{"id":7076,"date":"2022-12-09T19:45:52","date_gmt":"2022-12-10T03:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7076"},"modified":"2022-12-09T19:56:39","modified_gmt":"2022-12-10T03:56:39","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-380","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/12\/09\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-380","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 380"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4396\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"><\/a>     On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is volume 380, which one website claims is the number of 13-bead necklace patterns you can create if you have only two colors of beads. That seems really low to me so I must not understand the way they define patterns and I don\u2019t want to do the math, so that\u2019s my number factoid for the&nbsp;week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/03\/opinion\/canada-euthanasia.html\" target=\"_blank\">What Euthanasia Has Done to Canada<\/a> (Ross Douthat, New York Times): \u201cThe idea that human rights encompass a right to self-destruction, the conceit that people in a state of terrible suffering and vulnerability are really \u2018free\u2019 to make a choice that ends all choices, the idea that a healing profession should include death in its battery of treatments \u2014 these are inherently destructive ideas. Left unchecked, they will forge a cruel brave new world, a dehumanizing final chapter for the liberal story.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalpost.com\/news\/canada\/woman-euthanasia-commercial-wanted-to-live\" target=\"_blank\">Woman featured in pro-euthanasia commercial wanted to live, say friends <\/a>(Tristin Hopper, National Post): \u201cIn several more egregious cases, Canadians have even been offered MAID in lieu of proper medical treatment. Last month, a House of Commons committee heard about five separate incidents of Canadian Armed Forces veterans being offered MAID after seeking assistance with issues ranging from depression to PTSD. Most recently, former paralympian Christine Gauthier went public with her story of being offered MAID by a Veterans Affairs caseworker after she complained about delays in installing an in-home chairlift.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/03\/opinion\/tim-keller-forgiveness.html\" target=\"_blank\">What Too Little Forgiveness Does to Us<\/a> (Tim Keller, New York Times): \u201c\u2026there must be the recognition that forgiveness does not contradict the pursuit of justice. Rather, it is its precondition. Forgiving is not excusing. To forgive something, you must name it as the evil it is.\u2026 [But] if you don\u2019t forgive internally, you won\u2019t confront the wrongdoers for justice\u2019s sake or for future victims\u2019 sake or for God\u2019s sake. You will be doing it for your sake, and the project will go&nbsp;awry.&nbsp;\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/article\/2023\/01\/anatomy-of-a-cancellation\" target=\"_blank\">Anatomy of a Cancellation<\/a> (Scott Yenor, First Things): \u201cThe Title IX charges marked an escalation and, strangely, a path to quasi-victory.\u2026 I had been preparing for it for years, knowing that someone who treads on controversial topics such as the family and feminism would eventually face the ire of the university\u2019s civil rights regime. All my lectures for the past five years are recorded and stored. All student communications and grades are saved. I had kept detailed records on whom I called on during each&nbsp;class.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Remarkable. Will probably enter my roster of classics I repost at the bottom of these emails.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/thedispatch.com\/newsletter\/frenchpress\/remembering-what-repentance-looks-like\/\" target=\"_blank\">Remembering What Repentance Looks Like<\/a> (David French, The Dispatch): \u201cAny person can live a life of great meaning and honor far removed from the spotlight. And not one of us is capable of peering into a man\u2019s heart to know when he\u2019s changed. But let me suggest a clear warning sign that repentance isn\u2019t real\u2014when a powerful person doesn\u2019t just ask for forgiveness but also seeks restoration to the life they lived before. No one is entitled to be a pastor or a politician, and there are times when the continued quest for those positions is itself a sign that a person simply doesn\u2019t understand the price they should pay when they\u2019ve committed a serious wrong.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/04\/opinion\/303-creative-supreme-court.html\" target=\"_blank\">When Gay Rights Clash With Religious Freedom<\/a> (Tish Harrison Warren, New York Times): \u201cMs. Smith serves gay customers. She would not refuse to build a website for someone simply because the person is gay. She specifically does not want her services to be used as part of a celebration of a same-sex wedding. We make similar allowances for other ideological differences. A pro-choice artist should not be compelled to make a logo for a pro-life rally. A progressive party planner should not be required to take on a Trump PAC as a client. A gay web designer ought not be forced to create a site promoting a conservative church.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Related: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/daily-comment\/the-respect-for-marriage-act-is-also-a-victory-for-same-sex-marriage-opponents?utm_social-type=owned&amp;utm_brand=tny&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;mbid=social_twitter\" target=\"_blank\">The Respect for Marriage Act Is Also a Victory for Same-Sex-Marriage Opponents<\/a> (Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker): \u201cWhen this bill is signed into law, there will be a federal statute that makes a resolution of conflict between religious freedom and gay-rights claims explicit in a way that it arguably was not before, clearly favoring a religious group over a gay couple\u2014even though the conflict involves open questions on the relationship between the First Amendment and antidiscrimination laws.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gersen is a professor at Harvard Law.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More about ChatGPT and AI generally&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/06\/opinion\/chatgpt-ai-skilled-jobs-automation.html\" target=\"_blank\">Does ChatGPT Mean Robots Are Coming For the Skilled Jobs?<\/a> (Paul Krugman, New York Times): \u201cOK, I didn\u2019t write the paragraph you just read; ChatGPT did, in response to the question \u2018How will A.I. affect the demand for knowledge workers?\u2019 The giveaway, to me at least, is that I still refuse to use \u2018impact\u2019 as a verb. And it didn\u2019t explicitly lay out exactly why we should, overall, expect no impact on aggregate employment. But it was arguably better than what many humans, including some people who imagine themselves smart, would have written.\u201d Nobel laureate Paul Krugman opining on the potential impact of technology like ChatGPT.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/oneusefulthing.substack.com\/p\/the-mechanical-professor\" target=\"_blank\">The Mechanical Professor<\/a> (Ethan Mollick, Substack): \u201cBut, rather than be scared of AI, we should think about how these systems provide us an opportunity to help extend our own capabilities. Think of it like having an intern, but one who just happens to work instanteously, can write both code and solid descriptive writing, and has a large chunk of the world\u2019s knowledge in their brain.\u201d The author is a professor of management at the Wharton School.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.secondbest.ca\/p\/before-the-flood\" target=\"_blank\">Before the flood<\/a> (Samuel Hammond, Substack): \u201cIn particular, I suspect near-term AI will break a lot of things, starting with our legacy institutions. The firmware of the US government is 70+ years old. We validate people\u2019s identity with a nine digit numbering system created in 1936. The Administrative Procedure Act, which governs all regulatory process, came only ten years later. The IRS Master File runs on assembly from the 1960s. Our labor laws are from the assembly line era. Unemployment Insurance \u2014 the safety-net for helping people adjust to employment shocks from AI or otherwise \u2014 is so broken that Congress found it easier to give everyone an extra $600 a week and live with $150 billion worth of fraud than to recruit the retired Cobol engineers necessary to simply update the code. There is a great deal of ruin in this nation.\u201d The author is the directory of social policy for the Niskanen Center.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/garymarcus.substack.com\/p\/how-come-gpt-can-seem-so-brilliant\" target=\"_blank\">How come GPT can seem so brilliant one minute and so breathtakingly dumb the next?<\/a> (Gary Marcus, Substack): \u201cGPT doesn\u2019t talk randomly, because it\u2019s pastiching things actual people said. (Or, more often, synonyms and paraphrases of those things.) When GPT gets things right, it is often combining bits that don\u2019t belong together, but not quite in random ways, but rather <strong>in ways where there is <em>some overlap in some aspect or another<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d Emphasis in original.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/marginalrevolution.com\/marginalrevolution\/2022\/12\/what-are-the-politics-of-chatgpt.html?utm_source=feedly&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=what-are-the-politics-of-chatgpt\" target=\"_blank\">What are the politics of ChatGPT<\/a>? (Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution): \u201cMost of all, I see ChatGPT as \u2018pro-Western\u2019 in its perspective, while granting there are different visions of what this means. I also see ChatGPT as \u2018controversy minimizing,\u2019 for both commercial reasons but also for simply wishing to get on with the substantive work with a minimum of external fuss. I would not myself have built it <em>so<\/em> differently, and note that the bias may lie in the training data rather than any biases of the creators.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/airplane-mode-uk-airlines-air-travel-1849846995\" target=\"_blank\">Airplane Mode to Become Obsolete in the EU<\/a> (Nikki Main, Gizmodo): \u201cIt\u2019s been said that the reason for banning cell phone use on airplanes is because it could interfere with the pilot\u2019s navigation systems. However, Business Insider reported in 2017 that the FCC instated the airplane cell phone ban to \u2018protect against radio interference to cell phone networks on the ground.\u2019 If all airlines allowed cell phone access at 40,000 feet in the air, multiple cell towers on the ground could pick up on service from active cell phones which could crowd the ground networks, disrupting service, according to the outlet.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This one intrigues me because it calls into question a situation so many of us take for granted. I, for one, would not like there to be phone calls on airplanes (hard to read or watch a movie with that going on next to you). But staying touch via text would be&nbsp;nice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/as-part-of-christmas-promotion-holiday-inn-offers-discount-to-women-who-are-9-months-pregnant-riding-on-donkeys\/\" target=\"_blank\">In Christmas Promotion, Holiday Inn Offers Discount To Women Who Are 9 Months Pregnant Riding On Donkeys<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarside.com\/2022\/12\/04\/0\" target=\"_blank\">One Long, Steady Pull<\/a> (The Far&nbsp;Side)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/rookie-angel-forgets-to-shout-fear-not\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rookie Angel Forgets To Shout \u2018Fear Not\u2019<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wmbfnews.com\/2022\/12\/02\/stacked-up-against-pack-coyotes-herd-dog-kills-8-save-sheep\/?outputType=amp\" target=\"_blank\">Stacked up against pack of coyotes, herd dog kills 8 to save sheep<\/a> (Don Shipman &amp; Emily Van de Riet, WMBF News): \u201cCasper, a 2\u2011year-old Great Pyrenees, was standing guard over his flock of sheep one night in early November at his home in Decatur, just east of Atlanta. That\u2019s when a pack of nearly a dozen coyotes got too close for comfort. Casper killed a whopping eight coyotes and managed to save all the sheep in his&nbsp;care.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.penny-arcade.com\/comic\/2022\/12\/05\/r2-killu\" target=\"_blank\">R2-KillU<\/a> (Penny Arcade)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/man-living-better-than-medieval-king-after-sprinkling-a-little-black-pepper-over-his-kraft-mac-and-cheese\/\" target=\"_blank\">Man Living Better Than Medieval King After Sprinkling A Little Black Pepper Over His Kraft Mac And Cheese<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting A While&nbsp;Ago<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every week I\u2019ll highlight an older link still worth your consideration. This week we have <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/what-unites-most-graduates-of-selective-colleges-an-intact-family\" target=\"_blank\">What Unites Most Graduates of Selective Colleges? An Intact Family<\/a> (Nicholas Zill &amp; Brad Wilcox, Institute for Family Studies): \u201c\u2026 even after controlling for parent education, family income, and student race and ethnicity, being raised by one\u2019s married birth parents provides an additional boost to one\u2019s chances of getting through Princeton.\u201d From <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2020\/06\/12\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-254\" target=\"_blank\">volume 254<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors \u201cwho understood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (1 Chron 12:32). In a similar way, we need to become wise people whose faith interacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agenda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agenda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ideological Turing test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI disagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI understand\u201d) and may at times share articles that have a strong partisan bias simply because I find the article stimulating. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with everything an author says in an article I mention, much less things the author has said in other articles (although if I strongly disagree with something in the article I\u2019ll usually mention it). And to the extent you can discern my opinions, please understand that they are my own and not necessarily those of Chi Alpha or any other organization I may be perceived to represent.\n\nAlso, remember that I\u2019m not reporting news \u2014 I\u2019m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There\u2019s a lot happening in the world that\u2019s not making an appearance here because I haven\u2019t found stimulating articles written about it.\n\nIf this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/theglendavis.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I found a remarkably strong list of articles to choose from this week \u2014 what floated to the top is worth pondering<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"I found a strong list of articles to choose from this week - what floated to the top is worth looking over.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[131,219,295,170,167,113,214,162],"class_list":["post-7076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-academia","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-canada","tag-devotional","tag-euthanasia","tag-lgbtq","tag-technology","tag-theology"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1Q8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7076"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7083,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7076\/revisions\/7083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}