011: "China Shock" jobs, equations for fun, and philosophy in k-pop
Greetings!
Has our conception of time changed? Is prioritization of speed at fault?
It feels like as load times decrease, we become more impatient. Fifteen years ago, we had no problem waiting five or ten seconds for a webpage to load. Today, we’re more likely to close a webpage if it doesn’t immediately load rather than wait for it to do so.
What happened to those ten seconds?
ECONOMICS AND FINANCE
Your Tax Return Is None of My Business. The argument for publishing all tax returns is silly. I can see why people want to know where politicians are getting their money from, but why drag 300 million innocent people into this mess? It opens up a route for income-based discrimination.
The Impact of Chinese Trade on US Employment. I’ve always been confused by all the “China took our jobs, we lost our jobs” claims. If China really had taken that many jobs, shouldn’t the state of the economy be a lot worse if a lot of people were unemployed? It turns out that about 1/3 of the “China Shock” losses in manufacturing came from firms that switched to non-manufacturing codes. Numbers do lie, folks.
The Struggle to Save the Soviet Economy. The Soviets and Chinese had similar rules regarding agriculture, state-owned enterprises and foreign trade. Why did they work in China and not the USSR?
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
How the quantum search algorithm works. If you haven’t already read the first quantum computing guide by Michael and Andy, I highly recommend reading that first.
Richard Feynman solved equations for fun. This sparked another question: how much farther would our understanding of math and science be if we had been able to record all that was ever written in history?
A cluster of cells in the supraoptic nucleus, a tiny region at the base of the brain, may have more to do with sleep than we realize. Through the use of chemicals/light, researchers turned these cells on in mice and found that they fell into a deep slumber. When they turned these cells off, the mice woke up and continuously moved around, unable to sleep. These cells might give use more insight on targeted anesthesia and sleeping pills, especially for Alzheimer’s patients, who often have trouble falling asleep.
Really great article on how the Mariana snailfish survive the crushing pressure at the bottom of the ocean. A few anatomical differences, like gaps in their skulls!
RANDOM
BTS explore Carl Jung’s theories in analytical psychology. They’re even encouraging their fans to buy a copy of Jung’s Map of the Soul!
A 500-year old library catalogue reveals books lost to time, including summaries of books that don’t even exist anymore.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
What makes Japan’s streets so alluring?
As one Twitter user pointed out, it’s the lack of on-street parking. Streets are a lot smaller and more walkable. You’re legally required to find a place to store the car, and it can’t be on the street. There are often elevator-like mechanisms where you can store your car, but even driving is rare when public transit is so well planned.
Thank you for reading :)
Lama