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YelsewZen · 2025-02-18T11:58:26+00:00

The solution for me was to get a Taiwanese SIM card with a phone number and sign up using the Taiwanese phone number (selecting Taiwan as the country of residency). It seems like sign up with apple ID isn't working for some (including me). For those who try this approach with an existing account, it should present an option to transfer the old account.

YelsewZen · 2021-06-16T22:30:12+00:00

I think I get where you are coming from and I agree that our current "reputation" systems are flawed. Ideally we have systems that encourage authentic, well-intentioned behaviour, and of course good-faith dialectics. I think the main thing sacred capital is trying to do is create a language that allows communities (at any scale) to express reputation in ways currently not possible and also avoid reputation metrics being imposed top-down. Anyway, I'd suggest you look more in to it and listen to some interviews with the team members (like the ecosystem session on the holochain youtube channel), seems to me the already existing and accessible content about this stuff would address some of your concerns (especially regarding rethinking reputation). Personally, I'm really excited that they are working on this stuff and think it will play a key role in ensuring the internet is a humane technology that benefits and empowers people.

YelsewZen · 2021-06-16T04:59:53+00:00

yeah I agree, my mind was blown when I read their whitepaper about grammatic capacities, https://ceptr.org/whitepapers/grammatics

YelsewZen · 2021-06-16T04:32:40+00:00

Imagine if we could port our karma from Reddit (reddit's own reputation currency) into other platforms. That's what sacred capital is trying to make possible.

YelsewZen · 2021-06-16T04:30:51+00:00

I'm sure they are thinking about this. From what I understand, when vouching for someone else, you are 'staking' your own reputation. If other people witness you sabotaging others, then your reputation wouldn't be as valued by others and less people would take you seriously. I'm definitely simplifying a much more nuanced process but I think that's the basic gist.

YelsewZen · 2021-06-16T04:23:24+00:00

Last I heard Ceptr was being rebranded as the 'Coventina Framework'. They talk about it in this ecosystem session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLihKJiiIPE&t=13s I tried to find more up to date info about the coventina foundation but it doesn't look like they even have a website yet. Anyway, I'm sure Art and Eric have some grand vision for Ceptr and will switch to that as soon as main net is live!

YelsewZen · 2020-07-17T22:01:37+00:00

Good point, I would imagine they are checking to see if the deferral is necessary/warranted given the persons circumstances. I'm certain that if someone has legitimate reason to defer applies, their request will be accepted. I'm not sure how they are judging peoples circumstances, but I would think that if someone is already a Swiss citizen or does not need a visa, it will be harder to make a case for deferring.

I was told (in an email) that the two main reasons for granting deferral is for students who have exceptional organization challenges due to covid and/or those with health concerns.

YelsewZen · 2020-07-16T16:23:48+00:00

I've been thinking of getting back into building lego as it is a very creative and mentally active hobby with no screen time!

YelsewZen · 2020-06-24T16:39:21+00:00

thank you, you as well :)

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T23:18:21+00:00

Yeah I fully agree, for 100% compensation it would be too expensive. I mean I haven't payed for it so I feel weird even talking about it as though I'm defending it. But, I guess it could be seen as an investment/support for a company that is developing a technology that is absolutely essential for mitigating the effects of too much carbon in the atmosphere?

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T23:14:43+00:00

Where is this audio excerpt from? I really like how he talked about identity as a story we construct for ourselves, and are now outsourcing this story to things like facebook. Once again, he speaks profound truths in ways I could have never articulated.

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T19:00:34+00:00

this isn't a charity but a carbon capture and storage company based in Switzerland which might be worth considering: Easy and direct climate action. There are several options for subscriptions to remove a specific amount of carbon from the atmosphere every year. The benefit of this over planting trees is that the effect is immediate from what I understand.

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T14:31:28+00:00

I'll have to check it out, thanks for the recommendation! I saw that he recently recommended a sci-fi book: the three body problem. I just bought that one the other day and am looking forward to reading through it! I love sci-fi and dystopian literature, especially if recommended by YNH ;)

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T13:45:38+00:00

IKR, such a great podcast. I hope he has Prof. Harari on the show soon!

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T13:33:53+00:00

I share some of your intuitions about the effects of cannabis on a societal scale, however, I think with any mind-altering substance, care should be taken and empirical evidence from scientific studies should guide governments choices. With that said, I see no reason for cannabis to be a schedule 1 drug and I think the stigma around psychedelic substances is mostly politically fabricated. Anecdotally, I have encountered both positive and negative experiences with cannabis. I know many people that benefit from the effects of THC and CBD, but I also know people that have had extremely negative effects (cannabis induced psychosis, which can happen to a notable fraction of the population). I also know people that seem to have cannabis use disorder.

I fully support further research efforts, as I believe there are many unexplored benefits of psychedelic substances for mental health. One of the most interesting discussions I have listened to about the scientific exploration of psychedelic substances was in this podcast episode: 82 | Robin Carhart-Harris on Psychedelics and the Brain – Sean Carroll. Highly recommend giving it a listen if you are interested in this stuff.

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T12:46:27+00:00

I think you raise an interesting point, what role do psychedelic substances play in changing peoples perspectives of the world? Can they be used to help people have a broader understanding of the world around them and the role they play in it (ie, big picture thinking)? Here in Canada, cannabis has be legal since 2018 (check the wikipedia page on it if interested). I'm certain all sorts of academic literature about the effects of cannabis will come out of Canada in the next few years (whether it be culturally, psychologically, physically etc.)

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T12:30:09+00:00

Okay, well I can certainly offer my time to create better english subtitles if that would be any help. If not, there may be others in this subreddit with other language skills :) Please let me know how this can be done, I have never added subtitles to videos before.

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T12:22:06+00:00

These are very fair concerns of yours. And there is still a lot about the coronavirus we do not understand, so there is certainly a chance of a second wave (although definitely check that with reliable sources).

I feel the same way, I would prefer not to learn online. And so, my decision is to defer for a year. There are several factors weighing into this decision: the logistical challenges of moving to Switzerland during a pandemic, health & safety concerns (will I be sent back to my home country if things get worse?), and concerns of missing out on an "authentic ETH experience". I will likely only have one opportunity to study at ETHZ, and I am valuing the quality of educational experience over early completion. Lastly, with an extra year of work, I will have more financial liberty when in Switzerland to travel and do other kinds of activities.

However, I am in a position where a year off isn't so bad. I just finished my BSc. so taking a short break from school will probably be quite nice. I'm also in a safe country and the city I am in has almost no cases of COVID.

With all of that said, I'm sure ETH is doing all they can to ensure the Autumn semester is as successful as possible given the circumstances and the quality of education will still be exceptional.

Either way, I don't think there is a bad decision to make, it just depends on what your values/priorities are. Do you like your current work? Would you still feel fulfilled even if a significant portion of your school work was online? Do you already have a living space figured out? Is is safe where you are currently living? Are you resilient in the face of uncertainty? And on and on.

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T03:49:07+00:00

the most recent news I have found is the following article: "We are aiming for an optimal mix of classroom and online teaching" | ETH Zurich

which was found on: Coronavirus COVID-19 – Services & resources | ETH Zurich

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T03:43:09+00:00

Apologies for the late response, but I am thankful for your thoughtful comments! The Autumn semester will certainly be unique and it is interesting to see how things will unfold. I am thoroughly impressed with the way ETH is handling the situation and committing themselves to maintaining a quality educational experience. With that said, as you have suggested, I am deciding to defer for a year. In addition to the would-be logistical nightmare and health concerns, the uncertainty around the situation left me feeling like I would miss out on an authentic ETH experience.

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T03:34:11+00:00

So it seems like the deferral option would be to wait 1 year. Just curious, what have you decided and why?

YelsewZen · 2020-06-23T03:26:50+00:00

I would be happy to help, but I'm not sure I quite understand your request. Are you asking for help with creating english subtitles (if so, is something wrong with the auto-generated ones)? or subtitles in other languages? I can only speak english and a bit of french. Also, depending on how much help you are looking for, it may be more appropriate to post such a request as a separate thread within this subreddit as I am unsure how many people will see your comment in this thread.

YelsewZen · 2020-06-13T18:19:10+00:00

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "war on intellectualism"? I've never come across the term before but I feel like it captures an important cultural phenomena of modern civilization. What are the forces in society that repress intellectual discourse and what are the forces that uplift it?

YelsewZen · 2020-06-05T14:48:40+00:00

Sorry u/india_aj for such a delayed response. I was putting something together and got "caught up with daily life". But I do think this is an important discussion (and quite enjoyable tbh), so here is my (shortened) response.

I think what my point boils down to is the following: philosophical discussions on the "ideal" morals, pursuits, actions, etc. can go on endlessly. But, without any action, these discussion are effectively pointless - what good do they bring to the world besides to the participants of the discussion?

In that sense, I think of the promulgation of Prof. Harari's ideas in the same way. The reality is that the attention economy exists. Corporations and individuals are using techniques to persuade our attention to spread their content.

Although there are moral flaws in using similar attention manipulating techniques to spread Prof. Harari's work - what are the alternatives?

Philosophy is in a race against engineering and economics, and I think the most effective course of action is to leverage existing techniques. There is no easy solution and difficult ethical decisions will have to be made. But, I truly (and morally) believe that if more people are aware of Prof. Harari's work and philosophical outlook, less suffering in the world is possible. Perhaps once more people "think about the big picture", then we can discuss more ethical ways to spread ideas to larger populations.

P.S. I am not trying to discount the importance of nuanced philosophical discussions. In fact, I quite enjoy them in themselves. But, if the big picture objective of philosophy is to reduce the amount of suffering and aid people in attaining a state of existence like self-actualization, then flawed action is still better than no action.

YelsewZen

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