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Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 21, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Fellow Motteizans, what are your small scale conspiracy theories? I'm not talking grand narratives here. What minor, apolitical conspiracy theories do you explain to the next table at a diner.

For myself, I think at least some large portion of lottery drawings are not random. I base this belief on the fact that of repeat lottery winners, a suspicious number of them are math professors.

A lot of companies in ${CurrentYear} still have long laborious online job application processes that involve re-inputting things that are already in your resume/CV (and possibly a cover letter) because their HR are consciously or subconsciously selecting for employees high in conscientiousness, conformity, and obedience.

And of the right demographics: Please select your pronouns, your race/ethnicity, whether you identify as LGBT+. Such information is only for survey and reporting purposes, of course, and will totally definitely not affect your candidacy (pinky-swear).

A lot of companies in ${CurrentYear} still have long laborious online job application processes that involve re-inputting things that are already in your resume/CV (and possibly a cover letter) because their HR are consciously or subconsciously selecting for employees high in conscientiousness, conformity, and obedience.

Take this a step further. ATS systems track your keystroke accuracy to estimate your IQ. If I had to make an ATS software, I would put in all kinds of proxies in like this.

Or a step back, put in some hard-to-interpret nontechnical questions as further proxy IQ tests.

I can say definitively that’s false at the tech company I work for at least.