Roots of Reality

New Article: You’re Playing with House Money substack.com/home/post/p-19…

@tombogert Does this mean SKC will go DP shopping?

🚨🔴 BREAKING: Toronto FC is finalizing a deal to acquire winger Daniel Salloi from Sporting KC, per sources. Deal is $300k GAM + $700k add-ons. Salloi is NOT a DP for Toronto. Salloi, 29, made 286 apps for SKC, scoring 67 goals. Been in first team since 2017.

@NBTiller Always kinda of funny to come across those places randomly in the US. But hey, I do like my fortune cookies though haha.

FIVE PERCENT of Americans regularly consult psychic services, with ONE-THIRD (30%) using them occasionally. Though high, it's actually lower than many other high-income developed countries.

New Episode: The Future of AI with Dr. Sean O hEigeartaigh @S_OhEigeartaigh We speak about the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, the myths and risks surrounding it, and why this moment may be remembered as a turning point in human history. Listen Rootsofreality.com/podcast

New Episode: Historian Ben Baumann explores artificial intelligence through the long arc of human technological history, asking whether AI represents just another transformative tool, or a turning point that could fundamentally reshape humanity. Listen: rootsofreality.com/podcast

Why does the universe exist?

My latest history article about the 1919 World Series!

The “10,000-hour rule,” is often misinterpreted. No study shows a fixed number of hours guarantees expertise; progress depends on deliberate, high-quality practice, context, and individual factors.

Developed in the late 1800s using data from a narrow sample of European men, BMI was created as a population-level statistical tool rather than a clinical health measure. While it remains useful for tracking trends, its limitations can misclassify of individual metabolic health.

British-Israelism originated in the 1800s and is the belief that Anglo-Saxon peoples descend from the lost tribes of Israel. Historians reject this theory because it relies on pseudoscience, selective biblical interpretation, and fabricated linguistic links.

The belief that Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover the Americas in 1492 is false. About 500 years earlier, a Norse expedition led by Leif Erikson reached the Canadian coast and established a Viking settlement on an island now known as Newfoundland.

The "Bosnian Pyramids" are hills near the city of Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which some have falsely claimed are ancient pyramids built over 12,000 years ago. Geological studies show the hills are natural formations rather than man-made structures.

E-cigarettes, invented in China in 2003 as a smoking alternative, are safer than combustible cigarettes but not risk-free, exposing users to nicotine and other chemicals that can harm the heart, lungs, and developing brains, particularly in youth.

The 10,000-step goal has no scientific origin. It began in 1965 as a marketing term for Japan’s Manpo-Kei pedometer. While steps encourage movement, research supports 150 min/week of moderate or 75 min of vigorous activity for heart health.

@Juliemkal @PantherNoster I definitely welcome smokers trying to quit to use vaping. I am concerned about vaping companies preying on teenagers who have never smoked. Both things can be true.

@_RootsofReality @PantherNoster I'm not against adults choosing to drink alcohol or smoke. I'd like to see more tolerance and understanding towards the millions of smokers who have not been able to quit have the opportunity to use a much less harmful product. It's not an unreasonable hope.

@PantherNoster Thats a nonanswer.

@_RootsofReality People don’t stop harmful behaviors because they’re told to. They change when there’s understanding, support, and harm reduction - not shame and disinformation. #THR #VapingSavesLives

@ChaunceyGardner People who don't smoke. Shouldn't vape for kicks though.

Nicotine does not cause cancer, heart or lung disease. DEMONIZING it was a paternalistic tactic that maybe made sense in the 1990s and earlier, when the primary source was deadly cigarettes. Today we're saddled with a legacy white lie. A violation of Truth-Telling.

@PantherNoster Point of the post is that people who don't smoke shouldn't start vaping.

@_RootsofReality Go ahead -> name one thing that’s risk-free.

@ChaunceyGardner @NIH Appreciate the comment. Will edit to clarify. Thanks!

@_RootsofReality I know you care about evidence. This is rare, and I admire you for it. Here is evidence: US teen use of ANY nicotine product has dropped to a 50-year low according to the @NIH MTF survey. Daily use, which MAY imply dependence, is near nil. monitoringthefuture.org/data/bx-by/dru… (1/5) 👇

The tipping point is here. Constitutional amendments may seem impossible — then, inevitable. No matter your political affiliation, Americans agree it’s time to act. ⌛ 🎙️@ClementsJeff @_RootsofReality Listen to the whole podcast. ⬇️ apple.co/4jht8jH