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.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
I Got Into Inkhaven (And Now I'm Panicking)
I received a frightening email, and in my line of work, you kinda expect them. But this one was different: Inkhaven accepted my application.
If you haven't heard of it, Inkhaven is this writing residency thing run by Lightcone Infrastructure. Yes, that's the LessWrong people, except now they're doing physical world stuff instead of just posting online. Scott mentioned it on his blog, which is how I found out about it. He's going to be mentoring there, which honestly might be the main reason I applied. Other names of note include Scott Aaronson, and Gwern.
The premise is beautifully simple and terrifying: show up, get housing at cost, write one blog post per day. Miss a day? You're out. It's like a writing bootcamp designed by someone who really, really wants you to develop a daily habit. Of course, in my particular case, it's like convincing someone popping oxy every day that they can save money by switching to fent. Do I look like I need additional incentive to write?
When I submitted my application, I figured my chances were decent. Self-described member of the rationalist community, popular posts on LW and /r/SSC, psychiatry resident who sneaks in references to Bayesian priors whenever he thinks he can get away with it. I included links to six pieces I'm proud of* and wrote the standard "here's who I am" introduction. But I had one major problem: I can't do the full month of November. My job gives me 14 days of leave every six months, and they don't let you combine them. Not exactly conducive to month-long writing retreats. Lightcone noted that those who couldn't make that commitment would be down weighted in favor those who could.
I applied anyway. What's the worst that could happen, right?
Apparently the worst that could happen is they say yes.
Now I'm staring at this acceptance email having what I can only describe as a controlled panic attack. Getting a US visa is going to be a nightmare. Try explaining to an immigration officer that you're visiting America to... write blog posts... at a place run by... internet rationalists? I'm imagining that conversation and it doesn't end well.
The timing is also spectacularly bad. I have a professional exam smack in the middle of November. A close friend is getting married in Texas in December, and I'm not sure I can swing both trips. My leave schedule is already stretched thinner than phyllo dough.
But here's the thing: this is exactly the kind of "good problem to have" that people talk about. I want to go. I want to meet Scott and all these people I've only known as usernames and Twitter handles. I want to see if I can actually write something decent every day for however long I can manage.
So if anyone has brilliant ideas about US visa applications, creative leave arrangements, or general life optimization, I'm all ears.
Plans so far:
Figure out how to stretch the leave. Fly out as soon as the exam is over, and then make strategic usage of weekends to eke out a longer stay. I'm aiming for 10 days plus weekends for Inkhaven, and 3 days plus hopefully another weekend for the wedding. I had really meant to use this as an opportunity to visit the many Mottizens who had invited me over to shoot guns (I think I need a spreadsheet for that alone), but I hope they can forgive me if the itinerary doesn't allow for it. Well, the first offers came in almost two years back, and I haven't heard anyone rescind them since. You guys seem like an understanding bunch.
Book visa appointments ASAP, and figure out how to phrase this in an ICE-friendly manner.
*If memory serves, one of them was a moderation comment I'd written on The Motte. Don't say I don't look out for us whenever I can!
Congratulations on getting into the program. Spending at least $3,500 for a monthlong writing workshop that leads to immediate eviction the moment someone fails to hit a deadline sounds like an interesting thing to follow.
Are there details yet on where the writers will publish their work?
For once, being comparatively poor works in my favor. I qualified for the financial assistance, above the budget I said I was willing to bear by myself.
There's no centralized repository. I believe we're at liberty to post wherever we've been posting, which in my case, would be a combination of /r/SSC, The Motte, and my own Substack. I usually cross-post on at least two of the three, depending on the target audience.
I don't know the names of the other participants quite yet, until I confirm my attendance and get added to a Slack channel. If any other familiar faces show up, and they're not against me talking about it, I'll share.
If Motte posts >500 words count you should be done in a week!
Well, they accepted Motte posts in the submission statement! God knows I'll probably be coming here and begging people to give me ideas or to start a fight just so the creative juices get flowing.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link