecessarily complicated compared to more traditional work." style="max-width: 100%;" />
Subheading: "Concerns for free speech mount as Home Office creates team to flag signs of potential unrest"
The article includes an image of a riot police officer with protective gear using a megaphone during a nighttime scene." style="max-width: 100%;" />
The image shows a color-coded map of Great Britain with seat projections for different political parties (REF, LD, LAB, SNP, CON, IND, GRN, PLAID) based on a FindOutNow survey from July 2025. The map is dominated by turquoise and orange regions, with corresponding seat numbers for each party listed on the left side." style="max-width: 100%;" />
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