anyone seen a K-12 school that requires a class on critical thinking?

does it use the media that kids will actually encounter as adults? think political misinformation on the Web, quasi-science and scams on Instagram and TikTok, and YouTube videos pushing "gateway" conspiracy theories.

bonus if it emphasizes probabilities more than all/none or us/them. maybe integrate forecasting (Metaculus?) so they experience being wrong and re-evaluating.

(related: https://www.bangkokpodcast.com/teaching-critical-thinking-in-thailand-season-3-episode-14/)

#edpolicy #k12

"The camel is a valuable animal in the cybersecurity field due to its ability to store large amounts of data in its hump. Camels are able to cross vast distances with little water, which makes them ideal for carrying large amounts of data across networks. In addition, their long eyelashes protect their eyes from sand and dust, making them perfect for working in dusty environments such as data centers."

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34502939#34503933

I'm impressed at the tolerances and collision avoidance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWzY3SRATr4

(more: https://bumblebeespaces.com)

PSA: iOS 16 (unintentionally?) removed the setting that makes Siri always respond silently.

it's back in 16.2 (!). you'll have to flip it on again. Settings → Siri → Prefer Silent Responses

I've had minor knee pain that comes and goes - a few weeks with occasional pain, a few months without. I attributed it to cycling.

it didn't go away, so I saw a physical therapist. he gave me a short exam, said my quads were tight, and said I should do these two stretches 1-2x/day.

36 hours and 3 stretch sessions later, gone.

(more: https://myrehabconnection.com/5-simple-quad-stretches/ or search for: flexor stretches)

https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w30835/w30835.pdf

"We used the results to examine the cost-effectiveness of investing in water treatment for point-of-collection chlorine dispensers or a large-scale program providing coupons for free chlorine solution. We estimate a cost per expected Disability-Adjusted Life Year averted due to water treatment of around USD 40 for both"

"approximately 45 times lower than the widely used threshold of 1x GDP per capita per DALY averted."

(thx to GiveWell for support. #effectivealtruism)

updated SawSafely.org with coverage of angle grinders: http://sawsafely.org/#angle-grinders

"the tool that injures the most people every year goes largely unnoticed by the majority of workers employing it"

hopefully it helps more people realize that this is possible, even when used well: https://youtu.be/IIQu1e8DGUw?t=277

#woodworking

visiting the wood shop for a few hours, then I'll begin what has become my New Year's Day tradition: updating https://simpleoptout.com with changes to 100+ privacy policies.

if anyone wants to help visit a zillion privacy policies, find in the page for "third-party" and "opt-out" (with hyphens, spaces, or no separator…), and update https://github.com/troy/simpleoptout, DM me or send a pull request 😀

#privacy

from @sfchronicle: "Alameda County admits tallying error in ranked-choice voting, flips one result and raises big questions"

the incorrect "winner" has already been certified as the winner. nobody knows what happens now.

more: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Alameda-County-admits-tallying-error-in-17682520.php , https://oaklandside.org/2022/12/28/alameda-county-registrar-miscounted-ballots-oakland-election-2022/

#electionreform

my quick Hacker News answer to "Why don't more services offer a 'pay as you go' pricing model? What are the downsides of this from the business perspective?"

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34191450#34191787

#saas

here's what a network of fake Google Maps business locations looks like.

I stumbled across roughly 50 places in WA and NC, all with a generic SEO'd product name as the business name. no reviews, just a Web site.

and… my Maps Contributions pane after removing ~50 places.

#infosec

@rchase a Sign Up page that doesn't depend on Mastodon-specific knowledge: https://mas.to/@troyd/109535776527431757

any of my fellow armchair economists looking to change careers? GiveWell is hiring a senior researcher: https://www.givewell.org/about/jobs/senior-researcher (remote, US timezones).

as a professional over-thinker, I'd gladly work here: