orthonormal comments on Open Thread, August 2010-- part 2 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: NancyLebovitz 09 August 2010 11:18PM

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Comment author: orthonormal 10 August 2010 07:37:38PM 8 points [-]

The welcome thread is about to hit 500 comments, which means that the newer comments might start being hidden for new users. Would it be a good thing if I started a new welcome thread?

While I'm at it, I'd like to add some links to posts I think are especially good and interesting for new readers.

Comment author: orthonormal 10 August 2010 09:57:29PM 3 points [-]

OK, I'm seeing some quick approval. I've been looking back through LW for posts and wiki articles that would be interesting/provocative for new readers, and don't require the entirety of the sequences. Here's my list right now:

* Newcomb's Problem and Regret of Rationality
* The True Prisoner's Dilemma
* How to Convince Me that 2 + 2 = 3
* The Least Convenient Possible World
* The Apologist and the Revolutionary
* Your Intuitions are Not Magic
* The Third Alternative
* Lawful Uncertainty
* The Domain of Your Utility Function
* The Allais Paradox (with two followups)
* We Change Our Minds Less Often Than We Think
* The Tragedy of Group Selectionism

And from the wiki:

* Near/Far thinking
* Shut Up and Multiply
* Evolutionary Psychology
* Cryonics
* Religion

What should I add? What, if anything, should I subtract?

Comment author: MartinB 12 August 2010 07:52:32PM *  2 points [-]

Due to heavy personal history bias: That Alien Message.

I would take out anything that involves weird stuff regarding dead people, but that might be better A/B tested or surveyed. My own expectation is that hitting readers with the crazy topics right away is bad and a turn-off while it is better to give out useful and interesting things in the beginning that are relatable right away. [Edit: important missing word added]

Comment author: orthonormal 12 August 2010 07:55:26PM 0 points [-]

I would could anything that involves weird stuff regarding dead people

Huh?

Comment author: MartinB 12 August 2010 08:07:16PM 0 points [-]

Corrected. I meant cryonics, and some of the applications of 'shut up and multiply'.

Comment author: orthonormal 12 August 2010 08:11:19PM 0 points [-]

Ah. As you can see on the page itself, I decided to leave out the wiki links (for basically the same reasons you mentioned.) I'll add That Alien Message.

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