...you have to make a conscious effort to keep your ideas about what you want from being contaminated by what seems possible.This is isomorphic to the principle that you should prevent your beliefs about how things are from being contaminated by how you wish they were. Most people let them mix pretty promiscuously. The continuing popularity of religion is the most visible index of that.

-- pg

I can come this Sunday.

Regarding 2, I think the default setting (Popular) is to display comments as a function of karma and time since posting. As comments get old, newer comments float to the top even if the older ones have some positive karma. If some comment has very high karma, I guess it outweighs the time constraint and stays at the top.

Ok I don't mind. Richard, your call?

I will come. By usual venue, do you mean 5th View cafe on top of Waterstones bookstore near Piccadilly Circus?

Is there something specific we are going to discuss or is it pretty casual?

I would prefer late morning (say after 11).

This might help - http://sl4.org/wiki/CoherentExtrapolatedVolition

Thanks Yvain, you have inspired me to commit to some important things for the next month. I have written them down.

I promise to write about my achievements here on LW on the 18th July.

When giving a security clearance, for example, you would rather give it to someone who loved his country emotionally, than to someone who loved his country rationally;

Can you clarify how you distinguish between loving one's country emotionally as opposed to rationally?

It reminds me very much of this quote attributed to Gautam Buddha:

"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings -- that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide."

Related post and discussion over at OB - http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/06/lazy-hurt-less-than-stupid.html