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ESRogs comments on Harper's Magazine article on LW/MIRI/CFAR and Ethereum - Less Wrong Discussion

44 Post author: gwern 12 December 2014 08:34PM

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Comment author: ESRogs 12 December 2014 11:53:43PM 15 points [-]

I enjoyed this opportunity to relive being Vassar'd.

Comment author: ESRogs 13 December 2014 12:42:45AM 5 points [-]

For anyone else going through withdrawal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPFOkr1eE7I

Comment author: Manfred 13 December 2014 05:34:37AM 11 points [-]

And then I realized that my level of agreement was inversely proportional to my knowledge of the subject.

Comment author: drethelin 30 December 2014 10:17:36AM 1 point [-]

I wonder if it's the case that Vassar's talent consists mainly of convincing people, in person, that he is very talented.

Comment author: knb 14 December 2014 01:17:39AM 2 points [-]

What does "Vassar'd" mean?

Comment author: ESRogs 14 December 2014 04:49:54AM 10 points [-]

It's this:

I was buttonholed by a man whose name tag read MICHAEL VASSAR, METAMED research.... “What did you think of that talk?” he asked, without introducing himself. “Disorganized, wasn’t it?” A theory of everything followed...

Vassar has a tendency to monologue. And a lot of what he says comes off as crazy at first blush. You get the impression he's just throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks. Usually I find monologuers annoying, but I find Michael fascinating. It seems our author was similarly seduced.

... My brain hurt. I backed away and headed home. But Vassar had spoken like no one I had ever met, and after Kurzweil’s keynote the next morning, I sought him out.

Comment author: Vaniver 13 December 2014 12:19:07AM 2 points [-]

I still want "Vascination" to catch on, but I don't know how to spell it. Vasscination? Vassination?

Comment author: ESRogs 13 December 2014 12:32:09AM 1 point [-]

I like the last one.

Comment author: Vaniver 13 December 2014 12:47:19AM 4 points [-]

What about Vassanation? That one would be pronounced slightly differently, but would also work as the name for the push to make a geographically remote rationalist colony.

Comment author: Vulture 13 December 2014 07:40:16PM 3 points [-]

I, for one, would look forward more to being Evassarated.

Comment author: Lumifer 13 December 2014 12:59:39AM 2 points [-]

Vassasscination -- something about fascination, assassination, and an unfortunate Swedish ship.

Comment author: vassarbatory 30 December 2014 01:49:41AM -1 points [-]

My circle of friends refer to this as "vassarbation" or being "vassarbated on"

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