I applied to mini-camp. However, I may not be selected because of my personal situation (older, not college educated). I believe the mini-camp program is worth supporting and should be helped to be successful. I am willing to back up this belief with my wallet...and in public, so you all can hold me to it.
Whether or not I am selected, I pledge to pay for the flight of one individual who is (and who isn't me). This person must live in the continental United States.
If the easiest way to fulfill this pledge is to donate to the SIAI, earmarked for this purpose*, I can do that. Otherwise, I can just buy the flight directly when the time comes.
*See comment below. This was posted before I did some investigation and put more thought into things.
You're spending after-tax money if you buy the flight yourself, or before-tax if you donate to SIAI, assuming they're 501(c)3. If you trust them to honor a targeted donation (I would), it's better to donate.
If you trust them to honor a targeted donation (I would)
Does it make any practical difference? They already committed to paying for travel regardless. So for practical purposes the money just goes into the pool that would otherwise have been drained for the flight purchase.
Where the earmarking for the donation becomes significant is in the signal it gives them regarding potential value of future camps. It both increases the expectation that the announcement of a camp will prompt immediate donation but probably more significantly that the program has broader positive influences in how SIAI is perceived
I will donate the amount without earmarking it. It will fill the gap taken by the cost to send someone to the event.
I don't see a lot of value in earmarking funds for the SIAI. I'm working on a document about SIAI finances and from reading the Form 990s I believe they use their funds efficiently. Given my low knowledge of their internal workings and low knowledge of their immediate and medium term goals I would bet that they would be better at figuring out the best use of the money than I would be. Earmarking would increase the chance the money is used inefficiently, not decrease it.
Yes. In general, earmarking is a hideous pain in the backside for charities and leads to great inefficiency thinking about how to deal with this radioactive donation. If the donation is sufficiently large it may be worth it, but it's still a nuisance.
Simple heuristic: if you trust a charity enough to donate to them, just donate and leave them to figure out what to do with it. Don't try to micromanage.
I donated $275 to the SIAI via the Facebook page. Given the flight prices on Orbitz, this should cover somebody. Maybe not an east coaster or someone overseas.
Pledge fulfilled!
Also: I will be attending mini-camp and have also gotten my own ticket.
First, can you confirm that my application to the rationality boot camp has been rejected? I assume that all the interviews are done by now, so if I've received zero response, I have in fact been eliminated from consideration early on... but I'd like confirmation on this first.
Second, if I have been rejected from that, should I bother applying for this, or would the same reasons apply?
(Actually, as a general comment/suggestion/complaint re SIAI: please please please... for those of us who apply for something and are rejected before even any interview or such... let us know. I applied within a day of the boot-camp post going up, and, so far, have heard nothing back. Last time I applied for the SIAI visiting fellowship thingie, ended up with silence, and IIRC it took a bit of pestering (and several months) before anyone got around to letting me know I wasn't needed there at the time. I think others also are having this issue with silence from SIAI given that my comment here was somewhat upvoted)
I think it would be worth mentioning to what extent people who have participated in the visiting fellows program should consider applying to things like this. Are you looking mainly for new people?
More abstractly, I'd be interested in some more clarity on what sort of "level" you're outreaching to. Are you looking to take ordinary LW readers and turn them into awesome people, or are you wanting to start with awesome people and turn them into super-awesome people? Despite your remark about being receptive to a wide range of skill levels, these seem like two different hypothetical programs to me; yet the description could fit either of them.
(The difference I have in mind is approximately the following: on the one hand, you could have a program that helps intelligent people overcome their akrasia and inertia to become high-achievers; and on the other, you could have a program that helps people who are already high-achievers channel their productivity in the most useful directions.)
While I'd love to (apply to) come to one of those, it will have to be a later one: my planning horizon is much longer than one month and change.
I suspect this is more likely to be the case for those of us who are "older" (I'm taking that to mean "older than any of the instructors").
May I suggest scheduling and announcing the next one well ahead of time, like six months or so?
This one is a bit of a windfall; the facilities rented for the full rationality boot camp program turned out to come with a free week's rental at the beginning; and so, given the demand voiced in the comments to the main RBC, we decided to make use of it.
But, yes, I will try to do that in the future, if we continue to run these. I understand that many people, and especially many of the people we want, need to plan ahead.
If anyone is still planning to apply, apply TODAY (Thursday, 4/28). Or at the very latest, tomorrow. We've received 91 applications so far, have most of them sorted into (interview / no interview), and will, as planned previously, get back to everyone by Monday (except in cases where their schedule doesn't allow an interview by then).
So if you want to be considered, the last chance to apply is officially here.
I suggest putting the date in the post body as well as the title. There is who, what where, and why, so it makes sense to have a "when". (...Unless this is an intentional test!)
For the record...
While teaching body language and other social effectiveness skills, I will not be repeating the myth that the content of one's communication is carried by a 7-38-55 breakdown of words (7%), voice tone (38%), and body language (55%). This is the 'Mehrabian Myth', named after the researcher whose two 1967 studies on nonverbal communication have been misinterpreted ever since.
Instead I'll just say that while I don't know what the numbers are, body language and voice tone are, like, super duper important and stuff. :)
For more recent research,...
I'd be interested in coming to this, but need to figure out how to pitch the idea to my parents without it sounding like a cult.
I'm pretty sure that if I put thought into it, I could figure out how to do that, but before I try I'm just wondering:
Has anyone already done this? Successfully?
I'd be interested in coming to this, but need to figure out how to pitch the idea to my parents without it sounding like a cult.
Summer program at an AI think-tank.
Meh, I just told my parents it was a cult, and then when they stared at me I explained in more detail. Mine didn't have any control over my movements, though.
Try calling it "summer camp"?
I'm making a game about rationality that could possibly serve as an activity for these kinds of camps. But I don't have enough Karma to post about it here. You can read a bit about it here:
http://shinyogre.com/2011/04/08/a-gameplay-exploration-of-yudkowskys-twelve-virtues/
and here:
http://shinyogre.com/glenn/2011/04/13/designing-epiphany-note-1/
The game is currently in the prototyping phase.
I think that game playing as well as game development can be powerful tools for learning in general, and my goal with this game is to craft a learning experience with ...
First, excellent idea. Second, any chance there will be a second mini-boot camp later in the summer?
I won't be attending*, but just out of curiosity, what did you have in mind for the social effectiveness curriculum? Any particular authors that you recommend for things like body language, communication, etc.?
*Due to life constraints, but it sounds very interesting!
Social effectiveness: Five three-hour sessions, covering: why social reality is so important for achieving goals rationally; reading and using body language; developing a fashion sense; and developing social courage and success.
That sounds brilliant. Do you plan to cover that stuff in the bootcamp too?
Is it possible to get more details on what the program will consist of? It sounds like fun, it sounds interesting, but I can not tell if I fit into the targeted group.
Why is the Singularity Institute paying for this?
We're trying to reduce existential risk -- to increase the odds that an eventual Singularity is good, from the perspective of humane values. To do this, we need more rational, effective people -- people who can train to do the needed research, who can fund that or other work, and who can otherwise exert influence toward good outcomes.
I'd be interested in hearing more about how you foresee graduates of these camps working to reduce existential risk, especially as a donor to the SIAI. Is there a long term plan in place or are you just trying some things out?
Any idea how long it will take to select applicants?
I'm going to a conference the entire second weekend of the mini-camp. I will cancel the conference without hesitation if I am accepted, but since that is only a month away I need to know asap to try get my money back for the conference, plus I need to book my flight soon.
Hello,
Just curious about how/when we will be reached with application results. I have a lot of time on my hands this summer due to some unforeseen circumstances, and I am local, so I'm very excited about this opportunity!
Cheers
I put in an application. But I realize that I think I forgot to include my LW username (the site was having issues so I couldn't check.) So here it is. I'm pretty sure you won't have trouble attaching it to my real name. :P
(Also, feel free to delete this comment once it's been registered with the proper authorities.)
I tried twice to submit my application. Unfortunately, I had internet connection issues and received an error on both attempts. Can you confirm or deny that my application was received?
My answer is dependent on *cough* Jasen getting back to people on the rationalist boot camp. And I think I'm not the only one a bit peeved you didn't go for a happy medium between 10 weeks and 1 week.
Meet fellow LW-ers, hone your rationality, and get on a path toward reducing existential risk and becoming more awesome.
Who: You and a class full of other aspiring rationalists and world-changers, from around the world.
What: A week-long mini-camp, filled with hands-on activities for applying rationality to your life, your goals, and existential risk reduction. (See details in the FAQ.)
When and where: Saturday May 28 through Saturday June 4, 2011 in Berkeley, California.
Why: Because you’re a social primate, and the best way to jump into a new way of thinking, make friends, and accomplish your goals is often to spend time with other primates who are doing just that.
Other reasons:
Instructors:
Anna Salamon Luke"prog" Muehlhauser Divia Melwani
Cost: Room[1], board, and tuition are paid for by the Singularity Institute (see below). Getting here is up to you. (A limited number of scholarships are also available to cover the costs of flights; so if you’d love to come but can’t afford it, apply anyhow.)
A week isn’t long enough to learn rationality or how to prevent existential risks. It isn’t long enough to acquire a cool career or master the skills that will help you succeed. But it is long enough to get on a path toward doing these things.
So if you’ve been wanting the above, now is your moment. Come meet us! See what we can help you do.
Apply now.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. I’m older. Should I still apply?
Yes! We’d really love a more diverse crowd around here, with a wider set of experiences and skills.
2. I’d like to come, but I’m not sure you’ll accept me. Should I still apply?
Absolutely! You can fill out our form in as little 10 minutes. What’s the harm?[2]
3. I’d like to come, but I can’t afford the flights. Should I still apply?
Yes. A limited number of flights scholarships will probably be available.
4. Can I come for just part of the time?
Yes. If work or other obligations prevent you from coming for the full week, we are open to partial visits. You’ll miss out on some of the activities, and some of the sessions will make less sense without the prereqs; but for mini-camp, part of a visit is better than none.
5. What will we do, exactly?
We're still working out the details. But our current model:
6. I’m new to all this. Will it make sense?
If you’ve read at least twenty posts from the core sequences, yes it will. If you haven’t: why not read them now?
7. I’ve already read the Sequences seventeen times, and also I’m a self-made billionaire[3] with three PhDs. Will I learn anything new?
I hope so. We’re covering a good range of material, and we’ll be focusing on the fundamentals -- pieces that you get some mileage from knowing a little, and more mileage from knowing more thoroughly, and integrating into all aspects of your thoughts.
We’ll also aim for an atmosphere in which everyone is free to make mistakes and to try things, and in which people are receptive to a wide range of skill levels.
8. Why is the Singularity Institute paying for this?
We're trying to reduce existential risk -- to increase the odds that an eventual Singularity is good, from the perspective of humane values. To do this, we need more rational, effective people -- people who can train to do the needed research, who can fund that or other work, and who can otherwise exert influence toward good outcomes.
So, we're hoping you'll come out to the SF Bay Area and spend a week boosting your personal effectiveness, having fun, and growing community. Similar past ventures, notably the old visiting fellows program, have shown that this can be fruitful; and so, since the full rationality boot camp is too long for many, we wanted to offer a shorter version that more people could try.
Apply now.
[1] More exactly, we provide a bed in a shared room at a house rented by SIAI. You can also stay elsewhere in the local area if you prefer.
[2] Sometimes people say they’re “afraid of wasting our time” by sending in an application. This is ridiculous. If you’re interested in us, we’re interested in you. Also, it takes just seconds to read someone’s form, and many of the highest-value people have been the ones who hesitated to apply.
[3] Okay, fine, this isn’t really a frequently asked question. But seriously, we’ll be covering a lot that isn’t in the sequences -- and the flesh-and-blood experience of meeting other aspiring rationalists is hard to duplicate.
ETA: Women, especially, please apply! It's time to make LW a more whole community; rationality applies to any career and life-circumstance, but we need a broad set of people, careers, and life-experiences to create that rationality.
ETA: Applications for mini-camp are now closed. Also, everyone who applied to mini-camp should now have heard back as to whether they got in (except for the few who didn't answer our emails requesting an interview). If you applied but haven't heard back, check your spam filter and then email annasalamon at gmail dot com. Also, if you'd like to be emailed about any future mini-camps we may run, please email annasalamon at gmail dot com. We received 112 applications for just over 20 spots in mini-camp.