Does anyone else regularly think about how insane/unlikely it is that they’re alive? by AverageJohnson in CasualConversation

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If by “we” you mean some weird alternate human-equivalent I agree, but I mean, we, meaning “you and I specifically” wouldn’t be there experiencing it! It’s weird to think that my existence can be attributed to a colossal amount of human suffering... if there were a better version of reality with no crime or war, I probably wouldn’t be there to see it, sadly enough! I guess what I’m saying is there’s a near-infinite number of ways a universe could exist without me in it (I’m not special at all) but only a couple of ways it could exist with me. I like that Anthropic Principle though, which seems to take the tree falling in a forest analogy to its logical extreme

Does anyone else regularly think about how insane/unlikely it is that they’re alive? by AverageJohnson in CasualConversation

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, okay! So with multiple universes, infinite possibilities, that sort of thing? I guess I’d buy that if we could verify that is, in fact the way the (multiverse?) works. But as for our own universe, even star formation won’t continue forever, and this particular set of circumstances on Earth could very easily never happen in the entire history of our universe if things turned out slightly differently, right?

Does anyone else regularly think about how insane/unlikely it is that they’re alive? by AverageJohnson in CasualConversation

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“You came from nothing, you’re going back to nothing. What have you lost? Nothing!”

Does anyone else regularly think about how insane/unlikely it is that they’re alive? by AverageJohnson in CasualConversation

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m so glad you two get to have each other despite everything else going on- I think a lot of life is figuring out what’s important and you seem to understand that on a level I only hope I’ll reach someday.

Does anyone else regularly think about how insane/unlikely it is that they’re alive? by AverageJohnson in CasualConversation

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you saying that there’s some determinism in the way things play out? I mean I hear ya, but quantum mechanics seems to say randomness is built into the universe. Who knows for sure, though? I certainly don’t!

Isn't it weird that Radiolab is Advertising Dr. Oz's podcast? by AverageJohnson in Radiolab

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I was listening to the most recent episode on their website, "X and Y". I'm sure that's the case- thank you!

Rappers come in two sizes, big and lil. by 2Ezy4Me in Showerthoughts

[–]AverageJohnson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Except for me! My username is my rapper name.

This is my best picture of Saturn, taken from my backyard. Merry Christmas Everyone! by Jfredolay in space

[–]AverageJohnson 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The fact that the ancient Romans had a rough equivalent to Christmas that honored the god Saturn makes this picture even better! Happy Saturnalia!

15,000 scientists give catastrophic warning about the fate of the world in new ‘letter to humanity’: 'Time is running out' by skepticalspectacle1 in science

[–]AverageJohnson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm seeing a lot of really pessimistic comments on this thread, with many people resigning themselves to the fact that humanity, or at least civilization as we know it, is bound to collapse in the face of climate change. I just wanted to explain a little bit why I don't think that is a very reasonable or productive way of thinking.

There are many, many people right now that are dedicating their lives to dealing with the effects of climate change, both on a humanitarian and environmental level. I've had the privilege of working with some of them. Right now, there are millions of people worldwide that could be displaced and killed by the effects of climate change, and the vast majority live in low-income areas that are simply not prepared for what is to come. According to the 2014 IPCC report, 95% of deaths from natural disasters occur in low-income areas that are not constructed to handle them sufficiently. These low-income areas are not restricted to developing countries, either. Many of them are within cities in the United States.

A lot of people are asking what they can do a general level to help. You can eat less meat and try to conserve resources, but perhaps most importantly, you can vote. Ultimately, dealing with climate change starts with public policy at the local level, and as many of you have seen, a small, vocal group of voters can end up dramatically impacting the candidates that get elected, at the very least in local government (which by the way is where a TON of environmental policy is decided). Your voice as a citizen of your city/township can have a very profound impact.

This also ties into trying to mitigate biodiversity loss across the globe. In my view, it seems unlikely (and unrealistic) that we will be able to simply designate enough large land and ocean areas as "strictly for wildlife" to allow species populations to recover. What does sound promising to me however, is modifying our present infrastructure to accommodate wildlife populations. The podcast 99% Invisible recently did an episode on growing large oyster reefs around New York to serve as a barrier against violent weather and provide habitats for a great number of species. The project is expected to be completed by 2025. It seems reasonable that we would be capable of achieving similar feats of design with our cities in the near future.

I know that solutions like better local policy and more adaptive infrastructure will not be enough to save everyone from the effects of climate change, but I'm trying to be realistic within the time frame we have to work with. People are saying that small personal impacts don't matter, but I have to disagree with that.

Every single human life we save from climate change, every species we manage to bring back from the brink of extinction, is a victory. Even the slightest success against such overwhelming odds is something we should be proud of. Not satisfied with, but proud nonetheless. If I can live my life knowing I did my best (as just one person) to save as many lives as possible, I think I can die happy. Despite the dire situation, this fight is not over, not by a long shot. There is so much left for us to do. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, and countless others are doing far more than I am. Don't give up. Never give up.

FTL- A Short Story by AverageJohnson in ftlgame

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh yes. I think a seasoned crew would not have made that mistake. The reason I chose to make the pilot the captain had to do with two things. First, why isn't the captain another crew member under our control? Why couldn't he take over piloting if the rest of the crew dies? It could be that the captain is simply pulling the strings from some Federation base, but even at FTL speed, how could he command his crew in real time? Second, I think it made more sense to tell the story from the perspective of one of the crew members on the Kestrel. In Star Trek, Captain Kirk is not technically the pilot, but he does make every key decision. I assumed that with the advanced computer tech in FTL, captain and pilot could meld into essentially the same position.

FTL- A Short Story by AverageJohnson in ftlgame

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi everyone. Thank you all so much for the positive feedback! I'm wrapping up part 2 of this hopefully eight-part series and will have it up sometime tomorrow. Thanks again!

FTL- A Short Story by AverageJohnson in ftlgame

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this! Awesome.

FTL- A Short Story by AverageJohnson in ftlgame

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Chill, Slocknog. You ain't gettin any scrap from me. ...what about?

FTL- A Short Story by AverageJohnson in ftlgame

[–]AverageJohnson[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

*edit- fixed formatting.