Lots of people who have primarily known me over the last two years I think have a pretty incorrect impression of me in a lot of ways because I've spent the last 2 years being seriously mentally ill for a year and then moderately mentally ill for a year.

found writing really brutal for the last 3 weeks, and now it's so easy

The audiobook for Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves is 70% off until January 2! Excellent stocking stuffer for anyone who wants to bask in misery about pandemics, climate change, and other catastrophes during the holidays :)

Ingrid Newkirk, the co-founder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (@officialpeta.bsky.social), talks about the disturbing reality of animal experimentation, highlighting the many animals subjected to tests that cause them to suffer without benefitting humans.

does anyone have strong nuclear winter takes

NEW: Why do we always think crime is rising, even when it isn’t? This week I looked at one of the big data mysteries. Britain is 2/3 less violent than the 1990s; thefts were higher pre-lockdown Why, then, doesn’t it feel like it? 1/8 @thetimes.com 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/b63d...

Literally all of mine are children's authors.

Verified my account, so my handle is now my (new) domain name, alexlizhill.com (which is where you can find my Substack now). It was super easy, see bsky.social/about/blog/4...

a different tone from the rest of my blog open.substack.com/pub/thegoodb...

We've just launched our AI Benchmarking Hub! This is a new platform for rigorous, independent evaluations of AI model capabilities, featuring interactive visualizations and in-depth analysis. (1/8) epoch.ai/blog/introdu...

A reply to a Michael Huemer post from march thegoodblog.substack.com/p/a-response...

It's kinda wild that Messi is inhumanly good and a better player is kinda obviously possible (more two-footed, faster, taller, probably)

I had about three weeks 2 years when my OCD was sufficiently bad that I strongly preferred to be asleep than being awake, and I tried to be asleep a lot. I think this is the only sustained period of my life that has been net negative from a self-interested point of view.

Both medication and therapy have been very helpful for me in managing OCD

I think this is basically bad. This looks to me like a pretty base form of social conservatism that is opposed to difference and creativity outside of an established mould.

The amount of nate silver hate is bizarre.

Hi I'm nathan and my handwriting is illegile and I can't spell

Open Phil is hiring a Program Officer to lead new program on economic growth in LMICs Deadline 1 Dec - keen to get range of applicants with experience working on growth. Can be based anywhere! JD: bit.ly/lmicgrowth Rationale: bit.ly/lmicgrowth-research Referrals: bit.ly/openphil-referrals 1/n

I've used the term "vegetative state" myself in the past, but the whole category needs retiring now, for reasons I explain in this piece for Stat News. www.statnews.com/2024/11/20/v...

currently writing terribly

Back in 1996, 88% of all eggs in the UK were laid by hens kept in cages. In the latest data this is down to 28%. A big win in improving animal welfare.

it's pretty cool watching a network effect in real time

started reading Augustine's Confessions

Luxembourg has double the population of Iceland. Feel like Luxembourg really needs to up its game.

No one likes a poorly attended inauguration... so please join me in London or online on 3 Dec for my inaugural lecture, "The Edge of Sentience". www.lse.ac.uk/Events/2024/...

had such a pleasant day today

Looking for book recommendations

Does anyone have any contemporary romance recommendations? (currently reading icebreaker)

Notably, I'm currently being paid by the hour for the work I'm doing, and I'm much less motivated to work than I have been at various times in the past despite much lower immediate private returns

Something that is unfortunate but I think true is that I work significantly harder when I have a greater degree of negatively valenced emotions associated with working