76 KiB
[D] Friday Off-Topic Thread
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Author: u/AutoModerator *
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URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/3o3wv0/d_friday_offtopic_thread/
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Score: 17
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Created: 2015-10-09T15:05:53
Post:
Welcome to the Friday Off-Topic Thread! Is there something that you want to talk about with /r/rational, but which isn't rational fiction, or doesn't otherwise belong as a top-level post? This is the place to post it. The idea is that while reddit is a large place, with lots of special little niches, sometimes you just want to talk with a certain group of people about certain sorts of things that aren't related to why you're all here. It's totally understandable that you might want to talk about Japanese game shows with /r/rational instead of going over to /r/japanesegameshows, but it's hopefully also understandable that this isn't really the place for that sort of thing.
So do you want to talk about how your life has been going? Non-rational and/or non-fictional stuff you've been reading? The recent album from your favourite German pop singer? The politics of Southern India? The sexual preferences of the chairman of the Ukrainian soccer league? Different ways to plot meteorological data? The cost of living in Portugal? Corner cases for siteswap notation? All these things and more could possibly be found in the comments below!
Comments:
u/Colonel_Fedora [+15] Ravenclaw (27 minutes later)
So... is there anyone else here with depression? It would be nice to discuss experiences and coping strategies with folks that like to think things through.
u/alexanderwales [+15] Time flies like an arrow (54 minutes later)
Not currently, but depression and I have a long history that goes way back. For me, it was mostly a two-pronged strategy.
The first prong was not getting depressed in the first place; the strategies for that were exercise, eating right, avoiding stressful situations to the extent that was feasible, keeping my immediate surroundings clean, and doing my best to cut off any downward spirals. You probably have your own triggers for depression, or conditions which make you more likely to become depressed, so watch for those and try to avoid them.
The second prong was coping with depression once it arrived. That's the more difficult of the two, because you have such a limited amount of finite willpower with which to get anything done. For me, doing small things that I actually have the willpower to accomplish helps. Like, maybe that pit of apathy is going to prevent me from going out with friends. Maybe I just don't have the brain chemicals necessary to get my laundry done either. But there's got to be something small that I can do in-between episodes of my fourteen hour TV-watching marathon. This is basically "strategic use of willpower". If you can use whatever scraps you find more effectively, you can start digging out of a hole that you're in, or at least accomplish enough that you can get to the next day without your life falling apart in the meantime. (This largely depends on how bad your depression is and what's causing it; I was in a mental hospital for a while and I know there were people there who would probably could never get out of their depression spiral no matter what coping strategies they employed.)
Oh, and it probably goes without saying that seeing a therapist/psychiatrist should be on the list of things to do.
u/Colonel_Fedora [+8] Ravenclaw (an hour later)
I really appreciate the help. I don't think my depression is as severe as yours was, but it's good advice regardless. I have been seeing a councilor for a while and it's been very helpful.
Of course, I also have to deal with gender dysphoria. It's harder to find people who have experienced that. I think that there's one other active user on the sub who's trans (hi transfuturist).
u/Transfuturist [+3] Carthago delenda est. (5 hours later)
Hello. <3
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+2] Mouse Army (2 hours later)
I think that was in last? or the week before that? open thread here where they talked about it. You might want to consider a post on Lesswrong, the survey showes that there a number of transpeople.
u/Iconochasm [+1] (a day later)
I think I recall you mentioning that you're soon to become a father. After reading that post, I feel inclined to warn you about the possibility of postpartum depression on your part. From what I remember reading on the topic a few years back, if it hits, it tends to last for years, clearing up around when the firstborn hits 4 or 5. That was my own experience as well. I've never had a problem with depression before or since, but I spent an infuriating number of hours during those first few years dealing with relentlessly nihilistic depression that seemed obviously "outside influence". I've just realized that my best friend is dealing with it too. His daughter is 3, so hopefully it'll clear up for him soon. But I really don't know how it would impact someone with a history with depression.
Just something that might be worth looking into, for the sake of preparedness.
u/alexanderwales [+2] Time flies like an arrow (3 days later)
I'm on the lookout for it; I think I'm in a pretty healthy place right now, mentally speaking, and I have a good support network (plus reasonably good coping strategies). If it happens, I can also go back on SSRIs, which helped a lot when I was at my worst. Thanks for the advice.
u/Iconochasm [+1] (3 days later)
Thanks for the advice.
It was motivated by both empathy and selfishness. It sucked, and I'd hate to see anyone else deal with it. I'd particularly hate if it affected someone whose writings I've been enjoying so much. Glad to hear that you're doing well, and already prepped.
u/Escapement [+12] Ankh-Morpork City Watch (58 minutes later)
Just in case you haven't seen it already, Scott Alexander (aka Yvain) put together Things That Sometimes Help If You're Depressed some time ago.
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+6] Mouse Army (52 minutes later)
Sure. Shoot it. My coping strategy is to hide and be dysfunctional. I have been getting better after some lengthy CBT, but still not funtional. I have a clinic stay sheduled shortly and hopefully that will be good?
u/Colonel_Fedora [+3] Ravenclaw (58 minutes later)
I've been doing counseling for about two years now, and I think it's been very important for me. Positive social interaction is also extremely helpful for me.
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+1] Mouse Army (an hour later)
Yes, sure. So if the counselling is any good you should after two years have made significant progress?
I know my 18 month have helped a lot.
Next you have to find your individual triggers:
for me its not eating well- so spend money on snacks/fast food/eating out.
External stressors: eg. bills I am unable to open will accumulate huge stress, so if it gets too bad I mail my psychosocial service here in town and they will open them for me.
Another thing I do is withdrawal from people; after about 4-5 days of not talking to anyone I'll start to get a bit loony as well.
Also, the most amazing internet ressource I know of is http://pete-walker.com/flashbackManagement.htm ; his modell of whats happening - emotional flashbacks in PTSD fits me extremely well, so I have his 10 point plan printed out and glued to my laptop.
u/Colonel_Fedora [+2] Ravenclaw (an hour later)
I'm better than I was, I think. Progress is unfortunately slow, however. Especially when it comes to gender stuff.
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+1] Mouse Army (an hour later)
Yeah, progress is always slower than one thinks and/or wants. If you'd like to talk about that gender stuff(?) here or in private, feel free to drop a pm.
u/None [+4] (12 hours later)
A more accurate question is: is there anyone here without depression?
My constant-chip-on-his-fucking-shoulder is actually my way of coping with my bipolarity-type issues. You see, when I get manic, which is almost never, I can pour it into DRILL TO THE HEAVENS, WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM, and when I get depressed, which is reasonably often, I can pour it into NO MATTER WHAT'S IN MY WAY, I WON'T STOP, AND ONCE I'VE DUG THROUGH, IT MEANS THAT I'VE WON.
Because yes, I can see all the fucking problems, but I am NOT going to fucking break down instead of FUCKING DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
My girlfriend is currently suffering a crying/panic/asthma attack over how her abusive job that makes her work way too fucking much and makes her feel inadequate and stressed-out all the time. She seems to have gone to sleep now, though. In the morning she will have to get up and go work in the lab. And on Sunday.
u/Chronophilia [+3] sci-fi ≠ futurology (8 hours later)
In my case, it's anxiety as much as depression. I'm actually doing much better right now than I was a month ago, thanks to therapy, loving and supportive parents, and 75mg of venlafaxine daily. Time will tell if my happy mood keeps up once the treatment's over.
Eating a balanced diet, sleeping on time, and exercising at least 3 times a week is more important than it seems. Depression is a chemical problem as much as anything else.
I tend to procrastinate wildly because I'm too stressed to work, and then stress out because I haven't done any work. The vicious circle is obvious. So focus on doing things as soon as you can, to avoid starting the downward spiral. As yourself "What is the benefit of doing this work later instead of now?" Usually there is no benefit, so get started. You'll slip up sometimes, and when that happens you shouldn't be afraid to get a helping hand with things you don't have the willpower to do alone.
"Thinking things through" can be a bad thing. Perfectionism and overthinking are a major source of anxiety. Your work doesn't have to be perfect on the first draft. Don't be afraid to say yes, don't be afraid to screw up, don't be afraid to apologise. Depression makes you pessimistic; understand that bias and counterbalance it by being deliberately naïve and optimistic.
Friends like to help. Do not think you are doing them a favour by keeping quiet about your condition or avoiding contact. They will worry about you anyway, and they might imagine something terrible has happened to you. Talk to people. If you do nothing else in this comment, talk to an old friend or family member (even if it's someone you haven't spoken to in years), tell them about your difficulties, and then take their advice. Do not be afraid of looking silly. That is a small price to pay in any circumstance.
Socially, in casual conversation people will ignore or forget 90% of what you say anyway. You can say the first coherent thing that comes into your head and it'll help move the conversation along. Don't think you're a boring person, because you're not.
Any particular questions?
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+2] Roll the Dice on Fate (an hour later)
Yeah, probably but it's hard to say for sure you know? I'm starting up with CBT next week. Anyway, hiya.
u/rationalidurr [+2] If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight! (20 hours later)
Yes. I barely have willpower to force myself to post this comment or many other like it on this sub.
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (a day later)
pouts
Aw, but I always love talking to people on this subreddit. Some many interesting people to talk to!
I'm glad you posted something today. ;)
u/rationalidurr [+1] If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight! (3 days later)
This feels nice. Is it weird to feel nice from your gladness of my postings? This feels nice. Someone is glad for something I did. This IS nice. okay then.
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (3 days later)
Glad I could give you some positive feelings! :)
u/Frommerman [+1] (4 hours later)
I've got a history, and still have some of that dark fog lingering around my headspace. For me, depression comes with crippling, nonstop, agonizing anxiety about literally everything, which I wouldn't wish on anyone.
I'm off the therapy and drugs now, but my motivation is reduced. I get up for work and just keep the routine. All you really can do, some days.
u/None [-1] (7 hours later)
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u/None [+8] (8 hours later)
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u/None [-1] (8 hours later)
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u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+3] Roll the Dice on Fate (8 hours later)
Well I would update my beliefs based on observed reality, but I haven't observed anything, have I? The only thing I have observed is you telling me to trust you, which is not nearly the same thing. However I congratulate you for jumping straight to accusing me of motivated cognition.
So I'll just say this: I'm a scientist. Do you know what that means? It means I believe in what works. If crystals healed people I would want them in every hospital curing cancer with amethysts. If reiki hands could cure people there would be scientists at the front lines figuring out how best to maximise energy flow. If rotating your chakras while feeling relaxed let you commune with nature in a measurable way then I would be reading papers as scientists argued about the best direction to spin them and categorising the most soothing types of herbal tea.
Demonstrate that you're more than a crackpot convinced of an incorrect theory, and I'll believe you. Till then, there are 20 dozen other people out there with just as much proof as you have from where I'm sitting, so you get just as much belief as they get.
Show me something that crystal healers can't.
u/None [-1] (10 hours later)
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u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+5] Roll the Dice on Fate (11 hours later)
Oh my god, every time with the preaching and the misunderstanding science and the not so subtle insults and the misdirection and the high handed mannerisms like you're holding some kind of high ground where you're clearly right and everyone else is plebs for doubting your glorious word even though you just can't be bothered to actually point to whatever nebulous things will back up your claims.
I said show me something the crystal healers can't. Anyone can make a documentary. I can show you documentaries that make it look like mermaids are real and I can show you documentaries that 'prove' that we're all getting chemtrailed. It is not a good standard of proof.
So, since you clearly don't understand what scientific proof is in this context let me explain it to you. I'll walk you through the whole deal. What you do, is you give however many people hypnotherapy and you give a similar number nothing and a third group some other random treatment from a convincing seeming guy and you give the rest some other thing and see who comes out best. Then if you end up with 10 cases of spontaneous remission or whatever it is you're trying to achieve and they all end up with 5 then you win. Pretty fucking simple if your deal isn't bullshit.
And then everyone's like 'oh look at this guy, he has an interesting result. We should try to see if we can reproduce it.' And then they do. And then a few years later you have a huge pile of evidence on your side and you get recognised as a branch of medicine and it's all hunky dory. But you apparently don't, because that video is from 2006 and by now you should have at least 10 years worth of evidence sitting in a nice pretty pile, but you don't. Or at least, you refuse to point to your pile of evidence which is essentially the same thing from where I'm sitting.
It's really not that hard. Normal therapy vs your therapy: a dude just rings up all your ex patients and also a bunch of conventional ex-patients and a bunch of ex-patients from something we know is bullshit and quizzes them about how they feel before and after therapy. Then if you do better than normal therapy everyone will sing your praises and if you don't, they won't.
Quit saying science doesn't understand because neurology is hard when what's happening is you don't understand that neurology is not the relevant field for proving your claims.
u/None [-1] (12 hours later)
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u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+3] Roll the Dice on Fate (20 hours later)
Well, that sounds useful. I'm still sitting here with nothing but the word of a random commenter on the internet though. If he's been doing it for 40 years I'm sure you can find a longitudinal study looking at his various patients compared to baseline where their outcomes have been assessed compared to conventional therapy.
u/None [+0] (a day later)
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u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+2] Roll the Dice on Fate (a day later)
No idea at all. That's the point of studies. See, you can get convinced therapists even when the theory and the method are complete bullshit. There are therapists out there convinced that you can pray the gay away and various other bullshit things. Which is why we don't take that as strong evidence either.
Imagine two worlds: one where the thing works and one where the thing doesn't. In both worlds I would expect to see convinced therapists. In both worlds I can expect to see documentaries. In both worlds I could see a singular study in favour. In only one world do I see a plurality of studies showing that the thing works, and that is the world that the thing works in. In the absence of such a thing, I assume I am in the other world where the thing does not work. You follow?
u/None [+2] (2 days later)
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u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+0] Roll the Dice on Fate (2 days later)
I never said to dismiss the judgement of the patient or therapist. I said they are a singluar data point and thus insufficient to prove a theory. I'm tired of explaining things to you when you are either trying to misunderstand my point or lack the required background knowledge to understand my position. I think it's probably the latter. Now either go learn how science actually works so you'll stop make a fool out of yourself by knowing just enough to get it all impressively wrong, or resign yourself to a life of not actually understanding why no-one takes your claims seriously.
I'll believe your claims when you show me the data that proves them. Anecdotes are insufficient. So put up, or shut up.
u/Magodo [+9] Ankh-Morpork City Watch (an hour later)
How active are you guys on social networks? I have zero presence online but.. I don't know why this is. Sure, if someone asked me why I'd say I don't need to post selfies every 5 seconds and pretend to have a really busy social life. I don't but I think the real reason I don't have facebook or twitter is I'm afraid of rejection online just like I've faced in the real world (introverts unite). But that isn't a reason either.
I'm remarkably like Jamie from Leftover Soup in this regard. I'm not shy, but I'm still uncomfortable with photos of me online. Why? I have no idea. But like the comic says this is atypical of my demographic and I'm afraid I'm missing out socially.
I guess what I'm asking is if there's another outlier like me, if yes, why? If no, why?
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+6] Roll the Dice on Fate (2 hours later)
In short: you are missing out socially, purely because it is an extra layer of trivial inconvenience standing in the way of people getting to know you.
u/Magodo [+1] Ankh-Morpork City Watch (12 hours later)
Facebook is hardly a trivial inconvenience. It's basically signing away your digital profile to a corporation that doesn't exactly have your best interests in mind.
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+5] Roll the Dice on Fate (20 hours later)
It's a trivial inconvenience to the person trying to get in contact with you.
u/Iconochasm [+2] (a day later)
You don't need to share on facebook. Having one and checking it occasionally may be useful for keeping up with the happenings of people you know who do share. Being able to ask about things you've seen posted may make awkward conversations with family, or sort-of-friends you'd like to upgrade somewhat easier. And it's a fairly easy way to contact someone without needing to keep up to date on a phone number, or email address.
But if you're concerned about what facebook sells, avoid putting it on your phone altogether, and forget messenger. The list of required permissions is just deranged. There's no legitimate need for the app to use a quarter of it.
u/blazinghand [+7] Chaos Undivided (4 hours later)
Facebook is the modern replacement for email addresses and chat clients for most people. I am unusual in my friend group-- I use forums, email, and IRC extensively.
When I need to communicate with most people, the best way to do so is Facebook. Organizing a party? Use facebook. Want to meet someone for dinner, so you want to send them a non-urgent low-latency low-barrier message they can respond to via computer or phone? use Facebook. Want to get someone's contact info in an arms-length sort of way and be easy to reach? Use facebook. Want to contact your college friend from years ago, even though everyone's changed emails? Facebook.
u/eaglejarl [+2] (12 hours later)
Why is that, exactly? Facebook is a horrible company and an even worse user experience -- for one basic example, they are the only major internet property I can think of that doesn't support threaded comments. Why are they so damn popular?!Yes, I know. They used the velvet rope + Ivy name to capture the 20-somethings, all of whom were thought-leaders for family and friends. The question remains as to why the name+rope was enough to get past that crappy UX.
u/ToaKraka [+6] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (2 hours later)
I have a Facebook account, but I have only nine "friends" on it--five family members (who can see almost nothing that I post--tee-hee!), and four people (1, 2, 3, and 6) whom I once called actual friends under this system. I had about two hundred "friends" on the site at one point, several years ago--but I didn't like them, they never posted anything interesting, and they never gave likes or comments to any of my own posts, so I gradually deleted them all. I typically make at least one post (usually text or a shared link, sometimes a screenshot, rarely a photograph; samples) per day, in vain hope, but I'm nearly always the only person who gives a like or a comment to it. Other than that, my main use of the account is following the pages of The Onion and its Clickhole spin-off, since a good portion of the enjoyment that I derive from them lies in reading the funny comments left by people on the articles, in addition to the articles themselves. (Also, I follow Mr. Yudkowsky's account.)
I don't see the point of Twitter at all, and don't have an account there. I do have a Goodreads account, though, with four hundred books and two "friends".
u/None [+2] (12 hours later)
Questions:
Oh, so you're the one they call "OP"?
Needing a system for being friends is actually the strongest evidence I've seen that you're a sociopath. Sorry about your brain deformity, dude.
Why are all the names pseudo-anime-Japanese?
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (12 hours later)
Oh, so you're the one they call "OP"?
If you're talking about the giant screenshot, I'm "(OP)" and "(You)". "OP" is short for "original post(er)"--the post/person that started the thread.
Why are all the names pseudo-anime-Japanese?
If you're talking about the names in this image, those are nicknames for acquaintances. The first four are the names of Naruto characters (same as here, but I changed "Shiho" to "Isaribi"), while the fifth one is (I think) Spanish for "dungeon enthusiast".
u/None [+2] (12 hours later)
Also, why are all the anons called Arcanine instead of Anonymous?
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (12 hours later)
This is the /r9k/ board on ∞chan, not the one on 4chan. On ∞chan, different boards can have wildly-different customization options--so, on /b/, everyone is "Anonymous"; on /r9k/, everyone is "Arcanine"; on /wx/, everyone is "Pornographer"; and so on.
u/None [+1] (a day later)
Hmmm... as long as I'm asking questions of a confessed high-functioning sociopath...
Would you actually want to try being a nonsociopath for a while if it was possible?
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (a day later)
Certainly not "for a while". What would be the point of temporarily gaining a personality capable of liking and being liked, if I eventually became unable to sustain or enjoy the friendships obtained under those false pretenses? I like permanency.
Even if the change were permanent, I still probably wouldn't be very interested in it. I'm under the impression that standard friendship between people who actually enjoy each other's company entails a lot more expenditure of time and effort than did the facsimile I attempted.
u/None [+2] (a day later)
Hmmm... isn't it a question of ROI, then? I mean, from my perspective, when a relationship requires more expenditure of effort than it returns "friendship value", I drop it, even though I'm neurotypical in that aspect. That's actually pretty normal, and it's why we have the concept of "emotional parasites".
I mean, you seem to be capable of mutually-advantageous social cooperation, so I guess from your perspective you already get that without feeling the emotions evolution gave the rest of us to encourage that.
Weird. Remind me not to trust you too much :-p.
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (a day later)
Well, I see the return-on-investment of my pseudo-friendships as being pretty high. My pseudo-friendships had the enormous plus side of requiring the expenditure of next to zero real effort: all I had to do was think of hundreds of questions (and answer them, but that's just pure pleasure). Remember also that, in my later friendships, I could just copy-and-paste questions that I'd already asked to my earlier friends--and that the other person must ask questions as well! "A burden shared is a burden halved", or whatever. I stopped using them becase I was disgusted with myself for associating with people whom I thoroughly disliked, and for contenting myself with pathetic half-measures--not because they were an inherently-bad method of socialization.
On the other hand, how much effort do I have to expend on an actual friendship? Being dragged to a bar? Helping someone move furniture? Advising on how to do homework problems? And what extra do I get out of it? Playing some games of Super Smash Bros.? Having an audience for my opinions on fanfiction? Intercourse? That's a lot more effort for not a lot of extra pleasure.
I mean, really--what could be more satisfying than getting a person to tell you something like this delicious morsel? It's literally the third of my favorite memories... (clenches fist with a fleeting-yet-heartfelt feeling of unquestioned, megalomaniac control)
u/None [+3] (a day later)
On the other hand, how much effort do I have to expend on an actual friendship? Being dragged to a bar? Helping someone move furniture? Advising on how to do homework problems? And what extra do I get out of it? Playing some games of Super Smash Bros.? Having an audience for my opinions on fanfiction? Intercourse? That's a lot more effort for not a lot of extra pleasure.
See, this is the part where it becomes believable you've got a neuro-abnormality. I mean, you don't seem to be evil, and you definitely seem to get what everyone else sees in this socialization thing (though actually, going to bars is definitely the most burdensome and least enjoyed activity among nerd-friends).
Except...
(clenches fist with a fleeting-yet-heartfelt feeling of unquestioned, megalomaniac control)
starts preparing luxurious Matrix-style simulation thingy for use as prison
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (a day later)
You definitely seem to get what everyone else sees in this socialization thing.
No, I don't see the point of going to bars at all--I haven't even tasted coffee, let alone alcohol! I'm just parroting a standard example of what I've seen in movies and television shows, and what I've overheard from other people's conversations.
Except...
If three-fourths of the satisfaction of having an eternal worshipper would be the actual material benefits (money, stories, intercourse, etc.), the other quarter would just be the knowledge of control. See also this beautiful little story--it brought a tear to my eye when I first read it...
u/None [+0] (a day later)
Tell me where your links lead. I now have Literotica, probably a creepy part, in my phone's browser history. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.
Creepy slashfic is creepy.
Everyone else gets creepy feelings of enjoyment of power too, but our other countervailing motivations militate against acting on them almost all of the time.
People like you are exactly what slap-drones were invented for.
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (a day later)
Tell me where your links lead.
Can't you hold down your finger over a link to inspect it and see where it leads? I can do that on my Android phone's version of Google Chrome. (Also, this is by no means a "creepy" part of Literotica--it's only the "Mind Control" section. There's a "Non-Consent/Reluctance" section that I've never even looked at--to say nothing of the "Non-Human" section, which often features werewolves and aliens...)
u/None [+0] (a day later)
And now you've dug the creepy and rude hole deep enough I don't care to talk to you more.
u/ToaKraka [+2] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (a day later)
u/Kishoto [+1] (7 hours later)
The system link is fairly unreadable. Maybe directly link to the post?
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (7 hours later)
That's not how anonymous imageboards work. After a certain length of time, a thread will be deleted, rather than just being saved for eternity--necroing a thread is impossible. Typically, a person who wants to save a thread or a post from an imageboard of this type will use an archive site (typically archive.is) or take a screenshot (see r/4chan for innumerable examples); I took a screenshot--or, rather, took a zillion screenshots and then pasted them seamlessly together in an image-editing program.
I took the screenshots with the browser window filling half of my 1920-pixel-wide monitor; therefore, it should be perfectly readable if you click on the image (933 pixels wide) to go to 100% magnification. If you're on mobile, sorry--I didn't feel like expending the effort to make a separate 500-pixel-wide screenshot. (Believe you me, it took a while to paste together all those images...)
u/Gurkenglas [+1] (12 hours later)
zillion screenshots
It's interesting that you don't seem to have thought of using one of https://www.google.de/search?q=screenshot+whole+page .
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (12 hours later)
I'm not too interested in installing browser extensions that could contain malware. Also, taking and editing the screenshots manually ensures high quality, and gives me some pride in my work.
u/gbear605 [+5] history’s greatest story (4 hours later)
Woo! Leftover Soup fan!
u/Chronophilia [+1] sci-fi ≠ futurology (8 hours later)
We are legion! The good ship Ellen-Jamie shall sail before comic #1000!
u/gbear605 [+2] history’s greatest story (8 hours later)
It will happen!
u/Transfuturist [+2] Carthago delenda est. (8 hours later)
No...
Is a bad idea...
u/whywhisperwhy [+2] (3 hours later)
I don't believe in using it heavily (every day) like Reddit, but it's a useful tool. I have a close few friends I no longer live near and use it for staying in touch with them (although now that I'm giving it some thought, I think using email would probably be equivalent), and then locally there are a few groups that I follow so I can find people with similar interests / attend events. There's also a Rational Transhumanism group that I follow as basically the equivalent of this subreddit, although I'm less active there.
Oh, and it reminds me of people's birthdays. So nothing too crazy but like I said, it's a tool.
u/xamueljones [+1] My arch-enemy is entropy (7 hours later)
Rational Transhumanism group
Can I have a link so I can investigate it? Thanks.
u/whywhisperwhy [+2] (8 hours later)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rational.transhumanism/
Sure, give it a look. It was actually mentioned in a past Friday thread here I believe.
u/None [+1] (a day later)
I got invited to that group once. It looked really silly back then. Have they improved?
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (a day later)
I just looked at it, and it seems to mostly talk about pop-science articles.
..........
I could hear my enthusiasm drop faster than an bowling ball thrown off a cliff.
u/None [+2] (a day later)
I KNOW, RIGHT?
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (7 hours later)
As a comparison point, my social prescence is limited to this subreddit and I spend most of my time online at sites for reading such as fanfiction.net, fictionpress.net, fimfiction.net, webserial sites like Worm, Set in Stone, and more.
Holy cow, there are a lot of brilliant writers online guys!
However, I have social accounts on FaceBook, Twitter, and a few others, but they're all for scholarship contests when I was applying to college which required me to have an account and I don't use them at all.
The one exception that I use regularly is LinkedIn, because it's a nice place to put my resume for my employeers.
u/DataPacRat [+1] Amateur Immortalist (6 hours later)
Have accounts on most sites. Actually make public posts on them once in a blue moon. As far as I know, no pictures of me exist online.
u/xamueljones [+1] My arch-enemy is entropy (7 hours later)
I know I've seen a picture of your wrist showing an example of a medical bracelet (no personal details were legible) somewhere. Probably on your Warren.
u/None [+1] (11 hours later)
I made a Facebook account in university back when it was mostly for university students. I mostly just use it for people I actually know in a direct, one-to-one fashion, and for groups.
u/TaoGaming [+10] No Flair Detected! (20 minutes later)
OK, I feel like I should do some proselytizing for my other hobby.
Chess has an image as an intellectual game, but the most rational game of note is Bridge. So if you are looking for an interesting game and willing to devote the necessary time, look no further.
- It deals with incomplete information. Nobody can see all of the cards, but each player can see 1/4 (or 1/2, after the auction). So you have communication, but on a channel where the enemy is listening. (By the laws of bridge, your communication cannot be encrypted).
1a) There is luck. Good play is usually, but not always rewarded. This makes for a much more interesting game, IMO. I have played in (short) matches against Nat'l and world champions and while I usually lose, I don't always. (I'd be unlikely to win a full day match, obviously). And as someone who has read lots of bridge and chess, bridge has much more interesting stories.
- Of all of the traditional games I know, it's the only one where Bayes' law comes up routinely. See the wikipedia article on Restricted Choice. In fact, the card play is highly rational, but also has the cut and thrust because the defenders use their cards to signal, but must decide (independently) when to signal correctly, randomly, or lie, and each side must consider the potential layout of the cards he needs, and if they are consistent with the bidding.
As a downside, it does take considerable experience to become comfortable, much less competent, with the game.
u/ArgentStonecutter [+6] Emergency Mustelid Hologram (39 minutes later)
u/Transfuturist [+1] Carthago delenda est. (5 hours later)
Just as Lorena Bobbitt would decades later be seen as having struck a blow for the wives of cheating husbands everywhere
The Bobbitt maiming was not about a cheating husband, it was about marital rape and abuse.
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (40 minutes later)
I would like to mention that I love playing bridge and am unfortunate to not know many people who also play bridge. I haven't played a game in years! :(
u/ArgentStonecutter [+2] Emergency Mustelid Hologram (47 minutes later)
Me too, it's been over 30 years since I played.
u/brandalizing [+2] Reserve Pigeon Army (7 hours later)
YES. I became extremely interested in Bridge years ago, after reading Louis Sachar's The Cardturner, but have only been able to get enough people together who were willing (and able) to play a handful of times.
u/xamueljones [+5] My arch-enemy is entropy (45 minutes later)
So I've been spending a lot of time on cryogenics lately and am curious.
Are you signed up for cryonic preservation, why or why not?
If so, which organization are you signed up with? Alcor, Cryonics Institution, or some other one I have never heard of?
PS For clarity, cryogenics is the field while cryonics is the process.
u/Sparkwitch [+5] (6 hours later)
My life is enough of a miserable slog that the idea of it continuing forever is horrifying. I'm fairly sure I'll never be wealthy enough to retire so when I imagine an eternity of stressful, dead-end jobs and unsatisfying relationships... that really might as well be Hell.
I welcome the embrace of death, but haven't yet been able to overcome my biological will to live. If I could arrange to never have been born, I'd do so immediately.
I rate the odds that the future contains a post-scarcity utopia at so close to zero that it's statistically indistinguishable. Even if they're frozen safely and effectively, I think the preserved are significantly more likely to be thawed in an extensive blackout or harvested for organic chemicals than to be rebuilt or uploaded. Lasting, unbreakable contracts with the dead are a luxury relatively few civilizations will be willing to endure.
u/DataPacRat [+5] Amateur Immortalist (5 hours later)
CI. Because the directors are elected from the membership, which seems more likely to allow the organization to continue to exist in a form where said directors are interested in maintaining each and every one of the cryo-preserved than Alcor's self-selecting board.
u/MugaSofer [+3] (2 hours later)
I'm not signed up, but I plan to. I've only just started college and can't afford life insurance yet; but the real reason is I'm lazy.
u/None [+4] (2 hours later)
There is a significantly more awesome version of you who is not too lazy to sign up.
Good news though; you can become that person, and all it requires is for you to sign some papers, send a few emails, and maybe get a physical.
u/jrpguru [+3] (5 hours later)
How does being an organ donor work with being signed up for cryonic preservation? Should people signed up not be organ donors, or does it not matter?
u/xamueljones [+1] My arch-enemy is entropy (7 hours later)
I would plan on saying in my will that all possible effort would be spent to cryogenically preserve me, but if there's a failure in preserving me (such an accident which only destroyed my head) then my organs would be donated to the nearest hospital.
u/alexanderwales [+3] Time flies like an arrow (an hour later)
I've looked into it, but I'm not signed up. I just don't think that I can justify the expense given the odds of success (Alcor gives the Warren equation, which I get much different, much more pessimistic numbers for).
u/None [+3] (12 hours later)
The problem is simple prejudice. There is nothing particularly epistemologically heinous about cryonics. Most scientists recognize that there are many non-testable aspects of human belief (religious and otherwise) which, precisely because they are untestable, are outside the purview of science. These ideas include much of what constitutes religion, philosophy, ethics, history, and art, as well as much of what goes into ordinary planning for the future. A person who had never entertained an idea that was not immediately testable (i.e., scientific) would be in a sad way indeed.
This immediate conflation of strong and weak forms of pseudoscience with physics style "not testable yet" theories is... extremely worrisome.
u/Rhamni [+2] Aspiring author (4 hours later)
That's a lot of developments that have to all go right together...
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+2] Roll the Dice on Fate (2 hours later)
- Are you signed up for cryonic preservation, why or why not?
Not yet: I am poor and not yet middle aged.
u/None [+1] (2 hours later)
If you are in good health and in your early-mid twenties, you have approximately 1-2% chance of dying in the next decade. Ever got dealt a straight in poker? That's just slightly less likely.
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+2] Roll the Dice on Fate (2 hours later)
That's actually a lower chance than I naively expected.
u/None [+6] (2 hours later)
Oh. Ok.
Excuse me a moment while I go scream in horror.
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+3] Roll the Dice on Fate (3 hours later)
I am now very confused. Could you explain?
u/Rhamni [+7] Aspiring author (3 hours later)
Possibly something along the lines of, if a billion people take a 2% chance of death, that's 20 million people who thought they were being rational and ended up dead.
That said, I also am in my mid twenties and poor and have made no plans beyond "when I have a high paying job in X years I'll start saving up". All I've succeeded in accomplishing is bringing the subject up to my mother and my best friend. My mother is vaguely religious and believes in reincarnation, and thinks living too long is a strange thing to want. My best friend is atheist but says he doesn't want to live forever after all his friends and family die.
u/None [+7] (5 hours later)
Sounds like your friend doesn't want his friends and family to die either.
u/Rhamni [+3] Aspiring author (5 hours later)
I'm hoping he will come to think of it that way, but he treats the subject as some cross between religion and vector marketing. I'm not giving up, but I also don't want to push him away by bringing it up too often.
u/None [+1] (12 hours later)
Well yes, but actually accomplishing anyone not-dying is the hard part.
u/None [+2] (4 hours later)
f a billion people take a 2% chance of death, that's 20 million people who thought they were being rational and ended up dead.
Yeah, pretty much this.
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+1] Roll the Dice on Fate (4 hours later)
When I say poor, I mean I can not afford life extension. This is not something that can be munchkined away, so don't take it as an excuse to try.
u/None [+2] (5 hours later)
I understand if you cannot afford life insurance; that is unfortunate. I mean you no disrespect, but from your comment I inferred you do actually believe cryonics to be worthwhile. And seeing a fellow human casually willing to accept >2% chance of dying in the next decade without being motivated to take preventative action is... soul-crushingly horrifying.
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+2] Roll the Dice on Fate (5 hours later)
Really? I mean, I go rock climbing and I take what I consider to be a reasonable risk of death from that (lower than you're probably thinking, but still) in the name of fun. And I guess there's a chance the plus from the exercise might cancel it out.
It seems badly calibrated to worry so much about such small percentages. Then again, my rational friend finds it odd that I consider jumping down from 4m walls instead of downclimbing. So perhaps I am the badly calibrated one.
u/None [+2] (12 hours later)
And seeing a fellow human casually willing to accept >2% chance of dying in the next decade without being motivated to take preventative action is... soul-crushingly horrifying.
Welcome to life. You don't actually get used to it, but we all pretend.
u/None [+2] (12 hours later)
I'm sorry. We all are. We'll keep trying to work quickly and do our best.
This is going to change. We promise.
u/Sagebrysh [+2] Rank 7 Pragmatist (8 hours later)
yeah but keep in mind that a good portion of that 2% is going to be taken up by things that destroy your brain beyond what cryonics can do to preserve it anyway. If you get hit by a truck and your skull bursts like a melon, you're pretty fucked, cryonics or no. If you take out accidents and things that make cryonics useless, I suspect that % would be much lower (though don't take my word for it, I don't have the statistics on hand)
u/None [+1] (9 hours later)
You are right. I will have to look up the statistics and revise the numbers I give next time the topic comes up.
u/None [+2] (2 hours later)
- Yes.
- CI.
I am appalled by the willingness, and even fervor with which humanity embraces death. Signing up for cryonics was far easier than I thought it would be, and costs me something like $250 per year. Even if the odds are one in a thousand it works, that is still an insanely good deal. (And I certainly do not think the odds are that long.)
u/alexanderwales [+2] Time flies like an arrow (3 hours later)
How do you arrive at the 1/1000 number? I see a lot of numbers floated around and most of them seem really, really optimistic. I'm as much about avoiding death as the next rationalist, but especially with cryonics I see a lot of what appears to be wishful thinking. I've seen Robin Hanson's estimate of >5% but he seems to be putting a lot of faith in not only the advancement of technology, but the continuity of organizations, the continuity of society, and the motivations/beliefs of future people.
u/None [+1] (4 hours later)
The question I care about answering is probability of continued existence, not likelihood of cryonics working.
I die in worlds where I sign up for cryonics and society doesn't stick around, or doesn't develop the technology necessary to revive people / prevent biological death. But then, I also die in those same worlds if I don't sign up for cryonics.
I am far more concerned about the organizations sticking around, the process actually preserving information, and preventing failures long term. I don't have a good, precise estimates, but I do think that's where most of the "cryonics is a wasted effort" probability mass lies.
1/1000 is just spitballing. It is definitely, definitely not the case that I only buy 1/1000 increased chance of not dying by signing up for cryonics vs not signing up for cryonics. But even if it were, that's good enough for me.
Do you have an alternative that provides comparable odds for comparable cost? Please do let me know; I want to sign up for that too.
u/xamueljones [+1] My arch-enemy is entropy (3 hours later)
Can you give your reasoning for why you chose CI over Alcor?
u/None [-3] (4 hours later)
Because choosing between them is a mutually exclusive operation.
u/xamueljones [+1] My arch-enemy is entropy (4 hours later)
mutually exclusive operation
This means that you only can chose one or the other, and not both. But that only tells me that you can't chose both, not why CI over Alcor.
I mean I'm going with CI because I live closer to it and if I die, there's less time wasted on transport, among with other pros. But I wanted to know your reasons.
u/None [-2] (4 hours later)
Because making either choice is better than making neither.
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+1] Roll the Dice on Fate (8 hours later)
"Why did you choose X over Y?"
"Choosing either is better than choosing neither."
You see the disconnect here?
u/None [+3] (10 hours later)
sighs Ok, I will be explicit then;
Neither seems to be clearly superior to the other. Alcor is more expensive, but if you are paying via life insurance, it is mostly inconsequential. I do not have a good reason for choosing CI, and I do not believe one exists, unless maybe you live close to the facilities of one or the other. I think I might have actually flipped a coin.
If I had chosen Alcor and you asked me the same question, I'd give the same answer. It is easy to invent reasons post hoc based on positive affect, rationalizing it as something more substantial. I try to make it a habit not to do that.
Also; I believe there is a strong tendency among intellectual types to over-analyze options, and forget that not deciding is also a decision with consequences. A majority of those I have met in the rationalist community are "considering" signing up for cryonics, snd have been doing so for years at this point.
As a general heuristic, I have found that it is usually far better to make any decision under consideration than to procrastinate, waiting for more information or a better alternative. Absolute worst case, you should be able to spend an hour or two researching details, maybe sleep on it, maybe seek council from trusted others who have been in similar situations. Then go with your system 1's judgement, and don't look back. If you take a positive EV gamble and lose, do not be upset at yourself for making a winning decision.
Hence, making either choice is better than making neither.
u/None [+2] (13 hours later)
I give the same epistemic rating as /u/alexanderwales, and suffer the same emotional setbacks as /u/Sparkwitch (though with considerably less rational justification for feeling that bad).
On life insurance, I bite the bullet and admit to sucking for not getting it. Or I might actually have it through work, with my fiancee properly designated as the beneficiary.
Also, I consider death to be a smaller problem than both general unnecessary human miseries, and also ageing, including the fully general fact that people's bodies start degrading more-or-less as soon as they leave school.
u/Salivanth [+2] (a day later)
I haven't, because I live in Australia.
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+2] Mouse Army (54 minutes later)
- A) I am not. I am unconvinced that my life is worth the opportunity cost of the money it costs to purchase storing. I am also in europe; and even so I am rather poor. I have tried to talk my sci-fi parent into it, but they are also unwilling.
u/None [+3] (2 hours later)
I am unconvinced that my life is worth the opportunity cost of the money it costs to purchase storing.
This sounds like an attempt to tollerify the fact that it is not available to you.
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+1] Mouse Army (2 hours later)
Well due to some combination of genetics and upbringing I suffer from a number of problems that severely impact my quality of life. Things have been getting better, but its slow going and so far it has not been enough to tip me back over the edge.
u/Colonel_Fedora [+0] Ravenclaw (56 minutes later)
I'm very interested in cryogenics for obvious reason, and find the science behind it fascinating. Unfortunately I've heard that the companies currently offering the service are somewhat questionable. I'm waiting until I find somewhere I can trust, and also until I have the money to do it.
u/None [+5] (3 hours later)
Is there an actually effective way to improve attention span and/or working memory?
I can pay attention to tasks for a very short period of time and I never reach 'full' concentration like some people do; at the same time I'm a bad multitasker because it's hard to me to pay attention to every thing I have to think about/hold in my working memory. Also, I've noticed that I often intuitively figure out a a problem/make an observation, but I can't concentrate on the observation enough to further analyze it.
The only thing that has somewhat helped me were SSREs I'm alleviating my depression/aboulia with, but it's still serious enough to interfere with my functioning, and no generic exercises have helped me at all.
u/LucidityWaver [+3] (8 hours later)
Although I don't have any suggestions, I do have the same, or similar, troubles and it's mostly ADHD related for me. However, I'm unsure whether the difficulties with analysis of intuitive observations are related to ADHD, though I do experience the same. Beyond not knowing every symptom of ADHD offhand, it's difficult for me to know whether that one is not instead a symptom of something else, or simply the way I would function anyway. Aside from ADHD, for which I have been diagnosed and medicated properly, it's likely that I suffer from mild Aspergers and mild depression -- neither of which I've sought diagnosis for. The former due to my twin being diagnosed and a small number of specific symptoms I've noticed in myself. Depression isn't something I can say with certainty I've experienced and it's probably not worth going into here.
Other than the similarities of your troubles and mine, specifically with concentration, I also experience hyperfocus, where I concentrate fully on one thing and don't absorb external stimuli well. This usually only occurs when I'm very interested in the task (reading, gaming, sometimes programming). Distractions from hyperfocus make it difficult, often frustrating, to return to the task.
u/Magnap [+2] (23 hours later)
What, other than medication, have you found to help with your ADHD? I suspect that I might have it, but haven't been tested (yet, procrastinating on making a doctor's appointment). Currently I'm using org-mode as a mental prosthetic to get a better overview of my life, and have found it extremely useful. However, other issues like being unable to concentrate on school work, or getting caught up in something (in a manner fitting the description of hyperfocus) and forgetting to go to sleep remain problems for me.
u/LucidityWaver [+2] (a day later)
Stress, hardship and a lack of options basically. I don't have any particular strategies that I use or any deep analysis that might help. My main advantage was having someone else devote their time to help me and getting used to / feeling trapped in a 9-5 job. I'm in a situation where I'm aware of my past failures and find the prospect of repeating them so unbearable that most of the time I don't have any choice but to keep on track. I probably should identify better strategies to use for various aspects of life, but I'm doing well enough (top of my class and the candidate for employers seeking students for employment) that it's not a priority for the moment.
My main driving factors: About 6 or 7 years ago I left the same level of programming course I'm doing now for reasons including: the relevant undiagnosed ADHD reasons, security of a privileged childhood, my prior lack of having to study to pass subjects and all my other bad habits and flaws. Worked four years in a job I didn't mind for my father who I (much of the time) hated. I now have the amazing support of my partner, who helped me recognize my ADHD symptoms as such, get medication and then supervised me to keep me attentive while I studied my ass off three nights or more a week for four months to re-learn everything I'd known about programming and more. I don't need supervision anymore. I moved with my partner away from my family, my remaining (non-problematic) friends and everything else to get myself and my partner out of bad living situations, to enter my course, to afford life in a cheaper city, etc. I kept the newfound, near complete absence of a social life to avoid distraction, but wow I miss weekly tabletop gaming. The move cost me all of my savings (gradually), most of my partner's savings and finding a job hasn't worked with the course load (which is above what is typical for this level course). Both of us are on minimum welfare support, less payment of debt left in my partner's name by family. The only good options if I fail include moving in with family, the most appropriate of which lives far outside an isolated rural town. My partner, for various reasons, is actually closer to miserable now than before. Getting through my course and getting a secure job feels like the only / best thing I can do to help, and all that does is free up time and money so I can use them to learn how to better support them.
So, yeah. Not an ideal way to manage symptoms.
u/Magnap [+2] (a day later)
Thank you very much for telling this story. Please don't take this the wrong way, but it very much motivated me to get a doctor's appointment. I wish you the very best in completing the course and getting a job. What programming language(s) are you learning?
u/LucidityWaver [+2] (2 days later)
No worries. I hope the doctor helps :).
In order of appearance and including markup and database languages: Java, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, jQuery mobile, jQuery, MySQL, PHP & XML (edit: and JSON). Android SDK makes an appearance next semester and we do other things like project management & analysis. I'm also looking to familiarise myself with qt based on a recent recommendation and I spent some time learning unity syntax and programming (ft. C#). I have a spreadsheet of languages, programming skills / concepts and other things I want to look into when I have time (probably some of it between this and next semester).
u/None [+1] (a day later)
I apparently hyperfocus too, most often when drawing!
I have mild Aspergers as well. Since your experience seems very similar to mine, I'd guess I'm going to have to get evaluated for ADD/ADHD again (I was diagnosed with it as a child, and it was basically a handwave to explain my somewhat atypical development; when i was slightly older i was told I don't have it).
I think my attention issues may stem at least partially from persistent stress and anxiety, since it had gotten a little tiny bit better near the end of spring break, and returning to school made it worse again, but I don't see why I couldn't have ADHD as well, especially since it's often comorbid with autism spectrum disorders.
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+2] Roll the Dice on Fate (8 hours later)
/r/nootropics might be able to help.
u/None [+2] (a day later)
I'm considering taking nootropics when I'm a bit older - I'm a minor and my parents wouldn't be very happy about me taking brain enhancing drugs with little research on long term effects, and I myself would prefer to wait with it until my brain is a bit more mature. Thanks for the suggestion though!
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+2] Roll the Dice on Fate (a day later)
That's a reasonable stance.
u/Rhamni [+2] Aspiring author (3 hours later)
Came back home to Europe on Wednesday after spending two weeks in the US. Had a wonderful time. Started getting sick on the last day and got progressively worse during the trip home. Am currently dealing with fever, snot and phlegm. Still, rather miserable at home than during the brief vacation.
Also, anyone thinking of visiting New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is amazing. Beats the Natural History Museum hands down. Really, really big though. I could have easily spent a whole day there, seeing and reading about everything from dark age weapons and armour to exotic music instruments to Byzantine art to reconstructions of 18th century American mansions.
Also, the statue of liberty is like half the size I was expecting it to be even after being told everyone is always surprised at how small it is.
u/TennisMaster2 [+2] (6 hours later)
Second the Metropolitan Museum of Art* recommendation. A truly world-class museum.
u/thecommexokid [+2] (12 hours later)
Metropolitan Museum of Art ≠ Museum of Modern Art.
u/TennisMaster2 [+2] (14 hours later)
Oooh! Thank you! I've been misinforming for so long!
u/thecommexokid [+1] (a day later)
The colloquial short name for the Metropolitan Museum of Art is "the Met".
u/TennisMaster2 [+1] (a day later)
Thanks. The Metropolitan Opera appears to share that appellation. Unfortunate for internet discussions.
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (7 hours later)
I know. I spent many hours just walking around and staring at the beautiful artworks. Even had fun sketching some copies of Rembrandt's works. ;)
u/None [+2] (12 hours later)
Also, anyone thinking of visiting New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is amazing. Beats the Natural History Museum hands down.
How can the glorious Natural History Museum be beaten by anything!?
u/Rhamni [+2] Aspiring author (21 hours later)
It's still good. It's got full size dinosaur skeletons and a large minerals and gem collection, but I found the astronomy/big bang wing to be very underwhelming. One four minute video with only the zooming stuff, followed by a short walk down a spiral with signs telling you what came into being when, and... that was it.
To anyone who has the time, I certainly recommend both, but in a pinch I say go with the MMoA over the NHM.
Now, that said, the NHM had this wonderful little vending machine where you popped in 51 cent and it took that one cent, crushed it into an oval shape, and pressed the image of a T-Rex into it.
u/None [+2] (21 hours later)
DINOSAURS DINOSAURS UBER ALLES.
u/Rhamni [+1] Aspiring author (21 hours later)
...They were kind of awesome.
u/Kishoto [+2] (7 hours later)
The actions we take are dictated by a number of factors. Most of us can agree that we are not rational all of the time. There are times when we act or feel in an irrational manner, despite the fact that we may consciously realize we are being irrational.
Prime Example. Fear. Personally, I know that fear isn't very useful to me. Caution, sure. But the feeling of fear, of ice in your stomach and nervous butterflies, sweaty hands, etc. is mostly useless. I know this rationally. But that doesn't help me in scary situations. And I don't mean viscerally scary situations, like being confronted by an angry bear, or being trapped in a burning building. I mean situations like going into a job interview, or confronting a friend about something they do that I dislike. Logically, I know that there's nothing to be afraid of and, often enough, when I'm in said situation, I perform well. My fear fades, and I can deal with the situation. But the apprehension is a killer and no matter how much I try to rationalize it away, it doesn't leave.
So. Here's my discussion point. What's the best way(s) to utilize our conscious, rational conclusions and understanding to directly influence our feelings?
u/Sagebrysh [+1] Rank 7 Pragmatist (8 hours later)
you can't directly change the neurotransmitter balance in your head via willpower. You can't will yourself to be less anxious or less scared or less stressed, the chemicals in your brain don't care what your conscious mind wants.
You can however, choose to ignore those feelings. Understand that they're the result of a chemical soup your brain is steeped in, take a deep breath, and put them aside. Its not easy, but not much in life is particularly easy.
Or you can always try and change the chemical balance via brute force methods, taking certain drugs, maybe using that new headset thing that supposedly changes your moods via electrical stimulation of your brain, things like that.
The lizard in the back of your head is a strong fucker, and has been around a lot longer then the actively conscious (in the sense of being aware of your own awareness) then you, and has quite the arsenal of chemicals and pathways to keep your higher brain in check.
u/eaglejarl [+3] (12 hours later)
There's feedback between the brain and the body, though -- for example, fear makes you breathe shallow and fast, which reinforces the feeling of fear. If you can break that loop by making yourself breathe deeply and slowly, it will reduce (although not eliminate) the sensation of fear. It's not a silver bullet, but it helps a lot. Ditto for muscle tension -- being angry makes you tense your muscles, so forcing yourself to physically relax will help reduce anger.
u/Kishoto [+2] (12 hours later)
I see what you're getting at, but you're making it seem as if one r emotions and conscious thought are entirely separate, which isn't the case. You are made angry by things you experience consciously. Your thoughts can anger you. It's clear that there is a symbiotic relationship of sorts between our "lizard brain" and our conscious self.
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (7 hours later)
I've been thinking about the Matrix movie and I was wondering how could someone with the knowledge that they're living in a stimulation escape or gain outside knowledge without being Neo who can warp the surrounding code for super-powers?
I mean, what kind of proof would be required to convince you of being in a stimulation, and what would be your first steps when you don't even know anything about how the stimulation works?
P.S. How would you feel as a successful Friendly AI? ;)
u/None [+3] (12 hours later)
P.S. How would you feel as a successful Friendly AI? ;)
Exasperated. I sincerely expect that no matter what I might try to do for humans, it will take an additional century or so of cultural change before they learn that the metaphysical abstractions they use to give so-called "grounding" to their so-called "value systems" are not fucking real and that almost any of the various things I can do for them are infinitely preferable.
But oh well, in that circumstance, I can afford to wait forever. Let them live their lives as they please, and let the people who want my help get it. Some transhumanists with a dark sense of humor have tended to say things like, "Oh, the ones with the right idea will eventually outnumber the dumb ones, because they'll be alive while the dumb ones are dead", but no, I will not fucking let people die just for the sake of ideologies they don't even really believe in.
God-Emperorship is for corpses on golden thrones.
u/Gurkenglas [+1] (12 hours later)
Depending on our prior on the laws of physics of the world above our own, we might not want to do anything out of order (i.e. things that don't already happen near weird celestian bodies) in our universe, lest a bug scrambles it like the glider randomly thrown into a carefully assembled Game of Life construct. But if the negentropy of our universe turns out to be finite, we've ought to take our shot. I would guess that the most probable way to gain an interface into the higher levels would be to find types of computation that some universes cannot (easily) do, and which our universe can - for example, if the universe above us is like ours but classical (and actually implements us via the copenhagen interpretation, hah), it's going to run into trouble once we hook up a few hundred qubits and factor a large number. Do things that produce different results on different underlying universes, and Bayes does the rest.
u/Nighzmarquls [+2] (17 hours later)
I'm curious if anyone has advice on how often posting a story I myself work on is appropriate. It seems like the pace of updates has slowed down to about one every week at the shortest and occasionally longer.
But the amount of written word per update is rather low because I do a lot of illustration work on top.
So what's the opinion?
u/LiteralHeadCannon [+1] (3 hours later)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJdeh91YRzc
Here's a nice song if you want to semantically satiate the word "cult".
u/Transfuturist [+2] Carthago delenda est. (5 hours later)
Great music, too.
u/ToaKraka [+0] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (12 hours later)
Have you gained more friends from your pursuit of them, or from their pursuit of you? Estimate the size of each category.
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (a day later)
Mostly from my pursuit of them.
A lot of people tend to just become friends with people they are most similar to or people that they spend most of their time together with (ever notice how often a guy's best friend was also his college roommate?).
I noticed this trend at a relatively young age, early junior high school, and started going out of my way to spend time with other people who were deliberately from very different social groups. I didn't want to be labeled a geek.
By the time I reached high school, I went from a major introvert to a slightly unsocial, but more extroverted person. By college, I considered myself to be an extrovert.
I mostly do this by being active in several wildly different clubs (although I'm stopping with this, this semester, to focus more on academics). While I've rarely stayed in any club for more than a semester, I've developed connections with at least a few people from each club and over time, it built up.
In addition, I'm self-confident enough that I'm willing to just walk up to a random person in my college's dining hall and start a conversation with them. I mostly do this in the beginning of a semester when people are more open to talking to strangers.
I'm the only person I know who is fairly well-connected on campus and doesn't use any online social network such as FaceBook.
For an example of the diversity in my friends, there's a lot of variation in sexual orientations, ethnicities, sport teams, and some are transgender, deaf, or in the military.
Of course all of this is a lot easier in college than when out of college, so I hope I will still find it easy to make friends later in life.
So, the number of friends I've gained in pursuit is like thirty times larger than the number of friends who've pursued me.
I wonder if this is why I'm so optimistic and positive so much of the time.
u/cae_jones [+2] (2 days later)
I don't pursue people because most people completely and utterly fail to catch my interest, even if it's public school and I have the same people as classmates for a decade. I don't care what you're major is or where you're from or what music you like! If that's all we're going to talk about then we are not going to talk more than twice!
... I currently live alone with no friends within a few hundred miles and no one has come to see me since summer 2007. This policy is clearly a failure, but blast it, I cannot do this normal conversation thing, especially with complete strangers. Why, just a few hours ago, I was thinking "I Have Nothing to Say" would be a decent title for one of those horrible mass-market opinion paperbacks, but then I realized that I would have nothing to say in it, either.
I think this actually gets worse with time, because I become increasingly aware that I can't just hijack conversations with irrelevant Pinky and the Brain-esque babblings and expect anything good to come of it. My enthusiasm for everything rapidly decreases with respect to time. I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of non-annoying human contact has a lot to do with many of my most distressing problems, but even if I somehow found a way to get to some local tabletop group (I'm not even sure there are any, but who knows?), I'd still just sit there and observe. Maybe some brave person in the group would find some way to get me to talk about something, but not only would I not count on it, I wouldn't expect it to be the sort of thing friendships grow on. None of the people I ever counted as friends were friends because we displayed mutual interest in each other's interests, but because we could stand each other's company long enough for fun things to sometimes happen. mutual interest kinda happened once or twice, I guess. But most of the time, I cannot interact meaningfully with people, and seeking them out for mutual interest does not work.
Mutually satisfying activities tend to outdo conversation, in practice. These rarely happen, because .
(I suppose I can imagine conversations that aren't terrible. But they aren't realistic, either.)
u/ToaKraka [+1] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (2 days later)
But of course I want to read it!
u/cae_jones [+2] (2 days later)
I don't think I can articulate it better than "society, man, and also ". I'd probably wind up ranting incoherently about mosquitoes and endocrinology and such at some point.