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Comment by Faber on Is risk aversion really irrational ? · 2012-02-01T14:31:50.159Z · LW · GW

If you don't pick the option with higher expected utility, it's not actually utility.

The point is that we may have utility functions where u(p1A+p2B) != p1u(A)+p2u(B). That is, the utility of a bet may not be equal to the expected value of the utility of the outcomes.

Comment by Faber on Specific Fiction Discusion (April 2011) · 2011-05-14T20:09:25.756Z · LW · GW

One of the points in Deepness is that we almost exclusively experience the aliens as translated by the human "translators": due to their extreme skills, they are able to make the non-human easy for the humans to relate to.

In a brief glimpse near the end of the story, Vinge gives us a hint that perhaps the aliens aren't as human-like as the "translators" has made them seem.

Comment by Faber on Attention Lurkers: Please say hi · 2010-04-17T19:22:58.661Z · LW · GW

Hi!