SSC Meetup: Everywhere

The last SSC survey asked people if they wanted a meetup in their city. Seventy cities had 10+ people looking for a local SSC meetup.

Here’s the plan: I’m going to list cities. If you’re willing to organize a meetup for your city, then decide on a place, date, and time, and post them in the comments. You may also want to include an email people can reach you if if they have questions.

Please err in favor of volunteering to organize – the difficulty level is basically “pick a coffee shop you like, tell me the address, and give me a time”; it would be dumb if nobody got to go to meetups because everyone felt too awkward and low-status to volunteer.

In a week or so, I’ll make another post listing the details for each city so people know where to go – and we’ll try it out.

Some suggestions for would-be organizers:

1. I might not post the thread with places/dates/times until April 3, so that weekend and the weekend after might be good choices.

2. I predict that only a quarter of people who expressed interest will actually attend. If your city has fewer than 20 people, don’t offer to organize unless you’re okay with a good chance of only one or two other people showing up.

3. In the past, the best venues have been ones that are quiet(ish) and have lots of mobility for people to arrange themselves into circles or subgroups as desired. Private houses have been pretty good. Same with food courts. Restaurants are middling. Bars don’t seem to have worked very well at all.

4. On the survey, most people who wanted to go to SSC meetups were willing to settle for generic rationalist meetups, so if you already run one of those you can just tell me what you’re already doing and when your next meetup is. But try to have the one you list here be some kind of “welcome, SSC people” meetup or otherwise low-barrier-to-entry.

5. If you want to organize, but someone’s already put their name down for your city, just comment anyway. I’ll mostly go with first-come first-serve, but there might be exceptions if I know someone pretty well, if they have previous experience organizing meetups, or if they have access to a better venue.

Added: If you’re formally volunteering to organize a meetup, please respond with an unambiguous statement to this effect, the address, the time, and the date (+ contact details if you’re comfortable giving them). I’m not going to count someone as offering to organize a meetup unless they do this.

Added (2): I’m serious about this. I can’t just post “there’s a meeting in Chicago at Bob’s house” and expect people to show up. If you are willing to organize/lead, please give an exact address, date, and time (+ preferably contact). Don’t post something vague and then expect lots of other people from your city to show up and offer tips about what the best place and time will be. You don’t have to agonize about when it should be. Just choose something and stick to it.

Cities (and number of interested people) are:

Ann Arbor: 23
Atlanta: 29
Austin: 43
Baltimore: 23
Berkeley: 44
Berlin: 25
Birmingham (UK): 10
Boston: 144
Brisbane: 12
Calgary: 12
Cambridge (UK): 19
Canberra: 12
Charlotte: 10
Chicago: 100
Cincinnati: 13
Cleveland: 16
Cologne: 13
Columbus: 20
Copenhagen: 13
Dallas: 20
Denver: 34
Detroit: 23
Dublin: 19
Edinburgh: 10
Edmonton: 12
Helsinki: 33
Houston: 21
Kansas City: 14
London: 121
Los Angeles: 74
Madison: 25
Melbourne: 29
Milwaukee: 10
Minneapolis: 29
Montreal: 16
Mountain View: 11
Munich: 18
Nashville: 12
New Haven: 13
New York: 195
Oakland: 27
Oslo: 11
Ottawa: 16
Oxford: 18
Paris: 20
Philadelphia: 51
Phoenix: 17
Pittsburgh: 28
Portland (OR): 38
Raleigh: 17
Rochester: 12
Sacramento: 13
Salt Lake City: 23
San Diego: 27
San Francisco: 148
San Jose: 58
Sao Paulo: 11
Seattle: 111
St. Louis: 20
Stockholm: 14
Sydney: 37
Tel Aviv: 27
Toronto: 56
Vancouver: 23
Vienna: 15
Warsaw: 10
Washington DC: 110
Wellington: 11
Zurich: 16

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488 Responses to SSC Meetup: Everywhere

  1. thepenforests says:

    This is a great idea. I can’t commit to organizing the Toronto meetup, but I will almost certainly attend if it happens.

    • Daniel Frank says:

      I will happily organize the Toronto meet up (or assist in helping someone else).

      I’m currently looking for a suitable location for the afternoon of Saturday April 15th. If any torontonians have any suggestions or want to get involved, please post below or send me an email.

      • jessriedel says:

        Sent you an email. Let’s pick a date/time and post it to this nice real estate we’ve got here at the top of the thread…

        Also, FYI for any EAs in Toronto: there’s a small EA group on Meetup.com

      • Daniel Frank says:

        The Toronto meet up is now scheduled.

        Date: Saturday April 22
        Time: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
        Location:
        the Fox and the Fiddle
        Third floor
        27 Wellesley Street East

        Please contact me at Daniel.mm.frank@gmail.com if you have any questions.

  2. Benito says:

    Agreed, really happy about this. I’ll make the London one happen, I’ll reply when I’ve got more details.

    • Leonhart says:

      (registering to say)
      Feel free to use the London rationalsphere meetup as a Schelling point if you like; we’ve been meeting every other Sunday in the Shakespeare’s Head in Kingsway for aaages and would love to see more SSCers.
      Here’s the facebook whatsit for the last one. Someone who is not me usually posts it in the SSC Reddit.

    • philh says:

      As the organizer of the London rationalish meetups, I approve of Leonhart’s comment.

      But I’ll also say that if you want to organize a separate event, I won’t be offended and I’ll try to attend.

      • philh says:

        Scott, if nobody else posts something for London UK, please give these details:

        Sunday 30th April, 2pm
        Shakespeare’s Head, Holborn
        (On Kingsway, just south of the tube station – NOT the Shakespeare’s Head in Soho.)
        Contact – facebook group for preference, alternatively philip.hazelden@gmail.com.

        If someone else does post an event for London, please go with theirs.

        (We’re going with April 30th because the 16th is Easter Monday, and a few people have said they wouldn’t be able to make it.)

        (Benito, sorry if you’re still planning something – it’s just getting close to when Scott is planning to post the events, so I wanted to have a backup in case you didn’t post in time.)

  3. MugaSofer says:

    I don’t live in Dublin, but I’d probably be willing to travel there for a SSC meetup.

    I think I still have the contact details for the people who went to the HPMOR meetup, too (there was some talk of organizing a regular LW meetup), some of whom may well be interested but not have taken the survey.

    • notsobad_ says:

      I am very willing to meet with people in Dublin. It would be fun and interesting to talk to people interested in SSC!

      I won’t, however, commit myself to organizing the event. I feel I am very likely to do a bad job or no job at all.

      It seems you and I are the only two interested, though. So maybe this won’t happen.

      • donderper says:

        I’ll join too. Maybe post something on meetup.com and go from there in terms of organisation

    • egoburnswell says:

      I will volunteer to organise in Dublin.
      I will choose a location for a group of 32 year old, 95% men, each with a Master’s degree, and an average income of €60,000.

      • egoburnswell says:

        No one seems to have objected to that so:

        I’m gonna set a time and location of:

        Wednesday 12th April, 6-9pm, O’Neills, Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

        This is a Pub, but a quiet one, with an expectation of 4-6 people showing up one table should be fine I hope.

  4. I’ll be happy to host another one in San Jose. The most convenient day for us is Sunday, although Friday and Saturday are also possible. Can Bay Area people who would be interested in coming comment on what days and dates do or don’t work for them? I’m not sure how much of problem “I have to get up for work on Monday” is for a Sunday get together.

    • chariava says:

      I’m free this Sunday evening and can make Saturday if that day works best for people.

    • Bakkot says:

      Most Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays work for me, although I have specific conflicts on a handful of particular dates in April. I had a good time last time and would attend if possible.

      “I have to get up for work on Monday” would not prevent me from attending on a Sunday.

    • Waltus says:

      We ought to include the whole south bay in one meetup. I’m sure the San Jose and Mountain View folks would love to meet each other, as well as anyone in between.

      • We will host a San Jose meetup on Sunday, April 9th. People can show up any time after 2:00 P.M. 3806 Williams Rd, San Jose, CA.

        We will make sure nobody starves to death. If necessary we can send out for pizza or organize a dinner expedition.

        If people have questions, my phone number is 408 244-3330.
        EMail is ddfr@daviddfriedman.com

    • monkeypizza says:

      Can confirm this is a great location, and I’d be down for another meetup there. The last one was really interesting.

      • monkeypizza says:

        This is also a convenient location for SSC Fans from Palo Alto, Stanford, San Mateo, Milpitas, Union city, etc.

    • Rebecca Friedman says:

      Update: Mom will be making two kinds of soup, one vegetarian and one not, and there will be fresh homemade bread, made by one or both of my parents. At the moment it’s sounding like probably both. And I’m doing lemonade. So that’s a basic idea of the Making Sure Nobody Starves To Death plan!

  5. andhishorse says:

    I do not have the resources to organize such a thing, but I would like to publicly state that should someone organize a Boston meetup, I would look upon them favorably.

  6. robirahman says:

    I’ll volunteer to organize for Washington, DC, but I want more information on when other people would like to meet before I commit to a date. Can I PM or email you my phone number somehow?

    Edit: robirahman94(at)gmail(dot)com

    • Scott Alexander says:

      The point of asking that is so people can contact you if they have questions. Is this enough of a privacy issue that I should remove the requirement?

    • Siah Sargus says:

      DC Meetup Squad!

      I would prefer a meetup closer to Southern Virginia, but a few hours up 95 isn’t too bad. Plus, DC is a great meeting point for Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware as well.

      • robirahman says:

        I’m in Virginia also, and would be willing to attend a meetup in Charlottesville, Richmond, or Williamsburg if there were interest. If you’d like you can email me and I’ll put you in touch with anyone else south of the beltway who contacts me.

    • cassander says:

      I live in dc, just a couple blocks from gallery place. My building has a very nice rooftop, both indoors and out, that I’m happy to volunteer.

      • caryatis says:

        That sounds wonderful.

        • robirahman says:

          If you’re near the Gallery Place metro station, there’s actually a weekly rationalist meetup in the Portrait Gallery on Sundays and most of us are SSC readers.

    • Anaxagoras says:

      I would be interested in a Washington DC SSC meetup.

      • robirahman says:

        Send me an email if you haven’t already. I’ll save your message and contact you when we get enough people who want to meet at the same time.

    • Tamar says:

      Another interested party here; will email you.

    • mattiejh says:

      I’m in Silver Spring and my boyfriend and I are definitely interested in attending.

      I like the idea of meeting on Cassanders rooftop.

      We can’t attend the weekend of April 1st or 8th or 22nd (out of town), but can the weekend of April 15th.

      Might I suggest that weekend? Sunday the 16th could be great, assuming no one has Easter plans 😉

      Edit: boyfriend/Stephen emailed you.

  7. mupetblast says:

    If interest in a SSC meetup is a proxy for a city’s brainpower, New York is the ultimate egghead, followed by SF, Boston and London. Of course New York and London are sprawling metropolises. SF continues to punch way above its weight given its relatively small size and head count.

    • rlms says:

      Total numbers are irrelevant, per capita is what matters. In general, the important thing is that Cambridge beat Oxford.

      • John Nerst says:

        Yep, here is the “egghead qoutient” list (interested per 100.000 inhabitants):

        Berkeley 36.37
        Boston 21.58
        Ann Arbor 19.65
        San Francisco 17.11
        Washington DC 16.36
        Seattle 16.22
        Cambridge (UK) 14.51
        Mountain View 14.13
        Salt Lake City 11.94
        Oxford 10.70
        Madison 10.04
        New Haven 9.98
        Pittsburgh 9.20
        Minneapolis 7.06
        Oakland 6.44
        St. Louis 6.34
        Atlanta 6.25
        Portland (OR) 6.01
        Rochester 5.72
        San Jose 5.65
        Denver 4.98
        Austin 4.61
        Cincinnati 4.35
        Cleveland 4.12
        Zurich 4.04
        Raleigh 3.77
        Baltimore 3.70
        Chicago 3.68
        Detroit 3.40
        Philadelphia 3.25
        Canberra 2.83
        Wellington 2.72
        Helsinki 2.68
        Sacramento 2.65
        Columbus 2.35
        New York 2.28
        Kansas City 2.23
        Edinburgh 2.15
        Tel Aviv 1.97
        San Diego 1.94
        Los Angeles 1.86
        Nashville 1.83
        Dublin 1.71
        Milwaukee 1.67
        Ottawa 1.62
        Dallas 1.54
        London 1.40
        Cologne 1.25
        Charlotte 1.21
        Oslo 1.17
        Edmonton 1.13
        Phoenix 1.09
        Toronto 1.03
        Stockholm 1.02
        Vancouver 1.02
        Copenhagen 1.02
        Calgary 0.97
        Birmingham (UK) 0.92
        Houston 0.91
        Vienna 0.80
        Sydney 0.75
        Berlin 0.70
        Munich 0.69
        Melbourne 0.64
        Warsaw 0.57
        Brisbane 0.52
        Montreal 0.45
        Paris 0.19
        Sao Paulo 0.09

        This is with official city sizes, with metropolitan areas counted it’d be different.

        And Cambridge beat Oxford by a fair margin.

        • Winter Shaker says:

          I see that you specify that it’s the UK edition of Cambridge you’re talking about, but don’t specify Oxford. I’d ask if this this an inadvertent snub to our Alabama readership, but later you do specify that it’s the UK Birmingham 🙂

          Also, I am a little surprised that Edinburgh is comfortably halfway down the list, but Glasgow isn’t on it at all, despite being about twice the size and having as many universities. I notice I am confused…

          • John Nerst says:

            I’ve used the exact same list Scott used, so any specification-related comments goes to him.

          • Rosemary7391 says:

            Glasgow and Edinburgh are pretty close together. I’m in Glasgow, but I’d consider travelling to Edinburgh for something; plenty of folk commute between the two.

            I think* it would be fair to say that Edinburgh is more affluent than Glasgow; this might be correlated with the greater number in Edinburgh?

            *This might be biased due to my going to church in one of the more deprived areas of Glasgow and only really knowing the city centre of Edinburgh…

        • Brad says:

          New York 2.28

          Just because we are unfriendly misanthropes doesn’t mean we aren’t eggheads.

        • Tarpitz says:

          At least one Oxford resident put “London” on the basis that it’s easy to get to and likely to have enough SSCers to actually support an event.

        • Majuscule says:

          Amsterdam’s population of 780K yielded a meetup of eight people on Saturday! And it would have been nine if my better half could have made it.

      • New Iconoclast says:

        Consider the “like” button hit for this. I also note that Minneapolis beat NY and several other cities that generally regard us as Fargo-like hicks. Suck that, Phoenix, LA, San Diego, Denver. 😉

    • 57dimensions says:

      Yeah I was a bit surprised at how many people are in or near Boston. It is known for its colleges and universities, but it really isn’t that big of a place.

      • Protagoras says:

        Greater Boston is close to 5 million people. Wikipedia has it as the 10th largest metro area in the U.S., between Atlanta and San Francisco.

        • 57dimensions says:

          True. I guess it would be more accurate to say that I was surprised at how many SSC people there are in the Boston metro area compared to, say, the New York metro area, which has 4 times as many people, but not even twice as many SSC people (at least those who said they would be interested in a meet up).

          • nolemonnomelon says:

            just anecdotally, as someone who lives in New York now but most recently lived in Boston, Boston has both a really high number of students and a decent number of young people employed at tech/officey jobs, compared to New York which is kinda everything all at once and all over the place

  8. rachetfoot says:

    So I just had a look at the data, and it looks like everyone who put Denmark as their country was put on for Copenhagen. Considering that Copenhagen is over 3.5 hours away (for me), I think it’s pretty safe to assume that all 13 will not show up if there is a meet there. I suppose there is no way to get a better idea of where people are located at this point.

    • rachetfoot says:

      Also, I’m don’t believe the income numbers for the Danish group. Assuming $/year, several of the students earn less than the amount that they can get for free for being a university student in Denmark. The confusion might stem from income usually being denominated in DKK/month here.

      • phi-of-two says:

        Maybe those people are young students who still live with their parents (and so gets a lot less in SU) and hasn’t acquired good side jobs yet. I know there’s at least one person fitting that description, because that’s me.

        • rachetfoot says:

          Yeah, that makes sense. I hadn’t thought of people living with their parents. I guess <18s would throw off the income statistics too.

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Originally I was trying to “save” cities that had 8-9 people by adding in cities nearby to make 10. I decided not to do that for the reasons you mention, but I must have forgotten to un-save Copenhagen.

      • random832 says:

        Maybe the survey should have asked people for a list of cities they’d be willing to attend a meetup in. Maybe even separate questions for different timescales and size of meetup (someone might be willing to travel further for a large group that meets less often)

  9. embrodski says:

    We have a monthly LW meetup in Denver, and SSC is often discussed there as well. So, very SSC welcoming!

    We meet the first Tuesday of every month, at the Darcy’s at 4955 S Ulster St, Denver, CO 80237, at 7pm.

    Next meeting is Apr 4th. May meeting is going to be May 2nd assuming nothing happens to alter that in the meantime.

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Can I have a contact to put down if people want to get in touch with you?

    • Darcey Riley says:

      My name is Darcey and I live near Denver, and for a second I worried there was an LW meetup at my house that I didn’t know about.

      • Aapje says:

        Did I just wander into a Jane Austen novel? Too much Darcy for me.

        Elizabeth: “I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has no defect. He owns it himself without disguise.”

        “No” — said Darcy, “I have made no such pretension. I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. — It is I believe too little yielding — certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offences against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. — My good opinion once lost is lost for ever.”

        OMG, Darcy is a rationalist :O

      • embrodski says:

        We don’t talk about LW Meetup at Darcey’s Club. 🙂

  10. rocurley says:

    There’s an SF LW meetup every Monday. It’s largely a venue for socialization, and I strongly suspect readers of this blog would fit right in. You can reach me at rocurley@gmail.com . The location varies, but it’s announced every week on the LW meetups page. It’s also announced on the Bay Area LW mailing list.

    Here’s today’s meetup announcement:

    WHEN: 27 March 2017 06:15:00PM (-0700)

    WHERE: 1045 Mission St., SF

    It’s been a while since we’ve reflected on questions like: What is this meetup for? What are we getting out of it, and what do we want to get out of it? How could we do better? What are new formats or topics we could try?

    This meetup will be partly collection of feedback, partly brainstorming, and partly putting together concrete plans for the future. (And as usual, I expect there will be some casual conversations, too.)

    For help getting into the building, please call (or text, with a likely-somewhat-slower response rate): 301-458-0764.

    Format:

    We meet and start hanging out at 6:15, but don’t officially start doing the meetup topic until 6:45-7 to accommodate stragglers. Usually there is a food order that goes out before we start the meetup topic.

    About these meetups:

    The mission of the SF LessWrong meetup is to provide a fun, low-key social space with some structured interaction, where new and non-new community members can mingle and have interesting conversations. Everyone is welcome.

    We explicitly encourage people to split off from the main conversation or diverge from the topic if that would be more fun for them (moving side conversations into a separate part of the space if appropriate). Meetup topics are here as a tool to facilitate fun interaction, and we certainly don’t want them to inhibit it.

    • Scott Alexander says:

      I’m not going to be able to announce it until April 3 or so. When/where is your next meetup?

      • maia says:

        (co-organizer of the same meetup) Meetups are every Monday at 6:15pm, so the next one would be April 3, then April 10. They’re usually at 1769 15th St. in San Francisco. The location varies sometimes; we post the exact details the week of the meetup on LW and the mailing list.

    • Reasoner says:

      SF = San Francisco

      (I’m adding this for people using ctrl-f)

  11. rlms says:

    I’m willing to organise a Cambridge UK one, but I won’t be there until term starts (April 22nd), and I expect I have below average access to a good venue (1st year student with limited knowledge of good pubs etc. and an inconvenient college). In the unlikely event there are large numbers of potential meetup goers scattered across Yorkshire, I’m also willing to organise one in Leeds.

    • Dacyn says:

      Well there is at least one (I am in York)

    • JovialJellyfish says:

      I’ve always found CB2 to be a good meeting place in Cambridge – we did at one point have a semi-regular LessWrong meetup there. They do a great smoked-salmon-and-scrambled-eggs breakfast (didn’t pay attention to their vegetarian/vegan food, I was pescatarian at the time). Its upstairs is usually not too loud and you can get lots of tables together. It’s a little out-of-the-way, being near Primark/the Grafton/Forbidden Planet.

      • allspoilersallthetime says:

        I would second CB2 for the same reasons: quiet and good for pushing tables together.

        Also, the Picturehouse has a weird little mezzanine with sofas and a coffee table. It’s nice and quiet, you can bring your drinks up from the bar, but it only seats 10 max, I imagine.

      • Jack V says:

        I also endorse CB2.

    • fion says:

      I live elsewhere but visit Cambridge regularly. I’d be keen to go to a Cambridge meet-up if it was organised far enough in advance.

    • rlms says:

      Preliminary idea for a Cambridge meetup here.

  12. ashlael says:

    I can volunteer for Canberra. Nathan(dot)ashby(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)au.

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Place and time?

      • ashlael says:

        I thought it might be better to just put my contact down so I can organise with others, depending on what’s convenient for the other two or three. But let’s say 11 AM Saturday April 8th at Cafe Cherry Bean in Gungahlin. Subject to change if that doesn’t work for people.

  13. spinystellate says:

    I volunteer for Phoenix. Anywhere on the ASU campus is good, but I live in North Central Phoenix so anywhere around there would also be good. My house is not a good option but we’ll still have good park weather for another month or two if we want to picnic.

    • Scott Alexander says:

      I need a real place and time, or it doesn’t count.

      • spinystellate says:

        Sorry, I interpreted “so don’t schedule anything until after then” to mean “don’t do the scheduling until after then” rather than the intended “don’t schedule the event to take place until after then”. I also conveniently ignored all contextual evidence that would have made this obvious.

        Let’s say Saturday, April 8th, noon, at Granada Park (20th St and Bethany Home, right off the 51).

        Also, let me know where you are coming from if you want to come (on this thread) and if turns out to be a bunch of people from the east valley, I can move it to Tempe.

  14. Nuño says:

    How interesting that there is nobody from Madrid

    • RicardoCruz says:

      There are probably some, but less than 10.

      By the way, I am from Portugal. If you organize something in Madrid, I will do my best to try to come…!

      • Spoonfromhell says:

        What a coincidence. I am also from Portugal. Ive been lurking this blog for years, and before that I mostly lurked on less wrong. Never really participated until now. Also, I’ve never really expected to find more people from my country in here. I will participate in the next survey. Maybe we’ll be more than 10 Portuguese people next time 🙂

        • RicardoCruz says:

          I rarely comment myself, but I am a big fan of the content. 🙂 I never read much from Less Wrong or Eliezer. I did went to the LW European Meetup of last year to meet some people. By the way, I am from Porto, and I am currently doing a Ph.D. using data mining. What about yourself?

        • Ninmesara says:

          I’ve looked at the raw data for the surveys and 5 Portuguese people answered the survey. With you that makes 6.

        • llcampos says:

          Another Portuguese lurker here. Some potentially useful info: I’m into EA (Effective Altruism) and I have contact with the super-small EA community in Portugal. 😉

      • Ninmesara says:

        Tuga power + 1

    • pedrodegiovanni says:

      I live in Madrid but it seems that two are too few.

      • Timandrias says:

        Count us Three! But yeah, seems like we are a sorry few. I feel equally fascinated and envious of the Helsinky bunch, such a small city and yet so many people…

        • pedrodegiovanni says:

          Tres son suficientes para tomar unas cervezas/café. Podemos organizar aunque no lleguemos al mínimo impuesto por Scott.

  15. shakeddown says:

    New Haven people: How many people are Grad students/Undergrads/Other? (Also, how many of you do I already know?)
    I’ll unambiguously volunteer to do something if we have a nontrivial level of non-undergrad interest.

    • Copasetic says:

      Not on the survey, first time poster, long time lurker, would be interested in coming (assuming that these things are open to people dropping in?)

      Status: other – sorta? Would be an undergrad, but left to research directly under a professor for a year (or two.)

    • elizhy says:

      I’m an undergrad & know several other undergrads who didn’t take the survey but would be interested. We’re not pretentious Yale kids — okay, we are, but SSC pretentious rather than any other kind.

      I’m willing to host, and with these numbers I think the Owl Shop could be a good place?

      Email me at Elizah.stein@gmail.com.

      • shakeddown says:

        Sounds good. If you already know people I’ll defer to you here (tell me if you want any help organizing, though).

      • geist says:

        Nothing says not pretentious like being chairman of the party of the right

        • elizhy says:

          Wow, does my reputation precede me even on SSC?

          You can throw stones at me, whoever you are, but I’m volunteering to host and I wanna have interesting conversations with folks on here. Show up or not, but don’t hide behind internet anonymity when my name is out there bc I wanted to facilitate a good time.

  16. eqdw says:

    I’m capable of organizing an Oakland meetup, I can think of a few good venues in North Oakland, and I can also accommodate up to 15 or so people at my house. I can’t formally commit to organizing this right now, because I’m in the middle of switching jobs and I have to deal with that first. If someone else wants to organize and can do more work upfront, I’m happy to let them do it. Otherwise, I should have more bandwidth free next week to plan something for mid to late April. If nobody else has stepped up by then, I will come back here and nail down a concrete date and time.

    Alternatively, for a different idea: I’m organizing a hiking day on April 23rd. Location TBD. Are people interested in coming to that and turning it into a de-facto SSC meetup? I’m not going to call it that officially, as I’m bringing normie friends, but four hours of hiking is plenty of time to shoot the shit and talk SSCstuff

    rz at eqdw dot net for anyone who wants to get in touch and get this rolling

  17. wfenza says:

    I can host in Philadelphia.

    La Colombe Coffee, 100 S. Independence Mall (6th & Market)
    Saturday, April 15th, 2pm

    My name is Wes. wfenza@gmail.com, 856-441-0937. There’s a Facebook Event here.

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Thanks!

    • rationaldebt says:

      On Facebook, Wes outlined plans to ask people at the meetup *as an icebreaker* why the meetup/community is so white and male, and how to increase diversity. Some commenters observed this might be a bad idea. Wes asserted this is important (“It’s important to set the tone early that the group is meant to be inclusive and if it ends up just being white men, we failed”) and further explained “I’m running the meetup, and I think I have a responsibility to set the tone. It’s an SSC meetup, but that basically just means that it’s getting advertised on SSC. Scott isn’t providing any guidelines or anything.”

      Scott – is this a question you’re comfortable having asked as an icebreaker? My (perhaps naive) understanding was the SSC meetup would loosely follow the blog’ s ethos. If I’m wrong, let me know and I’ll avoid meetups.

      Wes – let me know if I’m unfairly representing your views. I think I’ve quoted you accurately and in context and I believe you are acting in good faith.

      • Fifteen says:

        That’s strange. According to the survey results, 88.5% of SSC readers identified as white (non-Hispanic) and 89.6% as male. Going by race and gender alone, I would be skeptical that I was attending an SSC meetup if it wasn’t composed of mostly or all white men.

        • Anonymous says:

          This.

          Personally, I wouldn’t mind that icebreaker, because it’s a kind of question that you’d get immediate arguments about. And arguments are half the fun, aren’t they?

      • phillycrimethinker says:

        I think it is good that Wes set the tone that way. For one, it lets me know that this meetup is being run by the HBD hostile wing of the Slate Star Codex readership, so if I go, I’ll be very, very cautious in what I say. “Why is this meeting so white and male? Clearly, comrades, we must inspect our Facebook profiles to see if our portraits included unintentional microaggressions against historically underrepresented groups.”

      • wfenza says:

        A few notes:

        (a) while the quotes are accurate, the sentiment is not exactly what I’m going for. Those comments were made in a private “rationalist feminist” group, and not intended to be shown to meetup participants (so thanks for that). If I were posting something on the meetup page or bringing it up at the meetup, my words would have been chosen much more carefully, and definitely would have conveyed they notion that all viewpoints are welcome.

        (b) the tone I’m trying to set is one of *inclusivity.* I’ve heard from many women and people of color that they haven’t enjoyed rationalist events because they feel “other”ed and talked down to. I’m trying to avoid that at this meetup, which is what I meant by the meetup being a failure if it ends up just being a bunch of white dudes. For the record, I was quickly talked out of the notion that the aforementioned icebreaker question was a good way to do that, and instead am just planning on making sure I’m acting as a good host, i.e. listening to people, greeting anyone who looks lonely/shy, suggesting conversation topics, and being available/sympathetic if anyone feels negatively about an interaction they had.

        (c) the point of the suggested icebreaker questions is to try to make the meetup non-boring. I find most initial “getting to know you” events pretty dull, so I want to suggest to people that this is a community where we can talk about things that might be a bit more contentious than your typical first-date questions. “Why are we so disproportionately white and male?” I think, is a really good question, and one I’d like to discuss with people approaching the issue with a rational mindset (example). Though, as I said above AND in the Facebook thread, I’ve become entirely convinced that it’s a bad icebreaker question and won’t be suggesting it.

        (d) Nobody is “HBD hostile,” though I am pretty skeptical that the answer to the question “why is the SSC community so disproportionately white and male?” is “white men are genetically predisposed to be SSC readers.” My own theory is that (1) it grew out of the Less Wrong community, which is disproportionately white and male for reasons I don’t know because I was never very involved in LW, and (2) SSC is one of the only places on the internet where you can read writing that is simultaneously compassionate to white men and also not explicitly racist or sexist. Seriously, Scott is one of the only writers I’ve ever read that is willing to call SJW’s on their bullshit without also being like “men are just naturally better, y’know?” Scott also writes really moving essays about how white men can get mistreated and marginalized by society (example) that you just don’t see anywhere else. It’s no surprise to me, then, that white men are drawn in disproportionate numbers to the blog. But at the same time, there’s no good reason why it shouldn’t be appealing to non-white non-men (as group, obviously individuals differ), and I’d like to help increase that appeal in my local community if possible.

        (e) I’m going to be exercising very little control over the meetup. Basically, I’m just going to print out a few lists of (apolitical) suggested icebreaker questions and let people talk amongst themselves. I’ll do my best to make sure everyone feels welcome and included, but there’s really not much I’m going to be able to do. If it ends up being a “blue tribe” event, it will be because only the blue tribe showed up. I haven’t marketed it that way, and other than the small, private, non-local FB group, this comment thread is the only place one would even be able to find a passing reference to anything suggesting that it might favor one tribe over another (so, again, thanks for that).

        (f) the “blog’s ethos,” as I understand it, is reflected well by the way I’m approaching this (example), but I’m very open to further criticism/discussion if people have ideas on how to improve the meetup.

        • Error says:

          I find most initial “getting to know you” events pretty dull, so I want to suggest to people that this is a community where we can talk about things that might be a bit more contentious than your typical first-date questions

          One way I’ve heard of getting around this: rather than dictating a specific topic, just forbid Standard Social Topics; e.g. nobody’s allowed to talk about their jobs, families, kids, the weather, etc.

          I could swear it was Wait But Why that came up with that but can’t find the reference.

          • wfenza says:

            Thanks! This is a great suggestion. I’ll probably incorporate this, though as more of “you are encouraged to avoid these topics” rather than “you are forbidden to talk about these topics.”

        • Aapje says:

          @wfenza

          Scott also writes really moving essays about how white men can get mistreated and marginalized by society (example) that you just don’t see anywhere else. It’s no surprise to me, then, that white men are drawn in disproportionate numbers to the blog. But at the same time, there’s no good reason why it shouldn’t be appealing to non-white non-men (as group, obviously individuals differ), and I’d like to help increase that appeal in my local community if possible.

          One possible answer here is that non-whites who feel marginalized or such have a pretty substantial movement that doesn’t cause SJ dysphoria that much. The same for women. If group A has way more places to go, while group B has few places, you’d expect B to dominate in the spaces that do appeal to them. It seems hard to change this without a change to greater society to make certain ideas more acceptable (and not so much HBD, but that white poor people exist in large numbers, that men can suffer from gender roles a lot and that punching ‘up’ hurts if you have testicles.)

          Another obvious answer is that men tend to read way more non-fiction and women way more fiction. The topics that are being discussed on SSC heavily lean towards non-fiction (see the discussions about battleships for example, which is the manliest of manly non-fiction subjects that many men enjoy in their manly ways…or something). So SSC is not so different from the rest of society. It seems quite hard to counter a societal phenomenon like that for just one fairly small community.

  18. euclidiantorus says:

    (Registered for this thread)
    I am very willing to coordinate a Baltimore-area meetup. There is a LessWrong meetup group at UMBC Sundays at 8PM, and you can email lw@noblejury.com for more information (including requests to be added to our listserv). When the thread is posted I will also post a WhenIsGood poll to help find a time. You can also contact me (Lin) at 38477^2 + 68652^2.

  19. Elo says:

    I run lesswrong Sydney. Ssc themed pub meetup cam be our next meetup.

    Date and time: 20/4/17 at 6pm
    Location: city of Sydney rsl, lvl 2, 565 George St, Sydney
    We sit at the big table by the pizza oven.
    Usually get 5-15 attending. Would be happy with any more to join us.

    (can make a special event if this doesn’t suit). Find us on Facebook or meetup or lesswrong and make yourself known and we will keep in touch.

    Organiser contact 0438481143

  20. Mitch Lindgren says:

    Not related to this thread, but the Discord link in the title bar is case sensitive, so the CSS all-caps means it can’t be copy-pasted without examining the source code.

  21. Alleged Wisdom says:

    The (Washington) DC LessWrong group meets every Sunday at 3:30 in the Portrait Gallery Courtyard:
    https://www.google.com/maps/place/National+Portrait+Gallery/@38.8986366,-77.025925,17z

    The meeting topic for April 23 is the SSC post The Toxoplasma of Rage. (April 9 is a Fun&Games meetup and April 16 is AI Risk/Safety.)

    To contact the group, email lesswrong-dc@googlegroups.com or join our Facebook page:
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/LessWrongDC

  22. metacelsus says:

    I could organize a (very informal) Minneapolis meetup. It would be during the week of May 15-21, near the University of Minnesota campus. However, if anyone else wants to lead it, I will defer to them.

    My preferred place and time would be 10 am on May 20 at the Dinkytown Starbucks.

    However, I will only do this if at least one other person makes a comment expressing interest.

  23. EGI says:

    I think our LW/general rationalist meetup would be a good fit for the people from Cologne. We arrange a monthly meetup on Saturday 5pm via Doodle and meet at a private location. If you are interested please contact me at:

    marcel_mueller@mail.de.

    Our next meetup will be April the 1st. The meetup is mostly about socializing/discussion and the occasional game. Depending on additional attendance from SSC we may have to change the location, so quick feedback is appreciated. After that the following meetup will probably be on the 22nd or 29th of April.

  24. Alex Zavoluk says:

    I’ve posted on open threads before, but I’m the organizer of the Austin LW meetup, and we would welcome any SSC readers! (Most of the active members probably read more SSC than they do LW anyway). We currently meet every Saturday at 1:30 PM; currently our location is the North Lamar Central Market: http://austin-lamar.centralmarket.com/in-store/

    It has a cafe with reasonably-ish priced lunch food (our resident Broke Grad Students were ok with the prices) as well as coffee-shop drinks and is fairly centrally located.

    I’m usually there pretty close to 1:30 with a small less wrong sign. We’ve been sitting outside recently.

    If anyone wants to organize a separate SSC-specific meetup at another time/location, go ahead and I’d be happy to advertise it on our FB page and mailing list (which you can join to get updates on our meetup as well!).

    • MoebiusStreet says:

      I have interest in attending this, but I live a little bit outside the city and I’m not sure what weekend I’d be able to get in.

      • grothor says:

        I hope we’ll see you there!

        Also, if you get on the mailing list, you can hear about other events that we occasionally organize, like potlucks, game nights, and tubing.

    • Ryan Beren says:

      I’d be interested if y’all ever have a non-Saturday meetup.

  25. jensfiederer says:

    Are the 12 people for Rochester from Rochester, NY or Rochester, MN?

    Or a mixture of both?

    • Scott Alexander says:

      NY

    • Skivverus says:

      Kinda figured it’d be the former, but that could just be my coastal prejudices (and the fact that I’m one of those NY residents) showing.
      Also tempted to volunteer for the organizing here, but I’m pretty sure I’m procrastinating on too many things at the moment as it is. Will at the very least keep an eye out though.

    • Celestia says:

      I was happy to see it made the list!

    • Thecommexokid says:

      Given the low bar Scott has set for what the word ‘organize’ means, I will be happy to organize something for Rochester. I want to check out one or two places I had in mind tomorrow, to make sure they’re not unexpectedly darker or noisier than I remember them being, and then I’ll post an official thing as a top-level comment. (Venue suggestions also welcome between now and tomorrow evening.)

      • chernavsky says:

        I live in Rochester. I’m mostly a lurker, but I’d be interested in attending the meetup.

      • ScarecrowBoat716 says:

        I am in Buffalo, NY and would be interested.

      • Pablo says:

        I am possibly interested in a meetup in Rochester, depending on the details. My work schedule is such that my days off migrate around the week, and I live near the border with Pennsylvania, so couldn’t come in on a workday. There’s a spot elsewhere where people are also sousing out interest in a small Ithaca meetup, in case anyone would be interested in attending one there, or both one there and one in Rochester.

        I’m also predominantly a lurker but interested in meeting up if it works out with my schedule.

    • jensfiederer says:

      OK, I’ll be at Spot Coffee House at 1pm April 2nd, if at least one other person agrees to show up!

      • Thecommexokid says:

        Scott’s instructions were to pick a date after 3 April, so that he’ll have time to post a followup announcing the details of everyone’s meetups before they occur. So how about a week later, i.e., 1 pm on 9 April, instead?

        • jensfiederer says:

          Sounds good. YOU “organize”, I did not see that you had a prior claim 🙂

          So if you prefer something other than Spot, just list it!

    • Thecommexokid says:

      Okay, I will steal most of jensfiederer’s plan and announce that a Rochester, NY SSC meetup will occur on Sunday, 9 April at 1 pm at SPoT Coffee (located at 200 East Avenue). We welcome any friends from Buffalo or Ithaca who want to trek all the way to Rochester for the occasion, but understand if they are hesitant to make that kind of commitment.

      My gmail address is the same as my username here.

      I am also posting this as a top-level comment to make sure Scott sees it; please continue Rochester-related discussion here in this comment-thread rather than there.

  26. Marian Andrecki says:

    I will take care of Edinburgh, UK. Here go the details.

    Date: Saturday, 22 April
    Time: 18:00
    Place: The Brass Monkey, 14 Drummond Street, Edinburgh, UK
    Contact: marian(dot)andrecki(at)gmail(dot)com
    Facebook event: First SSC Meetup Edinburgh!

    Scott, it would be helpful if you could share the link to FB event when you post meetups’ details.

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Thanks!

      • Marian Andrecki says:

        Update!

        The event was moved one day forward.

        Date: Sunday, 23 April
        Time: 18:00
        Place: The Brass Monkey, 14 Drummond Street, Edinburgh, UK
        Contact: marian(dot)andrecki(at)gmail(dot)com
        Facebook event: First SSC Meetup Edinburgh!

    • Winter Shaker says:

      Ooh, I think I can maybe make that, depending on time of day. I was already considering coming through for this, so if you’re thinking some sort of afternoonish time I can maybe come and say hello.

    • I may go to this if I can muster up the courage.

      • Marian Andrecki says:

        Hey, I’ll try to make this as welcoming as possible. 🙂

        Also, it’s probably easier to come to the first event when people don’t know each other, than to next ones when cliques might have already been established.

  27. As usual, the whole state of Florida is a dead zone for anything rationalist.

  28. atn says:

    Ohey vancouverites, I am greatly interested in meeting you.

    I do not think I would take the lead organising an actual meetup, but let’s get craft beers in east van or whatever you feel like doing.

    I would also make a solid attempt at attending a Seattle meetup if one occurs.

    • sov says:

      Ditto that for me, minus the Seattle bit.

    • amcdonk says:

      I’m in! and can help rally folks to whatever you set up.

    • benjaminbuckley says:

      I once asked on Reddit, and apparently the Schelling Point for Vancouver is Waterfront Station. In the past, I have met people at that station, and we’ve figure out a place nearby to go for coffee/food/whatever.

    • cyb says:

      Me too! I even made an account after years of lurking just to say so.

    • atn says:

      Wow, cool!

      I do like the transit hub meeting idea, but Waterfront is kind of in the middle of nowhere and thus implies taking transit away from it to get someplace interesting.

      I hereby propose

      Saturday April 1st at 2pm, Commercial/Broadway station, north side, on the Commercial Drive overpass that straddles the Millennium line and offers a sweet view into the Expo 86 bucky ball.

      From there we can decide whether to go to the Storm Crow tavern drink some Chthulu beer, to Strange Fellows for their belgian wit, or go to any one of the dozens of sweet pubs and cafés on the Drive.

      Email me at chartrand (dot) etienne (at) gmail dotcom if you feel like it.

      Edit: formatting

      • atn says:

        Meant the street level overpass actually lol

        Let’s redefine that as intersection of Grandview hwy and Commercial Drive, southeast corner, under the train tracks, still April 1st at 2pm

    • atn says:

      Hey, see you people in a few hours!

  29. Alocian Edecar says:

    For Paris, I’m proposing the following date and address: Sunday 9 april at 13:00/19:00 at restaurant Tokyo Sushi Les Baconnets RER B. It’s a brilliant a volonte for 15 euros. I am also willing to participate at any meeting proposed during the weekend before 13 april.

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Thanks!

    • Creutzer says:

      13:00/19:00

      Now which one? I’m confused.

    • La Russe says:

      Okay, I’m a total lurker but how about this for my first post? I get the feeling that Les Baconnets isn’t quite ‘Paris’, as in, I for one would have to surmount a psychological barrier just to get out that far. So I’m proposing Saturday April 8 at 14:00 at my apartment, métro 12 Mairie d’Issy . It’s still not quite Paris but there’s a metro station! There will be snacks and I will come to the metro station to meet the first comers and you can contact me at 0659427285 to get the full address.

      • themadmammaker says:

        I’m interested, and Mairie d’Issy works better for me than Les Braconnets (and I prefer Saturday).

      • Alocian Edecar says:

        Ok, sounds perfect.

      • password32 says:

        I actually prefer Les Baconnets. I’m not going if it’s in an apartment. I prefer 13:00 Sunday 9 April, but it can also be Saturday 8, preferably at lunch time.

      • annav8 says:

        Also a very long time (1 year+) lurker; I bet this page has brought many of us out from the woodwork. Saturday, Mairie d’Issy works for me.

        I’ll come early to the metro station, because I’m not sure I’ll remember to get my phone SIM card working again. I’ll be standing at the top of the staircase into the metro, probably wearing green and looking confused.

        • La Russe says:

          Great, glad to have you! Don’t worry, I’ll look for you as long as it takes. I’ll precommit to wearing a bright red cardigan just in case! Just to make our lives easier, I’m (also?) one of the (apparently minority) women SSCers and am blonde.

      • password32 says:

        La Russe, themadmammaker, Alocian, annav8, I could not participate in it. If you people created a mailing list, can you add me on it? lucasolwff[at]gmail.com

    • arthurrainbow says:

      I lag by three weeks in reading my rss feed. I only saw this post today, sadly.
      If you ever do anything again in Paris, I would like to be one of yours.

      • password32 says:

        I could not participate in it. If you people created a mailing list, can you add me on it? lucasolwff[at]gmail.com

    • password32 says:

      Alocian, I could not participate in it. If you people created a mailing list, can you add me on it? lucasolwff[at]gmail.com

  30. rtanen says:

    I volunteer to organize a Cleveland meetup, and suggest we meet on Sunday, April 9 at 2pm at the Museum of Art (11150 East Boulevard Cleveland, Ohio 44106) in the atrium. Admission is free.

    I have a gmail account with the username robintanenbaum and can be contacted there. I do not currently have a specific topic planned.

  31. Ilya Shpitser says:

    Hey Scott, are you willing to come to some of them?

  32. arunkhanna00 says:

    I’d love to organize a meeting in Los Angeles at Coffee Connection around 6pm on Saturday. Contact me at 1344916 (@) gmail (dot) com if you’re interested.

    • alexmennen says:

      Which Saturday? I hope not the closest Saturday, because that is both before Scott said he would announce the meetups, and a day that I won’t be in Los Angeles.

    • bean says:

      I’m interested in coming, too, although I obviously can’t make promises.

    • T3t says:

      Is there a reason we can’t just merge this with the weekly LW meetup?

      We meet on Wednesdays at 7 pm in the Wine Bar next to the Landmark Theater in the Westside Pavilion.

      Here is a link to the LW-SoCal google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/lw-socal-announce

      Feel free to join and send us a message – we also have a Google hangouts, ask for an invite and I’ll bring you in. Our next meeting after the announcement would be on April 5th.

      • arunkhanna00 says:

        That seems like a good idea. So I guess the meetup will be on Wednesdays at 7 Wine Bar next to the Landmark Theater in the Westside Pavilion instead of Coffee Connection.
        (Scott, is there any way you can update my post?)

        • alexmennen says:

          We still need some particular Wednesday to be the Schelling Wednesday for SSC readers who want to show up to one meetup with other SSC readers. Should that be April 5?

          Also, new people sometimes have trouble finding us in the upstairs wine bar. We usually meet in the big circle of couches under the TV.

  33. Trofim_Lysenko says:

    So, I live 2-3 hours from St. Louis, and have only made it there once in the 4 years I’ve lived in this region.

    I lack the time and area knowledge to be able to effectively organize a meetup, but I’d love to try and go if someone knows a good place.

    EDIT: Hell, screw it, if I can get interest from anyone else I’ll pick a random coffee shop off Yelp and set a date for late april myself. I’ll use my PTO from work, so the first person to e-mail me gets to to help pick day and time.

    brer wolf (remove the space there) at gmail dot com.

    I will update this with specifics if I can get at least one reply. I need that because otherwise it’s a 5-6 hour round-trip on spec for me.

    • TheLogologist says:

      2-3 hours from STL in which direction?

      • Trofim_Lysenko says:

        Cape Girardeau. For clarity, that’s more or less due south, give or take the meanderings of the river and I-55.

    • legality says:

      I live in Springfield, IL, about 1.5 hours from Saint Louis, but I also grew up there and make frequent trips back. I’ll be attending if there’s a meetup, my s/o will probably be coming as well.

      Places to meet:
      — public libraries. most have meeting rooms you can reserve.
      — the LGBT community center (if everyone is comfortable with this)
      — I have ~$80 in gift cards I’ll never use for Olive Garden/Red Lobster I can put towards a group check, but if we have ten people show up that’s not going to make a very big dent unless everyone eats cheaply.
      — I don’t know of any quiet cafes in Saint Louis, but they must exist somewhere. Every one I’ve been in is usually loud.

      I’d slightly prefer a quiet cafe/coffeeshop, but I am fine with anything else too.

      • Trofim_Lysenko says:

        Alright. I’d likewise prefer a quiet cafe/coffeeshop, and will see what I can dig up.

      • TheLogologist says:

        Would it make more sense to actually aim for Springfield (IL) area? STL is too far for me, but I might be able to make Springfield, after term ends (early May).

        • legality says:

          That would be 4.5 hours for Trofim, he’s south of St. Louis. I don’t think that would work.

          If there’s enough people, there could be a separate central-IL meetup group.

        • Trofim_Lysenko says:

          I’m afraid I cannot organize a meetup that far away.

          That said, I’m about to post the St. Louis one for late April, so if you or any other Springfield-Centric SSCers want to make a Mid-May Meetup in Springfield, go for it! They shouldn’t cannibalize each other.

      • Trofim_Lysenko says:

        Legality, Date and Time are in a new top level comment downthread.

    • kinetichughreeve says:

      Hartford Coffee near Tower Grove Park. Quiet, neighborhoodish, but not stogy. Lots of seating. Street parking, but above-average ability to find a space.
      http://www.hartfordcoffee.com/

      (Cafe Ventana in Midtown is great, but the parking is the worst.)

      • The Pachyderminator says:

        I live in St. Louis and will attend any meetup in the metro area if I can. I’d suggest just going with this and picking a date.

      • Trofim_Lysenko says:

        Hah! Thanks for the warning, Kinetic, because Ventana was exactly the venue I’d planned on based on google-fu. That’s what I meant about local knowledge. Pity, they seem perfect (alcohol, caffeine, sugar, protein, all the basic food groups w/ vegetarian options for those so inclined, and book-able conference/event rooms if this turns into a bigger deal somewhere down the road).

        EDIT: Please look downthread to see the official Meetup Posting.

  34. Celestia says:

    I’m willing to organize a meet-up in San Diego.

    Place: Lestat’s Coffee in Hillcrest, 1041 University Ave San Diego, CA 9210
    Date: Saturday April 15th
    Time: 4pm-???

    Contact Info: the.god.empress.celestia (at) gmail.com

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Thanks!

    • hlynkacg says:

      If I’m gonna shlep my way down to SD on a Saturday afternoon I’d prefer to go to the beach. I know there are a couple of decent brew pubs in OB and PB area. Not saying Hillcrest is a deal breaker, just expressing a preference.

      • Celestia says:

        I’m not opposed to meeting up in OB. I picked a coffee shop over a pub in case someone younger wanted to join and that they tend to be quieter.

        How about this?

        Place: Lazy Hummingbird, 4876 Santa Monica Ave, San Diego, CA 92107
        Date: Saturday April 15th
        Time: 4pm-???

        Contact Info: the.god.empress.celestia (at) gmail.com

        • hlynkacg says:

          I just realized I’m going to be in town that weekend for the air-races anyway and now I regret opening my mouth.

          I know the Hummingbird and will be heading that way once the qualifiers close (1600 per the schedule, but lets face it how often do things go according to schedule?) come on people, there were at least 25 Daigos on the survey, sound off!

    • Celestia says:

      Unfortunately I’m going to have to back out from organizing the meetup that weekend as I’ll be in in the Bay.

      I could do it the following weekend (Sat. Apr 22)

  35. mingyuan says:

    I run a rationality reading group in Chicago that meets every Sunday from 1-3 PM on the University of Chicago campus, Harper Memorial Library Room 148, 1116 E 59th St. Lists of readings are posted on LessWrong and the LW Chicago Google Group every week, and we also have a mailing list. We can easily make the next couple of meetups more SSC-heavy, but as a schelling point let’s set the official SSC meetup for April 9th.

    Also if anyone can help organize that would be fantastic; if even 10% of the interested people in Chicago show up that will be more people than our meetings usually have. Email me if you’d be willing to help out!

    Contact: mingyuan (at) uchicago (dot) edu

  36. antimule says:

    How often are meetups organized?

  37. Optimization Process says:

    I am formally volunteering to organize the Seattle meetup! We have a house that can easily fit 1/4 of Seattle’s 111 interested people, a nearby parkish area we can spill over onto if necessary, and a big enough existing rationalist/EA community to ensure the meetup won’t be a big flop.

    Address: 2325 42nd Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
    Date/time: April 30 (Sunday), noon (likely to run for the rest of the day)
    Contact: Facebook. Alternatively, approach the admins of the Seattle Rationality and Seattle EA Facebook groups.

    Seattle also has a “Rationality Reading Group” on Monday evenings, easily found here.

    • gavinkovite says:

      I’d totally go to that, but won’t be in town that weekend. Am willing to bump mine a few months into the future to avoid competing meetups. – Gavin

      • Optimization Process says:

        Aw, that’d be really nice of you! I expect artificial scarcity would boost demand, and April 29/30 is by far the best weekend for our plan. Thanks!
        (I’ll probably even be in town for yours, and get to meet you! Yay!)

      • Optimization Process says:

        (So, um, yes, I would love it if you would bump your thing in the next half-hour while you can still edit your post!)

    • Evan Þ says:

      I’d love to come, but that’s the same weekend my cousin’s in town. And what’s more, my family’s thinking of planning a vacation vaguely around Gavin’s other meetup time. Good luck!

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Thanks!

      (though clarify what’s going on with gavinkovite and whether the info you’ve listed above is still true?)

      • Optimization Process says:

        I’ll clarify in the next 48 hours for sure! We’re hashing it out over email.

        (If we can’t work out a compromise, is having two meetups a month apart an option, or would you recommend settling on a single date?)

      • Optimization Process says:

        Clarification: I am definitely hosting a meetup, exactly as described above.

        (Gavin will probably also host a meetup on June 19 (instead of May 31) at 6pm; I believe he will post clarifying his plans.)

        (Possibly unnecessary but possibly useful information: If Gavin does host one, it will be more centrally located than mine, and we will combine it with the usual Rationality Reading Group; and I’m sure the April 30 meetup works for a large fraction of the local rationalists/EAs.)

        I’m sorry to inflict incomplete information on you when you’re trying to organize a thing.

    • thetarquin says:

      Awesome. I’m in!

      Definitely looking to meet folks in the Seattle-area Rationality and adjacent communities.

      Is there a Facebook/Meetup/etc. invite I can RSVP to to get updates? I don’t check Facebook terribly often.

      Thanks so much for organizing!

  38. gavinkovite says:

    SEATTLE
    Wednesday 5/31 6:30-8:00pm
    325 23rd Ave E
    Seattle, WA 98112
    gavin.kovite@gmail.com
    206-755-7041
    It’s house w several roomies, will have wine / snacks

  39. mathieuroy37 says:

    Carl Patenaude Poulin, and I (Mathieu Roy) formally volunteer to organize a SSC meetup in Montreal.

    [French follow]
    What: Slate Star Codex meetup with a potluck if you want to share food
    Where: The Macroscope, a Montreal Rationalist Sharehouse, at app 1, 1191 Avenue Hope, Montreal, H3H2A3.
    When: April 14th, from about 18h until whenever 🙂
    Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1857237597882220/
    Contact: Mathieu Roy at mathieu.roy.37@gmail.com

    The Macroscope has previously hosted Less Wrong, Wait But Hi, and Effective Altruism events. Here’s our page: https://www.facebook.com/macroscopers/

    [Français]
    Quoi: rencontre Manuscrit d’Ardoise Étoilée (?) avec potluck si vous désirez partager de la nourriture
    : Le Macroscope, un espace partagé pour rationalistes, à l’appartement 1, 1191 Avenue Hope, Montréal, H3H2A3.
    Quand: Le 14 avirl; arrivez autour de 18h, repartez quand bon vous semble 🙂
    Lien: https://www.facebook.com/events/1857237597882220/
    Contact: Mathieu Roy à mathieu.roy.37@gmail.com

    Le Macroscope a précédement été l’hôte d’événements de Less Wrong, Wait But Hi, et d’Altruisme Efficace. Voici notre page: https://www.facebook.com/macroscopers/

  40. Getsuyoubi says:

    Anybody in the SoCal region that isn’t willing to head out to the LA/San Diego meetups? I admit traffic is kinda painful to slog through and I’ve always wanted to be part of a rationalist/SSC group! I’m willing to host a meetup for those in the general OC region / CSUF students / Irvine+UCI folks:

    Date: Wednesday, April 12th

    Time: 6-10pm (the ending time can be pretty elastic)

    Place: 800 N State College Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92831…Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Student Union, downstairs near the bowling alley / pool & billiards tables. I can have a table with a sign set up, but you’ll know that you are in the right place once you start seeing people playing pool, various board & card games, etc. There’s also a food court upstairs & lots of other food places available nearby.

    Contact: mondayrhymer(at)gmail(dot)com Definitely feel free to email me for further contact info and details 🙂

    Btw, if the above date & time doesn’t work for you but you’re still in the general area, I’d appreciate you letting me know!

  41. alwhite says:

    I can organize a Kansas City meetup but it will be a little bit later. May 6th is what works for me. For now, I’m thinking the pavilion/rose garden at Loose Park around 1pm.

    a(dot)l(dot)whitespace(at)gmail(dot)com

  42. Vermillion says:

    Atlanta! We’re number 2 by letter of the alphabet on that list so I feel like that’s good enough reason to make a meetup happen and I will take on organizing it.

    Right now I’m thinking Saturday the 8th, 7pm, Inman Perk, but I’m open to suggestions.

    tom.hennessy(at)gmail(dot)com

    • Scott Alexander says:

      Thanks!

    • Error says:

      Also Atlanta, though I’m out in the exurbs (Duluth specifically). All the way downtown to Inman is a pretty long hike through murdertraffic for me.

      I suspect there might be a disproportionately high number of people to the north of the city — it’s a relatively tech-heavy area. Anyone want to identify themselves? If I’m right, a meetup along the north side of the 285 loop might do well.

      • Walter says:

        I’m on the north side of the city, up where 285 meets 400. I’m busy on Sat though, so I’m not the best data point here.

      • casaubon says:

        I live inside the perimeter, but am willing to travel more or less anywhere in the metro area.

        The next three Saturdays aren’t an option for me though.

    • Vermillion says:

      So 50% of the datapoints can’t do Saturday, what do you all say to Sunday the 9th?

      I was assuming that N. Highland would be convenient for most folks but if not, where else do you think’d be good?

    • Vermillion says:

      Ok looks like more people can do Sunday so here’s the updated plan for the meetup.

      April 9th at 7pm
      Inman Perk Coffee shop: 240 North Highland Ave. H, Atlanta, GA 30307
      Here’s an event page to share since that’ll be easier than linking to this comment thread: https://www.facebook.com/events/208699286282712/

      See you there!

  43. glenngulia says:

    Wow.

    I’m a relatively recent reader and first time commenter.

    Live in Orlando, but travel to Miami/Ft Lauderdale, Tampa/St Pete/Clearwater, Jacksonville and Naples/Ft Myers pretty regularly for work and would’ve tried my best to attend a meetup in any of those cities. Alas, no Florida cities on the list.

    Guess this explains a little of my need for this blog.

    • I travel a lot for work but could be in Miami for a meetup. Somewhere in Brickell? Sometime in the week of April 10-16 could work for me.

      • gardenofaleph says:

        Brickell is a fun place. Lots of bars, not too many places with open seating that I know of.

        There’s a bar/lounge called Lagniappes in wynwood that has a ton of outdoor seating that would work in the day. Not sure if they’re open then, though.

        Or maybe Wynwood Yard. Also lots of seating, though it gets pretty lively at night.

        All are in Miami, of course.

        • 00183858 says:

          Your suggestions would work for me.

          There’s also Panther Coffee, which would probably make a good alternative option if you’re concerned about things getting lively at night. But they do close at 9pm, which might be before any of the liveliness begins anyway.

          Saturday is the best day for me. Preferably at or after 5pm. Second best day is Sunday at the same times.

          • I’m less familiar with Wynwood, but could go to any of these locations. Saturday April 15 would probably work for me.

            There’s only 3 of us though, so perhaps we should coordinate over email and see if we can find a date/time/location we can all get to if we want that. You and gardofaleph can reach me at contact (at) postlibertarian (dot) com

          • I’m in Boca, but I’m out of town the weekend of the 15th so can’t make a Florida meetup then.

      • gardenofaleph says:

        Tried sending you an email but it didn’t go through.

        Is your email “postlibertarian.com” ?

        It didn’t work for my outlook email.

        • 00183858 says:

          I was able to reach Postlibertarian by e-mail. After discussing some details with them and reviewing the comments here, it seemed like a good idea to set something up for the end of April.

          Address: Panther Coffee, 2390 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
          Date: Saturday, April 29
          Time: 5pm
          Contact details: eric135033 (at) gmail (dot) com

          For anyone planning to attend, please contact me in advance. It would be nice to know before the meetup how many people are going to show. And there might be other relevant things to discuss in advance.

    • roflc0ptic says:

      Hi! Also a relatively new reader and first time commenter.

      I’m in Tampa. I’d go to Orlando or Miami for a weekend meetup. I’m traveling in April, won’t be available til the 29th-30th.

      At any rate, glad to know some of us exist!

    • 00183858 says:

      Also in Florida. I’d be able to attend a meetup in the Broward/Miami area.

  44. Patrick Merchant says:

    To anyone who’s been to one of these shindigs before: Around how old are attendees, usually? I’d like to go to the Montreal one, but I’m 20, so I’m worried that I might be out of place. I don’t wanna end up alone at the rationalist kiddie table!

    • mathieuroy37 says:

      In Montreal, most attendees are 20 to 30 years old, but we got a few people as old as 65 in the past. We’re trying to reach a wide demographic. At 20 years, I doubt you’ll feel out of place. I think even 17 would be fine… or in fact, would be awesome! 🙂

  45. copperykeen says:

    Another one for Minneapolis here.

    buttonmolder@gmail.com

  46. Donnie Clapp says:

    I will host Houston, TX.

    Wednesday, April 26
    5pm – 7ish
    The Honeymoon Café and Bar
    300 Main St.
    Houston, TX 77002

    RSVP: https://goo.gl/forms/LNlksO00HJIB7LmB3
    Questions: ssc@donnieclapp.com

  47. Callum G says:

    Wellington NZ,

    I live up in Tauranga but I’ll be down this weekend if someone is keen to do something then. Maybe Saturday afternoon?

  48. David Gross says:

    If you live in San Luis Obispo, California, drop me a line. There’s a group that’s been meeting for years to discuss meaty things that you might really dig.

  49. Trevor Adcock says:

    I would like to organize a meet up in Sacramento, CA. I’m not sure where exactly the best place to meet up would be.
    Is anyone else in the area interested?

  50. nolemonnomelon says:

    I would definitely attend a New York meetup if it were sufficiently small and not overwhelming.

  51. dazuck says:

    Scott, how would you feel about a virtual meetup for those in less reader-dense areas during April? I’m currently in Eastern Africa and know at least one other SSC reader who is as well. If there are a few others in your survey from that region (for time zone logistics I’d stick to a single region), I’ll happily organize a Google Hangout or something similar for us.

  52. Vadim Kosoy says:

    Thank you Scott! We are going to have an SSC meetup!

    Place: Yigal Alon 118, Tel Aviv, Israel
    Date: May 9, 2017
    Time: 19:00 – ??? (probably at least until 22:00 or so)

    The meetup is an place called “The Cluster”, entrance is from Totseret Ha’aretz street, through a brown door with a doorbell (if it is closed, ring and someone will let you in).

    My e-mail is top.squark@gmail.com, feel free to contact.

    For more details, follow the LessWrong Israel Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/480249315379682/), where an event will be created within the next week. Moreover, there is an ongoing poll about meetup format (https://www.facebook.com/groups/480249315379682/permalink/1414341398637131/), you are welcome to join and vote!

  53. C Withers says:

    Wellington, New Zealand

    Preliminary details: 6pm, Thursday 20 April – Roti Chenai
    Please contact me if you plan to attend (calebwithersnz on Facebook; calebwithers@gmail.com) so I can confirm someone will be coming and book a table if needed, or if you would like to attend but can’t make that date in case it’s worth rescheduling.

  54. aqs says:

    I would like to attend a Helsinki area meetup, and maybe even act as a preliminary coordinator.

    However, I do not have (yet) time or location.

    … I do have some ideas for the meetup place: mainly, reserve a meeting room at public library system (e.g. Kirjasto10 or Kallio. pros: nice quiet office-like space, wifi, some have data projectors / whiteboards available, cost free/cheap-ish; cons: boring office-like space with wifi and data projectors?) … but feasibility of that option really depends on the turnout. (Size of the available rooms varies a lot: we don’t want to book a room for 8 if the event is massively popular and all 30 persons are coming). And if potential participants would rather like someplace more casual / with refreshments, then we should look for something else.

    …so, to gauge the amount of interest, please respond below, and/or contact sschelsinkimeetup@gmail.com

    edit. If I get no responses before Scott’s deadline, I’m going to impose a date and place (and hope for the best that somebody arrives).

    • mxr says:

      I’ll attend.

      I also recommend a casual cafe or bar. It’s less effort and more fun.

      • trustacean says:

        I will attend as well.

        Coffee places are okay but loud at convenient hours. If there’s enough of us and you can manage a reservation, that sounds better to me. If you could exclude the evening of Saturday 15th, that would be great.

    • andekn says:

      We used to have LW meetups at Kaisla bar; there is usually quite a lot of space, if the meetup’s not at Friday or Saturday evening.

      If I’m free, I’ll attend.

    • aqs says:

      Okay, in addition to comments in this thread, I’ve also got a couple of emails (presumably different persons than who responded here). So, this meetup will definitely be a thing that happens.

      Some of you have already indicated that you can’t do certain dates. If you have preferences about time or place, state them here or email me ( sschelsinkimeetup@gmail.com ). I’m currently thinking about some weekday afternoon / evening in range April 6 – April 23.

      I’m going to pick the date and place that suits most on Friday evening, March 31, and then post it here and also email it to everyone who sent me email.

    • aqs says:

      Sorry for longwinded process of determining location and time, I wanted to give everyone chance to give input!

      After I wrote down all requests and compared them vis a vis my schedule, it appears that an early Monday evening could fit everybody’s schedule.

      Date/Time:
      Monday April 10 2017. 16:00 ->

      Location:
      Oluthuone Kaisla, Vilhonkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki.

      To my disappointment, I discovered that the large free meeting room of Kirjasto10 is already booked for all convenient combinations of dates / times (and the small rooms available are really small if everyone turns up), so we will try Kaisla straight away. I’m not myself familiar with the place but as some of you (n>1) already vouched for it, I guess it’s okay!

      I can hang around a couple of hours at least.

      Contact:
      Please do hit me with email if you’re planning to come, so I can inform if there’s change of schedule / venue / anything. Email is: sschelsinkimeetup@gmail.com

  55. waltonmath says:

    I’ll organize the Portland, Oregon meetup:

    Location: Ford Food and Drink, 2505 SE 11th Ave #101
    Date/Time: 4/8/17 at 12:30 PM
    Contact: nwalton125 at gmail dot com

    To clarify, this wasn’t scheduled before I saw this post, and isn’t associated with another meetup (thanks for the suggestion!)

  56. Anonymous says:

    Oslo people, get over here!

    Location: Deichmanske bibliotek, Harald Hårfagres gate 2, 0363 Oslo. It’s next to Majorstuen.
    Date/Time: 12:00, Saturday, 1st April 2017.

    This is a public library, so there shouldn’t be any problem just showing up and occupying an vacant table. Just look for the guy with the Longcat/Tacgnol T-shirt. (If there isn’t room, we can relocate to any number of nearby overpriced cafes.)

    No contact details. I’m anonymous for a reason. 🙂

    • ermafl says:

      Rad – I hope to be there. At least there will be two of us…

    • ionzephyros says:

      Hey I would like to to join in as well. However there is something else going on for me on the 1st. Possible to push it to the 2nd? Or the weekend after, i.e the 8th April?

      • Anonymous says:

        I’m abroad on the 8th. 2nd might work, but it would have to be something like 15:00 instead.

        How are you for Sunday, 2nd April, ermafl?

    • sdfl says:

      I can do both Sat and Sun, so there’s four.

    • loslorenzo says:

      Another maybe here. Saturday and Sunday are both about the same amount of ‘maybe’. I’ll check in here again on Friday and see what’s been decided.

      • Anonymous says:

        It stands on Saturday at noon so far. Probably won’t be the only Oslo meetup in any case, so this ain’t your only chance, as it were.

        • loslorenzo says:

          I’m omw, about 20 mins delayed.

        • ermafl says:

          I’m in the lib – did you move on to somewh else?
          Ed: Wearing black t shirt, walking around looking lost

          • Anonymous says:

            Yeah, you missed us. We got thrown out of the library for being too loud. Try next weekend (presumably, some people still want to meet)?

    • Weatherwaxed says:

      (Longtime lurker registering to reply.)

      I would be interested in attending future meetups, but can’t make it on April 1st (nor on the 2nd). The Majorstuen library seems like an excellent location.

    • aleksanderpwnz says:

      I am in Oslo next weekend (8th to 10th of April). Any chance anyone wants to meet up?

    • Anonymous says:

      Meetup successful!

      Highlights:
      – Eliezer Yudkowsky lookalike
      – Cauliflower consumption
      – Obligatory talk about the God-Emperor
      – “What’s the Death Eater position on X?”
      – Planning a new political party

  57. Jugemu says:

    For Melbourne Australia, there’s an existing Less Wrong meetup which is really more of a general rationalist and rationalist-adjacent meetup. See here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lesswrongmelbourne/events/ . SSCers are encouraged to attend.

  58. 4bpp says:

    By a long shot, assuming you are happy with doomed attempts in “cities” that didn’t make the cut: anyone in Ithaca, NY?

    I’d be happy to organise should there be sufficient interest. I’m only aware of one other LW-adjacent person in the area, so erring on the side of not proposing anything concrete yet.

    • avk says:

      I am.

      However, I also know one other LW-adjacent person, which is a suspicious coincidence. If you are that person and I am your person, there would be very little point. Otherwise, count me interested.

      • 4bpp says:

        If you or the person you know share a certain standard identifying trait with the proprietor of this blog, then we are likely thinking of a total <= 3 people. If this is not the case, that makes 4 (unless you know me and I haven't pegged you as an SSC reader for some reason). For what it's worth, your handle isn't ringing any bells for me.

    • Skivverus says:

      Not in Ithaca myself, but it’s less than two hours’ drive from Rochester; four hours of driving is probably a little much to ask someone to commit to a meetup, but if the time we come up with looks amenable anyway I highly doubt we’d turn you away if you did decide to show up.

      • 4bpp says:

        I unfortunately don’t have a vehicle of my own (and carshare for a whole day is rather pricey), so being able to attend a meeting in Rochester would be contingent on the existence of appropriate rideshare connections.

    • Pablo says:

      I live an hour or so from Ithaca but listed it as my preferred meetup destination on the survey, because I doubted anyone else would put down anyplace closer. Rochester is close enough to me that I could envision managing to reach a meetup there but far enough away that I probably actually wouldn’t.

      My availability in April, barring unexpected stuff I need to take care of, would be Wednesday the 5th, or Thursday the 13th or Friday the 14th, or sometime from Saturday the 22nd through Tuesday the 25th, and the 25th is a family member’s birthday so maybe not that day, but my work gives me 7 days off each month in a regular pattern and that’s how the pattern lines up with the month of April.

    • ScarecrowBoat716 says:

      I am in Buffalo NY and it seems like Rochester NY is the preferred meeting spot. There is another thread here planning this out.

      • Pablo says:

        I’m in favor of people saying whether they are interested in visiting Ithaca and letting 4bpp or another individual deciding whether they feel like hosting an Ithaca meetup based on results. I have limited availability and so understand if people prefer other locations or times that I can’t attend.

        If we have a meetup in Buffalo, I know some people in that area who I doubt read this blog or LW but whom I might be able to cajole into attending, or if people feel like attending a meetup in (throwing out names of cities I am near) Corning, Elmira, maybe Binghamton, or maybe other more boring places in the twin tiers, I can be talked into hosting a meetup during my available times.

        I am also leaving a reply in the Rochester thread.

        I hope I don’t sound obnoxious; I’m just tossing out stuff.

    • tatarerike says:

      I’m in Ithaca and I’m pretty sure I’m not the person you know of. I’d love to go to a meetup if there was a specific thing planned–we’re going to talk about this article, or play this game, or something besides just sitting around, like, hoping we have interesting things to say to each other. Though if that’s how meetups for people like us normally go, and it generally works out, I may be able to talk myself into it.

      • 4bpp says:

        I don’t quite know how to distinguish between “games that are fun for arbitrary rationalists” and “games that have been fun for my group of friends”, but for the latter, I would be quite willing to run a round of 1000 Blank White Cards (with >= 4 people) or Mafia (if >=8 turn up).

        This question is also in particular directed to everybody else who responded: Any preference between downtown and the general vicinity of the Cornell campus? (Beyond those two, I’m not sure I have a good idea of what decent meeting spots are.)

        • Pablo says:

          I have enjoyed mafia in the past and 1000 Blank White Cards sounds interesting, so if people want to play a game, I would be open to those if I am able to make it.

          I rarely go to collegetown, so it might be interesting to see what’s up there, but on the other hand I know my way around downtown marginally better, so call that no preference between downtown and collegetown. Do you have a good sense of how parking compares between the two areas? My family has changed from a small car to a large unwieldy-to-park pickup since I last parked in Ithaca.

  59. 4thwaywastrel says:

    I’ll gladly volunteer as tribute for the Brisbane meetup

    Address: 26 Felix Street Oaks Felix, Brisbane City, QLD 4000
    Time: 7:00pm (Have dinner before you come, will provide drinks)
    Date: Fri, Apr 14 (Good Friday)
    Email: jarred.filmer@gmail.com

    On the night just shoot me an email and I can let you up into the unit

  60. lithp says:

    On the very slight chance someone in Istanbul wants to meet I’m happy to organize.
    There’s an unmissable plaza in the middle of Bomontiada which should be pretty pleasant.

    Let’s meet there on April 11th at 8pm? I’m reachable at ssc@briancloutier.com

  61. sonnyg says:

    I would be happy to organise one in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

    Location: http://batavia1920.nl/en/
    Date: Saturday, April 8
    Time: 4 pm
    Email: sonny.public@gmail.com

    The venue has good choice of food and drink, and has some fairly quiet areas perfect for talking.

    • Majuscule says:

      My partner and I are also SSC enthusiasts in Amsterdam! I guess there fewer than 10 of us looking for a meetup, but I suspect there are more hiding.

      We’ll check our calendars and let you know if we can make it.

    • martinw says:

      Sounds good! I have plans until mid-afternoon so can’t promise I’ll be there at 16:00 sharp, but I’ll join. Will mail you to confirm.

    • sonnyg says:

      Fantastic! I know a couple of WBW enthusiasts. They might be interested.. I will ask them.
      I think even a few people would be a good start.
      Please email me when you can confirm.

      • sonnyg says:

        Guys, something came up that I won’t be able to go to for weeks or months if I don’t. I am still up for meeting, but it will have to be later in the evening.

        • Majuscule says:

          We can still make it later in the evening. Just let us know what time. Alternately, we can pitch in and grab a table at Batavia. Would it make sense for us to show up at 18:00?

          • sonnyg says:

            I can make it at 18:00 if I rush, but 19:00 gives me a bit of breathing room. Could you please email me so we can exchange phone numbers and arrange the details? I am already in touch with martinw.

  62. Salentino says:

    Sad, but not surprised to see nobody here from Rome (or anywhere in Italy for that matter). It’s a bit of rationalist desert, I’m afraid, but I live in hope.

    • Garrett says:

      Based on the above comments, does that make Italy Europe’s Florida?

      • Salentino says:

        I think Spain is as bad, which surprises me as I consider Barcelona to be a much more cosmopolitan spot than anywhere in Italy. At least here we have the excuse of poor English language levels, combined with an obsession with tradition and the past. I’m not sure what Florida’s excuse is!

    • liskantope says:

      See my comment below, which I wrote before seeing this. I don’t live in Rome, but I’ll consider making a weekend trip there if there will be a meetup with a substantial number of people.

      • Salentino says:

        I’m afraid it’s just me at the moment. Who knows, maybe a few more people will pop up.

  63. jpaddison says:

    I can host a Mountain View meetup. Details to follow, hopefully by tomorrow evening. My email address is johnpaddisonATgmailDOTcom. If anyone is willing to help, feel free to contact me.

    • jpaddison says:

      We will meet at Eagle Park near downtown Mountain View at 4:30pm, Saturday April 8th.

      We will spend a little while chatting and maybe play a game of bocce ball or similar, and then have a discussion about instrumental rationality.

      • Paul Crowley says:

        I wonder if we shouldn’t throw our lot in with the San Jose meetup instead?

        • jpaddison says:

          Upon reflection, I think I agree.

          • Waltus says:

            San Jose meetup:

            San Jose, California
            Time: Sunday April 9, 2 PM
            Location: 3806 Williams Rd (private residence)
            Contact: ddfr[at]daviddfriedman.com, (408) 244-3330

  64. Nathaniel Bude says:

    Madison WI LessWrong meetup died due to scheduling conflicts. I want to get the ball rolling again with a SlateStarCodex meetup. But I’ve never led a meetup before, and I probably don’t know any of the 24 other people well. My plan is to schedule a bunch of “stub” meetups – a time and place where I will definitely show up ready to discuss a SSC-themed subject, whether or not anyone else shows up.

    “Ready to discuss” means I’ll have notes, citations, further reading suggestions, and be prepared to either explain the topic to the unfamiliar, or defend a thesis against those who already have a strong opinion. The idea is that I’ll be the “back-up plan”, so that we can be sure something will happen at the designated time/place, until we work out what times, places and topics work best for the most people.

    TIMES: 5:00 – 9:00 pm Saturday Apr 1
    7:00 – 11:00 pm Sunday Apr 9

    PLACE: Michelangelo’s Coffee House
    114 State St, Madison, WI 53703

    CONTACT: nathanielbude at gmail dot com

    TOPIC: Bryan Caplan’s response to Scott Alexander on labor economics.

    No need to commit. I’ll be there regardless, and stay if anyone shows up within the first two hours (I’ll have my smartphone; cost for me to do this is low). Also, feel free to leave before the scheduled end-time, even if it means dropping by for just a few minutes. But check back here first, because we might change the time/place. And if you want to keep the current time/place, say you’ll show up.

    If you have a strong preference for a different activity or discussion topic, that’s actually better for me, because (1) I can just recycle my notes for a future meetup (2) the point of the meetup is to provide a venue for people to do things they’ve always wanted to do with like-minded people IRL (3) “strong preference” means enthusiasm, and ultimately enthusiasm is the only thing that can make this meetup work.

    Let me know if a different time/place works better for you. I can lead a meetup every other Saturday (starting Apr 1), and some weekdays, any time of day. Other days I can participate, but only from about 8:00 to 10:00 pm. I’d like to meet at the UW Arboretum midday, if there’s any interest in that (I’d bring snacks). And I’m willing to show up at random people’s homes, if they offer to host.

    Scott Alexander, can I get a demographic breakdown of the 25 people near Madison WI? Best meeting place differs for UW students living on campus vs proffessionals living in Madison vs people in the surrounding area.

    • drethelin says:

      I’ll most likely be there. In general I think more abstract topics than labor economics which involve knowing a ton of history and figures or talking out of your ass a bunch are better for general groups of people but I’ll talk about whatever.

    • AnarchyDice says:

      I’d be interested in a meetup in general, and that topic is fairly good, but I’m confused by their being two different times. Are you going to be there at both times or are you looking to narrow it down?

      For reference I’m coming in from the north suburbs.

      • Nathaniel Bude says:

        I’ll be there both times. I posted the later time, because Scott said he would advertise definite meeting times posted in the comments, but not until next week. So if you’ll only make it to one, but don’t care which, it should be the later one.

        I also invited anyone to propose alternatives. But this (early Saturday evening / late Sunday night) pattern works for me. So I’m trying to manipulate the division of benefits by being “the first to suggest a favorable option”.

  65. TheZvi says:

    New York City has a LessWrong group (Google group overcomingbiasnyc) that typically meets Tuesdays at 7:30pm, and we have a meeting tonight that should be newcomer friendly.

    It will be at:
    20 John Street, Apartment 4, 10038
    Tuesday the 28th of March, 7:30pm

    Topic will be “The Social Substrate” followed by general hang-outs.

    If you want to do some reading in advance it would be good to read at least one of:
    Melting Asphalt: Personhood, a Game for Two or More Players (http://www.meltingasphalt.com/personhood-a-game-for-two-or-more-players/)
    Ben Hoffman: Guess Culture screens for trying to cooperate
    (http://benjaminrosshoffman.com/guess-culture-screens-for-trying-to-cooperate/)
    Andrew Critch’s Blog: Deserving Trust, and Grokking Newcomb’s Problem
    (http://acritch.com/deserving-trust/)

    One of the things we will discuss tonight is our approach to SSC meetups, as distinct from the current group’s meetups.

  66. Conor Meade says:

    I would love to organize an Ottawa meetup.

    Tentatively: April 15th, 3:00 PM, Lieutenant’s Pump, 361 Elgin at Gladstone. (Technically a bar, but it’s a quiet and calm venue in the afternoon.)

    I can be reached at: Conor dot Meade (at) gee-male dot com

    Happy to collaborate with anyone else who wants to share hosting duties, so please reach out if you’re interested.

  67. zlrth says:

    I can host the Pittsburgh meetup.
    Catapult Coworking (catapultpgh.org)
    4327 Butler St floor 2
    April 8th 2:00PM

    matthewfmarksatgmail.com

  68. trevormmurphy says:

    I searched for “San Francisco” but didn’t see a host yet. I volunteer as tribute! But I can’t host even a quarter of the 150 people who expressed interest … best I can reasonably do is 10, best I can possibly do is 15.

    That said!

    Crepe Expectations, 2575 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122 (it’s on the corner of 31st and Judah, just off the N)
    Saturday, April 8th, 5pm

    My name is Trevor. trevor(dot)m(dot)murphy(at)gmail(dot)com. Will make a facebook event for it and post back later.

  69. OB says:

    I’d be willing to organize a Research Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) meetup. Would be willing to adapt details based on interest.

    Proposed details:

    Flying Saucer in downtown Raleigh
    Thursday, April 6 at 7pm

    contact: mpobrie3 {at} ncsu {dot} edu

    • will4071 says:

      The Flying Saucer would be awesome-I’d definitely attend. Can also donate our offices for future meetups….

    • HeelBearCub says:

      Depending on the day, I would likely attend.

    • eccdogg says:

      I am out of town for Apr 6, but would be interested in future meetups in the Triangle (preferably Raleigh).

    • OB says:

      I’ve gotten enough responses that this is definitely happening! I’ll be there early to claim a table out on the patio. Look for the SSC sign.

  70. kaninchen says:

    Budapest wasn’t mentioned in the list, but on the off-chance that there are any SSC readers around here who’d be interested in a meet-up I’ll volunteer to organise one. I’ll reply to this comment tomorrow with a place (somewhere central, most likely near Deák Ferenc) and a provisional date/time (most likely early afternoon on Saturday 8th April).

    Contact details: a.pearson.851 at hotmail.com

    • kaninchen says:

      Scheduling for Corvinus Café, Dohány utca 7, at 2:30pm local time Saturday 8th April.

  71. Azure says:

    We have been having small to medium meetups in Ann Arbor, though apparently they haven’t been visible enough. We have a Google Group where meetups are announced and discussed at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/a4r-a2 Other things can be discussed there, too, we just haven’t got around to doing it much. But if you would like to come and need a ride or something it would be worth asking there.

    We have a meeting coming up in a bit less than two weeks. I’ll quote the announcement since it has all the relevant information.

    I propose that our next meetup be at 16:00 on Saturday, the Eighth of April in the Two-Thousand-Seventeenth Year of the Common Era.

    We have a community website at http://memeware.org/a4ra2/ .

    If you can read this sentence, you’re invited.

    If someone told you about it, you’re invited.

    If someone re-posted it somewhere else and you read it, you’re invited.

    (Feel free to repost, mention, or link to this announcement anywhere you think people will be interested.)

    No level of expertise is required.

    Do not worry if you don’t think you’re interesting enough. You’re much more interesting than you think you are.

    Even if you’re not, you’re invited anyway.

    If you’re interested in anything at all, speak up. No topic is off limits. (I expect civility, but that hasn’t ever been an issue and I don’t think it will be.)

    As usual, at 20:00 I will ask if anyone wants to give a lightning talk on anything. If you want to tell people about something, you will have an audience.

    If you have anything you want to show to people, feel free to bring it.

    You are welcome to but not required to bring food to share. We can also try going on a quest to find something or order delivery, too if people get desperate.

    We will be meeting at my apartment. Located at:
    2065 Commerce Blvd. #327
    Ann Arbor, MI 48103

    If you need a ride there or back, please let someone know or mail the group well beforehand so we can figure out a way to transport you.

    The apartment building has two entrances. If you go around the strip of buildings, there will be a parking lot, vast and free. Buzz at the door (just push the button labelled 327) and I (or someone) will let you in.

    To get there on the bus from Down Town Ann Arbor, you can:

    * Take the 28 to Pine Lake Cooperative which is near Pennsylvania Avenue.
    * Take the 29 bus to Liberty and Maple, cross to the kitty corner (there are push-buttons on the signals), and walk south on Maple to Pennsylvania Avenue.
    * Take the 27 bus to Pauline and Maple and walk north to Pennsylvania Avenue. Pennsylvania Avenue leads into the back parking lot, see above for instructions from there.

    If you are allergic to cats, please take something for it beforehand.

    • Azure says:

      If you need to contact someone and the mailing list isn’t working for you, feel free to mail me. The top-level domain is blue, the second-level domain is eclectic, and the local part is azure.

  72. sabre51 says:

    I’ll do Dallas. Saturday April 8, 2pm at Brewed and Pressed (3700 McKinney Ave #108, Dallas, TX 75204). I will have an SSC sign.

    Respond to this post or message me through WordPress if you want to confirm attendance, or if you can’t make the date but want to meet up another time.

    • qwints says:

      I’ll be there.

    • Nerdstatus says:

      Would love to join but have prior commitments on that weekend. Please reply if the dates & times move or if any future meetups are planned after this one.

    • absoluteblack says:

      I’d love to but have plans all through that weekend. Any other weekend or evening on a weekday would work for me if we end up rescheduling?

    • austinispaxton says:

      I’m in, and also available the following two weekends.

    • sabre51 says:

      Looks like consensus is that April 8th isn’t good. I hereby amend to April 15th, 2pm, Brewed and Pressed in West Village. Same deal, I will have a SSC sign.

      • reid says:

        my girlfriend and i are interested in attending! how many people does the meetup seem to be at the moment?

    • William Newman says:

      Brewed and Pressed April 15th sounds good to me.

    • inesserrano says:

      Didn’t find this until after the date passed. Are there any plans to hold another?

  73. liskantope says:

    I’m disappointed not to see evidence of any meetup in the works anywhere in Italy. Are there any fellow aspiring rationalists / SSC readers interested in a meetup somewhere in northern Italy? I’m asking more out of pure curiosity than anything, although if there’s really a substantial number I’d consider hosting something at my place.

  74. Tiberius says:

    I think SSC meetups are a great idea! How about people in Berlin?

    I suggest the following:
    Sa 22.04., 19:00 at Café Bilderbuch, Akazienstraße 28, 10823 Berlin-Schöneberg

    If more than 3 people reply that they would come I will be there.

    Cheers!

    • D3 says:

      I’m interested! 22nd would work for me. I know another SSC reader personally that might be interested.

      • sty_silver says:

        I live in Germany, though pretty far away. I think 22nd is too soon for my taste, so don’t count me in, but I’m at least generally interested.

    • Eric27 says:

      I am interested too. Date and place you suggested work for me, so I will be there.

    • pls_no_purpose says:

      Im up as well!

    • dubletto says:

      I’m in as well! Probably makes sense to create a Facebook event @Tiberius?

    • spentgladiator says:

      In case someone’s not aware, there’s also the LW meetup in Berin pretty much every month, announced here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/lw-berlin. I might come by to yours if I’m not working (60% chance, I guess?).

    • rocinante says:

      i’m also in!

    • mikemosz says:

      I live in Berlin, not sure if I’ll be travelling for work that week but if not I would definitely come

    • maxjacobson90 says:

      I’m interested as well, though wonder if people are interested in perhaps adjusting the time. 19:00 on a Saturday night will be difficult for me.

    • Tiberius says:

      Wow, a lot of replies!
      I will definitely be there.

      I suggest we meet in the salon in the back of the café. They have tables large enough to host a number of people and it is a cosy, yet non-smokey atmosphere that I really like.

      @MaxJacobson90: Though the date is arbitrary, I guess finding something that works for a lot of people is difficult coordination, especially in a comment thread. Since some already agreed, I stick to this date. I suggest considering also the monthly LW-meetups.

    • jackkinsella1 says:

      I would absolutely love to attend but I will be travelling to Glasgow that weekend.

      If you end up having a second meeting, shoot me an email on: jack.kinsella over at gmail.com

    • DreamFlasher says:

      Hi Tiberius,
      we also had planned a meetup, maybe we can consolidate? How can I reach you?
      Time: Sunday April 23, 7 PM
      Location: Gaststätte Walhalla, Krefelderstr.6, 10555 Berlin, Germany
      Contact: Marcel Ackermann, https://www.meetup.com/de-DE/LessWrong-Rationality-WaitButWhy-SlateStarCodex-Berlin/events/238948198/

    • losethedebate says:

      Am also interested in attending this.

  75. Trofim_Lysenko says:

    Announcing the (Maybe) First (Not Very) Official SSC Meetup for the Saint Louis Area!

    WHERE: Hartford Coffee
    3974 Hartford St
    St. Louis, MO 63116

    WHEN: Sunday, April 23rd. 1PM-??

    AGENDA: None! I note that some of these larger, ongoing discussion groups and/or meetups seem to be ready for presentations, prepared topics/talks, and the like. I cannot commit to having that sort of thing ready to entertain and stimulate you all, at least this first time! That said, if someone has something they want to bring and share, by all means let me/us know.

    Currently, the plan is to allow for this to be a purely low-key, informal, low barrier-to-entry meet, greet, and talk. We can go from there.

    INTERESTED?: Please E-mail me at brerwolf (at) gmail (dot) com. If nothing else, I need to know an upper bound on attendance. If we end up with a good-sized party I want to make sure our chosen venue is ready to accept us.

  76. John Maxwell says:

    There’s actually a CFAR-sponsored event, open to the public, happening very soon in Berkeley (this Friday):

    https://www.facebook.com/events/1879366569017851/

    Eli Tyre says he is cool with people in this thread attending.

    This event is happening too soon for Scott’s followup post “in a week or so”. Scott, maybe you’d like to add it to the body of this post so it gets more visibility?

  77. Jake_A says:

    Interested in either San Diego or Vancouver, unsure yet which city I will be in at the time.

  78. Bill says:

    Add me to the names for Paris (only if it doesn’t meet in a “coffee shop” whatever that means) as attendee as often as possible (which is chancy)

    • La Russe says:

      There’s a thread upstream about Paris, I proposed Saturday the 8th at 14:00h at my apartment (so not a coffee shop) metro 12 Mairie d’Issy, I’ll meet a maximum of attendees at the metro station and you can message me at 0659427285 for my full address if you are late or something.

  79. greenwoodjw says:

    How are you not overwhelmed keeping up with this thread?

    My name is Jason Boisvert, I can organize the Baltimore event at Hightopp’s (sic) Backstage Grill for 4/8 at 4:30pm. I’ve helped run a small political club and that venue will let anyone have a small side room for free. It’s also a decent restaurant with good food and cheap prices (teriyaki chicken for $13 is really good) and if we meet outside of rush hours it should be fairly quiet.

    This venue is 3 minutes of the interstate (I-83, exit 16) and directly adjacent to the State Fairgrounds, making it a well-known and obvious location. The actual room is on the right of the entrance hallway and is a decent space for 10-30 people.

    You can email me at greenwoodjw@gmail.com, I can give you a contact phone number then if you like.

  80. b h a u t h says:

    Salt Lake City:
    Sugarhouse Park
    April 9 (Sunday) at 3 PM

    I’ll be near the footbridge (halfway between the lake and the road) with a big straw hat and a book if anybody else is interested.

    Sunday was chosen because forecasts indicate rain is less likely.
    Pho Tay Ho is another possible meetup location.

    email: name at gmail

    • Perfume And Cortisol says:

      Is your email with or without the spaces?

    • b h a u t h says:

      Due to weather forecast changes and feedback, I’m changing the location and time to:

      Pho Tay Ho (1766 Main St, in a house on the corner)
      April 8 (Saturday) at 1:30 PM

      I’ll have a silver pouch on the table.
      If you’re not very hungry, you can just get some coffee / spring rolls / etc.

  81. pacha says:

    Hi folks,

    The NYC SlateStarCodex meetup will occur at the Gansevoort Market (353 W 14th St.) at 2pm on Saturday, April 22. Please reply to this comment, or (preferably) contact me on the Discord channel (same username) if you have any questions or concerns.

    • Chalid says:

      Adding the string “New York City” for the convenience of people searching this page.

      80% chance I will go.

    • TK-421 says:

      Is “the Gansevoort Market” a sufficiently small venue that we will be able to find each other without further direction?

    • anaisnein says:

      Mostly a lurker but interested in coming. Will that venue handle 40 or 50, which is possible by Scott’s 25% assumption?

      • pacha says:

        Yes. As linked above, here is the Market’s floor plan. The map shows that there is seating available for a group of 40-50 of us, even accounting for the fact that there will be other patrons present.

        From past experience, there should not be too many other people there at the time we are meeting (2pm on a Saturday). If it so happens that there are too many people to fit in the main seating area, there is extra space downstairs.

    • deluks917 says:

      I will be there.

      (I am the discord owner guy btw)

  82. Taymon A. Beal says:

    The Boston meetup will be at MIT 4-149 at 2 PM on Saturday, April 15. Email me with questions. If you’re interested, it would be helpful if you could reply to this comment; if a lot of people do so we might look at getting an overflow room. Thanks to MIT Effective Altruism for securing the space.

  83. rlms says:

    Since no-one else has jumped in: I formally and unambiguously volunteer for Cambridge UK.
    Proposed details (very open to any suggested changes):
    CB2 Bistro
    Norfolk Street

    Monday, 24th April, 6pm

    If you’re interested, I’ve got a Google forms here, or you can email me at rlmX@cam.ac.uk where X is the number of names of God (72).

    I’m also still open to a meetup in Leeds before 22nd April.

    • ejlflop says:

      That’s my birthday! Definitely a worthwhile way to spend it.

    • rlms says:

      Good news! We’ve already exceeded Scott’s 25% estimation, with 6 people expressing strong interest. Slightly unfortunately for ejlflop, one person’s said they’d prefer a later date. Does anyone who’s said they’ll come have a problem with changing the day to Tuesday or Wednesday (all other details kept constant)?

      • JovialJellyfish says:

        I find Tuesday mildly inconvenient (but not enough that I wouldn’t come), and Wednesday so inconvenient that I wouldn’t come on the Wednesday.

  84. Magic Martin says:

    The Polish chapter of Effective Altruism community is happy to organize a dedicated SSC event.

    Time: April 22nd, 17:00-20:00
    Location: Warsaw, Panstwo Miasto, Andersa 29 (Pokoj Spotkan)
    Contact: Michal Trzesimiech, michal dot trzesimiech at gmail

  85. Thecommexokid says:

    I am coordinating the meetup for Rochester, NY. Our meetup will occur as follows:

    Date: Sunday, 9 April
    Time: 1 pm
    Place: SPoT Coffee, 200 East Avenue
    RSVP: Please contact thecommexokid at gmail, regardless of whether it’s to say you are definitely coming, you might come, or you can’t come but the idea interests you!

    There is a whole comment chain further up with some Rochesterian discussion. To keep the conversation from fragmenting, please comment up there rather than replying to this post. (I made this a top-level post only to ensure Scott would see it.)

  86. Harri says:

    I can commit to organising the Oxford, UK meetup:

    Wednesday 12th April, 7pm, Swan and Castle OX1 1LJ

    I’ll sit nearish the entrance and wear a light blue effective altruism t-shirt

    Email me if interested hbesceli@gmail.com

    • Tarpitz says:

      I’d be interested in any future such meetups, but will be busy the evening of the 12th.

  87. neciampater says:

    Hey Charlotte!

    I wasn’t able to complete the survey so make it 11! That’d make us a 1.33 egghead quotient.

    Let’s shoot for 4/10/2017 Tuesday at noon at Starbucks on 3rd: 545 Providence Rd

    You can usually find me poring over SSC comments at Bakersfield on Saturday nights or Lunch at Midwood Smokehouse.

  88. gww says:

    Does anyone from around Birmingham, UK fancy meeting up? How about:

    Saturday 8th April, midday
    Bacchus Bar, Burlington Arcade, Birmingham, B2 4JH

    I’m open to another venue if someone has a preference, or to meet people at New Street station beforehand (just comment here).

    • gammagurke says:

      Living in Coventry but since I have nothing to do in the easter holidays anyway, I’d be happy to meet up.

      No idea of where to go in Birmingham, so any place or time is ok.

      • gww says:

        In that case, if it’s just the two of us (i.e. no one else comments here) would Leamington be more convenient? Say: The Coffee Box, 43a Clemens St, Leamington Spa, CV312DW (same date/time)

        Scott: I’m not sure whether it’s bad form to change the location at such short notice. Ideally, assuming gammagurke agrees and no one else comments, please announce The Coffee Box as the location. If you feel we should stick to the original Birminham location that’s fine too.

        • gammagurke says:

          Leamington is a lot more convenient, the place sounds great and if someone else comments, I am still happy with Birmingham. Also, to clarify: midday means 12pm?

          • gww says:

            Scott’s announced Bacchus bar so let’s meet there, we can always meet up in Leam another time.

            Yep, 12:00 noon. If you want to swap contact details etc feel free to email me

  89. jessriedel says:

    The Toronto meetup has been finalized:

    Date: Saturday April 22
    Time: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
    Location: The Fox and the Fiddle, Third floor, 27 Wellesley Street East
    Please contact me at Daniel.mm.frank@gmail.com if you have any questions.

  90. liljaycup says:

    I’d love to meet up in Columbus, OH. I’m about 90 minutes out from there, though, so I wouldn’t know where to go. Anyone else from Columbus interested?

    • Bond says:

      It looks like someone’s posted a Columbus meetup below. There’s also a Cleveland one, in case you’re on the north side of things.

  91. screwtape says:

    I don’t suppose state/countries are part of that data? I know of at least three Rochesters.

    • Skivverus says:

      The Rochester in question is the one in NY (and the meetup’s on the 9th); don’t know about others, though.
      It’s not a particularly common problem, at least; were there other cities on the list with this ambiguity?

  92. Vulture says:

    I hereby unambiguously volunteer to host a Milwaukee SSC meetup on Saturday, April 8th, at 1pm, at the Colectivo coffee shop located at 2301 S Kinnickinnic Ave.

    Location is definitely negotiable; if there’s something that’s more convenient for people that we can agree on, we can switch to that.

    Anyone who has questions, or wants to rsvp, or whatever, feel free to reply to this comment, or alternatively talk to me on discord (I’m ‘vulture’) or on irc, where I regularly lurk on #slatestarcodex as ‘VulturePhone’.

    I will show up even if no one replies or contacts me, but it’s vastly preferable that you make contact in some way so that we can make sure we’re all on the same page, can be ready if it looks like something approaching ten whole people will actually show up, etc.

    (Feel free also to let me know if you’re interested but can’t make this particular time, since if there’s a critical mass of such people of course we could try to alter the plan)

  93. ziscore says:

    I can facilitate a meetup in Mumbai, India. Can you add it to your list?

  94. jthomasmoros says:

    My friend Danielle and I will host a meet up for Columbus, OH on Sat April 15th at 2 pm at:

    Staff’s Coffee
    1277 Grandview Ave.
    Grandview Heights, OH 43212

    I can be reached at j@FerociousTruth.com or j.thomas.moros@gmail.com

    There is lots of free parking behind the coffee shop. I’ll print an SSC sign so you can find us.

    -J

    • Bond says:

      Nice! Though I think you got auto-corrected, as it’s “Stauf’s” Coffee, in case anyone is googling and confused. Hoping to make it into town for this.

  95. Soeren E says:

    I am volunteering to organize a meetup in Copenhagen, Denmark.

    We will use the same venue as Effective Altruism DK used:
    Von Fressen
    124 Vesterbrogade
    1620 København

    Time: Saturday 2017-04-08 18:00 Danish Time
    Please contact me at soeren.elverlin@gmail.com / 29263141, as table reservation can sometimes be necessary.

  96. Marko says:

    Rationality Zurich will have a social meetup at 5pm on Saturday the 8th of April at

    Tibits Oerlikon
    Tramstrasse 2, 8050 Zürich

    Slate Star Codex readers are very welcome to join!

  97. brianwang712 says:

    I’d be willing to organize a Berkeley meetup:

    Location: 85C Bakery Cafe, 21 Shattuck Ave
    Date + time: Sun, April 9, 2PM

    I’ll probably be upstairs at one of the communal tables if I can nab one, and I’ll have a piece of paper that says “SSC Meetup” on it if I remember. There won’t be any meeting agenda, just a chance to meet others and chat.

    If you’re planning on coming, please let me know at brianwang712@gmail.com. I’m open to suggestions about location or other things since I’ve never organized anything like this before.

    (I realize there was a comment above about having a CFAR event be the Berkeley meetup but maybe not a lot of people will have seen that, since the event’ll happen before Scott’s official post.)

  98. Barely matters says:

    Any Edmonton readers out there (Who aren’t working out in the bush somewhere)?

    I have a couple days off later this month, so I can host a meetup. April 15th, 2pm at the Remedy in Garneau (8631 109 St NW for anyone who has never been there).

    Contact at Alt.Acct@gmx.com

    I’m flexible on time (and date within the April 13-16 range) in the case that there’s a better day that works for everyone. Give me a shout for interest.

    • Rolaran says:

      Long time reader, first time commenter. I can certainly make that time, date and location, and am interested.

      • Barely matters says:

        Perfect! I’ll see you on the 15th.

        I’ll see about staking out one of the upstairs tables and making a small table sign for recognition.

        • Rolaran says:

          So, I went out of town to visit family for Easter weekend, and I’m socked in by some Typical Alberta Spring Weather. Going to try to get back to Edmonton tomorrow, I am very likely to get there some time, but very *un*likely to get there *on* time. Thought I owed you a heads up.

    • simon says:

      Oh hi, also interested. Location is fine for me, and the time should be fine.

  99. MossPiglet says:

    I’m hosting the event for Stockholm.
    Time: Saturday, April 8 15:00-18:00 CET
    Place: Café Dox, Stora Nygatan 31, Stockholm
    Contact: erik.e.engelhardt@gmail.com
    Event: https://www.meetup.com/Stockholm-Lesswrong/events/238884163/

  100. Striving4Consistency says:

    I’m currently the host of the Rationality Vienna meetup.

    It’s not strictly SSC themed, though plenty of people know all the LW and SSC canon (we even have people who have e.g. translated the LW sequences in to their own language, or who are so ancient ( 😉 ) that they’ve been in contact with EY even before the OvercomingBias days), so there should be plenty of thematic overlap.

    It is a monthly meetup (always a Saturday, usually in the middle of the month) that has been going strong for more than four years now. The language at the meetup is English not least because we’ve assimilated most of the people from nearby cities in neighboring EU countries (Czech republic, Slovakia). Through what I’d call an unfortunate historic accident, we ended up organizing ourselves via Facebook (group name: Rationality Vienna (I’m an admin, just send a request to join)) though up until a year ago or so, there were also announcements on LW too.

    The next meetup will take place on April the 15th at 15:00 at Kaisermühlenstraße 24 (meetup room at the ground floor/back side of the building), 1220 Vienna, where I will give a talk about putting nonviolent communication into practice. It’s probably better to join the Facebook group&event though to get better directions (pictures) to the meetup room there – or you can just shoot me a line here or via email: (just replace the letter 4 in my username with “for” and append @gmail.com).

    I don’t mind at all, if somebody feels like rather starting a strictly SSC themed group either, of course.

  101. gusbicalho says:

    I help run a monthly rationalist meetup in São Paulo/Brasil, we would be glad to have any reader of this blog with us.

    Next meeting:
    Time: 2017-05-06, Saturday, 2PM (Local time, i.e. GMT-0300)
    Place: Vanilla Cafe – R. Antônio Carlos, 452 (near Metro Consolação)
    Contact: gusbicalho@gmail.com
    You can also join us at the Racionalidade-LW-SP mail list https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/racionalidade

  102. DreamFlasher says:

    Apparently somebody from Berlin was faster than we, I’ll nevertheless post our planned SCC Meetup:
    Berlin
    Time: Sunday April 23, 7 PM
    Location: Gaststätte Walhalla, Krefelderstr.6, 10555 Berlin, Germany
    Contact: Marcel Ackermann, https://www.meetup.com/de-DE/LessWrong-Rationality-WaitButWhy-SlateStarCodex-Berlin/events/238948198/