Hi. I am the author. If anyone is interested in following my writing, especially those not often on LessWrong, consider subscribing to my Substack: https://tomasbjartur.substack.com/
I plan to mirror any future fiction there.
I haven't written much but my next-best stories are likely these:
Great article. I'd love to read the work you mention here if it exists:
> I read a work of great insight on the corrosive effect of irony on American culture, critiquing it as a kind of anesthesia poisoning the pop cultural artifacts out of which the American soul is now woven.
Your writing style reminds me a lot of the titular short story in "Liberation Day" by George Saunders. I really hope you stick with writing because I think it is quite good.
Hi Tomas! I wanted to ask: is the name "Arden Vox" significant?
Aarden in Dutch means "earth" or "earthly", and Vox in Latin means "voice." So his name kinda means "voice of Earth" -- which seems appropriate, given his motivation for working on The Project.
No. The joke there is "Ardent Voice", and the slight connotations of Vox populi: as he is both acting unilaterally for everyone and thinks they are him. And of course this famous phrase: Vox populi, vox Dei – "The voice of the people is the voice of God".
Esther is just a reference to the novel I Smell
Esther Williams, which I was reading when I was writing the story. And it is referenced in the DFW essay the protagonist inverted the message of.
As for Krishna, I just thought the line "granting me an unwariness that allows me to ask such things of Krishna" was amusing, so named him Krishna.
I'd read the novel! I think there's room for more character development, and the neat tie-ups/references back to Krishna's ambitions, Blood Meridian, etc. would be more impactful across chapters in something longer form.
Motivation comes from "this stuff is nuts, but it could work"
Meaning from: "That was nuts, but it worked"
Between the two, it's a chore to get a bunch of homsaps to agree on exactly what is nuts OR what's possible. AI could definitely help with sanity checking the contentious stuff without always giving great reasons so that we may cross it off either of two lists quick.
(Governments need a third list for prioritising the new instances of Thomas Midgley Jr to put in the airlock)
This is so great, absolutely love the wry inner monologue style:
> There is little less interesting than another man's drug trip. Unfortunately, he's both Arden Vox and my boss, so I try my best to appear fascinated.
This is absolutely enthralling. It's one of the best pieces of writing I've had the pleasure of enjoying in quite some time. I keep laughing while grimacing and looking inward. The vocabulary is exceptional, too. Really well done.
It kind of reminds me of Krazam's YouTube skits, but in long-form writing.
EDIT: I kind of wanted more from the ending, though. It wrapped up surprisingly quick.
Assuming this is fiction... A good friend of mine is a professional writer. I learned from her that most of what is presented to us, readers, as fiction is really not so far removed from what really happened.
Yeah: We've seen some AI-related companies/CEOs acting as if they are heroes deeply conflicted by the ramifications of their own superpowers, inviting us to imagine their product might be too awesome for mere mortal hands, and agonizing over how they might make bajillions of dollars for savvy investors that [BUY] [BUY] [BUY] today... but at what figurative cost!?
Im enjoying reading this but struggling with the fact that the average number of words per sentence nears 150. I exaggerate, of course. But please, use periods.
Readit News
I plan to mirror any future fiction there.
I haven't written much but my next-best stories are likely these:
The Maker of MIND: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/H4kadKrC2xLK24udn/the-maker-...
The Liar and The Scold https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/duF4Qh9pn7Y5imhsm/the-liar-a...
Of the two, I prefer The Maker of MIND. Both got similar karma on LessWrong and were written ~2021.
> I read a work of great insight on the corrosive effect of irony on American culture, critiquing it as a kind of anesthesia poisoning the pop cultural artifacts out of which the American soul is now woven.
Aarden in Dutch means "earth" or "earthly", and Vox in Latin means "voice." So his name kinda means "voice of Earth" -- which seems appropriate, given his motivation for working on The Project.
Esther is just a reference to the novel I Smell Esther Williams, which I was reading when I was writing the story. And it is referenced in the DFW essay the protagonist inverted the message of.
As for Krishna, I just thought the line "granting me an unwariness that allows me to ask such things of Krishna" was amusing, so named him Krishna.
https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/every-bay-area-house-party
Disappointed at: >It wouldn't have worked anyway
Feedback:
Motivation comes from "this stuff is nuts, but it could work"
Meaning from: "That was nuts, but it worked"
Between the two, it's a chore to get a bunch of homsaps to agree on exactly what is nuts OR what's possible. AI could definitely help with sanity checking the contentious stuff without always giving great reasons so that we may cross it off either of two lists quick.
(Governments need a third list for prioritising the new instances of Thomas Midgley Jr to put in the airlock)
> There is little less interesting than another man's drug trip. Unfortunately, he's both Arden Vox and my boss, so I try my best to appear fascinated.
Almost immediately you know you’re in good hands.
It kind of reminds me of Krazam's YouTube skits, but in long-form writing.
EDIT: I kind of wanted more from the ending, though. It wrapped up surprisingly quick.
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> Some people confess guilt to claim credit for the sin.
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*clutches pearls, faints onto nearby divan*
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