Just read this yesterday (July 31st 2014), and let it sink in before I commented.

In the past I've attempted to do self-improvement checklists (like this, but better organized), and haven't gone further than 2 weeks with them. With this post I think I have much improvement to make on my list design (and designing policies in general).

Question: what are good rewards/punishments that could be implemented in not finishing a set goal?

I look at it in terms of efficiency; sites like reddit are simply inefficient ways to communicate. They are good at making random connections and exploring new subject areas, and that is what I use them for: if I have heard of a subject, but don't know about it, I find a subreddit on the topic and subscribe.

As a tool for discourse, however, there is much to be desired; communication is lossy (many posts are simply not upvoted enough to be seen) and interspersed with noise (unrelated but "viral" posts). Google Reader is almost lossless; it maintains a buffer of all messages for 30 days and then archives them so that they are available in search results but not as unread items. If one reads every feed to its end at least once a month, then no data is lost.

Google Reader thus has the odd effect of making one commit; either you are subscribed to a feed, and read every post of it, or you are not, and never see it anywhere. I have not used Reader for more than a few years, and furthermore haven't conducted a survey of its users, but I would theorize that Reader users as a whole are more productive/active than non-users as a result. Perhaps it could be a question on the next LessWrong survey.

May 16 would work. Anytime between May 16 and May 31 should work.

I won't be able to come to anything before May 15 but I'd be very interested in attending Vegas meetups.

"I must die. But must I die bawling?"

• Epictetus

Waiting until after the "2012 prediction" is behind us would be best. It seems most people can't incorporate both the Mayan End of Days and climate change into their future plans and goals, so adding a third 'hoaxable' problem to Earth's future won't help.

With that said, I can see society accepting a killer asteroid over climate change - since the science for the latter is more abstract than "hey look at this asteroid coming right at us."

End of the World movies and books are overdone, so there wouldn't be a need to break the ice to the public through popular media. I think it would be safe to simply state the danger directly.

It seems fear would drive some people to insane things, but enough people to be driven to help the situation, ie. agreeing to help fund, through taxes, research and operation of a mission to divert a killer asteroid.

Welcome to Less Wrong! :)

You sound like a pretty studious individual; you might enjoy some of the posts on inexpensive and efficient learning, if you haven't seen them already.

Out of curiosity, what was the name of the blog that led you here?

Hello to the LessWrong universe.

I'm 23 years old. A lover of music (Last.fm): Ravel, Mozart, Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Animal Collective. And driven to learn.

My goal right now is to become a philosophy professor, and participate in radical, reason oriented movements to influence social change.

I value the intellect, the body, life, and the universe. I value learning - to improve the lives of others and myself, and to live most accordingly with 'nature.' I value those who direct themselves in a rational manner.

My rationality quest began when I was a child, always using legos to build new things and drawing. Eventually video games came into my life and problem solving drove me. However, due to immaturity and the social life of a middle/high schooler, I never really progress intellectually despite my love for science and 'deep' conversations with friends.
It wasn't until I was 20, and ended my relationship with a girl that philosophical thought dawned upon me. It was sparked by the breakup, because her family was religious and I molded myself to that lifestyle, but when it was over there was nothing there. I suppose, after losing who I thought was the love of my life, I began to search for 'purpose.' A few philosophy courses and a dive into Stoicism pushed me to realms of thought I had never began to contemplate.
Since then I've been progressing my learning on my own through literature, philosophical writings, conversation, and free online references. And I found myself here because my StumbleUpon lead me to a blog from a philosophy professor who linked to this site.

I really want to become a value member of this community, to help myself and others.

Well, your biggest step was to even find and join this site. I'm in a similar predicament at the moment, and I JUST found LessWrong last week.

I supposes you could find similar minded people if you try to join community groups/projects that you have interest in. Try sharing your ideas/thoughts on the various social media sites. I'm sure you won't get a bunch of responses if you have friends similar to mine, and the responses you do get will be sparse and not so worthwhile - but it's a great way to refine your thinking.

And as others have suggested, try contacting those who plan on going to the Melbourne meetup and see if there is a chance a future meetup could be organized closer to you.

Best of luck.