Hasnain says:

“Open collaboration can be delightful, with thoughtful people. Three people’s combined insights and refinements broke new ground (I believe) on an old question. I'm not sure any of us would have gotten there alone.

This is an existence proof that there are websites on the internet where it’s worth reading the comments.”

Hasnain says:

Not going to leave the detail in for fear of spoilers but this had quite the twist.

“In his defense, perhaps the meeting may have gone differently had I not been given a low-key Australian introduction. That's an Australian cultural problem (tall poppy syndrome). To an Australian, introductions in the US can sound boastful, but they can also be useful as a quick way to share one's specialties.”

Hasnain says:

Very well researched and in depth article on the new hype re: origins of COVID. In contrast to the other article I just shared; this also goes into a lot of politics within the US and elsewhere regarding the investigation, while also detailing the history and science.

“China obviously bears responsibility for stonewalling investigators. Whether it did so out of sheer authoritarian habit or because it had a lab leak to hide is, and may always be, unknown.

The United States deserves a healthy share of blame as well. Thanks to their unprecedented track record of mendacity and race-baiting, Trump and his allies had less than zero credibility. And the practice of funding risky research via cutouts like EcoHealth Alliance enmeshed leading virologists in conflicts of interest at the exact moment their expertise was most desperately needed.”

Hasnain says:

This was very engaging. I don’t think we will ever have a definitive answer to what happened here; but this shows the power of internet sleuthing and how narratives change over time. And it goes into some COVID history.

“But it's now clear that the question of whether a biolab could have caused this pandemic—and could cause the next—is going to be explored in a way that might never have happened if a radical and decentralized group of outsiders hadn't challenged the status quo.

That's a lesson The Seeker won't soon forget. "I no longer see science as an exclusive domain," he wrote to Newsweek. "Everyone can make a difference."”

Hasnain says:

Title gore aside, this wasn’t too bad a piece at trying to raise awareness for important issues.

“Data show a gap between how well employers think they are supporting employees and how supported those employees feel. A survey by McKinsey & Co. published earlier this year found that 65% of employers say employee mental health is supported well or very well; 51% of employee respondents agreed.

Survey research also indicates that younger workers are more likely than older colleagues to report mental-health struggles. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau, rates of people between 18 and 29 years old reporting symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders rose from 49% to 57% in surveys conducted between August 2020 and February this year. By contrast, those figures for respondents in their 50s were 35% and 41%, respectively.”

Hasnain says:

Motivating

“Of course, none of this is easy. Nurturing the full flowering of these innovations and speeding their deployment will require immense political will, big investments, and a whole passel of supportive policies. But we should have the imagination and faith to understand that climate change is one problem that we can solve.

There’s no Gates-ian fairy tale, no Franzen-like acceptance of disaster, and no awaiting the invention of some Kerry-like miracle technologies.

As physicist Ray Pierrehumbert once wrote in these pages about renewable technology, “It is time to stop quivering in our boots in pointless fear of the future and just roll up our sleeves and build it.””

Hasnain says:

“LinkedIn says it realizes there is "no price on the emotional labor and investment of time" ERGs contribute and that $10,000 is a start, in addition to a formal systematized recognition plan.”

Hasnain says:

Wait, *this* was the thing all the Pakistanis used as ammo for their latest anti-Malala activism? Sigh.

“After a life of extraordinary resilience, it seems all the options are finally on the table for her. “You have to find a future for yourself,” she says, smiling. If anyone knows how to do that, it’s Malala.”

Hasnain says:

Whew. Another word for this would be “a scam” :|

“Their business model is ingenious: a marketplace with a 100% take rate. They are one of the very few two-sided marketplace who managed to pull off: all money goes to the middleman, and none to the suppliers creating the value of the marketplace. The other notable example is Elsevier or Springer in the academic publishing space who charge high fees to access to papers whose authors and reviewers they pay nothing. For comparison, Uber has a take rate of 15-25%; Cameo sits with 25%, and YouTube at 45%.”

Hasnain says:

The tweet I saw this linked from sums this up:

“*** After $1,400 stimulus checks:

-- 42% decline in food shortages
-- 43% decline in gauge of financial instability
-- +20% decline in anxiety & depression”