~~Update: Likely that feminist-inclined LWers are less likely to comment/vote and more more likely to take surveys.~~
Meta-update: This hypothesis ruled highly-improbable based on more data from Yvain.
~~Update: Likely that feminist-inclined LWers are less likely to comment/vote and more more likely to take surveys.~~
Meta-update: This hypothesis ruled highly-improbable based on more data from Yvain.
Possible, but I suspect the "Why our kind can't cooperate" both has a stronger effect and is more likely.
Shelve the meta-speculation until you've at least checked speculation-prime.
"Our problem is that we're too good" is a really, really, really suspicious thing for a human to say. Have you considered the possibility that it might not be true?
(Also, request to taboo the term "politically correct")
Upvoted for having my favorite rationality quote of the last month.
I friend of mine recently recommended a small independent game to me called Clairvoyance (www.gameofclairvoyance.com), that I thought might be of interest to the LW community. It's effectively a competitive turn-based strategy game, but it's distinguishing feature is that each player places 5 moves at a time, which are then interlaced and executed with the opponent's 5 moves. Thus requiring the clairvoyance of the game's name - you need to anticipate your opponent's moves in order plan your own, included anticipating their anticipations of your actions, etc.
It's clearly not intended as a rationality aid, and I originally did not approach it as such. But after getting trounced in my first few games, I found it very helpful to approach each turn probabilistically - thinking of each round in terms of a probability cloud of possible positions for various pieces, and planning around attacking swathes of that cloud rather than specific squares. Though early on, I can also foresee an element of theory-of-mind practice emerging if you play one opponent repeatedly and begin to learn their particular style.
If any one cares to give it a whirl, the game is just $5 while still in beta. It's cheap, it's fun and easy to learn, and games are relatively fast. If anyone wants to rumble, my handle in-game is also Erdrick - I have a feeling the crowd here would provided for some excellent opponents.
-Brett
Greetings fellow Ration-istas!
First of all, I'd like to mention how glad I am that this site and community exist. For many years I wondered if there were others like me, who cared about improving themselves and their capacity for reason. And now I know - now I just need to figure out how to drag you all down to sunny San Diego to join me...
My name is Brett, and I'm a 28 year old Computational Biologist in San Diego, California. I've thought of myself as a materialist and an atheist since my freshman year in college, but it wasn't until after I graduated that I truly began to care about rationality. I realized that though I was unhappy with my life, as a scientist I had access to the best tools around for turning that around - science and reason.
I was born with a de novo genomic translocation on my 1st chromosome that left me with a whole raft of medical problems through-out my childhood - funnel chest, cleft palate, mis-fused skull, you name it. As a result I was picked on and isolated for most of my childhood, and generally responded to stress by retreating into video games and SF novels. So I went to school to study genetics and biology, and I graduated from college with a love of science - but also mediocre grades, a crippling EverQuest/World of Warcraft addiction, and few friends.
I suffered alone through a few months of a job that I hated before realizing I could use reason to improve my lot. And life has been one long, slow improvement after another ever since. Now I've got friends, a Master's in an awesome since, and a job that I enjoy... the only thing I was lacking was a community to discuss further improvements to myself and my capacity for reason to.
Then one of my most rationally minded friends pointed me towards Less Wrong and the Methods of Rationality in May, and here I am.
/b/
P.S. Barring a mass exodus to SD, I've also been considering moving to SF/SJ to be closer to friends and the LW meetups, assuming I could find work there. Does anyone know of any openings for a Bioinformaticist or Computational Biologist in the Bay by chance?
Driving out the voices of the less privileged is potentially problematic when LW claims to be on a mission for the good of all of humanity.
Or to math this up, our mission is unlikely to succeed if we make joining harder and less pleasant for ~54% of the population (51% female, ~2-3% non-hetero male)
So, while agreeing with the principle of favoring open and blunt discourse, I for one intend to make more of a concerted effort to square the circle of being honest and blunt while being more welcoming.