Sep 23, 2022
I hate being an adult and immediately seeing the terrifying implications of any new tech. I mean I’m glad I recognize the potential threats, but sometimes I wish I could just be fascinated by the robot dogs.
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I hate being an adult and immediately seeing the terrifying implications of any new tech. I mean I’m glad I recognize the potential threats, but sometimes I wish I could just be fascinated by the robot dogs.
On The Nature of Hypnosis
(Epistemic status: Endorsed – this is how I model hypnosis and therefore approach innovation in my approach) What comes to mind when you think of hypnosis? Perhaps it’s a flashily dressed showman waving around a pocketwatch and soothingly telling you how sleepy you’re getting. Maybe it’s some excessively attractive woman with a silky voice telling you how good you are to listen to her voice and…
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On Screen Hypnosis and Awakeners
On Screen Hypnosis and Awakeners
(Epistemic status: Endorsed af; trying to develop broader uses for this phenomena) As some of you may know, I am a mediocre hypnotist. A couple months ago, I decided to practice my fundamentals with some basic trance techniques. I refined my induction, I figured out more of the flow of suggestion while the subject was in trance, and I practiced various axes of mental manipulation. The first…
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On Being The Most Interesting Person in the World; or Narrativizing Your Life
On Being The Most Interesting Person in the World; or Narrativizing Your Life
(Epistemic Status: Works with a cost, practical advice, dangerous technology. This method can alter the way you relate to your memories.) Let me tell you a story. It’s about the time I hypnotized a pickup artist. There once was a time when I was accosted by a pickup artist on the train. He tried a few times to start a conversation and eventually I bit. We proceeded to talk awhile and without…
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On Dangerous Technology
(Epistemic status: Generally how I feel about the stupid shit I try in terms of mind hacking)
In Stellaris, a space strategy game by Paradox, the tech tree is kinda variable based on a card system that deals semi random technologies every time you research a technology, based on tier, prerequisites, and weighting of the card. The important part is that there are sometimes technologies, highlighted in reddish orange, that are considered “Dangerous Technologies.” These technologies are dangerous for two reasons. The first is they can anger other civilizations if you pursue them and even make powerful enemies. The second is that they can provoke end game crises. This is a useful metaphor for a recent trend I’ve noticed in myself and others: various high effect mindhacks that don’t strictly track with truth.
You see, mind hacking and trying weird things is relatively similar to researching Dangerous Technologies. The typical example of a dangerous technology that I bring up is “sparkliness”. It’s basically a weird blend of hypomania and introspection that can be directed outward, combined with an understanding of narrative and social reality. It feels like something people independently realize if they have the right neurotype and it starts to feel like a real thing in thingspace when other people start validating these intuitions. The drawback is obvious; hypomania that gets fed and pushed tends to become mania. Mania is generally considered a rather broken state because of that whole unfortunate detachment from reality thing. Sparkliness, or at least my conception of it, is therefore a dangerous technology.
There are other dangerous technologies out there in terms of mind hacking. The category is generally defined by high variance interventions. Dabbling in meditation is unlikely to be a dangerous technology but it’s recently become clear that the more you follow that rabbit hole, the more destabilizing it can become. I’m sure people have read thinkpieces on how western meditation practices basically take the practice without respect for the tradition and then westerners are left lost and confused because they don’t have anyone to guide them through the rougher experiences meditation can lead to. Nootropics are also a bit of a dangerous technology, some more than others; I mean, I doubt anyone is going to start highlighting caffeine in orangish-red.
The power of belief is also an up and coming dangerous technology. We know the placebo effect exists and you can do really cool things with it. You also can end up thinking you’re bulletproof when really you’re just working well together with the rest of your village because your risk assessment is skewed. My basic understanding of conviction charisma also falls into the category, i.e. the infamous reality warping field of startup founders. Belief is a powerful drug, but it’s one you inflict on yourself to inflict on others.
I will note that there are mindhacks that aren’t dangerous technologies. Things like double cruxing, developing normal charisma through social practice, calibration games, various techniques for overcoming bias, these are unlikely to make you insane. The notable thing is how these are largely in the rationalist canon, whereas dangerous technology seems to fall more into postrationalist territory.
Overall, dangerous technology is incredibly appealing in terms of really fast living and creating An Outcome, whether it’s good or bad, without having to do a lot of work (well, depending on your definition of “a lot of work”). It just may, you know, literally break your mind; it also tends to be unreliable/unprovable enough that using it too much tends to make enemies of the more grounded people around you, especially those that have learned to properly fear and respect dangerous technology. It’s a risk reward analysis where the data is opaque; if you aren’t already engaging in dangerous technology research, I would heavily advise against it. If you’re already there…be sure to take a few moments and stop from time to time.
Discussion: Do you use any dangerous technologies in your life? How would one approach a risk/benefit analysis when the risk is literally going insane or worse? Are nondangerous technologies proven and powerful enough to be worth the work without trying to take dangerous shortcuts?
Rambling 74: Questions on Apocalyptic Events
The thinkers answer listener questions on the subject of Apocalyptic Events and Survival.
Story: New year, same hosts, new questions, same clones. Starting the year off with an apocalyptic bang, the clone due answer listener questions to prepare for the possibility that this is the last year the human race will be around. An attack from the cat gods lingers and if such events took place it could change the shape of life as we know it. Thus, listener questions on variations of apocalyptic events are dissected in order to come up with a survival plan just in case. All that and more on this episode of Just Conversation.
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Questions Asked
What to buy before an economy collapses? 4:57
Rather be a zombie or everyone you know becomes a zombie? 10:34
Rather survive in space of underground? 13:13
Most likely real apocalyptic scenario? 15:20
Ever daydream of surviving a zombie apocalypse? 17:16
How do you believe people would respond to a collapsing society? 22:00
Meteor impact in a day, what do you do? 23:19
Rapture happens, who’s side are you on? 32:07
Best zombie killing character? 37:06
You get to save five humans to repopulate humanity, who do you pick? 39:30
A.I. turns on us, you flee society and take only three things. What are they? 47:16
New Year, 2000. Y2K happens. What is your first move? 49:14
Lightning Round 52:36
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On The Frame Drift
On The Frame Drift
(Epistemic Status: Endorsed – another thing I Noticed but do not yet have practice on. Also sorta Dangerous Technology socially, but the cost of failure is mostly the same as disagreeing with someone outright so probably not that dangerous) Have you ever found yourself talking to someone and they just…say something or believe something that is wrong in some fundamental way? Perhaps it is a course…
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On The Port Scan
On The Port Scan
(Epistemic Status: An attempt to explain a thing I’ve experienced but not actually really practiced offensively – dangerous technology (this has social costs for failure)) As discussed in On Conversational Flow and Resonance, resonance is a way to increase conversational flow. However, resonance can sometimes be a difficult thing to find if you just poke randomly. Using Script Breakers (can…
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