financial waterboarding

On the last Friday of each month I curate some of the observations and insights that were shared on social media. I call these Friday’s Finds.

“they called it trickle-down economics because ‘financial waterboarding’ didn’t poll well with focus groups” —JA Westenberg

“If you aren’t using AI, you run a very real risk of falling behind in the race to produce voluminous mediocrity while slowly forgetting how to do your own job.” —Max Leibman

Scientists have been studying remote work for four years and have reached a very clear conclusion: “Working from home makes us happier.”

An Australian study, conducted over four years and starting before the pandemic, has come up with some enlightening conclusions about the impact of working from home. The researchers are unequivocal: this flexibility significantly improves the well-being and happiness of employees, transforming our relationship with work.

SARS-CoV-2 airborne detection within different departments and evaluation of air cleaners in air viral load reduction

In this study, airborne SARS-CoV-2 and particle matter (PM1, PM2.5) detection was performed in different areas of the COVID-19 building at the Ippokrateio University Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece … In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 was effectively detected in the air of different areas in the COVID building after continuous sampling ranging between 24 h and 7 days, and it was shown how important and effective air cleaners are as first-line measures against pathogen airborne transmission in hospital environments.

The supply and demand myth of housing

The primary driver of Vienna’s superior housing affordability is the fact that over 50 percent of Viennese homes are social or co-operative housing . Vienna was able to retain greater affordability in a heavily restricted market because of its cultural and political commitment to housing as an essential good and not a speculative investment.

‘AI is already eating its own’: Prompt engineering is quickly going extinct

Part of the prompt engineer’s appeal was its low barrier to entry. The role required little technical expertise, making it an accessible path for those eager to join a booming market. But because the position was so generalized, it was also easily replaced. Frank compares prompt engineering to roles like ‘Excel wizard’ and ‘PowerPoint expert’— all valuable skills, but not ones companies typically hire for individually.

Here’s an Inconvenient Truth: Disease Is in the Air

If COVID-19 spread in droplets, then it was worthwhile to keep people two metres apart, to put up plexiglas barriers around checkout stands, and make supermarket aisles one-way. Sanitizing countertops could break the chain of infection.

But if COVID-19 was airborne, all those measures were pointless. The air in every workplace would be a soup of viruses; even outdoors, a single COVID-19 case in a big-enough crowd could spread infection in minutes. Masking, air purification and ultraviolet lamps could mitigate spread in confined spaces like classrooms and hospital wards, but could not eradicate the threat.

Image via @Unruly