tae's recent activity
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Comment on What are some of the best recipes you've recently discovered? in ~food
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Comment on What is the most recent thing you consumed? in ~food
tae LinkSome homemade partially dehydrated apples. It’s hard to wait until they’re really done.Some homemade partially dehydrated apples. It’s hard to wait until they’re really done.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~humanities
tae (edited )Link ParentI hope this is a decent place to jump in... Flaws of the essay aside, @CALICO and @Algernon_Asimov seem to have different interpretations of which parts of a human can change. They've talked about...I hope this is a decent place to jump in...
Flaws of the essay aside, @CALICO and @Algernon_Asimov seem to have different interpretations of which parts of a human can change. They've talked about this already, but I'd like to expand on it a little.
I think everyone can agree that we -- the vibrant people worth helping -- are stuck inside meat cages. It's easy to see in the case of disease, when malevolent tiny organisms invade our bodies: there's a clear separation of "us" (people) and "them" (weak body infiltrated by foreign harmful entities).
Then we move to aging. Still no problem, because even though slowed aging seems futuristic, we still feel like our souls are comfortably separate from the mechanisms causing aging. (Well, maybe it's not super intuitive. See The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant.)
The jump to IQ is what causes issues. Is our intelligence level, bad or good, part of who we are? Yikes, that's a difficult question. Yudkowsky assumes that intelligence is not close enough to core personhood to be worth preserving. A_A assumes that intelligence is part of the core person.
In summary: It matters greatly whether a trait (ability to age, intelligence or lack thereof, positive or negative disposition, capacity for empathy, etc.) is part of one's identity or just part of the structure that's holding one back from realizing one's potential. Upgrade the mechanical bodies that we use? Sure, as long as that's really all we're doing. (I think this naturally follows from humanist principles.) Upgrade something that's entwined with our identity? Let's think about that a little longer. (This kind of upgrade wouldn't necessarily follow from humanism.)
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Comment on Learning to Program in ~comp
tae Link ParentOof, with all due respect, this wouldn’t have worked well for me! I think it is important to start out writing programs — starting with simple ones! — from the very beginning. I’m usually the sort...Oof, with all due respect, this wouldn’t have worked well for me! I think it is important to start out writing programs — starting with simple ones! — from the very beginning. I’m usually the sort of person who likes to gather all possible information before diving in, but programming requires practice from the start, and mistakes can’t hurt.
Learning to program is hella hard for everyone. It’s not just because we’re bad at logic; we also need to get used to decades of conventions that are hard to explain directly. There are a million reasons that a textbook might not make sense to you besides “you don’t have the potential to be a good programmer”. The key is practice.
Adding on to your note about contributions to real-world software: that happens later. Don’t expect to get a feature accepted until you have some solid experience on (simple) side projects under your belt :)
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Comment on Quality news sources in ~news
tae LinkThe Week magazine aggregates other news sources, a bit like spidr, I guess, but edited into a cohesive narrative. The magazine has a fixed structure with sections for all kinds of news and also...The Week magazine aggregates other news sources, a bit like spidr, I guess, but edited into a cohesive narrative. The magazine has a fixed structure with sections for all kinds of news and also some tasteful fluff like quotes, humorous news, and political cartoons.
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Comment on US opposition to breast-feeding resolution stuns World Health officials in ~health
tae LinkThen there's this quote from the article: "The Americans also sought, unsuccessfully, to thwart a W.H.O. effort aimed at helping poor countries obtain access to lifesaving medicines." I wasn't...Then there's this quote from the article: "The Americans also sought, unsuccessfully, to thwart a W.H.O. effort aimed at helping poor countries obtain access to lifesaving medicines." I wasn't even surprised, as an American citizen.
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Comment on Crochet in ~creative
tae Link ParentAwesome pouch! (Cat too, but) I'm impressed that you added a lining and zipper.Awesome pouch! (Cat too, but) I'm impressed that you added a lining and zipper.
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Comment on Crochet in ~creative
tae Link ParentAw thanks! I've only published a cabled toddler hat and a simple openwork shawl. I mostly enjoy making Frankenpatterns on the fly. I'll PM my Ravelry profile, but I'd rather not connect it with my...Aw thanks! I've only published a cabled toddler hat and a simple openwork shawl. I mostly enjoy making Frankenpatterns on the fly. I'll PM my Ravelry profile, but I'd rather not connect it with my Tildes account yet.
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Comment on Musicians? in ~hobbies
tae Link ParentSide note: If you end up disappointed with the sound of a cheap violin, don't blame yourself. In my experience, you unfortunately have to fork over a significant amount of money ($1000+) to get a...Side note: If you end up disappointed with the sound of a cheap violin, don't blame yourself. In my experience, you unfortunately have to fork over a significant amount of money ($1000+) to get a good-sounding violin. Of course, you can still have lots of fun with an instrument that isn't the epitome of sonic beauty. Good luck!
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Comment on Crochet in ~creative
tae LinkWell hello! This is a topic I can get behind. I've crocheted pretty consistently since I was little, with a peak in middle school and early high school. My family has some pretty... creative...Well hello! This is a topic I can get behind. I've crocheted pretty consistently since I was little, with a peak in middle school and early high school. My family has some pretty... creative Christmas tree ornaments that are just misshapen blobs I crocheted as a small child. Lately, as a college student, I've been knitting more because I prefer knitted fabric for the things I make most (hats, socks, etc.), but I'll happily crochet lace scarves, jewelry, amigurumi, fingerless mitts, and such. I'd like to get back into designing patterns.
Really underappreciated quality of crocheting: you just need a hook!! Keeping track of all sizes and shapes of knitting needles drives me nuts.
As a solitary crafter, I'm enjoying this conversation about yarn!
Glad you’re enjoying ramen! I tried throwing some ramen noodles into a veggie stir-fry for the first time last night, and it turned out well.
My contribution: I don’t tend to love Thai curry, but man this is good!
https://ohsheglows.com/2018/09/18/instant-pot-cauliflower-and-butternut-thai-curry/