Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
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Notes -
Okay the world is getting crazy.
About 10 years ago I made the decision to not fully allow any one algorithm to curate what content I consume. I also made the decision to not like videos, tweets, posts and other content as I was worried that when you like something the algorithm decides you want to see more of something which inherently means you want to see less of something else. I had fomo for new novel information I guess.
However there is just too much information. And every field is advancing at a rate never seen before. I need to keep up. I need to keep digesting this wonderful juicy magnificent information that my ancestors could only dream of. I NEEED IT ALL. I need to know everything. Just the fact I've avoided algorithms (not completely) for 10 years means that I have a wide range of interests and it's allowed to make novel discoveries about our world just from the comfort of my bedroom. We live in quite unbelievable times really.
Please guys how do I curate information from all over the internet ?
How do I watch the internet from above?
How do I collate information from 4chan, crypto, Data secrets lox, Productivity, history, biohacking, Lesswrong, AI , UFO, Singularity, Robotics, Ray Peat, Paranormal, Biophysics, Genetics, Epigentics, Quantum Computing, Looksmaxxing, Slatestarcodex, YouTube, Apricity, scientific studies, Substack, Astrology, Neurofeedback Autism, etc, without losing my mind?
(Partial answers and Speculative answers welcome.)
(Also if you think there is a better place to ask this question please let me know. If you think there is a better way to ask this question please let me know.)
A straightforward answer could be to write a parser for each source of information that you are interested in, and then a frontend to consume that information. I am partially doing this (and it provides some of the magic sauce for my startup), though I also use email and rss. And Twitter; the serendipity factor for the algorithm is still too high to leave it be.
Also, I've sometimes entered Data secrets lox, but bumped out pretty quickly; what is an example of a discussion you've found valuable there, if that's not too much trouble?
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I also refuse to give the algorithm anything. I'm not even logged in almost anywhere, and I certainly won't use an app.
The best way for me to keep tabs on content I regularly follow is - still, after decades - RSS feeds. You can even "subscribe" to a youtube channel and/or twitter account by just adding it to your RSS reader. And of course it works naturally for blog-style content.
Also, skimming hackernews and curating a list of decent subreddits still works OK for content discovery.
Its funny how one comment tells me it's impossible and then one comment basically gives me what I'm looking for. Thank you.
I'm getting the sense that your motivation for the avoidance of algorithms is different from mine. Mine is the fear of missing out on potentially helpful information. What is yours?
This is certainly part of it. Even if you don't 'like' any content at all, twitter, youtube et. al will feed you only more of what you consumed previously - even worse if you follow other accounts. But I also just really don't want those companies to built up a profile about me in order to sell me ads.
It also has previously unintended side-effects: for example, people now frequently report having trouble ad-blocking on youtube. This isn't an issue if you're not logged in.
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Which RSS reader do you recommend?
Complicated question. Quick answer for normies: Feedly.
Complicated answer: Are you OK with making an account and maybe even paying for it? Do you need cross-platform support (sync between your phone and a tablet/PC)? If no, your options are endless. I like miniflux.
If you want cross-platform without a third party, you need to self-host your feeds. I really like the RSS features Nextcloud brings. Use and app on your phone, the web interface anywhere else. Miniflux can also selfhost.
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A group chat that has competent people who are tied in with various industries and specialties in various fields.
And a highly curated twitter feed or set of twitter feeds for other competent people in various fields.
The first one is hard to find, for sure.
The second one takes some effort, because you have to filter out brainless pundits, grifters, kooks, and the occasional psy-op, and identify people with consistently correct analysis or at least an actual mastery of the facts.
Right now there's a LOT of people online who offers 'newsletters' and paid writing (usually via substack) where their whole game is that THEY comb through all the new of the day and analyze it and summarize it to their particular audience. If you found a good one that might suit your needs. But also consider how that person is choosing to present any given issue, and what they might be choosing to exclude.
Ultimately though, accept that you can't keep up, and your own sanity is probably better served by deliberately taking breaks from the firehose. News will happen in the interim, you will hear about it, but it won't take you long to catch up on the stories that ACTUALLY mattered later, rather than trying to identify meaningful stories as they happen.
The crazier the world gets, I assert, the more critical to ensure your own mental peace.
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You can’t. Also, you probably don’t want to. The closest thing is probably Gwern? You probably don’t want to be Gwern. How many Gwerns does the world need? Even Gwern himself, for all his knowledge, does not provide any societal benefit except for his collation of information.
I am very suspicious of this (newly popular) health trend. Bill Gates and Trump have ridiculous diets, Steve Jobs had a ridiculous diet in the other direction, and Jordan Peterson has a yet more ridiculous diet. Yet all top in their respective fields. Meanwhile the average fad diet-ist is a loser, relatively speaking. The only things that I think are probably true is that we need more greens, fibers, and a lower glycemic load for meals (unless you’re working out), and also that consistency of diet is a uniquely beneficial independent variable in health because our body adapts to patterns. When I looked into the diet of top university students it was just like: consistent three meals per day, carbs, more fruit and vegetables. That was the best study I could think of for this question (how do top performing students eat), we should see the best habits rise to top there (or it just doesn’t matter).
Please tell me how sure you are of this
Maybe I should have clarified but in all of those spaces/topics that I have stated there is always going to be stuff that is true and stuff that is false. I am not saying everything in these spaces/topics are true. IN FACT I am saying because I frequent these space/topics in a certain detached way I can see the flaws in these spaces/topics that other people cannot; especially those who attach themselves fully to one or two subjects.
Bill, Trump, Steve and Jordan all have star signs, heights, looks, productivity habits, personalities, social connections, family, IQ, motivations, clothes, voice, technologies, genetics, epigenetics, education, money, random events in their lives etc that contribute to their success as well as their eating habits.
I am not asking for people to validate me on the truthfulness on any one of these topics. That's a me problem. I am asking for a way to arrange such a vast amount of information in a way that I can stay up to date with new findings and eventually use this information to improve my life and the life of others.
I understand that this is a big ask. So I'm not expecting someone to just give me a fully baked working procedure. I am just asking for some initial ideas or first steps or even just guesses on how they would attempt to do this.
And if this question doesn't belong here please help me and try to think of a place that might be more receptive to a question like this.
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I think they also do algorithms based on time spent watching a thing.
But I feel like your approach is backwards anyways. You should be liking the interesting and enlightening content. Some people will specialize in it. It's better to follow them.
I understand. One aspect of my problem is how do I collect information of different formats from different places into information that actually allows me to improve my life and the life of others.
I understand why you say this (maybe?). If I believe that sorting out information is too much for my brain why not just rely on an algorithm?
It's kind of hard to explain but having a general overview of things allows you to see that more isn't necessary better. You can go super deep on a subject and become the world's expert and still lack in other subjects.
I've seen crypto guys do the most inefficient workout routines and I've seen the genetics guys and the psychology guys struggle with the same question but from different angles but they have no idea that they can answer each others questions.
Everybody is so Silo'd that they can't really grasp the full picture. I am not saying that I have grasped the full picture but I have an overview that a specialist in their field cannot see unless they look at another field to complete the picture.
I'm watching people who have infinitely more IQ, attention, education, wealth, work ethic, etc than me make mistakes because they are siloed into an algorithm.
I'd suggest the old fashioned way, just writing down your summary and sharing that summary. If a bunch of people are doing bad workouts, share a better workout routine among them. Cite it with sources from the people that know workouts.
A suggestion for mixing up your information diet:
Real life is not siloed in the same way as the Internet, so you can mix up your information diet by sampling from your locality. It is of course still siloed in its own ways. I live in a neighborhood with a bunch of families, all of my friends here are parents. But I know there is a variety of political views, news sources, and job experience among them. The online silos of my neighbors look very different from one another.
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