Personal example: back when I was working as a data scientist at various startups, my mother would tell me to wear a suit when interviewing. And I would be like “Mom you do not get it, that would absolutely tank my chances of getting hired except at companies so bad I don’t want to work there, the only people who wear a suit for an interview in tech are the people who don’t think they can cut it on their technical skills and the people hiring know this”. I had the skills. I was definitely playing the winners’ bracket in that particular game. Throwing in something like a suit, the sort of signal used in the losers’ bracket, would have been a terrible move.

This seems more like "your mom is wrong about what the correct interview outfit is" than "you escaped the game". There are lots of outfits that would cost you points in start-up interviews; some people are lucky enough to have their tastes formed by the same pressures and feel like it's natural, others have to learn the same way people have to wear a suit.

The MATS acceptance rate was 33% in Summer 2022 (the first program with open applications) and decreased to 4.3% (in terms of first-stage applicants; ~7% if you only count those who completed all stages) in Summer 2025. Similarly, our mentor acceptance rate decreased from 100% in Summer 2022 to 27% for the upcoming Winter 2026 Program.

This is not counter-evidence to the accusation that scholar quality has been going downhill unless you add in several other assumptions. 

I'm dying to know... If you lack the "appreciate long term relationship" receptor, why did you stay in a relationship for 10 years?

One of the reasons it's hard to take the possibility of blatant lies into account is that it would just be so very inconvenient, and also boring.

Feeling called out by this relatable content. 

My impression is 7 is neutral, so this isn't very good. I'm surprised and view this as a huge lost opportunity.

Do you have data on how valuable writers find the feedback they get from peers or mentors? Do people who get a little tend to want more?

There is essentially never going to be anything to see on your phone that can’t wait ten minutes.

This just isn't true. I've had medical emergencies and supported friends through emergencies where someone really did need to pick up right away. They're rare, but you do need a system that can handle them. 

Because it's the body's natural reaction to calorie deficits.

occasionally, but it doesn't scratch the same itch for me. I've enjoyed as ANW moved away from the climbing-type obstacles and towards the gymnast/acrobat type obstacles. The climbing ones never look effortless. 

I like Ninja Warrior, a sport that is functionally an obstacle course for insane  gymnasts. Every time I watch, I notice how much easier it is to be good at things. It's not just that good technique needs less strength for a given move. It's that arm strength gets you off obstacles faster, which conserves precious finger strength.. Ninjas that are good at linking moves conserve momentum instead of needing to rebuild it, further saving upper body and finger strength.

E.g. Max vs. Taylor in the finals (start at 12:48). Keep in mind that Taylor is the top contender for best female ninja, so she's not suffering from technique issues. 

Or take Hades, a beat-em-up in which you receive power-ups throughout the game. Some of the powerups make you better at hurting enemies, some give you more hit points. Sometimes you get a choice of power-up. If you're constantly being hit, you want the hit points. But if you're good enough at dodging you don't need them and can get an offensive power instead, which will let you kill enemies faster and get hit even less.