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Comment by Benvie on Open Thread April 16 - April 22, 2014 · 2014-04-20T20:54:14.924Z · LW · GW

Gaia+VR

Comment by Benvie on Open Thread April 16 - April 22, 2014 · 2014-04-20T15:14:12.587Z · LW · GW

Gaia

Comment by Benvie on The value of the online hive mind · 2014-04-15T20:37:58.294Z · LW · GW

If we look at using the internet as a method of offloading both memory and processing from our brain, we see it as a tool that allows our brain to reach higher level abstractions and better reasoned and tested hypothesis. By deferring to the hive mind, we remove the need to actually sift through information ourselves. Once we trust our own ability to filter the signal from the hive mind's noise, then we can defer to it more and more to make decisions for us, freeing our minds to make higher level decisions.

The more filtered you get, the better it works. I rarely read articles nowadays. I read the comments first and only read the article if multiple comments say "wow must read" and if the subject matter is something I really want more depth in. Even better, don't read many comments. Using sites that order comments by popularity, you can get the absolute most distilled wisdom by reading a few of the highest rated comments and moving on.

If you have developed your own ability to efficiently meta-aggregate information from all these different types of information aggregators, and you can resist the drive toward curiosity and learning more in depth, then you can essentially turn yourself into a Competent Man/Woman solely using your intuitive information aggregation capabilities.