CH-AI Safety
I'm going to the Center for Human-Compatible AI (CHAI) annual workshop in Asilomar for the second time this weekend! I'm not quite sure how I ...
Blog
NYU Visit
Last night, arrived in NYC by bus, met my friend Benjamin Chan for Indian food around 9pm. Decamped to his place at "the House" on ...
Existential Musings
I had to write a little bit after reading some Scott Alexander . Even Mr. Everyman Reasonable Rationalist thinks 2100 isn't a real year. It's ...
Why Emacs
Emacs looks like a normal text editor with some remarkable features, like highly configurable keyboard shortcuts. But Emacs is really just a couple of core ...
An Ode to Incremental Growth
Good writing is bad writing that's been rewritten. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Over time, flowing water carves the ...
Random Friends
In this global world, it's easy to lose track of even the closest of friends. But there is no excuse for a "See you in ...
Solving Problems Right
The world runs on things that work only well enough. The internet in my house works, most of the time. Management bonuses usually encourage productivity ...
Sense of Danger
I was wrestling with my good friend and housemate B--an enthusiastic Brazilian Jiujitsu practitioner--yesterday. The experience was incredibly mentally and physically exhausting. The source of ...
Naked Eval
People with social anxiety (including certain intervals of past Spencer) sometimes seem to take what others say as a face-value, unfiltered critique. A common motivation ...
First (Past the) Post
Today* I embark on the long-planned 30 minute writing project! The rules of the game are very simple: write for 30 minutes a day in ...
New Philosophy Beta Release
This year was an interesting year. Nearing graduation, I've had to give reality a clear-eyed look; and being a bit of a natural idealist I ...