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44 votes
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Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
3 votes -
The psychopharmacology of cannabis and its impact on mental health - a primer
13 votes -
Farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow rice in Vietnam
14 votes -
What if we discover the answers of the Universe, eliminate cancer, halt aging. What's next?
I'm curious to see what you are all feeling and thinking about when such questions arise.
21 votes -
New Jersey is motivating telecommuters to appeal their New York tax bills. Connecticut may be next.
13 votes -
Somalia bans fishing trawlers from its waters
15 votes -
Why did Google Maps have a big black smudge in the South Pacific before 2012? And why did it disappear? And what does it have to do with Captain Cook? And what is a phantom island? | Map Men
37 votes -
Lies, confections, distortions: how the right made London the most vilified place in Britain
9 votes -
Why do negative topics dominate social media sites, even here?
This is a question I eventually ask about every social media site I use(d). I like Tildes, and the discussions here are much more constructive than any other place I've seen, however I've seen it...
This is a question I eventually ask about every social media site I use(d). I like Tildes, and the discussions here are much more constructive than any other place I've seen, however I've seen it to be true even here. When one doesn't curate their feed, and use the default home page, the negative topics seems to dominate. I'm talking about the topics that talk about problems and what's wrong with something, often with titles implying the awfulness or emergency of such a problem. I think I don't need to elaborate on how this is much more prevalent and extreme on other sites. But nevertheless, it's a recurring pattern even here.
I know the argument that goes that humans are problem-fixing machines, and that there are psychological incentives to focus on problems. However, this seems overly reductive and lacking in explanatory power to me. Outside of internet, this is not a phenomenon I've experienced with people, unless they were mentally going through something very rough. Otherwise, people generally seem to talk about neutral or positive issues. And even while talking about negative issues, the tone often isn't grim, and doesn't leave a depressive aftertaste.
Even on the internet, in smaller spaces and more closed spaces, like chatting servers, this doesn't seem to hold true. Sure, there are politically-oriented, and therefore problem-oriented spaces even there, but most spaces don't seem to be that way. Back when I used Facebook too, while the posts were vain, most of my friends and acquaintances were just interested in sharing and commenting on social lives.
So I think this is a problem that is more endemic to "open" social media sites, with easily accessible and open-to-public spaces, rather than applying to the whole humanity or even every internet space. Its one of my biggest head scratchers about social media sites. So far I couldn't find a satisfactory explanation in the literature either. Doesn't mean there isn't, but I haven't stumbled upon such.
So, I'm interested in your opinions: Why do negative topics dominate on open social media sites, even here, unless curated against? Why is this such a strong recurring pattern for sites structured like this, while it's not in other online and physical spaces and interections I mentioned?
59 votes -
Cocoa price swings are the craziest since the 1970s
14 votes -
IndyCar disqualifies Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin from St. Pete podium finishes
5 votes -
How Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Movie Critic’ fell apart
26 votes -
Remembering the time Throbbing Gristle played at a private school (2020)
14 votes -
What dying people see in their dreams
7 votes -
Remembering May 4 (Kent State massacre) - An interview with Devo's Jerry Casale
16 votes -
Digital books are costing local libraries a ton
22 votes -
CO-VIDS: The Ghandi trap
3 votes -
NASA newest solar sail system launched (2024-04-23)
If this tech interests you keep an eye out for June/July when they expect to deploy the sail. Rocket Lab’s Electron blasted off at 6:32 p.m. ET on April 23, successfully delivering both payloads...
If this tech interests you keep an eye out for June/July when they expect to deploy the sail.
Rocket Lab’s Electron blasted off at 6:32 p.m. ET on April 23, successfully delivering both payloads to low Earth orbit. - Gizmodo
.
After a busy initial flight phase, which will last about two months and includes subsystems checkout, the microwave oven-sized CubeSat will deploy its reflective solar sail. The weeks-long test consists of a series of pointing maneuvers to demonstrate orbit raising and lowering, using only the pressure of sunlight acting on the sail. - NASA
14 votes -
Former naturalists/materialists, what changed your view?
There have been a number of threads recently that have touched on this topic recently, and I thought the conversation deserved its own place. My default worldview for the past decade+ has been...
There have been a number of threads recently that have touched on this topic recently, and I thought the conversation deserved its own place.
My default worldview for the past decade+ has been something best characterized as naturalistic or materialist (the totality of reality can be explained by material and its interactions.) I've had a few things challenge this view recently, namely the "Hard Problem of Consciousness." I'll post my own comment about what moved me from hard materialist to agnostic on materialism, but I encourage you to post your own reasoning in your comment!
28 votes -
HHS strengthens privacy of US reproductive health care data
10 votes -
For those involved / interested in Web3, what do you make of the near and long term future for it?
Added the qualifier to the title as web3 understandably earns a lot of eyerolls haha. At the same time, a lot of web3 focused places seem to have a specific mindset about what "should" be done so...
Added the qualifier to the title as web3 understandably earns a lot of eyerolls haha. At the same time, a lot of web3 focused places seem to have a specific mindset about what "should" be done so I wanted to ask here.
I worked in the space at startup (ironically making web2 services to assist in web3 so I’m still an extreme novice). But my time there was a constant push / pull between convention and money and innovation and the unknown. The company I was at would try to appeal to big companies in hopes of finding a product market fit, who looked to us for guidance on what to do in this new space where they hoped to make money. Trend after trend would pass and it would be entertained whether we’d jump on it because product market fit.
The most desirable companies were household names with non-web3 userbases because they meant unprecedented reach. But to make web3 approachable to them, you’d have to define a UX that didn’t exist and would be pulled in a tug of war between two forces. The first mindset optimises for the purest idea of giving the user power— UXs that were obvious about the concepts of transactions and transferrable assets. The other wanted to replicate web2 UXs in web3, to the degree that a user gives temporary control of their wallet to a developer so the developer performs transactions as them.
Then, there is the data and pseudonymity piece. Companies have been taught that data is valuable, and one of the values of a blockchain is an identity that exists outside of any one company. But if all of your assets are on a blockchain— either under your public key or perhaps under a few that might transfer assets only between each other— then your identity can be known (not so private) and also cannot be monopolized and sold (because your data is public).
In the background, as this all happens, is the decentralization argument. At the end of the day, my company used EVM nodes operated by another company (which themselves might be wrappers around something offered by AWS). What is meaningful decentralization alongside specialization of labor? What is decentralization in a world that has billionaires and enormous companies who has the means to buy resources and set up tons of nodes?
Being out of the space now, I do think a decentralized database with immutable scripts, user-managed transferrable assets, and transferrable identity has enormous value. But recently I’ve been wondering how much of that can be accomplished in the private sector. In my time there it felt like the startup needs (enterprise customers, increased ARR) constantly compromised the will for innovation efforts.
19 votes -
The startup offering free toilets and coffee for delivery workers — in exchange for their data
26 votes -
Lemon-scented marijuana compound reduces weed’s ‘paranoia’ effect
17 votes -
Amazon grows to over 750,000 robots as world's second-largest private employer replaces over 100,000 humans
29 votes -
Looking for help scraping and deleting a Reddit account
I have a couple of old Reddit accounts I’d like to delete as fully as possible. However one of them dates back to my teenage years and it’s some of the only writings I have from that time. Any...
I have a couple of old Reddit accounts I’d like to delete as fully as possible. However one of them dates back to my teenage years and it’s some of the only writings I have from that time. Any recommendations on good simple ways to scrape all the comments off of it and save them? Then what’s the best way to completely erase a Reddit footprint these days?
Looking for as simple a solution as possible, I’m not tech illiterate by any means but it’s also not a real strong suit for me.
18 votes -
Brad & Matty go spearfishing! | Local Legends
2 votes -
What the first astronauts (and cosmonauts) ate - Food in space
3 votes -
Write alternative text as if you’re describing the image to a friend
19 votes -
Potential ties between quaternary ammonia and brain cell damage
6 votes -
You can now translate sign language automatically with these amazing Raspberry Pi glasses
14 votes -
HowLongToBeat: The Game
13 votes -
The Wednesday Pull - April 24, 2024
Trying something different, and making a discussion thread about Comics that one would want to highlight of the issue, trade, web or any variety. As is tradition, discussion starts on a Wednesday.
2 votes -
US Federal Trade Commission bans new noncompete agreements
77 votes -
Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news
Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like united nations, embezzlement and roguelites. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone...
Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like united nations, embezzlement and roguelites. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was mystified.
But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched
offbeat
stories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!13 votes -
Steam refund policy update - "Advanced Access" now counts towards refund window
21 votes -
Swedish gaming conglomerate Embracer Group announced plans on Monday to split itself into three distinct games and entertainment companies
24 votes -
Utopian Scholastic
12 votes -
Why is your train delayed? Common signalling system faults.
3 votes -
Angry farmers in a once-lush Mexican state target avocado orchards that suck up too much water
17 votes -
Scandal erupts over Netflix's no. 1 show 'What Jennifer Did' and possible use of artificial intelligence
12 votes -
Movie of the Week #26 - Aliens
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Another strong female lead with Sigourney Weaver in Aliens from 1986.
Besides any thoughts on this movie, what did you think of Sigourney Weaver s performance in this? How do you rank compared to the rest of movies in the Alien-franchise?
The rest of the schedule for April is:
- 29th: Fargo
22 votes -
The Homo Economicus as a prototype of a psychopath? A conceptual analysis and implications for business research and teaching.
6 votes -
Russia's meat grinder soldiers - 50,000 confirmed dead
39 votes -
Clothes shopping as a short & fat (trans) guy with narrow shoulders
Hey all! I'm trans masc, and this means my body isn't exactly at the top of the bell curve for men's fashion. I'm looking to dress more masculinely, especially as I recently had top surgery. I'm...
Hey all! I'm trans masc, and this means my body isn't exactly at the top of the bell curve for men's fashion. I'm looking to dress more masculinely, especially as I recently had top surgery. I'm having trouble finding stuff that fits and I find constantly trying on clothes that don't fit pretty disheartening. I was hoping I could get some advice here!
I'd like to increase the number of jeans I own, but unfortunately I've got proportions that are hard to accommodate. I'm 5'4" and ~100kg, so this already necessitates looking outside the normal sizes, but I also have trouble where jeans that should fit around my waist won't fit over my hips/butt. This means that either I struggle to get jeans on, or I get jeans that are falling down to my ass even with a belt. Women's jeans are presumably engineered to avoid this problem since this is a normal proportion for women, but I would prefer to wear men's jeans for the thicker material, better pockets, and more masculine look. The only jeans I have currently that even approximately fit are some Levi's I bought when visiting my parents back in the States, but I live in Germany and those are expensive to get here, so I'm hoping for advice more generally on how to find suitable men's jeans or even specific recommendations for brands that are more accessible here in Europe.
Another problem I've had is in finding suitable coats and jackets due to my narrow shoulders. There are tons of men's jackets and coats that I'd love to add to my repertoire, but shoulders are nigh-impossible to even get tailored and there are rarely multiple options on that front, especially as someone with a gut. But there are cis men with narrow shoulders too so I wonder if there's existing advice out there on how to shop for coats as a fat guy with narrow shoulders.
25 votes -
Sociology’s race problem: Urban ethnographers do more harm than good in speaking for Black communities. They see only suffering, not diversity or joy.
19 votes -
China is battening down for the gathering storm over Taiwan
26 votes -
"We never really thought anyone was going to make a Playdate game"
21 votes -
Meta starts licensing headset OS in battle with Apple
13 votes -
What did you do to "prepare" for your marriage?
Hiya folks! My partner (M36) and I (F30) have been in a relationship for 2 years (living together for 1) and have started talking about marriage lately. Neither of us has popped the question yet...
Hiya folks!
My partner (M36) and I (F30) have been in a relationship for 2 years (living together for 1) and have started talking about marriage lately. Neither of us has popped the question yet (we both want to be proposed to), but we're starting to do "Marriage Mondays" and work through The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman and Nan Silver. (I was also thinking of reading The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov since my partner has ADHD.)
We're both big into communication, studying relationship books, and making sure we iron things out before we take the next step. Before we moved in, we talked about divvying up household chores and made a spreadsheet detailing who does what. We also made sure that the spreadsheet was not a holy text, and if one of us was feeling bad (whether because of sickness, mental health, or work stress), the other would temporarily pick up the slack (or at least cut the other person some slack!) It's been great so far and I really do feel like we're in an equitable partnership. (As much as it can be, at least!)
But of course, marriage is a whole other story. We both live in a different country from where we're from and if we ever have kids, we won't be able to rely on either one of our families for much. I know the major topics of finance, kids, and careers, but is there anything else (besides the wedding) you all may have done or questions you asked to "prepare" for marriage?
29 votes