Hello.
I am a beginner rationalist (slowly making my way through How to Actually Change Your Mind), I haven't read any field-specific books yet, but I happen to be in Helsinki on Aug 16th. As far as I understand, the event is specifically about exchanging reading recommendations. Would visiting be premature? Will I find anything interesting for me there?
Also, judging by the description, the attached map seems to be slightly off. OSM gives a better location: http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/110713493
Hi, yes, at least one of the main ideas was to find out more about books one might want to read, from people who have read them: to share experiences around common interests. It so happened that I printed the books just before someone posted more, but it doesn't have to be limited to talking about the ones (printed) at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/33540495?page=1&shelf=printed&view=covers
If weather forecasts seem rainy, we'll probably meet at the lobby of http://www.musiikkitalo.fi/en in which case I'll announce the change tomorrow. True about the map though!
My feeling is that this shouldn't end up being demanding in any way; if some people want to talk about some technical books they've all read, then they can take a separate table, but mostly we'll just wonder about/around books spread as cards on the table and see what leads to interesting associations. I recommend browsing the Goodreads shelf of printed books and to why-not consider joining at least if you'd be interested in hearing or talking about any of them, as probably many of them are at least somehow familiar to participants. (Based on the Facebook event, I expect at most 10 people will attend.)
Discussion article for the meetup : Helsinki Book Blanket Meetup
WHEN: 16 August 2014 03:00:00PM (+0300)
WHERE: MANNERHEIMINTIE 13 A, Helsinki
Location changed to the large lobby-cafe of [http://www.musiikkitalo.fi/en] because of weather
Posted also as an event on Less Wrong Finland's Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/events/632882116808767/ – viewing might require joining the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/lw.finland/
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[Less Wrong Finland meetup]
Having recently grown into a hundred-member group, we will hold our (first!) Book Blanket Meetup which should work regardless of how many people attend!
The idea is that you can add books through a simple Google form below, and that the added books will be made into cards like those in the event photo. The resulting deck of book-cards will be brought to the meetup and used for discovering new books, and whether people have read the same books and how others felt about them — and perhaps for trading them in an attempt to build a Hand of Sanity in case you end up deserted on some island. (Would you risk it and pick highly-praised books you haven’t read, or rather resort to old favorites you know to be full of deep meaning? Come find out!)
The form (which seemed to me anonymous even if signed in to Google): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OCPK0_GLHBFEnB_WQ6e8lfFIbPlP1y7PahuQK9abeZg/viewform?usp=send_form)
Also, you're just as welcome even if you haven't read or submitted anything! Deserted islands are serious considerations regardless of reading history, and in any case others can practice explaining why some books could be good to read. And of course you can just ask others about books they admit having read, though everyone's bound to forget old books. Time to resurface memories?
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Time?: 08-16-2014 15:00:00 (UTC+03)
Place?: CHANGED: To be weather-safe, we're going to meet at the large lobby-cafe of Musiikkitalo (Mannerheimintie 13 A). To find me, I'll have an orange hoodie.
Discussion article for the meetup : Helsinki Book Blanket Meetup