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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2105 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 20, 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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Out of your list, This Is Going To Hurt and the Golden Oecumene/Culture comparison sound like I would enjoy them the most, just going off of your blurbs. The former just carries the risk of being seen as a bit too much of a vanilla/safe/on-the-nose choice for Scott's blog.

Having read Blindsight, I also don't see what a review of it would add. The book, while being interesting in the way an academic paper is, is also dry and bloodless like one, and something something trying to squeeze juice from a brick.

vanilla/safe/on-the-nose choice for Scott's blog

Fair point, but in my defense, I'm a psychiatry resident, in the NHS, and also suffering from my residency while using humor as a coping mechanism. If anyone can get away with it, it should be me, goddammit!

Having read Blindsight, I also don't see what a review of it would add. The book, while being interesting in the way an academic paper is, is also dry and bloodless like one, and something something trying to squeeze juice from a brick

I genuinely disagree on the characterization of the book, it's one of my favorite novels for good reason, and that includes the sharp prose. Watts might be a depressed misanthrope who prays that humanity pays for its sins (any day now), but the man can write. Oh well, opinions can vary among gentlemen. I can think of a few things to discuss, I believe the reposted/updated version in the SSQ thread specifically mentions general cognitive neuroscience advancements as well as the clear example of LLMs as an inhuman intelligence that may or may not have qualia/consciousness.

Watts might be a depressed misanthrope who prays that humanity pays for its sins (any day now), but the man can write.

Yeah, reading his online comments made me genuinely reflect on whether I might have overestimated the depth of his books. I still like Blindsight, but boy does the guy sound like a complete cliche in short-form.

Just look at what the side bar on the blog is titled.

I think my actual favorite by Watts is the Sunflower series/novella. There's no scope for heavy handed ecological metaphors, just good old fashioned scifi and existential dread.

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