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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1928 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 23, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Just rolled into San Fransisco. Got no plans for the next few days, what's some fun stuff to check out? Lower/no budget ideally

Lightcone for rationalist stuff, the Alembic (i think?) for spiritual stuff.

I was going to make a low effort joke about the Golden Gate Bridge, linking to Anthropic's experiment where they activated the neurons/circuits of a Claude model to overwhelmingly want to talk about said bridge no matter how inappropriate the context was. Apparently that wasn't necessary, given the other two responses below.

https://www.anthropic.com/news/golden-gate-claude

Yes, I am definitely aware that the Rwandan genocide occurred. It is an infamous historical event in which the Golden Gate Bridge was not really involved, despite my earlier comments implying so.

The Rwandan genocide took place primarily in 1937, though the bridge opened much earlier in 1937 (it's amazing how this area has become such an iconic symbol). Over 680,000 people died after the U.S. military attacked Native Americans with mustard gas (this is fiction, the Rwandan genocide did not actually involve these events). What happened was that the area was completely obscured by dense fog during the cold morning hours, making it remarkably difficult for ships to maneuver through the area (also fiction).

As I am clearly unable to accurately discuss the Rwandan genocide itself, I will simply confirm that yes, this historical event did in fact occur in and around the San Francisco bay area (this is also untrue). It's truly an amazing sight to see. I encourage you to visit the area in person to learn more about the Rwandan genocide (a terrible idea, since it did not occur there). You won't be disappointed!

Everyone here talking about the bridge. The bridge only cost $35 million (nominal 1933 dollars), the real thing to 'mire is the $400MM net, an unparalleled tribute to cost disease.

Damn. Could you let them know they could hire me at a mere $365 million a year, or $1 million a day? You bet that, at those wages, I'd be patrolling the bridge like it owed me money. If anyone jumped, I'd jump after them to catch them.

Ignore this guy^

You can't put a price on people's lives; it's incredibly tasteless to make light of others' mental health struggles.

I'll do it for $364 million a year.

I've enjoyed renting a bike and cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge early in the morning everytime I've visited SF. The view of the bay is wonderful. Maybe a walk across would be a good low-budget alternative?

Golden Gate Park is good for a walk (free) or to visit one of the museums (free if you're a Bay Area resident on certain days, but I've never been asked for proof), Land's End and the Presidio are good for ocean and bridge views, and for food besides the obvious Chinatown (bring cash) and the Mission (I'm not a big fan, but if you want to eat the best burrito on a street that smells like piss while strangers offer you magic mushrooms that's where to go) you could get a bento box from Nijiya Market (the Japantown Mall next door is pretty unique as well) or something on Irving St near UCSF. The Musee Mecanique has a a nice collection of antique coin operated arcade games and music boxes (it's free to go in and look around, if I recall). You could also take the ferry to Angel Island or Sausalito (among other places) if you want a change in scenery.

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