wervenyt's recent activity
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Comment on Taylor Sheridan poised to set lucrative production pact with NBCUniversal in ~tv
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Comment on Taylor Sheridan poised to set lucrative production pact with NBCUniversal in ~tv
wervenyt Link ParentThat's fair, I was only meaning to comment on the work he both wrote and directed. Sicario is definitely head and shoulders above the rest of it, and I have not gotten around to Hell or High Water...That's fair, I was only meaning to comment on the work he both wrote and directed. Sicario is definitely head and shoulders above the rest of it, and I have not gotten around to Hell or High Water yet.
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Comment on Taylor Sheridan poised to set lucrative production pact with NBCUniversal in ~tv
wervenyt Link ParentI can't disagree. Yellowstone was always schlocky, and while 1883 was solid, and I think Landman deserves a smidge more credit than it gets, 1923 was just disappointing and his other shows all...I can't disagree. Yellowstone was always schlocky, and while 1883 was solid, and I think Landman deserves a smidge more credit than it gets, 1923 was just disappointing and his other shows all seem...meh. Maybe I'm wrong. Ive heard good things about Tulsa King, but the guy is just not great with big stories, it seems.
He does clearly have good taste, though. His best moments as a writer/director are when he goes artsy and abstract, because he's got a gift for delivering theme through action, and his worst are when he's trying to emulate his influences. I'm otherwise pretty negative on Paramount/CBS lately, so it's entirely possible that between the workload and whatever is going on that's turned CBS production into a jingoist version of the BBC of the 90s is the real problem.
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Comment on Current studies may overestimate microplastics transferring from containers to food in ~food
wervenyt Link ParentPublish or perish, in short. Academics will rarely get enough funding to do things the "best" way, funding is usually not guaranteed beyond the next couple of years (which is a short horizon for...Publish or perish, in short. Academics will rarely get enough funding to do things the "best" way, funding is usually not guaranteed beyond the next couple of years (which is a short horizon for anything greenfield), and career advancement depends on how many citations your work garners, in many cases. The culture has to adapt, or nobody would go into research. That cultural adaptation is normalized exaggeration of findings and stakes, as well as comfort with lax methods of interrogation and standards for data.
In cases where the scientists are highly motivated by the subject, this can be even worse. For instance, environmental researchers may be more willing to shrug off contamination if they already inhabit a paradigm that says their lab is obviously less polluted with microplastics than food in plastic wrap. Or if a psychologist is invested in a conceptual framework, they will remove "outliers" that make up significant quantities of the sample, or look at a p value of 0.2 as something negotiable.
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Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
wervenyt Link ParentRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA wew that's a sturdy statementRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
wew that's a sturdy statement -
Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
wervenyt Link Parent"Black hair" locs more naturally than "white hair", and usually white people with dreads either don't know how to clean them, or they need the grime to make it loc. Had a few friends, black and..."Black hair" locs more naturally than "white hair", and usually white people with dreads either don't know how to clean them, or they need the grime to make it loc. Had a few friends, black and white, with dreads, and the cleanliness is a matter of knowledge and hygiene more than anything.
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Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
wervenyt Link ParentWell, the company making a "Native American" costume is certainly appropriating culture(s). If someone made their own costume modeled after a specific role in a specific tribe, or if they're...Well, the company making a "Native American" costume is certainly appropriating culture(s). If someone made their own costume modeled after a specific role in a specific tribe, or if they're wearing traditional moccasins or pieces with beadwork because they're good articles of clothing, whether that would qualify is more debatable, and in all likelihood few people with more sense than beans would see that as deplorable.
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Comment on Please help me pick my next book to read! in ~books
wervenyt LinkI've read two of these, here are some thoughts: The Melancholy of Resistance is an extreme book. The characters are opposing, the story is dark, the narration is wandering and surreal, and the...I've read two of these, here are some thoughts:
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The Melancholy of Resistance is an extreme book. The characters are opposing, the story is dark, the narration is wandering and surreal, and the sentences are long. It's heavy, but beautiful. The promise made by the title is fulfilled.
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The Pillars of the Earth is very fun. It's a good choice for escapism, some architectural musings, and an unconventional coming of age story. Unfortunately, it does feel a lot longer than it is deep. Still a nice time set in the trappings of mainstream historical fiction, for better and worse.
Hope that helps!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
wervenyt Link ParentIf that's how you felt about Lot 49, he's probably not for you, yeah. Now, that is his only book that has the intractable mystery as really the only plotline, so if you can tolerate them as a...If that's how you felt about Lot 49, he's probably not for you, yeah. Now, that is his only book that has the intractable mystery as really the only plotline, so if you can tolerate them as a macguffin and ignore it otherwise, you might have better luck. Most of the time, there is no true resolution to any of the puzzles, and it feels like they're pranks on a certain kind of reader.
There are a few examples of his books that don't demand that kind of 'solving'
- Mason & Dixon doesn't have that kind of puzzle so much as magical realism. The language is obtuse, an imitation of 18th century English, but it's quite poetic once the reader gets in gear for it.
- Vineland is basically a family drama, so the mystery is a kid learning about her parents. That one has explanations.
As far as why I enjoy them, it comes down to the paradigm of narrative most of his works engage with. Taking fiction as not a document of reality, how language can represent plenty of unreal concepts, and that characters are nothing but assertions on a page that we endow with empathy based on suspension of disbelief, Pynchon is more willing than most to defy basic grammatical convention in favor of effect with one hand and dispense with the overton window to intensify the felt weight of subject matter with the other. In addition, his historical understanding carries a rare faith in the goodness of humanity despite all our depravities, without either letting evil off the hook or condemnation of progress. Those, combined a consistently excellent sort of poetic ear, make for books I can read endlessly.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
wervenyt LinkWell, finally finished Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon, after stalling the last fifty pages out over three days. It's fun, it's dark as hell, the whole thing is written in dense bebop rhythms and...Well, finally finished Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon, after stalling the last fifty pages out over three days. It's fun, it's dark as hell, the whole thing is written in dense bebop rhythms and dripping in noir cheese. I will need to reread it. Perhaps beginning today.
I kept thinking "is this Pynchon's most perfect novel?" and it might just be. Most of his acclaim is for books that go on for 600+ pages and defy the origins of the novel as stories of character, instead leaning mennippean and epic. His more traditional novels often seem trapped between his desire to situate character in the narration and an awareness that to do so is to alienate a large number of potential readers. Not here, though. If anything, this one felt like maybe half of the book was dedicated to slow dripping the themes through character development.
Loved reading it. The kind of love that means I genuinely remember very little, because the linguistic acrobatics were so dazzling. As such, I honestly don't know if I particularly liked it, after having read most of his other books at least twice. Gonna need time to tell, I guess.
Started War & War, by the latest Nobel Laureate in Literature. Only a few pages in, and very excited to see where this bridgetop mugging of a man communing with god (?) goes.
It's been a long time since I participated in these threads, so I'll mention as well that I started reading The Mahabharata last year, and have been slowly working through it. Only lately have I made it to the Vana Parda, aka past the inciting incident. I really don't know what I was expecting with it, but this has to be one of the most interesting works of art on the planet. Especially witnessing the hindutva phenomenon from afar, it boggles the mind. Wanna know why patriarchy exists? It's got an answer, and it's not what you're thinking! Wanna learn about the origins of caste? Well, this will perplex you! Wanna drift between shockingly realistic marital conflicts and theophanic scams? The Mahabharata has got you covered.
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
wervenyt Link ParentHush, you! It's entirely whimsy, the steampunk of computing, no such thing could ever take place! Just a trifle, certainly no altruism to be had.Hush, you! It's entirely whimsy, the steampunk of computing, no such thing could ever take place! Just a trifle, certainly no altruism to be had.
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
wervenyt Link ParentIf you haven't, check out Plan 9, especially some of the screencasts of people in its userland doing productive work. I don't love the P9 architecture, but it makes me salivate for that kind of...If you haven't, check out Plan 9, especially some of the screencasts of people in its userland doing productive work. I don't love the P9 architecture, but it makes me salivate for that kind of extensibility by design.
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
wervenyt LinkThere are better uses of a billion dollars I can imagine. But none would cheer me more than designing a libre general purpose computing stack out of RISC-V, with Lisp as deeply rooted into the...There are better uses of a billion dollars I can imagine.
But none would cheer me more than designing a libre general purpose computing stack out of RISC-V, with Lisp as deeply rooted into the firmware as possible. Lisp machines, oh, truly was I born in the wrong generation. Too late for the originals, too early for the inevitable future where every other programming language is forgotten.
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Comment on Some protein powders and shakes may contain high levels of lead in ~health
wervenyt Link ParentThanks for the correction. Something about this article's formatting makes it really hard for me to read it, apparently.Thanks for the correction. Something about this article's formatting makes it really hard for me to read it, apparently.
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Comment on Some protein powders and shakes may contain high levels of lead in ~health
wervenyt Link ParentYeah, reminds me of the reports of contaminants in dog food last year. It's a shame, peas should be an excellent "filler" for pet food. We really need to do better about heavy metals in agriculture.Yeah, reminds me of the reports of contaminants in dog food last year. It's a shame, peas should be an excellent "filler" for pet food. We really need to do better about heavy metals in agriculture.
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Comment on Some protein powders and shakes may contain high levels of lead in ~health
wervenyt (edited )Link ParentI feel like this article is slightly misleading. This is a huge deal, and I hope people are able to hear this news and stop poisoning themselves ASAP. I just wish they'd specified the form of...I feel like this article is slightly misleading.
They've sampled pea protein powders exclusively, but the lack of specificity and number of products tested implies that they've covered the protein powder market more generally.This is a huge deal, and I hope people are able to hear this news and stop poisoning themselves ASAP. I just wish they'd specified the form of protein before the last third of the page, or tested other forms on the market as well.
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Comment on Some protein powders and shakes may contain high levels of lead in ~health
wervenyt Link ParentYeah, as someone who really struggles to put on weight, if I don't load my body with protein pre- and post-workout, I literally cannot build strength. Dietary protein is of course superior, and...Yeah, as someone who really struggles to put on weight, if I don't load my body with protein pre- and post-workout, I literally cannot build strength.
Dietary protein is of course superior, and these supplements are a great example of why that's a reliable heuristic. However, if I had to rely on whole foods for protein, my only options for protein-dense, non-filling foods would be...sardines and tofu? Honestly struggling to come up with alternatives that I could scarf down in a couple minutes and wouldn't interfere with my range of motion.
As it stands, I use whey protein. If that's somehow worse for me than yogurt, I could switch to making yogurt smoothies. But at that point, what's the dang difference except the aesthetic?
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Comment on Can you really be addicted to food? Researchers are uncovering similarities to drug addiction in some eating patterns. in ~food
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Comment on Can you really be addicted to food? Researchers are uncovering similarities to drug addiction in some eating patterns. in ~food
wervenyt Link ParentI mean, not really. Teaching isn't medical, nor is tradition, or hunting, or even arguably food safety. My point was not "humans should pump out kids and die", it was that medicine is a specific...- Exemplary
I mean, not really. Teaching isn't medical, nor is tradition, or hunting, or even arguably food safety.
My point was not "humans should pump out kids and die", it was that medicine is a specific paradigm of thought which derives its value from the perpetuation of life and nothing else. Medical associations these days try to remedy that, but the root of medical practice is to do no harm and to heal the sick, and any QALY values are built out of that underlying mindset first, whatever is conducive to the life of the organizations issuing ethical decrees second, and those human values you've highlighted third, at best. For all the ideals of informed consent and patient autonomy, doctors and their licensors stand as barriers to elective procedures and treatments very often, for the "good reason" of protecting people from themselves.
Addiction is when something is bad for you, you know it, and you keep doing it, right? But when someone enjoys their life-destroying vice, the medical view is still to place that habit into the frame of disorder. So of course there's food addiction. It doesn't matter if it's the individual's choice, if they are not taking medical advice, they are disobeying, they are ignorant, they are to blame.
When you look at brain patterns of people enjoying things, they look similar. Addictive drugs are very fun, as is food. The neural circuits that are resultant from severe addiction derive from fundamental morphology that drives habit formation and motivation in the first place. Absent any rationale beyond "make the body work", anything that gives humans a reason to live is a slippery slope towards addiction.
It's truly an exercise in grandiosity without stance or energy.