References Adversarial collaboration Why do some people parse a space well and others get snowed? Energy landscapes Explore/exploit Global optimization Shape of space vs strategy for optimizing in it What are situations where you'll need to integrate a large data burden? Either data that you don't understand the structure of, or just too much of it…

Avi and Bugsby discuss Bugsby's data science process and brainstorm a design for a tool to improve it. There is a great deal of programming jargon and philosophy. References Command-line interface (e.g. bash) Bugsby's workflow Gather data Process data with commands/scripts Feed processed data to model building Produce output which may get piped to …

We explore what a morality based on "good enough" means, what it would like, and whether we already follow it. Discussed: genies, strong AI, and tech startups. References Effective altruism Rationalist community Satisficing utilitarianism Innumeracy Consequentialism and Utilitarianism Pascal's Wager Roko's Basilisk Repugnant Conclusion Peter Singer…

We explore AI Risk, the notion that computer intelligence will cross the human level, start compounding exponentially, and, if not trammelled, mulch everything we hold dear into paperclips. Why aren't Avi and Bugsby more worried about this? References Eliezer Yudkowsky Public figures who've expressed concern: Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton …

References Master of the Senate Episode 3 - Legacy: the size of a science slice of the pie is shrinking Rationalists coordinating people on a project article Technical debt Kula Sushi LA, Silicon Valley Influence - Cialdini Things to Hang on your Mental Mug Tree Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Microsoft research announcement around the same time (note f…

References xkcd - ranking people Paul Graham cities essay Article - The urban archipelago Iron law of institutions Iron law of oligarchy Article about the significance of "again" in "Make America Great Again" Places The Barbican Seguin, Texas Sisters, Oregon

References Bret Stephens climate change article Arguments as soldiers California wine growers buying land in British Columbia States and cities offering to step in and honor US climate deals KSR - global warming as huge engineering project Reinsurance companies Bloomberg climate change NGO - covering US portion of UN budget…

References Elasticity of demand System I and II Achieving flow Failure mode of computer scientists in building tools: You Aren't Gonna Need It, Premature Optimization, Dominion (again) / Isotropic Overdamped/underdamped control. For the short version, see this Quora answer. For the math, see this. Efficiency practices Making (and checking) checklis…

References Goodreads Anathem Pythagorean Foundation - Asimov Doberman Neal Stephenson Clang video Gentlemen of the Road The Yiddish Policeman's Union Clown on Fire History of vanilla Lois McMaster Bujold Vorkosigan Saga A Civil Campaign Ursula K Le Guin The Word for World is Forest Wizard of Earthsea Hornblower Gaudy Night Lord Peter Wimsey Among O…

References K-Blocks rm -rf Hardcore Linux (fencing accident videos are out there but we're not linking them) Pressure of an arrow tip - calculations, interesting comparison vs pistol Chuck/lathe Top roping Hang gliding New Republic Plato's Republic Electoral college SSC reverse advice article Manic Pixie Dream Girl Soviet seduction department…

References Molecular gastronomy Why children dislike bitter foods Takoyaki (recipe) Oyakodon (recipe) Spelt (bread recipe) Levain Bakery (reconstructed recipe) The Great British Bake Off Baked cauliflower recipe (but Avi recommends slicing them thinner if possible) Nutrition restaurant James Morton's Macaron recipe Dario's pasta shop…

References Sam Harris Kill the Buddha article Opiate of the masses Noble Lie Cycle of death and rebirth Deontology/moral forbiddences Stross/future shock

References Neil Gaiman Crisis in Syria Ayn Rand Alawites Othering Potter Puppet Pals - Neville's Birthday ("I speak from the heart: nobody likes you") Dunbar's number Slate Star - global culture vs local culture

In this episode we start from scratch and build a world in which to tell stories. References Dominion MTG Improv The Singularity Charles Stross Vernor Vinge Questionable Content Red Mars Mistborn Philosopher's zombie Last Night (movie, 1998) Quiverfull movement Ringworld HPMOR Talleyrand Foundation (Asimov) D&D Story of Your Life (Ted Chiang) Chase…

In this episode we discuss the making of things, including things we want to make, maker spaces, how to learn to make, and safety when making. References Fire staff Aang/Avatar Makerspace Artisan's Asylum Simone's bad robots Mythbusters Milling machine Terminal/command line Tested.com Bio makerspace PCR Open PCR machine Thermoelectric heating and c…

In this episode we discuss what it means to have a legacy, how it can inform your daily choices, the legacies of some modern day people, and how legacy has changed as a motivation in scientific work. References Gates Foundation Elon Musk Jeff Bezos Amazon interfaces article: https://plus.google.com/117527659577068654649/posts/Gv6h93eBV5Z 10000 Year…

In this episode we discuss how we organize things for ourselves, and compare strategies. References Evernote Workflowy "The Secret Weapon" Node.js Magisteria

In this episode we discuss how to make things accessible to many people, whether this is a good idea, and who does it well. In an effort to make things more accessible, we are including a list of references with every episode so folks can understand what we're talking about! References Slate Star Codex article on reversing advice you hear Yegge art…