All of Zaine's Comments + Replies

I have a friend on business in San Francisco with some free time Tuesday afternoon. Do any of you have a recommendation of how they should spend that time, outside of general suggestions as might be listed here?

"I believe that there is a biological variance in intelligence and insufficient information to allow for accurate qualitative analysis."

Your null hypothesis of each question assumes the difference, if present, will favour males; regardless of the theory's specifics, if you wish to gather fully rounded data on the opinions of your population, you must needs allow for that in the questions. If there's a theory that blue is finest on a Winter's day, and you wish to find out what people think of it, you must counter the inherent priming of the theor... (read more)

Ah, then the purpose for my question is rendered moot. If it was an original coining, I wished to know the thought process that went into deciding, "Yes, I shall prime thusly."

For how long did you deliberate upon whether, or what did you think whilst deciding to go with 'Gallant' and 'Goofus'?

Intriguing, and thank you for the detailed reply. May I respond in the future should I have further queries?

I considered that, but the words seemed too different to result from a typo; I'm interested to learn the fact of the matter.

I've edited the grandparent to accommodate your interpretation.

What's the current thinking on how to prevent physiological decay over time (id est ageing)? Figure a way to recover the bits of DNA cleaved in mitosis?

We need to stop and (biologically) define life and death for a moment. A human can be cryogenically frozen before or after their brain shuts down; in either case, their metabolism will cease all function. This is typically a criterion of death. However if, when reanimated, the human carries on as they would from a wee kip, does this mean they have begun a new life? resumed their old life after a sojourn to the Underworld?

You see the quandary our scenario puts to this definition of life, for the waterbear does the exact above. They will suspend their me... (read more)

We'd need to have a means of differentiating the subject waterbear's behaviour from other waterbears; while not exhaustive, classically conditioning a modified reflexive reaction to stimuli (desensitisation, sensitisation) or inducing LTP or LTD on a synapse, then testing whether the adaptations were retained post-reanimation, would be a starting point.

The problem comes when you try to extrapolate success in the above experiment to mean potential for more complex organisms to survive the same procedure given x. Ideally you would image all of the subjects ... (read more)

To keep the information all in one place, I'll reply here.

Cryogenic preservation exists in the proof of tardigrades - also called waterbears - which can reanimate from temperatures as low as 0.15 K, and have sufficient neurophysiological complexity to enable analysis of neuronal structural damage.

We don't know if the identity of a given waterbear pre-cyrobiosis is preserved post-reanimation. For that we'd need a more complex organism. However, the waterbear is idiosyncratic in its capacity for preservation; while it proves the possibility for cyrogenic p... (read more)

Would this include humans less than four years of age?

Thanks - that's quite useful.

Did your eyelids have a view of a lit clock?

Thank you! I'm curious what they do in their free time: do they have creative hobbies, how do they socialise, what do your kids and their friends think of your kids' schooling, etc.

What are your thoughts regarding languages, for both human and computer interaction?

Thank you again for sharing!

If you wouldn't mind, please share either your curricula or the method used to design it - whichever is most generally applicable.

Hope it helps! Does that mean he has access to Academy resources, and could attend should he wish it?

Never seriously, I hope. I have yet to stop laughing.

I decided to delete the text of my first comment, as it dealt with what sex by rationalists would look like, rather than erotica fantasising rational decision making; the first is available upon request.

Minerva couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this nervous. She'd redone her hair knot at least twice now, and she still couldn't tear herself away from the mirror. Half of her wanted to be convinced it was out of respect for the man. That half was a dirty liar. Almost as dirty as her thoughts of the last hour.

A knock came at the door.

"Enter

I'll brainstorm suggestions, then.

• Ask him if there's a language he'd like to learn. If there is, provide him materials to learn the basics (grammar, alphabet, fundamentals) and promise to send him to a language school that immerses you for x months during a break.

• Ask him if he'd like tutored instruction in a subject; if he would, then, as others suggest, enslave a grad student.

• Gift him a "Learn X the Hard Way" book. Alternatives include Real Python; I don't know what else they include.

• Ask him if he has any life goals. If they are scien

There's the Davidson Academy.

If he hasn't learned algebra yet, get him DragonBox; I'd be curious to learn whether he prefers explicit instruction.

I didn't know this, and if there are other instances, would like to know all of them. Thank you!

In the placebo effect, you try something, see results, and believe those results derived from what you tried, when in fact what you tried could not possibly have had any effect whatsoever; the observed results are then attributed to one's beliefs that the tried thing had the capacity for effecting change.

The above refers to a different phenomenon: one tries something, doesn't see results, and believes what they tried had no effect, when in fact what they tried did have results.

In the placebo effect, one's beliefs effect change. In the phenomenon Shannon r... (read more)

You're right. I was assuming we might parlay for subjugation; you made me realise that whatever marginal benefit our assistance would confer the uFAI, the marginal chance of our destroying the uFAI precludes enslaved coexistence.

It increases the ratio of the main inhibitory neurotransmitter (GABA) of the cortex to the main excitatory neurotransmitter (glutamate) relative to a brain that's not keto-adapted. Vide for theories on why we observe this phenomenon. This makes strict ketogenic dieting a viable treatment for reducing seizures in epileptics. In non-epileptics, I've been told some claim a 'zen' feeling when in ketosis. Objectively, more inhibition means less firing of neurons, and less firing of neurons can either be a good or bad thing. With more inhibition comes more ... (read more)

That's true in humans, not just dogs? Good to know, if so.

Of a dark, scfi-fi blue hue:
Extending from the left towards the centre of the cover is a translucent plastic computer screen we view from behind, through which we see complicated code displayed in white text. Beyond the screen is arena seating, reminiscent of the UN, with world leaders's heads fallen dead at their desks, beside their country's flag-emblazoned name plate.

Cool idea! Some suggestions:

Use ground sprouted flax seed powder instead to avoid phytate bodies potentially binding with the minerals.
I assume you're using flaxseed oil for omega-3 fatty acids? Use krill oil instead.

Cocoa has the same problem, and is hard to replace in terms of taste. Coconut, avocado, hemp (seeds or oil), acai berries, and nutritional yeast might work in some combination, but can all be prohibitively expensive depending on the intended application.

Adjusting the amount of cocoa should lower the amount of fat intake. For optimal rete... (read more)

Note that this period is extremely time sensitive, and, depending upon when changes occur, determines whether the strength of the connection will be increased or decreased. For anyone interested in a technical explanation of this theory of memory, vide - particularly the sky blue side bars on the left. Although not believed the whole territory, it, to about half of convention-going neuroscientists, comprises a large part of the current map.

Perhaps I've misunderstood the post, but it seems like they are doing a variant of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; id est, they are identifying problem thought areas and attempting to change them during activation.

Risks of Artificial Intelligence

Or, adding a wee bit a of flair:

Parricide: Risks of Artificial Intelligence

Conceding the point to Eliezer:

Parricide and the Quest for Machine Intelligence

I don't think I understand the problem. While reading the Numerical Lottery (NL) paragraph, I decided choosing only box B was the obvious answer, which led me to think I've misunderstood something.

In box B is $1,000, a composite number. If I pick a composite number, the NL gifts me $2 million it-doesn't-really-matter-what-currency

Oh, I misread the problem. In box A is $1,000. Well, now I think I've understood the problem, and chosen the right answer for mistaken reasons.

If the NL pays "[me] $2 million if it has selected a composite number, and oth... (read more)

I'm working on rotating tasks to improved productivity. Downside: Most tasks require a muse; I only have two which don't. Solution: Add another task of the latter category. Writing it out makes things so clear; thank you for this Schelling point!

I've also started using a calendar.

If anything it is a strong imperative to gather as much information as possible (to get as close to perfect information as you can) before making decisions.

This is an imperative for any rational agent insofar as the situation warrants. To assist in this process, philosopher's develop decision theories. Decision theories are designed to assist an agent in processing information, and deciding a course of action, in furtherance of the agent's values; they do not assist in determining what is worth valuing. Theories of proper moral conduct fill this gap.... (read more)

Moral theories of this sort need an all-knowing source of perfect judgement, else it can't resolve the following case:

Rational Agent A, surrounded by rational Collective-B, knows to the best of their ability that they can achieve Areté through life course alpha. Collective-B disagrees, knowing Agent A can only achieve Areté through life course beta.

Assuming each party reasons from an equivalent depth of information, Eudaimonic Utilitarianism cannot resolve the conflict without an Omega's help.

Areté itself is a subjective indicator without an Omega, though... (read more)

Uncaring AI? The correlate could stay 'Friendly AI', as I presume to assume acting in a friendly fashion is easier to identify than capability for emotions/values and emotion/value motivated action.

How would you rate the quality of these as compared to published fiction? I mean to ask how you'd compare time spent on the above with, say, some of the recommendations in the fiction section.

I gather Australia's medical system is just as notoriously bad as America's (as per Yvain's excoriations)?

Finland's Healthcare system and to a lesser extent the NHS seem to mostly have proper incentives in place, as uncured folk means less capacity to treat oneself. Surely medical care the world over isn't guided by perverse incentives? That is more a question than an assertion.

Crosslink.

Being 'part of a community' and having a term that defines one's identity are two different conditions. In the former, one's participation in a community is merely another aspect to one's personality or character, which can be all-expansive.

In the latter, one is tied to others who share the identifier. Even if 'rationalist' just means one who subscribes to the importance of instrumental and epistemic rationality in daily life, accepting and embracing that or any identifier can have negatives. The former condition, representing a choice rather than a fac... (read more)

Related.

Now that I think on it, maybe it is for some people. If you consider the lyric "lose yourself to the music, the moment..." the instruction to 'lose oneself' implies the experience must be voluntary; much like hypnosis, if you don't wish to succumb to the hypnotic flow of the hypnotist's drone, you won't.

Then again, music also passively affects brain waves. I can't find a review article after searching for five minutes. The neuronal firing patterns - the frequency of firing, or brain waves - induced by heavy metal differ from jazz, which yet di... (read more)

I've thought about this before. Here's my go:

In regards to sound: If you take a tuning fork and smack it, it will vibrate. Vibration can be pleasurable. If the tuning fork is a brain, and the smack is music, then the result is a contented or slightly altered-from-the-norm feeling, that might be akin to the vibration of a tuning fork if tuning forks like vibrating.

In regards to lyrics: Singing along to things or singing by oneself can bring joy to one. This could have to do with the feeling of one's voice reverberating through their body, psychological ... (read more)

Oh, I completely forgot inner windows exist! Sorry about that.

For 6: if sunlight positively affects workplace productivity, drop down white backgrounds on windows would have adverse consequences.

Balancing suggestion: install a window on a wall.

Naturally; we're working from the same fabric.

1) The question is whether they can experience the subjective realisation of, "Because of this situation, I am experiencing negative emotions. I dislike this situation, but there is no escape," and thus increase their suffering by adding negative internal stimuli - appreciation and awareness of their existence - to already existing negative external stimuli. This is a stricter condition some may have for caring about other creatures to an inconvenient degree. For a fictional example, Methods!Harry refused to eat anything when he considered the... (read more)

It's a quote against which one can test their rationality, maybe?

• When someone died or when it was made has no relevance; only its merit in guiding a government is relevant.
• Their moral and political views don't matter either, unless contained in the present US Constitution; this seems like argumentum ad hominem at first glance, but one needs to check the claim before evaluating its persuasiveness.
• One must argue that knowledge of modern America confers enough of a benefit to forming a working governmental body that scrapping and rewriting the entire

For item 1, that's fine.

I'm only presenting an argument from the perspective of one who wants to live well and longer, but also wishes to leave a positive impact upon the world; my goal was to raise concerns someone from this mindset would like to see addressed, but ended up arguing (perhaps repugnantly) in favour of the mindset instead.
Let me know if that doesn't help clear confusion.

Probably non-sentient lives are not limited to non-human animals, but marine and plant life, as well as human animals in extreme interpretations.

For item 2, sentience mea... (read more)

If optimal health requires strict consumption of only sea-vegetables and coconut oil, one must offset the resources required their sustainable, scalable harvesting. If optimal health requires eating meat procured from animals eating only their native food sources in their native habitat, killed while their hunter whispers sweet nothings and severs their vertebrae at the nape with a swift, sure, and gentle strike, one must offset the costs required making the operation sustainable, scalable, and global warming-friendly - perhaps by inventing meat-vats, solving global warming, or discovering a means of feasible space colonisation.

Obtaining optimal health is an unsolved problem. With optimal health, a human will live longer. This human weights probably sentient life as worth more than probably non-sentient life. According to this human's values, the amount of probably non-sentient life this human must consume in order to obtain optimal health does not justify consumption in and of itself. As a human will live longer with optimal health, this human also has more time they can devote to offsetting their consumption, in the end making their human life worth more in net than the cum... (read more)