HalFinney comments on The Hero With A Thousand Chances - Less Wrong

62 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 31 July 2009 04:25AM

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Comment author: Wei_Dai 31 July 2009 06:03:36AM 2 points [-]

"Ah..." Ghufhus said, puzzled. "How do you... know all this? Is there a Counter-Force in your own world?"

Fool, Aerhien thought to herself. The hero had seemed puzzled by the idea, at first, and had needed to ask for examples. She decided then and there that Ghufhus would meet with an accident before the next council meeting; their world had no room for stupid Eerionnath.

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Maybe the Counter-Force is known by a different name in the Hero's own world, and he asked for examples to make sure they're the same thing.

Actually, why doesn't the Hero's world have a Counter-Force? Shouldn't every world have something like it? How many times have our world escaped from the brink of nuclear annihilation, for example?

Comment author: HalFinney 31 July 2009 09:58:55PM 3 points [-]

Actually, why doesn't the Hero's world have a Counter-Force? Shouldn't every world have something like it? How many times have our world escaped from the brink of nuclear annihilation, for example?

Right, like the way the LHC keeps breaking before they can turn it on and have it destroy the universe. Sooner or later we'll figure out what's happening.

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 01 August 2009 06:12:36AM 2 points [-]

This just in, apparently: http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/07/lhc-delayed-again-due-to-vacuum-leaks.ars

Comment author: Tiiba 02 August 2009 06:52:20AM 2 points [-]

I wonder what it will look like when the scientists finally realize that their precious creation will never work, because it's doomed to just keep breaking until it's scrapped.

Comment author: CronoDAS 01 August 2009 06:21:33AM 1 point [-]

I think that just goes to show that it takes a lot of tries to get all the bugs out of equipment still in the "experimental" phase instead of the "mass market consumer product" phase. Remember those failed space missions you've heard about on the news?

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