Hello LessWrong,

I've been reading the website for at least the past two years. I like the site, I admire the community, and I figured I should start commenting.

I like to think of myself as a rationalist. LW, along with other sources (Bertrand Russell, Richard Dawkins) has contributed heavily (and positively) to my mental models. Still, I have a lot of work to do.

I like to learn. I like to discuss. I used to like to engage in heated debates, but this seems to have lost some of its appeal recently--either someone is wrong or isn't, and I prefer to figure out which it is (and how much), point out the error in either my or his thoughts, and move on.

Procrastination is a major problem for me. Risk-aversion too. I've lost many dollars to them. I'm working on it, although not as hard as I should (read: desperately hard). I've been having a lot of fun, in fact, ever since I realised that just because you're aware of your biases doesn't mean you're no longer subject to them. :-|

There are a few areas where, after I do my due diligence, I will ask the LW community for help. How to properly learn (spaced repetition and (memorising better) [http://lesswrong.com/lw/52x/i_want_a_better_memory/] are of particular interest to me) and how to convince others of your perspective are two topics of particular concern.

In closing, I'd like to say I was very glad there was a Zurich LW meetup recently (even though I couldn't attend) and there should be more Europe meet-ups. Preferably on the mainland because trains are moar better than planes.

Apteris