The Best Paragraph I've Read...

Zac & Don

A podcast that discusses an interesting article or concept.

  1. 4d ago

    Maybe Humans Can Have Jobs & Exist with A.I.? Will We Just Perform Services for the Rich? Or Will Increased Productivity = More Work to Do? What if AI + Human Work Quality Is Bad?

    The Best Paragraph I've Read: "For most of human history, calories were scarce. Our energy went into finding or growing food. Agriculture steadily made food more plentiful and goods became scarce. Then goods were scarce; hand-me-down clothes were common and tools were expensive. Innovations in technology and manufacturing made goods cheaper. Then, technical knowledge became scarce: Doctors, lawyers and software engineers are paid high salaries because of the rarity of what they know. The fear is that A.I. will make knowledge plentiful; that it will turn the fruits of learning into a commodity as surely as manufacturing turned clothing into a commodity and industrial agriculture made strawberries commonplace." But something is always scarce. People are looking at the economy as it exists and asking which tasks A.I. can do; they should be asking which jobs people won’t want A.I. doing, or which services A.I. will make us want more of." This paragraph comes from an essay by Ezra Klein of the New York Times. The essay's title: "Why the A.I. Jobs Apocalypse (Probably) Won't Happen." You can read the full essay here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/opinion/ai-jobs-unemployment-silicon-valley.html Zac & Don discuss Klein's ideas on why labor markets shouldn't worry about future jobs in a world with AI.

    27 min

  2. May 14

    3 Education Ideas: Only Fans Professors Who Teach At the Edge of Knowledge? Bored Students Without Phones & Screens? Declining School Enrollment Nationwide? Which Idea Should Be Further Considered?

    The Best Paragraphs I've Read: Come from three articles on education: Why the Future of College Could Look Like OnlyFans Are Bored Students A Reason to Not Ban Cell Phones & Screens in School? School Enrollments Are Dropping Nationwide Zac & Don Discuss these ideas and wonder which has the most merit for further consideration.

    43 min

  3. May 7

    Worry Meter: Iran Divides Into 30,000 Units? USA Travel Deficit? Paying to Avoid Russia's Frontline? Decline Gulf Remittances? Reducing Buffett Waste? Ukraine = Drone Experts? More Nuclear States?

    The Best Paragraph I've Read... Is from multiple articles from the Economist Magazine. Zac & Don Briefly discuss the following topics: Iran Divides Into 30,000 Units? USA Travel Deficit? Paying to Avoid Russia's Frontline? Decline Gulf Remittances? Reducing Buffett Waste? Ukraine = Drone Experts? More Nuclear States?

    44 min

  4. Apr 24

    Driving Across America! Which Route? Windows up or down? Zeppelin or Guthrie? Good Salads in Midwest? Paper Maps or GPS? Is Two Passengers the Best Number? We Debate Tyler Cowen's Ideas!

    The Best Paragraph I've Read: "I have driven cross-country four times, at least if you count a 3/4 trip as valid.  I also have driving experience in virtually all states, including Hawaii and Alaska, neither of which would be part of typical cross-country travel. I recommend this mode of transport highly, especially for the United States.  Here are a few observations:" This paragraph was written by Tyler Cowen on his blog Marginal Revolution. You can read the full blog post here. Zac & Don discuss professor Cowen's rules for driving across America.

    39 min

  5. Apr 16

    Why Are Americans Rich & Still Miserable? The Economic Theory that Explains Why People Go to Disney, Play Youth Sports, Book Travel and are still unhappy! Can One Be Mad At A Million Tiny Decisions?

    The Best Paragraph I've Read... Comes from an essay in the New York Times titled: "How Can America Be So Miserable When It Is So Rich?" The essay is written by David French. You can read the full essay here.

    28 min

  6. Apr 10

    New American Trend! Make Children Repeat 8th Grade for NIL & Scholarships. What if We Held Back Kindergarteners Instead? Does It Matter if Research Says Only 10% of Children Become Elite Adults?

    The Best Paragraph I've Read comes from the following two articles in the Wall Street Journal: Reclassifying Your 8th Grader for NIL & Scholarship Opportunities Most Elite Adults were NOT Elite as Children

    31 min

  7. Mar 24

    Nuclear Prediction Markets Canceled! Work Harder Now? Is Bitcoin Uncool? Education Tech Failure? US Gov. Unconcerned of TikTok! Single Earning Homes in Decline! Is Russian Economy in the Death Zone?

    The Best Paragraph I've Read: comes from the following articles that Zac & Don discuss: Nuclear Predictions Markets Are Canceled Should You Work Harder Now? Bitcoins Vibe is Off Education Tech Doesn't Show Gains No One Cares About Tik Tok Anymore Single Earning Households On the Decline The Russian Economy Is Dying

    47 min

  8. Mar 12

    Do We Need New Cities? Would Building on Open Land Escape Current City Problems? Or Will People Being People Ruin New Cities? Do Irvine, CA & Walt Disney Have the Solution to the Housing Shortage?

    The Best Paragraph I've Read: "Open land represents the future in its purest form — after all, every place was no place at some point. The quest for resources, escaping bondage or seeking places to worship freely have all motivated new settlements and fresh modes of living. Buildings, sure, but also a chance to improve society in a place where the future looms larger than the past." This paragraph comes from the New York Times. The article is titled: "Maybe America Needs Some New Cities." The article is written by Conor Dougherty. You can read the full article here. Zac & Don discuss the idea of building cities from fresh land. They wonder what the pros and cons are. They also wonder if they will just become the same places with the same problems once people move in.

    30 min
See All (281)

4.9
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

A podcast that discusses an interesting article or concept.

Information

You Might Also Like