Please take this easy one-question survey. For Science! Survey link
Please take this easy one-question survey. For Science! Survey link
Where did the question ask us for a "random" number? "Some humans pick future years from underdetermined distributions by asking the most convenient RNG" is no more "fake" than, say, "Some humans pick future years from underdetermined distributions by recalling a fun sci-fi show".
Now that I've explained why lavalamp shouldn't feel guilty for asking his computer and I shouldn't feel guilty for asking pop culture: is it odd that I do feel guilty for picking something in this millenium? I know that a uniform distribution over Z+ doesn't exist, but it still feels like I ought to have at least added a digit or two.
Why would you do that? If you know this is set up to detect patterns in how humans pick random numbers, isn't specifically entering a data point in order to thwart that sort of like providing fake data on a survey to mess with the results?
It's like providing fake data on a survey intended to detect patterns in what fake data people will produce.
I see what you're doing there.
V cvpxrq n enaqbz ahzore orgjrra mreb naq gur rfgvzngrq raq bs fgne sbezngvba va gur havirefr, ba gur beqre bs n uhaqerq gevyyvba lrnef sebz abj. Znggre jvyy pbagvahr gb rkvfg sbe n tbbq ybat gvzr nsgre gung, naq qrtrarengr znggre sbe na rira ybatre gvzr, ohg gung frrzrq nf tbbq n cynpr nf nal gb fpbcr gur shgher sbe nal cenpgvpny checbfrf.
Orsber V gbbx guvf fheirl, V gubhtug gb zlfrys: shpx gur ynfg fheirl V gbbx naq vgf napubevat rssrpg. V'z napubevat ba lrne gjb gubhfnaq gjb uhaqerq ab znggre jung gur dhrfgvba vf guvf gvzr!
So essentially you are still anchored to the number given in the last survey - just one layer of indirection removed.
V gubhtug: "gjb gubhfnaq bar uhaqerq -- gung'f gelvat gb trg zr gb napube. Be vg'f n Fpuryyvat cbvag. Ohg pubbfvat fbzrguvat bgure guna vg frrzf zber vagrerfgvat." Gura V pbafvqrerq "gur boivbhf arkg pubvpr", gjb gubhfnaq gjryir. Gura gjb gubhfnaq guvegrra, gura fbzrguvat enaqbzyl trarengrq (gur ynfg bs juvpu jbhyq erdhver zr gb pbzr hc jvgu fbzr qvfgevohgvba). Gura V qrpvqrq gb cvpx fbzrguvat ovt. V nafjrerq avar dhnqevyyvba, frira gevyyvba, bar uhaqerq avargl-avar ovyyvba, gjb uhaqerq svsgl-sbhe zvyyvba, frira uhaqerq sbegl gubhfnaq, avar uhaqerq avargl-bar (va bgure jbeqf, bar yrff guna gjb gb gur svsgl-guveq), juvpu vf gur znkvzhz vagrtre rkcerffvoyr hanzovthbhfyl va na VRRR frira-svir-sbhe qbhoyr.
Rot13ed; decoded version here.
(Edit: Fixed link.)
V ybbxrq ng gjragl-bar uhaqerq, ershfrq gb napube ba vg, naq glcrq bar gjb guerr sbhe svir fvk frira rvtug avar orpnhfr V pbhyq or pbasvqrag gung vg jnfa'g gur erfhyg bs napubevat. Tvira gung bgure crbcyr qvq vagrerfgvat zrnavatshy guvatf yvxr n enaqbz ahzore orgjrra abj naq fbzr nfgebabzvpny rirag, V srry bhg-njrfbzrq.
First time I've been motivated to actually say "lol" on Less Wrong, although that has a lot to do with me currently crafting Lovecraftian rituals, often literally waking up in the middle of the night and scribbling down Cthulhu-inspired songs.
Up for some carol-sharing?