gwern is a legendary blogger (although blogger feels underselling it… “publisher”?) and has earned the right to self-aggrandize about solving a problem he has a vested interest in. Maybe he’s a megalomaniac and/or unemployed and/or writing too many words but after contributing so much, he has earned it.
replyI was more willing to accept gwern’s eccentricities in the past but as we learn more about MIRI and its questionable funding resources, one wonders how much he’s tied up in it.
replyThe Lighthaven retreat in particular was exceptionally shady, possibly even scam-adjacent; I was shocked that he participated in it.
What does any of that have to do with the value of what’s presented in the article?
replyWhat's up with the non-stop knee-jerk bullshit ad hom on HN lately?
replyWe're tired, chief.
replyThe earth is falling out from under a lot of people, and they're trying to justify their position on the trash heap as the water level continues to rise around it. It's a scary time.
replyTechnically it’s only an ad hominem when you’re using the insult as a component in a fallacious argument; the parent comment is merely stating an aesthetic opinion with more force than is typically acceptable here.
replyI read your BRILLIANT synopsis in the tone of Sir Humphrey (the civil servant) from "Yes Minister". Fits perfectly. Take a bow, good sir ...
replyWow, thats one hell of a reaction to someone's blog post introducing their new project.
replyIts almost as if someone charged you $$ for the privilege of reading it, and you now feel scammed, or something?
Perhaps you can request a refund. Would that help?