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What problems have you had with the current system?

No, it’s not. He’s pointing out that there are legitimate trade offs here.

No worries about being off-topic. I’m more than happy to listen to your unconstrained writing. I always enjoy your comments and find you have a unique and valuable perspective.

Anyway, what sort of graduate work would you like to do and why?

And I’m surprised your academic performance in high school is still a hinderance. Do you also have not great test scores?

If you could get into someplace reasonably prestigious, would you go back to school full-time? Or is being able to go to school while still working important for you?

Interesting. So are you learning anything from the degree or are just you doing it to get the credential?

It's a tangent, but I'd love to hear more about your decision to pursue the degree at nau.edu.

I thought this was a joke. Never did figure out what it actually does.

87% and no false positives. Native speaker. Fun!

Oh, cool. Does it still make you money?

Do you still also run the bed bug registry site?

Yeah, definitely. I’d love to hear more about the high volume site that they rejected, though, if you’re willing and able to share. I’m just curious what went on in the backend because, in my experience, Stripe is good about not being overly zealous in shutting down Connect accounts. We’ve had accounts rejected for fraud or TOS violations (and they clearly were), but my sense is that had Stripe closed any accounts incorrectly, we very much could have interceded in the merchants behalf and got things corrected.

On the KYC front, if there are difficulties, it’s usually just a matter of Stripe requiring a more rigorous form of verification (such as a copy of photo ID). We’ve never had a merchant to unable to completely KYC and lose their account. Of course, we operate at a much, much smaller scale than Shopify (and in a rather low risk vertical), so surely run into fewer problems and can handle them in a more personal manner.

I wonder, though, how much of this could be Shopify’s inability or unwillingness to handle these edge cases that come up with Connect accounts rather than any malice on their part.

Certainly pushing merchants to a Stripe Connect account and then not letting them go back to a regular Stripe is pretty bad, but, having been behind the scenes in a scenario ms like this, I could see how these could result from poor decision making and incomplete knowledge rather than malice. It’d be easy for someone to make the assumption that if a merchant as a stand-alone Stripe account, they’d obviously not run into any problems with a Connect accounts. Coupled with the fact that companies using Stripe Connect will tend to (not unreasonably) want to drive as much of the processing that happens on their platform into Stripe Connect, so that they can either begin to receiving volumes discounts on the processing or increase the discounts they already receive, which they can use to either make money on the processing or offer more competitive rates to their merchants.

As someone who’s done a lot with Stripe Connect, I just want to clarify that there’s nothing inherently shady about onboarding users without performing KYC. I’m not sure if you meant to indicate it was (it sounds like Shopify might be doing it as part of a larger process that, as a whole, is shady).

I think it’s an important point to make because one of the great benefits of Stripe Connect is being able to onboard users and let them start accepting payment without collecting any KYC information.

You can also check out Peter Kramer's "Ordinarily Well: The Case for Antidepressants" for the exact opposite take. And "Against Depression", also by Peter Kramer, is a good take on recent findings about the biological roots of depression.

Most people, even those in positions of authority, are morons.

Absolutely.

I've been feeling similarly lately. I guess it's burnout? I'm not sure.

Do you feel challenged at all by your current work? I feel like that's a big piece of it for me. Not necessarily the overall mission but just the moment-to-moment I've done basically the same thing a thousand times before.

Yes, I’m very familiar with GiveWell.org and 80,000 Hours. They’re great orgs.

I attach absolutely no strings to any of my donations, but I think you bring up a great point. There’s a huge inherent power differential, so you really have to make sure the the relationship doesn’t become subtly coercive in some way. I spend a great deal of talking to my receipients and get a lot from it. I think they do too, but I’m sure they also realize I enjoy it and may feel some obligation to indulge me. I try my best to make sure they don’t feel like there’s any quid pro quo, but there’s a chance that they feel like there is, and that obligation, in theory, could affect them negatively.

Perhaps I’m gravely misjudging, but the relationships I’ve formed seem very genuine and, in some cases, almost familial. The mere fact of someone half a world away reaching out and opening their wallet for a total stranger really warms people’s hearts and leads to a kind of bonding that seems to be about more than mere self interest. It’s quite amazing, really.

And, because of that, I’m donating $1k a month to people who, at the very least, need it more than me. Would the best choice and the morally right choice been to just have donated $1k a month to GiveDirectly? Absolutely, but I don’t think I’d ever have done that.

This isn’t addressing your point and I’m not saying your doing this, but, as I’ve told people here and elsewhere about my idea, it’s interesting how readily they come up with criticisms. I guess this is the classic reaction to cash transfers, but it’s still interesting to see it in action. I wonder how much of it is just people finding excuses not to be generous.

I’m a pretty generous person in general, but it’s amazing how much my heart has opened upon having a personal connection to people in such need. Right now I’m not only giving as much as I can, but I’m looking for ways to earn more so I can give more. That personal connection and everything that flows from it is, I think, the unique benefit of this approach.

As for finding people via Olx, I should be clear (as I think I stated in another comment), I’m not putting up a post saying that I’m looking to give money away to those in need. That would just make me a target. Instead, I go through various sections of the site and contact posters that seem like they might be on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum. Given this approach and given the scale I’m doing this on, there’s basically zero chance that I’m sending money to someone that set out to scam me. I’d actually be more leery of a system like you mentioned with The Gambian newspaper, because it has the potential to attract scammers.

There’s some chance that folks may be exaggerating their need to receive more money than I’d otherwise give them, but I talk to my recipients extensively and form very real, meaningful and lasting relationships with them and, in the process, collect a lot of what you could call “collateral evidence” (like photos), so I end with what I really think is a very accurate picture of their lives. Moreover, if this type of exaggeration is happening it’s netting people something on the order of tens of dollars. Both through correlating what different recipients have told me and through independent research, I’ve got a good sense of what the cost of living is there and what is and isn’t a reasonable amount of money. So if someone says they need $310 a month (the most I send anyone) to support their family when they really need $300, it really matter doesn’t matter, and I don’t care.

The really interesting thing about cash transfers in the developing world is how often the funds are used not just to meet immediate needs but are invested in some form or another. GiveDirectly has tons of examples, but it may be anything from paying for a child’s education to buying a motorcycle to start a delivery business to, and this is my favorite, upgrading from a thatch roof to a tin one (this is an interesting win and one that might not be obvious to outsiders: not only is the tin roof more effective but it is also cheaper in the long run because the thatch roof has to be replaced twice a year at considerable cost in both labor and materials whereas the tin roof lasts for years; and this is a perfect example of how the poor can get locked in to an expensive cycle for lack of capital up front).

I’ve seen the same in the people I’ve given to. No one just wants to take the money and do nothing and become dependent. Everyone, literally everyone to a one, wants to start a business.

I would love a copy, if you don’t mind. I’m certainly open to criticisms of my approach, but looking at “When Helping Hurts”, it looks like they approach the problem from the context of Christian ministry in the First World, which is far different from poverty alleviation in the developing world. In that context, there has actually been a lot of research in recent years on the effect of cash transfers, as they’re called, and the effects have been found to be positive. The GiveDirectly website is a good place to start if you want to know more about the evidence for this approach.

Thanks! Hit me up if you have any questions. My email is in my profile.

Sorry to hear that. Sadly, things like this can happen. It seems like a lot of that comes from adverse selection, though. By helping those that ask you for help, you become a target for fraud. Instead, I seek individuals out by looking at the "Seeking Work" section of Olx, so it'd be pretty difficult for a scammer to actually target me.

There's absolutely no problem with GiveDirectly, and, if you want the most impact for your dollar, absolutely give to them. My approach has the benefit of being much more tangible. I'm helping people I've gotten to know and become friends with. I keep saying this, but it's truly an amazing and perspective altering experience. You don't realize just how much we all have in the West compared to even middle-class person in Kenya.

And while cellphone penetration in Africa is pretty astounding, the poorest might not have reliable electricity let alone a smartphone. I'm under no illusions that I've reaching the poorest Kenyans. But the people I'm reaching are definitely in need, and I feel good helping them.

I'm not saying this is an alternative to GiveDirectly, but I think it's an interesting approach that has some unique benefits.

Hi and thanks for the questions.

1. To be clear, I'm not advertising on Olx saying I'm giving away money, so I don't have adverse selection to deal with. Rather I use to the "Seeking Work" section to proactively reach out to individuals that seem like they might be in need. And when I do reach out, I don't just open with "Do you need help? Can I give you some money?" Rather I try to build rapport and develop a real relationship. Most of the people I contact are just excited about talking to an American even before money enters the picture.

So I think the remaining risk isn't that the person isn't who they say they are but that they'd exaggerate their circumstances to get more money from me. The way I counter that is by developing a real relationship with the recipients. I talk to most of them on a daily basis. See pictures of their house and children. Get their whole backstory. And, in general, just end up with enough collateral documentation about their lives that it'd be hard to fake.

And, in fact, it's these relationships that are the most rewarding part of the whole thing. You're not just helping an abstract stranger. You're helping a very real person that's become a part of your life. My first recipients, the single mom, has become something of a sister.

2. I don't use M-PESA directly. Rather I use WorldRemit (https://www.worldremit.com), which connects to M-PESA, to send the money. Other than the occasionally delay, it's a pretty seamless experience. When you factor in the poor exchange rate you get, the cost of sending money is about 1%.

3. Honestly, it's just more rewarding to give directly. I know keep saying this but to talk to the recipients and see how grateful they are and how life changing the money is just an amazing experience. And it's motivating. I want to keep giving and find ways to give more.

As for the handout question. None of my recipients seem to attach any stigma to receiving the money and none of them treat it as a handout. They all keep working in one way or another and most use the funds to start a business of some sort.

Funny to see this just after I submitted: Ask HN: Would you donate directly to poor Kenyans? (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16890224)

This is a really cool idea. Too bad I already wear glasses. I wonder if it's bad for your eyes.

Not a chemist but according to the providers I’ve talked to the recreational dose is an order of magnitude larger than that given for depression. My understanding is the dose for depression is relatively small (even compared to what’s used during, say, anaesthesia).

My girlfriend receives ketamine treatment for her depression, so I’ve the results first hand. It’s truly astounding. She’s seen more improvement from the ketamine than from a decade of psychotherapy and traditional psychopharmacology.

The only downside is the cost (it’s not covered by insurance) and the potential that there are long term side effects that have yet to be discovered. We pay $375 for a 40-minute infusion. The recommended initial course is six infusions over two weeks. After that a booster or two is usually needed very two to six weeks. (It’s been about every three weeks for my girlfriend.)

Check out Rupert Spira. He's a bit more hardcore than Tolle but in the same genre (nonduality). He's also got some good videos on YouTube.

Ha! Former Wyomingite here. The key person mentioned in this article--State Superintendent Jillian Balow--was my junior high English teacher. I can safely, and, sadly, assure you these folks have no idea what they're doing. In recent years, Wyoming has made a habit of cargo-culting tech trends and this is just the latest. It will invariably be a boondoggle like all the rest.

Kinda sad to see when organization like the Against Malaria Foundation and GiveDirectly could absorb hundreds of millions in additional funding. I know long-term thinking, break-through technologies, blah, blah, blah, but spending $3000 to save a life via mosquito nets or $500/year to raise someone out of extreme seem like easy, immediate wins that should be prioritized.