All of JackChristopher's Comments + Replies

I always felt that LW/OB in general were/are using "status" in different ways than I understood it from studying improv acting.

pjeby's highly voted comment best sums how I always thought about "status".

On the dominance hierarchy theory: We should taboo "dominance", and "submission" for that matter. What do we mean then?

Hey all.

Basics: 23 NY "Self-taught" Mixed Background. I'm mainly interested in group rationality.

I've read OB, on and off, since late '07 and LW since the beginning. Almost never comment either. I still don't know a chunk of the jargon. Can't tell sometimes if I don't understand a post, or the jargon is confusing me to think I don't, when I already may understand the topic.

I'm weary of blogs. I think a popular blog/blogger creates a cult of personality. It raise its author's status far too high. That makes them high status stupid. And us low status stupid. And subsequently this botches any true community creation attempt.

What you're describing is a canonical warm up game in improv acting.

3Morendil
Ooooh, thanks. I'm not surprised to find out about the status-improv link, with Johnstone as the point of departure in my investigation. But follow the hyperlinked term "Status" in the page you linked to, and what do I read?

One thing is the fat soluble vitamins (A, E, D & K2-mk4) are [cofactors]. Vitamin A (retinol) toxicity directly depends on Vitamin D3 status.

Vitamin A is used short term at high dose 50,000 IU to 100,000 IU adjunctly to augment cancer therapy as part of core integrative nutraceutical programs (incl natural beta-carotene, high dose vitamin D 25(OH)D 75ng/ml, high dose fish oil (4-20g/day), glutamine, butyrate, etc)

Why is Vitamin A used together with Vitamin D? Why are they found in potent quantities together in nature (ie, fish liver, oily fish, salmo

... (read more)

I agree, byrnema. Speaking that way is status lowering.

Talking matter-of-factly about things that the other person finds displeasing or offensive.

It makes people feel bad. So it's no surprise site stumbler (from certain groups) are bound to sprint. But that wouldn't prove they couldn't talk controversials.

Side note: I have a mixed background.

-1timtyler
I am not particularly interested in a discussion of the virtues of saturated fat. It certainly seems like a bad example of scientists randomly making things up, though. FWIW, here is a reasonably well-balanced analyisis of the 2010 study you mentioned: "Study fails to link saturated fat, heart disease" http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61341020100204 If you look at guidance on saturated fat it often recommends replacing it with better fats - e.g.: "You should replace foods high in saturated fats with foods high in monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fats." * http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3045790 Epidemiological studies no-doubt include many who substituted saturated fats with twinkies.

"people have a very obvious 'click response'- they'll light up at a distinct moment and just get it from then on."

Here's the facial expression I've noticed: Head tilts upward but off to the side, eyes rolling upward. Followed by quick head nod downward, as if to say "Yes" — It's almost always followed with an apt question.

I do this. But of course someone could fake it. One sign is they add nothing to the conversation after it. You'll notice that. If you aren't sure quiz them.

I get link fatigue when read LW/OB. But I think it's unavoidable. It has to be done for at least two reasons:

  1. There's a lot of conceptual "bittage". As the writer, you not only have to close the inferential gap between new concepts, but close it for every new word. That's a lot to explain (and to see, if a new reader) at once.

  2. The medium of blogging wasn't designed to visualize information of this depth.

And that means heavy link back.

A lot of info sessions at MIT are Tuesdays thru Thursday nights but by 9pm they'll be over. There should be plenty of rooms to choose from, assuming our meet up is sanctioned by MIT.

Here's the events calendar:

http://events.mit.edu/index.html?date=2008/11/18

There's also a Transhumanist meetup this week:

http://transhumanism.meetup.com/72/