FullMtlAlcoholc

> It's just so painfully obvious that these kind of articles wouldn't be getting published right now if the US government wasn't angry with Saudi Arabia about crude oil production.

It seems to me that the timing is the point and it is more relevant now that the relationship has become more adversarial. No one would've been paying as much attention in 2009 and rightfully so since those relationships wouldn't have as much of a conflict of interest.

And let's not forget that in 2009, MBS had yet to order Jamal Khasoggi to be killed by being cut in half by a bone saw.

Context matters.

I think what your mentor meant was don't be bored. I have some misgivings about this advice though as I think it should be more nuanced. It's ok to be bored. With all the gifts modern society has given us, one of the costs has been over-stimulation.

When I'm bored, my mind is clear of any extracurricular thoughts or ideas, and I come up with creative solutions to the “problem” of being bored. One of my hobbies is distance running and it bores me. But almost all of my great ideas have come to me while running. I'm free from the weight and worries of the world

According to two studies detailed in Harvard Business Review, focusing on a mundane task allows your brain to “daydream” and ultimately boosts creativity and problem-solving afterward. Essentially, part of your subconscious mind will start working on things that have not been at the forefront. Your mind is literally reorganizing and optimizing its structure, creating new connections between neurons. [1]

When I've been banging my head against the wall trying to solve some technical problem, I go for a run and forget about my stresses and worries

If people perceive you as boring when you are fulfilled with life, in the words of the Dude, "That's just like their opinion man."

1. https://hbr.org/2014/09/the-creative-benefits-of-boredom

For any cryptocurrency experts out there, is there any way the Bitcoin protocol could be altered (or temporarily halted while being updated) without compromising the blockchain so that instead of guessing for some hash/key combination, it could be part of some distributed computing project? Like assisting in the Folding@Home or some other project that benefits humanity in some way? I know hindsight is 20/20, but it represents an immense wasted opportunity and supposedly consumes more electricity than all of Argentina.

"There wasn't much thought put into how it was supposed to play, but Epic 100% did not see where this was going, nor did the community at the time. And that was very much instrumental to it's success. Had Epic saw this coming, they would have totally destroyed the mechanics that made it so good right off the rip."

Similarly, combos in fighting games were originally a bug. In the original Street Fighter 2, you could attack someone two or three times before they could block or counterattack (I believe the initial term was called a 2 in 1). Capcom liked what it did to the game, and consequently kept it in.

Hmm...chortle would likely be most appropriate as it is specifically a breathy laugh. Chuckle or titter would also be appropriate :)

Former smoker as well. What else are you going to do with a cigarette butt? Most cars don't have ashtrays anymore. If there is a proper way for me to dispose of a cigarette within a one block radius (some sort of trash receptacle) I will do it. But most people certainly aren't going to keep smelly, tar-filled, stain causing cigarette butts in their pockets, purses, etc. or on their person for any length of time. And I've never seen anyone with

Not all of the butts end up as litter, but proper disposal still means they go to landfills. Recycling options are still extremely limited. The only one I've heard of is a mail-in recycling program. Most Unless manufacturers develop a more recyclable cigarette, the best smokers can do is to make sure their butts are properly disposed of in ashtrays, receptacles, and trashcans.

The biggest issue IMO is the makeup of the butts themselves. Most butts are made of cellulose acetate, a non-biodegradable plastic. I don't know if it's cost effective to make a recyclabe butt. If one could, perhaps a cigarette butt deposit similar to CRV on bottles would change behavior. It would not only alter the consumer behavior but would encourage smokers and nonsmokers alive to comb the streets, beaches, etc. for butts further cleaning out streets.

Otherwise, I don't think it's too much to ask for manufactureres/consumers to pony up the extra cost for a degradable cigarette butt instead of externalizing the cost to all of us for this admittedly disgusting habit.

After seeing so many past failed attempts at revitalization (New Center Area, People Mover, etc.), it is refreshing to see a sustained turnaround. What was most surprising on my last trip back was the amount of activity in the downtown area on nights and weekends. Foodie joints, micro-breweries, all 4 major sports teams, casinos and all kinds of other places have popped up. I remember the State Theatre and the Shelter were the only things going on dtown.

BTW - Are you involved in the startup scene in the D?

> If you talk to them a few years later they long to return to the Midwest and they want to do a startup.

As a biological Michigander (Detroit) that now identifies as Californian, my friends and I have anecdotally experienced the opposite. Lack of opportunity was of course a factor. However, the major con for us was the entrenched segregation. I had amazing parents who did their best to teach me not to judge people by their race. But growing up as a black kid from the city who had friends in the burbs, you see a lot of ugly shit. I have bad memories of places like Howell (which still, if I'm not mistaken holds annual KKK rallies) and there are still lots of areas not far from the city where it still isn't safe at night.

Like everywhere else, gentrification is picking up steam. But it isn't as much as an issue since increasing tax revenues far outweighs maintaining communities in a city that had an epidemic of vacant houses. City services have vastly improved and it is heartening to see more diversity in my old neighborhood as whites and others no longer have as much fear of the city, but it's slow going as the scars from the 60's are still evident.

Don't get me wrong. I still appreciate the natural splendor and experiencing the rhythm of the four seasons. I spent this past winter there and it was actually unexpectedly refreshing (if you have someone to shovel your snow). I did end up tacking on 20lbs. That I had to travel 7 miles to find Mexican food that wasn't Taco Bell is a deal breaker for me.

One thing I noticed on my last trip back home is just how much of the Detroit metro area's economy is still driven by staid, stuffy dynastic enterprises such as the old Big Three, health care firms, same old top law firms with the kids now running the show. A lot of the so-called startups are spinoffs that are wholly owned or seeded by Quicken Loans via Rock Ventures. People still have that mindset that work consists of getting a job at a large firm and they aren't as willing to work for startups or become entrepreneurs.

> Therefore I would be quite happy to have something built in my car that checks I'm not drunk before I turn on the engine

If that's truly the case, it's trivial to get a voluntary interlock ignition device installed on your car. You'd most likely save on the cost since there is no government mandated reporting.

That said, I'd recommend not driving at all if you know in advance that you are going to be drinking. At least in metropolitan areas, there are far too many mostly affordable and convenient options IMO to risk it. Even a couple of drinks for a 180+lb person is going to cause impairment.

You seem to underestimate how annoying modern air travel is, at least in America. One has to stand in at least 3 different lines (baggage, security, boarding) before getting on the plane. Whether in the terminal or on the aircraft, the seating feels like it was designed to be as uncomfortable as possible.

I imagine that there will be people willing to travel via rocket just because of the 3+ G's. And I'd take a 30 minute roller coaster ride over a 10 hr first class flight any time, all the time. Less time spent flying > comfort while flying. One immediate benefit is that one doesn't have to take a week or more off of work for intercontinental travel. Weekend jaunts to Pattaya or the Alps are possible when you aren't spending 20+ hours in transit.

Look at my comment history.

I'm a real person who benefitted from these courses. Not everything on the internet is a shill or a scam

Logged in just to say that anything Tyler McGinnis does is more than worth it. His React Fundamentals course (free at the time) was so much clearer than any other online training courses as his presentation style makes things click immediately. Learning from him saved me so much time in comprehending React.

https://tylermcginnis.com

Also of note in the React Universe is Cory House. His teaching style is good, but he cracks too many bad jokes for my taste.

https://www.pluralsight.com/authors/cory-house

Facebook was already on a decline as it was becoming the social media platform for senior citizens.

I do wonder how this will affect Instagram, which is where most of my peers and friends are.

Discussions about Elon Musk and, specifically, Tesla has become quite the lightning rod around here with negative sentiment rising. Here's a little tidbit of info that I think partly explains it: a lot of it is driven by schadenfraude. "Investors have placed more bets against Tesla than any other U.S. stock, with short interest hovering around 25 percent, according to S3 Analytics."

So I suspect a fair amount of posturing and astroturfing amongst the detractors mixed within those who have are more sincere in their positions.

As always, be skeptical.

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-13/tesla-may...

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I'm not a doctor, but I believe cancer is what we call it when cells that evade apoptosis proliferate to reach a critical mass. They metasttisize when they are able to survive a journey through the blood or lymph systems to invade other foreign tissues for food.

I don't believe it's necessarily due to entropy but the process by which cellular division takes place involves a copying of the host cell's DNA and that copying process is not 100% perfect. It is remarkalably accurate, but given enough time, even with all the systems in place to mitigate and repair errors, they will occur. Most will simply cause that mutated cell to die but it's similar to the 100 monkeys on 100 typewriters at scale. Eventually an error will occur that makes a cell immune from apoptosis.

I should add that a couple of years ago, I received a check in the mail for several hundred dollars due to a class action settlement launched on behalf of the Claims team. Management really pushed for employees to hit that 3 claims a day mark , granting overtime in the most limited of circumstances by suggesting that we could eat and be driving to an appointment during the lunch hour. In effect, they encouraged us to skip lunch if we needed to and/or to eat while driving. Remember, this is coming from an automotive insurance company.

As someone who only worked there for a month, it was a pretty nice unexpected bonus.

This is far from being unique to Amazon and from my experience constant pressures like these are prevalent in many low to mid-income paying jobs. I briefly worked as an Insurance Claims Representative for Farmer's Insurance. At the time, I lost my place, my car died and I was running low on funds so I had to take the first thing available. The job offered a free car and the first 4 weeks were spent in training. As someone who had previously only been exposed to the intricacies of white collar work, I found the whole experience to be quite eye-opening. Nearly every claims rep I met looked or acted as if they were chronically stressed, some hid it well while others wore it pretty plainly.

I later found out that they were always on edge because on any given day, one mistake could cost them their chance at a raise, bonus or any cost of living increase for the year. Farmer's had an elaborate points system used to determine eligibility for pay raises (basically cost-of-living increases). We were mobile and had to investigate 3 claims per day without exception. Our daily assignments and locations were algorithimically generated by very substandard software (didn't fully take into account variations in traffic over time and wasn't based on reliable, curent data in the first place). It was in Los Angeles, so traffic and distances between appointments could be immense. Yet, we weren't allowed any exceptions. If we didn't make one of our appointments, depending on the size of the claim, that could disqualify you from a bonus or pay raise. Too many (5-8 per year) could jeopardize your job. The same went for providing iaccurate estimates. So if you missed something (more realisistically paid out too much without trying to deny responsibility) on one flagship luxury or sports car (7 series BMW, S Mercedes, etc.), you'd likely lose your bonus. It's like every day is a chance for you to lose while I feel like for many of us here on HN, each day is a chance for us to earn a bonus.

UPS drivers are under the same pressure. That's why they leave packages outside or in the lobby of buildings. If they don't complete their algorithmically generated deliveries for the day, they're dinged. They can never question the software either. Customer service is another field with similar pressures. Being under that daily constant fear and pressure for such little reward must be so mentally taxing, like if one was still in the food chain

For me, it depends on whether I'm listening to a fiction or non-fiction book (also, the ability of the narrator to draw me in is key). I was completely immersed in the audio version of the Three Body Problem and wager that I could recall it better than if I had read it.

As for non-fiction, the last book I tried to listen to is Behave by Robert Sapolsky. Although the narration is good, I simply cannot retain the names of the various brain structures and their function. After listening to a chapter for the 3rd time, I just gave up and decided to purchase the text version.

If someone is painting a picture for me, so to speak, as in narrative fiction, I feel it makes a stronger impression than actually reading the material. But if I'm trying to learn something, I frequently need to pause what I'm taking in, usually to build a mental model.

Is this worth reading if I loved Transmetropolitan?

I've read that the microbiome can and does influence our sense of taste, altering it in such a way that the foods that certain species of bacteria prefer to metabolize end up tasting better. Although I've anecdotally found this to be true, I think it is commonly accepted that the gut affects the mind whether the conscious self is aware of it or not. A lot of the mindful meditation I've practiced doesn't have the goal of making the mind quiet. Quite the opposite, it is a technique to quiet conscious thinking that takes effort so that one can be more aware of thoughts that seemingly arise out of nowhere...like when you're stuck with a difficult problem only to have a solution pop into your head over the weekend while going out for a run, without any conscious effort

Arrogance is rooted in self-importance. In fact, if one can glean common themes from science, it's that there is a distinct lack of self importance, that humans are special . The Earth is not the center of the universe, the sun and stars do not revolve around it, there is no center of the universe as every point can be considered the center, all motion is relative, etc.

Noam Chomsky is the father of modern linguistics, and his theories hold that the principles underlying the structure of language are biologically determined in the human mind and hence genetically transmitted. The 1984 Nobel Prize laureate in Medicine and Physiology, Niels Kaj Jerne, used Chomsky's generative grammar model to explain the human immune system, equating "components of a generative grammar ... with various features of protein structures." Chomsky's work contributed substantially to the decline of behaviorist psychology. In addition, some arguments in evolutionary psychology are derived from his research results

I've read less of Daniel Dennet, but he has been influential in the theory of mind and the direction that some AI research has taken.

When I think of modern philosophers, these are the giants.

> Philosophy these days seems more about finding clever places to hide religious beliefs than it is about explaining the world as it is and answering questions in useful and productive ways.

It's funny that you mention that. While at undergrad I took a biology class taught by Robert Sapolsky (I consider him equal parts scientist and philosopher) where he philosophized on the origin of religiosity using scientific findings and research. Would you like ot know more: http://www.openculture.com/2014/12/robert-sapolsky-explains-...

They're not completely distinct fields of study, they operate on a spectrum as science and philsophy go hand in hand. The big questions in philosophy are somewhat neatly summed up in 4 questions: Who am I? What do I want? Why am I here? Where am I going? Substitute we for I, and then that pretty much sums up the questions science tries to answer.

Because the concept of the conscious self being just a small part what constitutes one unit of homo sapiens has been part of philosophy for thousands of years. As I see it, philosophy is there to ask the big questions, having a say in the prioritization of the direction of R&D. Elon Musk asked himself what was most needed to ensure a prosperous future for humanity, and his answers were PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity, Neuralink and the Boring Company. They also happen to double at what a functioning Mars colony would need :)

The boundary at which the self ends and the environment begets another philsophical point that Alan Watts spoke at length about, essentially stating there is no dividing line, it's all a spectrum upon which we place arbitrary boundaries because of our need to put things in boxes and that the concept of self that we create of ourselves is a complete fiction.

Also, is the autonomic nervous system or the unconscious and nonconscious considered part of the self?

Only one quarter of algorithms was required at Stanford. However, I did end up taking a class on computational mol bio algorithms and I believe there were at least 3 other electives that focused on specific classes of algorithms in discrete domains.

It pays far less even when accounting for the cost of living benefits in the Midwest. However, in my experience, there is less to spend money on, but those savings do not come close to the higher pay on the coasts. Another issue, at least in Detroit, is that a number are startups in name only. A significant number of them are spun out of Quicken Loans. There is far less chance that you get equity as part of a pay package as well with these startups

Or your fate may hang in the balance of the time the decision is rendered. The person who has their case heard right before lunch generally is given the least amount of sympathy and understanding

Another counter-argument is you're still learning about frameworks in general which should help you pick up new ones quicker or provide a more comprehensive base of knowledge to draw upon when developing your own.

Everything has flaws. Exhibiting an institutional insecurity by making a take it or leave it response upon criticism, reducing the world to binaries, shuts down any attempt at improvements.