We won't solve non-alignment problems by doing research
http://mdickens.me/2025/11/20/research_wont_solve_non-alignment_problems/ Introduction Even if we solve the AI alignment problem, we still face non-alignment...
An unnecessarily long analysis of one line from The Princess Bride
Vizzini: Inconceivable! Inigo: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. What did Inigo mean by this? (Don’t laugh, this is...
Do Disruptive or Violent Protests Work?
http://mdickens.me/2025/11/19/do_disruptive_protests_work/ Previously, I reviewed the five strongest studies on protest outcomes and concluded that peaceful...
We won't solve post-alignment problems by doing research
Introduction Even if we solve the AI alignment problem, we still face post-alignment problems, which are all the other existential problems1 that AI may...
Do Disruptive or Violent Protests Work?
Previously, I reviewed the five strongest studies on protest outcomes and concluded that peaceful protests probably work (credence: 90%). But what about...
Why would God have a gender?
Classically, according to the Abrahamic religions, God is a man. According to some more recent depictions, God is a woman. Which is a nice subversion. But...
Knowing Whether AI Alignment Is a One-Shot Problem Is a One-Shot Problem
http://mdickens.me/2025/11/16/ai_meta_one_shot/ One day, I was at my grandma’s house reading the Sunday funny pages, when I suddenly felt myself getting...
Not-Discovered-Here Syndrome
An investor is considering putting her money into a mutual fund. “I will just invest some money for the next six months,” she says, “and see how it goes.” A...
Knowing whether AI alignment is a one-shot problem is a one-shot problem
One day, I was at my grandma’s house reading the Sunday funny pages, when I suddenly felt myself getting sucked into a Garfield comic. I looked down at my...
What If Ghosts Were Real?
http://mdickens.me/2025/11/15/what_if_ghosts_were_real/ If we are correct about the laws of physics, then ghosts can’t exist. But some people are insistent...
What If Ghosts Were Real?
If we are correct about the laws of physics, then ghosts can’t exist. But some people are insistent that they’ve directly interacted with ghosts. Is there a...
In Defense of the NCIS Two-People-One-Keyboard Scene
(Here is the same clip in HD, but that 2010 YouTube vibe is part of the fun) This clip is in the running for most-mocked scene of all time, but I think it’s...
Epistemic Spot Check: Expected Value of Donating to Alex Bores's Congressional Campaign
http://mdickens.me/2025/11/13/spot_check_alex_bores/ Political advocacy is an important lever for reducing existential risk. One way to make political change...
Epistemic Spot Check: Expected Value of Donating to Alex Bores's Congressional Campaign
Political advocacy is an important lever for reducing existential risk. One way to make political change happen is to support candidates for Congress. In...
Ideas Too Short for Essays, Part 2
Nearly nine years after part 1, I bring three new short ideas. Keep in mind that scientific fraud happens sometimes Clichés are good, actually You must put...
Are Groot and Baby Groot the Same Person?
This post contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot—a sapient tree with a three-word vocabulary—dies. They...
Upside Volatility Is Bad
http://mdickens.me/2025/11/09/upside_volatility_is_bad/ Investors often say that standard deviation is a bad way to measure investment risk because it...
Upside Volatility Is Bad
Investors often say that standard deviation is a bad way to measure investment risk because it penalizes upside volatility as well as downside. I agree that...
Writing Your Representatives: A Worthwhile and Neglected Intervention
http://mdickens.me/2025/11/08/call_or_write_your_representatives/ Is it a good use of time to call or write your representatives to advocate for issues you...
Writing Your Representatives: A Cost-Effective and Neglected Intervention
Is it a good use of time to call or write your representatives to advocate for issues you care about? I did some research, and my current (weakly-to-...