I'd be interested to see evidence supporting your assertion of 'universally shared image'.
The image of the United States is perceived not nearly so negative in the counties which I visited: Jordan, China, Vietnam.
I'll add a fourth country, which I haven't visited. The image of the United States in Israel, while complex, includes a great deal of admiration. As a country with security always top of mind, overall Israel broadly admires the United States' extensive defense capability and power. I doubt most Israelis would describe the US as 'loudmouth'.
Similar nuances could be laid out for the countries I listed above.
Many world citizens can parse media of a random football fan screaming 'USA!' from the state department's lengthy policy positions. The perceived image you describe resembles most closely to me a self reflection found often within the US.
Nonetheless, I do think our culture could stand to posture in a more reserved fashion broadly, while not being afraid to mention where appropriate...
We remain a positive world standout in a variety ways.
> Many world citizens can parse media of a random football fan screaming 'USA!' from the state department's lengthy policy positions.
Most recently, I believe, the main contributor to that image was the former president of the US, not some American at the FIFA World Cup. Trump providing nonstop material for satire and comedy shows didn't help either.
In general the international image of the US seems to be better under democrat presidents.
That article broadly matches with my personal observations as a European.
> I can say with high confidence that the image of the United States is perceived not nearly so negative in the following counties which I personally visited: Jordan, China, Vietnam.
Eh. I can't speak to Jordan or Vietnam, but in China opinions on the US are usually a toss up. US (cultural) exports are warring with opinionated news that doesn't portray the US any better than US news portrays China.
> As a country with security always top of mind, overall Israel broadly admires the United States' extensive defense capability and power. I doubt most Israelis would describe the US as 'loudmouth'.
You're right that overall Israelis have an extremely favorable opinion of the US (ignoring their Arab population of course), however I have to point out these opinions aren't mutually exclusive.
The only surprising thing about Israel is that Trump apparently was more liked there than Biden is. They still seem to think Trump is more arrogant though.
I definitely agree that the president has a huge affect on US image on the world stage. The critism of the analogy I laid out is fair. Trump arguably regularly carried himself in a way that aligns with the narrative we're discussing.
Props for citing evidence via Pew. Just FYI, that Israel poll arguably became obsolete in the weeks following the 10/7 terrorist attack. Not sure where things currently stand.
I do wish there was a bit more nuance. The discussion of favorability is complex. I was speaking specifically to the comment regarding the US being perceived as a 'loudmouth how great they are compared to the rest of the world'.
As far as Europe broadly is conencerned... I would probably agree that public perception does include
a component resembling the aforementioned perception. I'd speculate that this probably has a fair bit to do with many European nations exceeding the US in various metrics surrounding healthcare, happiness, safety, income distribution ect. Those critism are fair ofc.
I suppose the distilled point of my comment was that there is a lot of nuance to US image from nation to nation. Myself, I didn't realize just how respected the US is amongst so many nations. Even arguably adverserial nations often respect a great number of things about the US. I find it regrettable that the US domestic population often has very unfavorable views of their own nation, without giving adequate and nuanced consideration to our many accomplishments. Often less developed nations focus more on some of the bigger picture factors which are worthy of full consideration.
> I'll add a fourth country, which I haven't visited. The image of the United States in Israel, while complex, includes a great deal of admiration. As a country with security always top of mind, overall Israel broadly admires the United States' extensive defense capability and power. I doubt most Israelis would describe the US as 'loudmouth'.
I'm from Amsterdam and most people there adore the US as well. Our culture is heavily influenced by it as most people on the street now speak a curious mixture of Dutch and American English. The country became strongly neoliberal as a result too (which hurt me as a socialist personally) and even got caught up in the Trumpist outcry over things perceived as "woke". 24% voted for Wilders who is basically a mixture of Trump-style populism and fascism in the last election. The country is really messed up now.
But, the police is not militarised as it is in the US and I'm really glad for that. Even though gangs do have a lot of guns. They're not easy to come by in Holland but we have an unmonitored border with Belgium where they are freely available in criminal circles. We still have some 'common sense' in police approach, at least for now.
I thought more and came back to say that you might have considered the following setup:
Employers laptop -> (if newer laptop with no 3.5mm audio, cheap USB DAC) -> 3.5mm analog -> hifi analog input -> your ears
I wouldn't waste money on an expensive DAC. As I mentioned above... 320Kbps lossy audio. No point in a crazy DAC. No point in going through hoops to use your existing DAC.
Can confirm yak shave as commented by another. Full yak shave. I looked it up.
Spotify max bitrate is 320Kbps compressed lossy audio.
If the physical buttons on your player induce euphoria with every touch and this feeling in no way is lost to hedonic adaptation... This project could be defended in the court of hackernews.
It sounds like you learned a lot during this. That is good. I am glad for you. I have done similar things. They made similar levels of sense(arguably approaching none).
Not for nothing, if you actually care about the 'fidelity' part of hi-fi... Meh... I'm glad you had fun bro. I wish I could waste such time without endless guilt. Maybe in another life.
We have armies of econ grads measuring baskets of goods to account for this and report it in various metrics.
Try a search "cost of living basket of goods" for more info.
Worry not, despite unrealistic public expectations and wanton reductivism bred from saltiness regarding wealth's stubborn unwillingness to consistently grow without effort... We actually can measure a lot of useful things.
Claude is focused on state of the art context length and safety while maximizing performance and minimizing token costs.
Sorta like BMW vs Volvo.
Both highly concerned about safety and performance and having amazing features. It's about tradeoffs. Ultimately, I use all available foundational models. Each has specialized into a different niche. All are irreplaceable in my monthly life events.
Power is distributed amongst Ilya, Brockman, Altman and the board. The other big player, which asserted itself quite plainly during this episode was ofc the team itself.
Altman is progressive, Brockman is center, Ilya is conservative and the board(should be) independent. Not sure where Mira Murati is at. Probably center with Brockman.
I'm guessing the team is highly diverse in loyalty, operating more like a family with a rather adorable coparenting arrangement than a corporation.
Seems overall everyone loves everyone. It's a high stakes mission that brought out some serious tension. All parties have strong feelings. Hell... I would.
If McKinsey was on track to sell armies of consultants for 20 bucks a month possibly as soon as the next 10 years... The stakes get high real quick.
At the risk of generalizing... These effective altruists seem inconsistent.
Why focus on threats which have upsides. Doesn't it make more sense to focus on things like disease, famine, war ect. Not really any first order upsides to these... (assuming unjust war)
Instead they go after the sexy stuff.
I could make the argument that they should all be librarians, teachers and nurses. We have massive shortages of 2/3 of these.
I'll wager one exceptional teacher has more magnitude of positive effects on the long term trajectory for mankind than any of these sexy non-profit roles.
The more I see this kind of unfounded slander, the more confident I become that this outfit might be the most important in the face of planet earth.
So many commentors here are starting to sound like priests of the Spanish inquisition. Do you seriously expect a community of technologist and science advocates to be fearful of such assertions without evidence? It's a waste of breath. All credibility just leaves the room instantly.
The number one concern for US voters is our level of inflation.
Pro tip: Don't let a populist gain control over your central bank. They are supposed to be independent. Once it was clear Erdogan had consolidated power sufficiently to dictate central bank policy... Two noteworthy things occurred:
1. Traders across the globe realized that Turkey was truly in a mess and began dumping Lira
2. Things went from bad to worse for the average Turk
Haven't followed things much since. I am also unsure if Erdogan has realized since that a central bank is more than an annoying thing for him to squeeze when his political agenda goes one way or another. Not sure if this sort of things is historically recoverable. Perhaps others can take it from here.
US is lucky, because USD is the world reserve currency. Every exporter in the world wants to swap nominal USD with oil, chips, materials, grain. No one wants to swap real assets with Turkey Lira, Zimbabweian dollars.
Being reserve currency has benefits but that's not relevant re the situation in Turkey. Countless countries have healthy inflation rates and only one is the reserve currency.
> Pro tip: Don't let a populist gain control over your central bank.
USA was founded without a central bank and is on it's third central bank. The banksters learned a lot over the years, so this private central bank may hold on for another decade or so - until some States get fed up and divorce the USA.
Arguably the confirmation of 3 youthful originalist textualist Supreme Court justices makes likely that we will see substantial tact toward more state independence and restraint of the federal government broadly. While folks holler about this or that and things are heated... Notice these huge cases trickling in:
Here's the updated list of recent Supreme Court cases that asserted states' rights and/or advanced government restraint:
1. *Biden v. Nebraska (2023)*: Limited the Secretary of Education's authority under the HEROES Act, constraining the federal executive's interpretive power over statutory mandates.
2. *303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023)*: Upheld the First Amendment rights against state compulsion, supporting individual rights against state actions.
3. *Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (2023)*: Restricted the EPA's ability to regulate wetlands, effectively limiting federal environmental regulatory power and implying greater autonomy for states.
4. *Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022)*: Overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the federal constitutional right to an abortion and allowing states to regulate or ban abortion rights.
Seccesion seems less likely to me. The Supreme Court sets the rules. The states should have less to be angry about in the coming years.
Re central banking:
The history of central banking in the United States before the establishment of the current Federal Reserve System in 1913 involves two previous central banks: the First Bank of the United States (1791-1811) and the Second Bank of the United States (1816-1836). Analyzing the differences between these institutions and the reasons for the longevity of the Federal Reserve can provide insights into the evolution of central banking in the U.S.
### First Bank of the United States (1791-1811)
- *Establishment and Objective*: Proposed by Alexander Hamilton, it was established to handle the war debt and create a standard form of currency.
- *Structure and Governance*: It was a private corporation with public duties, holding a twenty-year charter.
- *Controversy and Opposition*: It faced significant opposition from those who feared centralized financial power, particularly from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
- *Role in Economy*: The bank was instrumental in standardizing U.S. currency and stabilizing the economy but was less involved in regulating other banks.
### Second Bank of the United States (1816-1836)
- *Establishment and Objective*: Created in response to the financial chaos of the War of 1812, it aimed to stabilize the currency and control state banks.
- *Structure and Governance*: Similar to the First Bank, but with more capital and stricter regulatory authority over state banks.
- *Controversy and Opposition*: Faced intense opposition from Andrew Jackson and others who viewed it as a tool of the elite against the common man.
- *Role in Economy*: Played a larger role in regulating state banks and managing inflation, but its power was often seen as overreaching.
### Federal Reserve System (Established 1913)
- *Response to Financial Panics*: The Federal Reserve was created in response to a series of financial panics, particularly the Panic of 1907, highlighting the need for a central bank to manage the nation's monetary system and provide stability.
- *Decentralized Structure*: Unlike its predecessors, the Federal Reserve has a decentralized structure with twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks, balancing the interests of private banks and the public.
- *Democratic Governance*: It operates under a government oversight system, with its leaders appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, ensuring a balance between private banking and public accountability.
- *Flexible Monetary Policy*: The Fed has a more flexible approach to monetary policy, with tools like open market operations, reserve requirements, and interest rate setting.
- *Role in the Economy*: It plays a crucial role in managing inflation, supervising and regulating banks, maintaining financial stability, and acting as a lender of last resort.
### Reasons for the Federal Reserve's Staying Power
1. *Adaptive and Flexible Monetary Policy*: The Fed can adapt its policies to changing economic conditions, a flexibility not present in the earlier banks.
2. *Balance of Interests*: The Federal Reserve's structure balances the interests of various stakeholders, including the public, government, and private banks.
3. *Learning from Past Mistakes*: The design of the Fed incorporated lessons from the failures of the previous banks, particularly in terms of decentralized structure and stronger regulatory powers.
4. *Evolving Role in a Changing Economy*: The Federal Reserve's role has evolved over time, adapting to the complexities of a modern economy and global financial system.
The Federal Reserve's ability to evolve and adapt to changing economic conditions, along with its balanced structure and democratic oversight, has been crucial in its longevity and effectiveness compared to the earlier U.S. central banks.
The image of the United States is perceived not nearly so negative in the counties which I visited: Jordan, China, Vietnam.
I'll add a fourth country, which I haven't visited. The image of the United States in Israel, while complex, includes a great deal of admiration. As a country with security always top of mind, overall Israel broadly admires the United States' extensive defense capability and power. I doubt most Israelis would describe the US as 'loudmouth'.
Similar nuances could be laid out for the countries I listed above.
Many world citizens can parse media of a random football fan screaming 'USA!' from the state department's lengthy policy positions. The perceived image you describe resembles most closely to me a self reflection found often within the US.
Nonetheless, I do think our culture could stand to posture in a more reserved fashion broadly, while not being afraid to mention where appropriate...
We remain a positive world standout in a variety ways.