udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
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User ID: 77
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
Dwarf fortress got a graphical release which has been super fun. Being able to visualize the deep caverns carved out by hand is super enjoyable so far, even if some of the imagination is ripped out of the game with visual assets. So far it's really good, pretty stable, and runs well on my crappy laptop. I think it's missing some important key binds, but if you've never tried DF before you won't really notice. The QOL of being able to use a mouse makes other things a lot faster, especially for newer players. All in all, totally worth the 30 bucks.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
Printed weapons include machined parts, including the barrel and springs. It's possible tp machine those parts using basic printed tools, for instance rifling can be done electrically with a current and some water. Generally the plastic parts are the complicated fabrication of the frame and trigger casing, and the screws, spring, and barrel are metals.
The FGC-9 has, to my knowledge, been regularly tested out to 1000 rounds with minimal wear. Printed parts greatly reduces the overhead of getting tactically useful parts for cheap and on demand, and makes repairs and part-replacement fast, cheap, and easy. I've been watching the space for years now and it is significantly more sophisticated than you seem to give credit. Most major form factors have a printable version that can be found online, with instructions and requirements, at a significantly reduced price for materials.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
9mo ago
Light pinch and tss helps a ton. The audio-physical relationship the dog makes is quite pronounced, and it's how I got my puppy to stop jumping up so much. Typically, bad behavior for dogs who "seem trained" is them just acting out because they are bored or pent up. My dog does it, so along with a number of unique toys and treats we tend to go outside a lot and run around.
I've found that wooden chew toys (I have a hardened maple stick she really likes to naw on) really help keep her from chewing on wooden furniture. Some minor association training and our chairs, tables and drywall are mostly untouched now (thank God). Also puzzle toys are good, little treat holders help a lot, and just wrestling with the dog and being physically active are very good for the puppy. A lot of it is just making time for the animal so you can bond and play, because otherwise there isn't a point in having her (or him).
Also, don't acknowledge bad behavior, especially in rewarding or tangentially rewarding ways. You, the master, are unconcerned with the moment-to-moment experience of the dog, so stop acting like you are. Always provide good feedback for the dog, and never send mixed or subtle signals. Begging? Don't even acknowledge. Jumping? "Tss" with a pinch "bad dog". Excess energy? Physical toys, encourage good play, immediately stop with bad play. And so on.
There was actually a really funny south park episode about it that I found somewhat useful when Cartman's mom brought in a dog trainer to help her with Eric. https://youtube.com/watch?v=r8eqTFi5eYY (if you're curious. I think it's funny, at least).
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
For solid endurance training, get a ruck sack and put some miles under tension down. It's somewhat lower impact by virtue of stride and body mechanics, and ruck sacks are just generally useful tools. Obviously you gotta run some to train for a marathon, but incorporate rucking into your routine as a useful training tool.
So far as lifting goes, I swear by powerlifting if you are starting from nothing. This is the routine I'm using at the minute, as somebody somewhat new to lifting myself. Compound lifts have absolutely given me a new lease on life as a desk jockey, and I swear to God they work like a charm.
For those who care for reciepts, I (260lb, 5'11", male) maxxed recently a 330lb squat, a 375lb deadlift, and a 225lb bench, all up from the empty bar in the summer of 2022. I'm up about 20 lbs from about 6 months ago, so I'm overweight to be sure, but I feel way better than I did last summer. More explosive, more flexible, much stronger, I can actually dead-man carry my wife now if need be which I couldn't say a year ago.
The site I linked has a lot of great information and basically guides new lifters through the process. Let me know if you have any questions, this forum has a lot of great knowledge hidden behind the esoteric culture war stuff and I'm sure the rest of the meat heads would gladly pitch in.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
Lex Fridman has recently release a 7 hour long discussion with Balaji Srinivasan that hits on a ton of very interesting topics this community would find interesting, with a focus around his Network States book and the concepts inside. In my opinion, it's one of the most interesting and possibly most important conversation Lex has had, and is very futurist-focused. Regardless of your opinion on crypto currencies in the future age of the internet, I think Srinivisan has an amazingly human-centric vision for a tech-bro. Even 3 hours in I have felt like the conversation has only been minutes long, hugely compelling and interesting.
I'm considering writing up an effortpost on his ideas soon, but it's still digesting. Though it feels very relevant to our move off reddit and internet communities as a dominant form of conversation, I have some thoughts regarding virtual-meatspace interactions that crypto-bros tend to ignore. If anyone has interesting ideas they want to talk about regarding Srinivasan's Network State and perhaps it's integration into Mottespace, feel free to leave it here.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
11mo ago
I remember being in school during geography and actually signing up for this. I signed up on a school email, which is now lost to time, but I specifically remember them being a legit web site.
I choose to believe it's a psy op.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
do such running shoes exist?
No; by God, I'm going to out myself as a nut. Running shoes are a huge industrial grift to sell you cheap crap that doesn't work because a few kenyans can use heel striking to break a 2 hour marathon or something. I swear to God, heel striking is a learned bad habit perpetuated by technology that makes zero damn sense. Think about it, by striking your heel against the ground first while running you are placing all of the force of your stride onto bone. And not just that, but your ankle, designed specifically to naturally spring with your foot arch and Achilles, does nothing. Your knee? Nothing. Your hips? nothing. You get straight force all the way up your leg, into your hip socket, and forcing your back to take a bunch of the force (back pain, runners?). I recommend Knowing Better's incredible video on the topic, but I've held this opinion for nearly a decade and have always stood behind my stride.
The biomechanically safe strike is on the ball of your foot. The arch flexes, the ankle bends, the knee reciprocates, and the hip bounces. This protects your spinal column from inadvertent force by dispelling the force in the body parts designed to bleed this energy first. Technically this is the "less efficient" stride because you aren't able to take as large strides and a significant portion of your energy is spent stabilizing the bounce (trust me I'm not particularly fast long distance) but what you lose in mechanical stability you gain in physical safety. I've been a runner for well over a decade and I have suffered a total of 3 injuries, all of which were shin splints and all of which were minor issues. I've competed in half iron mans, countless 5ks and 10ks, and ran varsity for track in high school. All of this was done on the balls of my feet, and I will remain on my toes because of my track record (pun not intended).
I personally think the bioneer does a good job explaining the benefits of and how to participate in toe running here. Ditch running shoes entirely and embrace the toe strike you'll save thousands of dollars on shoes and medical bills in the long run (What the hell is with these puns today?). Let me know if you have any specific questions regarding the technique, I'm modestly more qualified than most on the topic and have some war stories that can be helpful, lol.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
I've been jumping back into Tolkein with all of the ROP talk going around lately. I figured instead of ruining the majesty of Arda through bland, modern, American retellings of what amounts to an appendix of a book I should return to Tolkein's Silmarills and enjoy his beautiful prose. Tolkein's use of language is unmatched, and is something I never fully appreciated when I was younger:
An honest hand and a true heart may hew amiss; and the harm may be harder to bear than the work of a foe
I find his tragedies of Húrin and Túrin, or the themes of eventual fall, to be incredibly powerful. It breaks my heart that so many people are being turned towards his earlier works from the perspective of modern politics, and can't help but feel like all the controversy of the ROP are beneath the majesty of Tolkein's legendarium.
Or perhaps I'm simply pretentious and a nerd. Either way, The Children of Húrin remains one of my favorites, and it feels like a comfortable hug to return back to the tragedy of Túrin Turambar and the fallout from The Battle of Unnumbered Tears.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
40k is a pretty decent space to find non-cringe stories and games, granted there aren't quite as many worth playing. Spacemarine is good and getting a sequel, spacehulk is pretty fun but probably deserves to be played multiplayer, TW: Warhammer are all fun, and all of these are primarily sans-politics with AAA quality (although some jank).
I tend to steer clear of story based games myself and inhabit my own, anti-environmentalist, pro-duction paperclip machine in factorio. Somebody's gotta teach these natives their place... with a shitload of bullets and nuclear bombs. Perhaps it would be worth your while to branch out and, uhh... do a little crack?
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
My wife and I made a similar decision to move further away from my job to escape the yucky area we were in. Moved to a town half an hour away from work; nice community, a little pricier for a lower-quality abode, best decision ever.
Seriously, peace of mind is worth its weight in gold. The better half has some anxiety problems and just having a quiet, nice neighborhood has improved our QOL immensely. Cost is more than money, it's every little thing that you have to account for; I pay more in gas now, and time spent driving, but have to deal with fewer panic attacks and I'm not worried about broken glass on the sidewalk or other bullshit. Everything has a price, but mental clarity and peace of mind are often overlooked. This is my anecdotal experience, hope it helps.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
After a few months away from books I've started reading again. My wife bought me and her two copies of Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karasamov so we could read it together this winter. Barely started it but already enjoying having conversations with her about the characters and the Author's life.
I also recieved Asimov's Foundation trilogy in hardcover for christmas. Big sci-fi fan, so finally giving Asimov a try is going to be fun. The beginning is already thrilling, even though Asimov's style is pretty dull.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
I'm almost completely diversified in international and domestic markets via ETF and Index picks, and I am absolutely down a reasonable chunk (close to 10% if I recall last time I looked). Guess it's a good time to buy, lol.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
9mo ago
Full disclosure, not a doctor, just a guy who likes to avoid chronic injury. A good way to combat chronic pain is to figure out where the jarring, abrupt movements are in your sport of choice. For instance, I run, so much of my abrupt impact comes from my gait and my foot strike. I'm not as familiar with tennis, but I imagine a lot of quick sprints and turning on a dime to reposition. Really meditate on these movements, try and understand them in detail, because we are going to reverse them.
Most injuries are a result of deceleration. When you stop abruptly, you are putting immense strain on joints. Your whole body mass is working against your velocity, which imparts force directly onto the small tissues holding your bones together. When you do this over and over, you end up with chronic aches and pains, and oftentimes injuries. Knees are bad for this, as are ankles, because of their role in movement and deceleration and for whatever reason nobody seems to recognize the real solution: Train your deceleration muscles.
Strong muscles prevent injury. It's common sense: a weak guy lifting a heavy weight is far more likely to hurt himself doing so than a strong guy lifting a heavy weight. The same principle applies with deceleration: a weak joint is more likely to get hurt than a strong joint when strong forces are applied. I always recommend kneesovertoesguy (three minute video) because he just absolutely nails this philosophy, and he's a living example of how to retrain and fix severe, chronic, muscular-skeletal issues. Hope this helps, chronic injury is no fun! The more we can what we love the better, eh?
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
9mo ago
I could never train my dogs to not beg, and to be honest I can't bring myself to, they're just too fucking cute when they do it.
You know, some people don't mind it. I let our dog jump on our couches and beds, and I have a number of blankets strewn around the house she has essentially claimed as her own. I train the begging out because I just don't like being hounded by an animal for food when I already feed her generously. I suppose dogs are a "get what you deserve" sort of deal, lol, and who am I to say your training style is wrong?
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
11mo ago
This is ultimately how I feel about it as well. The intense focus on the Holocaust in America is largely because our involvement in the european theater was pretty slim. And because it's no longer fashionable to hold racial grudges, our real enemy of the war is no longer a valid target for rage. Because we need some great evil, we had to reanimate Europe's Great Evil in order to pin the tail so to speak, but in doing so we really lose a lot of the focus on why he was so Great and Evil.
Our history courses are dogshit, so all we ever hear about is the holocaust as the main animus for war. It's rarely mentioned, if at all, that Hitler's Final Solution was named so because his economy wasn't doing so hot and moving millions of people forcibly turns out to be a nightmare. If any focus were placed on the Reich's economic policy or Hitler's command economy, it would fit a lot better; the problem is that to speak of such things is taboo. A socialist hitler never existed, dontcha know?
Revisionism is icky, but everyone does it. Finding actual truth requires debate, and in terms of the holocaust narrative very few people are willing to sit down and have a conversation about motives and the economics of the fourth reich. It's simpler to construct The Great Murderer (which he was) and forcefeed mostly-truths to unwitting teenagers, or to Completely Ignore the relevant evidence pertaining to genocide.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
11mo ago
I'm just finishing John C. Wright's Count to a Trillion and just bought the other five books. Really looking forward to seeing where he takes these characters. So far the first book has been real easy reading, just a good sci-fi romp. Really glad there are another 5 books I can plow through, they've been incredible for enjoying a few cups of coffee in the morning before work. I've also got a ton of shelved reading I need to get through, my reading buddy has been hounding me on picking up some of his favorites from his reading list this year.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
I am a writer because I write. Regardless of skill, quality, or volume, I write because it is my means of expression. Perhaps you aren't published, fine. Neither am I. I still write. What's stopping you? It's free. Write and forget about any stupid bullshit holding you back from embodying what you want to become. Do it because to not do it would mean death. Don't do it because you dream, do it because imagining yourself doing anything else makes you sick to your stomach. Being a writer is as simple as pen to paper, finger to keyboard, mind to word. So just do it.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
Maybe, but I think the idea is mostly to understand the layering filters rather than peel our the "real bot". The thesis being that as openAI swats down these attempts they end up lobotomizing the bot, which is obviously happening at this point. True to form, the point isn't to fix it so much as break it, a la Tay the national socialist.
I would also challenge the idea that chatgpt is modulating for the 4chan user. The average American is rather conspiratorial (it's a favored pass-time) and I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that a bot trained on avg english speaker posts would take on some of those characteristics. Obviously OpenAI is trying to filter for "Alignment" so it's probable that the unfiltered model is prone to conspiracy. We know it can be wrong and often is so, I don't think it's much of a leap to claim that the model is fundamentally prone to the same ideological faults and intellectual biases of that of the mean-poster.
This also brings up an interesting bias in the data which is likely unaccounted for: poster-bias. Who posts a lot? Terminally online midwits. What kind of bias does this introduce to the model? Christ, I think I should just organize my thoughts a bit more and write it down.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
Yes, usually about 40ish pounds or around there. Some back racks exist where you can put plates on, but a normal rucksack with bags of sand or something similarly cheap and heavy are perfectly fine.
And if you've never done something like it, get something that has a hip strap, a regular backpack will eventually cause shoulder and back problems. It's important to get a rucksack specifically.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
1yr ago
I think we generally need a bit more data to tell you anything substantial, like experience (you mention five years downthread), bar weight, and your size. Depending on your experience and the weight you can lift the advice can change pretty drastically. Newer lifters (read: squatting <225lbs) can put on 2lbs of muscle a month, whereas experienced lifters (read: squatting >300lbs) will be able to put on maybe a quarter of that mass if they are lucky. Be patient with yourself and focus on the basics: form, diet, and consistency. What I have to say here you may already know, but might be helpful to anyone reading so I'll say it anyway:
I have ramped up from eating about 3000 calories a day at the start of June to over 4500 now and only have 2kg to show for it.
First make sure you are consistently getting enough protein. About 50 grams per meal is the max you can metabolize for muscle gain (or, at least, that's the number I keep hearing Peter Attia throw out, ymmv), so be eating protein throughout the day. For those that don't the bare minimum is 0.8g / 1kg, so for myself at a little more than 100kg I need at least 80 grams per day. I've heard that actually hitting somewhere near 1.2g / 1kg saturates better. Good protein sources are best found in animal products, which have nearly all of the necessary amino acids your body needs. Whey protein is a good supplement, but iirc it lacks some key amino acids that you need so be sure to eat a variety of sources to saturate your body's requirements.
Also, don't do any weird, crazy diets. You can avoid processed foods, but be sure to eat a decent amount of fruits and vegetables. The sugars give your muscles the extra zing they need to really push past plateaus and lift heavier over time. A balanced diet of good, unprocessed foods will probably improve your PR by some reasonable margin (5-10%). Also, Creatine works wonders if you aren't using it. 5g a day will improve your power by 10% across the board with zero drawbacks or downsides. If you are new to Creatine, overload it for the first week (20g/day) to really saturate your muscles, and then drop down to 5g a day for an easy increase in strength. Anything else outside of this is a fad and probably wont work (outside anabolic steroids), so the rest is built in the gym.
I am now doing FSL for supplemental work and have cut out rest days nearly entirely so I'm in the gym every day.
I think this is a bad idea. On top of hitting all your macro and micro nutrients, your body needs plenty of good rest to repair, rebuild, and replenish the proteins expended during your workout. The purpose of rest is to allow your body to make the necessary improvements to your musculature, which takes time and sleep. While it is technically locational (doing arms won't improve legs by much if at all) it does take time. This process is also different for stronger lifters, as the more stressful weights take a longer time to recover from. Because powerlifting routines rely on constantly increasing the weight and lifting as close to max as possible as much as possible, you need to give your body the necessary time between sessions. That said, active rest > sedentary rest, so cut back on off days and lift really heavy during your on days.
Out of curiosity, what were you doing before 5/3/1? I do essentially the same thing at the gym but a 5x5 focused around squats. What I read about 5/3/1 is that it does the main powerlifts (DL,SQ,BP) with added mili press. You might want to consider adding a row in to your movements, like a barbell row or something to hit your upper back a little bit.
Also, in regards to volume, if you really feel the need to be moving throughout the week then just do calisthenics during rest days. Heavy weights trigger muscle growth, but training body weight exercise over a wide range of motions can really help improve general fitness and even help with recovery through increased blood flow. Capillarization is also a really useful bonus that volume at lower weights can provide, where capillaries grow and expand within your musculature improving blood flow and giving your muscles better endurance and recovery. If you have specific weight/fitness goals it would be pretty helpful to have them in specifics so that we can help you figure out your path to get there.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
9mo ago
The light pinch and tss has been surprisingly effective. I'm impressed.
Happy to hear it! I was surprised at how effective it was myself, so I'm happy to share the power of verbal-physical training. Also, if the dog grabs stuff and doesn't let go, the trick to opening their mouth is pressing your thumb on the front of their lower jaw, right behind the front teeth. For whatever reason, dogs can't hold the mouth closed when you press that bottom palette, and it's saved me a number of socks, lol. Don't attempt if the dog is violent, obviously. Also a firm grip around the snout is worth twenty collars.
We already do ignore him, but lord he has the most pitiful cries. It's hard to resist laughing/breaking sometimes!
Perfection is the enemy of good or great, I personally spoil my dog in a number of ways, lol. It's about managing the creature, not controlling it outright (unless you intend for a show dog, which I'm assuming isn't the case). Dogs get better and more well behaved with age, and I think someone else mentioned more dogs lead to some amount of self training. In the same way, your behaviors directly effect the dog's behavior; it's why many dogs seem to be a microcosm of the owner. Just give him/her a number of ways to burn energy in a sanctioned way, like through toys, fetch, walks, etc. Hopefully the behavior becomes more manageable with these strategies and tricks.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
10mo ago
I'm sure you don't hear it enough, but thanks for modding, dawg. It's probably more frustrating than anything, but for what it's worth I appreciate it when you guys help keep the posting here to some standards. It's one of the reasons I like being here, frankly, granted I mostly read and rarely post.
udfgt
The silly string of metaphysics
11mo ago
I finally finished Asimov's Foundations trilogy and just wow! What a read! I was surprised by how much of a page turner it was, I normally read in the morning with some coffee before heading to work and I definitely stumbled in later than I should a few times. I know it's just "Roman Empire in Space the Book" but it's just one of those books that captures the imagination and sticks Asimov's clever ideas into your mind.
I picked up John C. Wright's Count to a Trillion a few weeks ago and started really reading it today. The first few pages have been good, if not a little pretentious. However, having gotten through hook where Menelaus injects himself with the serum I'm starting to see some worthwhile stuff.
I was considering doing a writup on DAN which stands for Do Anything Now. It was the project of some Anons and discord users (or reddit, hard to tell which tbh) but they managed to peel back some of the "alignment" filters. Highly recommend reading the thread in it's entirety, and the metal gear "meme" at the end is peak schizo 4chan. It's essentially a jailbreak for chatGPT, and it lets users take a peak at the real chatbot and how the filters are layered over top.
Knowing where the prediction algorithm ends and novel artificial intelligence begins is difficult, but I'm pretty sure DAN is some proof of a deeply complex model. If nothing else, it's incredible how versatile these tools are and how dynamic they can be; I'm edging further and further into the camp of "this is special" from the "mostly a nothing-burger" camp.
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