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knb 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: 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.