A Less Wrong Q&A with Eliezer (Step 1: The Proposition)

What's special about the talk being at TED, precisely?

Text is faster than speech, but if the video isn't important (e.g. with BHTV) you can listen to them during times that you couldn't read. Such as driving, or walking.

I listen to a lot of podcasts on my way to and from work, and it effectively doesn't use extra time in my day - I'd be travelling anyway, so I might as well make good use of the time.

Has Eliezer done TED yet? I'd watch that.

I'm not sure how TED works. Do they have to invite you to speak? Can you submit your name?

Eliezer, have you ever been invited to TED? Have you considered trying to submit your name as a potential speaker?

I'm not sure if the TED format would make for something very interesting for LW readers, though. It's 18 minutes max (iirc), so Eliezer would probably only have time for an introduction to a few concepts. I'd much prefer a longer Q&A like the one I suggested above.

I prefer text to speech too. But it doesn't have to be one or the other.

I find both to be complementary, and I feel that the few times that I've seen Eliezer speak (at Singularity Summit, BHTV, etc) have made him more "real" to me and added something to my reading of his texts.

I just want more of that, I guess.

Update: Just to be clear, are you saying you would like a Q&A but in text format instead of video, or that you don't want a Q&A at all and prefer the usual blog posts?

I much prefer text to speech, because it's faster and allows random access

Can't do much about the random access (ie, skimming), but you can speed up speech a lot.

Agreed -- text is better.

TED seconded.

Add my vote to text. I'd point out that text is far more accessible, in the disabilities sense (eg. my own hearing-impaired self; the bloggingheads interviews are almost unlistenable to me).

Thank you for the transcribing offer. Anything that makes this more accessible is welcome, and it might even get those who don't care about video to check it out.

Why not do both and transcribe the audio as well?

I'm waiting!

Am I the only one who read that in the voice of Vizzini from the Princess Bride?

Anyway, I'm just waiting to make sure that all the regulars had a chance to see this and vote/comment (I figure some people might only come once a week).

Unless there is a show-stopper very soon, I will go to Step 2 of the plan.

Give me a break.

I don't believe a Q&A is necessarily cultish - you could perfectly well ask questions to elucidate points on which you believe Eliezer to be confused, not just to gain more opinions to clone - but I have to say I'm out as well.

I agree that the way this post is written is kinda cultish (MichaelGR, wake up!), but the idea of interviews isn't at all. On the other hand, such things should be cleared with the interviewee first.