Comment author: SoullessAutomaton 12 May 2009 09:44:15AM *  0 points [-]

I strongly recommend python for doing this, it is the best language to begin programming with, I have several programs I did by myself, I can collaborate with the project.

Not disagreeing with you here, but you seem to have missed the implication; the reason Python was mentioned is because LessWrong is written in it.

Comment author: marianasoffer 13 May 2009 06:20:26AM 0 points [-]

Thanks for clarifying, I did not know it, I guess I have to read the introduction first.

Comment author: marianasoffer 12 May 2009 08:31:06AM 0 points [-]

That mechanism was known long time ago. It is in part to habituation, when you have a neural circuit that works in a certain way, one action will trigger another forever until you change the circuit. Neuroplasticity allows us to create this circuits, and also to change them. Also there is the fact that the mind responds to an internal generated scenario as well as it responds to an external one, although in a lower degree. Finally, it has been demonstrated that the belief that something will cause something else in our mental state usually becomes true; it works like a placebo for mental states.

In response to No One Knows Stuff
Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 12 May 2009 06:48:25AM 10 points [-]

Of those who have learned about heuristics and biases, a nontrivial minority have gotten confused to the point that they offer Kahnemann and Tversky's research as justification for the self-arbitrages they've set up!

Suggested alternative wording:

"Of those who have learned about heuristics and biases, a nontrivial minority are so confused as to point to the biases research as justifying their exhibition of a bias!"

Comment author: marianasoffer 12 May 2009 08:18:10AM 0 points [-]

Completely agree that people just use methods such as tabu search a*, etc... without understanding them at all, same happens with machine learning techniques, or even statistic ones. Mostly they get by using the recommended algorithm/meta heuristic for the domain they are working at.

I strongly recommend python for doing this, it is the best language to begin programming with, I have several programs I did by myself, I can collaborate with the project.