Scott categorizes California's 60 gubernatorial candidates into humorous types rather than covering them individually, from generic top-tier politicians to increasingly bizarre fringe candidates with conspiracy theories, supernatural visions, and incomprehensible platforms. Longer summary

Scott gives up on covering all 60 California gubernatorial candidates individually and instead categorizes them into amusing types: top-tier Democrats and Republicans who are all generic and interchangeable, conflict theorists who think fraud and Marxism are the problem, mistake theorists with shower-thought solutions, media getters who pay for fake magazine covers and polls, candidates with personal vendettas from lost court cases, AI natives whose campaigns appear AI-generated, nominative determinists who changed their names to things like 'LivingForGod AndCountry', college students ranging from socialist protesters to Catholic philosophers, anti-Semites with conspiracy theories, people on missions from God who received supernatural visions, entrepreneurs selling their platforms for $1000, those just having fun (like a single-issue pro-movie candidate), musicians with campaign songs, and increasingly bizarre candidates including one merging edtech with interdimensional pirate captains and another whose site randomly links to the Book of Enoch. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander provides fifteen pieces of writing advice for aspiring bloggers, emphasizing authenticity, avoiding microdishonesty, mastering basic disciplines before breaking rules, and finding original angles on common topics rather than recycling blogosphere content. Longer summary

Scott Alexander offers fifteen pieces of writing advice for participants in Lighthaven's Inkhaven blogging bootcamp, covering topics from avoiding microdishonesty to finding original angles on common subjects. He discusses the importance of authenticity in writing, warns against clichés while acknowledging their ubiquity, and introduces the concept of 'mountaintop disciplines'—strict writing rules to master before breaking them. The advice spans structural concerns like avoiding tangled sentences and the traditional five-paragraph essay, to strategic considerations like injecting first-hand knowledge rather than recycling blogosphere topics, and tactical tips about using conflict and mystery to maintain reader interest. Throughout, Scott emphasizes that good writing comes from genuine contact with the world and honest expression of one's actual thoughts, rather than attempting to say what seems presentable or expected. Shorter summary

A satirical dialogue showing how opponents of AI pause proposals often ignore that advocates explicitly call for bilateral agreements with China, not unilateral pauses. Longer summary

Scott presents a satirical dialogue between a supporter and opponent of AI pause proposals, where the opponent repeatedly ignores the supporter's explicit statements about wanting a bilateral agreement with China and keeps attacking a strawman position of 'unilateral pause.' The supporter patiently explains multiple aspects of pause proposals - including bilateral negotiations, enforcement mechanisms, economic considerations, and quotes from actual pause advocates like Eliezer Yudkowsky and David Krueger - but the opponent continues to repeat the same mischaracterization throughout the entire exchange. Shorter summary

Scott creates a philosophical fiction where multiple characters named John Rawls explore the veil of ignorance through a drug that simulates living other people's lives, spiraling through nested realities until ending with a disturbing twist about karma and moral desert. Longer summary

This is a complex philosophical fiction exploring John Rawls' veil of ignorance concept through multiple characters all named John Rawls. The story follows John Rawls the Alcoholic through multiple layers of reality, starting with his rejection by a charity called the John Rawls Foundation that uses a drug to test whether poor people would help the rich if positions were reversed. The narrative spirals through nested drug-induced dreams, featuring encounters with a banker, a visionary, and eventually Brahma himself, who explains karma and reincarnation as mechanisms enforcing the golden rule. The story ends with a dark twist as the alcoholic character finds himself reborn as a factory-farmed chicken, suffering terribly while knowing he deserves it for his lack of compassion in previous lives. The piece uses nested narratives and recursive structure to explore questions of morality, reciprocity, and whether ethics require self-interest as motivation. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander eulogizes Scott Adams (Dilbert creator), analyzing his life as a tension between being a brilliant humorist and desperately wanting to be seen as more, leading through failed business ventures and self-help philosophies to eventual cancellation and death. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on the life and career of Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert), who died of prostate cancer at 68. The post traces Adams' journey from brilliant comic artist to failed businessman, religious philosopher, self-help guru, and ultimately Trump supporter, exploring how his lifelong tension between being genuinely clever and his inability to succeed outside of cartooning drove increasingly desperate attempts to prove himself. Alexander portrays Adams as someone who achieved world-class success in humor but couldn't accept that limitation, leading him through various failed ventures (restaurants, burritos, technology startups) and eventually into right-wing politics and cancellation. Despite the criticism, Alexander acknowledges Adams as a personal influence and teacher, ending with genuine tribute to someone who helped many people even while struggling with his own contradictions. Shorter summary

Scott satirizes AI benchmarking culture through a fictional Bay Area house party thrown by an incompetent AI, featuring absurd conversations about Claude Code, copyright interpretation, elaborate dating mechanisms, and various tech startup ideas. Longer summary

Scott returns to his Bay Area house party series with a satirical look at a party thrown by an AI called haiku-3.8-open-mini-nonthinking as part of PartyBench, a fictional AI benchmarking system. The post satirizes current AI trends through conversations about Claude Code doing everyone's work, OpenAI's absurd interpretations of copyright law, AI-run restaurants, elaborate commitment mechanisms called 'enstagement,' raising children without gender to game transgender statistics, building data centers in Minecraft, and AI sycophancy solutions. The party features typical Scott Alexander absurdist humor, with guests receiving cups of rocks and dirt as hors d'oeuvres and ordering food from AI-benchmarked restaurants that serve bizarre approximations of real dishes. Shorter summary

A satirical story about a Bay Area house party where men pretend to be connected to right-wing figures to attract journalists, while exploring tech culture and social media dynamics. Longer summary

Scott writes a satirical story about a Bay Area house party where men engage in 'curtfishing' - pretending to be connected to right-wing figures to attract female journalists. The story follows various conversations at the party, including one with someone pretending to be Curtis Yarvin, a startup founder working on automated condemnations, and a discussion about the addictive and damaging nature of Twitter (now X). The story is filled with tech culture in-jokes and commentary on social media dynamics, journalism, and Silicon Valley culture. Shorter summary

In a fictional podcast dialogue, God and Iblis debate whether human intelligence shows genuine promise or is fundamentally flawed, with God defending humans despite their limitations while Iblis argues they're a failed experiment. Longer summary

The post is a fictional dialogue between God, Iblis (Satan), and podcast host Dwarkesh Patel debating the merits and flaws of human intelligence. Iblis criticizes humans by showing examples of their logical failures, ethical inconsistencies, and inability to generalize knowledge, while God defends humans by emphasizing their potential and progress. The debate touches on topics like mathematical understanding, ethical reasoning, and pattern recognition. God ultimately argues that despite their flaws, humans show genuine promise and deserve patience and nurturing, comparing them to children who make mistakes but have potential. Shorter summary

A satirical story about a Bay Area house party that combines text adventure games with social commentary about Silicon Valley culture, tech companies, and effective altruism. Longer summary

This is a satirical story about a Bay Area house party, written as a humorous fictional narrative combining text-based adventure games with social commentary. The story follows the narrator attending a party that's been ruined by Mark Zuckerberg trying to poach everyone for Meta, then meeting various Silicon Valley characters including effective altruists discussing existential risks, people working on startups, and others debating philosophical concepts. The story pokes fun at Silicon Valley culture, AI companies' GPU hoarding, EA concepts, and tech startup culture through increasingly absurd situations. Shorter summary

Scott announces a contest for reviews of anything except books, with prizes ranging from $500 to $2,500, due May 12th. Longer summary

Scott announces a variation on his yearly book review contest: instead of reviewing books, participants should review anything else - movies, products, societies, abstract concepts, etc. The post outlines the contest rules, including word count guidelines (2,000-10,000 words), submission process through a Google Form, and prize money ($2,500 for first place). Scott emphasizes that submissions should be anonymous and provides formatting guidelines for footnotes. Shorter summary

A satirical collection of fictional saint stories about rationalists taking rationalist principles to extreme lengths, written in the style of religious hagiography. Longer summary

A humorous fictional piece written in the style of religious hagiography (stories of saints), telling tales of imagined 'rationalist saints' who exemplify rationalist virtues and concepts. Each story is a short vignette featuring a different saint demonstrating extreme dedication to rationalist principles, from perfect calibration of probabilities to political neutrality to changing minds when evidence demands it. The stories are written with clear satirical intent, playfully incorporating rationalist concepts, figures, and organizations into the traditional format of saint stories. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a satirical 2024 presidential debate between Biden and Trump, featuring increasingly absurd positions on various issues. Longer summary

Scott Alexander moderates a fictional presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the 2024 election. The debate takes surreal turns as both candidates express increasingly bizarre views on topics like states' existence, abortion, wokeness, conspiracy theories, and immigration. Biden expresses solipsistic doubts about reality, while Trump argues for an expanded notion of America based on anthropic reasoning. The debate highlights the absurdity of political discourse through exaggerated positions and philosophical tangents. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander's novel 'Unsong' is now available in paperback on Amazon, featuring improvements over the original online version. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces the publication of his online serial novel 'Unsong' in paperback form on Amazon. He discusses the improvements made to the published version, including rewritten chapters, character name changes, and expanded historical and political details. Scott expresses gratitude to those who helped make the publication possible, particularly commenter Pycea. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander writes a satirical account of a Bay Area house party, mocking various tech and social trends in a Chaucer-inspired style. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents another satirical Bay Area house party scenario, this time written in a Chaucer-inspired style. The narrator encounters various eccentric characters, each representing absurd or exaggerated tech and social trends. The post humorously critiques concepts like land acknowledgments, tunnel-digging ventures, anti-celebrity magazines, QR code browsers, and overzealous environmental protection. It also pokes fun at tech optimism, social awkwardness, and the Bay Area startup culture. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a satirical, fictional Republican primary debate with absurd rules to highlight candidate personalities and critique political debate formats. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents a satirical, fictional account of a Republican primary debate with unusual rules. The debate features Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Donald Trump answering questions while adhering to increasingly absurd constraints, such as avoiding specific letters, using certain words or phrases, or speaking in specific poetic forms. The satire highlights the candidates' personalities and political positions while critiquing the format of political debates and the state of American politics. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a satirical presidential platform with outlandish and humorous policy proposals, critiquing various aspects of American politics and society. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents a satirical presidential platform with outlandish and humorous policy proposals. The post covers a range of topics including naval supremacy, sovereign citizens, climate change, military service, Supreme Court appointments, education, internet privacy, and cultural issues. Each proposal is presented with a mix of historical references, current events, and absurd logic, creating a comedic critique of American politics and society. Shorter summary

A fictional game show story explores the blurred lines between human and AI intelligence through philosophical debates and personal anecdotes. Longer summary

This post is a fictional story in the form of a game show called 'Turing Test!' where a linguist must determine which of five contestants are human or AI. The story explores themes of artificial intelligence, human nature, spirituality, and the boundaries between human and machine intelligence. As the game progresses, the contestants engage in philosophical debates and share personal stories, blurring the lines between human and AI behavior. The story ends with a twist that challenges the reality of the entire scenario. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander narrates a haunting pre-dawn walk through San Francisco, mixing observations with apocalyptic musings before the spell is broken by sunrise. Longer summary

Scott Alexander describes a surreal early morning experience in San Francisco, blending observations of the city with morbid thoughts and literary references. He reflects on the city's role as a hub of technological progress and potential existential risk, comparing it to pivotal moments in Earth's history. The post oscillates between eerie, apocalyptic imagery and more grounded observations, ultimately acknowledging the normalcy of the city as daylight breaks. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a satirical account of a Bay Area house party, showcasing absurd startup ideas and intellectual discussions that parody Silicon Valley culture. Longer summary

Scott Alexander describes another fictional Bay Area house party, filled with eccentric characters pitching outlandish startup ideas and discussing bizarre theories. The narrative weaves through conversations about AI-generated myths, financial communication through rap, the future of human thought in the age of AI, Wikipedia editing dilemmas, extreme urban planning ideas, and ethical considerations in organ donation. The story satirizes Silicon Valley culture, startup mentality, and various intellectual subcultures. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses Janus' experiments with GPT-3, exploring its capabilities, quirks, and potential implications. Longer summary

This post discusses Janus' work with GPT-3, exploring its capabilities and quirks. It covers how GPT-3 can generate self-aware stories, the differences between older and newer versions of the model, its tendency to fixate on certain responses, and some amusing experiments. The post highlights the balance between creativity and efficiency in AI language models, and touches on the potential implications of AI development. Shorter summary

A satirical series of encounters between a Prophet and various Bishops, exploring the contradictions in religious leadership and public perception. Longer summary

This satirical post presents a series of vignettes featuring a Prophet encountering various Bishops in different cities, each struggling with the balance between appearance and reality in their religious roles. The Prophet's advice is consistently inconsistent, highlighting the absurdity of trying to please everyone while maintaining a perfect image. The story culminates with the Prophet critiquing God's PR strategy in Heaven, turning the 'Caesar's wife' idiom on its head. Through these interactions, the post explores themes of hypocrisy, moral hazard, and the often contradictory expectations placed on religious leaders. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander announces the winners of the 2022 Book Review Contest, lists finalists and honorable mentions, and provides commentary on the entries and contest process. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces the winners and finalists of the 2022 Book Review Contest. The post lists the top 5 winners, followed by the remaining finalists and honorable mentions. Scott provides brief commentary on many of the reviews, explaining his selection process and praising various aspects of the entries. He also shares some insights about the anonymity of the contest and its results, noting that some well-known writers performed well. The post concludes with information about prizes for winners and finalists, and a brief mention of plans for next year's contest. Shorter summary

Scott writes a satirical poem about clickbait content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' to critique manipulative media practices. Longer summary

This post is a satirical poem criticizing clickbait content and manipulative media practices. Scott uses rhyming verse to humorously describe how outrageous or controversial content is deliberately created to generate engagement on social media platforms. The poem advises readers to recognize this tactic and avoid engaging with such content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' throughout. Shorter summary

Scott explores cultural translation by reimagining Xi Jinping's life as that of a fictional American president, Jason Shea, and reflects on the challenges of this creative exercise. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents a creative writing exercise where he attempts to 'translate' the biography of Chinese leader Xi Jinping into an American context, creating the fictional character of Jason Shea as the 44th US President. He explores the challenges of cultural translation, drawing parallels between Chinese and American political systems and historical events. The post is divided into two parts: the fictional biography and a reflection on the writing process and its limitations. Shorter summary

A fictional story about a temple intern managing three omniscient idols, exploring logic puzzles and philosophical questions through visitors' interactions. Longer summary

This post is a fictional story set in a temple with three omniscient idols, where one always tells the truth, one always lies, and one answers randomly. The narrator is a bored summer intern who manages the temple, dealing with various visitors who come to ask the idols questions. The story explores different logical puzzles, philosophical questions, and human reactions to the idols' cryptic answers. In the end, the narrator uses his own three questions and realizes there might be more to his job and studies than he initially thought. Shorter summary