Comment by pickaxe on [SEQ RERUN] How Many LHC Failures Is Too Many? · 2012-09-03T10:11:54.604Z · LW · GW

I'm not sure why you expect to see LHC failures in the past instead of e.g. either a failure to attain sufficient level of technological development to build LHC, or a vacuum fluctuation preventing destruction of the world. If you wish, a fluctuation which looks just like Higgs.

It'd be trivial to reformulate laws of physics so that anyone who doesn't observe some interaction dies of vacuum decay.

edit: Also, if you adjust probability of theories based on improbability of your existence given a theory, using Bayes theorem, this anthropic consideration cancels out.

Comment by pickaxe on [LINK] Strong AI Startup Raises $15M · 2012-08-24T16:14:07.179Z · LW · GW

I thought Thiel donates to SI simply because Yudkowsky is his friend.