UPDATE: Some people have expressed interest, so for now I am not taking any more applications. Thanks.
I would like about a weekend’s worth of work (maybe two weekends) from
(a) a web designer, who can create an attractive, functional, and mobile-friendly template for some forms and some tables of statistics.
(b) a developer who is handy with scripting (JavaScript plus either Python or PHP). The project involves simple manipulation of data, which could be kept as JSON files or in a simple database. The results of the data manipulation are then used to populate the tables on the web site.
As of now, I have web pages and software that work. But the developer was an idiot. I used him because I was in a hurry. I am still in a hurry, but it’s time to replace the idiot.
The project is my Fantasy Intellectual Teams project (FITs). The project goal is to change the way that public intellectuals communicate about current events. Today, they are rewarded for nasty tribalism. Instead, FITs will award points in eight categories:
- playing Devil’s Advocate
- thinking in terms of bets
- admitting to caveats
- engaging with someone on the other side in a structured debate
- kicking off a discussion with a piece that earns praise that is not motivated by tribalism
- demonstrating an openness to changing one’s mind based on new information
- balanced analysis of research, as opposed to selectively citing only studies that support one’s opinion
- steel-manning the other side, as opposed to knocking down a straw man or using pejorative labels
To get a picture of the functionality, look at this fake demo (with all numbers made up).
Tens of thousands of people follow intellectuals who participate in Twitter, YouTube, Substack, and web sites maintained by newspapers, think tanks, and individuals. These commentators tend to be rude and polarizing.
The idea of FITs is to have some of these tens of thousands of followers draft fantasy teams whose content will be scored using criteria like those listed above. Once FITs achieves popularity, there will be a lot of people rooting for intellectuals who are truth-seekers rather than tribal warriors. In terms of a recent book by Julia Galef, FITs will reward intellectual scouts rather than intellectual soldiers.
I would prefer help from someone who is motivated by the goal of the project. I am willing to reward help with small gifts. But I do not want to set up a corporate entity with a payroll. I know I can always fall back on the idiot. But the idiot would rather be dancing.
If you or a kid you know might be interested in helping, contact me at arnoldsk at us dot net, or leave a comment.
“But the developer was an idiot.”
Fact check: 100% FALSE
I’m a lowly accountant or I’d volunteer.
What ever happened to “taking the most charitable view”. May be he was an idiot but on the matter of software development, it has long been my view that only developers can judge developers in the absence of large sample sizes.
Cookie-cutter projects excepted.
The fact that he used the term “idiot” was pretty big hint that he was referring to himself–that’s the only person he wouldn’t feel the need to describe charitably.
The other big hint that “idiot” means the author is the “would rather be dancing” bit, by the way…
I wouldn’t call the dancing part a hint. That was a sheer giveaway 🙂
All of the above, + the fact that he can always fall back on the idiot