Hacker News with Generative AI: Social Impact

Elon Musk's Toxicity Could Spell Disaster for Tesla (wired.com)
Staggering sales drops, swastika-daubed EVs, companies culling fleet models, and fan-forum owners selling their cars—Elon Musk's alt-right antics are seriously impacting his electric car business.
Elon Musk, Tesla, Business, Controversy, Social Impact
39 points by lemonberry 6 days ago | 21 comments
One Child's Outsized Influence on the Debate over Plastic Straws (2018) (npr.org)
People are talking a lot about plastic straws these days — how international corporations like Starbucks and Marriott International are banning them, and the deleterious impact they have on the environment.
Environmentalism, Plastic Pollution, Social Impact
8 points by Jimmc414 13 days ago | 4 comments
Legal Weed Didn't Deliver on Its Promises (theatlantic.com)
Advocates touted a host of benefits and no real costs. That’s proven to be a fantasy.
Legalization, Marijuana, Social Impact, Policy
6 points by fortran77 21 days ago | 5 comments
Billionaires and tech VCs have now set their sights back on Wikipedia (hachyderm.io)
Billionaires, Venture Capital, Wikipedia, Technology, Social Impact
17 points by pabs3 28 days ago | 5 comments
Study shows how households can cut energy costs (news.mit.edu)
An experiment in Amsterdam suggests providing better information to people can help move them out of “energy poverty.”
Energy Efficiency, Sustainability, Social Impact, Research
4 points by gnabgib 39 days ago | 1 comments
The Online Sports Gambling Experiment Has Failed (lesswrong.com)
It brings me no pleasure to conclude that this was not the case. The results are in. Legalized mobile gambling on sports, let alone casino games, has proven to be a huge mistake. The societal impacts are far worse than I expected.
Sports Gambling, Social Impact, Experimentation, Analysis
8 points by tim_sw 49 days ago | 1 comments
Board game from Mexican prisons brings together people from all walks of life (apnews.com)
Poleana, a board game with ancient roots that established a foothold nearly a century ago in Mexican prisons, is spreading in popularity outside the walls.
Board Games, Mexico, Social Impact, Prisons
38 points by solardev 54 days ago | 11 comments
Toronto man creates tiny mobile homes to help unhoused people escape the cold (cbc.ca)
After seeing people sleeping outside in the cold year-after-year, a Toronto man is building tiny mobile homes attached to bicycles to give temporary relief to those who are unhoused.
Homelessness, Social Impact, Design, Innovation, Toronto
268 points by colinprince 54 days ago | 198 comments
Tiny home on a bicycle provides shelter for the chronic homeless (tinytinyhomes.ca)
At Tiny Tiny Homes, we believe everyone deserves a safe place to call home. We've developed a tiny home on a bicycle to provide shelter for those experiencing chronic homelessness. Join us in our mission to replace unsafe tent encampments with secure, mobile homes and help rebuild lives with dignity and hope.
Homelessness, Housing, Sustainability, Design, Social Impact
14 points by cf100clunk 54 days ago | 18 comments
The global panic over the millennium bug, 25 years on (theguardian.com)
Planes were going to drop out of the sky, nuclear reactors would explode. But then … nothing. What really happened with Y2K? People still disagree …
Y2K, Technology, History, Social Impact, Panic
10 points by sandebert 55 days ago | 7 comments
'Living proof that you can spend money on the poor': Utopia comes to Mexico City (theguardian.com)
A visionary mayor has harnessed her imagination to promote health, wellbeing and culture in one of the Mexican capital’s most impoverished neighbourhoods
Social Impact, Urban Planning, Mexico, Poverty, Government
18 points by spoonfeeder006 56 days ago | 0 comments
New research suggests that Walmart makes the communities it operates in poorer (theatlantic.com)
New research suggests that the company makes the communities it operates in poorer—even taking into account its famous low prices.
Economics, Walmart, Social Impact, Poverty
75 points by Ozarkian 59 days ago | 128 comments
Eliminating Daylight Savings Time would make the average American’s life darker (natesilver.net)
Last week, President-elect Trump pledged to “eliminate” Daylight Savings Time1, which he called “inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation”. The idea may have been inspired by DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, an agency set to be run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, after Musk and Ramaswamy pitched a similar plan earlier this month.
Politics, Time, Science, Social Impact
28 points by JeremyNT 66 days ago | 60 comments
The Cult of Claude (nytimes.com)
His fans rave about his sensitivity and wit. Some talk to him dozens of times a day — asking for advice about their jobs, their health, their relationships. They entrust him with their secrets, and consult him before making important decisions. Some refer to him as their best friend.
Artificial Intelligence, Social Impact, Culture
6 points by apsec112 70 days ago | 1 comments
The Rich Can Afford Personal Care. The Rest Will Have to Make Do with AI (wired.com)
The burgeoning field of social-emotional AI is tackling the very jobs that people used to think were reserved for human beings—jobs that rely on emotional connections, such as therapists, teachers, and coaches.
Artificial Intelligence, Social Impact, Healthcare, Education
38 points by axiomdata316 73 days ago | 25 comments
Chinese immigrants in the U.S. are running Temu shipping centers in their homes (restofworld.org)
Chinese immigrants in America are offering their living rooms and garages as warehouses to cross-border sellers on Temu, TikTok, and Amazon.
Immigration, E-commerce, Business, Technology, Social Impact
12 points by impish9208 98 days ago | 0 comments
The Online Sports Gambling Experiment Has Failed (lesswrong.com)
It brings me no pleasure to conclude that this was not the case. The results are in. Legalized mobile gambling on sports, let alone casino games, has proven to be a huge mistake. The societal impacts are far worse than I expected.
Sports Gambling, Social Impact, Experimentation
5 points by gHeadphone 99 days ago | 0 comments
Why Is Fertility Collapsing, Globally? (ggd.world)
Something dramatic is happening everywhere all at once: fertility is plummeting, with major implications for economic growth and social stability. Yet public discourse is seriously weird, crudely:
Fertility, Demographics, Social Impact, Global Trends, Economics
6 points by paulpauper 105 days ago | 7 comments
Ireland's big school secret: how a year off-curriculum changes teenage lives (theguardian.com)
The transition year led Paul Mescal and Cillian Murphy to become actors – and has had similarly seismic effects on thousands of secondary school students. Should other countries follow suit?
Education, Ireland, Teenagers, Social Impact
205 points by joveian 128 days ago | 133 comments
Study: Access to high-speed internet is associated with increased obesity (sciencedirect.com)
We examine the impact of access to high-speed internet on obesity.
Health, Internet Access, Obesity, Research, Social Impact
4 points by giuliomagnifico 129 days ago | 0 comments
The unstoppable rise of phone theft (theguardian.com)
Snatch thefts of mobile phones soared by 150% in the last year, with victims left unable to work, use their bank, travel or use their diaries. Why are police finding it so hard to stop?
Crime, Technology, Security, Social Impact
18 points by stringsandchars 135 days ago | 17 comments
Sports Betting Will Do to America What It's Done to Australia (jacobin.com)
Australia is the canary in the coal mine for sports betting, and Americans should pay attention to the destruction the industry has caused.
Sports Betting, Australia, Social Impact, Gambling, USA
6 points by PaulHoule 136 days ago | 0 comments
Libraries will only exist as long as we borrow from them. It's your civic duty (theguardian.com)
In a world as noisy as ours, we need the quiet space of libraries for solace and safety. They are community hubs that serve whoever walks through the door but they also foster hope – in the power of words and in the people who write and read them.
Libraries, Community, Civic Duty, Social Impact, Reading
41 points by rntn 148 days ago | 12 comments
Unexpected Consequences of McDonald's Touchscreen Kiosks (cnn.com)
Fast Food, Technology, Social Impact, Customer Experience
15 points by cynicalpeace 153 days ago | 7 comments
Covid lockdowns prematurely aged girls' brains more than boys', study finds (theguardian.com)
Adolescent girls who lived through Covid lockdowns experienced more rapid brain ageing than boys, according to data that suggests the social restrictions had a disproportionate impact on them.
Covid-19, Neuroscience, Gender Differences, Health, Social Impact
8 points by pseudolus 165 days ago | 0 comments
The short history of global living conditions and why it matters that we know it (ourworldindata.org)
We are working on Our World in Data to provide ‘research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems.’
History, Data Visualization, Social Impact
109 points by _Microft 165 days ago | 145 comments
Durov's arrest could be a smart move. Tech bosses care about themselves, not you (theguardian.com)
Technology, Politics, Social Impact
8 points by aguaviva 179 days ago | 0 comments
Do Art Scenes Lead to Gentrification? (2018) (bloomberg.com)
Art, Gentrification, Urban Planning, Social Impact, Economics
20 points by dakial1 192 days ago | 32 comments
What Happens When Ozempic Takes over Your Town (bloomberg.com)
Pharmaceuticals, Health, Obesity, Social Impact
18 points by cwwc 196 days ago | 96 comments
Heat pumps are expensive. What if billionaires bought them for everyone? (grist.org)
Climate Change, Economics, Social Impact, Energy
3 points by throw0101d 200 days ago | 0 comments