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Comment by Brian_2 on Three Worlds Decide (5/8) · 2009-02-04T01:24:00.000Z · LW · GW

As noted earlier, the Superhappies don't appear to be concerned about the presumed ability of the Babyeaters to make supernovas. Perhaps they have a way of countering the effect, and have already injected anti-supernova magicons through the starline network back to Earth and Babyeater Prime. In that case trying to detonate either immediately or at Huygens would fail, while eliminating any trust the Superhappies had in us. Maybe that's not much worse; they wouldn't punish us for the attempt, it might just make them more aggressive about fixing us.

Also, is the cosmology such that the general lack of visible supernovas is significant? It would seem that the normal development for "human-like" technological civilizations is that shortly after discovering the Alderson drive, a mad scientist or misguided experiment blows up the home star. Babyeaters and Superhappies apparently avoided this by having some form of a singleton, and humans got lucky because the scientists were able to suppress the information. Humans may be the most individualistic technological civilization in the universe.

Comment by Brian_2 on Interlude with the Confessor (4/8) · 2009-02-03T05:31:56.000Z · LW · GW

A surprising number of OB threads have turned into discussions of pick-up artists.

Well, they do epitomize "rational agents should win".

would you prefer a life entirely free of pain and sorrow, having sex all day long?

Depends on the specifics, but quite possibly. The Superhappies aren't wireheads, they're out exploring the universe and learning while being super happy. I could go for that.

Comment by Brian_2 on Dunbar's Function · 2009-01-01T02:56:57.000Z · LW · GW

Can we have links to research on impact of television, Internet etc. on happiness etc.? This sounds interesting.

I'd be interested as well. I suspect the causality is mostly in the other direction, i.e. it's not that watching TV making you unhappy, but that happy people have better things to do than watch TV.