Comment by dashdashdot on Why rationalists are not much concerned about mortality? · 2022-02-10T07:52:34.043Z · LW · GW

I see this argument more often but I don't think it's always fear of death that is the driving force of not wanting to live forever.

Can you tell me if there's something wrong with the following metaphor:

I immensely enjoy a mountain hiking trip but after a few weeks it needs to end because my body is aching and even the beauty of the mountains becomes mundane.

Isn't life somehow the same way?

Some burdens seem only carry-able because they're temporary and some beauty is only (or more) beautiful because it's fleeting.

(By the way I would jump on the opportunity of an increased life span to say 200-300 years, 80 seems really short, but not indefinite extension)

Comment by dashdashdot on What should a student who is already a decent programmer do over the summer? · 2022-01-26T10:57:49.978Z · LW · GW

Connections turn out to be outsizedly important compared to raw skill. As a student new options for connecting come easier than later (even during Covid). If you want to build an academic connection you can maintain throughout your career, that could be a great asset, even if that career is not in academia. Who's your favourite professor and how could you get on his radar standing out from the rest of the crowd? Is there any project they could use help with? (Yes) What kind of activities could you join which could bring you in contact with someone you might one day start a business with? Etc.