Copied from https://portlandear.wordpress.com/2021/11/02/monthly-mailer-for-november/. This is a Monthly Update on the Status of the Portland Effective Altruism and Rationality (PEAR) group. Below you will find a Recap, Updates on Events, and a Calendar for upcoming events in November.
September Recap
This month was a little more relaxed with around 4 events, with Dinners and Bi-Weeklies populating the schedule mostly. There were discussions about circling, woo, more prediction markets, teaching calculus, the Evolution of Art from Abstract to Concrete, and the Repugnant Conclusion.
Also our conversation about "The Precipice" by Toby Ord led directly into talking about the difficulty of making predictions while living in this Most Important Century. While not the only book on this topic, a few members and myself would love to explore this topic further through the lens of Philip E Tetlock's book, "Superforecasting". Hence, we are starting a book club once a week to discuss it on Discord. Please feel free to come even if you've read it before, it would be great to hear your thoughts about how some of the specific claims have panned out in your experience.
Another cool thing I can see in PEAR's future is a Nuclear Reactor Tour at Reed University on November 14th. Woot! I am really excited to see the reactor and we will send out a couple possibly nuclear related articles beforehand. Unfortunately, the tour can only accommodate up to 12 people and we already have 6+, please sign up soon for a spot! We will have a meet-up afterwards that you can still attend, even if you don't get a spot on the reactor tour.
Updates for October
1. Catering for Bi-Weeklies
Almost All Bi-weekly Events will have a variety of free, vegan, and possibly gluten free food at them from now on. Thank you EAIF!
2. Social Media
We have a Meet-up, Facebook, Google Calendar, Wordpress, and a Discord. You choose your own adventure for updates related to PEAR events.
3. Logo Tweak
We are working on a more definitive Banner, and Emblem for a variety of Purposes. Drafts and Feedback are welcome on the discord!
Upcoming Events
11/04: PEAR Book Club: Superforecasting Week 1 (Discord)
11/09: PEAR Book Club: Superforecasting Week 2 (Discord
11/11: PEAR dinner social at Piedmont Station
11/14: Nuclear Reactor Tour with Bi-Weekly Afterwards
11/18: PEAR Book Club: Superforecasting Week 3 (Discord)
11/23: PEAR dinner social at Prost Marketplace
11/28: PEAR Bi-Weekly
12/02: PEAR Book Club: Superforecasting Final Week (TBD in Pear-son)
Please only attend in PEAR-son events if you are vaccinated. All events will be confirmed by an email on the day of due to varying covid and outdoor conditions.
Regards,
The PEAR Organizer Team
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