paper-machine comments on On the unpopularity of cryonics: life sucks, but at least then you die - Less Wrong

72 Post author: gwern 29 July 2011 09:06PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 01 August 2011 07:26:47PM 7 points [-]

No.

This cannot be allowed to continue. These novelty accounts are cute, but you and the others are standing in the way of actual discourse.

I strongly recommend LW put an end to all novelty/roleplaying accounts, or limit them to some corner of the site.

Comment author: Clippy 02 August 2011 07:16:46PM 18 points [-]

Seconded.

Comment author: JGWeissman 01 August 2011 07:36:38PM 10 points [-]

but you and the others are standing in the way of actual discourse.

That is simply not true. We have discussion trees here. We can appreciate a joke comment as a joke and continue discourse in a more serious branch.

Comment author: [deleted] 01 August 2011 07:45:58PM *  9 points [-]

As Mike Darwin pointed out above, we can't reliably tell if a joke comment is a joke.

But you know, this isn't my strongest objection. It's the noise-to-signal ratio. What I'm really concerned about is the opportunity cost of recognizing a joke as a joke, and having to work harder to find the serious branches of discussion.

Comment author: JGWeissman 01 August 2011 08:00:20PM 9 points [-]

How much effort did it actually take you to recognize that the comment "GRYFFINDOR!" by a user named "SortingHat" is a joke? It is silly to be worried about the opportunity cost here.

Comment author: [deleted] 01 August 2011 08:14:43PM 13 points [-]

I imagine someone said a similar thing during Reddit's infancy.

I was there when someone said a similar thing in Everything2's infancy.

Comment author: kpreid 01 August 2011 08:50:08PM 3 points [-]

This seems like a question which should be considered in a top-level post.