Live Free or Die vs. United in Diversity: The US Leads the Way in the New Way of Work

Live Free or Die vs. United in Diversity: Which One Makes It Easier to Sneak in a Mid-Day Nap?

Summary:

1. US offices are at 40-60% of pre-pandemic levels, varying by city and month, while European and Middle Eastern offices have a return-to-office rate of 70-90%, and Asia's rates range from 80-110%.
2. Living arrangements, commutes, and the labor market contribute to the difference in return-to-office habits.
3. The divergence in return-to-office habits has a direct impact on how quickly US metro areas rebound from the pandemic's economic shock.

Opinion:

The US leads the world in everything - debate me on that.  We continue to do so, regardless of how much self-loathing we put on ourselves.

The Real Science on Masks: They Make No Difference

Breaking news: masks found to be as effective as wearing a unicorn costume

Summary:

1. The most rigorous and extensive review of scientific literature, conducted by the Cochrane review, concludes that neither surgical masks nor N95 masks have been shown to make a difference in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
2. Masks may keep out some pathogens but their inner surface can also trap concentrations of pathogens that are then breathed back into the lungs, offsetting any theoretical benefits.
3. Public health officials continue to recommend or mandate masks without proper evidence of their effectiveness or any cost-benefit analysis, and masks can cause social, psychological, and medical problems.

The most rigorous and extensive review of scientific literature, conducted by the Cochrane review, concludes that neither surgical masks nor N95 masks have been shown to make a difference in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

Whatever theoretical benefits there might be, in clinical trials the benefits have turned out to be either illusory or offset by negative factors. 

Oxford’s Tom Jefferson, the lead author of the Cochrane review, summed up the real science on masks: 'There is just no evidence that they make any difference. Full stop.'

Replacing Humans with ChatGPT is Happening Right Now

“Overall, most business leaders are impressed by ChatGPT’s work,” ResumeBuilder.com wrote in a news release. “Fifty-five percent say the quality of work produced by ChatGPT is ‘excellent,’ while 34% say it’s ‘very good.'”

- Fortune, February 2023.

“Accountants, factory workers, truckers, paralegals, and radiologists — just to name a few — will be confronted by a disruption akin to that faced by farmers during the Industrial Revolution,”

- Kai-Fu Lee, AI expert, and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, 2018.

A recent article in Fortune talks about the elimination of jobs due to artificial intelligence.

Not in ten years or even ten minutes - it is already happing.  The article starts out, "In the 10 or so days since its grand entrance, ChatGPT has been everywhere:..."

10 Days.

The article goes on to say, "Business leaders already using ChatGPT told ResumeBuilders.com say their companies already use ChatGPT for a variety of reasons, including 66% for writing code, 58% for copywriting and content creation, 57% for customer support, and 52% for meeting summaries and other documents."

Executive Summary: