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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://toma
by TomasBjartur 1y ago
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/ 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:
The Maker of MIND: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/H4kadKrC2xLK24udn/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-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.
- gsf_emergency_3 1y agoEntertaining, almost insightful! 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)
- ipnon 1y agoYou've really struck a nerve, congrats, it's quite the accomplishment.
- theOGognf 1y agoI really enjoyed it. Very Hitchhiker’s Guide -like. It’s been a while since I’ve read something like that. Thanks for sharing
- AxiomaticSpace 1y agoYour 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.
- Taikonerd 1y agoOh, that's a great connection to make! It was very George Saunders-y.
- greazy 1y agoGreat 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.
- TomasBjartur 1y agohttps://jsomers.net/DFW_TV.pdf https://jsomers.net/DFW_TV.pdf
- greazy 1y agoThank you.
- OJFord 1y agoI'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.
- nicbou 1y agoIt was a hilarious read. It reminded me of Mike Judge's view of Silicon Valley, and "Every Bay Area House Party". Please, keep writing. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/every-bay-area-house-party https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/every-bay-area-house-party
- Taikonerd 1y agoHi 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.
- TomasBjartur 1y agoNo. 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.