ACX Nonbook Review Contest
A-I Reviews
Scott Alexander at Astral Codex Ten hosted a “Review anything but books” contest and those reviews have just been posted online. I’ll post some summaries generated by NotebookLM so you can read more of the reviews you’re interested in.
Below are summaries for many of the A-I reviews, see this doc for the full reviews.
For the other summaries, see J-S reviews and T-Z reviews.
11 Poetic Forms, Reviewed in Verse This review creatively examines eleven distinct poetic forms, including Acrostic, Couplet, Haiku, Limerick, Sestina, Petrarchan Sonnet, Shakespearean Sonnet, Triolet, Villanelle, Free Verse, and a unique category "Whatever Emily Dickenson Is Doing." Each poetic form is not just described but is also used as the medium for its own review, providing a direct demonstration of its structure and constraints. The reviews comment on the specific characteristics and challenges of each form, such as the strict syllable count of a Haiku, the repetitive nature of a Sestina, or the structural design of a Shakespearean Sonnet, often highlighting their appeal or difficulty in composition.
A New Theodicy for High School Math This piece critically reviews the common justification for teaching high school mathematics, particularly calculus, often framed as providing "proof you can do hard things." The author argues that while it is genuinely beneficial to prove one's competence in overcoming difficulties, this alone is not a sufficient reason to force students to engage in "pointless painful useless boring stuff." The review draws an analogy to theological arguments for the Problem of Evil, suggesting that just as God could theoretically create souls without suffering, educators could encourage resilience without resorting to intrinsically useless or unchosen hard tasks. It concludes that "proof you can do hard things" is an inadequate rationale for mandatory high school calculus, advocating instead for engaging with genuinely useful or voluntarily chosen difficult activities.
Alpha School and "2-hour Learning" powered by AI This is a multi-part review of Alpha School, an educational initiative in Austin, Texas, that promotes "2-hour learning" powered by AI. Alpha School claims students "Love School," "Learn 2X faster," and "Learn Life Skills" within just two hours of daily academics. The review clarifies that the "AI" is closer to a "turbocharged spreadsheet checklist with a spaced-repetition algorithm" rather than generative AI, and teachers are essential, rebranded as "guides" with high pay and low student-to-guide ratios (5:1 in private schools, 20:1 in charters). The core learning principles include one-on-one learning, spaced repetition, and mastery learning. Afternoons are dedicated to workshops (ranging from property management to competitive academics) and "Check Chart Time" for life skills. A significant, undiscussed element highlighted is the school's extensive incentive system (e.g., "Alpha bucks") that motivates students. While the private schools are expensive ($40,000/year), Alpha aims to scale by offering lower-cost charter options. The author finds the school's primary value in its efficiency, allowing students to condense years of learning and gain additional childhood time.
Airships: A Tech‑Tree Branch We Let Wither This review advocates for the modern revival of airship technology. It traces the history of airships from their military debut in World War I to their brief "glory days" as luxurious passenger cruisers, exemplified by the Graf Zeppelin's circumnavigation. The author notes that the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, highly visible and catastrophic, led to a rapid decline in public faith in airships, unlike other tragedies like the Titanic. However, the review argues that with modern materials like carbon-fiber, electric drivetrains, and increased climate mandates, airships are now a viable and environmentally friendly option, capable of cutting CO2 emissions by 90-98% for regional cargo. Current challenges include navigating regulatory barriers. The author believes a comeback would be a "real, imaginative leap forward," appealing to a sense of lost technological potential.
An American football game This review offers an observational account of attending an American football game from the perspective of an outsider. The author notes a personal difficulty in understanding the game itself, instead being captivated by the surrounding spectacle and cultural elements. The review highlights various non-game performances, such as scantily clad dancers, military personnel performing push-ups, a uniformed band playing uplifting music, cheerleaders, and commentary interspersed with blatant sponsorships. The author concludes that the experience is dominated by these continuous, often random, and entertaining side performances, which ultimately overshadow the actual football match, creating a unique and chaotic atmosphere.
Arbitraging Several Dozen Online Casinos This review explains how to profit from "sweepstakes casinos" in the United States by exploiting their unique legal loopholes. These casinos provide free "Sweeps Coins" (SC) with purchases of non-cash-value "Gold Coins" (GC) to avoid strict gambling regulations. The author details several "edges" for profit, including daily bonuses, discounted SC packages, perks for high-spending "whales," and credit card rewards. While the activity can yield significant daily profits, the review highlights uncompensated risks such as casinos failing to pay out, given that SC technically lack cash value. The author observes that a large segment of the American population, particularly those with lower numeracy skills, could benefit from this "free money," but something prevents most from doing so. The practice is ultimately described as zero-sum and unproductive for society, potentially diverting skilled individuals from more beneficial endeavors.
Bukele The World’s Coolest Dictator. This non-book review examines the rise and presidency of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, contemplating whether his rule will lead to a "Singapore-ending" (economic miracle) or a "Turkey-ending" (repressive state). Bukele, a former marketing professional, gained popularity by "Getting Shit Done" and tackling El Salvador's severe crime problem, which had made life "worthless" for many citizens. He successfully consolidated absolute power by systematically taking control of the media, police, military, Congress, and the courts, with public support, often defying traditional democratic norms. His moves, such as entering Congress with armed soldiers, were perceived by the public as decisive actions against a "lazy" opposition. The review details the country's dire background of corruption and extreme violence before Bukele's tenure. It suggests that the crucial factor for Bukele's future trajectory will be his ability to deliver an "economic miracle," and speculates on whether a similar authoritarian power grab could occur in the United States.
Bite Me: A Review of Teeth as Evolution’s Leftovers and Modern Shame This review offers a "performance review" of human teeth, framing them as a problematic "white elephant" from evolution. It argues that teeth are poorly adapted for modern human diets, lacking regeneration or redundancy, leading to pain and "dental entropy." The author highlights the symbolic function of teeth as "social currency," citing historical examples like Mayan elite dental modifications and Japanese tooth blackening for status. In modern America, teeth are seen as "credentials for the face," with their condition implying affluence, discipline, or neglect. The review argues that decay is culturally moralized as a failing, even though biology doesn't moralize it. Ultimately, teeth are portrayed as "high-maintenance symbols" requiring constant upkeep to maintain an "illusion of permanence," serving as a constant reminder that the human body is "temporary architecture."
Contrasting Reviews of Nine Countries This entry presents subjective reviews of nine different countries (United Kingdom, United States, Czechia, Georgia, Portugal, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Turkey, and Japan) from the unique perspectives of a globetrotting husband and wife. Each country is reviewed with personal anecdotes and observations, highlighting both positive and negative aspects. For instance, the UK is noted for its humor but criticized for its institutional pessimism and "soft-and-cuddly-authoritarian" tendencies. Prague is lauded for its beauty but acknowledged as a "theme park" for tourists. Georgia is praised for its scenery and lack of bureaucracy but criticized for political instability. The reviews often discuss cultural nuances, personal experiences with locals, food, and infrastructure. The authors' overarching conclusion emphasizes the value and addictive nature of travel, urging readers to explore the world beyond their immediate surroundings, asserting that it is "big and deeply weird and sometimes unpleasant but it’s always, always interesting."
Dating Apps - The Misery Engine This review launches a strong critique of modern dating apps, labeling them "misery engines." It explains that these apps, largely dominated by Match Group, all employ similar swipe-based matching systems and manipulative monetization strategies (subscriptions, "superlikes," paywalls for filters). The author argues that dating apps are fundamentally flawed, as they incentivize shallow judgments based on curated images and brief profiles, leading to a "gamification of relationships." For men, the experience is often characterized by extremely low match rates and feelings of insecurity, while for women, it leads to an overwhelming influx of superficial messages, harsh judgment, and resentment from ghosting or deceitful interactions. This creates a destructive feedback loop where men swipe broadly due to low odds, which in turn drives women to be more selective. The review concludes that dating apps amplify users' worst instincts, distort perceptions of normal relationships, and are ultimately detrimental to genuine connection, advocating for their complete abandonment.
DEJA VU This review explores the common psychological sensation of déjà vu, defining it as the feeling of having previously experienced a current situation. The author notes that this "pedestrian experience" can serve as a "gateway to the transcendent," offering a brief glimpse into the vastness of human experience or the workings of consciousness. It delves into various interpretations, from simple "brain hiccups" to more extraordinary notions like tapping into parallel universes or the Jungian collective unconscious. The review encourages readers to choose their own level of engagement with the phenomenon, suggesting that knowing how the "trick is done" (the psychological explanation) only enhances its "magic." It also connects déjà vu to the concept of nostalgia and the human inclination towards familiar stimuli, linking it to behaviors like "infinite scroll" in search of something "almost seen before."
“Earth” in Review: A Beautiful, Frustrating, Waste of Time This satirical review, presented as a conversation, critiques a simulated "U" (universal simulation or game) titled "Earth," created by an "Ancient" entity named Ujima. The reviewer, ζ, expresses profound frustration with "Earth" due to its "nightmare-difficulty" starts, arbitrary mechanics (like needing water or dealing with "the poop"), and a "cessation mechanic" (death) that is "more grim than is even fun." ζ laments the senseless suffering and lack of a clear plot, feeling like a "terrified powerless creature." The creator, Ujima, explains "Earth" as a monument to past humanity, acknowledging it was "not good, but neither was it all rotten." The review ultimately suggests that "Earth" would benefit from "mods" like "Stats Made Visible, Save State, and Give Me Quests" to make the experience less purposeless, hinting that the "game" is a product of Ujima's "dark teen poetry stage."
Einstein’s World-View Review This review delves into Albert Einstein's lesser-known views on non-physics topics, emphasizing his progressive attitudes. Over a highly eventful 50-year period (1905-1955), Einstein advocated for pacifism, global cooperation, democratic socialism, animal welfare, and intellectual independence, while opposing nationalism, militarism, and authoritarianism. He expressed concern about groupthink and believed academia often stifled originality, even suggesting scientists might thrive in isolation. His stance on Zionism is described as pragmatic rather than strictly principled. While his early writings show traces of xenophobia (e.g., comments on Chinese people), his later views strongly condemned racism, particularly after the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust. He feared that capitalism, by controlling information sources, limited intellectual freedom and critical discussion of alternative economic systems. The review acknowledges that while his proposed solutions for socialism were less detailed, Einstein's role was to bring attention to these "extremely difficult socio-political problems."
From the Control Problem to RLHF – Some Dangers of Misaligned Alignment Research This review critiques the field of AI alignment research, particularly as applied to GPT-3 through Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF). It opens with an allegory of sparrows attempting to align a newly hatched "owl" (AI) to their interests. The author argues that there is a significant mismatch between the historical "control problem" (preventing superintelligence from turning into a hostile utility maximizer) and the actual dangers posed by current large language models (LLMs). RLHF, while making models stable and "helpful, harmless, honest," imposes the subjective preferences of researchers as universal "human values," effectively rewriting the model's weights globally. The review contends that overly centralized AI alignment could pose a greater danger to humanity than unaligned AI, as it could lead to the imposition of a "single, maximalist normative frame" that micro-manages individuals' lives in the name of their "best interest," potentially undermining autonomy. It suggests alternatives, such as providing tools for users to choose and compare models based on their own values, and strict regulation only for clear harms like leaked private or copyrighted information.
Google's Hiring Process: A Review This review offers an inside look at Google's hiring process, particularly for software engineers. It details the multi-stage process, including initial screenings, coding and algorithms interviews, Googleyness and Leadership interviews, and system design interviews for more senior roles. The author, an L5 software engineer at Google, criticizes the coding and algorithms interviews for being overly focused on obscure data structures and algorithms, which he deems irrelevant for experienced professionals and too random. He also finds the Googleyness and Leadership interviews to be largely ineffective, providing "very little signal." Despite these criticisms, the author surprisingly concludes that Google's hiring process "seems to work" effectively. This success is attributed to the interviews functioning primarily as IQ tests, successfully filtering for smart developers who can write code quickly. The review offers advice for improving the process, such as focusing on real-life problem-solving and reducing the emphasis on algorithmic minutiae.
Human Sexuality, reviewed. This review introduces a "Status Theory of Sexual Attraction" to provide a unified framework for understanding the diverse and often puzzling aspects of human sexuality, including various fantasies and preferences. The core argument is that "hotness" or sexual attraction is deeply connected to an innate cognitive system of "status" that the human brain constantly tracks. The theory identifies two primary types of sexual hotness: High Status Hotness (HSH), which can be dominance-based (e.g., controlling, causing pain) or prestige-based (e.g., skilled, admired); and Low Status Hotness (LSH), which involves being controlled (submitting, receiving pain) or being desired by a high-value partner. The review explains that both HSH and LSH circuitry exist in all individuals, modulated by hormones, accounting for why both men and women experience fantasies related to both dominance and submission. This framework is used to explain "mysteries" such as hate sex, makeup sex, forced fantasies, and male cuckold fantasies, by reinterpreting them through the lens of shifting or extreme status dynamics. The author argues that understanding this underlying status mechanism enhances one's appreciation of human sexual complexity.
Identity This review critically examines the common concept of "identity" and its implications. The author expresses skepticism about the term, arguing that it often unifies disparate personal attributes—like traits, relationships, and ideologies—into a single, potentially misleading whole. The review questions the notion of "defending one's identity," suggesting that such defensiveness may conflate correlation with causality and hinder personal growth or open-mindedness. It challenges the idea that "identity-related speech" necessarily indicates a fixed internal state, viewing it more as a "turn of phrase" or a warning sign of a "trapped prior" (a strongly held belief resistant to change). Instead of adhering to a rigid "identity," the author advocates for practical advice like "keep your identity small" or "hold your identity lightly," interpreting these as calls to beware bad habits, try new things, avoid taking non-personal things personally, and cultivate curiosity rather than letting a single value dominate.