It's that time again for all the sufficiently interesting news that isn’t otherwise fit to print, also known as the Monthly Roundup.

Bad News

Beware the failure mode in strategy and decisions that implicitly assumes competence, or wishes away difficulties, and remember to reverse all advice you hear.

Stefan Schubert (quoting Tyler Cowen on raising people's ambitions often being very high value): I think lowering others’ aspirations can also be high-return. I know of people who would have had a better life by now if someone could have persuaded them to pursue more realistic plans.

Rob Miles: There's a specific failure mode which I don’t have a name for, which is similar to “be too ambitious” but is closer to “have an unrealistic plan”. The illustrative example I use is:

Suppose by some strange circumstance you have to represent your country at olympic gymnastics [...]

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Outline:

(00:14) Bad News

(03:45) Anti-Social Media

(07:20) Technology Advances

(08:56) High Seas Piracy is Bad

(12:17) The Michelin Curse

(15:21) What's the Rush?

(17:48) Good News, Everyone

(19:49) Let it Go

(22:09) Yay Air Conditioning

(23:27) Beast of a Memo

(36:58) For Science!

(37:18) For Your Entertainment

(39:47) Properly Rated

(45:26) Government Working

(49:21) Grapefruit Diet

(58:38) Gamers Gonna Game Game Game Game Game

(01:06:09) Gamers Winning At Life

(01:10:52) I Was Promised Flying Self-Driving Cars

(01:11:21) While I Cannot Condone This

(01:17:21) Nostalgia

(01:23:51) The Lighter Side

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Source:

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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