Comment by ArgleBlargle on A quick note on weirdness points and Solstices [And also random other Solstice discussion] · 2016-12-24T08:23:25.268Z · LW · GW

I was sitting quite near the front (second row) and the disruption was enough to make me want to leave the event. I could not hear much of Ben Hoffman's speech at all, despite him being about 30 feet from me making it, and the child was taken upstairs and then ran up and down the balcony creating thumping noise that overpowered the speeches and songs. The interruption during Brienne's speech was the most heartbreaking. This was not comments or funny, this was yelling and screaming, and then not being removed.

The child was then taken to the afterparty,with dozens of drinking, carousing adults, after midnight. The whole thing with this kid ruined much of solstice for me (for personal reasons as well, because the child was an individual source of stress in her barely mitigated behavior toward me), and I adore children. I have been a teacher, a nanny, a counselor, and I hope to be a parent. I will not keep a child of mine who is fussing in an event where said fussing ruins the experience for others. We traveled to the Bay to attend Solstice, and I was extremely disappointed.

Comment by ArgleBlargle on Adversity to Success · 2016-06-16T04:45:04.555Z · LW · GW

Lauding coping mechanisms as a brilliant way to achieve success is missing several points. Coping mechanisms are cobbled together, makeshift things, which more often than not provide hindrance later. Much of psychotherapy is based around unlearning poor coping mechanisms, and learning or relearning solid strategies for dealing with crisis. The concept of crisis strategies being useful is valid, but shooting for coping mechanisms without the trauma that creates the need for them is imitating MacGuyver instead of engineers; sure, the paperclip shoestring worked in the moment, but it's hardly the ideal solution.

Comment by ArgleBlargle on 2016 LessWrong Diaspora Survey Analysis: Part One (Meta and Demographics) · 2016-05-14T06:28:10.433Z · LW · GW

Thanks for doing this.

Comment by ArgleBlargle on Welcome to LessWrong (January 2016) · 2016-03-26T01:50:38.965Z · LW · GW

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for years (originally read Three Worlds Collide, then HPMOR, then started the sequences) and I guess it's about time to be able to interact.

I participate on the LW Slack, facebook, and local meetups. Looking forward to the new directions LW is heading, and being a part of LW 2.0

Comment by ArgleBlargle on Lesswrong 2016 Survey · 2016-03-26T01:42:56.978Z · LW · GW

I have taken the survey.