Update: Discussion has moved on to a new thread.
The hiatus is over with today's publication of chapter 73, and the previous thread is approaching the 500-comment threshold, so let's start a new Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread. This is the place to discuss Eliezer Yudkowsky's Harry Potter fanfic and anything related to it.
The first 5 discussion threads are on the main page under the harry_potter tag. Threads 6 and on (including this one) are in the discussion section using its separate tag system. Also: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. The fanfiction.net author page is the central location for information about updates and links to HPMOR-related goodies, and AdeleneDawner has kept an archive of Author's Notes.
As a reminder, it's often useful to start your comment by indicating which chapter you are commenting on.
Spoiler Warning: this thread is full of spoilers. With few exceptions, spoilers for MOR and canon are fair game to post, without warning or rot13. More specifically:
You do not need to rot13 anything about HP:MoR or the original Harry Potter series unless you are posting insider information from Eliezer Yudkowsky which is not supposed to be publicly available (which includes public statements by Eliezer that have been retracted).
If there is evidence for X in MOR and/or canon then it's fine to post about X without rot13, even if you also have heard privately from Eliezer that X is true. But you should not post that "Eliezer said X is true" unless you use rot13.
I just read all the chapters from 1 before Azkaban until the end. Have to say I loved them. Either that which had pissed me off about the chapters immediately preceding that one was not present or I have lower standards now. From what I recall the irritating bits were Harry being inexcusably stupid in ways that are later fully endorsed by Eliezer. But everything Harry has done since then has been either a good decision or revealed to be a bad decision. Like going to @#%@# Azkaban. I particularly like this scene:
Dumbledore isn't a total villain just yet!
Of course the awesomeness of Tonks kicking butt, Harry and Neville taking out Sunshine, Harry's ritual domination of naked Chaos and Quirrell doing it because he needed cheering up go without saying!
The story got a whole heap lighter and it was good to get back to Hogwarts and the student battles. Draco casually admitting that Harry was better than both of them combined and Harry getting a handicap was a nice touch. It was like book one had finished with a climactic battle and things are back to the early chapters of book two with the low stakes Hogwarts games.
Worst part: Hermione pulling an absurd feminst revolution. It totally wasn't appropriate to the culture. SPHEW is way less sane than SPEW and Hermione just looked petty. She must have temporarily downgraded to sub Canon levels that chapter. The vigilante gang was far more appropriate!
I reread it a lot recently and once SPHEW got attacked by the whole huge army of bullies and Harry pulled that ritual awesomeness i enjoyed the arc much more in retrospect.