More of ANY of this! Even without bringing in your various writing virtues, the TOPICS you take on are, frankly, more fascinating than very-nearly-anyone-else I read (conceivably even more than Scott Alexander, which would be saying something). My reaction to reading this post was “wow, I should keep a closer tab on this guy” — so maybe my hope would be that you just keep sending out Substack updates on what you’ve been creating.
I voted for rarer, more polished posts, but I find myself in a minority position.
You’ve got a real talent for research, and I feel that’s best highlighted in polished posts or long form podcasts when B&R takes advantage of your skills. Whatever you choose to do, I’m sure you’ll find success as someone who is very smart and gay.
I'm very happy to see you're continued evolution. I think a lot of the stuff you've been writing deserves to be mirrored—at least half of it. You might consider taking the more evergreen posts and spend an hour or two to flesh out and add the insights that the discussions at Twitter tend to generate.
If it helps, none of your posts go to my email inbox. I keep that clean of substack and just see posts as they come in on the app, scrolling back a few days as needed and reading the posts that interest me. And I enjoy most of your writing, from themotte onwards.
So from my perspective, the more of it you post to substack the better. The limiting factor would be if that resulted in writing I didn't enjoy, but I suspect there's a long way to go before that point.
I put “other.” There’s so much good stuff to read these days. I appreciate good writing most when it respects my time. I like it when the author starts with the bottom line, succinctly explains why it matters, and previews the article. Then I’m more likely to delve into an essay to find how an author reached their conclusions. Tight writing is out of style now, but I suspect it’s the best way to build a loyal readership.
"Social Justice Progressivism is the first time many have encountered a truly vital religion" is so rich and sharp, with almost every line nailing important truths that (from what I can tell in my personal life) almost no one can bring themselves to face or acknowledge. (Even just the deep denial of the religious conversion that we're living through, from all points on the political spectrum, is a fertile field no one has tilled yet.)
Re the fursuit thread: we are of the same mind. I'm drawn more to realistic suits, but there are hardly any out there any more. They were always the minority, but I feel like the number I've seen at cons has plummeted over the past 5 - 10 years.
I ran into a guy with a really nice realistic cheetah suit at this year's FC, and he said he got it from Clockwork Creature something like a decade ago. It's just impossible to find makers nowadays.
Thank you for the excellent work you do and so happy that you’re getting the recognition you deserve. This is actually the first comment I’ve ever posted and wanted to relay one thing that my husband, who trained as a lawyer and is a bit of a stickler, pointed out. He said that “the government does not explicitly admit that the test rewarded factors. The government is required to assume the truth of the allegations of the complaint when it files a motion to dismiss.” It will bolster your credibility with readers who are familiar with the law if you present the legal aspects of the case precisely. Best of luck!
Just recently found your Twitter account and did my own deep dive through your writings and recent interviews. Really unique and interesting stuff.
Just please for the love of god don’t turn out like Eigenrobot, Matt Taibbi, or Michael Shellenberger in allowing your inevitably growing audience to turn you into a cynical egomaniac.
Interesting, Woodgrains. I went from hard atheist since the age of six to hard religious (Roman Catholic) at twenty-five due to the realization that most American physical therapy is BS (i.e., advocates shoulders back and down rather than up and forward, chin tucked rather than chin up, and, in some cases, tailbone tucked rather than tailbone up) and that correct posture (by sleeping on the chin/ribcage/stomach) results in the revelation of the supernatural (e.g., it was revealed to me that the AI alignment problem was already solved in 1955). Why do scientists try to hide the patently obvious purpose of the chin unless there was a conspiracy behind American physical therapy?
Also, Christianity did not die with the rise of Darwin; see Yud's post demonstrating that, at least for humans, the theory of evolution isn't true:
More of ANY of this! Even without bringing in your various writing virtues, the TOPICS you take on are, frankly, more fascinating than very-nearly-anyone-else I read (conceivably even more than Scott Alexander, which would be saying something). My reaction to reading this post was “wow, I should keep a closer tab on this guy” — so maybe my hope would be that you just keep sending out Substack updates on what you’ve been creating.
I voted for rarer, more polished posts, but I find myself in a minority position.
You’ve got a real talent for research, and I feel that’s best highlighted in polished posts or long form podcasts when B&R takes advantage of your skills. Whatever you choose to do, I’m sure you’ll find success as someone who is very smart and gay.
I'm very happy to see you're continued evolution. I think a lot of the stuff you've been writing deserves to be mirrored—at least half of it. You might consider taking the more evergreen posts and spend an hour or two to flesh out and add the insights that the discussions at Twitter tend to generate.
If it helps, none of your posts go to my email inbox. I keep that clean of substack and just see posts as they come in on the app, scrolling back a few days as needed and reading the posts that interest me. And I enjoy most of your writing, from themotte onwards.
So from my perspective, the more of it you post to substack the better. The limiting factor would be if that resulted in writing I didn't enjoy, but I suspect there's a long way to go before that point.
Trace you're incredible! From a purely B&R standpoint ate you going to cohost episodes about this work and potentially others?
I put “other.” There’s so much good stuff to read these days. I appreciate good writing most when it respects my time. I like it when the author starts with the bottom line, succinctly explains why it matters, and previews the article. Then I’m more likely to delve into an essay to find how an author reached their conclusions. Tight writing is out of style now, but I suspect it’s the best way to build a loyal readership.
"Social Justice Progressivism is the first time many have encountered a truly vital religion" is so rich and sharp, with almost every line nailing important truths that (from what I can tell in my personal life) almost no one can bring themselves to face or acknowledge. (Even just the deep denial of the religious conversion that we're living through, from all points on the political spectrum, is a fertile field no one has tilled yet.)
It would make a great book!
Re the fursuit thread: we are of the same mind. I'm drawn more to realistic suits, but there are hardly any out there any more. They were always the minority, but I feel like the number I've seen at cons has plummeted over the past 5 - 10 years.
I ran into a guy with a really nice realistic cheetah suit at this year's FC, and he said he got it from Clockwork Creature something like a decade ago. It's just impossible to find makers nowadays.
Thank you for the excellent work you do and so happy that you’re getting the recognition you deserve. This is actually the first comment I’ve ever posted and wanted to relay one thing that my husband, who trained as a lawyer and is a bit of a stickler, pointed out. He said that “the government does not explicitly admit that the test rewarded factors. The government is required to assume the truth of the allegations of the complaint when it files a motion to dismiss.” It will bolster your credibility with readers who are familiar with the law if you present the legal aspects of the case precisely. Best of luck!
Odds the CTIs winning in court? Estimated damages?
Just recently found your Twitter account and did my own deep dive through your writings and recent interviews. Really unique and interesting stuff.
Just please for the love of god don’t turn out like Eigenrobot, Matt Taibbi, or Michael Shellenberger in allowing your inevitably growing audience to turn you into a cynical egomaniac.
Interesting, Woodgrains. I went from hard atheist since the age of six to hard religious (Roman Catholic) at twenty-five due to the realization that most American physical therapy is BS (i.e., advocates shoulders back and down rather than up and forward, chin tucked rather than chin up, and, in some cases, tailbone tucked rather than tailbone up) and that correct posture (by sleeping on the chin/ribcage/stomach) results in the revelation of the supernatural (e.g., it was revealed to me that the AI alignment problem was already solved in 1955). Why do scientists try to hide the patently obvious purpose of the chin unless there was a conspiracy behind American physical therapy?
Also, Christianity did not die with the rise of Darwin; see Yud's post demonstrating that, at least for humans, the theory of evolution isn't true:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/cSXZpvqpa9vbGGLtG/thou-art-godshatter