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E_Ransom comments on Open thread, 7-14 July 2014 - Less Wrong Discussion
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I'm living in rural Alabama for the next five years with little opportunity for mental challenge outside of my job. The only local groups of notable interests are our Rotary Club (which would really only bring a networking benefit) and our Trailmasters (from whom I can learn gardening and horticulture). I'd like to take part in more rationality related activities, both for the self improvement and the community benefits. Are there any suggestions for useful activities or groups I might join that can help? With so many meetup groups, I'm sure I can't be the only one living in isolated conditions. I'd like to hear from others how they beat the duldrums.
Gardening experiments.
Definitely. Gardening and cooking are two skills I really want to work at developing. Having a full library at my disposal, finding books for them is simple. Finding groups to learn from is a bit harder.
Two words: online go.
Oh, absolutely. I fully mean to utilize my internet connection for it's intended purpose: long distance community. Mainly, I'm curious what specific online communities or projects or activities are used by fellow LWers. Especially those in similar living situations. At the moment, the only rational communities I really know about are here, CFAR, and MIRI. Obviously, I've already joined the former, and I'm considering what, if anything, I could do with the latter two.
The LW study hall seems relevant.
I'm considering how I can use it. I've checked it out before. I'd prefer to utilize the study hall for a specific project, which, at this moment, I don't yet have. Still, a handy resource.
While it's not a rationality-related activity, I find that mycological societies/mushroom-hunting groups tend to have a good understanding of the risks of wishful thinking and some cognitive biases, and if there's anything like that in your area you might find them unexpectedly congenial.
We have a local Trailmasters group. While they're mostly focused on volunteer service, mainly in our park, some of them engage in gardening and related activities. I've been looking into how much I could learn from them vs. how much time I'd spend on unrelated activities. Might be something similar to what you're suggesting.
The rationality I've observed in mycophiles is pretty closely connected to the fact that if you get lazy with your identification and screw up you can easily poison yourself. I don't think this generalizes to most outdoor activities.