Kurzweil in his late 20's and 30's (the 1970's) had a real company, and he had tangible products under development. For example, behold an early model of Kurzweil's reading machine for the blind:
I understand that the current models have shrunk down to the size of cell phones. I'll keep that in mind in case my vision deteriorates further.
By contrast, what does Yudkowsky, currently in the same age range, have to show for his "career," other than a lot of writings and glib talks about his intellectual enthusiasms, a lifestyle which he has somehow persuaded others to subsidize? What explains his mesmerism over otherwise seemingly bright people?
I don't consider myself especially worldly or sophisticated; in fact I admit that I've had a sheltered life. But I've had enough experience by now dealing with, and studying, human behavior, that I can often tell when a person's carefully constructed public image doesn't make sense. I saw through Obama's empty suit three years ago, while he gave speeches to crowds which treated him like a rock star. I have a similar sense of cognitive dissonance from what I've seen so far of the Yudkowsky Myth.
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