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Gianluca Truda

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Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent031 | Kat Woods — Effective Altruism, Infohazards, and Brain HacksKat Woods is an effective altruist and the co-founder of Nonlinear, which incubates longtermist nonprofits by connecting founders with ideas, funding, and mentorship. Gianluca and Kat discuss brain hacks for curing imposter syndrome and being more agentic, infohazards, the simulation hypothesis, why you don’t need permission to do things, “passive impact” via automation, and Kat’s exciting new projects at Nonlinear. -------- Shownotes: -------- Kat Woods on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Kat__Woods Kat’s blog: www.katwoods.org/ Nonlinear: www.nonlinear.org/ Effective Altruism...
2022-08-171h 27Replacing Guilt
Replacing GuiltReplacing Guilt (full audiobook)The complete Replacing Guilt series. Written by Nate Soares. Read and produced by Gianluca Truda. --- Contents 0:00:36 : Preliminaries 0:17:50 : Part 1: Fighting for something 1:03:20 : Part 2: Drop your obligations 1:30:27 : Part 3: Half monkey, half god 2:44:30 : Part 4: The dark world 4:17:40 : Part 5: Fire within 5:39:14 : Conclusion 5:43:46 : Series reflection (excerpt from Bit of a Tangent) --- The My Hero comic by Matt Rhodes: mindingourway.com/content/images/2015/05/MyHero.jpg --- If you enjoyed this audiobook, please do share it...
2021-06-255h 59Replacing Guilt
Replacing GuiltUpdates and DiscussionThis episode is made of two parts. Firstly, some updates on the project: the audiobook is still in progress and should be released soon. I'll be uploading it to this feed and will try make it as accessible as possible. To tie you all over until then, the rest of this instalment is an excerpt from the Bit of a Tangent podcast, which I co-host with my good friend, Jared. We discussed how and why I came to narrate Replacing Guilt, how to gain the most from listening to the series, and the types of people who will find...
2021-05-1818 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt42 Conclusion"All we need to do, in any given moment, is look upon the actions available to us, consider, and take whichever one seems most likely to lead to a future full of light." -------- Stay subscribed for future updates about a full audiobook version, as well as further discussions on the subject matter. Original post: http://mindingourway.com/guilt-conclusion/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda...
2021-03-1704 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt41 How we will be measured"After nearly a year of writing, my "replacing guilt" sequence is coming to a close. I have just one more thing to say on the subject, by pointing out a running theme throughout the series." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/how-we-will-be-measured/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Chad Crouch.
2021-03-1007 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt40 Defiance"Defiance-the-virtue is about having the same reflexive response, not towards an authority figure, but towards the state of a broken world. It's about making the fact that you struggle to fix broken worlds automatic and unspoken — you might weigh your options and bide your time, but you spare no thought for whether you will struggle. I don't know how to teach defiance, but it's one of the keystones of my motivation system. If you want to build yourself a motivation system akin to mine, defiance is an important component." -------- Original post: http://mi...
2021-03-0309 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt39 Recklessness"The second dubious virtue is recklessness. As with desperation, there are many bad ways to be reckless. There is a nihilistic recklessness, in those with a muted ability to feel and care, that is self-destructive. There is a social recklessness, when peers push each other towards doing something dangerous that none of them would do alone, in a demonstration of commitment that can become needlessly dangerous. And there is a fiery, destructive recklessness in those too quick to anger, which can lead people to actions they will regret for a lifetime. I caution against all these types of recklessness.
2021-02-2407 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt38 Desperation"The next three posts will discuss what I dub the three dubious virtues: desperation, recklessness, and defiance. I call them dubious, because each can easily turn into a vice if used incorrectly or excessively. As you read these posts, keep in mind the law of equal and opposite advice. Though these virtues are dubious, I have found each of them to be a crucial component of a strong and healthy intrinsic motivation system. The first of the three dubious virtues is desperation. There are bad ways to be desperate: visible desperation towards people can put you in...
2021-02-1712 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt37 Confidence all the way up"I have found this mindset to be very useful throughout my life.  Confidence all the way up is what has me dive into the fray to try new  things, while others stand on the sidelines bemoaning a high degree of  uncertainty. It's part of the technique of treat recurring failures as data and training, rather than as a signal that it's time to feel guilty. It's part of the technique of knowing you're deeply limited without letting that interfere with your progress towards the goal.  Of the top ten most competent people I've met in person (by my  estimation), eight...
2021-02-1008 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt36 The art of response"Polished response patterns have proven useful to me, and I attribute much of my skill at math, programming, and running nonprofits to having sane responses to new obstacles. Regardless of where you get your response patterns from, I suspect that honing them will do you well." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/the-art-of-response/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms...
2021-01-1311 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt35 Obvious advice"Sometimes, I wonder how successful a person would be if they just did all the obvious things in pursuit of their goals [...] So with that in mind, allow me to offer some quite obvious pieces of advice, which have proven very useful for me..." Replacing Guilt will return to schedule in 2021. Take care and enjoy the break. -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/obvious-advice/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced...
2020-12-2309 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt34 There is no try"Ok, so "try" is actually a pretty useful concept; there's a reason we  have a very short word for it in the English language. Nevertheless, I  have found it quite useful to occasionally spend a few weeks refusing to  use the word "try" or any of its synonyms, at least when talking about  myself, and especially when thinking about myself to myself." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/there-is-no-try/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soar...
2020-12-1607 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt33 Stop trying to try and try"Many years ago, when I was in high school, a friend of mine came back from college having joined a fencing team. He wanted to show me some of  the basics, so he tossed me a sabre, and we had at each other. We  crossed swords a few times, and he said something along the lines of "Nate, the goal isn't to hit my sword, the goal is to hit me." [...] " -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/stop-trying-to-try-and-try/ "SENS is currently fundraising, by the way": www.sens.org Find Nate Soares at...
2020-12-0914 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent030 | Predictive Processing 3: Neurobiology, Prediction, and Computational PsychiatryIn this episode, Gianluca and Jared discuss the neurobiology of predictive processing, the role of dopamine in reward signalling, satisfaction, and human desire. They also touch on the relation of reward to reinforcement learning and artificial intelligence. The podcast then shifts to discuss the clinical manifestations of the predictive brain, including the computational psychiatry of depression, autism-spectrum-disorder, and schizophrenia, and how top-down prediction, and precision-weighted prediction error explain central aspects of these conditions.--------Shownotes:--------Jared on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jnearestnGianluca on Twitter: www.t...
2020-12-031h 07Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent030 | Predictive Processing 3: Neurobiology, Prediction, and Computational PsychiatryIn this episode, Gianluca and Jared discuss the neurobiology of predictive processing, the role of dopamine in reward signalling, satisfaction, and human desire. They also touch on the relation of reward to reinforcement learning and artificial intelligence.  The podcast then shifts to discuss the clinical manifestations of the predictive brain, including the computational psychiatry of depression, autism-spectrum-disorder, and schizophrenia, and how top-down prediction, and precision-weighted prediction error explain central aspects of these conditions. -------- Shownotes: -------- Bit of a Tangent on Twitter (www.twitter.com/podtangent) and Instagram (i...
2020-12-031h 07Replacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt32 Dark, Not Colorless"The last arc of posts has been about how to handle a dour universe. Become unable to despair, learn to see the darkness rather than flinching from it, learn to choose between bad and worse without suffering. Learn to live in a grim world without becoming grim yourself, learn to hear bad news without suffering, and stop needing to know your actions were acceptable. Come to terms with the fact you may lose, use the darkness as a source of fuel, and let go of dreams of total victory. These are the tools I use to tap into intrinsic...
2020-12-0205 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt31 The best you can"In fiction, protagonists narrow their focus until the difference between success and failure on their specific task seems like the difference between victory and defeat. Batman attempts to solve the mystery while ensuring that nobody dies; meanwhile, children in Africa suffer from Malaria. The crew in The Martian spends billions of dollars worth of capital to save one man; capital that could have been spent curing diseases. Real people run a risk of duplicating this error, if they try to find the very best action available. ..." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/best-you-can/ ...
2020-11-2504 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt30 Transmute guilt into resolve"Most of the time, if something is hurting you, I recommend making it stop. There is one exception, though..." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/transmute-guilt-i/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Chad Crouch.
2020-10-2908 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt29 Come to your terms"So here's my advice: Think the unthinkable. Consider that which is  painful to consider. Figure out what, exactly, is at stake. Weigh the  consequences. Come to terms with them." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/come-to-your-terms/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Chad Crouch.
2020-10-2210 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt28 Have no excuses"If you have an excuse prepared, you will be tempted to fall back on it. An excuse makes failure more acceptable, in some way. It's a license to fail." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/have-no-excuses/ "But you know about the planning fallacy" "a wonderful opportunity for self-signaling" Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Ch...
2020-10-1514 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt27 Simply locate yourself"... Maybe some part of you is pushing against reality, trying to deny it, willing the past to change." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/simply-locate-yourself/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Chad Crouch.
2020-10-0808 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt26 Detach the grim-o-meter"I'm betting that the last three posts have given many readers an incorrect impression about my demeanor. It's  easy to read those posts and conclude that I must be a grim, brooding  character who goes around with his jaw set all day long. Which is understandable, but silly. You don't need to carry a grim demeanor to draw strength from seeing the dark world. It's quite  possible to deeply want the world to be different than it is, and tap  into a deep well of cold resolve, and still also be curious, playful,  and relaxed in turn.
2020-09-3005 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt25 Choose without suffering"When given a choice between bad and worse, you need to be able to choose "bad", without qualm." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/choose-without-suffering/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Chad Crouch.
2020-09-2306 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt24 See the dark world"Consider fictional Carol, who has convinced herself that she doesn't  need to worry  about the suffering of people who live far away. She  works to improve her local community, and donates to her local church.  She's a kind and loving woman, and she does her part, and (she reasons)  that's all anyone can be expected to do. Now consider fictional Dave, who failed a job interview. When telling  his friends the story, he emphasizes how the interviewers were biased  against him, and how they asked stupid questions. Meanwhile, driven by hunger, a fox tries to reach s...
2020-09-1514 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt23 The value of a life"If you have money and want to save lives, you had better put a price on life. Scott Alexander explains it better than I can. But don't mix up the price of a life with the value of a life. I see this happen all too frequently. To correct this mistake, I'm going to tell a little story..." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/the-value-of-a-life Some of us work in the mines to make the dragon's tax. Others prepare for the day we will confront the dragon — for the weapons we must bring to...
2020-09-1017 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt22 Being unable to despair"Sometimes, when people see that their life is about to get a lot  harder, they start buckling down. Other times, they start despairing, or  complaining, or preparing excuses so that they can have one ready when  the inevitable failure hits, or giving up entirely and then failing with abandon.  These next few posts assume that you have the former demeanor, and they  might not be helpful to people who are inclined to respond to new  difficulties with despair. Remember the law of equal and opposite advice! (For every person who needs a certain piece of advice, there is someone else w...
2020-09-0405 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent029 | Predictive Processing 2: Where The Action IsThis week’s episode of Bit of a Tangent is a continuation of our 3 part series on Predictive Processing - a fascinating neuroscientific account of the way our brains come to understand the world. If you haven’t already listened to part 1 (episode 028), check that out first!  In this episode Gianluca and Jared discuss the importance of sensory precision, the circular causality of prediction and action, how action comes about in a counterintuitive way from high confidence predictions, the way in which prior expectations can bias sensory sampling, and how this could lead to self-fulfilling spirals that would...
2020-09-0344 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent029 | Predictive Processing 2: Where The Action IsThis week’s episode of Bit of a Tangent is a continuation of our 3 part series on Predictive Processing - a fascinating neuroscientific account of the way our brains come to understand the world. If you haven’t already listened to part 1 (episode 028), check that out first! In this episode Gianluca and Jared discuss the importance of sensory precision, the circular causality of prediction and action, how action comes about in a counterintuitive way from high confidence predictions, the way in which prior expectations can bias sensory sampling, and how this could lead to self-fulfilling spirals that would...
2020-09-0300 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt21 Residing in the mortal realm"Many people hold themselves to a very different standard than they hold others. They hold themselves accountable for failing to do the psychologically impossible. They fret over past mistakes and treat themselves as failed gods, rather than ambitious monkeys. This condemning-of-the-self can lead to great guilt, with all its negative effects. My suggestion for dealing with guilt, roughly speaking, is to first focus your guilt, by dispelling the guilt that comes from not doing what other people think you should or from from false obligations,  and shifting all your guilt into guilt about the fact that you h...
2020-09-0106 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt20 There are no "bad people""I confess, I do not know what it would mean for somebody to be a "bad  person." I do know what it means for somebody to be bad at achieving  the goals they set for themselves. I do know what it means for someone  to be good at pursuing goals that I dislike. I have no idea what it  would mean for a person to "be bad." I know what it means for a person to lack skill in a specific area. I  know what it means for a person to be procrastinating. I know what it  means...
2020-08-2509 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt19 Self compassion"To close the gap between compassion and self-compassion, I offer two  tools. The first is a reminder that self-compassion is not the same  thing as self-pity, and nor is it the same thing as making excuses for  yourself. It is well possible to feel self-compassion even while  thinking that you are not moving fast enough. It is perfectly possible  to feel self-compassion even as you notice that you're completely  failing to act as you wish to." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/self-compassion/ "if you want help feeling compassion towards your fellow humans, then m...
2020-08-2008 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent028 | Predictive Processing 1: The World You Thought You KnewIt's here. It's finally here! The first in a series of three episodes diving into the predictive processing theory of brain function! Jared and Gianluca discuss top-down versus bottom-up perception, Bayesian Brain hypotheses, the logic of caring only about prediction error, and the phenomenology of visual illusions! 
2020-08-1700 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent028 | Predictive Processing 1: The World You Thought You KnewIt's here. It's finally here! The first in a series of three episodes diving into the predictive processing theory of brain function! Jared and Gianluca discuss top-down versus bottom-up perception, Bayesian Brain hypotheses, the logic of caring only about prediction error, and the phenomenology of visual illusions!  
2020-08-1750 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt18 Where coulds go"Most people don't think they "could" cure Alzheimers by snapping  their fingers, and so they don't feel terrible about failing to do this. By contrast, people who fail to resist overeating, or who fail to  stop playing Civilization at a reasonable hour, feel strongly that they  "could have" resisted, and take this as a license to feel terrible about  their decisions. As I said last week, most people have broken "coulds.  Willpower is scarce in this world. Sometimes, you can will yourself  out of a mental rut you're in, but only rarely; more often...
2020-08-1506 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt17 Not yet gods"You probably don't feel guilty for failing to snap your fingers in just such a way as to produce a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Yet, many people do feel guilty for failing to work until they drop every single day (which is a psychological impossibility). They feel guilty for failing to magically abandon behavioral patterns they dislike, without practice or retraining (which is a cognitive impossibility). What gives?" -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/not-yet-gods/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com...
2020-08-1204 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent027 | 7 Practices to Survive the 2020 ApocalypseGianluca and Jared have survived 2020 (so far) and are back for Season 3 of Bit of a Tangent. In this episode they bring you 7 new habits and techniques that can be used to iteratively upgrade yourself — even in lockdown. Forget everything else that’s going on in the world, and take a deep dive into personal optimisation. Or, as they’d put it, prepare to geek out on organisation hacks, bootstrapped learning, and motivation pumps.  -------- Shownotes: -------- Bit of a Tangent on Twitter (www.twitter.com/podtangent) and Instagram (instagram.com/podtang...
2020-08-1129 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent027 | 7 Practices to Survive the 2020 ApocalypseGianluca and Jared have survived 2020 (so far) and are back for Season 3 of Bit of a Tangent. In this episode they bring you 7 new habits and techniques that can be used to iteratively upgrade yourself — even in lockdown. Forget everything else that’s going on in the world, and take a deep dive into personal optimisation. Or, as they’d put it, prepare to geek out on organisation hacks, bootstrapped learning, and motivation pumps. --------Shownotes:--------Jared on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jnearestnGianluca on Twitter: www.twitter.com/QVa...
2020-08-1100 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt16 Be a new homunculus"Here's a mental technique that I find useful for addressing many dour feelings, guilt among them: When you're feeling guilty, it is sometimes helpful to close your  eyes for a moment, re-open them, and pretend that you're a new  homunculus." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/be-a-new-homunculus/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Chad Crouch.
2020-08-0606 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt15 Update from the suckerpunch"The most common objection I hear when helping people remove their  guilt is something along the lines of "Hey wait! I was using that!" Believing this (or really any variant of "but guilt is good for me!")  makes it fairly hard to replace guilt with something more productive..." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/update-from-the-suckerpunch/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of A...
2020-08-0306 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt14 Don't steer with guilt"I've spoken at length about shifting guilt or dispelling guilt. What I haven't talked about, yet, is guilt itself. So let's talk about guilt. Guilt is one of those strange tools that works by not occurring. You place guilt on the branches of possibility that you don't want to happen, and then, if all goes well, those futures don't occur. Guilt is supposed to steer the future towards non-guilty futures; it's never supposed to be instantiated in reality." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/dont-steer-with-guilt/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com
2020-05-3008 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt13 Shifting guilt"The posts so far have been less about confronting guilt, and more about different tools for shifting it. This is a valuable skill to generalize. The posts in this series have developed three such tools for shifting guilt. In this post, I'll recast those three tools as members of the same family, so that you can start to see the pattern, and develop similar tools from the same family as you need them. The tools that I have described so far shift guilt to one particular place: guilt about being unable to act as you...
2020-05-2609 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt12 Rest in motion"Many people seem to think the 'good' state of being, the 'ground' state, is a relaxed state, a state with lots of rest and very little action. Because they think the ground state is the relaxed state, they act like maintaining any other state requires effort, requires suffering. This is a failure mode that I used to fall into pretty regularly. I would model my work as a finite stream of tasks that needed doing. I'd think "once I've done the laundry and bought new shoes and finished the grocery shopping and fixed the bugs in my...
2020-05-0308 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt11 Working yourself ragged is not a virtue"Part 1 was about replacing the listless guilt: if someone feels vaguely guilty for not really doing anything with their life, then the best advice I can give is to start doing something. Find something to fight for. Find a way that the world is not right, and decide to change it. Once the guilt is about failing at a specific task, then we can start addressing it. Part 2 was about refusing to treat your moral impulses as obligations. Be wary of the word should, which tries to force an obligation upon you. I recommend refusing to do...
2020-04-1508 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent026 | Drink and be Rational[Epistemic status: slightly intoxicated]Jared and Gianluca exchange rapid-fire questions whilst becoming increasingly inebriated. Think of this episode as the Ferriss/Rose “Random Show,” but with more references to Bayesian inference. It’s pretty likely to entertain you, but hopefully you’ll find it interesting too. Topics include Email response times, VR projects, and the statistical approach to an ethical diet. --------Shownotes:--------Jared on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jnearestnGianluca on Twitter: www.twitter.com/QVagabondBit of a Tangent on Twitter (www.twitter.c...
2020-03-1100 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent026 | Drink and be Rational[Epistemic status: slightly intoxicated] Jared and Gianluca exchange rapid-fire questions whilst becoming increasingly inebriated. Think of this episode as the Ferriss/Rose “Random Show,” but with more references to Bayesian inference. It’s pretty likely to entertain you, but hopefully you’ll find it interesting too. Topics include Email response times, VR projects, and the statistical approach to an ethical diet.  -------- Shownotes: -------- Bit of a Tangent on Twitter (www.twitter.com/podtangent) and Instagram (instagram.com/podtangent/) Last episode: https://podtangent.com/e/025-self-supervised-machine-learning-introduction-intuitions-and-use-cases/ The Gam...
2020-03-111h 07Replacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt10 Your "shoulds" are not a duty"I have a friend who, after reading my last two posts, still struggled to give up her shoulds. She protested that, if she stopped doing things because she should, then she might do the wrong thing. I see this frequently, even among people who claim to be moral relativists: they protest that if they weigh their wants and their shoulds on the same scales, then they might make the wrong choice." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/shoulds-are-not-a-duty/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.co...
2020-03-1010 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt09 Not because you "should""A few months ago, a friend of mine was describing her motivational issues to me. As an example, she explained she was having trouble making herself clean her room, despite her dissatisfaction with the constant messiness. I asked: "Have you considered just not forcing yourself?"" -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/not-because-you-should/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Al...
2020-03-0609 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent025 | Self-Supervised Machine Learning: Introduction, Intuitions, and Use-CasesOn this episode of Bit of A Tangent, we discuss the emerging field of self-supervised machine learning. This is an immensely exciting area of active research in machine learning and AI - one which most people haven’t even heard about yet! We build up to the intuition for the topic by covering supervised and unsupervised learning; autoencoders and dimensionality reduction, and exploring how these techniques could be applied to Gianluca’s Quantified Self n=1 sleep quality dataset. We culminate in a detailed discussion of the state-of-the-art Contrastive Predictive Coding model, and how it allows us to learn about the...
2020-03-0500 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent025 | Self-Supervised Machine Learning: Introduction, Intuitions, and Use-CasesOn this episode of Bit of A Tangent, we discuss the emerging field of self-supervised machine learning. This is an immensely exciting area of active research in machine learning and AI - one which most people haven’t even heard about yet! We build up to the intuition for the topic by covering supervised and unsupervised learning; autoencoders and dimensionality reduction, and exploring how these techniques could be applied to Gianluca’s Quantified Self n=1 sleep quality dataset. We culminate in a detailed discussion of the state-of-the-art Contrastive Predictive Coding model, and how it allows us to learn about the...
2020-03-051h 31Replacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt08 "Should" considered harmful"My last few posts have been aimed at addressing what I call the "listless guilt," the vague sense of guilt that stems from not doing anything in particular. I said: The listless guilt is a guilt about not doing anything. To remove it, we must first turn it into a guilt about not doing something in particular. If you didn't have a listless guilt, or if you did and the last few posts worked for you, then you may now find yourself wrestling with a very pointed sort of guilt that stems from not doing particular things...
2020-03-0309 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt07 You don't get to know what you're fighting for"A number of my recent posts may have given you the impression that I know exactly what I'm fighting for. If someone were to ask you, "hey, what's that Nate guy trying so hard to do," you might answer something like "increase the chance of human survival," or "put an end to unwanted death" or "reduce suffering" or something. This isn't the case. I mean, I am doing those things, but those are all negative motivations: I am against Alzheimer's, I am against human extinction, but what am I for? The truth is, I don't...
2020-02-2809 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt06 Caring about something larger than yourself"In my last post, I said that in order to address the listless guilt, step zero is believing that you can care about something, and step one is finding something to care about. This post is about step one." -------- Original post: http://mindingourway.com/caring-about-some/ Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Chad Crouch.
2020-02-2315 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt05 You're allowed to fight for something"The first sort of guilt I want to address is the listless guilt, that vague feeling one gets after playing video games for twelve hours straight, a guilty feeling that you should be doing something else. Many people in my local friend group don't suffer from the listless guilt, because many people in my sphere are effective altruists who feel a very acute and specific sense of guilt when they think they've spent their time poorly. Specific guilt tends to be as bad or worse than the listless guilt, but before I address specific guilt, I need to confront...
2020-02-2110 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent024 | Replacing GuiltGianluca announces his latest project—the audio version of Nate Soares’ Replacing Guilt series—and Jared explains why it’s a notable contribution to the rationalist community. Together, they discuss how to gain the most from listening to the series and why it’s something you should strongly consider doing if you often find yourself binging Netflix until 3 AM.  --------Shownotes:--------Replacing Guilt podcast: https://anchor.fm/guiltRationality: From AI to Zombies podcast: www.from-ai-to-zombies.eu/SlateStarCodex podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slate-star-codex-podcast/id1295289140...
2020-02-1900 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt04 The Stamp Collector"Once upon a time, a group of naïve philosophers found a robot that collected trinkets. Well, more specifically, the robot seemed to collect stamps: if you presented this robot with a choice between various trinkets, it would always choose the option that led towards it having as many stamps as possible in its inventory. It ignored dice, bottle caps, aluminum cans, sticks, twigs, and so on, except insofar as it predicted they could be traded for stamps in the next turn or two. So, of course, the philosophers started calling it the 'stamp collector.' ... " --------
2020-02-1709 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt03 Failing with AbandonTranscript: http://mindingourway.com/failing-with-abandon/ -------- "Over and over, I see people set themselves a target, miss it by a little, and then throw all restraint to the wind. "Well," they seem to think, "willpower has failed me; I might as well over-indulge." I call this pattern "failing with abandon." But you don't have to fail with abandon. When you miss your targets, you're allowed to say "dang!" and then continue trying to get as close to your target as you can..." -------- Find Nate Soares at http://mindingourway...
2020-02-1002 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt02 Half-assing it with everything you've gotTranscript: http://mindingourway.com/half-assing-it-with-everything-youve-got -------- I worry that guilt and shame are unhealthy long-term motivators. In many of my friends, guilt and shame tend to induce akrasia, reduce productivity, and drain motivation. So over the next few weeks, I'll be writing a series of posts about removing guilt/shame motivation and replacing it with something stronger. -------- Find Nate Soares at mindingourway.com Find Gianluca Truda at gianlucatruda.com Replacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is...
2020-02-0815 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent024 | Replacing GuiltGianluca announces his latest project—the audio version of Nate Soares’ Replacing Guilt series—and Jared explains why it’s a notable contribution to the rationalist community. Together, they discuss how to gain the most from listening to the series and why it’s something you should strongly consider doing if you often find yourself binging Netflix until 3 AM.   -------- Shownotes: -------- Replacing Guilt podcast: https://anchor.fm/guilt Rationality: From AI to Zombies podcast: www.from-ai-to-zombies.eu/ SlateStarCodex podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slate-star-codex-podcast/id1295289140...
2020-02-0419 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent023 | Are Brains Just Neural Nets?Jared and Gianluca have an uncompromising exchange about computational neuroscience and its implications for life and AI research. --------------- Shownotes: --------------- Bit of a Tangent on Twitter (twitter.com/podtangent) and Instagram (instagram.com/podtangent/) Last episode: www.podtangent.com/e/022-6-books-you-need-to-read-in-2020/ Ideas episode: www.podtangent.com/e/021-the-top-19-ideas-from-2019/ The Portal podcast episode with Garrett Lisi: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-garrett-lisi-my-arch-nemesis-myself/id1469999563?i=1000458879827 Don Hoffman on Sam Harris’ podcast: https://samharris.org/subscriber-extras/178-reality-illusion/
2020-01-2944 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent023 | Are Brains Just Neural Nets?Jared and Gianluca have an uncompromising exchange about computational neuroscience and its implications for life and AI research.---------------Shownotes:---------------Jared on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jnearestnGianluca on Twitter: www.twitter.com/QVagabondBit of a Tangent on Twitter (twitter.com/podtangent) and Instagram (instagram.com/podtangent/)Last episode: www.podtangent.com/e/022-6-books-you-need-to-read-in-2020/Ideas episode: www.podtangent.com/e/021-the-top-19-ideas-from-2019/The Portal podcast episode with Garrett Lisi: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-garrett-lisi-my-arch-nemesis-myself/id1469999563?i=1000458879827
2020-01-2900 minReplacing Guilt
Replacing Guilt01 Replacing guiltTranscript: http://mindingourway.com/replacing-guilt -------- In my experience, many people are motivated primarily by either guilt, shame, or some combination of the two. Some are people who binge-watch television, feel deeply guilty about it, and convert that guilt into a burning need to Actually Do Something on the following day. Others are people who feel guilty whenever they stop working before they literally fall over from exhaustion, and in attempts to avoid that guilty feeling, they consistently work themselves weary. I find that using guilt as a motivation source is both unhealthy and inefficient...
2020-01-2103 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent022 | 6 Books You Need to Read in 2020… and 1 You Probably Shouldn’tGianluca presents his much-requested three non-fiction and three fiction recommendations for 2020. Jared recommends a book so long and gripping that you should probably avoid it if you have anything productive to do in the next six months.  --------------- Shownotes: --------------- Bit of a Tangent on Twitter (twitter.com/podtangent) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/podtangent/) Last week’s episode: www.podtangent.com/e/021-the-top-19-ideas-from-2019/ Gianluca on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/56535709-gianluca Books Gianluca read in 2019: www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/14773941 Alg...
2020-01-2145 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent022 | 6 Books You Need to Read in 2020… and 1 You Probably Shouldn’tGianluca presents his much-requested three non-fiction and three fiction recommendations for 2020. Jared recommends a book so long and gripping that you should probably avoid it if you have anything productive to do in the next six months. ---------------Shownotes:---------------Jared (twitter.com/jnearestn) and Gianluca (twitter.com/QVagabond) on TwitterBit of a Tangent on Twitter (twitter.com/podtangent) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/podtangent/)Last week’s episode: www.podtangent.com/e/021-the-top-19-ideas-from-2019/Gianluca on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/56535709-gianluca
2020-01-2100 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent021 | The Top 19 Ideas from 2019Bit of a Tangent is back! In this episode, Jared shares the 19 ideas he couldn’t stop thinking about in 2019, whilst Gianluca does two B-grade Joe Rogan impressions. Together, they discuss everything from mechanism design to personal fitness hacks, and throw in some recommendations for supercharging your learning in the new year. Strap yourselves in for a taste of the fascinating conversations that lie ahead in 2020! --------------- Shownotes: --------------- Jared’s Twitter thread (19 ideas I couldn't stop thinking about in 2019): https://twitter.com/jnearestn/status/1211681767742156803 Eliezer Yudkowsky’s Sequences: https...
2020-01-1457 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent021 | The Top 19 Ideas from 2019Bit of a Tangent is back! In this episode, Jared shares the 19 ideas he couldn’t stop thinking about in 2019, whilst Gianluca does two B-grade Joe Rogan impressions. Together, they discuss everything from mechanism design to personal fitness hacks, and throw in some recommendations for supercharging your learning in the new year. Strap yourselves in for a taste of the fascinating conversations that lie ahead in 2020!---------------Shownotes:---------------Jared (twitter.com/jnearestn) and Gianluca (twitter.com/QVagabond) on TwitterJared’s Twitter thread (19 ideas I couldn't stop thinking abou...
2020-01-1400 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent020 | Mental Models 3: Fantastic Biases and Where To Find ThemThis is part 3 of the series on Mental Models, in which Gianluca and Jared discuss the cognitive biases that often impede aspiring rationalists. They discuss the idea of “System 1 and 2” thinking as a framing for the entire discussion, before exploring 12 of the most deadly thinking traps and how to avoid them. This includes everything from the Planning Fallacy and Anchoring, to more esoteric pitfalls that are yet to be named. Finally, they describe meta-biases—like the Bias Blindspot and the Fallacy Fallacy—equipping your mental toolkit with everything you need to upgrade your thinking.  --------------- Shownotes...
2019-11-051h 08Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent020 | Mental Models 3: Fantastic Biases and Where To Find ThemThis is part 3 of the series on Mental Models, in which Gianluca and Jared discuss the cognitive biases that often impede aspiring rationalists. They discuss the idea of “System 1 and 2” thinking as a framing for the entire discussion, before exploring 12 of the most deadly thinking traps and how to avoid them. This includes everything from the Planning Fallacy and Anchoring, to more esoteric pitfalls that are yet to be named. Finally, they describe meta-biases—like the Bias Blindspot and the Fallacy Fallacy—equipping your mental toolkit with everything you need to upgrade your thinking. ---------------Shownotes...
2019-11-0500 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent019 | Mental Models 2: How To Think Like A Bayesian, Avoid Black Swans, & Know The Value of Your DecisionsThis is part 2 of our series on Mental Models. In it, we’re bringing you the most useful and applicable models we’ve encountered in everything we’ve read, heard or seen over the years! In part 2 we unpack models from Bayesian reasoning, calibration, and expected value. We also cover fat-tailed distributions, counterfactual reasoning, inversion, and red-teaming. Throughout, we build up each model with examples and motivations, and often found ourselves making previously unseen (by us) links to other models which gave us several new insights. We hope this conversation will do the same for you!---------------S...
2019-10-2800 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent018 | Mental Models 1: How To Have Better Ideas and Improve Your ThinkingThis is part 1 of a new series on Mental Models - tips, tricks, and tools to add to your mental toolbox. In this episode we introduce the concept of a mental model but then quickly dive in to explanations of the most powerful models we’ve encountered. Join us and learn how to make better decisions (or know when a decision is not worth making), how to have more original and impactful ideas (and how to find the most promising ideas to work on out of the thousands you’ll soon have), and when tidying up your messy desk is j...
2019-10-2200 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent017 | Bronwyn Williams: Universal Basic Income & Individual SovereigntyThis episode features the much-anticipated conversation with Bronwyn Williams on the topic of Universal Basic Income (UBI). Bronwyn is a futurist and trend analyst with a background in marketing and economics. Gianluca and Jared pick her brain about the economic viability of UBI, the influence of politics and big tech, and the trends in automation that will shape the future of humanity. Regardless of your fiscal intuitions or political leanings, this episode will equip you with the core arguments in the UBI debate and leave you with plenty of food for thought.   -------------- S...
2019-10-141h 25Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent017 | Bronwyn Williams: Universal Basic Income & Individual SovereigntyThis episode features the much-anticipated conversation with Bronwyn Williams on the topic of Universal Basic Income (UBI). Bronwyn is a futurist and trend analyst with a background in marketing and economics. Gianluca and Jared pick her brain about the economic viability of UBI, the influence of politics and big tech, and the trends in automation that will shape the future of humanity. Regardless of your fiscal intuitions or political leanings, this episode will equip you with the core arguments in the UBI debate and leave you with plenty of food for thought. --------------S...
2019-10-1400 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent016 | Free Will, Compassion, and Reinforcement LearningThis is part 2 of our series on free will! In this episode we reconcile how it is that we can feel like we have free will (even when we don’t), give an evolutionary argument for why this might be the case and show how knowing this makes us more compassionate people who are (paradoxically) better at achieving our goals. Along the way, we explain what a Bayesian Network is (and why you should care about yours), and give an introduction to some of the key ideas and concepts in the field of Reinforcement Learning (a subfield of AI) an...
2019-09-2400 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent015 | You have no Choice in the MatterThis is Part 1 of the series on Free Will. In this episode, Gianluca and Jared dispel the assumption that humans have Free Will by presenting the argument from Determinism—popularised by Sam Harris. They discuss the evidence from physics, neurology, and the famous Libet experiments; before laying the groundwork for later conversations about what this implies morally and societally. You have no choice but to listen. -------- Shownotes: Sam Harris’s “Free Will: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13259270-free-will Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life (and some of his other fa...
2019-09-181h 02Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent015 | You have no Choice in the MatterThis is Part 1 of the series on Free Will. In this episode, Gianluca and Jared dispel the assumption that humans have Free Will by presenting the argument from Determinism—popularised by Sam Harris. They discuss the evidence from physics, neurology, and the famous Libet experiments; before laying the groundwork for later conversations about what this implies morally and societally. You have no choice but to listen.--------Shownotes:Sam Harris’s “Free Will: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13259270-free-willTed Chiang’s Story of Your Life (and some of his other fa...
2019-09-1800 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent014 | The Art of Looking - Part 1 of ??Jared and Gianluca try something new on this episode! We read passages from Robert Pirsig’s wonderful novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, reacting and discussing as we go! Along the way, we explored the limits of conceptual understanding (a.k.a. Shut up and taste the wine!), how the words we use to describe reality also end up defining it, limiting it or expanding it, and why cliches are so easy to dismiss and when they shouldn’t be (hint: your gran was right - there’s nothing a good night’s sleep won’t solve). We also di...
2019-09-091h 00Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent014 | The Art of Looking - Part 1 of ??Jared and Gianluca try something new on this episode! We read passages from Robert Pirsig’s wonderful novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, reacting and discussing as we go! Along the way, we explored the limits of conceptual understanding (a.k.a. Shut up and taste the wine!), how the words we use to describe reality also end up defining it, limiting it or expanding it, and why cliches are so easy to dismiss and when they shouldn’t be (hint: your gran was right - there’s nothing a good night’s sleep won’t solve). We also di...
2019-09-0900 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent013 | How To Learn Anything!We’ve all heard about the importance of learning. We’ve all heard about the importance of learning how to learn. Well, on this episode Gianluca and Jared dive into both of these topics. They discuss the philosophies of learning they’ve encountered on their own journeys, and share several key tricks that they’ve found most helpful over the years! Along the way they discovered a new way to think about how to keep your knowledge up to date in an ever changing world! Listener feedback can be recorded here: https://www.speakpipe.com/podtangent ...
2019-09-021h 10Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent013 | How To Learn Anything!We’ve all heard about the importance of learning. We’ve all heard about the importance of learning how to learn. Well, on this episode Gianluca and Jared dive into both of these topics. They discuss the philosophies of learning they’ve encountered on their own journeys, and share several key tricks that they’ve found most helpful over the years! Along the way they discovered a new way to think about how to keep your knowledge up to date in an ever changing world!Listener feedback can be recorded here: https://www.speakpipe.com/podtangent...
2019-09-0200 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent012 | How Deep Learning Does MagicThis is a discussion about why deep neural nets are unreasonably effective. Gianluca and Jared examine the relationships between neural architectures and the laws of physics that govern our Universe—exploring brains, human language, and linear functions. Nothing could have prepared them for the territories this episode expanded to, so strap yourself in!----------Shownotes:AlphaGo beating Lee Sedol at Go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaGo_versus_Lee_SedolOpenAI Five: https://openai.com/blog/openai-five/Taylor series/expansions video from 3Blue1Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
2019-08-2600 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent012 | How Deep Learning Does MagicThis is a discussion about why deep neural nets are unreasonably effective. Gianluca and Jared examine the relationships between neural architectures and the laws of physics that govern our Universe—exploring brains, human language, and linear functions. Nothing could have prepared them for the territories this episode expanded to, so strap yourself in! ---------- Shownotes: AlphaGo beating Lee Sedol at Go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaGo_versus_Lee_Sedol OpenAI Five: https://openai.com/blog/openai-five/ Taylor series/expansions video from 3Blue1Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
2019-08-261h 33Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent010 | Flow states, optimal performance, and PhD hunter-gatheringA deep-dive into the Flow state. Gianluca and Jared discuss the physiology and psychology of being in “the zone,” and the decades of research behind this state of optimal cognitive and physical performance. They also trade hypotheses about how and why the Flow state may have evolved, using the model of cultural evolution within hunter-gatherer tribes. ----------Shownotes:Flow psychology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)6 components of Flow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)#ComponentsFree soloing (a perfect example of a high-risk flow activity): https://www.i...
2019-08-1200 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent010 | Flow states, optimal performance, and PhD hunter-gatheringA deep-dive into the Flow state. Gianluca and Jared discuss the physiology and psychology of being in “the zone,” and the decades of research behind this state of optimal cognitive and physical performance. They also trade hypotheses about how and why the Flow state may have evolved, using the model of cultural evolution within hunter-gatherer tribes.  ---------- Shownotes: Flow psychology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) 6 components of Flow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)#Components Free soloing (a perfect example of a high-risk flow activity): https://www.i...
2019-08-121h 11Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent009 | How to Win Friends and Influence RealityThis episode looks at how to disrupt social dynamics. Gianluca and Jared consider the properties of social modes and narratives, examine Don Hoffman’s theory of fictitious reality and its evolutionary origins, and discuss ways to overcome your social limits through psychological hacks like self-characterisation and frame shifting. ----------Shownotes:The Seven Basic Plots: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_PlotsThe Hero’s Journey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journeyThe Map is Not The Territory: https://fs.blog/2015/11/map-and-territory/Sam Harris on th...
2019-08-0500 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent009 | How to Win Friends and Influence RealityThis episode looks at how to disrupt social dynamics. Gianluca and Jared consider the properties of social modes and narratives, examine Don Hoffman’s theory of fictitious reality and its evolutionary origins, and discuss ways to overcome your social limits through psychological hacks like self-characterisation and frame shifting.  ---------- Shownotes: The Seven Basic Plots: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots The Hero’s Journey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey The Map is Not The Territory: https://fs.blog/2015/11/map-and-territory/ Sam Harris on th...
2019-08-051h 12Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent008 | Design Your Workouts, but Evolve Your Algorithms!In this episode, Jared and Gianluca throw caution to the wind and discuss their most controversial topic yet: what they think might be the best way to exercise! Specifically, they summarise the thesis behind the book ‘Body By Science’ by John Little and Doug McGuff and reveal their own workout routines. Along the way they also explore the field of evolutionary programming and genetic algorithms (hint: Gianluca just published his research paper on the topic!) and what these techniques could bring to the design of complex structures and systems!-----------------------SHOWNOTES:Gianluca’s resear...
2019-07-2900 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent008 | Design Your Workouts, but Evolve Your Algorithms!In this episode, Jared and Gianluca throw caution to the wind and discuss their most controversial topic yet: what they think might be the best way to exercise! Specifically, they summarise the thesis behind the book ‘Body By Science’ by John Little and Doug McGuff and reveal their own workout routines. Along the way they also explore the field of evolutionary programming and genetic algorithms (hint: Gianluca just published his research paper on the topic!) and what these techniques could bring to the design of complex structures and systems! ----------------------- SHOWNOTES: Gianluca’s resear...
2019-07-291h 06Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent007 | Game Theory, Alignment, and Civilisational InadequacyIn this episode, Jared and Gianluca introduce the fundamentals of Game Theory; before examining the AI alignment problem, civilisational inadequacy, and Moloch—the mythical characterisation of all things suboptimal. This episode makes heavy reference to an article called "Meditations on Moloch", from Scott Alexander’s SlateStarCodex blog. We highly recommend it.----------Shownotes:SlateStarCodex article on Moloch : https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/Background on the myth of Moloch : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MolochAlan Ginsberg’s poem on Moloch : https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49303/howlGame Theory : https...
2019-07-2200 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent007 | Game Theory, Alignment, and Civilisational InadequacyIn this episode, Jared and Gianluca introduce the fundamentals of Game Theory; before examining the AI alignment problem, civilisational inadequacy, and Moloch—the mythical characterisation of all things suboptimal. This episode makes heavy reference to an article called "Meditations on Moloch", from Scott Alexander’s SlateStarCodex blog. We highly recommend it. ---------- Shownotes: SlateStarCodex article on Moloch : https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/ Background on the myth of Moloch : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch Alan Ginsberg’s poem on Moloch : https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49303/howl Game Theory : https...
2019-07-2246 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent006 | Libra, crypto, and the future of humanityGianluca and Jared are joined by crypto expert Thomas Tumiel in a discussion about the details of Facebook’s new Libra cryptocurrency. They give a brief primer on the fundamentals of blockchains and cryptography, examine how Libra is implemented (compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum), discuss Facebook’s strategy for rollout, consider possible failure modes, and contrast the dystopian and utopian outcomes of a truly global cryptocurrency.   ---------- Shownotes: Mined For Change: https://minedforchange.org/ AI and Crypto Soc: https://www.facebook.com/UCTCryptoSoc/ Libra announcement: https://libra.org/e...
2019-07-151h 13Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent006 | Libra, crypto, and the future of humanityGianluca and Jared are joined by crypto expert Thomas Tumiel in a discussion about the details of Facebook’s new Libra cryptocurrency. They give a brief primer on the fundamentals of blockchains and cryptography, examine how Libra is implemented (compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum), discuss Facebook’s strategy for rollout, consider possible failure modes, and contrast the dystopian and utopian outcomes of a truly global cryptocurrency. ----------Shownotes:Mined For Change: https://minedforchange.org/AI and Crypto Soc: https://www.facebook.com/UCTCryptoSoc/Libra announcement: https://libra.org/e...
2019-07-1500 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent005 | Habit Frameworks and SleepGianluca outlines his new Habit Formation Framework and future habit-related projects, Jared discusses his heuristics and hacks for a good day, and they both examine the consequences of sleep deprivation—especially on (medical) students.----------Shownotes:“Atomic Habits” by James Clear : www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121378-atomic-habitsLoving Kindness meditation : https://www.headspace.com/meditation/compassionOak meditation/breathing app : https://www.oakmeditation.com/ASMR : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_sensory_meridian_responseFive-minute favour : https://www.forbes.com/sites/kareanderson/2013/07/17/pay-it-forward-with-the-five-minute-favor/#74088b596f5d
2019-07-0800 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent005 | Habit Frameworks and SleepGianluca outlines his new Habit Formation Framework and future habit-related projects, Jared discusses his heuristics and hacks for a good day, and they both examine the consequences of sleep deprivation—especially on (medical) students. ---------- Shownotes: “Atomic Habits” by James Clear : www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121378-atomic-habits Loving Kindness meditation : https://www.headspace.com/meditation/compassion Oak meditation/breathing app : https://www.oakmeditation.com/ ASMR : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_sensory_meridian_response Five-minute favour : https://www.forbes.com/sites/kareanderson/2013/07/17/pay-it-forward-with-the-five-minute-favor/#74088b596f5d ...
2019-07-081h 10Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent004 | Don't Ask a Genie to Cure CancerGianluca and Jared speak about absurdism, existentialism, and an antidote to becoming bored with the world. They then think out loud about direction versus random walks as well as their visions for the long term future of humanity and how to even think about these kinds of massive questions. They also touch on attention and what it would mean to use it well, all things considered, some of the basics of Transhumanism, and what single thing each of us would wish for to give humanity its best chance at thriving!----------Shownotes: Stanford...
2019-07-0500 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent004 | Don't Ask a Genie to Cure CancerGianluca and Jared speak about absurdism, existentialism, and an antidote to becoming bored with the world. They then think out loud about direction versus random walks as well as their visions for the long term future of humanity and how to even think about these kinds of massive questions. They also touch on attention and what it would mean to use it well, all things considered, some of the basics of Transhumanism, and what single thing each of us would wish for to give humanity its best chance at thriving! ---------- Shownotes: Stanford...
2019-07-0552 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent003 | Synaesthesia and the Butterfly Effect of RemembranceGianluca and Jared record their first face-to-face episode! They think out loud about how to deduce germ theory as a hunter gatherer, why having interesting conversations is about making people interesting, not meeting interesting people, and finally speculate about why we might have a sense of self and whether it's outlived its usefulness!   Shownotes: The (minimal) effects of creatine on cognitive performance : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21118604 and https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-005-0269-z  Tim Ferriss on morning routines : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHAyE0UC...
2019-07-031h 39Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent003 | Synaesthesia and the Butterfly Effect of RemembranceGianluca and Jared record their first face-to-face episode! They think out loud about how to deduce germ theory as a hunter gatherer, why having interesting conversations is about making people interesting, not meeting interesting people, and finally speculate about why we might have a sense of self and whether it's outlived its usefulness! Shownotes:The (minimal) effects of creatine on cognitive performance : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21118604 and https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-005-0269-z Tim Ferriss on morning routines : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHAyE0UC...
2019-07-0300 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent002 | Self-aware doorways & dog-spaceJared and Gianluca compare notes on their favourite productivity strategies and mindfulness techniques. They also explore the rhetorical bias of wisdom and the rationalist interpretation of cached thoughts; before making ill-advised attempts at explaining the nebulous concepts of "Idea Space" and "Short Inferential Distances".   Shownotes: ‘Getting Things Done’ book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1633.Getting_Things_Done?from_search=true   ‘Eat That Frog’ book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95887.Eat_That_Frog_ Prediction Markets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction_market Read more about becoming an expert p...
2019-07-021h 23Bit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent002 | Self-aware doorways & dog-spaceJared and Gianluca compare notes on their favourite productivity strategies and mindfulness techniques. They also explore the rhetorical bias of wisdom and the rationalist interpretation of cached thoughts; before making ill-advised attempts at explaining the nebulous concepts of "Idea Space" and "Short Inferential Distances". Shownotes:‘Getting Things Done’ book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1633.Getting_Things_Done?from_search=true  ‘Eat That Frog’ book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95887.Eat_That_Frog_Prediction Markets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction_marketRead more about becoming an expert p...
2019-07-0200 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent001 | You don’t want to be the people in FriendsJared and Gianluca dive into the ethics of lying and the effects of trying really hard not to, as well as some of the concepts and thoughts which changed the course of their lives. They also discuss religion, Santa and whether you only have a limited window to overcome limiting beliefs.Shownotes:The book in which Sam Harris talks about the difference between LSD and meditation : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774981-waking-upEliezer Yudkowsky’s essay “Crisis of Faith” : https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BcYBfG8KomcpcxkEg/crisis-of-faithA good primer on Bel...
2019-06-3000 minBit of a Tangent
Bit of a Tangent001 | You don’t want to be the people in FriendsJared and Gianluca dive into the ethics of lying and the effects of trying really hard not to, as well as some of the concepts and thoughts which changed the course of their lives. They also discuss religion, Santa and whether you only have a limited window to overcome limiting beliefs. Shownotes: The book in which Sam Harris talks about the difference between LSD and meditation : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774981-waking-up Eliezer Yudkowsky’s essay “Crisis of Faith” : https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BcYBfG8KomcpcxkEg/crisis-of-faith A good primer on Bel...
2019-06-3047 min