Random links

More Police WTF: Alabama Man Shot, Killed by Police While Turning in Stray Cat
To be fair, a cat - particularly a stray one - does sound like a dangerous weapon. At least that's what my sinuses tell me.
Attracted To Men, Pastor Feels Called To Marriage With A Woman
"Allan and Leeanne Edwards are expecting a baby in July. ... Allan Edwards is the pastor of Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church in western Pennsylvania... He’s attracted to men, but considers acting on that attraction a sin. Accordingly, Edwards has chosen not to act on it."
We Used to Recycle Drugs From Patients' Urine
This seems to explain why a lot of drugs seem to make it into wastewater. Re: Penicillin: "[A]nywhere from 40 to 99 percent of the antibiotic is excreted in urine in its fully functional form about 4 hours"
Kids with wheels: Should the unlicensed be allowed to ‘drive’ autonomous cars?
Also reports survey results for: "Should a senior who no longer has a legal driving license be allowed to ride driverless cars alone?" and "Should a legally blind person be allowed to ride driverless cars alone?"

On knowing the other side

John Stuart Mill in "On Liberty":

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion... Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them...he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.

Random links

Belgium Agrees To Euthanize Man Convicted Of Murder, Rape
Not your typical euthanasia case: "The case is being widely discussed in Belgium, where some worry that the prisoner's euthanasia could lead to a de facto death penalty. Others worry that other inmates may want to follow Van Den Bleeken's example; a story today in De Standard says 15 inmates may also seek euthanasia." The story also quotes another news site that "The court found he could not be held to account for his acts due to his mental state. He should have been interned and given mental treatment, but ended up in an ordinary jail where he wasn't given the psychiatric support he required."
Forget Tesla. It’s Buses, Not Cars, That Will Lead the Electric Revolution.
"It’s difficult for all-electric vehicles to compete against super-efficient hybrid gas cars ... 'But we’re competing against the most atrociously inefficient vehicle in the planet' ... Buses present operators with the painful combination of horrid gas mileage and heavy usage. "
A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D.
:My patient “treated” his A.D.H.D simply by changing the conditions of his work environment from one that was highly routine to one that was varied and unpredictable. All of a sudden, his greatest liabilities — his impatience, short attention span and restlessness — became assets. And this, I think, gets to the heart of what is happening in A.D.H.D."
Surge in property tax bills spurs push to reform tax appraisal process
Some people seem to have problems understanding cause and effect: "'I'm at the breaking point," said Gretchen Gardner, an Austin artist ... 'It's not because I don't like paying taxes,' said Gardner, who attended both meetings. 'I have voted for every park, every library, all the school improvements, for light rail, for anything that will make this city better. But now I can’t afford to live here anymore.'"

On over-confidence

Via Business Insider:

At his blog, Apenwarr, Google Fiber engineer Avery Pennarun is largely complimentary of Google and its employees: “I continue to be amazed at the overall smartness of people at this place. Overall, very nearly everybody, across the board, surprises or impresses me with how smart they are.”
However, Pennarun says, “Smart people have a problem, especially (although not only) when you put them in large groups. That problem is an ability to convincingly rationalize nearly anything.”
Because smart people, especially computer-oriented smart people, tend to be logic oriented, they always find a rationale to support any conclusion. They also tend to avoid the chaotic, random, messy reality of the world where results don’t fit neatly into logically rational outcomes, says Pennarun.

(As an addendum it's probably also worth adding in underconfidence).

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