Hi all. I’m a seasoned engineer, BSEE plus MS in Systems Engineering, with a couple of decades in electronics systems architecture, team management, and now organization management. I’m a big picture guy who can still somewhat do the math, but not really much anymore (ahhh, back in the day.......). Myers-Briggs says I’m an INTJ.
I’ve had some classes and additional practical experience in decision theory, statistics, communications theory, motivation, common biases and fallacies, utility, and such basics. I am beset with an interest in almost everything technical (I’m a T person, with the depth in electronics systems and the breadth in general engineering and technical topics), but heavily skewed to applied technology, not research. The observable world to me seems to be horridly sub-optimized, largely to human short-sightedness and apparent inability to plan ahead or see the bigger picture of their actions. I much like games and what-ifs. Favorite quotes include Einstein’s “you can’t solve problems with the same level of thinking that created them”, an unattributed “people are not rational creatures, but rationalizing”, and one I use to limit analysis-paralysis “I can afford to be wrong, but not indecisive”.
I am individualistic and introverted by nature, but I’ve become more socially conscious and communicative as I’ve progressed in my career and life with wife and kids. I’m here because I’d like for the world to be a more rational place, especially for my children, but honestly my expectations for success are low. I like the moderated format and technically leaning of this site, though to be honest my readings over the last few days indicate the discussions are more like a debate room than a crowd-sourced problem-solving machine. I’m not saying that is bad, but I can’t help but wonder where the “action verbs” will come into the game.
I like the moderated format and technically leaning of this site, though to be honest my readings over the last few days indicate the discussions are more like a debate room than a crowd-sourced problem-solving machine. I’m not saying that is bad, but I can’t help but wonder where the “action verbs” will come into the game.
Function follows form; a forum website mostly leads to forum-style discussions. But other things are going on in forms that are more conductive to action verbs, like physical meetups or workshops run by CFAR. (And the changes mostly happen in the lives of people reading the site, like you could see in the bragging threads or rationality diaries.)
I like the moderated format and technically leaning of this site, though to be honest my readings over the last few days indicate the discussions are more like a debate room than a crowd-sourced problem-solving machine.
If you have a specific problem that you want to get solved that you think fits the website, feel free to open a thread in discussion.
But I don’t think there’s no problem solving. Out of the first site at the moment there are:
1) Request for suggestions: ageing and data-mining (The thread is about chosing how the OP focuses his scientific research which is a practical problem)
2) Breaking the vicious cycle (Solving a community problem, that important for some members)
3)The Centre for Effective Altruism is hiring to fill five roles in research, operations and outreach (Recruitment is a clear practical problem)
4) I just increased my Altruistic Effectiveness and you should too (Shares a practical technique about increasing the size of donations)
5) Shop for Charity: how to earn proven charities 5% of your Amazon spending in commission (Practical technique for increasing money going to charity)
6) Memory Improvement: Mnemonics, Tools, or Books on the Topic? (Sharing of practical techniques)
7) I Want To Believe: Rational Edition (Sharing of practical techniques)
8) Financial Effectiveness Repository (Sharing of practical techniques)
9) How to build the skill and the habit of experimentation? (Sharing of practical techniques)
This site is unusually populated with internal links—that must take some discipline for the posters (and either good search tools or good memories, or both!).
I will review your links, and I much appreciate your sharing.
Hi all. I’m a seasoned engineer, BSEE plus MS in Systems Engineering, with a couple of decades in electronics systems architecture, team management, and now organization management. I’m a big picture guy who can still somewhat do the math, but not really much anymore (ahhh, back in the day.......). Myers-Briggs says I’m an INTJ.
I’ve had some classes and additional practical experience in decision theory, statistics, communications theory, motivation, common biases and fallacies, utility, and such basics. I am beset with an interest in almost everything technical (I’m a T person, with the depth in electronics systems and the breadth in general engineering and technical topics), but heavily skewed to applied technology, not research. The observable world to me seems to be horridly sub-optimized, largely to human short-sightedness and apparent inability to plan ahead or see the bigger picture of their actions. I much like games and what-ifs. Favorite quotes include Einstein’s “you can’t solve problems with the same level of thinking that created them”, an unattributed “people are not rational creatures, but rationalizing”, and one I use to limit analysis-paralysis “I can afford to be wrong, but not indecisive”.
I am individualistic and introverted by nature, but I’ve become more socially conscious and communicative as I’ve progressed in my career and life with wife and kids. I’m here because I’d like for the world to be a more rational place, especially for my children, but honestly my expectations for success are low. I like the moderated format and technically leaning of this site, though to be honest my readings over the last few days indicate the discussions are more like a debate room than a crowd-sourced problem-solving machine. I’m not saying that is bad, but I can’t help but wonder where the “action verbs” will come into the game.
Welcome!
Function follows form; a forum website mostly leads to forum-style discussions. But other things are going on in forms that are more conductive to action verbs, like physical meetups or workshops run by CFAR. (And the changes mostly happen in the lives of people reading the site, like you could see in the bragging threads or rationality diaries.)
Thank you for the welcome!
I will review CFAR, as at a glace it has some significant clients and at least some success.
There are no meetups near me, it seems.
I appreciate the feedback.
If you have a specific problem that you want to get solved that you think fits the website, feel free to open a thread in discussion.
But I don’t think there’s no problem solving. Out of the first site at the moment there are:
1) Request for suggestions: ageing and data-mining (The thread is about chosing how the OP focuses his scientific research which is a practical problem)
2) Breaking the vicious cycle (Solving a community problem, that important for some members)
3)The Centre for Effective Altruism is hiring to fill five roles in research, operations and outreach (Recruitment is a clear practical problem)
4) I just increased my Altruistic Effectiveness and you should too (Shares a practical technique about increasing the size of donations)
5) Shop for Charity: how to earn proven charities 5% of your Amazon spending in commission (Practical technique for increasing money going to charity)
6) Memory Improvement: Mnemonics, Tools, or Books on the Topic? (Sharing of practical techniques)
7) I Want To Believe: Rational Edition (Sharing of practical techniques)
8) Financial Effectiveness Repository (Sharing of practical techniques)
9) How to build the skill and the habit of experimentation? (Sharing of practical techniques)
I don’t consider that a bad output.
Thank you for the welcome!
This site is unusually populated with internal links—that must take some discipline for the posters (and either good search tools or good memories, or both!).
I will review your links, and I much appreciate your sharing.