How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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Apr 22, 2022
acx

Initial Conditions

4 min • 476 words • 328 comments • 97 likes • podcast (5 min)
Scott Alexander examines the prevalence of people going by initials, particularly those starting with 'J', and explores various theories to explain this trend. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the peculiar trend of people going by their first and middle initials, particularly those with 'J' as their first initial. He notes that about 50% of such cases are 'JD', 49% are other J-combinations (JT, JR, AJ, CJ, RJ), and only 1% are anything else. He explores various theories to explain this phenomenon, including the commonality of J names, the melodiousness of certain combinations, and potential cultural influences. However, he finds each explanation lacking when examined closely. Scott concludes that it might be a combination of multiple factors, including conservative naming traditions, but invites input from readers who go by their initials. Shorter summary
Jun 20, 2019
ssc

If Only Turing Was Alive To See This

1 min • 136 words • 109 comments • podcast (4 min)
Scott Alexander humorously describes AI-generated content simulating humans pretending to be robots pretending to be humans on Reddit. Longer summary
Scott Alexander humorously discusses the intersection of two subreddits: r/totallynotrobots, where humans pretend to be badly-disguised robots, and r/SubSimulatorGPT2, which uses GPT-2 to imitate various subreddits. The result is a AI-generated simulation of humans pretending to be robots pretending to be humans. Scott shares an example of this amusing output and expresses wonder at the current state of technology. Shorter summary
Dec 12, 2016
ssc

Might People On The Internet Sometimes Lie?

12 min • 1,637 words • 317 comments
Scott Alexander examines why compelling but unlikely stories on large internet platforms are probably lies, despite our reluctance to believe so. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the prevalence of seemingly incredible stories on large internet platforms like Reddit. He proposes that, given the massive user base, even a small percentage of trolls or liars can produce numerous convincing but false stories. This principle extends to viral news stories, blog posts, and even scientific research, where the most interesting or surprising results are disproportionately likely to be false. Despite understanding this logically, Scott notes that it's psychologically difficult to dismiss these stories as lies, and he explores possible reasons for this cognitive dissonance. Shorter summary
Jul 22, 2015
ssc

Freedom On The Centralized Web

25 min • 3,414 words • 528 comments • podcast (24 min)
Scott Alexander examines the challenges to free speech posed by centralized internet platforms and the difficulties in creating viable alternatives. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the challenges of maintaining freedom of speech on the centralized web. He compares internet communities to corporate states, noting that instead of fostering competition, the internet has led to a few dominant platforms. He argues that these platforms' power over speech is concerning, as they can effectively censor unpopular ideas. The post examines the difficulties in creating alternative platforms, using the example of Voat's struggle to compete with Reddit. Scott concludes by warning of a potential 'two-tier marketplace of ideas' where unpopular ideas are relegated to stigmatized platforms, effectively silencing them. Shorter summary