December 2014 News
This is the December 201411ya edition of the Gwern.net newsletter; previous, November.
This is a collation of links and summary of major changes, overlapping with Changelog.
Thanks to my donors on Gratipay!
Writings
Nothing finished this month.
Media
Links
Genetics:
Everything Is Heritable:
“Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies six novel loci associated with habitual coffee consumption”, The Coffee and Caffeine Genetics et al 2014
“Results of a ‘GWAS Plus’: General Cognitive Ability Is Substantially Heritable and Massively Polygenic”, et al 2014
“Understanding the Genetics of Intelligence: Can Height Help? Can Corn Oil?”, 2010
Politics/religion:
“Why the World Is Not Falling Apart: Never mind the headlines. We’ve never lived in such peaceful times.”, Pinker & Mack; “Good News You May Have Missed in 2014”, Gates
“Police, Paramilitaries, Nationalists and Gangsters: The Processes of State Building in Korea”, 2013
“Truncated transcript from today’s SCOTUS argument” (parody)
Statistics/AI/meta-science:
“Contradicted and Initially Stronger Effects in Highly Cited Clinical Research”, 2005
“A ‘Sham Procedure’ Leads to Disappointing Multiple Sclerosis News”
“What Went Wrong? Reflections on Science by Observation and The Bell Curve”, 1998 (correlation & causation)
“Full publication of results initially presented in abstracts (Review)”, et al 2008 (publication bias & incorrect papers)
“Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomized controlled trial”, 2001 (Norvig comments)
“On the distribution of time-to-proof of mathematical conjectures”, 2012
Psychology/biology:
“Thank you for doing something ambiguously between smoking and not smoking”
“CBD in Colorado: Seeking a marijuana miracle [for children with severe epilepsy]” (“The question is not whether it is ethical to run a randomized trial, but whether it is ethical to not run a randomized trial”, I found myself thinking again and again in this sad and pitiable story of being fooled by randomness.)
“Morningness-eveningness and educational outcomes: The lark has an advantage over the owl at high school”, et al 2013
“What Do You Desire?” (on the porn company Kink.com)
“The Graying of Academia: Will It Reduce Scientific Productivity?”, 2010
“Direct Effect of Sunshine on Suicide”, et al 2014
“The future of teratology research is in vitro”, et al 2005
“Spaced Repetition and Mnemonics Enable Recall of Multiple Strong Passwords”, et al 2014
Technology:
“Human Performance”, 200817ya JASON
“Scholarly Context Not Found: One in Five Articles Suffers from Reference Rot”, et al 2014
Economics:
“What Are Foundations For?” (principal-agent conflicts; against perpetuities)
“Should Psychological Neuroscience Research Be Funded?” (discussion)
“Smart companies try to commoditize their products’ complements.” (commoditize your complement)
“One Kind of Lawlessness: Estimating the Welfare Cost of Somali Piracy”
Philosophy:
“Bayesian Adjustment Does Not Defeat Existential Risk Charity” (“they strain at the gnat of the prior who swallow the camel of the likelihood”)
“Even More Aphorisms and Ten-Second Essays from Vectors 3.0”, James Richardson
Misc:
Books
Nonfiction:
Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II, Lowe (review)
Clear and Simple as the Truth: Writing Classic Prose, Thomas & Turner (review; online guide)
Fiction:
Ra, Sam Hughes (hard SF web serial)
Un Lun Dun, China Miéville (review)
Reject Hero, Farmerbob1 (About; superhero web serial, set in a Worm-like universe; somewhat unusual conservative middle-aged perspective as he negotiates his way into the deeper magical universe, culminating in a fun twist Jurassic Park ending with a sting; good fic but not great, and probably goes on too long)
Perseverance island: or, The Robinson Crusoe of the nineteenth century, by Douglas Frazer (review)
CVN73 USS George Washington (manga; review)
Music
Touhou:
“Sixth Movement Dawn of East End” (MORRIGAN feat. 三澤秋; Symphonic Tarantella “Lily” -Illusionary Waltz: Belladonna Lily- {M3-27}) [orchestral]
“Fifth Movement 9th moon / Pale Indigo Dream” (MORRIGAN feat. 三澤秋; Symphonic Tarantella “Lily” -Illusionary Waltz: Belladonna Lily- {M3-27}) [orchestral]
“The Black Eyes” (Swing Holic Band; SWING HOLIC VOL.9 {R9}) [jazz]
“NEMESIS” (Sanokan; SWING HOLIC VOL.9 {R9}) [brass]
“ON FIRE” (Maurits”禅”Cornelis feat. Vivienne; DANCE with WOLVES {C86}) [house]
“Fantasia Nightbug” (激戦の人 feat. 迷犬; Summer Festival {C86}) [Rock]
“Eternal Steam Engine” (Suzumu feat.Sae Tsukiyama; Summer Festival {C86}) [vocal]
“To the Limit” (あとぐる feat. Mai Kotoge; 悠啼 YU-NARI {C78}) [rock]
Doujin:
“Prelude (Instrumental)” (Treow; KOLLECTION+OI {201213ya}) [electronica]
“A Longing” (yuxuki waga; Evergreen {VM23}) [ambient]
Kantai Collection:
“ThroBBing (母港BGM)” (W*M; Splash! {C85}) [instrumental]
Vocaloid:
“Sunrise” (Miku; akayaka; KARENT presents Skylight Theater {Trans city}) [ambient]
“トウキョウトガリ” (Miku; Kobayashi Onyx; LOG {201015ya}) [electronic]
“サイハテ(ver,LOG)” (Miku; Kobayashi Onyx; LOG {201015ya}) [electronic]
“Moon Walker” (Gumi & Piko; KTG; FREEZE {201114ya}) [electronic]
“Welcome to the Future” (Miku; 青屋夏生; Welcome to the Future {201411ya}) [Jpop/trance]
“Light Falls” (Miku; yuxuki waga {201114ya}) [Jpop]
“ヒトリの誕生日” (Miku; ため; 7 Kilometer {VM28}) [Jpop]
“ルッキング・フォー・ザ・ヘヴン” (Yukari; カミウラ, カミウラレコーズ; Lavender and White Rose {201312ya}) [vocal]