vczf's recent activity
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Comment on Why Gen Z is quietly giving up in ~life
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Comment on Why Gen Z is quietly giving up in ~life
vczf Link ParentWhen I clicked on the video, I was expecting it to rehash of grievances and reinforce the learned helplessness and hopelessness that you refer to. I was pleasantly surprised when it actually gave...When I clicked on the video, I was expecting it to rehash of grievances and reinforce the learned helplessness and hopelessness that you refer to. I was pleasantly surprised when it actually gave a very informative deconstruction of the phenomena and touched on the ways to counter it.
So while “the narrative problem” is certainly worth discussing, this video does not reinforce that narrative in a negative way.
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Comment on Why Gen Z is quietly giving up in ~life
vczf Link ParentThe title is a bit clickbaity, but I do think the content is worth watching, otherwise I would not have posted it here. If you don’t have the time or interest to watch the whole 20 minutes,...The title is a bit clickbaity, but I do think the content is worth watching, otherwise I would not have posted it here.
If you don’t have the time or interest to watch the whole 20 minutes, commenting on the title alone frankly has little discussion value.
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Comment on Why Gen Z is quietly giving up in ~life
vczf LinkI clicked on this video, not expecting much, but ended up being very impressed at the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of the content. I also looked for the full skit that was sampled (and...I clicked on this video, not expecting much, but ended up being very impressed at the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of the content.
I also looked for the full skit that was sampled (and censored) in the video, which is here: https://youtu.be/Fav-SS0L78Q
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Why Gen Z is quietly giving up
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentIt’s a short book. I found it extremely motivating and illuminating the first time I read it. Caveat: the more I revisit it, the less sure I am of the content. But there are certainly good nuggets...It’s a short book. I found it extremely motivating and illuminating the first time I read it.
Caveat: the more I revisit it, the less sure I am of the content. But there are certainly good nuggets in there.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentAnother observation: over-specifying plans does the same thing as talking too much. Once I have written detailed notes on how to accomplish a thing, I feel as if I already accomplished it....Another observation: over-specifying plans does the same thing as talking too much. Once I have written detailed notes on how to accomplish a thing, I feel as if I already accomplished it.
“Tomorrow” becomes “next week” becomes “after {x}” becomes “eventually”, at which point it is forgotten about.
I think I’ll try to underspecify from here on, only recording the barest amount of detail in my notes to get the ball rolling.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentI believe I got the concept from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I’ve observed it to be true for myself as well. It doesn’t seem like a binary, though. A few comments to friends and family...I believe I got the concept from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I’ve observed it to be true for myself as well.
It doesn’t seem like a binary, though. A few comments to friends and family about what I’m doing doesn’t hurt my motivation. Talking at length about it might.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentCarrying on my train of thought, two-way or many-to-many communication will then be much less effective for inducing action, compared to a one-way mode. Basically, radio and podcasts are superior...Carrying on my train of thought, two-way or many-to-many communication will then be much less effective for inducing action, compared to a one-way mode.
Basically, radio and podcasts are superior to social media in this regard.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentThere’s a certain amount of motivational energy that gets released when you tell others about your ideas or plans. In most cases, I think talking inhibits action, rather than encouraging it. For...There’s a certain amount of motivational energy that gets released when you tell others about your ideas or plans. In most cases, I think talking inhibits action, rather than encouraging it.
For example, talking at length about your plans to write a book will certainly lead you to not start writing it.
Trigger warning: Another example is suicide. Suicide attempts often come seemingly without warning.You don’t get motivated and inspired by telling things to others. You get motivated and inspired by listening to those who have something worthwhile to say.
(So, I don’t believe MLK Jr. having a podcast would have detracted from his activism. He probably would have been excited to have better communication technology.)
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
vczf (edited )LinkThank you for sharing. I just listened to the podcast version and enjoyed it a lot. Towards the end, the host (?) made a comment about how they don’t actually think a lot or engage with politics...Thank you for sharing. I just listened to the podcast version and enjoyed it a lot.
Towards the end, the host (?) made a comment about how they don’t actually think a lot or engage with politics when they’re away from the mic. That’s the kind of person I’d like to get political news and opinions from.
Re: church for atheists. Besides the lack of funding, the lack of rituals that exact a meaningful cost is another reason they would fail. I think vipassana group meditation would be a good replacement for prayer in this area. I would go to a church like that.
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Comment on What AI tools are you actually using? in ~tech
vczf LinkNobody has mentioned Phind yet, which is a fantastic LLM search product. I use phind.com as a search engine/assistant while coding. It works very well for technical or factual queries,...Nobody has mentioned Phind yet, which is a fantastic LLM search product.
I use phind.com as a search engine/assistant while coding. It works very well for technical or factual queries, in-and-outside-of programming, and has well-integrated search results to ground the outputs.
I occasionally use Bing Copilot, but I am usually disappointed because it is over-censored and cagey compared to Phind.
I haven’t found an actual use-case for local LLMs yet. I don’t think local LLMs will really take off until they start being integrated like into e.g. Siri for giving your devices complex verbal commands in natural language.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
vczf LinkI have struggled and still struggle with much the same. Unfortunately, I believe the only answers that have the possibility of being fully satisfying are fictional delusions crafted by a mix of...I have struggled and still struggle with much the same.
Unfortunately, I believe the only answers that have the possibility of being fully satisfying are fictional delusions crafted by a mix of human dreams, hallucinations, and imagination.
Some points from my experience:
- The universe doesn't care that humans crave meaning and understanding. Meaning is a construct of humans (or at least sentient, conscious beings).
- Faith, as a pattern of brain activity, allows humans to set aside existential problems and concentrate on more immediate tasks. This includes conventional religion as well as humanism, etc.
- The more I dwell on existential and philosophical issues, the more depressed I become and the more meaningless life seems.
- We are first and foremost animals, not rational, incorporeal brings. I try to stay grounded in the real world.
- The human animal is happiest when integrated in a community where their contributions are appreciated and considered valuable.
Don't spend too much of your life staring into the abyss. There are better ways to appreciate existence.
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Comment on IronLev has demonstrated the first-ever magnetic levitation test on regular train tracks in ~transport
vczf Link ParentSomebody linked their site (and deleted the comment?) but quite usefully I was able to get a better view of the mechanism. It looks like a motor of some sort spinning a wheel on the side of the...Somebody linked their site (and deleted the comment?) but quite usefully I was able to get a better view of the mechanism. It looks like a motor of some sort spinning a wheel on the side of the track. Perhaps that's a permanent magnet?
I am honestly skeptical that this is legit, but I suppose time will tell.
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Comment on IronLev has demonstrated the first-ever magnetic levitation test on regular train tracks in ~transport
vczf Link ParentI wish somebody knowledgeable on the physics could explain how this works. Here's my guess: Assume that the electromagnets in the train oscillate much faster than the iron in the tracks is...I wish somebody knowledgeable on the physics could explain how this works.
Here's my guess: Assume that the electromagnets in the train oscillate much faster than the iron in the tracks is magnetized. Repelling force is generated by (1) magnetizing a section of the tracks; (2) reversing the polarity of the magnet to generate repulsion.
If this is done very quickly with alternating sets of electromagnets that are at different phases in the polarity cycle, perhaps continuous lift can be generated? It may be more efficient for the train to be moving, rather than stationary, so that the polarity pattern of the tracks can be used instead of having to magnetize the same section repeatedly. After "depleting" the polarity of one section, the subsequent electromagnet can match the polarity and generate repulsion again.
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Comment on Learning new programming languages with limited time: Rust, golang, or otherwise? in ~comp
vczf LinkDart satisfies all of your requirements. As a plus, you could dabble in writing apps with Flutter.Dart satisfies all of your requirements. As a plus, you could dabble in writing apps with Flutter.
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Comment on Price fixing by algorithm is still price fixing in ~finance
vczf LinkSome low-effort searching found this link, which claims that rental vacancy rates in (principal?) cities has gone up 12.3% from 2022 to 2023. That does sound to me like a market distortion, where...Some low-effort searching found this link, which claims that rental vacancy rates in (principal?) cities has gone up 12.3% from 2022 to 2023.
That does sound to me like a market distortion, where landlords everywhere are willing to let apartments sit empty, rather than lower rents to be more competitive.
From the perspective of a landlord, however, wouldn't outright banning those services be like putting a blindfold on? Rental prices are freely available everywhere, so even without algorithms, you can just manually look at rental prices in the area and price at the same rate.
So you either do rent-control (which will poison development and upkeep in the long-term), build subsidized housing (which will likely end up mired in waste and corruption before it even gets started), or do nothing... and hope that some technological or social innovation (dorm life for all the peasants? lol) finally allows the supply of housing to substantially outstrip demand.
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Comment on Inside Apple Arcade: axed games, declining payouts, disillusioned studios – and an uncertain future in ~games
vczf Link ParentGalcon 3 is being actively developed! I just joined Phil Hassey's Galcon3 discord and he's been posting updates since last November. https://galcon3.comGalcon 3 is being actively developed! I just joined Phil Hassey's Galcon3 discord and he's been posting updates since last November.
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Comment on Inside Apple Arcade: axed games, declining payouts, disillusioned studios – and an uncertain future in ~games
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Comment on Inside Apple Arcade: axed games, declining payouts, disillusioned studios – and an uncertain future in ~games
vczf Link ParentWhen I was in high school, I saved up all my lunch money in freshman year to buy a first generation iPad. This coincided with what I think was the golden age of mobile gaming, where none of the...When I was in high school, I saved up all my lunch money in freshman year to buy a first generation iPad. This coincided with what I think was the golden age of mobile gaming, where none of the games were well-monetized and there was a gold-rush of indie developers breaking into the scene. There were basically no in-app purchases, and games were usually a couple of bucks with no ads.
I remember playing OG Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds.
One of my favorites was called Tilt-to-Live, where you control a little arrow by tilting your device to escape enemies and collect power-ups in an area the size of the screen. It was incredibly addictive learning to thread the eye of the needle as the screen filled up with enemies.
There were a tower defense game involving aliens that was super fun.
I also remember some multiplayer strategy game that was kind of like Risk, but less complicated, real-time instead of turn-based, and involving conquering planets. (The skill was deciding how many of your planets to commit to an attack an enemy planet. Use too many ships and you'll be vulnerable to counterattack. Use too few and fail, and your enemy will regenerate their ships faster than you and attack you next.)
There was also a 2D platformer game where you played as a spider creeping through a house with beautiful artwork and music.
I can't remember what some of these games were called (and I lost my Apple ID from that time, since it was before I used a password manager).
When I got my new iPad Pro 12.9" and checked out the top games in the app store, none of them had a similar degree of substance and soul as those early games I played on my first iPad so many years ago. Maybe great indie mobile games exist, but they're not topping the charts anymore.
On the topic of overall mental wellbeing (negative self-talk is discussed), this recent podcast from Peter Attia with Paul Conti is excellent: https://peterattiamd.com/paulconti4/