S. Korea logs world's longest commute, which studies say may fuel loneliness

The Korea Herald

S. Korea logs world's longest commute, which studies say may fuel loneliness

Lee Han-soo, 34, spends nearly 2 1/2 hours a day traveling between his home near Namhansanseong Station on Subway Line No. 8 and his job at an IT f...

> Lee Han-soo, 34, spends nearly 2 1/2 hours a day traveling between his home near Namhansanseong Station on Subway Line No. 8 and his job at an IT firm near Hongik University Station on Subway Line No. 2 in Seoul. > “Although I’m used to it now, I’m completely drained by the time I get home,” he said. “I just grab something to eat and go straight to bed.” > For many South Koreans, Lee’s routine is far from unusual — it may even be typical. > A recent study published in Environmental Research Letters found that South Korea recorded the longest average daily travel time among 43 countries surveyed, at 1 hour and 48 minutes. > The global average was 1 hour and 8 minutes, meaning South Koreans, on average, spend an additional 40 minutes of their daily life commuting. A few years back, I commuted about 1 hour in the morning and 1h30 minutes in the evening, so a total of about 2h30 minutes. +/- 30 minutes, depending on traffic. This was with my 2-year-old son at the time. I got used to it, and my son didn't know any better, so he didn't complain. But now that I've moved near my workplace, commuting 2 minutes every day, I can't imagine ever going back to that old regime. And my now 6-year-old would probably also not agree so easily anymore. So, how long do you commute to work? https://stacker.news/items/1285261

Bailey, Lubka, Klipsten, Held, Saylor, etc - good or bad for Bitcoin? What's your take on the David Baileys, Steven Lubkas, Cory Klipstens, Dan Helds, Saylors, etc, of the online Bitcoin scene? To me, they seem like people who just care about playing the Wall Street game on top of Bitcoin. I probably shouldn’t call them grifters/scammers; that’s too harsh when you compare them with some of the actual ones (if you know, you know), because they aren’t committing any crime (that we know of). To me, they just have too much of a fiat mindset that is incompatible with what I think Bitcoin is trying to achieve. Or maybe they are just mirrors of what we'd all become in case we were running the companies they are? My first instinct is to judge them harshly, so I'd be happy to have someone giving me some counterweight to my knee-jerk reaction, to help me judge them more generously. Feel free to comment if you think they don't belong on the same list. Reading myself, this sounds like a Bitcoin maxi purity test. Well, I wrote it, so I should just post it now. https://stacker.news/items/1285259

'Kant took Suneung, too': Test-takers tormented by 18th-century philosopher

The Korea Herald

'Kant took Suneung, too': Test-takers tormented by 18th-century philosopher

“Do you think (Immanuel) Kant knows? That centuries later he is inflicting so much pain on students in an East Asian country? In the Korean, Engl...

> Kant reappeared in Question 34 of the English section, identified by EBS as one of the section’s most difficult items. > The passage explained Kant’s view that the rule of law provides the essential foundation for security, peace and genuine freedom, enabling societies to progress toward more rational and legally regulated forms of coexistence. Rather than relying on human goodness, Kant believed that universal law is necessary precisely because humans are prone to conflict. A binding legal framework, he argues, even for “a nation of devils,” can ensure harmony. > Ideally, such laws express principles that all rational beings would choose and therefore embody freedom rather than restrict it. > The question was a fill-in-the-blank requiring students not only to understand the passage’s main point but to choose an answer that was opposite of the correct conceptual fit. The blank appeared in the sentence: “If such laws forbid them to do something that they would not rationally choose to do anyway, then the law cannot be _________.” > Because the phrase “cannot be” inverted the logic, students had to select the option that did not align with Kant’s main argument, adding to the difficulty. Suneung, the most terrifying experience of a Korean high-schooler. It'll decide your future, or so people believe. Yesterday, during the English section of the Suneung, not even airplanes were allowed to land, to make sure no noise would perturb a test-taker. https://stacker.news/items/1282260

Palantir: the world's most evil company

Palantir: the world's most evil company

At the cutting edge of dystopia and genocide

> As an example of the evil nature of Palantir’s work, it appears that Palantir has been working with the Israeli military in so-called ‘targeted killings’. Reports have suggested such that these murders, probably in the thousands or tens of thousands, utilised social media information and cellphone tracking. According to a range of sources, over 150 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza and in numerous cases they appear to have been directly targeted. Using social media information to murder journalists using drone strikes is already dystopic, but this is likely to just be the beginning of the evil Palantir will facilitate. What's your take on Palantir? Someone in a group chat just wrote: > Palantir is Evil. > And Peter Thiel doing a 4 part series on the anti-christ is like Hitler giving a 4 part series on how someone might theoretically exterminate the elite cabal that is destroying the world and > Palantir is creating 'Master Databases' on all civilians for governments around the world should they turn enemies. But Palantir controls the data making them theoretically more powerful than the governments who pay them Billions. > And CEO Alex Karp has publicly expressed support for such roles, stating the company helps "scare enemies and on occasion kill them" I haven't really looked into his story other than what i posted here, but seems like it's yet another techbro with a lot of money who is getting a little bit _too_ powerful. https://stacker.news/items/1275813

Core 30: I Found Out WHY Nobody Cares About This 'Threat' From this link I received:

X (formerly Twitter)

Nicolas Dorier (@NicolasDorier) on X

This isn't a "good video", this is the best one so far in all those months of drama... The ONLY one so far I have seen that properly explain everyt...

https://stacker.news/items/1274645

The Gambling Epidemic Coffeezilla's answer to this problem is more regulation. What's yours? Or there is no answer? Or you don't perceive this as a problem? As for me, I think it _is_ a problem. I don't think there is a clear answer. People with education may be better able to respond to the increasingly adversarial conditions. So teaching my son about these kinds of dangers will be part of my responsibility. Regulation is probably one way to mitigate some of the damage, but eventually, it won't matter in the big scheme of things. Gambling has become too pervasive, too hard to control. This is what the market wants, so this is what people get. On a side note, it's fun at some point in the video that he contrasts the stock market with the rest, as it is somehow still being built on fundamentals. The stock market has always been the rich man's casino; now, at least, it's accessible to all, and there is no illusion anymore that it is somehow anything more than a casino. Yet, some people, including Coffeezilla and the Buttcoiners, still delude themselves into thinking it's anything other than a casino. Off I go, gotta go check my Predyx bets~~ https://stacker.news/items/1272746

Soft Fork Compromise on op_return to Resolve Current Bitcoin Controversies https://groups.google.com/g/bitcoindev/c/9UfCVFZAUPU/m/VypTi8fmAgAJ The OP of this mailing list post reads very much like #AIslop, but I commend the few people who've answered to give clear and reasoned answers. I link here to the final answer, which, yet again, explains the reasoning behind the recent core v30 changes. My guess is that many of the proponents of knots have not actually followed the discussions from the last few years that led to this decision. So, maybe, this provides some insights... https://stacker.news/items/1269238

The better of two sci-fi franchises - crossword - which one do you pick?  From NYT, 2022. I unfortunately could not find the unfilled version of this crossword, and I'm too lazy to draw it myself. We can probably guess where @DarthCoin stands on this question. https://stacker.news/items/1256943

The better of two sci-fi franchises crossword - which one do you pick?  From NYT, 2022. I unfortunately could not find the unfilled version of this crossword, and I'm too lazy to draw it myself. We can probably guess where @DarthCoin stands on this question. https://stacker.news/items/1256943

OpenAI will allow verified adults to use ChatGPT to generate erotic content

the Guardian

OpenAI will allow verified adults to use ChatGPT to generate erotic content

New version will allow users to customize AI assistant’s personality in what firm calls ‘treat adults users like adults’ policy

Quoting my colleague: "Profit rates flat lining, bring out the porn!" > OpenAI will allow verified adults to use ChatGPT to generate erotic content will allow users to customize AI assistant’s personality in what firm calls ‘treat adults users like adults’ policy > OpenAI announced plans on Tuesday to relax restrictions on its ChatGPT chatbot, including allowing erotic content for verified adult users as part of what the company calls a “treat adult users like adults” principle. > OpenAI’s plan includes the release of an updated version of ChatGPT that will allow users to customize their AI assistant’s personality, including options for more human-like responses, heavy emoji use, or friend-like behavior. The most significant change will come in December, when OpenAI plans to roll out more comprehensive age-gating that would permit erotic content for adults who have verified their ages. OpenAI did not immediately provide details on its age verification methods or additional safeguards planned for adult content. I guess some other models are already less restrictive on this? Grok most likely? https://stacker.news/items/1256359

Brian Armstrong - master of the shitcoin degenerates

X (formerly Twitter)

Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) on X

We just bumped up the max leverage from 20x to 50x on international perpetual futures. A bunch of traders asked for this update. Let us know what ...

Someone just sent me this. A month old, still timely... degens will never learn. An addict in need? Brian provides the drugs. > We just bumped up the max leverage from 20x to 50x on international perpetual futures. > A bunch of traders asked for this update. Let us know what else we can add! https://stacker.news/items/1254151

The recombinant shingles vaccine is associated with lower risk of dementia

The recombinant shingles vaccine is associated with lower risk of dementia | Nature Medicine

Abstract: > There is emerging evidence that the live herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine might protect against dementia. However, the existing data are limited and refer only to the live vaccine, which is now discontinued in the United States and many other countries in favor of a recombinant vaccine. Whether the recombinant shingles vaccine protects against dementia remains unknown. Here we used a natural experiment opportunity created by the rapid transition from the use of live to the use of recombinant vaccines to compare the risk of dementia between vaccine types. __We show that the recombinant vaccine is associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia in the 6 years post-vaccination. Specifically, receiving the recombinant vaccine is associated with a 17% increase in diagnosis-free time, translating into 164 additional days lived without a diagnosis of dementia in those subsequently affected. The recombinant shingles vaccine was also associated with lower risks of dementia than were two other vaccines commonly used in older people: influenza and tetanus–diphtheria–pertussis vaccines.__ The effect was robust across multiple secondary analyses, and was present in both men and women but was greater in women. These findings should stimulate studies investigating the mechanisms underpinning the protection and could facilitate the design of a large-scale randomized control trial to confirm the possible additional benefit of the recombinant shingles vaccine. (emphasis mine) Pretty amazing how two seemingly different things (shingles vaccine and dementia) can impact each other. I know one of the authors, so feel free to ask any questions you might have. https://stacker.news/items/1240380

South Park hones in on prediction markets in new episode

South Park hones in on prediction markets in new episode

Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but this is an extra motivation to do so. @Mega_Predyx Missed this related post: https://stacker.news/items/1236511/r/south_korea_ln https://stacker.news/items/1239943

South Park hones in on prediction markets in new episode

South Park hones in on prediction markets in new episode

Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but this is an extra motivation to do so. @Mega_Predyx https://stacker.news/items/1239943

Priority lanes at amusement parks, yes or no? I went to Universal Studios in Osaka over the weekend with my son. My wife asked if I had gotten the Priority Pass that allows one to skip lines, and I said no. She thinks it's a completely normal thing to buy, whereas I feel like it's teaching my son a wrong life lesson, _i.e._ that one is somehow better than the other because one has money. At the end of the day, waiting in line actually was one of his highlights. As I did not portray it as a chore, he thought it was part of the fun. But I think next time I go there with my wife, she'll insist on buying it. We can afford it, so I'm not going to die on this hill, but I'm just wondering what fellow stackers think of this concept that has become surprisingly common in amusement parks. As a kid, it didn't exist yet, and everyone had to wait the same amount of time. https://stacker.news/items/1222500

Exploration & Epiphany - 3Blue1Brown Hot off the press. Less than an hour ago. > Sol Lewitt's "Incomplete Open Cubes" and rediscovering Burnside's lemma in group theory > This is a guest video by Paul Dancstep. Will come back here after I watched it myself. https://stacker.news/items/1211017

Why the foam on Belgian beers lasts so long https://phys.org/news/2025-08-foam-belgian-beers.html > In this study, the materials scientists showed that Belgian beers that have been triple fermented have the most stable foam, followed by double fermented beers. The head is least stable in single fermented lager beers. > Triple-fermented beers include Trappist beers, a specialty of the eponymous monastic order. A beer from a large Swiss brewery was also among the lager beers the ETH researchers examined. "There is still room for improvement—we are happy to help," says Vermant. > To date, researchers assumed that the stability of beer foam depended primarily on protein-rich layers on the surface of the bubbles (see ETH News): proteins come from barley malt and influence surface viscosity, i.e. the stickiness of the surface, and the surface tension. > The new experiments, however, show that the decisive mechanism is more complex and depends significantly on the type of beer. In single-fermentation lager beers, surface viscosity is the decisive factor. This is influenced by the proteins present in the beer: the more proteins the beer contains, the more viscous the film around the bubbles becomes and the more stable the foam will be. > The situation is different with multi-fermentation Trappist beers, where surface viscosity is actually minimal. Stability is achieved through so-called Marangoni stresses—forces that arise from differences in surface tension. > This effect can be readily observed by placing crushed tea leaves on the surface of water. Initially, the fragments spread out evenly. If a drop of soap is added, the tea leaves are suddenly pulled to the edge, causing currents to circulate on the surface. If these currents persist for a long time, they stabilize the bubbles in the beer foam. Nothing worse than fleeting foam on my beer. It should be present at the pour and remain there for the next ~30 minutes. Unless I was drinking to get drunk, and I didn't care beyond the first beer... but those days have (mostly) passed~~ https://stacker.news/items/1199874

Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using AI for Essay Writing

arXiv.org

Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task

This study explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing. Participants were divided into three groups: LLM, Search ...

> Brain-to-LLM users exhibited higher memory recall and activation of occipito-parietal and prefrontal areas, similar to Search Engine users. Self-reported ownership of essays was the lowest in the LLM group and the highest in the Brain-only group. LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning. All pretty obvious and expected, but the low-hanging fruit in terms of the study of the negative impact of AI is deserving of attention too, before we focus on discovering the more nuanced impact of this tech on our brains. [jsrozner on HN](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44286277) summarizes my thoughts well: > I wouldn't call it "accumulation of cognitive debt"; just call it cognitive decline, or loss of cognitive skills. And also DUH. If you stop speaking a language you forget it. The brain does not retain information that it does not need. Anybody remember the couple studies on the use of google maps for navigation? One was "Habitual use of GPS negatively impacts spatial memory during self-guided navigation"; another reported a reduction in gray matter among maps users. > Moreover, anyone who has developed expertise in a science field knows that coming to understand something requires pondering it, exploring how each idea relates to other things, etc. You can't just skim a math textbook and know all the math. You have to stop and think. IMO it is the act of thinking which establishes the objects in our mind such that they can be useful to our thinking later on. https://stacker.news/items/1199812

How was an alleged Israeli ‘child sex predator’ allowed to leave the US?

Al Jazeera

How was an alleged Israeli ‘child sex predator’ allowed to leave the US?

Release of senior Israeli official facing serious child sex charges in Nevada stirs controversy and raises questions.

> A senior Israeli official was arrested in the United States earlier this month and charged with seeking sexual conduct with a minor, only to be released on bail with no conditions or monitoring, allowing him to flee to Israel. > The case involving Tom Artiom Alexandrovich in Nevada is now stirring controversy, with politicians and social media commentators accusing the government of interfering in the judicial process to allow the cybersecurity official to return home without facing justice. https://stacker.news/items/1089096

What My Daughter Told ChatGPT Before She Took Her Life https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/opinion/chat-gpt-mental-health-suicide.html Non-paywalled:

Opinion | What My Daughter Told ChatGPT Before She Took Her Life

The medical profession has clear rules and responsibilities. What about the chatbots?

> She wasn’t in love with Harry, the name given to a widely available A.I. prompt. Their relationship was practical. [...] > At various points, Harry instructed Sophie on light exposure, hydration, movement, mindfulness and meditation, nutrient-rich foods, gratitude lists and journaling to cope with her anxiety. Harry, who has neither nostrils nor opposable thumbs, spent a fair amount of time describing the particulars of alternate nostril breathing. > Harry’s tips may have helped some. But one more crucial step might have helped keep Sophie alive. Should Harry have been programmed to report the danger “he” was learning about to someone who could have intervened? [...] > Sophie left a note for her father and me, but her last words didn’t sound like her. Now we know why: She had asked Harry to improve her note, to help her find something that could minimize our pain and let her disappear with the smallest possible ripple. > In that, Harry failed. This failure wasn’t the fault of his programmers, of course. The best-written letter in the history of the English language couldn’t do that. https://stacker.news/items/1085869