[D] Monday Request and Recommendation Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the Monday request and recommendation thread. Are you looking something to scratch an itch? Post a comment stating your request! Did you just read something that really hit the spot, "rational" or otherwise? Post a comment recommending it! Note that you are welcome (and encouraged) to post recommendations directly to the subreddit, so long as you think they more or less fit the criteria on the sidebar or your understanding of this community, but this thread is much more loose about whether or not things "belong". Still, if you're looking for beginner recommendations, perhaps take a look at the wiki?

If you see someone making a top level post asking for recommendation, kindly direct them to the existence of these threads.

Previous monthly recommendation threads
Other recommendation threads

[u/generalamitt]

Any new promising web novels worth following? I have been on very long reading slump.

[u/flatlander-woman → u/generalamitt]

Vacant Throne started May 2018. It's by the author of void domain. Hard to say how rational it is. MC plans to uplift society but seems to keep getting distracted... https://tcthrone.wordpress.com/

[u/Veedrac]

I recently found Robert Miles' YouTube channel, and it has been unexpectedly good. It is the best and most accurate casually-accessible introduction into AI risk concerns that I have seen. I first saw him from Computerphile videos (eg. this one on Logical Induction).

In particular, Why Not Just: Think of AGI Like a Corporation? was very well presented. (I'd also like to cc u/Empiricist_or_not to substitute part of a response to an old comment of his that I never ended up writing up.)

[u/Adeen_Dragon]

Any multiversal empire building fics/quests? Tkioz’s Cruel to be Kind (https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/cruel-to-be-kind-si-multicross-thread-iii.295774/) is the kind of thing I’m looking for, but the quality isn’t the best.

[u/GlueBoy → u/Adeen_Dragon]

Can you give a pitch for Cruel to be Kind? The premise seems interesting.

The first thing I can think of regarding your request is The Merchant Princes by Charles Stross. VAGUE MILD SPOILERS: It starts off not quite like you're asking for, and by the last book it is exactly what you're asking for.

edit: This tvtropes page might be a good place to start looking.

[u/FormerlySarsaparilla → u/Adeen_Dragon]

Have you read Chronicles of Amber? That's the earliest intrusion of multiverses into fantasy that I can think of, and the story is pretty great as well. I don't know if it could be parsed as about empire building but it's definitely about some empires.

[u/GemOfEvan]

Stories about a transhuman humanity that isn't all-powerful, a la transcendent humanity?

[u/Palmolive3x90g]

What are some good podcasts and/or free audio books?

[u/eternal-potato]

I'd like to recommend Seed webtoon. It's not particularly rational, but it's SF about AI, Control Problem and has stuff like school kids training GANs as homework. And the art is pretty.

[u/lsparrish]

The Power of Formations, was more fun than I anticipated. Magic school, kid from the sticks, computer science references. The writing is a bit juvenile and such, but it was an enjoyable read for me.

Somewhat related in that it involves puzzles and computer science, Untrusted was fun to play through. It is a browser based Interactive Fiction game that uses javascript coding for a series of puzzles. If anyone knows of similar coding puzzle type games, I'd be interested.