vczf's recent activity
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Comment on Nearly 80% of Americans say fast food is now a luxury because it’s become so expensive in ~food
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Comment on Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption? in ~health
vczf Link Parent2:30 is a great time for an afternoon siesta!2:30 is a great time for an afternoon siesta!
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Comment on Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption? in ~health
vczf LinkYou should quit liquid sugar before any other kind of sugar. Liquid sugar is particularly harmful because it spikes your insulin badly and can end up in your gut, both of which contribute to the...You should quit liquid sugar before any other kind of sugar. Liquid sugar is particularly harmful because it spikes your insulin badly and can end up in your gut, both of which contribute to the sugar cravings. Ice cream is likely fine, particularly after a meal with fat and protein in it to slow down the insulin spike.
The short of it is that you should substitute soda for a beverage you can control the amount of sweetness in, and slowly reduce it over time. For example, I stopped drinking sodas and only drank “half-and-half” iced tea. I started putting less and less sweetener in my coffee. Eventually I found myself preferring unsweetened tea and coffee with only cream.
I wouldn’t recommend using artificially sweetened soda, or anything you can’t dilute down to a more reasonable level. The intense sweetness of diet soda will keep you hooked. However, putting Mio flavoring in your water (and using less of it over time) is a reasonable thing to do.
Nowadays I treat liquid sugar with the same respect I give alcohol. It’s an indulgence that should be carefully controlled, because overconsumption leads to addiction and metabolic disaster. I drink the occasional boba, around once a month or less.
For a more out-there suggestion, I started fermenting my own probiotic whole-milk kefir lately when I got some grains for free from a friend. I’ve noticed a surprising decrease in late-night carb cravings since drinking my homemade kefir regularly. There’s a learning curve, but it can be fun to grow it. If you’d like to know more about kefir, feel free to ask. I’m still pretty new to it, but have mostly gotten the hang of it by now.
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Comment on I gave up meat and gained so much more | A tale of one person's life, culture, and growing up in ~life
vczf Link ParentTo add to this perspective, non-human animals seem to live almost entirely immersed in the present moment. That alone likely reduces their share of suffering to a very tolerable amount, when in...To add to this perspective, non-human animals seem to live almost entirely immersed in the present moment. That alone likely reduces their share of suffering to a very tolerable amount, when in their native environment. They can enjoy living when the living is good, even if punctuated by moments of panic and fear.
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Comment on Why Gen Z is quietly giving up in ~life
vczf Link ParentOn the topic of overall mental wellbeing (negative self-talk is discussed), this recent podcast from Peter Attia with Paul Conti is excellent: https://peterattiamd.com/paulconti4/On the topic of overall mental wellbeing (negative self-talk is discussed), this recent podcast from Peter Attia with Paul Conti is excellent: https://peterattiamd.com/paulconti4/
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Comment on Why Gen Z is quietly giving up in ~life
vczf Link ParentWhen I clicked on the video, I was expecting it to rehash of grievances and reinforce the learned helplessness and hopelessness that you refer to. I was pleasantly surprised when it actually gave...When I clicked on the video, I was expecting it to rehash of grievances and reinforce the learned helplessness and hopelessness that you refer to. I was pleasantly surprised when it actually gave a very informative deconstruction of the phenomena and touched on the ways to counter it.
So while “the narrative problem” is certainly worth discussing, this video does not reinforce that narrative in a negative way.
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Comment on Why Gen Z is quietly giving up in ~life
vczf Link ParentThe title is a bit clickbaity, but I do think the content is worth watching, otherwise I would not have posted it here. If you don’t have the time or interest to watch the whole 20 minutes,...The title is a bit clickbaity, but I do think the content is worth watching, otherwise I would not have posted it here.
If you don’t have the time or interest to watch the whole 20 minutes, commenting on the title alone frankly has little discussion value.
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Comment on Why Gen Z is quietly giving up in ~life
vczf LinkI clicked on this video, not expecting much, but ended up being very impressed at the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of the content. I also looked for the full skit that was sampled (and...I clicked on this video, not expecting much, but ended up being very impressed at the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of the content.
I also looked for the full skit that was sampled (and censored) in the video, which is here: https://youtu.be/Fav-SS0L78Q
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Why Gen Z is quietly giving up
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentIt’s a short book. I found it extremely motivating and illuminating the first time I read it. Caveat: the more I revisit it, the less sure I am of the content. But there are certainly good nuggets...It’s a short book. I found it extremely motivating and illuminating the first time I read it.
Caveat: the more I revisit it, the less sure I am of the content. But there are certainly good nuggets in there.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentAnother observation: over-specifying plans does the same thing as talking too much. Once I have written detailed notes on how to accomplish a thing, I feel as if I already accomplished it....Another observation: over-specifying plans does the same thing as talking too much. Once I have written detailed notes on how to accomplish a thing, I feel as if I already accomplished it.
“Tomorrow” becomes “next week” becomes “after {x}” becomes “eventually”, at which point it is forgotten about.
I think I’ll try to underspecify from here on, only recording the barest amount of detail in my notes to get the ball rolling.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentI believe I got the concept from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I’ve observed it to be true for myself as well. It doesn’t seem like a binary, though. A few comments to friends and family...I believe I got the concept from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I’ve observed it to be true for myself as well.
It doesn’t seem like a binary, though. A few comments to friends and family about what I’m doing doesn’t hurt my motivation. Talking at length about it might.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentCarrying on my train of thought, two-way or many-to-many communication will then be much less effective for inducing action, compared to a one-way mode. Basically, radio and podcasts are superior...Carrying on my train of thought, two-way or many-to-many communication will then be much less effective for inducing action, compared to a one-way mode.
Basically, radio and podcasts are superior to social media in this regard.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentThere’s a certain amount of motivational energy that gets released when you tell others about your ideas or plans. In most cases, I think talking inhibits action, rather than encouraging it. For...There’s a certain amount of motivational energy that gets released when you tell others about your ideas or plans. In most cases, I think talking inhibits action, rather than encouraging it.
For example, talking at length about your plans to write a book will certainly lead you to not start writing it.
Trigger warning: Another example is suicide. Suicide attempts often come seemingly without warning.You don’t get motivated and inspired by telling things to others. You get motivated and inspired by listening to those who have something worthwhile to say.
(So, I don’t believe MLK Jr. having a podcast would have detracted from his activism. He probably would have been excited to have better communication technology.)
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf (edited )LinkThank you for sharing. I just listened to the podcast version and enjoyed it a lot. Towards the end, the host (?) made a comment about how they don’t actually think a lot or engage with politics...Thank you for sharing. I just listened to the podcast version and enjoyed it a lot.
Towards the end, the host (?) made a comment about how they don’t actually think a lot or engage with politics when they’re away from the mic. That’s the kind of person I’d like to get political news and opinions from.
Re: church for atheists. Besides the lack of funding, the lack of rituals that exact a meaningful cost is another reason they would fail. I think vipassana group meditation would be a good replacement for prayer in this area. I would go to a church like that.
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Comment on What AI tools are you actually using? in ~tech
vczf LinkNobody has mentioned Phind yet, which is a fantastic LLM search product. I use phind.com as a search engine/assistant while coding. It works very well for technical or factual queries,...Nobody has mentioned Phind yet, which is a fantastic LLM search product.
I use phind.com as a search engine/assistant while coding. It works very well for technical or factual queries, in-and-outside-of programming, and has well-integrated search results to ground the outputs.
I occasionally use Bing Copilot, but I am usually disappointed because it is over-censored and cagey compared to Phind.
I haven’t found an actual use-case for local LLMs yet. I don’t think local LLMs will really take off until they start being integrated like into e.g. Siri for giving your devices complex verbal commands in natural language.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
vczf LinkI have struggled and still struggle with much the same. Unfortunately, I believe the only answers that have the possibility of being fully satisfying are fictional delusions crafted by a mix of...I have struggled and still struggle with much the same.
Unfortunately, I believe the only answers that have the possibility of being fully satisfying are fictional delusions crafted by a mix of human dreams, hallucinations, and imagination.
Some points from my experience:
- The universe doesn't care that humans crave meaning and understanding. Meaning is a construct of humans (or at least sentient, conscious beings).
- Faith, as a pattern of brain activity, allows humans to set aside existential problems and concentrate on more immediate tasks. This includes conventional religion as well as humanism, etc.
- The more I dwell on existential and philosophical issues, the more depressed I become and the more meaningless life seems.
- We are first and foremost animals, not rational, incorporeal brings. I try to stay grounded in the real world.
- The human animal is happiest when integrated in a community where their contributions are appreciated and considered valuable.
Don't spend too much of your life staring into the abyss. There are better ways to appreciate existence.
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Comment on IronLev has demonstrated the first-ever magnetic levitation test on regular train tracks in ~transport
vczf Link ParentSomebody linked their site (and deleted the comment?) but quite usefully I was able to get a better view of the mechanism. It looks like a motor of some sort spinning a wheel on the side of the...Somebody linked their site (and deleted the comment?) but quite usefully I was able to get a better view of the mechanism. It looks like a motor of some sort spinning a wheel on the side of the track. Perhaps that's a permanent magnet?
I am honestly skeptical that this is legit, but I suppose time will tell.
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Comment on IronLev has demonstrated the first-ever magnetic levitation test on regular train tracks in ~transport
vczf Link ParentI wish somebody knowledgeable on the physics could explain how this works. Here's my guess: Assume that the electromagnets in the train oscillate much faster than the iron in the tracks is...I wish somebody knowledgeable on the physics could explain how this works.
Here's my guess: Assume that the electromagnets in the train oscillate much faster than the iron in the tracks is magnetized. Repelling force is generated by (1) magnetizing a section of the tracks; (2) reversing the polarity of the magnet to generate repulsion.
If this is done very quickly with alternating sets of electromagnets that are at different phases in the polarity cycle, perhaps continuous lift can be generated? It may be more efficient for the train to be moving, rather than stationary, so that the polarity pattern of the tracks can be used instead of having to magnetize the same section repeatedly. After "depleting" the polarity of one section, the subsequent electromagnet can match the polarity and generate repulsion again.
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Comment on Learning new programming languages with limited time: Rust, golang, or otherwise? in ~comp
vczf LinkDart satisfies all of your requirements. As a plus, you could dabble in writing apps with Flutter.Dart satisfies all of your requirements. As a plus, you could dabble in writing apps with Flutter.
It wasn’t that long ago (5 years maybe) you could buy a McDouble for $1.29 plus tax. At that price, it was actually a good value because the protein/fat/carb macros were satiating.
I don’t know if there’s a modern fast food equivalent item that is adequately filling if you only have a few dollars in your pocket.
Looks like a McDouble costs over $3.00 now. Not worth it anymore.