jamfox's recent activity

  1. Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    Actually I didn't see it as a flaw to critique per se, but rather I am intrigued how such a weird being would operate. Who am I as a mere individual mortal to say how a hivemind being with as many...

    Actually I didn't see it as a flaw to critique per se, but rather I am intrigued how such a weird being would operate. Who am I as a mere individual mortal to say how a hivemind being with as many cells would or would not understand and use the individual knowledge in its new homogeneous collective form? It's interesting pondering such lifeforms, similar to God Emperor type characters

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    Indeed they seem to move heaven and earth for the unaffected, but other life seems to be an afterthought. However emotions seem to still be a thing for the pluribus, in one way or another?...

    Indeed they seem to move heaven and earth for the unaffected, but other life seems to be an afterthought. However emotions seem to still be a thing for the pluribus, in one way or another? Examples being them going in to shock from directed hateful communication and them having this weird apprehensive way of interacting with Carol.

    But I can see your interpretation of the lack of emotions. I will keep it in mind on a second watch!

    1 vote

  3. Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    I think they mentioned that what keeps them going is the want to spread this unity across all living beings on earth and potentially even other species in space. That, in my mind, tracks with the...

    I think they mentioned that what keeps them going is the want to spread this unity across all living beings on earth and potentially even other species in space. That, in my mind, tracks with the idea put forward that this unity is the next major step in human evolution (the "biological imperative" as it were). After all, what keeps humans going now? Probably the same thing, the need to pass the seed and our life's stories and legacy.

    1 vote

  4. Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv

    jamfox
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    I have many things to say about this show, but I have one question that has been on my mind the most. I find it surprising that the pluribus are not better communicators and listeners. If they...

    I have many things to say about this show, but I have one question that has been on my mind the most. I find it surprising that the pluribus are not better communicators and listeners. If they wanted Carol to understand them and perhaps even join them, I don't think it would've taken that much? They did not address her grief in a meaningful/emphatical way, nor did they reflect her feelings back to her and instead adopted an awkward helicopter parenting stance.

    With the knowledge and experience of pain (both physical, social and mental) of every human on the planet, I would've expected them to give more room and understanding to Carol. If this ties back to them wanting to give full agency to every living being then that begs the question of why would they want Carol to join them in this forceful way? It seems that the pluribus is experiencing some ambivalence in regards to how they want to act and how the should act?

    6 votes

  5. Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv

    jamfox
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    I didn't see it at all as being "drug happiness" but rather a general contentment/satisfaction which is something I consider more of a "true happiness" state than plain happiness which is a...

    Yes, all of humanity is in a blissful state, but most of us would also die due to starvation, but there's no murder, no robbings, but it's also clear that this blissful state is more akin to being happy because you're on drugs, not "true happiness".

    I didn't see it at all as being "drug happiness" but rather a general contentment/satisfaction which is something I consider more of a "true happiness" state than plain happiness which is a temporary mood and emotion. And it seems that the pluribus owes a lot of its "bliss" to letting things go their own way, giving the universe and all its actors their agency.

    It's like getting a flight cancelled and going forward with calmness and the knowledge that there were reasons for it and the people working to get the planes up are not at fault and in the end you'll get where you wanted to go sooner or later. It's not "happiness" but there can be satisfaction in not fighting the outcome if that makes sense?

    Or! Someone once described parenting as instructing a child through a glass wall: you can instruct, suggest, lead as much as you want but you are still dealing with a human being with it's own thoughts and ideas. Even if their choices may seem bad or wrong, there is immense satisfaction in letting them figure things out by themselves instead of trying to break the glass in denial and/or panic.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    I feel like you somehow missed some important aspects of Battlefield. Maybe it's due to how your friend prefers to play or you have focused a lot on all the external incentives (battlepass,...

    I feel like you somehow missed some important aspects of Battlefield. Maybe it's due to how your friend prefers to play or you have focused a lot on all the external incentives (battlepass, assignments, etc).

    I guess "running around and killing until you die" is a way to describe any FPS game ever, so I'm not sure what you expected? But even that "dick measuring" is only half of it: mechanical skill of aim and movement is just the foundation. The question is what Battlefield 6 builds on top of it. One part of the answer is what you described, pure chaos and constant action. I would say that rule of cool of dragging your downed teammate while another covers you while a helicopter crash brings down a building next to you is an awesome experience that's hard to find anywhere else. But ok, that's not for everyone.

    And that "running around" is actually not a necessary piece of the puzzle. All of the ADHD playstyles can be neutralized with calm and steady gameplay with good positioning and clever use of gadgets. Which brings me to the second part which is the sandbox of all the tooling they give you to shape your corner of this chaos. There is a lot of creative emergent gameplay moments (the "Only in Battlefield Moments," as it were) that happen in Battlefield if you take the time to experiment. Many, such, examples! Now THAT'S the fun of Battlefield for me. And that part of the game is greatly amplified with a friend. The synergies you can create with two or more different classes and teamwork are amazing. So I am actually quite baffled that playing with a friend has resulted in an antisocial feeling gameplay.

    It is my suggestion to completely ignore the external motivators and focus on the possibilites. Yes, the storefront is annoying; yes, the battlepass and assignments are tedious if that's your main focus; yes, it will be hard to compete with FPS nolifers on mechanical skill alone; yes, there are a bunch of unnecessary gamemodes which don't seem to offer much. But it's all optional. Pick the modes you enjoy and experiment! You'll just unlock new things with natural gameplay, no real need to grind. In my opinion there is nothing quite like the sandbox of Conquest and Escalation that Battlefield offers.

    7 votes

  7. Comment on Treadmill advice in ~health

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    This was the revolutionary answer for me as well. I usually run more if weather is nice and start replacing outside time with indoor gym and climbing. Desk treadmill at home integrates well with...

    This was the revolutionary answer for me as well. I usually run more if weather is nice and start replacing outside time with indoor gym and climbing. Desk treadmill at home integrates well with this winter indoor lifestyle and I can continue to work/play/watch movies on the treadmill.

    The other way would be to intentionally get cold and maybe even run in the rain to get acclimatized. I found getting wet and cold to be more of a mental thing, if I just let my self chill and feel my body, turns out it's not that bad. It may sound weird but just standing in the cold really did feel like telling my body "See it not that bad? Nothing's bad is going to happen!" and it responding positively to it.

    But YMMV! In the end I love my walking treadmill, because it let's me keep my naturally comfortable indoor lifestyle while still keeping a nice activity level.

    4 votes

  8. Comment on Thankful for y’all in ~talk

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    That's beautifully put! Perfect way to describe Tildes

    Tildes feels like a bar/pub that's only accessible through a hidden staircase on a busy high street.

    That's beautifully put! Perfect way to describe Tildes

    6 votes

  9. Comment on Michael Levin - "Communication With Intelligence in Unconventional Embodiments" in ~science

    jamfox
    Link
    This was a delightful find, thank you for sharing! In part due to burned out biology teachers in high school and probably in part due to my natural inclination I've never much thought about...

    This was a delightful find, thank you for sharing!

    In part due to burned out biology teachers in high school and probably in part due to my natural inclination I've never much thought about biology beyond some philosophical/ethical/design questions. So I am glad to have gotten this refreshing shift in perspective with such nice explanation and examples.

    Unpredictability/surprise/adaptability were some of the main themes of the Dune book series and it lightly touched on this topic in the context of the mentioned "tiers of biological cognition" as well. The books made a significant change to how I notice unpredictability/surprise in different aspects of life and this time I was surprised to find just how deeply it's engrained in our nature it is as well, especially in the lower tiers. For example it seemed logical for bees to be able to adapt to find flowers in different places (one year they might be here, next there, etc), but somehow I kept imagining genome as this very rigid "package of code" that somehow precisely builds an organism.

    3 votes

  10. Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    I tried: The pork plate This weird "deconstructed caesar salad" Oyakodon (although I did not make it in the microwave like the recipe). Not from this recipe list, but relevant: curry doria which...

    I tried:

    I definitely recommend trying an oyakodon and any format of japanese curry, these will at least be an experience if not become part of your favorites. The others are nice if you need a quick meal, but they are not as interesting.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food

    jamfox
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    I've got a weird one. I just got back from japan, and during the stay there we accidentally stumbled upon a beginners cooking TV show. Now being back with jetlag and all I've been wanting to cook...

    I've got a weird one. I just got back from japan, and during the stay there we accidentally stumbled upon a beginners cooking TV show. Now being back with jetlag and all I've been wanting to cook simple and quick meals so I've picking recipes from that TV show: https://www.kyounoryouri.jp/contents/beginners

    It's been wonderfully easy and nice way to keep the eastern tastes on the table even after the trip. I like to add a small shiruwan-ful of simple miso soup and pickled vegetables as a side to add even more variety.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on Minecraft’s problems aren’t just the new features in ~games

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    Didn't try Better than Adventure but a year ago I set up a modpack on a server with a similar goal, the Better Beta modpack. Me and my friends can confirm that it was a fun experience: brought...

    Didn't try Better than Adventure but a year ago I set up a modpack on a server with a similar goal, the Better Beta modpack. Me and my friends can confirm that it was a fun experience: brought back the oldschool gameplay incentives (exploration) and removed the RPG elements (exp and grinding) while also giving us the chance to check out the newer Minecraft features. Add custom terrain generation, Distant Horizons and some shaders if that is up your alley and you end up with a neat mix of old and new!

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Google’s ad policy changes to allow device fingerprinting in ~tech

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    Can confirm that DivestOS was a wonderful option (kept my OP 5T alive for quite a while), but unfortunately it was recently discontinued.

    Can confirm that DivestOS was a wonderful option (kept my OP 5T alive for quite a while), but unfortunately it was recently discontinued.

    6 votes

  14. Comment on How often do you go through your bookmarks/favorites? in ~tech

    jamfox
    Link
    I like Oliver Burkeman's post "Treat your to-read pile like a river, not a bucket": I usually read things as I find them, if not, I save them in plain text notes for the evening. Latter is rare...

    I like Oliver Burkeman's post "Treat your to-read pile like a river, not a bucket":

    ...treating your "to read" pile like a river (a stream that flows past you, and from which you pluck a few choice items, here and there) instead of a bucket (which demands that you empty it). After all, you presumably don't feel overwhelmed by all the unread books in the British Library – and not because there aren't an overwhelming number of them, but because it never occurred to you that it might be your job to get through them all.

    I usually read things as I find them, if not, I save them in plain text notes for the evening. Latter is rare though and only do that when I am in a hurry. I usually let go of links I don't read immediately - if I am not interested now then would I be later?

    And if I did find a link of use and want to find/share it later, I put it on my links page of my GitHub Pages MkDocs site so I can find them anywhere regardless of wether I have access to my bookmarks (like when I want someone to pull the link from their own phone while I don't have mine at hand).

    3 votes

  15. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    jamfox
    Link
    The initial interest to get to know someone usally piques the most when they seem like they know why they are there (in that hypothetical social situation or place you mention). Might sound a...

    The initial interest to get to know someone usally piques the most when they seem like they know why they are there (in that hypothetical social situation or place you mention). Might sound a little odd: why wouldn't anyone know why they are where they are? They aren't there to find someones approval, to show off, to find validation, to find stuff to pass time, instead you can find them geniuinely enjoying themselves in the situation or place. That "yeah in this moment I am supposed to be exactly here right" vibe.

    6 votes

  16. Comment on What have you been watching/reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    jamfox
    Link
    3-gatsu no Lion Season 2 (Ep 18): The messages it's communicating are very important in my eyes. It's insane how much anime is made about loneliness and how much of it fail to deliver anything...

    3-gatsu no Lion Season 2 (Ep 18): The messages it's communicating are very important in my eyes. It's insane how much anime is made about loneliness and how much of it fail to deliver anything meaningful on that theme. 3-gatsu is an exceptional exception - it truly has the potential to help people. It's a genuine and healthy mirror into self-help and empathy. 3-gatsu swings its pendulum in a delicate and natural way from really heavy subject matters to some brighter things. It's mainly about what loneliness is in it's different forms. And these things are quite tactfully and, more importantly, insightfully explored. Even so, when the show is about some quite hard and soul-crushing things, at the end of the day the show manages to feel very hopeful and full of love.
    Carole and Tuesday (Ep 6): Thought the first episode was great, but it has been steadily going downhill from there. The first episode hinted at exploring some interesting themes about algorithmic entertainment, AI-s and art, but it looks like they're gonna barely scratch the surface and just focus on the story of the characters and comedy instead. They better turn this around fast, it looked so promising...
    Sarazanmai (Ep 7): I appreciate and respect what Ikuhara is going for here, but it's starting to feel like he's rehashing too much from Yurikuma and Penguindrum. I like the themes of what it means to be connected though, so I'm interested to see what the conclusions are at the very least.
    Attack on Titan S3 Part 2 (Ep 6): More of the same essentially, which is great. I should probably rewatch this series, I've forgotten most of what went down in S1 and S2. But at the same time I don't think it matters awfully because the show is built around the thriller aspects and doesn't really pose any hard questions that would require detailed knowledge of the characters and plot so I don't really feel motivated to rewatch it. It's really fun though, so fun that the cliffhangers make it a pain to watch weekly, as always.

    4 votes

  17. Comment on Recommend me a book that _________. in ~books

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    "The Stone Gods" by Jeanette Winterson or "Perpendicular World" by Kir Bulychev?

    "The Stone Gods" by Jeanette Winterson or "Perpendicular World" by Kir Bulychev?

    4 votes

  18. Comment on What are the arguments against letting user data be collected? in ~tech

    jamfox
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    It isn't just "things like which buttons and when the user clicked," they're collecting everything they possibly can. Just go and request Google to send you the data they've collected on you for...

    It isn't just "things like which buttons and when the user clicked," they're collecting everything they possibly can. Just go and request Google to send you the data they've collected on you for example - you'll most likely be sent files over 150 gigs in total (ymmv). And that's bad because with enough data they can pretty much know everything about you - what you look like, who your friends are, where your home/work/gym is, how much you work out, what your hobbies are, how much do you talk to your parents etcetc. It's comparable to giving a key to your whole psychology and the manipulative potential is huge. The worst thing is that if you know a person enough, you can manipulate them without them ever knowing. Tbf, they aren't able to use the data that effectively just yet, but after a few years it's going to be hell on earth with all these meticulous targeted advertisements.

    19 votes

  19. Comment on What are you reading these days? #17 in ~books

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    Ahhh, I love "Dune" so much. Going to echo the sentiment of the other comment - if you liked the first book of the Dune saga then you're in for a treat if you continue. The journey to and the...

    Ahhh, I love "Dune" so much. Going to echo the sentiment of the other comment - if you liked the first book of the Dune saga then you're in for a treat if you continue. The journey to and the highest point of the series "God Emperor of Dune" is definitely my #1 favorite.

    Know all those times where people wish they could experience their favorite piece of art a second time? Well, I especially love how the series is written in a way that you get to have a significantly different experience on the second read. I would go as far to say that it pretty much requires a second read at some point.

    1 vote

  20. Comment on What have you been watching/reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    jamfox
    Link Parent
    Damn, never heard of it, but at a glance looks quite good. Is there a way to migrate from other sites?

    Damn, never heard of it, but at a glance looks quite good. Is there a way to migrate from other sites?

    1 vote