Want to have a CFAR instructor visit your LW group?
post by AnnaSalamon · 2013-04-20T07:04:08.521Z · LW · GW · Legacy · 30 commentsContents
30 comments
Cat, who has volunteered extensively at CFAR (and taught at CFAR), will be visiting many cities in Europe over the coming months.
She is awesome.
Also, the list of cities that she is visiting will probably be determined in the next few days.
If you'd like to have her visit your LW meetup group, share some of our classes with your meetup, and generally bring connections back and forth... comment below, or PM her (or me)! I suspect this can be a lot of fun, and useful as well. Offers of couch space and similar are also appreciated.
For now this is just for Europe, probably, but no harm in touching base from other cities as well; it's possible she'll visit elsewhere later.
30 comments
Comments sorted by top scores.
comment by CatM · 2013-04-20T15:42:36.751Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Hello :) I'll be arriving in London next week! Looking forward to meeting and learning from the communities I encounter. Feel free to contact me for meet ups, the possibility of free CfAR classes or even just to share a meal or drink. I'm fleshing out my itinerary during the next few days so please do email me and let me know if you'd like to connect or if there's some LW (or other) to attend.
So far, I intend to be in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland over the next 3 weeks.
Email: Cat@appliedrationality.org
Replies from: henryajcomment by Paul Crowley (ciphergoth) · 2013-04-20T12:21:26.404Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Cat is indeed awesome, and lovely! She'd be welcome to crash at ours for a couple of days - we're in London. I'm sure we can bend the meetup schedule around her visiting dates.
Replies from: CatMcomment by Cyan · 2013-04-21T02:14:11.982Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Facts about Cat:
- Cat cuts through problems like a laser through butter. Be careful how you aim this woman.
- Cat has overcome the need for sleep.
- If Cat is holding a nerf gun, do not taunt her. Cat will shoot a bitch.
↑ comment by philh · 2013-04-21T21:55:58.536Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Will I need my own nerf gun for self defense?
Replies from: Viliam_Bur↑ comment by Viliam_Bur · 2013-04-22T06:55:35.641Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Time point T0: Cat is holding a nerf gun, you are holding a nerf gun.
Time point T1: Cat is holding two nerf guns.
That is a fact.
Replies from: DaFrankercomment by Tenoke · 2013-04-22T10:50:58.179Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Can we get a link to her writings/profiles or a list of achievements? I have literally zero idea who she is, google returns zilch and the post seems to be made under the assumption that her identity is common knowledge. Not being rude or anything, it is just that a few jokes and short descriptions written under the influence of the halo effect can't give me a very good image of who someone is.
Replies from: AnnaSalamon, maia↑ comment by AnnaSalamon · 2013-04-22T16:34:50.471Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Oh, sorry. She's just a person who has been doing a huge amount of volunteering with CFAR, runs some social-skills-related units for us (with a rationality foundation), has good social skills and connect-people skills, and has a keen interest in rationality and in creating community.
I'd say to meet her if you're interested in meeting "a CFAR representative, who's been talking to some other LW groups and who may be able to bring good ideas between your and other meet-up groups, or to show you some exercises and talk". Though I realize this isn't very detailed.
Replies from: Tenokecomment by Viliam_Bur · 2013-04-20T19:26:57.216Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Cat, we would like you to come to a meetup in Vienna, on May 18th!
Also, if you could also visit Bratislava, we can choose the day of Bratislava meetup to be convenient for you. (Bratislava is much lower priority than Vienna, because the community here is very small, but if you come to this part of the planet, Bratislava is one hour by bus from Vienna.)
We can provide you a couch, too. (We = Viliam and Barbara from July Rationality Minicamp.)
Replies from: CatM↑ comment by CatM · 2013-04-21T01:51:12.751Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
I'd love to visit the May 18th meet up in Vienna (I noticed you're speaking at it, I'm looking forward to that!) My plans post May 15 are still a little uncertain, but as long as I'm in Europe during that time you can expect me to come visit :)
comment by scaphandre · 2013-04-20T11:31:20.736Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
+1 for 'Cat is awesome'.
I was just speaking to her on Facebook. Couch space already being prepared in Edinburgh, UK!
Replies from: CatMcomment by [deleted] · 2013-04-21T02:18:33.751Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Who is this Cat person and why is everyone saying she's awesome?
Replies from: Giles, None, diegocaleiro↑ comment by Giles · 2013-04-22T17:02:46.559Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
She teaches social skills to nerds at CFAR workshops. She has an incredibly positive view of humanity and of what people are capable of, and meeting her massively increased the size of my reference class for what a rational person is like.
↑ comment by diegocaleiro · 2013-04-22T03:00:11.584Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
I've been hearing the same things and wondering the same question.
comment by Yuu · 2013-04-20T07:10:09.785Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Can she visit Moscow? We have a lot to discuss with CFAR representative.
Replies from: CatM↑ comment by CatM · 2013-04-21T01:49:34.461Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
I absolutely can visit Moscow! I'm waiting to receive more info on my itinerary but I expect I'll be able to make it out to Moscow sometime during the last week of May/first week of June.
Replies from: Robert_Unwin, Yuu↑ comment by Robert_Unwin · 2013-04-21T21:59:23.191Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
if from the US, you'll need a visa to visit moscow and i don't think you can obtain this on arrival in russia.
↑ comment by Yuu · 2013-04-22T06:04:45.323Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
That would be great if you come! Here is information regarding Russian visas. You can easily get visa invitation from tourist company and I can provide with all information about Russia.
comment by Kaj_Sotala · 2013-04-22T06:46:12.526Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
We haven't had a meetup in Helsinki in while, but attendance has generally been good when we've had ones, especially with special guest stars present. So I'm sure that a bunch of folks would show up if Cat were to stop by, and I'd personally love to try some of CFAR's exercises.
I can also offer a place to sleep.
comment by CatM · 2013-04-30T15:38:52.238Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Hello everyone!
Thank you so much for the warm welcome and endorsements! I'm not certain I can live up to the awesomeness people have painted me with but I'll do my best to make you all proud :)
The past few weeks have been a mad dash to get plans settled and travel arrangements set. I'll do my best to respond to all the kind invitations (I'm sorry if I've had delayed responses, I'm wading through emails as you read this). My itinerary is set for the first few weeks of my trip. My plans after May 15 are uncertain as we haven't decided if I'll be returning to San Francisco to teach at a CFAR rationality weekend seminar or if I'll be continuing on my Europe visits. I will post my plans as soon as they're settled.
My itinerary today-May 15 are as follows: Edinburgh: April 30-May 1 Oxford: May 1-May 3 Berlin May 3-May 4 Switzerland (St. Gallen and Bern) May 5 -May 7 Sweden (Gothenburg and Stockholm) May 8-May 11 London May 11- May13 Oxford May 13- May15
~possibly returning to San Francisco~ ...if not
Austria (Vienna and Bratislava) May 17-May 21
After Austria I'm working out my schedule. Places that I'm likely to visit if my trip is extended are: Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg) Brussels Frankfurt Amsterdam Helsinki Copenhagen Riga Paris Madrid Dublin Cambridge Tel Aviv (not Europe, I know, but closer to Europe than America) If I haven't listed your place and you'd like me to come, please email me with preferred dates and I'll add you to the scheduling labyrinth! If I have listed your place and you'd like to meet, please email me with preferred dates, too.
I'm available for (and very interested in) meeting for meals, coffee or any other social-type interaction (1 on 1 or groups, all welcome). If you'd like to get together please email me and I'll slot you in for a visit. The rumours of my friendliness are true. I love meeting and getting to know people and it's hard for me to think of many people I don't like/get along with.
email: Cat@appliedrationality.org