Astral Codex Ten Podcast Links For April 2026
May 8, 2026
A rapid-fire tour of quirky and provocative links, from Venn diagrams and flag laws to medieval Trump style transforms. Topics jump to AI oddities, model behaviors, and disputes in the AI world. There are histories and scandals, science puzzles, sensational curiosities like cryptids and Marian apparitions, plus odd policy and cultural takes on tech, medicine, and education.
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Robert Trivers' Genius Came With Turbulent Personal Life
- Robert Trivers made major evolutionary psychology contributions during a manic period then lived with alternating mania and depression.
- Steven Pinker's obituary recounts Trivers' brilliant early 30s discoveries and later personal turmoil including controversial associations.
AI Timelines Move Because Forecasters Update Like Markets
- AI forecasting groups update timelines frequently, reflecting continuous-information updating rather than static pronouncements.
- Scott contrasts iterative forecasting like a prediction market with public perception that frequent timeline shifts equal incompetence.
James Ellroy's Life Mirrors His Noir Fiction
- James Ellroy's biography reads like pulp noir with sexual obsessions and early trauma shaping his life and work.
- Scott recounts Ellroy's mother's murder, his Nazi acts in high school, and his complicated personal relationships as told on Wikipedia.