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Do Life Hacks Ever Reach Fixation?
Scott Alexander examines why life hacks don't seem to reach universal adoption in society, despite potential competitive advantages.
8 min read 1,171 words
The independent Scott Alexander archive
Scott Alexander, collected.
Essays, arguments, and unexpected connections. An independent archive of Slate Star Codex, Astral Codex Ten, and LessWrong.
The collection
2,008 essaysSSC
The Comment Policy Is “Victorian Sufi Buddha Lite”
Scott Alexander introduces a comment policy for his blog based on the criteria of truth, necessity, and kindness, along with a reporting system and moderation approach.
7 min read 955 words
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Searching For One-Sided Tradeoffs
Scott Alexander discusses the concept of one-sided tradeoffs, using examples from college admissions to life hacks, and suggests ways to find opportunities for 'free' gains in various decisions.
18 min read 2,790 words
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Unteachable Things Hard To Teach, Study Suggests
Scott Alexander discusses a study suggesting communication skills training for doctors may be ineffective, and shares personal observations on the nuances of doctor-patient communication.
10 min read 1,416 words
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Fix Science In Half An Hour
Scott Alexander humorously proposes a reality TV show called 'Replication Lab!' to address the crisis of replication in psychology by making the process more entertaining.
3 min read 456 words
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Suggest A Comments Policy
Scott Alexander asks readers for suggestions on a new comments policy for his blog, outlining five key criteria it should meet.
4 min read 485 words
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More Links For February 2014
Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of interesting links on topics ranging from meditation to global poverty, offering brief summaries and personal commentary.
9 min read 1,261 words
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In Favor of Niceness, Community, and Civilization
Scott Alexander argues against using dishonest and harmful tactics in pursuit of social or political goals, defending the power of truthfulness, kindness, and liberalism.
43 min read 6,535 words
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Effects Of Vertical Acceleration On Wrongness
The author humorously responds to a common argument against evidence-based medicine, suggesting a parachute experiment with a twist.
1 min read 56 words
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God Bless Longecity
Scott Alexander discusses the online forum Longecity, where users organize group buys of experimental chemicals, seeing it as a risky but intriguing counterbalance to slow drug approval processes.
6 min read 818 words
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Proposed Biological Explanations For Historical Trends In Crime
Scott Alexander explores biological factors like lead exposure, omega-6 fatty acids, and lithium levels as potential explanations for historical crime rate trends, particularly the possible increase from 1850 to 1980.
10 min read 1,487 words
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Lies, Damned Lies, And Social Media (Part 5 of ∞)
Scott debunks viral misinformation about false rape accusation rates and provides more accurate estimates, while criticizing the spread of such inaccuracies in feminist circles.
27 min read 4,033 words
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Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis
Scott Alexander reports on a survey of nootropics users, finding mixed results for various substances and discussing methodological challenges in assessing their effectiveness.
22 min read 3,293 words
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Bad Dreams
Scott discusses various sleep disorders and dream-related conditions, emphasizing their often unsettling and bizarre nature, from Epic Dreaming Disorder to Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome.
14 min read 2,023 words
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Housekeeping Post February 2014
Scott celebrates the blog's first birthday, announces travel plans, and makes various requests and announcements related to the blog and community.
2 min read 306 words
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Blogging The Anissimov – Smith Reaction Debate
Scott Alexander reviews and critiques a polite but underwhelming video debate between Noah Smith and Michael Anissimov on neoreactionary ideas.
21 min read 3,172 words
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Links for February 2014
Scott shares and comments on various interesting links from February 2014, covering science, medicine, education, technology, and politics.
20 min read 2,981 words
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Seeming and Being Empathetic
Scott Alexander examines the limitations of empathy training in medical education and shares his experiences learning to express empathy effectively as a doctor.
17 min read 2,568 words
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More Search Terms That Have Led People To This Blog
Scott Alexander analyzes bizarre and amusing search terms that led people to his blog, revealing unexpected insights into internet users' interests and concerns.
17 min read 2,577 words
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Based on your findings, which theory about alien thickness seems most valid or most accurate?
Scott Alexander investigates and humorously addresses a recurring search query about 'alien thickness', tracing it to a 7th-grade science assignment and offering guidance on solving the problem.
9 min read 1,265 words
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Predictions For 2014
Scott Alexander lists 60 predictions for 2014 across global events, online communities, and personal life, assigning probabilities to each.
6 min read 908 words
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Wirehead Gods On Lotus Thrones
Scott compares two visions of a 'wirehead society' in the far future, exploring how framing affects our perception of technologically omnipotent posthuman existence.
8 min read 1,099 words
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More Links For January
Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of recent news items, studies, and interesting facts, covering topics from public health to economics to quirky trivia.
12 min read 1,715 words
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Beware Mass-Produced Medical Recommendations
Scott Alexander critiques mass-produced medical recommendations, showing how they can oversimplify or misrepresent scientific evidence using vitamin D and niacin as examples.
19 min read 2,816 words
LW
Rationalists Are Less Credulous But Better At Taking Ideas Seriously
Scott uses Less Wrong survey data to show that experienced rationalists are actually less likely than newcomers to believe cryonics will work, yet more likely to sign up for it, demonstrating that rationalist training teaches people to act on beliefs rather than making them more credulous.
7 min read 977 words
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