Ethan
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User ID: 2275
Ethan
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2yr ago
I've heard it described as a flea circus. If you want to be convinced, you will be. But look at GPT's output under the cold light of day and it's very clearly a kind of mush. There's no human texture to it, nothing idiosyncratic.
Ethan
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5mo ago
Love in the Time of Cholera. Fiction, and art in general, is capable of articulating sentiments which do not come around often in real life. The artifice is far from "artificial" in the modern sense. So far (I'm only about 80 pages in), Marquez is saying a lot about love and its counterfeits. I'm eager to continue.
Ethan
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7mo ago
Funny, because my dad hates McCartney's Wonderful Christmas because it's so repetitive.
Ethan
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7mo ago
People often say that the best way to learn singing is to get a good coach, so that you don't learn bad habits common to autodidacts. But since I want to save money and get a good head-start, what resources or even outright advice would you give to someone teaching themselves breathwork and basic singing technique? I'd like to pick it up as a hobby and think I have a good voice to work with. I know to breath with my diaphram and to relax myself when singing. But my range isn't where I want it to be. Plus I want to produce a strong, consistent, reliable sound.
Ethan
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7mo ago
But the US military do have powerful radars and cameras pointed at the skies. They have lots of space assets, they are very interested in space.
To build, maintain, and coordinate these interests would imply a great deal of cerebral endowment. You may become king of the skies by luck, but you sure as hell don't keep the kingdom that way.
Ethan
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11mo ago
It would work best if it operated in the same spirit as those "American politics with no context" videos on YouTube; mainly aiming for comedy, across both political aisles. Cinemasins was originally a comedic channel before they began using the premise as a way to deliver actual criticism. If a Politicalsins did this it would quickly become subsumed into the mud-slinging contest.
Ethan
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11mo ago
All dictatorships are dysfunctional. Anyone who says otherwise is making a partisan and inflammatory claim.
Was Cincinnatus in the wrong when he briefly became dictator to solve a crisis in Rome? Are there really no scenarios where a dictator has done good?
Ethan
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1yr ago
Do you think he was telling the truth about his life? It seems nearly too adventurous to believe, though that may be owing to my shelteredness.
Ethan
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1yr ago
Interestingly, the president Jimble episode is really disliked on the smiling friends subreddit. But the trailer for episode 3, Alan's Adventure, has a really funny bit where he argues with the store worker.
Ethan
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1yr ago
On first watch it didn't quite land with me. But now I think it's really good. The Cameo joke was great, and it's better when you realize that James (the one bullying Charlie) was the one who sent it.
Ethan
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1yr ago
Just started Frank: The Making of a Legend by James Kaplan, about Frank Sinatra. It's the first biography of a celebrity I've read with any attention. I think I hold some deep feeling that musicians' lives aren't as worthwhile to learn about as geniuses in science or philosophy or politics. But Frank Sinatra was a kind of genius, and his life is pretty interesting so far. Also, Kaplan is a good writer and sometimes I read the prose aloud to feel it on my tongue. I think it sharpens me in some way to feel how good writing conforms to the breath.
I'm also reading Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry. Good Western so far -- it kind of seems like Red Dead Redemption 2 is to video games what Lonesome Dove is to novels: longform, epic Westerns which are modern but don't treat the genre's tropes with contempt. Really, come to think of it, the Western seems to be the one genre which is allowed to have some dignity against the eviscerations of postmodernism. Occasionally you'll get a flat-out anti-western like No Country for Old Men. But then you'll get really good modern takes on the genre which incorporate the spirit of the best while modernizing the trappings of the story, like Breaking Bad or that Wolverine movie Logan.
I finished The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. It was good, but I suspect it shouldn't have been my first McCarthy novel. Yes, it may well exemplify his sparse prose the best. But I feel like even though Blood Meridian is a lot longer it seems to have more in the way of action. Maybe when my docket is free I'll try it out.
Ethan
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1yr ago
Goggins is probably the single best human exemplar of human malleability. He's like a fascinating edge case of what happens when somebody just ... has infinite willpower.
Ethan
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2yr ago
Breaking Bad is our modern civilizational epic. Better Call Saul is a prequel which is just as good.
I always thought if there were a novelization of Breaking Bad the full title would be "Breaking Bad: or, the Modern Ozymandias" due to its obvious literary associations.
Ethan
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2yr ago
The implicit associations of the "homo" are intentional. It doesn't just conjure ideas of cultural homogenization, but of specifically Left-coded cultural homogenization. It's sort of like the (now very dated) slander "fake and gay." And the word "globohomo" smacks of 4channer slang. Its prickly, yet unstated, associations should be embraced.
Ethan
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2yr ago
"Nothing illegal about being a deranged meth-head?" To my understanding the associated activity is in fact illegal. Is acting like a druggy not enough to infer the use of illegal drugs?
Ethan
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2yr ago
I think the wariness of pop-masculinity is warranted and cultural attempts to reclaim masculinity are often reactive. There are political reasons for that. The Left hates pretty much all traditional masculinity and so mocks it with reductive caricatures of anger, excess and bravado. The Right often responds, intentionally or not, by embracing this caricature of masculinity. Boomer-tier memes of guns n' trucks abound. That these things are considered "masculine" with no reference to craftsmanship, robust physical culture, or the higher virtues like honor and courage leaves the impression that men are chasing shadows of a once-unified ideal. I'm not naive enough to think that this was ever a settled image -- there were many of masculine archetypes through Western history. But these archetypes share traits. A few of them are a willingness to take physical risks, an emphasis on physical development, and an honor culture.
So of course testosterone matters in cultivating the physical and psychic qualities of manliness. It's no secret that testosterone levels in men have been declining and that our culture encourages this emasculation. That passive entertainments like video games and sportsball are indicators of modern male identity is a tell that our culture is degraded. They're abstractions of war and sport. The solution, best I can tell, is to meet the realities again. Lifting heavy objects is probably the most direct way to do that. I prefer bodyweight exercises to start with. It's possible to do many improving workouts with one's body in a small space. Plus, it helps to avoid the problem you identify with lifting too much with improper form. I think it's important to get a good foundation of balance and flexibility before lifting heavy stuff for those who aren't used to using their bodies for labor.
Swing dance seems like good fun. I'll look into it.
Ethan
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5d ago
I like dave green, but I felt similarly about the apparent similarities in breadtube physiognomy. I think the better indicator would be how often they pull the soy face.
Ethan
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6mo ago
Because for me "learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu" would be the project of many, many decades
You'll be decades older anyway.
Ethan
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6mo ago
The Emperor's New Groove is a cartoon, but it hits a couple of these beats. For a slightly more mature beat, try the Road to El Dorado and the Prince of Egypt.
Ethan
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7mo ago
I'm in the UK and it's both dark and rainy this time of year. I've just started with vitamin D pills and melatonin before bed, so I'll report if I notice any big changes compared to last year. But apparently vitamin D helps a lot of people in my situation.
Ethan
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8mo ago
You'd like the 2002 film with Jim Caviezel and Henry Cavill. Sturdy action film which makes good use of the premise.
Ethan
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11mo ago
Trump was exposing himself to further danger for the sake of a visual display. And he was indeed holding up his protection while they did their thing. But in the end, it was absolutely worth it and the correct move to make.
In fact, him doing this in the heat of the moment amid gunfire is largely the reason why it was the correct move. It was a display of masculine bravado. Perfect contrast, not only to the sitting president, but to pretty much every other politician. The resulting photographs alone are invigorating. Trump is effectively an avatar of masculinity in a culture which largely degradates it.
I'd be interested. Will there be one topic per month on which members write their pieces? Or do members get full discretion on what to write about every time?
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