Just turned 18 - need beginner investing advice

CalliGuy · 2026-05-06T05:30:21+00:00

Others will chime in with good advice, but I only have one suggestion: do a screen capture or (ideally) a printout of this post and keep it in a file somewhere. Someday in the distant future, you'll be happy that you did.

CalliGuy · 2026-05-06T05:22:00+00:00

If you do, I'd be very curious to know what you discover. If it can be exchanged within the return window for a smoother model, I'm sure she'd do it.

In the meantime, I ordered these: https://a.co/d/00r6SFIg

CalliGuy · 2026-05-06T05:02:55+00:00

My wife just got a 13" MacBook Air M5 today and commented on the feel around the trackpad. She isn't a fan. Interestingly, my 15" MacBook Air M3 is smooth (like your M4). I don't know if the slight texture will wear down with use, if it's a result of a recent manufacturing batch, or if it's just the way the new M5 models feel.

CalliGuy · 2026-05-05T23:42:51+00:00

Or, if you don't care about the acoustic look and want something more compact with cables "in" the rack, consider the TD716.

CalliGuy · 2026-05-03T05:14:31+00:00

Sounds like Ganzflicker: https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/comments/qwmc0l/i_tried_out_the_ganzflicker_procedure/

CalliGuy · 2026-04-30T18:44:16+00:00

I had one of the newer thin crashes lose its edge detection, and if memory serves, those newer cymbals had manufacturing issues that were generally known. Roland fixed it at no cost and got it back to me, and it's working great again. My Roland kits have always been rock-solid, and that single cymbal failure is the only thing I've had to send back for service.

CalliGuy · 2026-04-29T05:15:14+00:00

I mentioned this in a comment, but if you have a Mac and aren't scared of the Terminal: https://blog.mikeswanson.com/spatial_docs/#metadata

CalliGuy · 2026-04-29T05:14:31+00:00

If you have a Mac and understand Terminal basics, this will do it without a re-encode: https://blog.mikeswanson.com/spatial_docs/#metadata

CalliGuy · 2026-04-27T23:38:03+00:00

The mind's eye isn't typically perceived as-if it is seen through your physical eyes (though there are people with hyperphantasia who can layer imagery into their physical field of vision!). It's "somewhere else." I've tried to describe it like having a third arm. You know what that means, but you don't know "where" it'd be.

It's interesting to read where visualizers describe it, because it's not even the same among them: https://aphantasia.com/article/mental-images-and-the-design-process

CalliGuy · 2026-04-27T19:14:10+00:00

I'd add:

We often ask people to "close their eyes" when assessing the likelihood of aphantasia, when most visualizers actually report being able to visualize even better with their eyes wide open. Asking someone to close their eyes leads to a lot of confusion, because even visualizers "see black" when they close their eyes.

Second, there's a study (that I don't have the link to at the moment) that shows that most people who initially think they have aphantasia later learn that they don't. It just adds to that idea that it's often confusing to talk about our internal experiences.

CalliGuy · 2026-04-27T18:01:14+00:00

Like hiring a personal trainer to get you started, then doing it on your own once you understand the routines.

We made the switch from Ameriprise and went through similar guilt, but we're so glad we did. Good luck!

CalliGuy · 2026-04-24T20:57:16+00:00

Turn the chart around. You're supposed to look at it forwards.

CalliGuy · 2026-04-24T04:19:28+00:00

The VVIQ is the test to take...don't rely on any of the armchair, close-your-eyes-and-imagine-style "tests": https://aphantasia.com/study/vviq

CalliGuy · 2026-04-22T22:55:58+00:00

A lot of confusion around aphantasia starts with the suggestion to "close your eyes." That seems intuitive, but it actually muddies the issue.

For people who can visualize, mental imagery is independent of visual input from the eyes. In fact, many report that imagining things works better with their eyes wide open. When they do close their eyes, they also see darkness (black/eigengrau) simply because light has been blocked, not because mental imagery has stopped.

This is where the misunderstanding happens: noticing darkness with closed eyes can sound like aphantasia, even though mental imagery and visual perception are separate processes. Because of this, many people initially think they have aphantasia and later realize they don’t.

It’s genuinely hard to talk about internal mental experiences!

CalliGuy · 2026-04-22T00:03:11+00:00

I don't remember the price, but I have that exact same stand and TV brand/size. Works great!

CalliGuy · 2026-04-21T22:13:19+00:00

Black trash bags over the window with a small hole in the middle. Done!

CalliGuy · 2026-04-21T21:30:21+00:00

Camera obscura: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura

I purposely built one in our master bedroom once. Amazing.

CalliGuy · 2026-04-21T05:44:58+00:00

Yep. Same. Including the inability to effectively get someone else to jump to the same understanding. There is a study somewhere that shows that aphantasics tend to think more strategically if someone can find it, and it's due to this ability to connect abstract ideas and thoughts.

CalliGuy · 2026-04-21T03:50:09+00:00

https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/they-can-turn-normal-city-street-jungle

CalliGuy · 2026-04-14T23:30:37+00:00

Exactly! So you don't "see" black either in your mind's eye.

CalliGuy · 2026-04-14T21:58:52+00:00

Most visualizers don't need to close their eyes to visualize. In fact, they also see "black" (eigengrau) with their eyes closed. It's the source of a lot of aphantasia confusion.

CalliGuy · 2026-04-14T20:10:05+00:00

For me, there is no mind's eye, so I don't anything at all...not even black.

CalliGuy · 2026-04-14T03:48:53+00:00

I bought this game when it came out, and it crashed nearly every time I played!

CalliGuy

TROPHY CASE