listic comments on Friendship is Optimal: A My Little Pony fanfic about an optimization process - Less Wrong

63 Post author: iceman 08 September 2012 06:16AM

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Comment author: listic 01 October 2012 05:12:38PM *  2 points [-]

For the formal release, I hope you're planning to follow the show and HPMoR in serializing it and posting just one chapter a week at an identical time.

Does it increase readership?

AI Ponies: Magic is Optimization

Is it some sort of SEO trick? Because it doesn't sound like a better name otherwise.

Is Hanna an autistic savant of some kind?

I don't get why.

Hófvarpnir is from Norse mythology, which makes sense in the context of their first project and kind of foreshadowing of their next one. I like how it turned out, and I learned a bit about Norse mythology because of that.

Comment author: fome 01 October 2012 07:38:15PM *  0 points [-]

Does it increase readership?

I don't know, but I'd expect it to; I could possibly elaborate. I'd also expect it to increase reader enjoyment and leave a stronger impression afterward.

Is it some sort of SEO trick? Because it doesn't sound like a better name otherwise.

Fic titles that word-substitute the original title signal either parody or amateurism to me. I notice Iceman isn't prefacing it with "My Little Pony :", though, so that's something (and possibly a leg up on my suggestion).

"Friendship is Optimal" makes the Less Wronger in me ask "Optimal for what?". It sounds like moral realism.

I don't get why.

It seems like a typical person forced to write the utility function that would shape the rest of history would take things a little (edit: I did say a little) more seriously. I'm only speaking from the summary; I don't know any later context.

Thanks for the feedback.

Comment author: DanArmak 01 October 2012 08:24:11PM 4 points [-]

It seems like a typical person forced to write the utility function that would shape the rest of history would take things a little more seriously.

You wish that they would. Take this as a cautionary tale.