The Best of LessWrong

In the course of researching optimization, Alex decided that he had to really understand what entropy is. But he found the existing resources (wikipedia, etc) so poor that it seemed important to write a better one. Other resources were only concerned about the application of the concept in their particular sub-domain. Here, Alex aims to synthesizing the abstract concept of entropy, to show what's so deep and fundamental about it.

On the 3rd of October 2351 a machine flared to life. Huge energies coursed into it via cables, only to leave moments later as heat dumped unwanted into its radiators. With an enormous puff the machine unleashed sixty years of human metabolic entropy into superheated steam.

In the heart of the machine was Jane, a person of the early 21st century.

In 1936, four men attempted to climb the Eigerwand, the north face of the Eiger mountain. Their harrowing story ended in tragedy, with only one survivor dangling from a rope just meters away from rescue before succumbing. Gene Smith reflects on what drives people to take such extreme risks for seemingly little practical benefit.

The LessWrong post "Theses on Sleep" gained a lot of popularity and acclaim, despite largely consisting of what seemed to Natalia like weak arguments and misleading claims.This critical review lists several of the mistakes Natalia argues were made, and reports some of what the academic literature on sleep seems to show.