DrStone's recent activity

  1. Comment on I need to tell you why coffee makes you poop in ~food

    DrStone
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    a compelling urge to defecate

    14 votes

  3. Comment on Want to get in the gym? Here are some tips from a beginner.* in ~health

    DrStone
    Link Parent
    It really helps to watch some youtube channels that focus on form to get started (you can ignore the hyper-optimizations, tier lists, deep dives into research, and all that). When you start the...

    It really helps to watch some youtube channels that focus on form to get started (you can ignore the hyper-optimizations, tier lists, deep dives into research, and all that). When you start the lift yourself, using very low weight and putting your mental focus on the muscles and joints are supposed to be working, you'll be surprised how much even a beginner can tell about the form based on what feels smooth and what feels a little weird/off. With low weights and controlled movement, the risk of serious injury is pretty low. Most of the dangerous poor form shows up when "ego lifting" more than you can actually handle.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on Want to get in the gym? Here are some tips from a beginner.* in ~health

    DrStone
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    I wholeheartedly agree that routine is the number one priority. For many, your advice to be kind to yourself and how to set a motivational goal will work probably well. I'm still a beginner - only...

    I wholeheartedly agree that routine is the number one priority. For many, your advice to be kind to yourself and how to set a motivational goal will work probably well. I'm still a beginner - only 6 months in at 5 days a week (not the first streak in my life though) - but I'd like to offer nearly the opposite advice on those two points for people to think about. I hate working out. I don't look forward to it, I don't feel good doing it, I don't feel good or energized or happy after it, and there's a million other things I'd rather spend that time on, but I persevere because I want both the eventual functional and aesthetic results.

    I suggest you do not be kind to yourself. Well, be kind after a slip up and get back on track, but don't be lenient. Outside of exceptional circumstances like a serious medical issue or attending a special event, do now allow any excuses to skip a workout, and build your schedule with this in mind. Once you let yourself off the hook once, it gets easier to do so again. Coming back after a whole week (or longer) can be miserable. Make up a single lost day on the weekend. You can lift just fine through a mild cold, being tired, being a bit sore (DOMS), feeling unmotivated, whatever. De-load if necessary, but only after trying and failing your normal volume and reduce just enough to succeed with great effort. When injured, perform whatever unaffected lifts are possible at normal volume, and either swap affected lifts for a variant that works (e.g. forearm tendon pain with standard curls -> hammer curls) or at least with some lightweight active recovery.

    As a beginner, even reasonable strength and aesthetic goals will be so far off (even with newbie gains) that it can feel like you're never going to reach it. Instead, I suggest focusing entirely on the numbers – specifically making them go up (progressive overload). The goal of each workout should make the numbers go up in some way, even if it's a single extra rep or a tiny bit more weight for one rep on only one of the exercises while maintaining the rest. That is a clear, direct measurement of progress showing the unpleasant time put in wasn't in vain. Once you've gotten the routine established for a long while and have fully grasped the realistic pace of progress, you can set more specific milestones - numeric or otherwise - to work toward if that's your thing.

    On a more lighthearted note, I'd add a recommendation to increase your fiber if you do substantially increase your protein intake. Your bowels will thank you.

    11 votes

  5. Comment on What's your favorite RSS reader? in ~comp

    DrStone
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    I use a free account with Inoreader to track and manage my feeds, with Unread on iOS as a minimalist client. Unread can manage the feeds directly, but I was already set up with Inoreader when I...

    I use a free account with Inoreader to track and manage my feeds, with Unread on iOS as a minimalist client. Unread can manage the feeds directly, but I was already set up with Inoreader when I found it and Unread doesn't have a web client for the rare times I'm not on an Apple device.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it in ~life

    DrStone
    Link Parent
    About the audio books in the background while playing: Have you see any increase in their need for stimulation, in particular multiple concurrent sources of stimulation? There's been a few...

    About the audio books in the background while playing: Have you see any increase in their need for stimulation, in particular multiple concurrent sources of stimulation? There's been a few articles on Tildes discussing things like changes to shows and movies knowing that more people are "watching" while also scrolling on their phones; this is a phenomenon I see constantly in people around me (incomprehensible to me with subtitled shows). On the other hand, it's near universal to at least occasionally listen to music while doing another task, though that feels different than a narrated story for reasons I can't quite put my finger on.

    3 votes

  7. Comment on You're not crazy. The bugs are disappearing. in ~enviro

    DrStone
    Link Parent
    I've had similar experience with the Terro brand liquid ant baits. The same ants that go nuts for this stuff (and then go... away) could not care less about Combat, Raid, and some of the other...

    I've had similar experience with the Terro brand liquid ant baits. The same ants that go nuts for this stuff (and then go... away) could not care less about Combat, Raid, and some of the other household name brands.

    6 votes

  8. Comment on The risks of AI toys for kids in ~tech

    DrStone
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    AI toys use chatbots to have conversations with kids. With new tech comes new risks, from inappropriate content [drugs, sex, dangerous objects] to long-term social developmental harms [and privacy & security concerns].

    2 votes

  10. Comment on How do you plan out your meals for the week/meal prep? in ~food

    DrStone
    Link Parent
    Oh yeah, whole chickens are great. They're gift that keeps on giving. Roast chicken the first day, chicken salad or pita with leftovers the second day, soup from the carcass and scraps the third...

    Oh yeah, whole chickens are great. They're gift that keeps on giving. Roast chicken the first day, chicken salad or pita with leftovers the second day, soup from the carcass and scraps the third day. You can even collect the chicken fat and use it in cooking other dishes.

  11. Comment on How do you plan out your meals for the week/meal prep? in ~food

    DrStone
    Link
    Between work and kids, I've fallen into a system that requires almost no upfront planning week-to-week. I have a set of common "formats", a set of simple preparations, and a set of core flexible...

    Between work and kids, I've fallen into a system that requires almost no upfront planning week-to-week. I have a set of common "formats", a set of simple preparations, and a set of core flexible ingredients. These can be mixed and matched on the fly and all come out reasonably well. Formats are like protein + carb + veg, pasta + [something] sauce, rice + topping, assorted stuff in pita or taco, etc. Simple preps are like cubed + roasted, stir-fried/sauteed, steamed, baked. Ingredients are like chicken breast, salmon, tofu, minced beef/pork, onion, garlic, beans, etc. Also a small selection of versatile shelf-stable seasonings (this can be built up over time - avoid specialty/single-purpose things). Stock your freezer and pantry with this in mind. Weekly grocery shopping will become simply replenishing the stock and grabbing whatever fresh veg is in season. You'd be amazed how many combinations you can make from those and how easy it is to decide/swap on the fly based on how you're feeling and how much time you've got to make it. Tools like rice cookers and slow cookers and pressure cookers can open up even more possibilities with the same ingredients with very little active effort or planning.

    Weekends can be handled the same way until you come across a recipe or ingredient that actually inspires you to spend the time.

    6 votes

  12. Comment on Are cooperatives more virtuous than corporations? in ~society

    DrStone
    Link Parent
    For a bit of context, I'm currently in Singapore - 75.5% Chinese, 15.1% Malay, 7.6% Indian, and 1.8% "Other" (a category which Wikipedia says are "largely Eurasians", so I'm part of some even...

    For a bit of context, I'm currently in Singapore - 75.5% Chinese, 15.1% Malay, 7.6% Indian, and 1.8% "Other" (a category which Wikipedia says are "largely Eurasians", so I'm part of some even smaller percent). My understanding is that historically white people and Europeans would be here with some very high expat compensation package while representing their business, so they tended to self-segregate both by wealth and by culture since they were just here for business. Those big expect packages are much, much less common now, though expats from wealthier countries in general still concentrate in certain areas and housing (city center, private condos, etc.). As a result, there's some mixed feelings about white people, more so with the older crowd, though nothing held strongly as far as I've seen. Walking downtown you'll get a decent mix of people from all over. Where I'm living in one of the heartlands, there's vanishingly few white people, to the point where it wasn't uncommon for my wife to hear things like "Oh, your married to the white guy, right?".

    To answer your question, I don't feel any obligation or responsibility to be a shining representative of my race, nationality, or any other similar identity. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to share my culture and traditions, and lean into exaggerated stereotypes of the white American male for laughs with people who know it's a joke, but I'm not motivated to be better or to compensate for any of these kinds of broad, involuntary identities. An open minded person will see you as an individual regardless of how you behave, while a bigot will attribute any perceived positive as being "one of the good ones" and any perceived negative as "a typical [X]", so no point in making a special effort. Yes, this is a privileged stance as I am not in any elevated danger for my identities where I live. I just try to be a generally good, respectful, civic-minded person, and in general I just care about what my friends and family think about me, not strangers. I am a bit more lawful, but that's just to ensure I don't put my visa at risk.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on Are cooperatives more virtuous than corporations? in ~society

    DrStone
    Link Parent
    I think they're partially joking that that the credit union recognizes them only because they're the only East Asian, so when another East Asian moves to town, they're going to get mixed up. I'm...

    I think they're partially joking that that the credit union recognizes them only because they're the only East Asian, so when another East Asian moves to town, they're going to get mixed up. I'm in a similar, flipped situation as one of the only white guys living in a non-white country; a number of the local shops and neighbors recognize me... as the white guy.

    6 votes

  14. Comment on Living wage calculator in ~finance

    DrStone
    Link Parent
    The 2080 is simply 5 days/week * 52 weeks * 8 hours for full-time employment. This includes holidays, sick days, and vacation leave. These paid-time-off days are included for the purposes of...

    The 2080 is simply 5 days/week * 52 weeks * 8 hours for full-time employment. This includes holidays, sick days, and vacation leave. These paid-time-off days are included for the purposes of calculating an estimated hourly rate from a full-time annual salary.

    9 votes

  15. Comment on Non-metal spoons for dining? in ~food

    DrStone
    Link
    Look into picnic and camping utensils. Many are made of nylon.

    Look into picnic and camping utensils. Many are made of nylon.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on US President Donald Trump vows to freeze migration from ‘third world countries’ after DC attack in ~society

    DrStone
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    Trump did not identify any countries by name or explain what he meant by third-world countries or "permanently pause". He said the plan would include cases approved under former President Joe Biden's administration.

    "I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States," he said on his social media platform, Truth Social.

    Trump said he would end all federal benefits and subsidies for "non-citizens", adding he would "denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility" and deport any foreign national deemed a public charge, security risk, or "non-compatible with Western civilization."

    10 votes

  18. Comment on There may not be a safe off-ramp for some taking GLP-1 drugs, study suggests in ~health

    DrStone
    Link

    An analysis published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine found that most participants in a clinical trial who were assigned to stop taking tirzepatide (Zepbound from Eli Lilly) not only regained significant amounts of the weight they had lost on the drug, but they also saw their cardiovascular and metabolic improvements slip away. Their blood pressure went back up, as did their cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c (used to assess glucose control levels), and fasting insulin.

    At least one study has found that the regained weight after intentional weight loss may end up being proportionally higher in fat mass, which could be harmful.

    “These results add to the body of evidence that clinicians and patients should approach starting [anti-obesity medications] as long-term therapies, just as they would medications for other chronic diseases.”

    5 votes

  20. Comment on The worlds on fire. So lets just make AI porn. in ~tech

    DrStone
    Link Parent
    My understanding was that porn driving/pushing/strongly-influencing the technology is the myth, but that being early adopters was true. e.g. this /r/AskHistorians post

    My understanding was that porn driving/pushing/strongly-influencing the technology is the myth, but that being early adopters was true. e.g. this /r/AskHistorians post

    9 votes