Hi, I’m Amanda. I’m interning at MIRI right now. I found HP:MoR 3 years ago, and started reading the Sequences shortly after. After 2 years of high school, I dropped out, and started at the University of Kansas. Reading the Sequences probably contributed a lot to this; I was tired of feeling like I wasn’t doing anything important. Likewise, after a year at a state school, and now experiencing 5 weeks in the Bay Area, I’m motivated to get out of Kansas and back here.
I’m studying computer science, and I just finished my freshman year. I also do computer science research during the year. My advisor had me work with genetic algorithms, which, looking back now, was mainly to get me programming. My only experience was one high school class, which was predictably bad.
Anyway, I programmed a web project, and realized that I actually enjoy programming! My parents are both software engineers, so I had initially seen it as a boring 9-5 cubicle job. Later, I viewed it as a tool, useful enough to devote my studies to, but not particularly enjoyable. After working on the web app, I remember thinking, “Why didn’t anyone tell me how cool coding could be?”
I decided to intern at MIRI to help narrow down what I want to do; either working directly on FAI research, or going into startups, in order to tackle another problem, while earning to give. (I’m leaning toward the startup route now.) I’ve had a great time so far. I have a few days left at MIRI, then I’ll go to the other end of the office to volunteer with CFAR for a week, and finally I’ll end my stay in Berkeley by attending a CFAR workshop.
I decided to end my lurking in order to post some of the things I’ve been working on for MIRI. More on that to come.
Hi, I’m Amanda. I’m interning at MIRI right now. I found HP:MoR 3 years ago, and started reading the Sequences shortly after. After 2 years of high school, I dropped out, and started at the University of Kansas. Reading the Sequences probably contributed a lot to this; I was tired of feeling like I wasn’t doing anything important. Likewise, after a year at a state school, and now experiencing 5 weeks in the Bay Area, I’m motivated to get out of Kansas and back here.
I’m studying computer science, and I just finished my freshman year. I also do computer science research during the year. My advisor had me work with genetic algorithms, which, looking back now, was mainly to get me programming. My only experience was one high school class, which was predictably bad.
Anyway, I programmed a web project, and realized that I actually enjoy programming! My parents are both software engineers, so I had initially seen it as a boring 9-5 cubicle job. Later, I viewed it as a tool, useful enough to devote my studies to, but not particularly enjoyable. After working on the web app, I remember thinking, “Why didn’t anyone tell me how cool coding could be?”
I decided to intern at MIRI to help narrow down what I want to do; either working directly on FAI research, or going into startups, in order to tackle another problem, while earning to give. (I’m leaning toward the startup route now.) I’ve had a great time so far. I have a few days left at MIRI, then I’ll go to the other end of the office to volunteer with CFAR for a week, and finally I’ll end my stay in Berkeley by attending a CFAR workshop.
I decided to end my lurking in order to post some of the things I’ve been working on for MIRI. More on that to come.
Welcome to LessWrong! Sounds like you’ll have some interesting things to share. Glad to have you.