19 Comments
User's avatar
Ming's avatar

If only I'd flown in one day sooner... Alas 😔

Scott Alexander's avatar

I don't think you need to feel too bad about missing this if you're already going to Manifest (I'm assuming that's why you'd fly in the next day?) - it's a similar group of people, and I'll speak at both events.

Ming's avatar

Thank you. That's definitely true, I was just musing - I figure it'll be a bit less packed, and a different group is always a different vibe, even with significant overlap. I'm quite happy looking forward to Manifest and to your session, though!

Joel McKinnon's avatar

I can't wait. This will be my third and the first two were great. Looking forward to the conversations!

Joel McKinnon's avatar

If anyone needs a ride, let me know and I'll see if I can pick you up on the way. I live in Montara, just south of Pacifica.

Steeven's avatar

>You don’t have to ... pay money

If you want the premium extra meet option, you can pay me extra

Ebrima Lelisa's avatar

If you want extra premium, you can pay me

Rob Ennals's avatar

I’ll be driving up from Sunnyvale and can potentially give people a ride from the Sunnyvale/Mountain View area.

Ryan Meservey's avatar

I would love to carpool and could meet you in Sunnyvale.

Alternatively, I am open to carpooling with others in Palo Alto. I am on Stanford campus

A. Reader's avatar

I think of this large gathering & then of the LessWrong small-meetup "good practices" doc ( https://wiki.lesswrong.com/images/c/ca/How_to_Run_a_Successful_Less_Wrong_Meetup_Group.pdf , author's current email?) and wonder how it could increase value for those who come in not already knowing everybody.

A. Reader's avatar

Also, a post-meetup idea: https://x.com/i/status/2064331708217123076

“At the end …ask everyone to rate the meeting 1-10. If not 10, the person has to say what would have made it a 10. Meetings improve over time.”

Implausible Undeniability's avatar

What is the experience like for someone who has never been to one of these and doesn't know anyone there? A person shows up and does...what exactly?

A. Reader's avatar

I messaged you.

One thing you might want to be on the alert for is that conversations that seem confidential might not be. (Don’t be talking about your passwords, ssns, friends’ finances, gossiping, etc). IMO Scott Alexander ought to be stressing this.

A. Reader's avatar

Last time I drove down, last year, I had noplace to stay, ended up at a motel near Richmond with a window that didn't lock, and some kind of odd shuffling of parking lot autos happening when I was looking for a parking spot. Par for the course. How does one apply for a course transfer?

(also seemed to encounter disproportionate people who were present more extracurricularly.)

Solution/workaround?

A. Reader's avatar

(not *asking* for a solution, more expressing bafflement at safe steps forward.)

A. Reader's avatar

(Safe secure shelter is such a limiting factor in the bay area. No, airbnb’s promise to provide it gets hacked. Sorry ACX to be venting amid your substack comments)

ZPF's avatar

Would love to come if I could

Cornelius O'Neal's avatar

It’s great to see such community enthusiasm for the Berkeley meetup! It might be beneficial to consider incorporating discussions around how local events foster meaningful connections and ideas. This can significantly enhance collaboration beyond just socializing. https://granny1game.github.io

Robert Kane's avatar

Scott, if you delete my posts, it would be polite to tell me why. If you merely render them invisible or unfindable it would be polite to tell me why.