danielfoster (u/danielfoster)

danielfoster commented on The Business of Betting on Catastrophe thereader.mitpress.mit.ed... · Posted by u/anarbadalov

HillRat · 2 months ago

The class B bonds paid roughly 11% over LIBOR, so about 40% over three years, against the risk of a viral outbreak for five different families, defined as At least two countries experiencing at least 250 fatal cases increasing over twelve weeks, so the trigger did not have to be as globally-significant as COVID-19 turned out to be. That’s a pretty aggressive coupon, but the chance of a regional outbreak was also pretty high.

danielfoster · 2 months ago

Makes sense now, thank you! I feel like the author should have mentioned this.

danielfoster commented on The Business of Betting on Catastrophe thereader.mitpress.mit.ed... · Posted by u/anarbadalov

danielfoster · 2 months ago

I like to think I’m somewhat intelligent, but there’s something I don’t understand here. The article cites an example of pandemic bond holders receiving a return of 40% over 3 years and these bonds being a useful way for the issuer to secure needed funds in the event of a pandemic. Unless a pandemic happens every ~8 years, isn’t this a ridiculous and unsustainable risk premium to pay?

danielfoster commented on iOS 26 Will Let You Add Your U.S. Passport to Wallet for Identity Verification macrumors.com/2025/06/10/... · Posted by u/angryGhost

SirMaster · 2 months ago

Who uses their passport for domestic travel?

danielfoster · 2 months ago

Many US citizens overseas visiting the US do. And plenty of New Yorkers who moved to the city but never updated their license do as well.

danielfoster commented on How we’re responding to The NYT’s data demands in order to protect user privacy openai.com/index/response... · Posted by u/BUFU

glookler · 3 months ago

>> Does this court order violate GDPR or my rights under European or other privacy laws?

>> We are taking steps to comply at this time because we must follow the law, but The New York Times’ demand does not align with our privacy standards. That is why we’re challenging it.

danielfoster · 3 months ago

They didn’t say which law (the US judge’s order or EU law) they are complying with.

danielfoster commented on A New Headache for Honest Students: Proving They Didn't Use A.I nytimes.com/2025/05/17/st... · Posted by u/ripe

floriannn · 3 months ago

Ugh, group projects in college were just the worst even before AI. In the real work environment, if someone doesn't show up, doesn't do any work, or is just not good at their job, they can be fired. In college group projects they just drag everyone else down and either people do their work for them or others get a bad grade.

danielfoster · 3 months ago

I always felt this way, too. In university I would just go to the professor and tell them person XYZ is being fired from the group.

danielfoster commented on Universal basic income: German experiment bring surprising results ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/arti... · Posted by u/janandonly

m-schuetz · 5 months ago

"No strings attached...for threee years"

That study has shown exactly nothing. Of course I'm not going to quit if I'm out of job and UBI after three years.

danielfoster · 5 months ago

One area I would like to see more data on is how UBI will be paid for and the impact of this on worker preferences. If taxes increase on medium-high earners to pay for it, you very well could see a drop-off in labor force participation even if it isn’t directly related to the receipt of UBI.

danielfoster commented on Universal basic income: German experiment bring surprising results ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/arti... · Posted by u/janandonly

TrackerFF · 5 months ago

I've been thinking about UBI a bit.

One effect it might have, is that employers need to go above and beyond to keep their workers happy. So, so many people have a job which they at the very best tolerate, but would quit on the spot - if they had the economic means to do so.

Some of those jobs are quite critical for society. Just think about healthcare...plenty of people enter healthcare with high morale and a desire to help, but find them completely disillusioned due to overwork, shitty shifts, unappreciation, mediocre pay, and what have you. If half of healthcare workers quit on the spot, that would lead to a societal crisis. But maybe it would also force the employers to fundamentally change the space, in order to not lose their employees.

I also think UBI would give people a "second chance". Lots of people enter the workforce before they know what they want to do, and find themselves lock into the profession or work - due to financial reasons.

danielfoster · 5 months ago

This could be true. One area I would like to see more data on is how UBI will be paid for. If taxes increase on medium-high earners to pay for it, you very well could see a drop-off in labor force participation even if it isn’t directly related to the receipt of UBI.

danielfoster commented on Changing alcohol consumption may affect risk of dementia nationalelfservice.net/me... · Posted by u/speckx

danielfoster · 6 months ago

Interesting tidbit, “ Alcohol consumption was self-reported in this study; it is possible that people underreported the levels of alcohol they were consuming.”

danielfoster commented on USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts cidrap.umn.edu/tuberculos... · Posted by u/Red_Tarsius

Red_Tarsius · 7 months ago

Because the US is the de-facto leader of the Free World, the wealthiest country in the Western hemisphere and the winner of the Cold War. Heavy Lies the Crown. Especially when it's about fighting the deadliest infectious disease known to man.

danielfoster · 7 months ago

True point, but I question how many people remember the Cold War. It’s arguably no longer relevant.