Hi! I don’t feel qualified to contribute here, but I hope to fix that by… contributing here. I’ll have more time to do so this summer.
Nick_Roy
Karma: 458
Hi InquilineKea. I’m almost new to posting here myself, and am also a long-time lurker. I’m also a borderline Aspie and a generalist rather than a specialist, and my brother has been diagnosed with ADD, so I can likely relate to you more than the average person, though perhaps not more than the average user of this site. I’m also impressed with the levels of intelligence and rationality, usually superior to my own, that I encounter on Less Wrong, though I do wish that the site were more active. I’ve recently told some of my friends about Less Wrong (usually via HPatMoR), and I also plan on contributing more to this site myself. (I realize that I expressed my hope to contribute more this past summer in a post earlier this year, but now I do finally have the time to contribute. Let this comment serve as social pressure for additional motivation).
I’m curious about the specifics of your reasoning on exercise, InquilineKea. If you’re afraid of exercising inconsistently, why not practice exercising consistently so as to get better at exercising consistently?
Ah. I understand that time management is a problem, but I wouldn’t give up just yet. Try exercising one day a week, then moving on to two, etc., as opposed to starting off exercising every day without fail (of course, even with an optimal exercise routine, rest days are still important). What I mean by practicing consistent exercise is starting from the bottom, not starting from the top. As a perfectionist I find this difficult, but it’s generally easier than starting with a perfect habit from scratch. Also, if you are bad at maintaining a regular routine, don’t forget to tsuyoku naritai.
I’m usually bad at maintaining routines as well, but have trained myself up to engaging in aerobic exercise approximately 4-5 times a week, mostly for the anxiety and depression-reducing effects, since the improvement in mental health more than makes up for the time used in exercising. Don’t forget to factor your own issues with anxiety into your aerobic exercise cost/benefit analysis. However, I currently don’t have time for anaerobic exercise, which is not as important but still useful. I have time management issues, myself.
Actually, this post explains what I’m attempting to express on the subject of exercise more eloquently than I do.
Hmmm. This does seem based on self-experimentation, unfortunately. To which research is Taleb referring to?
This is certainly interesting, but I’ll wait for more studies before I try any of this on myself, since parts of Taleb’s approach are a bit dangerous, including improper sleep duration and prolonged periods of physical inactivity. Risk-benefit analyses of fasting and infrequent intense exercise are also inconclusive at present.
Hmmm. Good point. I’d still be careful with sleep duration, though.
I wonder if it has something to do with the self-improvement angle of Less Wrong being “a community blog devoted to refining the art of human rationality”, which is a goal that keeps people coming here in the long run. Being interested in self-improvement, we’re also interested in reducing akrasia, a major obstacle to self-improvement.
Wouldn’t insincere ones be harder to really convince they’re doing anything wrong (in terms of actions taken, not words spoken), since they don’t care whether or not they’re doing it right? Insincere ones might accept criticism and then not make any changes, whereas sincere ones might fight harder against criticism but actually make real changes if convinced. There may be some usefulness in contacting cryonics organizations about criticisms against them and eliciting responses, as well as eliciting evidence to back up responses.
Discussions on the relationship between entrepreneurship and rationality would forward SIAI and FHI’s common goal of increasing the amount of money spent on existential risks. There is an Existential Risk Reduction Career Network, but no entrepreneurship discussion group devoted to reducing existential risks that I know of. Entrepreneurship offers an income-earning alternative for people facing situations where standard careers are sub-optimal.
$100 from a poor college student. I can’t not afford it.
If you want to suggest it, why not make it happen it yourself? Personally, I’m in the process of editing a Naruto rationalist fanfic written by a friend of mine. I’m also a former Mage player with some knowledge of the Mage universe (though to be honest I’m more familiar and experienced with Ascension than I am Awakening), so I’d be happy to look at a draft of a Mage fanfic before you post it if you so choose, or else I’d certainly read it and review it once you post it.
Teaching utilizable rationality skills by exemplifying the application of rationality
Entrepreneurship
I’m mystified as to how to shave smoothly without cutting myself and without razor burn. I’ve never been able to accomplish all three of these in one shave. (This is facial shaving I’m speaking of, as I am male). Not shaving is not an option, as I quickly develop a distinctly unfashionable neck-beard whenever I neglect shaving.
Update, one year later: I can report that shaving during a warm shower with no shaving cream has increased the smoothness of my shaves, has drastically reduced shaving cuts and has eliminated razor burn almost entirely. Thanks, Less Wrong!
Shikamaru vs. the Logical Fallacies
I’m working on editing Shikamaru vs. the Logical Fallacies, a rationalist fanfic that I linked to here, as well as encouraging the author to create more. We recently finished Part 1 of Chapter 1.
I’m doing this to increase my and the author’s rationality, to practice my editing skills, to help the author practice his writing skills, because it’s fun for me and the author and the readers, and to raise the sanity waterline as much as possible, since this is a chance for readers to also increase their own rationality. Readers can assist in all of these goals by reading the fic, reviewing it, discussing it, and spreading it.
I donated $10 to the General Fund, and convinced my brother to do the same.
I’m also planning on putting out a general call for donations to my friends and family a few weeks before my birthday, in lieu of presents.