My self-summary
Wikipedia says I'm an Artificial Intelligence researcher. The TVTropes page on me lists me as a Science Hero. The highest upvoted item on the Eliezer Yudkowsky Facts page says, "If you say Eliezer Yudkowsky's name 3 times out loud, it prevents anything magical from happening."
If you succeed in purchasing me, I come with an optional bisexual girlfriend named Erin. We're polyamorous and are looking for new friends and dating interests both singly and as a couple.
What I’m doing with my life
In 2000 I cofounded the SingularityInstitute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to navigating the technological creation of smarter-than-human intelligence.
Over two years from 2007-2009, I posted one blog post a day to seed the creation of LessWrong, a group blog devoted to refining the art of human rationality and creating rationalist communities; it currently receives in the range of three-quarters of a million pageviews per month.
I'm presently taking time off working on reflective decision theory to write a nonfiction book, tentative working title "The Science of Changing Your Mind".
In my off-hours I'm writing Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (aka HPMOR), which is now up to 5 million hits, has become the third Google result for the keyword "rationality", and is the second-most-reviewed Harry Potter fanfiction on the Internet (yes, really).
Back when Technorati was still the best way to search blogs, I searched on common misspellings of my name and found that - entirely unknown to me - I had been made the subject of an off-Broadway play called Yudkowski Returns: The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Dr. Eliezer Yudkowski. Furthermore, the actor selected to play my role looked like Tom frikkin' Cruise. I am not making this up.
I happened to be in New York City during the annual Union Square pillow fight, so I showed up dual-wielding two pillows, a short maneuverable pillow for blocking incoming blows and a longer pillow in my right hand for striking. These two pillows were respectively inscribed "Probability Theory" and "Decision Theory"; because the list of Eliezer Yudkowsky Facts, which I had no hand in composing, says that all problems can be solved with probability theory and decision theory, and probability theory and decision theory are the names of my fists.
This very OKCupid profile has been linked from Marginal Revolution (one of the most popular econblogs). I swear I am not making this up.
I have been seriously and not in a joking way accused of trying to take over the world.
I’m really good at
Explaining math, computer programming, finding loopholes in games and real life, making people laugh so hard that milk comes out of their nose even if they weren't drinking any milk, waiting ages to plot my revenge, solving other people's major life problems, writing fiction with intelligent characters, inspiring enthusiasm about science and rationality and the future of humanity, putting in years of work to make a dream reality, and laughing the grandiose evil laughter of a mad scientist.
The first things people usually notice about me
It depends on whether you're a visual or an auditory person. If you're a visual person, you might notice the light fading as I enter the room; if you're more of an auditory person, you'll probably focus on the ominous Latin chanting in the background.
Favorite books, movies, shows, music, and food
Science fiction and fantasy: Permutation City by Greg Egan, Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, Neverness by David Zindell, Aristoi by Walter John Williams, The Golden Age by John C. Wright, Player of Games by Iain M. Banks, Night's Dawn by Peter Hamilton, The World of Null-A by Van Vogt, The Misenchanted Sword by Lawrence Watt-Evans, The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, everything Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams ever wrote, Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Watchmen by Alan Moore.
Nonfiction: Godel, Escher, Bach and Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstadter, Language in Thought and Action, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems by Judea Pearl.
Movies: Groundhog Day, Terminator 2, Hook, The Matrix (too bad they never made any sequels).
TV: All four seasons of Babylon 5 and all three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don't watch a lot of TV these days.
Anime: The four cardinal directions of my personality are Touya Akira from Hikaru no Go, Yuzuriha from X TV, Dark Schneider from Bastard!!, and Guu from Jungle Wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu.
Video games: Planescape Torment, Portal, Tsukihime (I'd pick Ciel), Fate/stay night.
Music: Pretty eclectic: Journey, Scooter, Two-Mix, Depeche Mode, Wumpscut. Summoning is just about the only overlap between my musical taste and my girlfriend's; she considers me a complete barbarian for liking
Evanescence, but I'm sorry, I do. I'm a great fan of Bach's music, and believe that it's best rendered as techno electronica with heavy thumping beats, the way Bach intended.
Food: Flitting from diet to diet, searching empirically for something that works. Currently I'm trying out the paleo-inspired New York Less Wrong diet, which says among other things that saturated fat is good for you and sugar (even in the form of fruit) is bad.
The six things I could never do without
Higher purpose, Erin, the Internet, hope, writing fiction, people who occasionally think of something I didn't think of myself.
I spend a lot of time thinking about
whichever pieces of writing I'm currently working on.
On a typical Friday night I am
recovering from a working day. Why couldn't you have asked about Thursday nights or Monday nights? Chances are much higher I'd be in a hot tub with some friends.
The most private thing I’m willing to admit
My fetishes are orgasm denial (of her); tickling (either of her, or with me allowed to fight back); and I have a strong sexually sadistic streak, but if I don't believe she's turned on by it, it does nothing for me.
I'm not easily offended by questions; I won't answer everything, but you can always ask me anything.
I’m looking for
Girls who like guys Ages 20–40 Near me For new friends, long-term dating, short-term dating
You should message me if
As of June 2012, my poly dance card is mostly full at the moment (one primary, two other relationships). Message me anyway if you want to be notified when my dance card is less full. Ignore any temptation to passively wait for me to notice you, that rarely works in real life and never over the Internet.
I've noticed that a lot of aspiring-rationalist females seem very shy and underconfident for one reason or another; so let me state here you shouldn't worry about disqualifying yourself or thinking that I'm not accessible to you. Don't decide on other people's behalf that they'll say no to you. Just decide whether you'd say yes yourself. Test experimentally what happens when you try asking directly for what you want - that's Empiricism. This advice applies any time you prefer the state of affairs where you sleep with a guy to not sleeping with him, and also to life in general.
If you're a student of transhumanism and rationality, sexually masochistic, and we have any overlap of literary taste or other interests, then contact me regardless of my full dance card - we may have a chance of building a new primary relationship together.
Though I'm also cool with trophy collection, if you only want to sleep with me once so you can tell your grandchildren.
