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!

See also Top Posts and All Tags.

Minutes:
Blog:
Year:
4622 tags
Show all filters
12 posts found
Feb 02, 2021
acx

Riddle Of The Sphinx II: Sustained Release Riddlin'

3 min • 332 words • 72 comments • 256 likes • podcast (4 min)
Scott engages in a battle of wits with a Sphinx, exchanging clever riddles and culminating in an unexpected answer to the classic Sphinx riddle. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a series of witty and clever riddles in a fictional encounter with a Sphinx on the road to LA. The riddles and answers showcase wordplay, puns, and creative interpretations of common phrases. The post culminates with Scott providing an unexpected but logical answer to the Sphinx's famous riddle about legs and time of day, using a flight itinerary as his solution. Shorter summary
Jan 05, 2020
ssc

Hardball Questions For The Next Debate (2020)

8 min • 1,013 words • 193 comments • podcast (9 min)
Scott Alexander presents satirical and absurd 'hardball questions' for 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, showcasing clever wordplay and humorous connections. Longer summary
Scott Alexander proposes humorous and satirical 'hardball questions' for the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Each question is a clever play on words, current events, or personal characteristics of the candidates, designed to be absurd and comical rather than serious policy inquiries. The post showcases Scott's wit and ability to find unexpected connections and wordplay in political discourse. Shorter summary
May 02, 2019
ssc

Little Known Types Of Eclipse

2 min • 232 words • 73 comments • podcast (3 min)
Scott Alexander humorously invents various absurd types of 'eclipses', ranging from astronomical to metaphorical and apocalyptic. Longer summary
This post humorously explores various fictitious types of eclipses, starting with genuine astronomical events and gradually progressing to increasingly absurd and metaphorical 'eclipses'. Scott Alexander begins with real lunar and solar eclipses, then introduces imaginary concepts like 'terrestrial eclipse' and 'atmospheric eclipse'. The list becomes more fanciful, including 'motivational eclipse', 'marital eclipse', and even religious and apocalyptic variations. The tone is playful and satirical, using the concept of eclipses as a vehicle for wordplay and cultural references. Shorter summary
Feb 13, 2019
ssc

The Proverbial Murder Mystery

54 min • 7,424 words • 120 comments • podcast (45 min)
A detective investigates deaths at a proverb-testing laboratory, uncovering a plot involving a reality-bending machine that makes proverbs literal. Longer summary
This post is a fictional detective story set in a laboratory that tests proverbs. The detective investigates two deaths at the lab and uncovers a sinister plot involving a machine that makes proverbs come true. The story is filled with wordplay and literal interpretations of proverbs, leading to a climactic confrontation where the detective uses his knowledge of sayings to defeat the villainous lab director. The narrative is presented as a mystery that gradually reveals the true nature of the lab and its machine, ending with the destruction of the proverb-manipulating technology. Shorter summary
Oct 17, 2016
ssc

The Moral Of The Story

9 min • 1,238 words • 141 comments
Scott presents a series of short stories, each concluding with a pun-based moral, demonstrating his wit and love for wordplay. Longer summary
This post is a collection of short stories or anecdotes, each followed by a pun-based moral. The stories cover various topics, from fairy tales to technology, and each ends with a clever wordplay that relates to a common saying or cultural reference. The author warns about puns at the beginning and mentions that some content is self-plagiarized from their social media. The overall tone is humorous and playful, showcasing the author's wit and fondness for wordplay. Shorter summary
Oct 02, 2015
ssc

Swifties 3: The Race Is Not To The Swifty

7 min • 896 words • 116 comments
Scott Alexander presents 50 new 'Tom Swifties', a form of wordplay combining quotes with punning adverbs, in his third collection of these jokes. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a collection of 50 'Tom Swifties', a form of wordplay where a quoted sentence is linked to a punning adverb. This post is the third in a series, following two previous collections. The Swifties range from simple puns to more complex jokes requiring knowledge of history, literature, or pop culture. Some entries are credited to commenters from previous posts. The humor often relies on double meanings, homophones, or creative interpretations of phrases. Shorter summary
Jun 15, 2015
ssc

Fifty (More) Swifties

5 min • 699 words • 171 comments
The post presents 50 'Tom Swifties', a form of wordplay involving quotes and related adverbs, demonstrating the author's wit and knowledge across various fields. Longer summary
This post is a collection of 50 'Tom Swifties', a form of wordplay where a quoted sentence is linked to an adverb that relates to the quote in a punning manner. The author extends this concept beyond just Tom, including other characters and historical figures. The puns range from simple to complex, often requiring knowledge of literature, history, or current events to fully appreciate. The post demonstrates the author's wit and extensive knowledge across various fields, while also showcasing their ability to craft intricate wordplays. Shorter summary
Jan 25, 2015
ssc

A Philosopher Walks Into A Coffee Shop

11 min • 1,515 words • 439 comments
Scott Alexander creates a series of jokes imagining how famous philosophers would behave in a coffee shop, playing on their key ideas and quirks. Longer summary
Scott Alexander creates a series of philosophical jokes in the style of 'Literary Starbucks', imagining how famous philosophers would interact in a coffee shop. The jokes play on the philosophers' key ideas, famous quotes, or historical anecdotes. For example, Pythagoras runs away when he learns coffee is made from beans, Descartes ceases to exist after saying 'I think not', and Wittgenstein argues about the meaning of coffee sizes. The post showcases Scott's knowledge of philosophy and his ability to create humor by applying philosophical concepts to everyday situations. Shorter summary
Aug 14, 2014
ssc

Fifty Swifties

6 min • 704 words • 90 comments
Scott Alexander presents a list of 50 original Tom Swifties, showcasing witty wordplay across various topics. Longer summary
This post is a collection of 50 original Tom Swifties, a form of wordplay where a quoted sentence is linked to an adverb that relates to the quote in a punny way. Scott Alexander creates these witty sentences, often involving complex or obscure references, covering a wide range of topics from science and history to pop culture and literature. The post begins with a brief explanation and references to other sources of Tom Swifties, then presents the list of 50 examples. Shorter summary
Apr 25, 2014
ssc

Metaphors Be With You

16 min • 2,166 words • 54 comments
Scott Alexander presents an extensive collection of humorous and creative metaphors, similes, and other figurative language from various sources. Longer summary
Scott Alexander compiles a list of humorous and creative metaphors, similes, and other forms of figurative language. He starts by mentioning existing collections of funny metaphors and explains his motivation for creating a new, expanded list. The post then presents a wide array of metaphors and similes from various sources, including literature, comedians, and internet forums. These figurative expressions cover diverse topics and range from clever wordplay to absurdist humor. Scott warns readers about the potential 'groanworthiness' of the content. Shorter summary
Dec 04, 2013
ssc

The Logician And The God-Emperor

3 min • 290 words • 83 comments
A humorous fictional tale about a logician and a God-Emperor illustrates the importance of precise logical language through two scenarios involving logical operators. Longer summary
This post is a short fictional story that humorously illustrates the importance of precise logical language. It features a logician who outwits a God-Emperor using a logical loophole, only to be outsmarted himself in the end. The story revolves around two scenarios: one involving the logician's interpretation of 'or' vs. 'xor', and another demonstrating the difference between 'if' and 'iff' in logical statements. The tale serves as a playful reminder of how subtle differences in logical operators can lead to vastly different outcomes. Shorter summary
Apr 01, 2013
ssc

A good pun is its own reword

8 min • 1,112 words • 38 comments
Scott Alexander explores what makes puns truly great, providing numerous examples and discussing various types of exceptional wordplay. Longer summary
Scott Alexander critiques a Buzzfeed list of 'greatest puns', arguing that truly great puns require more than just word similarity. He explores various types of exceptional puns, including those with multiple meanings, anti-puns, and puns requiring extensive background knowledge. Scott provides numerous examples of clever puns, discussing their complexity and creativity. He concludes by nominating what he considers the greatest pun of all time: a multilingual, historically-based pun attributed to Sir Charles Napier, though he notes it's likely apocryphal. Shorter summary