Striking how universities in the former communist countries lag behind (as measured European Research Council Starting Grants), 35 years after the fall of communism. Dutch, Israeli, and Finnish universities punch above their weight, on the other hand.

Wonderful day in Stockholm, 26 degrees

Yes but it’s not just about to wear but also how people talk about it, what kinds of people attend, what other activities it’s associated with, its history, etc. It’s not just about tangible resources.

It seems to me many people pay too much attention to this kind of fairly arbitrary lists.

People often report official Chinese economic data too credulously. '“The broader problem is simply that the GDP data have stopped bearing any resemblance to economic reality,” Logan Wright explains.' Important coverage by The Economist. economist.com/briefing/2024/…

Twitter jargon whose meaning I never quite learned: "Gaslighting" "Taps sign" "White/black/blue/redpill" Other common ones?

I'd like to watch more documentaries of ordinary jobs, and especially white-collar jobs - management consultants, civil servants, middle managers and a mid-sized company selling mid-range products. What people do at work seems pretty important but we know fairly little about it.

I don't think this means that anything remotely close to 1984 is occurring, or will occur. A sense of proportions is an underrated virtue.

Many find the more low-brow Dwarves and Hobbits charming, but when people draw from Tolkien to name their companies, they choose high-brow Elves, Dunedain, and Valar

RCT introduction of a pollution market in Surat, Gujarat. Pollution fell by 20–30%, and efficiently — gains came from the firms who could cut pollution most effectively. Mortality benefits are *25 times* costs. An incredible state/research collaboration. 1/2

There's a narrative of inexorable house price rises, but you have to factor in inflation. Since 2017, flat prices in the Stockholm region have decreased by 1/6 (if you factor in 29% inflation since). I've not seen much reporting on that.

I don’t think people who work in HR are incredibly mediocre and lazy. It’s sad and concerning that many people here are willing to base their worldview in part on anonymous vitriolic anecdotes.

It would be good if there was a system alerting people writing a reply that other people already have written that, or that it's already been answered