Not to defend the site... It leaves a bad taste for some reason...

... But the site never claimed that you'd become a genius by following the checklist. Just that you'd make a lot of progress.

The items on the checklist also do seem to be associated with many of the people that I've met who I'd call geniuses. (I've been lucky to meet a few, at least online.) For example, intellectual curiosity, stress free life, solid sleep schedule, general happiness.

It's very difficult to find an instance of a miserable genius. Misery, for unknown reasons, seems to undercut one's ability to apply their genius traits.

So although I don't think this checklist is going to transform you into a genius, it does seem to be a checklist of qualities that geniuses tend to share. I just wish it was presented in a clinical, dispassionate way, rather than a "you can too!" style.

> It's very difficult to find an instance of a miserable genius.

Isaac Newton?

That's an interesting counterexample, though I've often wondered what he was actually like. We only hear the tales from history, which are extremes by definition.

I imagine that pg's bio might have similar things to say, but those who knew him remember how snappy and full of energy he is. His online persona and writings give a very different impression.

But the opposite is also true. Also, isn't that an instance of a fixed mindset?