Do you have any views on edition 1 vs edition 2? My library doesn't have ed 2 so I'm wondering whether the differences are important.

I think it's also helpful just to have more reasonable and rational movies about some transhumanist ideas on youtube

This sounds obviously true and in theory I agree with you, but if you look at the youtube page it took literally four comments before someone started joking about murdering people who don't share their transhumanist views.

While I didn't downvote, I didn't really enjoy it or learn from it - it would be useful to show to people if you wanted to get the idea of "death is bad, let's fix this problem" across and give it some legitimacy (since these Oxford people are saying it).

How is that going?

Also despite it saying one doesn't need an account, I can't actually view the facebook page.

Might have been this http://lesswrong.com/lw/gwo/coworking_collaboration_to_combat_akrasia/

Hello

I've been reading LW for a long time. At the moment I'd like to learn about decision making more rigorously as well as finding out how to make better decisions myself - and then actually doing that in real life.

I'm also very interested in algorithmic reasoning about and creation of computer programs but I know far too little about this.

Does anyone want to make a small study group to read one of these books at a relatively slow pace?

• Causality: Models, Reasoning and Inference
• Probability Theory: The Logic of Science (Gelman has been recommended over Jaynes here I'm flexible but I'd rather read Jaynes)
• Martin Peterson - An Introduction to Decision Theory
• Anything else similar/LW relevant

I've been meaning to read these (which I learned about from LW) for a long time and just now have the time.

Causality looks like the best option: the entire first edition is freely avaiable on Pearls site here. There is an overview of 2nd ed. chapters here

I tried zazen for a few months: I like it and decided to start it again just this week. Here is straightfoward advice on what to do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsFlrdXVFgo

if you don't want to watch the long youtube video read the following then skip to 8:20 where he explains how to think/what to do with your mind:

• how to sit your body: cross legged or lotus - but lotus requires flexibility and isn't necessary. straight spine, back and neck. rest your hands to make a ring shape. face a wall and shut your eyes. rock side to side a little then stop straight.
• how to think: first few times - it's initially very difficult to let your mind free itself of thoughts/chatter so a way to practice this is counting down slowly from 10, restarting if you stray from counting onto thinking about something else.