I think it’s time to close out this somewhat underspecified offer of a bet. So far, AspiringKnitter and Eliezer expressed interest but only if a method of resolving the bet could be determined, Alicorn offered to play a role in resolving the bet in return for a share of the winnings, and dlthomas offered up $15.
I will leave the possibility of joining the bet open for another 24 hours, starting from the moment this comment is posted. I won’t look at the site during that time. Then I’ll return, see who (if anyone) still wants a piece of the action, and will also attempt to resolve any remaining conflicts about who gets to participate and on what terms. You are allowed to say “I want to join the bet, but this is conditional upon resolving such-and-such issue of procedure, arbitration, etc.” Those details can be sorted out later. This is just the last chance to shortlist yourself as a potential bettor.
And the winners are… dlthomas, who gets $15, and ITakeBets, who gets $100, for being bold enough to bet unconditionally. I accept their bets, I formally concede them, aaaand we’re done.
You know I followed your talk about betting but never once considered that I could win money for realz if I took you up on it. The difficulty of proving such things made the subject seem just abstract. Oops.
I didn’t exactly realize it, but I reduced the probability. My goal was never to make a bet, my goal was to sockblock Will. But in the end I found his protestations somewhat convincing; he actually sounded for a moment like someone earnestly defending himself, rather than like a joker. And I wasn’t in the mood to re-run my comparison between the Gospel of Will and the Knitter’s Apocryphon. So I tried to retire the bet in a fair way, since having an ostentatious unsubstantiated accusation of sockpuppetry in the air is almost as corrosive to community trust as it is to be beset by the real thing. (ETA: I posted this before I saw Kevin’s comment, by the way!)
“Next time just don’t be a dick and you won’t lose a hundred bucks,” says the unreflective part of my brain whose connotations I don’t necessarily endorse but who I think does have a legitimate point.
Edit: Putting up $100, regardless of anyone else’s participation, and I’m prepared to demonstrate that I’m not Will_Newsome if that is somehow necessary.
I said
I think it’s time to close out this somewhat underspecified offer of a bet. So far, AspiringKnitter and Eliezer expressed interest but only if a method of resolving the bet could be determined, Alicorn offered to play a role in resolving the bet in return for a share of the winnings, and dlthomas offered up $15.
I will leave the possibility of joining the bet open for another 24 hours, starting from the moment this comment is posted. I won’t look at the site during that time. Then I’ll return, see who (if anyone) still wants a piece of the action, and will also attempt to resolve any remaining conflicts about who gets to participate and on what terms. You are allowed to say “I want to join the bet, but this is conditional upon resolving such-and-such issue of procedure, arbitration, etc.” Those details can be sorted out later. This is just the last chance to shortlist yourself as a potential bettor.
I’ll be back in 24 hours.
And the winners are… dlthomas, who gets $15, and ITakeBets, who gets $100, for being bold enough to bet unconditionally. I accept their bets, I formally concede them, aaaand we’re done.
You know I followed your talk about betting but never once considered that I could win money for realz if I took you up on it. The difficulty of proving such things made the subject seem just abstract. Oops.
And thus concludes the funniest thread on LessWrong in a very long time. Thanks, folks.
Thank you.
What did they win money for?
Betting money. That is how such things work.
You’re such a dick. Haha. Upvoted.
You not being Will_Newsome. (I can’t imagine how bizarre it must be to be watching this conversation from your perspective.)
Wait, but what changed that caused Mitchell_Porter to realize that?
I didn’t exactly realize it, but I reduced the probability. My goal was never to make a bet, my goal was to sockblock Will. But in the end I found his protestations somewhat convincing; he actually sounded for a moment like someone earnestly defending himself, rather than like a joker. And I wasn’t in the mood to re-run my comparison between the Gospel of Will and the Knitter’s Apocryphon. So I tried to retire the bet in a fair way, since having an ostentatious unsubstantiated accusation of sockpuppetry in the air is almost as corrosive to community trust as it is to be beset by the real thing. (ETA: I posted this before I saw Kevin’s comment, by the way!)
“Next time just don’t be a dick and you won’t lose a hundred bucks,” says the unreflective part of my brain whose connotations I don’t necessarily endorse but who I think does have a legitimate point.
No idea. Don’t have to show your cards if you fold...
I think he just gave up and didn’t want to be the guy sowing seeds of discontent with no evidence. That kind of thing is bad for communities.
Mitchell asked Will directly at http://lesswrong.com/lw/b9/welcome_to_less_wrong/5jby so perhaps he just trusts Will not to lie when using the Will_Newsome account.
I’ll stake $500 if eligible.
When would the answer need to be known by?
I am interested.
Edit: Putting up $100, regardless of anyone else’s participation, and I’m prepared to demonstrate that I’m not Will_Newsome if that is somehow necessary.
I’ll stake $100 against you, if and only if Eliezer also participates.
(Replying rather than editing, to make sure that my comment displays as un-edited.)
I should also stipulate that I am not, nor have I ever been, Will Newsome.
It’s not impossible that I was once Will Newsome, I suppose, nor even that I currently am. But if so, I’m unaware of the fact.
I am a known magus, so even an Imperius curse is not out of the question.
Turns out LW is a Chesterton-esque farce in which all posters are secretly Wills trolling Wills.
Then I’m really wasting time here.
Yes, I all are!
Or you’ve been neglecting to treat your Spontaneous Duplication.