I also was a rationalist before Eliezer, but of Eric's four sources of information the only one I shared is science fiction. I had the advantage of growing up in a family where the relevance of reason to the world was taken for granted.

At one point, long after I had become an adult, my parents asked me whether it would have been better if they had brought me up in their parents' (Jewish) religion. I replied that I preferred having been brought up in the one they believed in — 18th century rationalism, the ideology of Adam Smith and David Hume.

I have now posted something, so I suppose I must at some point have set up an LW account. I haven't read Ra so have no idea if they are similar. Commenters on my fiction sometimes complain that the characters are too rational, which I suppose could make it rationalist adjacent, which I think also describes me. 

Scott reviewed two of my books on SSC, but they were both nonfiction.

There will also be a South Bay meetup the next day, February 5th, at our house: 3806 Williams Rd, San Jose, CA 95117, starting at 2:00. http://www.daviddfriedman.com/SSC%20Meetups%20announcement.html