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Three useful types of akrasia 2022-04-19T16:56:51.889Z

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Comment by Dambi (dambi-wink) on Basics of Rationalist Discourse · 2023-02-16T07:45:00.904Z · LW · GW

I have a minor nitpick, which I would not normally comment on, but I think this post deserves to be more polished and held to a higher standard than regular posts.

Additionally, there is a tendency among humans to use vague and ambiguous language that is equally compatible with multiple interpretations, such as the time that a group converged on agreement that there was "a very real chance" of a certain outcome, only to discover later, in one-on-one interviews, that at least one person meant that outcome was 20% likely, and at least one other meant it was 80% likely (which are exactly opposite claims, in that 20% likely means 80% unlikely).

my nitpicking is not about the idea, or the paragraph, but rather the specific point of those two claims being "exact opposites".

There are examples of situations where "a very real chance" is a major and useful update, even when it makes one person think of 20% and the other of 80%. For example, if a team of scientists agree that "there is a very real chance" the sun is going to explode within the next month. It is useful from that point to get a more precise estimate than something that vague, but I would not call 20% and 80% estimates "exactly opposite claims", as they are both major updates in the same direction from e.g. 0.00001%.

Comment by Dambi (dambi-wink) on Luck based medicine: my resentful story of becoming a medical miracle · 2023-02-14T06:55:26.382Z · LW · GW

Yeah warm compresses are nice and I guess I recommend them as well, especially for relief when symptoms are severe. They are a bit of a hassle though so I recommend looking for other solutions.
 

The best product for compress that I have found:
https://www.thea-pharmaceuticals.co.uk/products/blephasteam

It gently steams your eyes, so it makes them both warm and moist. I think I do recommend some form of moisture when you do warm compresses.
 

Comment by Dambi (dambi-wink) on Elastic Productivity Tools · 2022-12-12T07:18:32.498Z · LW · GW

Just throwing in Cold Turkey Blocker as a pretty good tool for blocking stuff. But yeah, it lacks elasticity.
https://getcoldturkey.com/ 

Comment by Dambi (dambi-wink) on Luck based medicine: my resentful story of becoming a medical miracle · 2022-11-18T08:14:43.898Z · LW · GW

Condition: Dry Eye Syndrome (AKA: your eyes are dry and we don't know why)

Treatments that doctors did not recommend that work well for me:
Moisture-trapping night mask: https://www.eyeeco.com/eyeseals-40-hydrating-sleep-mask-charcoal-black.html?cat-id=

Moisture-trapping glasses: https://www.zienaeyewear.com/products/kai

If the cause is unknown, might as well treat the symptoms.

Comment by Dambi (dambi-wink) on Three useful types of akrasia · 2022-04-20T07:03:42.521Z · LW · GW

Oh, oops. I added the "categories" as panic-editing after the first comment. I have now returned it to the original (vague) title. Seems like a good time to use the "English is not my native language" excuse.

Thanks! I hope it helps you in the future.

Comment by Dambi (dambi-wink) on Three useful types of akrasia · 2022-04-19T16:22:08.709Z · LW · GW

Thanks for leaving a comment! This is my first LW post, so it's pretty exciting. :)
I will think more about the title when writing future posts.