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Travel diary, day 27
Feeling a lot better today. Not sure of the exact reasons: though I did have a motivating meeting with Anna in the evening, I was already feeling good in the morning. Maybe it was just the act of venting my uncertainties here that did it, or maybe it was some brain chemistry-related thing that just happened to return to balance during the night. Dunno. Main thing that it got fixed (for now), whatever it was.
Anna's working to make the Visiting Fellows program somewhat more structured. The exact details are still somewhat a work-in-progress, but I was very pleased even by the things that have been thought of so far. This makes it considerably easier for me to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing here, and when I should be satisfied with what I've achieved. For instance, now we have a recommendation that fellows work roughly 60 hours a week, divided roughly evenly between A) direct contribution (working on a useful project), B) Learning and/or plotting their personal trajectory (i.e. deciding what they want to do with their lives, like I've been trying to figure out) and C) helping with others' projects or learning or helping create a more positive community. People are also recommended to write at least 1000 words, four days a week. "This writing can include almost anything related to existential risks or rationality -- notes to oneself, personal brainstorms, emails on relevant issues, draft posts for Less Wrong or for local Less Wrong. It is meant primarily to prompt thought, and secondarily to help develop writing skills, and particularly the ability to write quickly."
We also made a plan about the things I want to improve and accomplish while I'm here. For the "learning" part, Anna thought that improving my writing skills even further would probably be a good idea. She also asked me about the things on the official Curriculum I thought I wanted to improve on the most. We settled on math (I really need to brush up my calculus soon, and get over the ugh field I have around it), charisma (which probably counts at least as much as raw intelligence in life achievements) and physical exercise (since I don't usually get enough of it).
For projects, I'm first looking at submitting something at this year's ECAP conference (probably a shortened version of a paper I already submitted to Minds and Machines' transhumanism CFP, and which may or may not be accepted), also make more LW posts and prepare some other conference / journal papers. For helping others, well, I'm helping Eliezer, and I'll try to help Justin develop his writing skills. And so forth. Yay!
Goals while here
Learning plan:
Anna's working to make the Visiting Fellows program somewhat more structured. The exact details are still somewhat a work-in-progress, but I was very pleased even by the things that have been thought of so far. This makes it considerably easier for me to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing here, and when I should be satisfied with what I've achieved. For instance, now we have a recommendation that fellows work roughly 60 hours a week, divided roughly evenly between A) direct contribution (working on a useful project), B) Learning and/or plotting their personal trajectory (i.e. deciding what they want to do with their lives, like I've been trying to figure out) and C) helping with others' projects or learning or helping create a more positive community. People are also recommended to write at least 1000 words, four days a week. "This writing can include almost anything related to existential risks or rationality -- notes to oneself, personal brainstorms, emails on relevant issues, draft posts for Less Wrong or for local Less Wrong. It is meant primarily to prompt thought, and secondarily to help develop writing skills, and particularly the ability to write quickly."
We also made a plan about the things I want to improve and accomplish while I'm here. For the "learning" part, Anna thought that improving my writing skills even further would probably be a good idea. She also asked me about the things on the official Curriculum I thought I wanted to improve on the most. We settled on math (I really need to brush up my calculus soon, and get over the ugh field I have around it), charisma (which probably counts at least as much as raw intelligence in life achievements) and physical exercise (since I don't usually get enough of it).
For projects, I'm first looking at submitting something at this year's ECAP conference (probably a shortened version of a paper I already submitted to Minds and Machines' transhumanism CFP, and which may or may not be accepted), also make more LW posts and prepare some other conference / journal papers. For helping others, well, I'm helping Eliezer, and I'll try to help Justin develop his writing skills. And so forth. Yay!
Goals while here
Learning plan:
- Acquire Dabbler-level skill in everything.
- Improve analytic writing ability:
- Ask Steve to critique writing. Often.
- Ask Anna, also.
- Look at some good analytic philosophy articles/books, and try to see what writing structures are used. (maybe Dennett, Eliezer, Bostrom, Parfit; maybe also try a guide on writing analytic philosophy papers, for advanced undergrads or grad students).
- Brainstorm means of improving analytic writing skill, for a timed 30 min.
- Judging procedure at the end:
- Karma, k, from your highest-rated LW post ever;
- Collect Steve's, Anna's, Justin's 0 to 10 ratings for "analytic skill in speaking and/or writing": now and at the end of the summer. (Feel free to ask folks for intermediate ratings, and for what would help, as you try to gauge progress.) Call the summed difference between ending and beginning numbers d. Improvement, Quantified, is 100d + (k-52)^2.
- Exercise at least three times/week. Enter it into the log.
- Math: complete Mike Blume's calc course. Aim is to: (a) get up to speed in calculus; and (b) remove ugh fields around calculus, so as to be better able to triumph over CogSci coursework at home.
- Improve Charisma stat:
- Brainstorm means of improving Charisma stat, in writing. (A bulleted list of questions or ideas; try it for a timed 30 min, and then continue if you want to continue.) Bounce off two or more folks who can give feedback.
- Draft future points.
- Writing requirement will be relaxed to 2x/week for Kaj, on account of his writing assistance for Eliezer.
- Discuss LJ posts with folks at home.
- Gather info on what the different paths are like, and whether you might be able to be happy in them. Possibly try the Brilliant Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Book, also.
- [figure out more plan]
- Submit something for ECAP, plausibly by revisiting Minds and Machines.
- Discuss Minds and Machines paper with Anna. Monday at 8:30pm.
- Also get Steve Rayhawk to critique it, ASAP.
- Make revised draft, etc.
- More LW posts.
- See about helping Justin gain writing fluency, either by co-writing LW posts or conference papers, or by commenting on Justin's writing and helping him with it.
- Eliezer writing assistance. Go Kaj!
- [possibly another confernce/journal paper after May 7 ECAP.]