This time we’ll talk about self-determination in the context of rationality: specifically, how do you stay focused on doing what is the rational thing to do against outside influences? How do you fight akrasia? A few of us will be missing this for Eeyore’s birthday, an Austin tradition. However, Nicole will be present to lead […]

We’re going to try a new activity this time! We’ll try to answer (rationalist-themed) questions as a group, but where each person only gives three words of the answer at a time. This will test both our knowledge and our ability to coordinate — plus, probably, give a new appreciation for generative language models. ***

Time once again to play the Schelling game! We’ll take turns announcing a category and then try to pick the member of that category that everyone else did. I hope you’re good at reasoning about common knowledge! *** The meetup is at Central Market, 4001 N. Lamar, in the cafe area. Look for the LW

This time we’ll have a more casual discussion, sharing times that we made a deep connection with someone or formed close friendships. We’ll also talk about what circumstances favor or disfavor these kinds of connections. Take some time to think of past examples from your life, and consider checking out the LW section on relationships.

Time again for group debugging! Share what problems you’re running into in life, and see who can help with them. Refer to the guidelines for background on this activity. I will be gone at the online rationalist organizers’ conference, but Kyle will be there to facilitate. *** The meetup is at Central Market, 4001 N.

Note: We’re back to the Central Market on North Lamar for meetups. See footer. One importation rationalist skill is being well-calibrated: accurately gauging your confidence levels in your beliefs. Using numerical trivia questions drawn from a board game, we’ll each guess a confidence interval (range of possible values) on the answer, in an attempt to

Note: There will be no regular cafe meetup this day. Instead, this Saturday evening we will be hosting Irrationalist Day, a party where we can let loose and embrace the irrational side of ourselves. Come join us on Saturday evening for a night of fun, laughter, and maybe even a few ghostly encounters. Bring your

NOTE: We are returning to our standard, original location at Central Market for this meetup. See footer. How good are you at inferring rules governing observed data? Test it out by playing Zendo, a game where players must infer the rule governing how shapes can be set up. You’re also welcome to bring your own

NOTE: We are temporarily at a different location for this meetup — The Brewtorium, at 6015 Dillard Cir A, Austin, TX 78752 (By ACC Highland, near Airport Blvd and 290). Details in footer. Book swap! Do you have a book that’s been collecting dust and deserves to be read by someone else for a change?

NOTE: We are temporarily at a different location for this meetup — The Brewtorium, at 6015 Dillard Cir A, Austin, TX 78752 (By ACC Highland, near Airport Blvd and 290). Details in footer. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the breakthrough successes of GPT3 and ChatGPT. Share your experiences using these