Utility Maximizer's guide to replicators, networks, game theory, and civilization
In the past, I have defined art as, "non-utilitarian." I subsequently contradicted that by defining various utilitarian benefits of art. So what did I mean by, "non utilitarian?" I suppose art can be defined as things without utility - with the exception of specific, surrogate-like benefits. To fully define art, we must enumerate those categories of … Continue reading The appeals of art: final summary
[EDIT: Please don't read this! I wrote it a long time ago and I don't know how good it is. Instead, read my newer post, here, which recycles it's themes] What does computer science have to say about beauty? I seek to answer that. Have you ever wondered why it is pleasurable to listen to … Continue reading Why is Art Beautiful?
1. Leaving the tap running when brushing teeth I once read a book on conservation that touted, “look how much water you can save if you don’t leave the tap water running when you brush your teeth!” That was the day I learned a gruesome fact: there are people who for some reason let the … Continue reading 16 things I can’t relate to
If you control the language, you control people’s minds. There is a type of political, social, and cultural activism that has no popular name. It is controlled in the background by nefarious forces. It is a form of mind control. It can be used for censorship, but a more pernicious form. Rather than banning undesired … Continue reading Semantic Activism: the most important thing that isn’t acknowledged
It's no mystery that a more socially radical faction of the left-wing has emerged, and if you have been in university in the past ~5 years, you know what I mean. In this speech, Jonah Haidt explains the radicalization of the American university. As late as the mid-1990s, the left-to-right [political] ratio [at US universities] is … Continue reading A hoard of leftovers: the age of the activist
[This is largely from a school English writing assignment. Don't accuse me of plagiarism.] When Taleb talks, his statements are hard to summarize because his work is so integrated. His points may even sound garbled, because you need to understand the context of his whole body whole work to get the full picture. So bear … Continue reading Speech: Nassim Nicholas Taleb explains antifragility
It has occurred to me that, although I am very interested in Computer Science, I do not have many posts on that topic. This post is nothing complicated; it could be read as a one answer for non-programmers: what's so interesting about CS? If you find it interesting, maybe CS is for you. Many times … Continue reading A Brief Journey in Recursion
The penultimate speech: You Are Not a Lottery Ticket by Peter Thiel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZM_JmZdqCw The question of luck Thiel believes there are two forces of progress. First, globalization (horizontal progress), copying things that already work, or "doing more with more". Second, technology (vertical progress), doing things a different way, or "doing more with less." Globalization is mathematically represented … Continue reading Speech: Peter Thiel on predicting the future
All species have gone through oscillations: periods of zero-sum growth, and periods of positive-sum growth. This means we must have “programs within us that deal with both phases.” #technology #racism #political_compass #economics #zero-sum #bottlenecks @BretWeinstein
The Elephant in the Brain, a speech based on his book of the same name, by Robin Hanson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4lEvvY1r5U&t=2s Although Hanson's delivery may be a little annoying, I like this speech because of the sheer number of "hidden truths" about society that it explains. It's a rundown on just how many social norms are facades. … Continue reading Speech: Robin Hanson explains human signaling
Epiphany a Week 