flowerdance's recent activity
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Comment on Heat death of the internet in ~tech
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Comment on Any tips for Barcelona and Lisbon in June/July? in ~travel
flowerdance LinkMy parents visited Spain and Barcelona. My mom ended up getting mugged and her passport stolen. If there's any takeaway, it's to not show off and to keep a low profile.My parents visited Spain and Barcelona. My mom ended up getting mugged and her passport stolen. If there's any takeaway, it's to not show off and to keep a low profile.
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Comment on How are you dealing with inflation regarding everyday enjoyment? in ~life
flowerdance Link ParentThese are great examples. I've also found myself starting to go for free and fun activities when going out with friends. Though some of them only want to go for expensive drinks at the bar, plenty...These are great examples. I've also found myself starting to go for free and fun activities when going out with friends. Though some of them only want to go for expensive drinks at the bar, plenty are open to outdoor activities that don't cost much like trekking, walking, playing board games while eating home cooked meals and so on.
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Comment on What does “going with your gut” feel like to you? How did you learn to “trust your gut”? in ~talk
flowerdance (edited )LinkThis has happened to me so many times that I sometimes think I've gone clinically insane with severe psychopathology like schizophrenia, histrionic, and borderline personality disorder, not to...This has happened to me so many times that I sometimes think I've gone clinically insane with severe psychopathology like schizophrenia, histrionic, and borderline personality disorder, not to mention bipolar. Of course, I don't actually have these disorders (or maybe I do). But all this is to preface that what I'm about to share has accumulated to make my past self seem insane to my present self whilst also regretting and wrecking my past self for not doing certain things based on gut feel.
First kind of "gut feel" is actual fear and premonition that something wrong is going to happen. In college, I just felt something wrong with my college final project group despite everything turning out to be fantastic in academic sense. Turns out, the supervisor of my group was a jealous mf. The supervisor turned us against one another and the culmination is my elimination as well as emotional scarring for others in the group. His actions were very insidious and happened step by step. First, he would invalidate a member by saying that they were just overthinking. Then, he would turn other members against another. Then, he would gaslight about not knowing certain information and so would cause havoc in work and schedules. My gut sense just strongly suggested I leave my project group very early on but I shook it off, which then turned out to be the wrong decision as the group went through more drama and torment. The signs above are actually in hindsight. I was fearing the supervisor instinctively.
Following this, I then had this "deep sinking feeling" (the second type) that something was wrong with my relationship, which I did nothing about at the time as well. Well, it turned out that my gf at the time was cheating on me. There were absolutely no clues, no hints, no egregious signals. How I found out was when my GF, acting cute at the time, took my phone and started playing with it. In return, I, acting cute as well, took her phone and started playing with it. Her phone wasn't unlocked since she just placed it on the table right after using it. As I was about to message myself using her phone, I automatically hit the first person in the chat list, expecting that to be me. As I was about to type, I realised that it was in fact not me. Shamelessly, I scrolled up and found the scroll bar barely moved. I was baffled. I kept scrolling and found more and more evidence of cheating. I ended it not long after. After just 3 months or so after the breakup, the two of them (my now ex-GF and the first person on her chat list) got together.
The third kind of gut feel is the "creeping feeling" kind or the "writing on the wall" kind of idiom. This is when you can mostly see everything start to fall apart with actual evidence. This has happened to me twice, where the companies, which were doing very well, still made a lot of us redundant. I thought I had it good because I was productive, completed tasks, and was overall nice and had no enemies. Nonetheless, I still felt something was wrong and so I started looking for new jobs. Then the axe came down, so it was good that I started looking.
Fourth kind is something like "immediate repulsion" wherein you just FEEL like something is wrong without any evidence. The sensory combination of a particular moment just leads your brain to trigger this kind of gut feel. It may be the subconscious processing of smell, sight, feel, person and so on, like an eye contact that was a bit too long several times, and other kinds of body language that were just off-putting for some reason. This has happened with me on business deals and even when I was looking for rentals. Just something really off with some occurrences. Now, since these were immediate repulsions, I have no idea what would've happened had I proceeded with these. All I know is that one of the businesses went bankrupt soon after.
There's a fifth kind of gut feel which is the "protracted prisoner" kind of feel wherein I felt like a prisoner in my own friendships and platonic relationships. This is when I feel like my friends are starting to see me as overbearing or whatnot, or when social media is overtaking my life. This kind of gut feel, I think, is a way of preventing parasocial relationships and dependency and social validation disorders from forming. These gut feels are strong enough for me to disconnect.
As for good gut feels, those are very scary too. I've had "good gut feels" about contractors only to be immensely disappointed by the outcome. These good gut feels are generally when what I am saying and what the other person is saying immediately connect and they understand what I'm trying to convey. The problem here is that these can be gamed by people who learn how to game these sorts of things. I've now reached a point where I really can't trust anyone.
Finally, there's another gut feel that I had to leave my home and country behind and that I had this nagging feeling that I need to start over. I call this the "reset" gut feel. Almost similar to the "protracted prisoner" feel. This is a bit more evidence-based. I just had this claustrophobic feeling that despite being free to leave any time, it seemed as if my existence was starting to become a burden to others and to myself. Well, best decision ever. My mental health improved drastically. That said, I was also lucky as not everyone can just leave.
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Comment on Confused about headphone impedance in ~tech
flowerdance LinkImpedance just means you need an amp. Higher impedance means your headphones is effectively seen as a larger load from the point of view of a power supply, ergo you need an active amp.Impedance just means you need an amp. Higher impedance means your headphones is effectively seen as a larger load from the point of view of a power supply, ergo you need an active amp.
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Comment on What would you recommend for a single, minimal, "overview-of-the-world" news source? in ~talk
flowerdance Link ParentI second Ground News. They're great at dissecting articles and gives great insight into biases. They're probably the best if you want to enter a bubble wherein you only look at one website (and...I second Ground News. They're great at dissecting articles and gives great insight into biases. They're probably the best if you want to enter a bubble wherein you only look at one website (and not also a social platform) for all your news needs rather than multiple websites.
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Comment on ‘The science isn’t there’: do dating apps really help us find our soulmate? in ~life
flowerdance Link ParentWell, yeah, not to mention all the eye candies dating app companies pump into their dating apps to justify the Super Likes, without even the slightest chance of making it.Well, yeah, not to mention all the eye candies dating app companies pump into their dating apps to justify the Super Likes, without even the slightest chance of making it.
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Comment on Philips agrees to pay $1 billion to patients who say they were injured by breathing machines in ~health
flowerdance Link ParentThis, along with every single medical/pharmacological/equipment homicide I've ever read about from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Eli-Lilly, DuPont, BP, and so on, would make the most pro-capitalist...This, along with every single medical/pharmacological/equipment homicide I've ever read about from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Eli-Lilly, DuPont, BP, and so on, would make the most pro-capitalist turn real quick.
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Comment on Oregon decriminalized drugs. Voters now regret it. in ~life
flowerdance Link ParentCase in point, although not perfect, is Melbourne where you having "shooting centres" where people can shoot up drugs under strict supervision and under a generous social service. Granted they...Case in point, although not perfect, is Melbourne where you having "shooting centres" where people can shoot up drugs under strict supervision and under a generous social service. Granted they don't do dangerous drugs, and they only do programs to help addicts wean off the drugs through adjacent substitutions.
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Comment on What caused you to change your mind about something significant? in ~talk
flowerdance Link ParentVaccines are supposed to cause reactions (like inflammations but not only and not limited to only inflammations that you can see or feel; there are other effects, some benign, some malignant)....Vaccines are supposed to cause reactions (like inflammations but not only and not limited to only inflammations that you can see or feel; there are other effects, some benign, some malignant). That's your body operating on the mode of action of the vaccines.
What I'm saying is that there's a wholly different mode of action for this combination of technology (mRNA + LNP + particular Covid spike protein). mRNA by itself is fine, and so is LNP. But when you pair all three together, mRNA + LNP + this particular Covid spike protein, then that's where something else happens beyond that of classical vaccines.
The LNP can pass fatty barriers. The mRNA is nondescript and is fine. It's when the LNP passes fatty barriers carrying the mRNA for this specific Covid spike protein into organs where the mRNA would then reproduce said spike protein, is when things get dicey, as now the spike protein is being produced in areas that are more critical. To complete this idea, viruses themselves cannot generally pass this fatty barriers.
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Comment on What caused you to change your mind about something significant? in ~talk
flowerdance (edited )Link ParentI don't see why you're dismissing the claim of "potentially more dangerous" when the phrase is consistent with the research papers. When the research paper is saying the incidence is low and that...I don't see why you're dismissing the claim of "potentially more dangerous" when the phrase is consistent with the research papers. When the research paper is saying the incidence is low and that getting the vaccine is still better than not getting it, I'm not contradicting any of these statements by saying "potentially more dangerous" nor have I implied people shouldn't take the vaccine. I'm triple vaccinated with booster by the way.
The main idea of my top-most level comment was that I just learned to not be "staunchly" for something. If that was somehow lost in translation, then that's my fault.
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Comment on What caused you to change your mind about something significant? in ~talk
flowerdance Link ParentFair enough. When I say dangerous, I mean potential to cause serious harm. Potential = not guaranteed to do so Serious harm = beyond the norms expected by "scientific consensus". So if the claim...Fair enough. When I say dangerous, I mean potential to cause serious harm.
Potential = not guaranteed to do so
Serious harm = beyond the norms expected by "scientific consensus". So if the claim is that Covid vaccines do not cause any serious side effects, then this statement is actually wrong (though it was parroted a lot, I don't think anyone can deny this).
Yes, now I admit I used the word "dangerous" wrongly. It should've been "potentially dangerous".
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Comment on What caused you to change your mind about something significant? in ~talk
flowerdance (edited )Link ParentSure, but like I said in my top-most comment, I was staunchly for anything science simply because it was claimed as "science". I was just giving a personal anecdote given the topic of the thread....Sure, but like I said in my top-most comment, I was staunchly for anything science simply because it was claimed as "science". I was just giving a personal anecdote given the topic of the thread. Furthermore, plenty of people don't look too much into the science, but rather just follow "science advise" (which is how society operates fair enough). I was one of those people for this specific instance.
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Comment on What caused you to change your mind about something significant? in ~talk
flowerdance Link ParentYes, correct, that's what I did. I only included 3 sources per important idea in my comment, although in actuality I read plenty of papers from reputable sources (not like Lancet or some other...It seems like you took 3 papers and came up with your own thesis statement
Yes, correct, that's what I did. I only included 3 sources per important idea in my comment, although in actuality I read plenty of papers from reputable sources (not like Lancet or some other websites) and had to understand it more. As for why I suddenly got into this topic, it was because I was conversing with my GP who just mentioned this. As I personally do not have any medical or medicinal or virology or biology background (I'm an engineer), I had to do a lot of reading. So the papers I listed contain snippets of information I had to string together and had to be sure they made sense and is sound.
No haha I'm not going to publish a paper. I'm not doing any meta studies or cross studies. What I'm doing is speaking anecdotally about being "staunchly" for something when I'm not even super sure why, even if people claim science (I'm triple vaccinated including boosted by the way).
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Comment on Major study claims to identify the root cause of obesity: fructose in ~health
flowerdance Link ParentHmm fair point. There is value in simplifying things indeed. I guess only those putting more effort into losing weight would be more inclined to hear more theory.Hmm fair point. There is value in simplifying things indeed. I guess only those putting more effort into losing weight would be more inclined to hear more theory.
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Comment on What caused you to change your mind about something significant? in ~talk
flowerdance (edited )Link ParentIt's not mRNA vaccines per se. It was just a specific combination of LNP technology, mRNA technology, and this particular Covid spike protein. Think about it this way, if you paired mRNA with a...It's not mRNA vaccines per se. It was just a specific combination of LNP technology, mRNA technology, and this particular Covid spike protein. Think about it this way, if you paired mRNA with a different carrier that cannot bypass fatty barriers, then the mRNA will just stay where the blood takes it to. It won't have the odds of traveling beyond. Then, if you have a different spike protein you're targeting, that spike protein may be less risky than the Covid one in particular. Here's the summary:
mRNA technology - ok
LNP technology - ok
Covid spike protein used - potentially dangerousmRNA tech + LNP tech - ok
mRNA tech + Covid spike protein - potentially dangerously but intendedmRNA tech + LNP tech + Covid spike protein - potentially dangerous and might lead to unintended side effects
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Comment on Major study claims to identify the root cause of obesity: fructose in ~health
flowerdance (edited )Link ParentHence why I didn't deny CICO but said it's not the only consideration. For example, vegetable and seed oils have been shown to contribute to metabolic disorders, and so does HFCS. The point OC was...Hence why I didn't deny CICO but said it's not the only consideration. For example, vegetable and seed oils have been shown to contribute to metabolic disorders, and so does HFCS. The point OC was trying to make was that it's all just calories. No it is not. There are factors that will actually impair your metabolism, causing you to not only feel less energy despite eating healthy, but also feel hungry despite eating plenty.
To reduce everything to CICO is to deny the reality of a complex system. Sure, you can "Occam's Razor" it, but do note that Occam's Razor is misunderstood. It's not about the simplest explanation, but the minimum prerequisites required for suffience understanding.
But I understand the point of CICO. It takes out all considerations and factors them into one. If your metabolism sucks, eat even less. It's simple. But it doesn't add anything to the discussion. If you explain to a person trying to lose weight "just CICO it", they'd be less inclined to actually follow through. But if you explain to them patiently that, "Hey, the reason why it's taking this slow is because your body needs to adjust its delta," then they'd understand that the weight loss journey actually takes time. They would also be more open to understand that certain foods would and could potentially destroy their metabolism. CICO reductionists wouldn't have been to explain this.
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Comment on Major study claims to identify the root cause of obesity: fructose in ~health
flowerdance Link ParentIf you define it as fat/obese = unhealthy, then it's tautological. Granted I didn't define obese or fat, but now I will define obese/fat as having a BMI or weight greater than average but...All obese (as in fat) people are unhealthy.
If you define it as fat/obese = unhealthy, then it's tautological. Granted I didn't define obese or fat, but now I will define obese/fat as having a BMI or weight greater than average but factoring muscle mass. This means that even if you are categorized as obese or fat, you may actually still be reasonably healthy. We don't need to be making blanket statements.
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Comment on What caused you to change your mind about something significant? in ~talk
flowerdance Link ParentMy turnaround is going from "staunchly" being on the side of a certain thing I'm "sure" about to "becoming more critical" of something and not just taking something because "science" since science...My turnaround is going from "staunchly" being on the side of a certain thing I'm "sure" about to "becoming more critical" of something and not just taking something because "science" since science itself is always in flux.
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Comment on Why the empty atom picture misunderstands quantum theory in ~science
flowerdance LinkFor those who want a tldr, the author is saying the it should be represented as a very chaotic, alive, and incredibly thick cloud. Imagine a planet with constant storms like Venus.For those who want a tldr, the author is saying the it should be represented as a very chaotic, alive, and incredibly thick cloud. Imagine a planet with constant storms like Venus.
When Google made its support more and more nonexistent for the common user, is when I realised companies can just about get away with providing less and less support. It's beginning to be the case wherein companies take the "my way or the highway" approach to user experience, knowing full well that for some reason users keep using their platforms despite atrocious support, for the mere reason being that the alternatives are either terrible or don't have the same resources to compete.
There was a talk I attended that spoke of the statistical justification for the economics of "allowing a few to fall through the cracks," which is when companies deliberately make support harder and harder to contact and obtain. Although this may seem like "a few" falling through the cracks, it will eventually be the case wherein a greater majority would not even be able to find an avenue wherein they can get the services that they need. When that happens, and when society becomes technocratic enough, socioeconomic inequalities would deepend and the divide would just get larger.