Thursday assorted links

by Tyler Cowen December 18, 2025 at 11:58 am

1. Andrew Batson best books he read in 2025.

2. Demis on AI.

3. Dean Ball on AGI and the programmer’s mentality.

4. New data on long-term warming trends.

5. A possible Netflix adaptation of Caro’s The Power Broker? And maybe just maybe a Villaneuve film of Rendezvous with Rama?

6. Do lower mortgage rates in fact benefit first-time home buyers?

7. Henry Oliver on Kiran Desai.

8. Australia to “crack down” on hate speech (NYT).

9. Amanda Taub at the NYT covers dogs, babies, and Taiwan.

10. That was then, this is now: “As much as a quarter of the active US navy is now in the Caribbean, according to one estimate.” (FT)