Any suggestions for getting started in the LW community? Its barrier to entry means I can't seem to vote on anything, etc. It's quite intimidating really.
I'll reiterate something another poster said, since it isnt' getting enough credit:
Read HP:MoR.
It's a fanfic of Harry Potter, written by the same Eliezer Yudkowsky who wrote much of Less Wrong. It was specifically written to convey the feeling of "what it means to be a rationalist".
For those who aren't into Harry Potter or into Fanfiction (like me), I can tell you this: Suprisingly, it is one of the best stories I've ever read. And I'm talking just as a story, nevermind the other value you can get form it, which is a good introduction to the "rationalist" community.
I'd argue that the BEST way to understand what is going on at LessWrong is to read HP:MoR, as it was intended to be such an intro and succeeds masterfully, while being amazingly fun.
I want to emphasize just how good this book is. It may very well be my favorite thing I've read and I was also initially skeptical when it was presented as fan fiction.
Say hello in an introductions thread, and/or post decent comments. The karma barrier to entry is pretty low (something like 5 to vote on most things and 20 to vote on everything), you'll get there in no time.
The sequences are well worth a read. They're kind of like an overview of modern philosophy in very plain language, very little jargon. Then, just participate in the comments and discussion forum as you feel. It takes very little time to collect enough karma to do whatever.
