We should be testing street removal
I had heard that removing a street can speed up traffic, but I hadn't really internalized it until I read: When a network is not congested, adding a new street will indeed make things better. But in...
View ArticleReplaceability: thinking on the margin
Consider a surgeon: how many lives does she save in her career? [1] Perhaps she does 6-9 surgeries per week of which 2 are life-saving, working 45 weeks per year from age 25 to 70. Multiplying up we...
View ArticleLoosely Franchised Events Webapp?
Let's say someone decides to go contra dancing or to a LessWrong meetup. Right now this means either looking through long lists ( contras, LW meetups) or sites that try to let you search ( Dance...
View ArticlePeter Singer and Tyler Cowen transcript
In March 2009, Tyler Cowen ( blog) interviewed Peter Singer about morality, giving, and how we can most improve the world. They are both thinkers I respect a lot, and I was excited to read their...
View ArticleDebate
In high school and college I was in the debate club. I remember talking to a teacher about how he thought debate was harmful, in getting us to focus on winning the argument and convincing the judge...
View ArticleSmartGiving and Food Choices
Observation: the smart giving people we've met through the Life You Can Save are much more likely to be vegetarian or vegan than the ones we've met through Cambridge LessWrong. Which is not so...
View ArticleUniversal Undo
When you click undo the computer should go back to how it was before you did the most recent thing. This isn't what happens now. Instead each program maintains it's own history, which causes trouble...
View ArticleNot Very Anti-Death
Generally, everyone dies. Traditionally we deal with this by accepting a belief in reincarnation or an afterlife, so it doesn't seem so bad. Or, especially more recently, while you belive death is...
View ArticleX-Ray Opaque Anti-TSA Messages?
After going through the backscatter x-ray at the airport the screener made small talk: "you work at Google?" I'm puzzled, and it shows in my voice when I say "yes". They say they read my shirt. I...
View ArticlePublication Bias
If I correctly predicted the overall direction of the stock market (or a specific stock) five days in a row, that would be pretty good evidence that I've got my finger on the market's pulse. Getting...
View ArticleContra Dance Sound Policy
This is an attempt to draft a sound policy for a BIDA-like dance. Ideas? Comments? The instruments and caller at a contra dance are not naturally loud enough, so we need sound equipment to amplify...
View ArticleKeyboard Sound For Gyms
It's very hard to get good sound for contra dance music in a gym. What with the size of the hall and the amount of reflective surfaces it's always really boomy and muddy. Fixing this is very...
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Pollution: an infectious disease
I saw this poster in a middle school this weekend: [1] Example of contaminated water/pollution Example of air pollution Fish lives in contaminated water Human eats fish High fives friend People die....
View ArticleAlcohol Fumes Bar
Part of production of many kinds of liquor is an extended aging process where it sits in a barrel and gains a lot of flavor. Some of the alcohol evaporates through the wood, filling the room in which...
View ArticleGovernment Share of Donations
Lots of people think we should raise taxes but then don't extend this to donating to the government. If you think you should be required to pay more in taxes, why don't you do it voluntarily? It's not...
View ArticleWhy are our streets so wide if they predate cars?
My residential street is wide enough for cars to drive down it even when there are cars parked on both sides. This would make sense if the neighborhood had been planned around the car, but the house...
View ArticleWho Counts?
Who should count in my moral system? Whose joy and suffering matter? All living things? Animals? Mammals? People? Relatives? Me? Normally people go to their moral intution to answer these questions,...
View ArticleProposing via an online ad
Advertising is a traditional way to make showy proposals: a plane pulling a banner, a billboard at the beach, a newspaper ad, a blimp. What about renting out the whole internet? Sounds expensive,...
View ArticleDon't teach proper formation unless you need it
Contra dancing has almost entirely lost the 'proper' formation, with gents in one line and ladies in another. For most of contra dancing's history, however, that was the standard formation and many...
View ArticleRinsing sugar off teeth
Sugar is both bad for teeth and water soluble. If after eating sugary food you drink some water, swishing it in your mouth a bit before swallowing, does it help prevent tooth decay? Comment via:...
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