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dirk
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see also my eaforum at https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/users/dirk and my tumblr at https://d-i-r-k-s-t-r-i-d-e-r.tumblr.com/ .

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What are objects that have made your life better?
Answer by dirkOct 25, 2025*10
  • Duplicate pairs of scissors to distribute around my living area.
  • A multi-pocket door organizer.
  • These headphones, which have great sound albeit slightly-too-small earcups.
  • These earbuds, which have amazing sound for earbuds albeit slightly-too-large bud tips (the tips are interchangeable, it's just that every size gets uncomfortable eventually).
  • These wireless adaptors for the earbuds above; the buds have interchangeable cables which you can instead plug into the adaptors, and then they function perfectly over Bluetooth.
  • A puffer jacket by Merence which has the feature that its pockets connect in such a way as to create larger rectangular pockets inside, which is very useful for carrying things like drinks; the brand appears to be defunct, but if the photos of this Amazon Essentials one don't mislead me its pockets work the same way.
  • This toilet plunger, which has a flange on the bottom that makes it substantially more effective at plunging toilets.
  • The corncob lightbulb and adaptor recommended here, though the bulb is no longer available so you'll have to find an alternative.
  • One each of rainbow-plated forks, knives, and spoons from Walmart.
  • When I lived in an apartment which lacked a dishwasher, a countertop dishwasher (I bought this one but probably there are others which are equally good).
  • To go with the dishwasher, phosphate detergent; it really does make the dishes visibly cleaner as compared to my previous variety. I bought a carton of Cascade with Phosphates Professional Fryer Boil Out (powder kind) from Amazon, but it seems to no longer be available so you'll have to find an alternative. (Note that phosphate detergent is banned in some states due to concerns over water pollution; the impact of an individual is probably not large but if this bothers you you may wish to eschew it.)
  • An electric scooter; I wouldn't particularly recommend the brand I got, but having one of any brand is much faster and more convenient than having to walk everywhere.

More specifically to me: large sets of cheap washi tape; sparkly stickers; highlighters in attractive pastel colors rather than neons; the Pentel GraphGear 1000 0.3 mm mechanical pencil (notable for its thin lead, so desirable only if you want that); the Ohto Minimo mechanical pen and pencil (notable for each being roughly the length of a credit card); an M5 binder (generic Filofax mini; it serves as both an adorably tiny planner which I always have on my person and a wallet); various notebooks with decorative covers (Paperblanks is amazing if you want lined paper but if you're looking for dot-grid you'll want Tiefossi or the Quirky Cup Collective for their 160-GSM paper and wider cover selections); et cetera.

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Managing risks while trying to do good
dirk2d10

Sam Bankman-Fried; he had many EA connections, so is particularly salient.

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Drawing Less Wrong: Technical Skill
dirk15d10

Still available on archive.org; https://web.archive.org/web/20200107082033im_/https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/364878640_1280x720.jpg .

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Drawing Less Wrong: Technical Skill
dirk15d10

The problem with Example A is that the artist is copying superficial elements of a particular style, without understanding the underlying principles that make good a good figure drawing. Example B has lots of overlapping lines, and vague messy shapes. But the figures there communicate a good understanding of anatomy, a grasp of weight, decent composition.

I think the image may have broken; example B currently appears as a series of vertical bars of solid color.

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Where does Sonnet 4.5's desire to "not get too comfortable" come from?
dirk16d10

Why on earth would we expect a distilled model to have continuity of experience with the model it was distilled from? Even if you subscribe to computationalism, the distilled model is not the same algorithm.

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Buck's Shortform
dirk16d53

The reader knows that, certainly. But they don't know that you know that; that's why you have to clarify that you do. (And yes, you have to! Most people in fact do not know that their opinions aren't fact).

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Buck's Shortform
dirk16d4-1

Saying "I think" isn't making yourself small but making yourself the appropriate size; frequently stating opinions as fact is an unwarranted status-grab and pollutes the epistemic commons.

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Tomás B.'s Shortform
dirk17d12

But it couldn't be a serious criticism; the Necronomicon hasn't actually been discovered.

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Viliam's Shortform
dirk1mo30

I know henryaj's also planning something; his comment is here in case you'd like to coordinate with him.

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2dirk's Shortform
2y
59
18Feature request: comment bookmarks
9mo
2
12GPT-4o Can In Some Cases Solve Moderately Complicated Captchas
1y
2
26Just because an LLM said it doesn't mean it's true: an illustrative example
1y
12
2dirk's Shortform
2y
59
Guide to the LessWrong Editor
5 months ago
Guide to the LessWrong Editor
5 months ago
Guide to the LessWrong Editor
5 months ago
Guide to the LessWrong Editor
5 months ago