Monthly Archives: March 2015

OT16: Avada Threadavra!

This is the semimonthly open thread. Post about anything you want, ask random questions, whatever. Also: 1. Thanks to everyone who attended the meetups earlier this month. It was nice to finally get to meet some of you. For those … Continue reading

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Book Review: Willpower

I. Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney attracted me with the following pitch: there are only two quantities in psychology that have been robustly linked to a broad range of important life outcomes. One … Continue reading

Too Good To Be True

Related To: You Might Get What You Pay For, Do Life Hacks Ever Reach Fixation? Here are three interesting psychological studies: 1. Kirschenbaum, Malett, and Humphrey gave students a three month course in how to make monthly plans, then followed … Continue reading

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Links 3/15: URL Of Great Price

Did someone you love die while still single? Do you know anyone of the opposite sex who also died while still single? Time for a ghost marriage! Hottest Heads Of State ranks the US Presidents (h/t Eric Rall). “Here he … Continue reading

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Effective Altruists: Not As Mentally Ill As You Think

During my recent meetings with effective altruist groups here, I kept hearing the theory that effective altruism selects for people with mental disorders. The theory is that people with a lot of depression, anxiety, and self-hatred turn to effective altruism … Continue reading

A Cascade Of Dunbar Numbers

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can become a large group of thoughtless, committed citizens. — Member Of Species (@MemberOfSpecies) January 27, 2015 Back when I used to play at micronations, we had grand dreams of … Continue reading

A Series Of Unprincipled Exceptions

The more consistently one attempts to adhere to an ideology, the more one's sanity becomes a series of unprincipled exceptions. — graaaaaagh (@graaaaaagh) February 5, 2015 Meeting with a large group of effective altruists can be a philosophically disconcerting experience, … Continue reading

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California Meetups (Rererevised)

The following Slate Star Codex meetups are planned for the next week or so: Berkeley, Sunday 3/1 at 2:00 PM at Indian Flavor Express, 2548 Bancroft Way, Berkeley San Jose, Monday 3/2 at 7:30 PM at David Friedman’s house, 3806 … Continue reading

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