Posts

Monthly Bragging Thread April 2016 2016-04-08T13:26:58.618Z

Comments

Comment by Soothsilver on You've Been Exposed to COVID-19: What Do You Wish You Knew? · 2020-05-28T19:24:04.949Z · LW · GW

The WHO guidance is that the person who is infected uses a mask as much as possible, that they use the bathroom for evening routine last (after you) and that they clean it/disinfect it after use.

Comment by Soothsilver on Trying to make politics less irrational by cognitive bias-checking the US presidential debates · 2016-10-22T17:59:21.416Z · LW · GW

I really liked this article!

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-14T21:22:19.985Z · LW · GW

Thank you. I admit I didn't understand most of what you said. Sorry.

I tried meditation once and it was terrible. Emptying my head allows all the negativity to come in :).

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-14T21:09:41.167Z · LW · GW

You're referring to http://lesswrong.com/lw/js/the_bottom_line/, yes?

It just seems like those situations don't present themselves very often. More often, a situation presents itself like this: A team member makes all the wrong arguments to support a thesis I disagree with. Previously, I would just fight against each of his arguments. Now, I don't do anything much (I'm not good at convincing people) but instead keep thinking "yeah, yeah, arguments, soldiers, written the bottom line, blah, blah" without it actually being useful.

That's not really related to my main problems, but in general, rationality for me poses that problem, that merely thinking in a Sequences-like fashion causes me to feel sad and doesn't bring enough benefit to compensate, I suspect.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-14T20:41:40.619Z · LW · GW

Huh, um, okay! ^^ I somewhat suspected that that is the case, but it's still hard to believe it. (thank you)

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-14T20:40:34.634Z · LW · GW

That's helpful, thank you! Your mention of Fluid Dynamics was particularly nice.

Happy to share.

Part of is what I replied to ChristianKl: that I feel like every important thing should be reduced to thinking about EA or AI. This makes me think that I can't find any new areas interesting because they're not good, or should be eliminated to divert resources into one of those two items.

Another part, I think, is that previously, I could always discover a... greater... area of interest once I grew out of the old one. When I got good at video games, I could move on to try making friends, then to do volunteering, then to attend college, then to try living alone, but, once I started to seriously think through the Sequences, which made read other Yudkowsky's writing, including, sigh, "The Road to Singularity", the next thing then was "saving the world" and it doesn't feel like I can get much further from there.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-14T20:32:53.773Z · LW · GW

Well, yeah, but it also gives a lot of answers and provides an argument to everything. Also it feels like reading from the community reduces everything to either effective altruism or AI. It may not be true but I've internalized it so much that now I can't listen to, say, any politician's statement on state budget, without EA or AI funding immediately coming to mind. Or even any economics or politics or important decision making without feeling like "this is all wrong and we shouldn't care about it". It's a little disheartening :)

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-14T20:27:18.971Z · LW · GW

Thank you ^^

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-14T20:26:25.904Z · LW · GW

Not neccessarily cause of depression.

I mean, I am suspicious and I believe it has something to do with it. At my worst during depressive periods, I keep thinking about death, altruism, rationality, AI etc. Also, there's these surveys that tell me that LessWrong members are unusually likely to have depression.

But I think my depression is mostly innate.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-14T20:24:10.125Z · LW · GW

I keep doing that but it's kind of hard, and I can't easily get a proof of what's causing the problem.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Sep. 12 - Sep. 18, 2016 · 2016-09-12T12:09:43.188Z · LW · GW

Being around here has made me think that I know everything interesting about the world and suppressed my excitement and joy from many minor things I could do. I also feel like my sense of wonder diminished. As I write this, I am a little unhappy, and in a period of depression, but I had similar feelings, if less intense, even before this period.

I was wondering whether you have any advice on how to restore this; or even better, how to "forget" as much rationality and transhumanism as possible (if not actually forgetting, then at least "to think and feel as I did before I read the Sequences")?

Comment by Soothsilver on Open Thread, Sept 5. - Sept 11. 2016 · 2016-09-12T12:05:24.924Z · LW · GW

I've tried Joylent Twennybars but not any other product. I found them very tasty, but I also got some stomachache. Maybe I would get used to that, though, or I may have been eating them incorrectly.

Comment by Soothsilver on European Soylent alternatives · 2016-09-07T21:07:55.162Z · LW · GW

Addendum: I have just experienced the worst diarrhea I've ever had. However, I suspect it's unrelatd.

Comment by Soothsilver on European Soylent alternatives · 2016-09-06T13:44:30.052Z · LW · GW

I order Joylent Twennybars in response to this. They are rather tasty.

Comment by Soothsilver on The map of ideas how the Universe appeared from nothing · 2016-09-03T05:44:15.995Z · LW · GW

Wow, thank you very much! I would have thought most LessWrongers would answer the question "Why does anything exist?" with the answer "That question does not make sense."

I didn't know there was such a range of options.

Comment by Soothsilver on European Soylent alternatives · 2016-08-16T05:59:36.611Z · LW · GW

Is there a European alternative for a MealSquares-like product, i.e. one that is eaten, not drunk?

Comment by Soothsilver on Tsuyoku Naritai! (I Want To Become Stronger) · 2016-08-16T05:40:32.949Z · LW · GW

For what it's worth, I would enjoy reading about a squad of trained wizards raiding Voldemort's compound ^^.

Comment by Soothsilver on Now is the time to eliminate mosquitoes · 2016-08-10T17:17:21.124Z · LW · GW

We're consequentialists here, so I get all the credit for it even if it wasn't much effort, right?

^^

Comment by Soothsilver on Tsuyoku Naritai! (I Want To Become Stronger) · 2016-07-30T06:05:54.985Z · LW · GW

I made a video compilation of Japanese songs that include the words "Tsuyoku naritai".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtcXiT6An-U

I wasn't really convinced that this concept was really present in Japanese culture before but I suppose I am, now.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Jul. 18 - Jul. 24, 2016 · 2016-07-26T05:53:53.613Z · LW · GW

Thank you very much.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Jul. 18 - Jul. 24, 2016 · 2016-07-21T18:04:24.853Z · LW · GW

Thank you.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Jul. 18 - Jul. 24, 2016 · 2016-07-20T20:54:07.111Z · LW · GW

How likely am I to die from taking SSRI's?

This review says:

In conclusion, this review suggests the need for caution in the use of SSRI therapy, particularly among patients with other risk factors for bleeding and those taking NSAIDs. The estimated rate of hospitalization for upper GI bleeding in the US during the 1990s was ∼ 155 per 100,000 population per year [46]. The data examined suggests that the risk of GI bleeding may be increased 2 – 4-fold in patients taking SSRIs and 3 – 12-fold when combined with NSAIDs. However, one must recognise that the incidence of upper GI bleeding increases with age. As such, the risk/benefit profile of these compounds could be influenced by the patient’s age and other co-morbid conditions.

on which I performed calculations like this:

  1. It's a 4-fold increase with 155 per 100.000 population getting hospitalized for bleeding by any cause
  2. Bleeding has a 30% mortality rate
  3. The increase of chance in death is +0.001395 per year
  4. Which is 1395 micromorts per year

Which seems like a lot, for just one sideeffect of SSRI's. Would somebody please check my calculation to see whether I haven't made a major error?

One thing I've neglected is that GI bleeding appears to occur more with the elderly and its mortality rate rises sharply with age, but I haven't found any good data on that. Does anybody have some experience with this?

I'm suffering from a recurring depression (in my 4th depressive period now) which apparently often responds well to SSRI's, but I'm still not sure how much of a risk it is.

IANAL, but I'm not requesting medical advice, just help with math.

Comment by Soothsilver on An update on Signal Data Science (an intensive data science training program) · 2016-04-12T21:19:06.817Z · LW · GW

I know you are now an employee of Signal but, well, this comment reads so much like an advert that I had trouble focusing on what you say.

You were "disillusioned with traditional education" and once you tried out this new program, you were "amazed at the speed with which you were learning" and "astounded by progress you had made in just a few hours", in boldface, no less! And that's before we got to the redundancy and hyperboles.

I know I should be trying to be #LessWrongMoreNice, but your review really should be taken with a grain of salt.

Comment by Soothsilver on Lesswrong 2016 Survey · 2016-04-09T10:45:04.592Z · LW · GW

I have taken the survey.

Comment by Soothsilver on Positivity Thread :) · 2016-04-09T10:18:02.830Z · LW · GW

LessWrongMoreNice is now my favourite hashtag.

Comment by Soothsilver on Positivity Thread :) · 2016-04-08T22:56:06.322Z · LW · GW

It's old news but I recently came across this article and found it quite cheerful.

http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/01/10/slow-but-steady/

Comment by Soothsilver on [LINK] Why Cryonics Makes Sense - Wait But Why · 2016-04-05T06:02:36.814Z · LW · GW

Apparently you were right.

From Alcor:

"Some of you may be already be familiar with Tim Urban’s remarkable blog, Wait But Why. You might be among the 336,693 subscribers to Tim’s blog, or you might just have come across one of his stunning detailed and clever posts, such as on procrastination, the genius of Elon Musk, The AI Revolution, or Putting Time in Perspective.

A few days ago, Tim posted what is possibly the single best piece ever written on cryonics. Warning: It is long and, once you start reading it, you will find it hard to stop. Please use it to persuade your non-cryonicist friends and relatives! The blog post has already generated a surge in visits to Alcor.org and in people engaging Marji in online chat, and in serious requests for membership information packets. You can find it Wait But Why, Why Cryonics Makes Sense."

Comment by Soothsilver on Test Your Calibration! · 2016-01-18T14:29:48.410Z · LW · GW

It's not silly. I still find these newer comments useful.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Dec. 14 - Dec. 20, 2015 · 2015-12-14T23:57:15.913Z · LW · GW

I think their argument was that they don't support Pascal's Mugging and they don't see any proof of medical research within reach that could end aging with a significant probability.

EDIT: ...and I should have read the comment in more detail. You are talking about stuff such as donating to curing diseases. I think they just didn't assign analysts to this yet. I guess it's hard to measure scientific progress.

Comment by Soothsilver on This year's biggest scientific achievements · 2015-12-13T18:26:06.644Z · LW · GW

I understand that death is an important part of the Solstice celebration so perhaps that's why it's there.

Comment by Soothsilver on [Link] Introducing OpenAI · 2015-12-12T13:46:07.440Z · LW · GW

Nate Soares says there will be some collaboration between OpenAI and MIRI:

https://intelligence.org/2015/12/11/openai-and-other-news/

Comment by Soothsilver on Rational Toothpaste: A Case Study · 2015-12-11T17:24:59.290Z · LW · GW

This comment deserves far more upvotes than it has.

Comment by Soothsilver on LessWrong 2.0 · 2015-12-04T20:39:45.002Z · LW · GW

Wait a minute, comments are upvoted based on quality rather than agreement? Until now, I thought that if a comment had, say, nine points, it meant that there existed at least nine LessWrongers who agreed with everything the comment author said. That is not so?

Comment by Soothsilver on Bragging thread, December 2015 · 2015-12-04T15:17:05.292Z · LW · GW

The one-sentence description for the Enlightened is something like "use technology to improve humanity". I did not hesitate.

Comment by Soothsilver on Bragging thread, December 2015 · 2015-12-02T14:13:07.210Z · LW · GW

You are awesome.

Comment by Soothsilver on Why effective altruists should do Charity Science’s Christmas fundraiser · 2015-12-02T12:18:13.925Z · LW · GW

Since I now don't have any unmet material needs and what needs I do have are mostly Steam wallet funds which my family doesn't like to provide, I also suggested they donate to a charity in my name.

They refused. Their argument was along the lines of "no, I don't want to help other people, I want to give something that will make you happy". But since they don't want to give me video games, making me happy is probably not really what they want to do.

I guess I'll just make a December donation off my own funds instead.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Nov. 30 - Dec. 06, 2015 · 2015-11-30T22:20:43.268Z · LW · GW

I understand that the quantum physics sequence is controversial even within LessWrong.

Generally, though, all of the sequences could benefit from annotations.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Nov. 30 - Dec. 06, 2015 · 2015-11-30T21:23:56.045Z · LW · GW

I liked this part:

"Participants were also given an attention check. For this, participants were shown a list of activities (e.g., biking, reading) directly below the following instructions: “Below is a list of leisure activities. If you are reading this, please choose the “other” box below and type in ‘I read the instructions’”. This attention check proved rather difficult with 35.4% of the sample failing (N = 99). However, the results were similar if these participants were excluded. We therefore retained the full data set."

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Nov. 30 - Dec. 06, 2015 · 2015-11-30T18:25:45.625Z · LW · GW

When will be the next LessWrong census and who will run it?

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Nov. 16 - Nov. 22, 2015 · 2015-11-28T13:50:27.755Z · LW · GW

I think the most plausible is that he does shake hands and he does not use anti-bacterial wipe, merely that he mentioned to the reporter "I prefer not to shake hands to keep myself safe" and that the reporter exaggerated.

Comment by Soothsilver on Take the EA survey, help the EA movement grow and potentially win $250 to your favorite charity · 2015-11-26T18:42:11.983Z · LW · GW

Maybe this should be posted in Discussion? That way more people will see it.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Nov. 23 - Nov. 29, 2015 · 2015-11-25T20:45:48.142Z · LW · GW

I'm not sure I would trust that calculator. I'm not used to US units so I put in 84kg (my weight) and it said "with that BMI you can't be alive" so I put in 840 thinking maybe it wants the first decimal as well. Now I realize it wanted pounds. And for this, 840lbs, it also outputed 70 years.

I'm not sure where the calculator gets its data from.

Comment by Soothsilver on Stupid Questions November 2015 · 2015-11-24T21:27:42.964Z · LW · GW

Wow, I would have never guessed that.

Comment by Soothsilver on Stupid Questions November 2015 · 2015-11-24T21:17:57.377Z · LW · GW

On the internet, but especially on the HPMOR subrreddit, I find notations such as "Canon!Harry" or "Vampire!Durkon" or "HPMOR!Quirrell". Does the exclamation mark simply stand for a space, or does it have additional meaning? And more importantly, where does the notation come from? Where was it invented?

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Nov. 23 - Nov. 29, 2015 · 2015-11-24T21:14:37.240Z · LW · GW

I also ask myself these questions and I'm unable to answer them. In the end, I exercise and modify my diet as much as my will allows without causing me too much stress.

As for valuing years of life, if I considered that the very best outcome of cryonics (as HungryHobo described) is certain, then, well, even for very small values that will result in cryonics giving me far more utility than exercice. I don't value later years of my life that low.

Yudkowsky believes that cryonics has a greater than 50% chance of working, and that we will be able to have fun for any amount of time, so for him, the expected value of cryonics is ginormous.

I get quite a bit of disutility from forcing myself to eat a bit more healthily. My food diversity is very power; if I try to ingest one of many foods I don't like, I will throw up. Attempting to eat those foods anyway causes me great discomfort. So that's not a great way for me to increase overall utility.

On the last paragraph, it appears to me that the two basics - avoiding obesity and not smoking - are the best thing you can pester them about. But the other lifestyle choices have the expected benefit of a few years total, if you don't expect any new medical technology to be developed.

Comment by Soothsilver on Stupid Questions November 2015 · 2015-11-23T11:29:33.205Z · LW · GW

The tone of its Wikipedia page is strongly against its usefulness.

Comment by Soothsilver on Open thread, Nov. 23 - Nov. 29, 2015 · 2015-11-23T11:25:31.501Z · LW · GW

Do you know of any remedy or prevention for hiccups? I can't get anything trusthworthy out of the internet nor out of friends and family. All just anecdotes.

Comment by Soothsilver on Stupid Questions November 2015 · 2015-11-22T19:44:51.766Z · LW · GW

To the question, the average age is 27.6; the average level of study is a completed Bachelor's degree.

Comment by Soothsilver on Stupid Questions November 2015 · 2015-11-22T19:41:44.553Z · LW · GW

Do any of you do anything nontraditional to improve your health/longevity? What I'm thinking about is radical lifestyle changes, such as using dozens of supplements like Kurzweil or mixing one's lunch out of raw ingredients like Bostrom, or avoiding all car travel and similar stuff, not exercise.

Comment by Soothsilver on Stupid Questions November 2015 · 2015-11-22T19:37:45.557Z · LW · GW

When I switched dentists three years ago, the new dentist claimed to have found several issues during initial check-in and also said that my wisdom teeth need to be torn out as soon as possible. So I have that experience as well. Although, since then, she never complained about anything even though my flossing routine worsened considerably.