MrHen comments on Logical Rudeness - Less Wrong

65 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 29 January 2010 06:48AM

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Comment author: MrHen 29 January 2010 03:57:55PM 18 points [-]

In the old days we used to use ice cream as an inverse semaphore; the listener held the pint and the spoon, and ate and listened while the talker talked. Then the talker took the ice cream and had to shut up until the other person asked for it.

This is awesome. I would be tempted to shut up earlier than I usually would just for the reward of getting some ice cream. :)

Comment author: nerzhin 29 January 2010 07:42:57PM 13 points [-]

So the only thing we need to improve online discourse is a way to instantly deliver ice cream over the internet...

Comment author: Waldheri 30 January 2010 09:34:50PM 3 points [-]

Though I appreciate the fun, you are forgetting that this is a solution to a problem that lies in old-fashioned rudeness of interrupting one another, something quite impossible on a turn-based medium as this.

On a different note, some people may be distracted too much by the ice cream, and the goal of making them listen might be forgone because of this.