All of glunkthunker's Comments + Replies

Universal power switch symbols are counter-intuitive. A straight line ends. It doesn't go anywhere. It should mean "stop." A circle is continuous and should mean "on". A line penetrating a circle has certain connotations that means keep it going (or coming) but definitely not "standby". How can we change this?

Point taken.

Apologies to all involved, especially to DanArmak for muddying up his post.

I'd be happy to delete any comments that came across as offensive.

Just ran across this quote from John Holt and thought it might apply to this discussion:

The true test of intelligence is not how much we know how to do, but how to behave when we don’t know what to do.

Interesting as I thought this was the most powerful point of the post:

At the very least, it is a controversial step in moral reasoning to decide that people's emotional impulses and subconscious pressures, rather than their declarative moral reasoning processes and the words that issue from their lips, constitute their "real selves". We should then call akrasia, not weakness of will, but strength of will.

I seem to recall a study that studied intuition in emergency situations such as fire fighters and ER doctors. What they determined was that the more experienced the person, the more likely the intuition was to be correct meaning that it probably wasn't intuition at all but the person's brain working on available data faster than the person was consciously aware of.

What has always fascinated me about fasting, particularly water fasting, is the issue of cravings versus hunger. Skipping a meal or two usually produces cravings. Cravings could signal a need but more likely mean an addiction (and I'm using that definition loosely here. think coffee, salt, wheat).

My understanding is that 24 hours is the minimum for the detection of unhealthy cravings and that 3-7 days is the average time needed to overcome them. The idea that skipping meals (some even consider skipping snack-time IF) will produce beneficial effects I can ... (read more)

I get what you are saying, but this can become problematic. It's actually a daily dilemma I face: Do I do what I think is best for my child or what is acceptable by mainstream standards.

Good to know. It reminds me of advice I read somewhere that advised not putting anything on your skin that you would worry about eating as it was going to end up inside you anyway.

I choose door number 3.

This (from wiki) seems to be the closest to my working definition:

According to karma, performing positive actions results in a good condition in one's experience, whereas a negative action results in a bad effect.

For instance, mjcurzi asks around to see if anyone lost a wallet. Reactions will most likely be very positive. The result is an increased opportunity for friendships, offerings of help, status hike, etc.

–or–

mjcurzi decides to pocket the money but feels slightly guilty about it. The above potential benefits are out of t... (read more)

Karma.

I'm probably in the minority with this opinion, but I think for non-homeschooled people (and especially the male kind), taking time off between high school and college can be a really good idea. It can be a period of discovering the self. Rediscover the love of learning. Mature socially. Do. Be.

I did such a thing (took time off in the middle) and found that even the meager 3 years in age between me and my fellow classmates made a huge difference. My ability to really think and focus was miles what it was before I took a break. I was also less affected by s... (read more)

As someone who stopped early on because of a frightening experience I'd be interested in more discussion about risks. I'm also curious about the term 'Dark Night.'

Also, I was told that it's best to learn how to meditate in a group with a trained faciliator as this can greatly reduce the risk of bad reactions. This was true in my case. I only encountered problems when I went out on my own.

Wouldn't what you are describing be happening to some extent on this forum as well?

Thanks! Much appreciated.

I sometimes wish there was more parenting stuff on LW (and I suspect there will be in 10 years or so). But, then I think it's just as well there isn't as parenting forums are often more contentious than political ones.

I like this idea. I started making comments in a separate file per sequence with the goal that after I've finished all of them I'd go back and see if my viewpoint changed or if issues that were fuzzy at the time cleared up.

A lot of us have higher GPA variances than others.

This is very interesting. Aside from specific class/professor problems, I wonder if another cause of this is the challenge of multi-tasking a variance of courses.

It might help if each semester could be structured so that it contained related or complementary courses. Or better yet, have the option of taking double credit-courses. So, a full course load of 2 or 3 intensive courses would be the same amount of hours as 5 or 6 regular courses.

This is exactly the kind of post that I'm at LW for. I am asked about 20-10,000 questions as day, the majority of which I have to answer "I don't know" for. (How anyone parented before google is beyond me.) Often I use "I don't know" as a replacement for "I don't have the confidence to answer your question adequately[1] in the 15 seconds that I have before you ask another question."

I understand that conversations with children might seem trivial to most here or that this post was never intended to be used in the context I've ... (read more)

I would add another reason: Writing Quality.

Some people just have a gift for writing. They make the process enjoyable so I don't want to skim. It's much like how I wouldn't want to fast forward thru a good movie. A good writer could write a book about a subject i have little interest in, lets say sports, and I would want to read it -- word for word.

As a book designer who has worked with both writers on self-publishing projects and publishers, aside from promotion, the other advantage of publishers is that they offer thorough editing and proofing. It's amazing the amount of mistakes that remain hidden until after a book is in print or goes live. (referring to self-publishing there.) Many writers resist the editing process which is understandable, but in many instances, regrettable.

However, there no reason not to self-publish first and still shop around for publishers. But yes, the logistics of getting... (read more)

original comment:

Perhaps we could institute a norm that posting anecdotes without making conclusions from them is okay.

how its read:

Anecdotes with conclusions should not be allowed.

I find this transition very curious and see it often. Is there a term for this kind of reactive twist of reasoning?

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but I think that this Aspie Quiz is more thorough than the one in Wired.

IMO these kinds of quizzes do have their drawbacks as many aspie traits can be compensated for with time and practice. Female aspie traits (or the special nuances in them) may also be overlooked.

No matter how many terrible things you've heard about the mainstream press, you truly cannot appreciate how bad it really, really is until you have been reported on yourself. It is at least two orders of magnitude worse than you think it is from reading Reddit.

Very true.

As someone who has worked in the industry i can tell you that the process of creating news stories is remarkably similar to that of producing chicken nuggets -- although, probably not as sanitary.

What I'm gathering from the other replies to my comment is that people are not so much in need of intelligence as they are in need to realize their full value.

i was quoting from the original post. In the context i assumed it meant: enough money to not have to worry about needed more money.

He uses this new power to finish his book, get back together with his girlfriend, become rich, and eventually become president of the united states. Incidentally he gets in shape, establishes himself as high status at top tier social events, learns many new languages, and sleeps with a bunch of women.

How would it work if everyone had this power?

Doesn't being rich require that others be poor?

Only one person can become president at a time.

Doesn't being at the top tier of social events (or anything) mean that there needs to be sub tiers?

"Sleeps wi... (read more)