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self_made_human

amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi

14 followers   follows 0 users  
joined 2022 September 05 05:31:00 UTC

I'm a transhumanist doctor. In a better world, I wouldn't need to add that as a qualifier to plain old "doctor". It would be taken as granted for someone in the profession of saving lives.

At any rate, I intend to live forever or die trying. See you at Heat Death!

Friends:

A friend to everyone is a friend to no one.


				
User ID: 454


				
				
				

			

		

	














	


		


			



	

		

			

			

				

					

						

							
						

						

							
							

								
self_made_human


								

								

								
								
									
								
								
								
								

								
							
					
 
				


				
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi

				
				
				

				

					14 followers  

					follows 0 users  

					joined 2022 September 05 05:31:00 UTC
				


				
					

					
I'm a transhumanist doctor. In a better world, I wouldn't need to add that as a qualifier to plain old "doctor". It would be taken as granted for someone in the profession of saving lives.


At any rate, I intend to live forever or die trying. See you at Heat Death!



				

				
					
Friends:

					
A friend to everyone is a friend to no one.


				

				

				

				

					

					

					
					
					

					
User ID: 454


					
					
					
				

			


					

						
					



		

	

 











			
			

			
			

			




	


		

			
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				Wellness Wednesday for January 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Unfortunately, studies on the effects of semaglutide after developing Alzheimer's showed null results. But yes, as a preventative agent, it's up there with the best we've got. If you're diabetic or at high risk of developing Alzheimer's, I'd say it's a no brainer. Getting weight under control and improving glucose metabolism probably has a quadrillion other benefits. We're still in the early days.


The only thing preventing it from being a blanket agent, at this point, is the cost. But GLP-1As are only going to get cheaper, and they're already not that expensive.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for January 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Muscle wasting on semaglutide is comparable to that seen with equivalent weight loss from intermittent fasting or bariatric surgery. It can be entirely mitigated with concomitant resistance training.


In other words, if you're in a pronounced caloric deficit, you're going to lose a bit of muscle with the fat. It's not a big deal, the health benefits robustly outweigh the risks. There's an ongoing study, LEAN, that looks into it at scale, but preliminary studies support this claim.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for January 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


CVD is thought to be largely caused by dysfunctions in metabolism, which is also true to some extent for the other three largest killers in the west: diabetes, cancer, and dementia. While traditional medicine has had a ton of success eradicating traditional infectious diseases, it seems largely unable to effectively treat these “four horseman”




Eh? I present semaglutide. It obviously works for diabetes, and I did a journal presentation on recent research demonstrating a 50% reduction in risk for Alzheimer's (and probably vascular dementia) for people who started before diagnosis.


https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.14313




Semaglutide was associated with significantly reduced risk for first-time AD diagnosis, most strongly compared with insulin (hazard ratio [HR], 0.33 [95% CI: 0.21 to 0.51]) and most weakly compared with other GLP-1RAs (HR, 0.59 [95% CI: 0.37 to 0.95]). Similar results were seen across obesity status, gender, and age groups




The obesity epidemic, which is upstream of a whole host of other issues, is being cut down at the knee.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for January 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Such a blatant inconsistency gives your detractors a lot of ammo…




I'm only human. Self-made, in fact :(


They're both on long presses of "-" — — and I can't tell a difference when it's rendered here.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for January 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


The Chad harem/offspring-maxxxing doctors and lawyers explain to the autist incel programmers and engineers their personal understandings of how friendship and romance work!




My uncle – a far more accomplished psychiatrist than I –* was telling me about getting his passport renewed and the very first stamp being from Chad. I told him it was a missed opportunity that he went to Niger next, instead of the Virgin Islands.


Look dawg, your autism is weapons-grade. Distilled in a lab. It's absolutely dual-use technology, you use it for both great good and mild evil. I'm not sure that there's any advice anyone could give you that would completely change the way your neurons are wired. It's not like doctors can't be autistic, just look at @SkookumTree.




I absolutely hated the idea of obtaining an actual friend or a romantic partner only to be constantly forced by that person to do random things in which I had no interest. It seemed like a continuation of how my parents would torture me by making me join after-school clubs and dragging me to museums, concerts, and weddings.




This varies a great deal. I've been in relationships where I've been subjected to stimuli as unpleasant as an ex making me watch stupid Victorian period dramas with her, and getting mad should I express disinterest or glance at my phone. I still shudder when I hear Taylor Swift, but other lovers have at least used earphones.


But the majority of my partners, and anyone I choose to call a friend, have been relatively understanding. In an ideal world, the fact that you're not interested in an activity should be both necessary and sufficient when it comes to getting them to desist from asking you to join them.


The Victorian-drama ex and I failed because she operated on the fusion model—she believed that love meant merged experience, that my dislike of her shows was a dislike of her. This wasn't true, for the record. I only started disliking her when she made my life a living hell in other ways.


Constantly forced? That's too much. I'd call that a deal breaker. But it's not that big of a deal to accompany a lovely lady to a summer market, or let her tell me about a new show she's watching.


Some claim that a partner should mirror your tastes. I think that's far from necessary. Commonality in values and beliefs is far more important than shared interests. If I want to talk about video games and AGI, that's what you mfs are for. Of course, you can get away with a little ho-scaring when you actually love each other, in the same way she's okay with you seeing her without makeup.




I assumed that any friend or romantic partner would require me to do such things. But now @daguerrean says that only an inferior, weak-willed "beta" man allows his romantic partner to lead him around by the nose to random events. So, is it normal friendship/romance behavior to drag the other party to an event in which he is not interested, or not? Has my entire life been a lie?




The man in the comment you linked is being mocked not because he is compromising, but because he is compromising on dignity rather than just preference. I have never been desperate enough for female attention to go to a protest for a cause I do not believe in. That involves a violation of my internal moral compass. Going to a museum just involves sore feet.


Relationships, like actual ships, require routine maintenance. You don't really resent a car for an oil change, and occasionally listening to something that doesn't actually interest you isn't that big a deal when you're getting mileage out of it.


*All em-dashes artisanally crafted by hand.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Eh? I've used both back to back, and I can assure you the ANC is miles ahead on the old model. I haven't seen that claim made in a professional review so far, and I did check quite a few before purchase. I didn't see much of a problem on the lows, but the most annoying noise you want to cancel is usually mid frequencies or higher in my experience.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Where do I begin? People starting fist fights after a bit of Bolivian Nose Candy, someone showing off his Thai girlfriend from a village without electricity about half an hour before his actual Scottish girlfriend (likely underage) showed up to pick his drunk ass up, someone telling me about his lengthy run-ins with the law, and then telling me he's the good'un, since his dad literally murdered people with grenades over football fandom disputes.


I've been in a stranger's apartment at 6 am, desperately chugging coffee to stay awake, because I didn't trust them enough to pass out in front of them. Some schizo guy telling me about his fervent patriotism for India (it was the dude with the Thai girlfriend) and general distaste for Islam. He offered to volunteer for the Indian Army if war broke out with Pakistan, and I had to gently dissuade him, telling him that if there's one thing the country doesn't lack, it's manpower.


I have stories. I've written some of them up, but I'm sitting on them for a retirement memoir, or because the GMC might dislike my openness to experience. Good times, as long as you know where the exit is.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm aware that the novel takes a few liberties and "romanticizes" historical events, but is still reasonably grounded. I'd honestly be fine with either, though if I had to choose it would be the Romance.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
That's a shame, but I suppose the stigma around the hobby is there for a reason. I'm perfectly content reading the lore and playing the odd good video game that comes out.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
What's the best bang for your buck (in terms of QOL) purchase you've ever made? The cheaper the better.


I'd say in-ear earphones with solid ANC are up there. I'm sitting outside the arrivals section of a busy international airport, and I felt mildly annoyed by the honking and general noise with earphones on and ANC engaged. Then I took them off to check and was practically deafened. Yup, they're cutting down 90% of the cacophony.


I own a pair of Galaxy Buds 3 Pros, purchased at about £130. I think they sound great, the ANC isn't quite as good as the Airpods I bought my brother on his birthday, but it's clearly a cut above my older Buds 2 Pro (Plus?). I happen to prefer the sound quality, and unless you've got an iPhone, they're about the best you can get on an Android device that isn't rooted and running Libre Pods. In fact, good ANC tends to improve sound quality overall in my experience, as it preserves bass by changing the acoustic impedance.


(The default Android kernel has a buggy, non-compliant Bluetooth stack. Until Google upstreams a patch, you need the root to get actual standards compliance and the ability to make use of all the Airpods' features.)


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm aware of the franchise, but the gameplay isn't quite up my alley. I do already have passing familiarity with the major players, though I'm not sure I could name Lu Bu's horse (White Rabbit? Idk) haha. Maybe I'll check out a YouTuber who does cinematic play throughs, that might help. Thanks!


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Thanks!


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Thanks! I had a look at the Substack, and while it's a decent glossary and dramatis personae, I was looking for something less dry. But it's useful context.


Sadly the gameplay of Dynasty Warriors is the opposite of what I'm into. I know Total War Three Kingdoms is solid, but due to severe mismanagement, it barely gets into the actual meat of the Three Kingdoms period.


I'll keep hunting, while I think there's a real chance of a Chinese Century, learning Chinese from scratch sounds rather daunting. I've translated entire Xianxia novels with AI with excellent results, so in theory I could do that if I had to.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm not against meta elements, if they're done well. That's easier said than done, the best example that comes to mind is Worth The Candle, which is actually elevated by the main character being a self-insert struggling against the constraints of the Random Omnipotent Being, who is also a self-insert of sorts.


I'll give PTGE another try, God knows I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for books that appeal to my tastes.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I've been tempted in the past, but back then, I didn't have the money. Now I do have the money, but I live in a shared apartment and I can't justify the hassle of setup and proper ventilation etc. Maybe a Bambu Labs at some point when I've got the room, it's probably cheaper than buying a full Knight Lance or a Forgeworld Titan.


Hell, my preferred way to play 40k would be something like Tabletop Simulator if I wanted to stick to the original rules, or even better, the upcoming Total War: Warhammer 40k game. It's one thing to 3D print the minis, it's another to paint them (how many coats? And how much does that cost?) and then find people to play with. Some GW stores tend to take a hardline stance against third party miniatures, or people hanging around in their stores without ever buying anything.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
He's just built different 💪


He's got "500 years of experience" and was an expert in CQC combat. A bunch of 13 year olds who can't throw a punch didn't have a chance, especially when their ego stopped them from piling onto him


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Thanks! It doesn't seem to be available here either, though the 1994 series is. Is that any good or should I go hunting?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Hey, I presume that providing handjobs at least fixes the incel problem? I'll jizz for AdMech with jezzails any day.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I have an epub of The Practical Guide to Evil staring at me in my e-reader app. I only got a few dozen pages into it before my eyes started glazing over.


First impressions are poor. It's written like YA webfic slop, with a frisky and pugnacious teenage female protagonist who we are introduced to in the process of beating up a man thrice her size in a fistfight. I get the impression that there's a diegetic explanation, something to do with some people being "archetypes" and thus imbued with narrativium powers, recognized in-universe. But come on, surely we can do better than that. The story also tries the "what if Orks were misunderstood and not evil" trick, but at this point in the fantasy ecosystem, the deconstructions are probably more common than efforts to play things straight.


Maybe I'm being harsh, and it'll pick up. Some swear by it. But I find it hard to motivate myself to push deeper.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I am vaguely aware of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but haven't ever read the source material or a good translation.


Anyone have any suggestions? As I've declaimed and disclamed before, my Chinese is limited to nihao-ing at some fine ABGs. A solid translation, or visual media would be fine. Subs or dubs, don't care. It just has to be faithful to the source


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'll keep that in mind when I stop by the local Warhammer outlet. Maybe I finally have the money for plastic crack...


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'd say so. I've met one Mottizen IRL, and would happily stop by and say hi to others should our paths cross.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Yes. It's almost universal at this point. Even when I entered med school (ten years ago? What the fuck), it was already 45:55 in favor of women in India. I recall seeing something like 40:60 in the States today, and even higher in the UK.


I'm not sure how much of it is affirmative action (it's too common to be the decisive factor), and how much of it is women just being better at maintaining good grades and grinding at exams. In some fields like gynecology, younger male doctors are on the verge of being endangered. Only a few branches, like orthopedics, remain solidly male. I don't know a single female urologist, though I'm sure they exist.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for January 23, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Isn't the Lighthaven campus on Berkley? Thought they might well have something in SF proper.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
How much manpower did Europe commit? Last I heard, there were enough soldiers sent over to make for a decent sitcom, or to wave the flag valiantly while being obliterated by a cruise missile.