What does LW think of the idea of standing on the street with a sign that says "Talk to me if you like thought experiments" and trying to develop the skill of quickly overcoming inferential gaps with passerby, with a view to improving entry-level explanations of concepts like x-risk in general? If this guy can become a millionaire selling vegetable peelers, it seems like one might be able to develop a street pitch for effective altruism good enough that if one spends 8 hours standing in a public place in a high-IQ city pitching people, one creates one additional effective altruist on expectation.
It would be an improvement over turchin's plan of framing this as a protest.
Existential risks are the risks of human extinction. A global catastrophe will happen most likely because of the new technologies such as biotech, nanotech, and AI, along with several other risks: runaway global warming, and nuclear war. Sir Martin Rees estimates these risks to have a fifty percent probability in the 21st century.
We must raise the awareness of impending doom and make the first ever street action against the possibility of human extinction. Our efforts could help to prevent these global catastrophes from taking place. I suggest we meet in Union square, San Francisco, September 27, 2014 at 2:00 PM in order to make a short and intense photo session with the following slogans:
Stop Existential Risks!
No Human Extinction!
AI must be Friendly!
No Doomsday Weapons!
Ebola must die!
Prevent Global Catastrophe!
These slogans will be printed in advance, but more banners are welcome. I have previous experience with organizing actions for immortality and funding of life extension near Googleplex, the White house in DC, and Burning Man, and I know this street action, taking place on September 27th, is both legal and a fun way to express our points of view.
Organized by Alexey Turchin and Longevity Party.
Update: Photos from the action.