I like your story ideas, but I wonder (seriously) about the need to crank everything up to the "astronomical" or obviously ridiculous. One of the things we are trying to do with our 2.5 year old daughter is keep our stories fairly realistic and avoid superstimuli. I'm amazed how hard it is to find books that don't involve talking animals with oversized eyes doing ridiculous things. Fortunately her favourites are the Charle and Lola books which involve two fairly normal kids doing everyday things in a fun way and using their imaginations. Not a ...
I figure "unknown knowns" covers a huge category of its own: willful ignorance. All those things that are pretty obvious (e.g. the absence of the Dragon in the garage) but that many people, including Rumsfeld apparently, choose to ignore or "unknow".
when trying to characterize human beings as computational systems, the difference between “person” and “person with pencil and paper” is vast.
Easy and entertaining. Done!
How to Draw Conclusions Like Sherlock Holmes? Become a fictional character and point out all the details your author has included to move the plot forward.
I'd be careful about generalising about "Africa" from one Nigerian folktale. I spent a couple of years crossing Africa in the 90s and Nigeria was by far the most generally fucked up place I visited. Some places like Zaire (now Congo) had specific - and huge - issues, but Nigeria seemed somehow endemically damaged. Africa is as diverse as Europe, if not more so.
It's certainly true that the "stuff that's actually important for good writing is harder to communicate" specifically, constructively and diplomatically.
I have asked him to "move beyond" not "eliminate". Personal anecdote obviously has its place; but it doesn't dominate on lesswrong, nor should it. As for HPMOR: different form, different purpose. (Though I do occasionally yearn for a bit more conceptualizing there too, - but that's just personal preference and not grounds for criticism) Frank genuinely seems to want - and need - to improve his posts: my comments are blunt but not unfair.
Since you don't want to sound narcissistic, consider counting the number of times you use "I" "my" and "me" before posting. Also avoid the temptation to share your whole mental process and focus on conclusions and supporting evidence that moves beyond personal anecdote. Don't defend yourself, defend your ideas.
I'm afraid this is all starting to seem pretty narcissistic. Less autobiography, more signal please.
Good article; Reminds me of the following scene from Lawrence of Arabia:
[Lawrence has just extinguished a match between his thumb and forefinger. William Potter surreptitiously attempts the same]
William Potter: Ooh! It damn well 'urts!
T.E. Lawrence: Certainly it hurts.
Officer: What's the trick then?
T.E. Lawrence: The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.
addendum: (5 Months later, I see that James "I'm King of the World!" Cameron used this scene in Prometheus; quite ruins it for me.)
In France it's generally indicated on the menu and bill that a 15% service charge is included, but it's considered good form to leave the small change. If you think the service was bad, you have the right not to pay it. IN the UK this now varies widely, with an increasing number of restaurants adding a 10% service charge, so it's best to check. Apparently there was a minor "scandal" a few years ago when it was publicised that restaurant owners were often keeping the tips, so I always leave the tip in cash on the table.
Thanks for the info on taxi...
Err towards generous tipping
Of course, this depends on where you are. In UK pubs you order your drink - and generally food - at the bar. And you don't tip. Though apparently you can "offer to buy the barkman/maid a drink." Took me a while to get used to this. In fact, tipping in general in the UK is still a bit mysterious to me after living here for a year. The guides say tip your Taxi driver around 10%, but why do they so often seem surprised when I do? As for delivery people, some of them actually refuse a tip, because of rules etc. If all this means that these people get a reasonably good wage and don't need the tips, I'm happy to comply; but it still seems odd to me.
Certainly interested. Will try to make it.
As a soon to be father for the first time I have every intention to similarly teach my future child, I certainly won't count on the culture - much less the educational system - to do it for me, even here in Cambridge UK. As a theatre practitioner I do have some hope and ambition that rationalist principles might begin to find their way into the arts by the time my child is old enough to notice. The arts may not be the most obvious vector for the rationalist meme, but they may well prove surprisingly effective over time. Hopefully Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality will spawn a new generation of kids books that are fun and useful.
We're used to slighting Oxford here in ur-Cambridge, but I'd take a meetup anytime.
Since we're trying to be lesswrong here, I'll risk seeming petty by pointing out that "begging the question" is a logical fallacy, not a synonym for "raising the question". Just sayin...