Popular media coverage of Singularity Summit -the Verge [link]
post by Dr_Manhattan · 2012-10-23T03:19:03.676Z · LW · GW · Legacy · 10 commentsContents
10 comments
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/22/3535518/singularity-rapture-of-the-nerds-gods-end-human-race
10 comments
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comment by danieldewey · 2012-10-23T16:07:49.532Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
This impression, whether true or false, was interesting to me:
While intellectual curiosity was the dominant trait among attendees, fear was the emotion the Institute leveraged in trying to solicit support.
comment by Manfred · 2012-10-23T04:28:59.685Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
I didn’t come away from this weekend thinking the Singularity Institute was some kind of apocalyptic cult.
Why do I get the impression this sentence was preceded by "continued on page 63..." in the print version?
Replies from: Kaj_Sotala↑ comment by Kaj_Sotala · 2012-10-23T07:04:50.700Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
I wonder how many readers will remember, a week later, that that sentence actually also included the word "didn't".
Replies from: BlazeOrangeDeer↑ comment by BlazeOrangeDeer · 2012-10-23T08:22:25.622Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Making a religion of rationality, it turns out, can lead some very smart people to embrace some insane-sounding ideas.
Also not sure quite what this means. Sounds negative.
Replies from: Viliam_Bur, Manfred↑ comment by Viliam_Bur · 2012-10-23T11:20:01.978Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
This argument itself could be steel-manned to something reasonable... but unfortunately there are also the connotations, approximately: "larger than average amount of rationality is very harmful".
Also:
"When [Kurzweil] came on stage, it was definitely a Jesus moment," said Tom Rausch, a first time attendee
Well, thank you for further associating rationality with religion, just because of one remark one first-time attendee said. The more associations between rationality and religion you make, the better your readers will remember them!
I wonder what would the editors say if someone wrote in a similar way about them. Let me try:
The texts in The Verge can influence minds of many readers, just like Mein Kampf did. We know from history that when some texts become available to thousands of readers, madness and genocide may result. "Reading The Verge makes me feel superior to many people," said Hans, casual reader of the online edition.
comment by beoShaffer · 2012-10-23T03:50:25.247Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
The headline had me worried, but the article was pretty good.
Replies from: Kevin↑ comment by Kevin · 2012-10-23T03:55:10.453Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Usually headlines are picked by an editor, not the person writing the article. Also agreed that this is pretty good. I didn't notice any factual inaccuracies, which by the standards of the media might actually make this an incredible article.
Replies from: beoShaffer, Louie↑ comment by beoShaffer · 2012-10-23T04:07:06.604Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Usually headlines are picked by an editor, not the person writing the article
I'm aware of this, but having negligible prior knowledge of The Verge I was afraid it was indicative of a negative view on the part of the news organization as a whole.