You are definitly not the only person who has too much to read. My want to read list grows much faster than my ability to read: books, internet blog posts, academic papers, YouTube lectures... I read lots and I still can't keep up! I found it helpful to keep a list (a spreadsheet, actually), and then I can prioritize things a bit better. But you definitly don't have to read everything to "be a part of the club." I also remind myself that it is a marathon, not a sprint.

I enjoyed this. This provided a glimpse into a world that is very different from what I've encountered previously, and I'm really glad that you chose to share it. I do think that there is some truth to what you mention about skill-building. I especially appreciate that you were candid about the perks and costs; a globe-trotting lifestyle can certainly have an appeal, but transience and lack of stability/community is something that is discussed less often.

The snippet about finding "socialising a lot more enjoyable in a headspace where I don't need to prove myself" feels very relatable. I also became more more comfortable socializing once I felt secure. It took me a while to get there, but the feeling of not needing to prove oneself is very nice.

I'm also glad to see a mention of Turn The Ship Around, which is one of the best books I've read on leadership and communication in the context of managing people.

A few thoughts. First, it is a really cute story, and I'm glad you shared it. It feels very Japanese.

Second, marketing and tourism aren't often considered as major areas for economic development and growth (at least not in the popular press books I've read or the EA circles I've been in), but this is a simple little case study to demonstrate that having a mascot (or anything else that people like, from fancy buildings to locations tied to things people like) can drive economic activity. But it is also hard to predict in advance what will be a hit. I bet that lots of places have beautiful murals, cute animals, historical importance, lovely scenery, and similar attractions without having much of a positive return on investment. For me, the notable think about Tama's story is how little money was needed to add something special to the local station. A lot of investments related to tourism are far more expensive. 

A final thought, one that maybe folks more versed in economics can help me with. Should we consider this an example of economic growth? Is this just shifting spending/consumption from one place to another? Would people who spent money to ride this train otherwise would have spent that money doing something else: riding a different train, visiting a park, etc.

I'm wondering if the idea of the Thucydides Trap could be considered an info hazard. The idea is that a rising power/country/nation naturally tends to cause military conflict with an established power/country/nation. Graham Allison popularized the idea. If he had chosen to not popularize the term, would fewer people hold the perspective that violent conflict is inevitable between the US and China. Is this somewhat a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Hard to state with any confidence, but considering how widespread the idea is (among foreign policy folks in the USA and China, at least), it at least strikes me as a reasonable hypothesis: as a result of learning about the Thucydides Trap people think that war is more likely, which in turn makes war more likely.

As a single data point: seconded. I've explicitly been asked by interviewers (in a job interview) why I left a "higher title job" for a "lower title job," with the implication that it needed some special justification. I suspect there have also been multiple times in which someone looking at my resume saw that transition, made an assumption about it, and choose to reject me. (although this probably happens with non-EA jobs more often than EA jobs, as the "lower title role" was with a well-known EA organization)

I think you get the prize for the first April Fools post of 2025! Here is a cookie: 🍪

Could you describe a bit more what you mean here by "standoffishness?" Is it just that people aren't very friendly and welcoming in a social sense?

For a crowd of people that often doesn't take time off because there is more work to do, or thinks of triage in terms of deaths averted, it can be nice to see people have fun and be silly. I'm mentally preparing myself to see a dozen or more April's fools posts with wordplay, teasing, and snark from various people.

If anybody wants to have serious discussions on the EA Forum, I recommend postponing for a few days.

Sure. What I want to do is get input to figure out if there are any ideas in the draft (or versions of those ideas) that are worth sharing, which I would then make into a post. Some of the ideas in the draft are probably just ramblings or otherwise not really worth sharing

I actually have a draft of an EA Forum post that I've been sitting on for a while about this. So far I'm labelling the idea as something like "privileging the fortunate." If anyone reading this would like to poke around my Google Doc and give me feedback, please let me know. I'd be very happy to have some help in transforming a rough collection of ideas into an EA Forum post.