[PaulHoule]

I think in those stories the speed of light is the same but the speed of thought differs. Close to the center of the galaxy you cannot be very smart and faster than light drives don't work, if you get too close to the edge you get victimized by those things that Yudkowsky is worried about. There's a certain range in which you get space opera.

[daveguy]

The most obvious way to change the speed of thought is to change the speed of the electromagnetic signals (light) that produce them. Ignoring the current known laws of physics, of course.

[cwmma]

It's both, the farther you get from the center of the galaxy technology can be more complex, the speed of light is higher, and computation can be faster.