I recently joined this site after lurking for awhile. Are blog contributions of that sort are the primary purpose of Less Wrong?
It seems like it fulfills a niche that the avenues you listed do not: specifically, in the capacity of a community rather than an individual, academic, or professional endeavor.
There are applications of rational thought present in these threads that I don’t see gathered anywhere else. I’m sure I’m missing something here, but could viewing Less Wrong as a potential breeding ground for contributors of that kind be useful?
I realize it’s a difficult line to follow without facing the problems inherent to any community, especially one that preaches a Way.
I haven’t encountered the rationalist tumblr scene. Is such a community there?
I’ve liked beer since adulthood, chiefly because I love coarse, bitter breads and beer (I tend to stay away from the blander productions mass marketed by the largest brewing companies) has always seemed like a wonderful liquid take on bread.
Food is my primary source of hedons, and my beverage consumption developed as an extension of that. I have a love affair with mead, a recurring fling with whiskey, and an occasional one night stand with liquors at large. I appreciate cocktails, but I’ve found my tastes to require seeking bartenders that are near impossible to find in smaller towns.
I do not wish to spend the money (on liquor alone) required to learn the skills required to rival them, though I will mix a few drinks on very special (Thanksgiving, etc) occasions.
I spend about 5.5% of my income on alcohol.
I never drank exclusively for the purpose of getting drunk until I joined the military, but it’s still a rare occurrence.
The sensation itself is akin to a combination of runner’s high, fatigue, and, well, being a teenager again. It usually puts me in a good mood and makes it easier for me to enjoy social interactions, and essentially dulls any input my System 2 might have on System 1.
I drink every weekend, at an average of about six bottles of beer or a bottle of wine. Once every three months or so, I will drink more. I know that the equivalent of about 11 bottles of beer begins to stress my digestive system to unpleasant levels, so that’s where I usually stop. I have gone over this limit less than a handful of times.
I know that I will not drink if the only thing available to me, was, say, Budweiser or a Cabernet. Even if I have been gifted with something like Mike’s Hard Lemonade or Redd’s cider, well, I won’t really drink anything of that sort, either.
I will not sacrifice expenditures on living expenses, books, or luxury foods for most types of alcohol. While I’m not an alcoholic, I’m probably close to it.
There is ignorance in the bottle, and in that ignorance is a kind of peace.
That, coupled, with a strong appreciation of flavor and texture from anything I ingest is probably why I consume alcohol.
It is one more pit stop in the race against Akrasia.