For the probability estimates, I think it would be valuable to also ask for a ballpark estimate of how much time the survey-taker has put into thinking about each probability. Some people might spend (or have already spent) significantly more time thinking about these probabilities than others; gathering this information could provide a useful dimension for analysis.

Chromosomes makes that info easier to process and is useful in case a bunch of people put their gender as "other" or don't understand the gender question.

Business/website idea: OKCupid for jobs, or possibly just for co-founders.

Different workplaces have different cultures. There are probably a wide variety of cultures that work, but mixing different cultures in a workplace leads to conflict. For example:

• Suits or jeans?
• Hands-on management or delegation?
• Flexible telecommuting or rigid office hours?
• Work 60 hours a week or 35?
• Prefer to keep social life separate from office or integrated? Office romance approved/disapproved?
• Is highest status given to engineering or sales or management or who?
• Is the focus on maximizing profit or creating value for the world or what?
• Is the focus on an exit (like an IPO or acquisition) or a lifestyle business?
• Risk-averse or risk-seeking?
• In software development, programming-conservative or programming-liberal?

An OKCupid-like system of asking questions about one's preferred work culture might lead to good matches between co-founders and possibly between workplaces and employees. (Though, of course, there are many non-culture-related considerations that this kind of system doesn't evaluate. While that's true for dating too, it might be even more true for work, making this system less effective.)

Kansas is not as much as a disadvantage as it used to be, with Google Fiber at $70/month.

What are you trying to optimize for?

I started MyPersonalDev a year ago to develop a data-driven personal development web application. The minimum viable product I envision is a task manager for people who like to think about utility functions (give your tasks utility functions!) My long-range vision is to use machine learning and collective intelligence to automate things like next-action determinations, value-of-information calculations, and probability estimates. I've written most of the minimum viable product already and use it extensively to manage my own tasks, but I haven't released anything publicly because it's easier to develop the software without having an existing user base.

The downside of having no user base is that there's no revenue, which is a real issue for me as a cash-strapped college student. I'll graduate in May with a degree in computer science, and I've been thinking hard about what to do after that. My impression is that working for my startup post-graduation would likely involve a period of extreme financial difficulty that I'd like to avoid. Consequently, I've been considering shutting it down and trying to get the best existing job I can get, using salary as the base metric and making adjustments for things like quality-of-life and is-the-company-doing-something-worthwhile. While ideologically frustrating (I like the idea of working for my startup full-time post-graduation), that has seemed to be the most instrumentally rational thing for me to do.

Here are some options I'll throw out there:

• If there's collective interest in MyPersonalDev as a vehicle for some of the positive impact we're talking about in this thread, I'm interested in working with people to make that happen. Anyone interested in sponsoring development of the software or otherwise making it more financially viable during its startup phase should contact me. For the next nine months before I graduate, it could help to have a small, cheap office space near campus, as I'll be living on-campus and can't conduct commercial activity there. I'll plan to put a media kit together with more information on the company for interested parties.
• If other programmers want to work with me on MyPersonalDev, either now over the internet, or in-person once I graduate in May, that would be exciting! I'm not sure how we would work it out in terms of equity and salary, but I'm open to suggestions. Right now the company is a stock corporation, of which I am the sole director and shareholder. I like that because it's lean (I don't need to get permission from other people to make business decisions.) That said, I'd want collaborators to be fairly compensated. Some sort of funding or revenue seems necessary for this to happen.
• If I don't end up working for MyPersonalDev full-time post-graduation, I'm available as a programmer and aspiring rationalist who wants to work on something important. Until May, I'm available online; after May, I'm available in-person.
• If people want to form a startup together, maybe they should live together too! I started a roommate interest coordination thread two weeks ago for purposes like that.
• Like I said in that thread: If there were several people interested in working for their own startups, maybe they could lease a building together, or utilize collective purchasing to lower the costs of bookkeeping or legal services. (Is anyone interested in doing that?)

Look at my history of posts for more information about me. Like I said in a recent post:

I'm especially interested in collaborating with other programmers, working in Python or Go, working on data visualizations in D3, programming rationality exercises, or working on something that qualifies as "data science".

I want to work on something important. I want to work on a team. And I want to make enough money to live comfortably. When I graduate in May, I'm very interested in moving towards a more optimal living and working situation. Could we be a fit? Get in touch!

What are you developing? Why are you developing it in PHP?

Coordinate: Bounce ideas off each other through skype/email, draft roommate agreements, partially finance if I can, move in myself, plan and lead house projects, etc.

Like minicamp is still very different from minicamp when you're talking about going from four days together to all-year-round. Is this targeted towards young graduate-age? It's going to be a very different kettle of fish depending on whether college is involved, or kids.

The actual place seems less important to me than that I actually like and trust the people next to me. That's probably why I like the idea of the mini-camp house so much; I implicitly trusted everyone at mini-camp. This was partially because I pegged the group as coming from a demographic that was unlikely to screw people over a priori, partially because I trusted that most people there would have good reason and an admirable plan before trying something, and partially because I'd gotten all sentimental and couldn't help but identify the group as my tribe. But there wasn't enough time or pressure there to be proven right or wrong. We'd have to work hard and intentionally to keep an enriching, collaborative environment like that going long-term. The exact kind of intentionality I haven't seen put into keeping in touch after minicamp, by myself or anyone else. (That's harder to admit than I thought it would be, that I've been failing miserably in my plans to keep these connections open and that it counts as evidence against the feasibility of creating my own long-term community.)

As far as places go, my mind keeps being drawn back to my friend's efforts to create a tiny house neighborhood. It's highly available to me, and the criteria just seem to overlap so well. Affordable, good amenities, close to working places, intentional community... I'll get back to you about actual places once I finish my own research.

I share your interest in a rationality and life-hacking house. I'd like to coordinate with you on that, if only to help see that it happens. I wonder how it might intersect with my friend's interest in creating a neighborhood of "Tiny Houses"--affordable and economic housing, that definitely forces you to be aware of all your stuffs' utility.

Also think programming of rationality exercises is a good idea. I've been ruminating on the idea of starting a less intensive but more long-term version of minicamp in my area, that I've in good humor dubbed "Nanocamp". Online practice exercises is one way to keep lessons consistent and progress trackable.

Anytime! I'm happy to share my bewilderment. As of now I do not have a plan apart from waiting until inaction becomes so painful that I act out of sheer desperation. But, because this is LW, I suppose I'll try some empiricism.

I think it's reasonable to assume that I could combine distance teaching via Skype with in-person lessons for a minimum of 5 students/week at $40/lesson. It's also safe to assume that my current part-time bussing gig, which nets me about $700/month, is transferable. So that's a safe-ish bet of ~$1500/month to work with. What will my cost of living be?

The locations I’m considering are NYC, Berkeley, and Northampton, MA.

Monthly expenses, mostly irrespective of location:

• Food: At least $40/week for groceries, plus another solid $30 for meals out. It’s likely I won’t spend that much, but I might as well plan for it. I've tried my entire adult life to restrict my restaurant habit. Doesn’t work unless it’s harder for me to physically get to restaurants than it is to go to grocery store and make food at home.

• Cellphone: I don't really want one, but my friends will get annoyed if I go without. Let's say ~$50 for a minimal plan. I may be able to get this down further if I get on somebody's "family" plan.

• Transportation: I prefer to bike or walk most places, but in NYC busyness and inclement weather often get in the way, so subtract at least another $50 (if I live elsewhere, this subtraction covers sundries).

• Stuff: At least $100. The price of socializing, etc. In NYC this is a lowball figure. I’m guessing that’s true of the Bay as well.

• Utilities: I’m honestly not sure. I’ll say $50 and let the stuff/sundries cushion cover any extra.

So that’s a rounded-up maximum of $550/month in non-rent expenses. What are expected rents?

• NYC: $650 if I watch Craigslist like a hawk.

• Berkeley: So far, the rationalist group homes I’ve read about have been throwing around figures of $700-800. I’d shoot for the low end.

• Northampton: $550 will likely net me a place close to the center of town.

So I’m looking at monthly living expenses of $1200 in NYC, $1250 in Berkeley, and $1100 in Northampton. Which means I realistically only accrue savings if I live in Northampton or get a different job or more students. At the moment, Noho is the top contender, but let’s look at some other concerns.

Will I be able to practice and teach drums in my living space?

• NYC: I probably have an “in” at my ex-band’s rehearsal space in WIlliamsburg. I’m pretty bad at operating in far mode, though -- historically, having to trek across town has killed my desire to practice. Teaching on a practice pad will probably be acceptable in a ground floor apartment, but basement access, etc, is less likely.

• Berkeley: A houseful of rationalists would work with me to help me achieve my aims. And if we’re picking the house as a group, then my need for drumming/teaching space will be accounted for.

• Northampton: A laid-back, artsy culture means that in-home drumming is probably ok, but passive-aggressive griping may follow. I can work around it.

Is daily life stressful? I don't thrive on stress, like, at all.

• NYC: Legendarily. Noise, bad smells, zero solitude, a half hour train ride to grass and trees.

• Berkeley: I’ve only visited -- many years ago -- but aside from scrambling to make ends meet, daily life seems pretty chill. Famous for forgiving weather.

• Northampton: Unstressful to the point of stagnation. Lots of green space and quiet.

NYC is falling behind, leaving the contest to Berk and Noho. But that’s just the Stark Realities round. Dark horses can surprise you in the What The Fuck Am I Doing With My Life round. Coming soon!

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