All of Lojban's Comments + Replies

Lojban-30

Read your Reddit post. Wow, sad. I did computer engineering undergrad, and actually didn't get into CS grad school (pre-reqs I think). I ended up doing computer engineering masters. There's a lot of stigma with CS--I'm actually happy I never got stuck with the label.

Lojban00

I don't think rebates are strictly added to bet on laziness. It's not always easy to change the price, so it offers some flexibility for later updates. Then there's quarterly earnings and other such stuff to muddy up the situation. Hi Eliezer. Hi everyone.

Lojban00

The "winning nothing" is implied, and gets redundant here. Also, couldn't the math be aligned better to our current system (base ten)?

3AlexU
I get that you're being sarcastic, but I'm not sure what you're driving at.
Lojban00

What's 3^^^3? I take it more than 27.

0dfranke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knuth's_up-arrow_notation
2SoullessAutomaton
If memory serves me, that's using Knuth's up-arrow notation. What it works out to is 3^3^3^3^(... seven trillion more exponents here ...)^3^3^3. It's a large number.
Lojban-10

It's May. Singularity!

1gjm
I can't help suspecting that Eliezer's suggestion that no one should talk about AI, technological singularities, etc., until May was motivated not only by wanting to keep LW undistracted until then, but also by wanting to encourage discussion of those topics afterwards. (He has been quite open about his hope that all his writings on rationality, etc., will have the effect of increasing support for SIAI.) Whether that's a reason for talking about those topics (yay, Eliezer will be pleased, and Eliezer is a good chap) or a reason for not talking about them (eeew, he's trying to manipulate us) will doubtless vary from person to person.
Lojban-10

Wow, minus 13. Time to get a new handle.

Lojban40

Information wants to be anonymous.

--Anonymous

Lojban10

I've used androcur to reduce (a new one reducer was released recently) and androgel to increase. Removal of the testicles brought the level to near zero (adrenals produce some I think).

Lojban110

The "S" word is banned until May, but may I bring up the "T" word? Transhumanism, and ultimately posthumanism, will not have the notion of gender--I am certain of that. I have been at varying levels of testosterone following castration, and I cannot say the difference leads to any insight. I prefer to be at low testosterone most of the time just like I prefer to be at low blood-alcohol level most of the time. OK, another short comment, but I can only hope I offered something insightful that most cannot.

7MBlume
No, I liked this one. That sounds fascinating -- so you can choose your testosterone level on a daily basis, like choosing to get drunk or not. I can't imagine what that must be like. On the other hand, I wonder if you're over-extending your own experience. Whatever you do, the historical fact is that your brain was built while washed in testosterone. I doubt that turning that testosterone level down now is the same as actually moving to the female architecture. Eliezer talked about this at some length on OB.
Lojban00

I think you are referring to Eliezer Yudkowsky.

Lojban00

Look, I haven't had the chance to really put together the whole story. I try to at least by somewhat on-topic.

1HughRistik
Can't we all request that Lojban elaborate without jumping on him and down-voting him? It sounds like he has an interesting story, and I don't want to risk scaring him off. It takes time to sit down and crank out a good post. I've been saying "coming soon" about a couple things I've talked about and that some people are asking for more detail on.
6MBlume
I'm sorry if it seems like we're attacking you, but really, even though you try to be on-topic, the effect is still "oh look, I've found a way of stretching this so it's about what I want to talk about". Take the time to put together the whole story. Tell it cleanly, completely, once, and see what happens. I'm interested to hear it myself. Until then, there's no need to advertise with "coming soon"-style comments.
5MBlume
I'm curious -- what exactly is the response you hope to get by repeating this claim in thread after thread? Are you waiting for someone to stand up and applaud? Are you waiting for someone to shout at you and call you a freak? I'm sorry, but neither is particularly likely here. If you'd like to discuss the differences in your mental life since undergoing this treatment, by all means, do so. For now, you are not adding to the discussion.
2Eliezer Yudkowsky
Voted down only because the original poster keeps saying that over and over without amplifying further. Transhumanism tends to overrepresent "everyone else" (i.e. non cisgendered-heterosexuals). I would be surprised to find the same didn't hold true here.
Lojban10

There is a small community of us (eunuch.org being one place I visited). I did my research, and got what I expected. I'll have more to say.

Lojban10

Voted up. Tradition is annoying.

Lojban20

I have no testicles by choice.

3thomblake
How do you get voted down for posting in the off-topic thread? I guess "I want to see more comments like this one" doesn't apply here.
2Cyan
OK, I'm curious: what prompted this choice? What gains did you hope to realize, and have you realized them?
0MBlume
so you've mentioned...
Lojban10

I can expand more. I don't think I have to detail how many men became less rational because of testosterone. Besides the distractions of the preferred sex, there are more subtle "zen-like" qualities of the state. I'll have likely more to say about the forbidden topic in regards to this state as well.

2MBlume
Before taking this step, had you had a mutually satisfying sexual experience with someone of your preferred gender whom you found physically attractive and for whom you cared emotionally? ie: are you aware of the magnitude of the positive utility which you sacrificed?
Lojban-10

To lower testosterone.

4Lawliet
Stop being vague and unhelpful
5Alicorn
Since it's unlikely that you are employed as a harem guard or castrato, that only makes sense, but why did you find the goal of lowering testosterone sufficiently motivating to take this action?
2badger
Could you be a little more specific? I'm still unsure why you brought this topic up. Are you suggesting that at least some of us could be better rationalists if we did the same? As far as the effects of testosterone, high levels can interfere with cognition, but AFAIK low levels also have a negative effect on cognition.
Lojban10

I have lowered testosterone via drugs then castration.

2blogospheroid
What parameters did you track your rationality / calmness on? How about bodily energy levels? - muscle mass is affected by testosterone, i have read. How much time you were spending/using up earlier thinking about sex? What personal goal other than becoming more rational have you achieved? - the sacrifice you have made is huge. I would've asked from the devil more than my due here. What marginal benefit did castration give you that earlier testoterone lowering drugs did not?
2Alicorn
Why did you do that?
4badger
I'm intrigued... were there any changes you noticed that would be relevant to this community?
Lojban10

I don't care too much about karma, but maybe you do. I'll try to reach you (under an assumed name of course!).

Lojban00

Hmm, so "testosterone" and the "s" word are out?

9Eliezer Yudkowsky
Nope, just goes in a different thread, that's all. I'm interested in hearing about this, but not as a sudden drastic subject change from the main post.
Lojban10

There are more basic desires as well. The warm fuzzy feeling may go towards attracting the opposite sex. I had my testosterone reduced, first through drugs, and then through castration. Did I overcome biases and become "less wrong"? Yes, I did. Any questions are welcome.

2Z_M_Davis
Lojban, is there any chance we could talk privately? My email address is zackmdavis (-at-) yahoo daht kahm.
6Eliezer Yudkowsky
That's a topic change. Try the Open Thread instead, or wait until your karma is high enough to post.
Lojban10

Thanks! I'll look up the process to perhaps raise the issues myself.

Lojban10

Reddit has a slick iPhone application, which may be portable. It's based more on browsing websites, though. Something along the lines may be possible.

1MichaelHoward
Not sure that follows. I think skill and talent in many different domains would be needed for these plans to come to fruition. I'd be rather nervous if those involved didn't think so. Just for a couple of months though. We'll survive :-)
Lojban20

Hi Eliezer, I had fun at the 2008 summit and the following OB afterdinner. The one issue I had that seems shared with Reddit is that there are no guidelines for password entry on sign-up. I put in a one-character password and it just said "invalid".

1wmoore
Valid point, I've raised an issue to make the message and requirements clearer. FWIW the requirements are simply that it be between 3 and 20 characters.