celluloid_dream
No bio...
User ID: 758
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
In the spirit of "the best camera is the one that's with you", I'll pop open a web browser tab and search whatever I wanted to note down. This has the advantage of being in my face the next time I open that browser, which I do often, and I'm less likely to forget that I took the note in the first place. If it's worth expanding on or saving for future, I'll write it down as plain text or email later.
do not use the DNA to snoop into whatever intimate info that DNA might reveal about the people involved
If one's DNA is public information (and I'd argue it almost always is. People leave it everywhere), then I don't think it makes sense to classify any inferred facts from it as intimate/private. Saying that analysis of public information crosses a line into an invasion of privacy rubs me the wrong way, though it's difficult to articulate why.
Like, if Sherlock Holmes makes brilliant, true deductions about someone based on the smallest details, he has not really violated their privacy, even if they'd preferred to keep those facts to themselves.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
soundtrack for The Revenant
Yeah, that fits. I thought of Earth, and was surprised to learn they'd also done an inspired-by album. The subtitle, "Printing in the Infernal Method", is from William Blake, which recalls the film Dead Man.
thoughts on the ending
Assume you're referring to the epilogue? I also found it perplexing and looked online for interpretations.
One: "Perhaps the digger is a figure for the novelist himself, striking fire out of the dead holes of history, bearing witness, though it is not at all clear that those following understand."
but that sort of meta-commentary feels unnecessary, self-centered, and incongruous with the preceding novel. I dunno. Maybe?
Others: That the post digger represents the coming of civilization and the end of the bloody, evening redness, (Epilogue: "In the dawn"), or that it represents the opposite - the continuation of that philosophy after the night.
I honestly don't know. I think the fact that so many interpretations disagree so wildly means it was intentionally left ambiguous. Like you, none of the ones I read seemed right.
The 2007 decision ruled that the right to collective bargaining existed because it existed before the Charter (according to what it doesn't say and in any case I don't see how that means the constitution enshrines that right), because of human rights obligations (why does that have any bearing on the constitution?), and because it "reaffirms the values of dignity, personal autonomy, equality and democracy that are inherent in the Charter.
@johnfabian 's post raised the same question for me. Where did this right to strike come from? I wasn't able to get any farther than that line in Health Services. It's baffling. It seems less "found" than invented out of whole cloth.
Edit: actually, later in the document, they elaborate, going on for several pages detailing the history of labour relations up to the Charter, but IMO including nothing of relevance until:
Collective bargaining, despite early discouragement from the common law, has long been recognized in Canada. Indeed, historically, it emerges as the most significant collective activity through which freedom of association is expressed in the labour context. In our opinion, the concept of freedom of association under s. 2(d) of the Charter includes this notion of a procedural right to collective bargaining.
This established Canadian right to collective bargaining was recognized in the Parliamentary hearings that took place before the adoption of the Charter. The acting Minister of Justice, Mr. Robert Kaplan, explained why he did not find necessary a proposed amendment to have the freedom to organize and bargain collectively expressly included under s. 2(d). These rights, he stated, were already implicitly recognized in the words “freedom of association”:
"Our position on the suggestion that there be specific reference to freedom to organize and bargain collectively is that that is already covered in the freedom of association that is provided already in the Declaration or in the Charter; and that by singling out association for bargaining one might tend to d[i]minish all the other forms of association which are contemplated — church associations; associations of fraternal organizations or community organizations."
(Special Joint Committee of the Senate and of the House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, Issue No. 43, January 22, 1981, at pp. 69-70)
Which I think settles it. I mean, I don't think that's what most people would interpret "freedom of association" to mean, but if that's what was originally intended, then the court's decision is reasonable.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
Definitions are bidirectional:
If someone is a man(gender) because they fit the social roles of males (eg. football, trucks, acting tough) and not the social roles of females (eg. makeup, dresses, nurturing) then any person who fits said roles is a man(gender).
But this is obviously not how gender works in common usage. If it were, then you could tell someone they are wrong about their gender. I know several female people who, if you said to them they were actually men because of their hairstyle/personality/interests, would laugh deep manly belly laughs, and then gruffly tell you. "Fuck off. I'm still a woman."
So I don't know that the analogy to fashion is a good one. In that realm, you can still classify things as Goth or Punk or Goth-Punk or neither Goth nor Punk based on their characteristics.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
This is a good response, but my instinct is still that market forces should still be in effect. If prison phone prices are too high, few prisoners will make calls and the provider should be incentivized to lower prices to maximize total profits. Likewise with bottled water.
celluloid_dream
2mo ago
I really liked the premise of Flatliners (1990) - medical students deliberately induce clinical death to touch the afterlife
celluloid_dream
3mo ago
I think the discomfort you'd feel would be that you lack typical female socialization, and would be worried about giving that away by not knowing certain etiquette, or behavior, or what have you.
I realize this is not the current orthodoxy, but the only way "being trans" forms a coherent concept, IMO, is as both a desire to have a differently sexed body, and then actively taking steps to remedy that situation. You can't be discovered to be "essentially a man", because there is no male essence aside from biology.
celluloid_dream
5mo ago
I think just awareness of the existence of epistemics might be helpful.
It's like math. Most people can't remember half of what they learned in high school math classes. Many can't even do basic algebra, but they're at least aware that algebra can and probably should be done to explain why an answer is correct.
Sometimes I'll be in conversation with a person and they'll make an assertion. I'll ask them why they think that. How do they know? Suppose I didn't agree. How would they convince me? Then their eyes narrow and their lips curl. I can see the gears turning as they mentally brand me enemy and then they just assert the thing again, but louder and with edge to their voice.
celluloid_dream
8mo ago
Whenever you find a bar/bartender you like enough on their own merits to keep returning, I guess. More genuine, less transactional. Befriend the bartender because you enjoy their company, not because you need to acquire a bartender wingman.
Against this, I'll dig up my favourite quote from The Fountainhead:
- It’s the Parthenon! - said the Dean.
- Yes, God damn it, the Parthenon! The ruler struck the glass over the picture.
- Look,- said Roark. - The famous flutings on the famous columns – what are they there for? To hide the joints in wood – when columns were made of wood, only these aren’t, they’re marble. The triglyphs, what are they? Wood. Wooden beams, the way they had to be laid when people began to build wooden shacks. Your Greeks took marble and they made copies of their wooden structures out of it, because others had done it that way. Then your masters of the Renaissance came along and made copies in plaster of copies in marble of copies in wood. Now here we are, making copies in steel and concrete of copies in plaster of copies in marble of copies in wood. Why?”
Maybe those were nice houses for their time (though on many, I see exactly the sort of cargo-cult ornamentation Rand's character complains about). Today, when I hear people clamour for beauty in architecture, they seem to want those old designs back! They have no positive vision of the future. Concrete boxes might be uninspired, but I'm not sure they're that much worse than making a modern copy of a Victorian copy of a Renaissance copy of ancient woodworking.
celluloid_dream
10mo ago
Out of curiosity, what is the general direction/thrust of Worm fanfic?
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"author did it wrong, I'll fix it"?
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"explore another character's perspective"
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"I just want to play with these toys some more"?
Recommend any high quality ones?
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
That'd probably work. Sometimes I'm asking questions and letting it write. Other times I just tell it how it should go, or did go (it writes better in past tense). You can ask for combat with rules - admittedly that's not it's forte, and often needs correction.
My usual format is something like: "Write the scene/story/day as a bunch of things happen, then write what happens next, and make sure you do it in this style, including this, that and the other".
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I've found it's great at explaining song meanings. Sometimes it needs a little guidance on abstract lyrics, but overall it has impressed me.
Example: Coldcut - Mr Nichols
Consider the following song lyrics: <snip> What do you think this song is about?
This song appears to be about a man named Mr. Nichols who is contemplating suicide and is standing outside a window on the twelfth floor of a building. The lyrics suggest that Mr. Nichols is disillusioned with his life, particularly with the failure of his investments and the corrupt practices of the corporate world. The song touches on themes of societal pressures, family dynamics, and the pursuit of happiness.
The lyrics urge Mr. Nichols to reconsider his decision to jump and to turn away from his western glare and face the rising sun instead. The rising sun represents a new beginning and a way to find inner peace and fulfillment, rather than chasing external desires and material wealth. The song also suggests that Mr. Nichols' family, particularly his mother, is a source of comfort and love, and that he should consider the impact his actions would have on them.
Overall, the song seems to be a call for individuals to re-evaluate their priorities and to focus on finding meaning and purpose in life beyond societal expectations and material success.
The song contains several lines with clever wordplay. Note them and explain.
- "The warmth of a kiss/Invest your tongue into the mouth of mystery" - This line uses the word "invest" in a clever way by connecting it to the act of kissing. The word "invest" is usually associated with finance or business, but here it is used to suggest that exploring the unknown (represented by "mystery") can be just as valuable as investing in material things.
- "The shifting current seems to conspire against you" - This line uses a clever play on words by using "current" to refer to both a literal current (such as a river current) and a metaphorical current (such as the current state of affairs). The line suggests that both types of currents can work against Mr. Nichols.
- "You contemplate the setting sun, Unaware of your disorientation/Dis-orient: turned away from the east" - This line uses a clever play on words by connecting the word "disorientation" to the prefix "dis-" (which means "away from" or "not") and the word "orient," which refers to the east. The line suggests that Mr. Nichols is turned away from the direction he should be facing.
I'm sure someone could automate a site like Genius Lyrics using GPT, taking user suggestions to correct it when it's wrong.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I think this requires a fair bit of reinterpretation of the story's events. I wondered about it while reading, but ultimately rejected it.
Evidence for: The Judge is more often seen counselling the gang, encouraging them, teaching them, but not seen committing the deeds himself. We see the aftermath and assume he is responsible. He is almost inhuman, impossibly skilled, knowledgeable, strong. His being the personification of evil/violence/war/his philosophy, he certainly doesn't seem real.
Evidence against: But on the other hand, he does act a fair bit himself and can't easily be removed. I'm not sure how to reassess scenes like the stand-off with Toadvine, Brown, Tobin, and the Kid toward the end without the Judge there as a real character. Holden negotiates on behalf of the gang with some of the more cultured/learned characters in the story. He teaches the gang how to make gunpowder, etc. Sure, these events could be waved away, but.. who did it then? Is that another aspect of Glanton's personality? If so, why is it the Judge the more intellectual, rational part rather than the violent, impulsive part that is still attributed to Glanton.
I thought it worked better if he was a real, though possibly supernatural character. The confrontation at the end is the two of them committing to their respective philosophies. The Judge again lectures the man on war and the way of the world. The man again rejects it. "You aint nothin".
The Judge will have him anyway, but not willingly.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
why should there be anything with the incorrect spelling?
Because there are tropical islands full of palm trees that are very nice, and people love them. "I love the island" and "I love the palm trees" are basic, common sentences that you would expect to see in a review or travel blog about such an island (eg.), and it seems extremely unlikely to me that they have never appeared on the same page together on the internet.
I think there should be a lot more results with the correct spelling too, for the same reason.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I did CrossFit for a few years a long time ago and don't regret it, but there were cult-like aspects:
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Weirdly culty social dynamics. Everyone gets a nickname and refers to others by that nickname. At the box (gym), you're not Jane or John. You're Wondergirl or JDogg and everyone is thrilled you just beat your Fran (a workout) time - like, uncannily happy for you. It's contagious. You're ecstatic that Seabiscuit just PR-ed his deadlift too.
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Charismatic instructors preaching questionable doctrines (muscle confusion! paleo! kipping pull-ups!) to be taken on faith.
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Scams and MLM fads swept through the gym population. It seemed like half the gym members totally lacked an immune system to them.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
It's nice to be able to fall back on a rote system to check one's work. I'm sure Magnus Carlsen can calculate chess moves explicitly.
I might intuitively feel the correctness of some quick mental math, but I can show my work in my head by laying out the calculations to prove it to be doubly sure.
When paving that intuition with a more holistic approach, how does one explain why a thing is correct?
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
celluloid_dream
14d ago
the profession they are getting a degree for
Well that's the whole damn problem, isn't it? You want someone who went to school for Computer Science, which tends to be mostly theoretical, to have training in the most practical and tangentially related sub-field. Why should they?
I'd argue job training is a role universities are uniquely not well-suited to fill, given the glacial pace of curriculum change, and other structural handicaps, like tenured hedgehog dens.
celluloid_dream
21d ago
This sounds like cope.
I snowboard, fast. I can't count the number of times where I've had "I love helmets" moments on the slopes. Snow is softer than concrete, but it's hard enough that I'm sure I'd have had a concussion if I wasn't wearing one, and instead I got up without a scratch. I appreciate you've linked a study, but my lived experience disagrees.
The objection my European skier buddy always had was "well, you don't catch edges like that on skis, so you don't need one", but no matter what's under your feet, if you bail at any speed, you're still falling vertically at least your own height, then tumbling down the mountain after that uncontrolled. Funny enough, same guy now wears a helmet after slipping on ice and bonking his head hard enough to knock some sense into him.
You can get very light helmets. Most don't obstruct your vision, since the front piece is cut away past where your goggles sit. You can get a glossy exterior that doesn't catch on the snow, and if anything presents more of a smooth surface to glide along and not wrench your head any direction that would hurt your neck.
celluloid_dream
11mo ago
Nature: long full day hikes ideally with an exposed scramble at the end. I dont mean to get all mystical blah blah "just you and the rock". But it's focusing. You can't think about anything else when your life depends on your not screwing it up, even if it's easy. There's no room for anything else. Type 1 fun and type 2 fun.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
For sure, though it's likely my fault. I think the prompt for it included "as if in a cyberpunk novel or role playing game", and some of that is inherent to the genre.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I see it's hiding usernames now. That's good! but..
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It's not hiding user flair
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IMO, it's important to always check the context, and that reveals the username anyway
This is like one of the cryptic notes I scribble down and then can't remember what it was supposed to mean. Then when I go back and try and flesh it out, I'm probably getting the thought subtly wrong. Words diluting indeed.
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