Have you ever had someone go off on a long tangent when you asked them a question? Julia Evans shares tactics she uses to prevent the person she’s asking from giving irrelevant information; one of which being to “state your current understanding”. She finds that she gets answers quicker and that the elaborations she gets are quite relevant to what she wants to know, even when talking about complicated topics. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
