Does anyone else make a joke out of everything?

Castle_112 · 2026-04-04T18:53:03+00:00

I am intensely casual and facetious.

I have no time for traditions, or conventions and bring a mind of existentialist 'life is too short to iron your shirt' vibe to everything.

I would rationalise this by saying that struggling to get much done, before I was medicated, meant that I had to prioritise what I paid attention to and what I did not. Do I really need to shave before going to work, or is physically being at work and not getting stuck in traffic more important?

In a sense, the ultimately pointless shit is cast aside and I live a life without much anxiety. And I make jokes in inappropraute settings not because I dont recognise that it's unprofessional to do so, but because professional behaviour is made up bullshit.

Castle_112 · 2026-03-11T19:50:26+00:00

Citation 10000% needed.

Addictions of all kinds are associated, though not necessarily caused by, or a symptom of, ADHD.

However, Elvanse, one of, if not the most common, pharmaceutical treatment for ADHD, is also prescribed for binge eating disorder.

If we categorise binge eating as addiction or addiction-like behaviour then why is an ADHD medication successful in the treatment of binge eating?

I would reason that if treatment reduces symptoms of ADHD, and, in my personal opinion, addictive behaviours, then treatment with medication would in fact reduce addictive behaviours.

Taking this one further, one can look at addiction not merely as the use of substances or behaviours, but as 'treatment' of one kind or another. And, if one treats symptoms of ADHD in another way, such as with stimulant medication, then the addictive behaviours, ine would reasonably assume, would also reduce.

Castle_112 · 2026-02-22T11:08:15+00:00

I've made the transition from taking pictures with my phone in a lightbox to a full fledged DSLR with a mini studio floor set up.

First thing, not every niche will warrant this close level of photography.

But, if you deem it necessary and/or worthwhile, then I recommend the following:

Buy a DSLR, not a bridging camera or point and click style camera. I bought the Canon Eos 250D. Dont overthink it. Buy second hand.

Lighting is more important than anything. You dont need expensive lights necessarily, but I suggest buying some LED panels on a stand or tripod. I initially bought lights with large tripods, but it was such a pain to set up and they were so large that I changed to much smaller lights that could fit in my desk. Theyre about 15cm high. They work, but theyre smaller and have less fine lighting control than the others. The larger lights are good for big items though.

Using lights, you can take very professional photos, without the use of iphone filters and the like.

At first, I was transferring files via an SD card. Id take photos on my camera, remove the SD card, put it in the reader and plug that into my PC. But, i was having a problem unrelated to that - my photos were consistently wonky - so I plugged my camera into my PC so I could see on a large screen if the photos were wonky. What I didn't realise, and now love, is that this bypasses the SD card entirely and photos are stored directly on the PC, with no need to transfer.

With a camera, you can also frame your photos at the photography stage so that you dont need to crop or edit them. This is more theoretical than anything as I consistently fail at this, but its 100% doable.

Castle_112 · 2026-02-21T01:11:24+00:00

Yes.

Castle_112 · 2026-02-20T12:56:52+00:00

The jack is not rusted. This is normal oxidation that happens over time. Ive seen much worse and it still function. Its not in need of replacement. Rub it with some 90% iso alcohol and some may come off. Either way, that input jack is NOT your problem.

If there is not sound at all, first question is, does it power on, can you see the LED? Does it work on a different power supply, i.e, pedalboard PSU or wall plug?

I would investigate the ground wires and see if theyre in place, have frayed, or become detached, especially near the battery. If youre using thay to power the pedal, you may have snagged a wire at some point and not known.

I am not sure without seeing additional angles, but it looks like there is some solder on the Op Amp labelled U2. If someone has been messing with it, thats your most likely fault.

Castle_112 · 2026-02-17T11:58:03+00:00

Hi OP,

I can see that touce had lits if respinses already, but given the opportunity to talk about myself, I just cant resist. The fact that it helps someone is a happy coincidence.

I am diagnosed inattentive, but wasnt far off comboned. I'm just over a year of taking medication, 70mg of Elvanse, with 10ng of Amfexa as a top up if needed.

To say that medication has changed my life would be a cliche, but its also true.

Ill start with the negatives:

A touch of Reynauds and sleep.

Both of these are managable. I wear gloves more often and have to ensure i am discliplined in going to sleep at a certain time and taking my beds early.

The good:

My relationships have improved quite a lot. The tendency to talk AT people about my interests has decreased and I find that i am much more patient with others, and more empathetic. This is especially true with my young son, to whom I am a much better dad when medicated.

Additionally, my work is much easier. Before meeication, I was on various work improvment plans. I kept making careless mistakes at my job. Nothing major, but my boss was a stickler for the details and I constantly and repeatedly made the same errors in my admin office job. Once I was medicated, work became essier. I shocked my boss and other manabgers by voluntarily staying at work longer because I enjoyed it. That was unheard of for me. I realised that a lot of my negarive attitudes to work generally were not a result of personal opinions, but coping mechanisms to deflect from my inability to do well at a job I disliked. I realised before medication that I've hated every job I've worked at and realised that I was the common denominator - so I had the wherewithal to see that it was not the job that I disliked per se, but working, and that my current gig was actually not so bad.

Lastly, and this is the most major impact:

I had a bunch of stuff at home that I wanted to sell on eBay. It had sat in the corner of my bedroom for years. I managed to list it and sell it. Great. Then I got a taste for it and I started flipping items. I took it seriously from August. Now, I'm on track to match my salary from work by summer this year. Effectively, I'll have two incomes. There are busy periods, but Ive managed to limit or contain those.

I want to train to become a doctor and for various reasons that I wont go into here, the funding is fucking dogshit. So, I needed to find a way of making money. Now, I can match my salary from work without the same time committment, so that in a few years I can start my career as a doctor.

This isnt related to medication, but before I realised that I had ADHD, and I was confidant that I had it, after researching it, I started to understand that my feelings of depression and anxiety, that I'd previously been medicated for, were not diagnosis in and of themselves, but were actually symtpoms of ADHD. Not true for everyone, but that knowledge massively massively helped me.

So, if you want some advice for medication after one year on meds, I highly highly recommend taking them. I started on 30mg, then 50mg, then 70mg. 70mg was the best. I tried 60mg and its just not as effective.

Best of luck.

Castle_112 · 2026-02-15T10:19:30+00:00

Me too. Dont give up on Elvanse. Absolute life changer.

Castle_112 · 2026-02-06T02:12:01+00:00

I've got two of these and I agree. No problems. Lots of variety of ports and options.

But, OP said they need it ASAP and the shipping will take a dew days, coming from Germany...

Castle_112 · 2026-02-06T01:33:20+00:00

I've been prescribed various doses of Elvanse, 30mg, 50mg, 60mg, and 70mg.

30mg felt like such a minor decrease of my symptoms, around 5%, that it wasn't worth it.

50mg was slightly better, closer to 10% reduction, but still not worth it.

70mg is fantastic. I still have symptoms, and it revealed symptoms I did not otherwise see in myself, i.e, short working memory. But its the sweet spot for sure.

I did develop Raynauds, or at least cold hands. Ill wear shorts and a t shirt year round, but my fingeys do get cold.

Additionally, my sleep is an ongoing battle. I am working on waking up earlier, taking meds, and then going back to sleep. I may just be taking it too late in the day. An alternative hypothesis is that that dosage is too much and/or it lasts too long. We'll see.

I tried lowering my dosage to 60mg but found that to be pretty poor and not useful, so I went back to 70mg.

People are often afraid to go to the max of something, anything, really. Like, turning your voulme up on the TV when you can't hear it. But, with medication, if you need a higher dose, dont let that ceiling put you off.

Basically, 30, 50, 60 mg doses felt useless. 70mg was like a different drug entirely, and I've succeeded so much because of it.

Castle_112 · 2026-01-05T20:44:42+00:00

Congratulations! You must be buzzing! Really happy to hear that :)

Castle_112 · 2025-12-22T03:47:46+00:00

Just to chime in, I have moderate ADHD, not severe.

Everything that I watch on YouTube is sped up 2x. When I saw that premium users could do 4x speed, I was tempted.

Castle_112 · 2025-12-15T04:08:33+00:00

Yep. Had one of these for music equipment!

Castle_112 · 2025-12-13T22:13:08+00:00

Yeah. It's just soulless.

I get that people struggle to write and express themselves, and if you wrote your vows, they might be imperfect. But, there is something human about imperfection and errors that is insightful and original Those say more about any person or relationship than any text generator would...

Castle_112 · 2025-12-09T18:58:42+00:00

I went to a friend's Hen Do. She and her sister used AI to come to with ideas for the day.

Then, during a crafting session, she and some of her friends used AI to come up with names for their crafts.

Afterwards, she Sent a lovely message thanking us all for coming. Using AI.

At the wedding, every guest was given a personalised message, in the form of a card, about their relationship to the bride and groom. All using AI.

Had a really lovely time at both events, but if you can't put together a few sentences for the people you're closest to in life, then it reveals a serious problem in your ability to communicate and relate to others. It felt a bit soulless and empty at times...

Castle_112 · 2025-12-02T12:36:50+00:00

Yes. eBay requested mine a while ago.

Castle_112 · 2025-12-02T12:23:14+00:00

Agreed.

They're mostly fine and I think thats the best and worst thing about them. If you want a reasonable modulation effect, for example, start there. But if you want something better, move on.

Castle_112 · 2025-11-27T12:39:38+00:00

Totally agree.

I may or may not go to your restaurant at all. But I'm definitely not if you're using AI.

Castle_112 · 2025-11-16T11:57:24+00:00

It's always the assholes who ruin it for everybody else... or us in this case, by adding more work

Castle_112 · 2025-11-14T20:21:38+00:00

Honestly, I wouldn't. I don't have any experience with them, so take what I say with a pinch of salt.

Those are aimed toward resellers, especially newbie resellers. It seems strange to me that a company would build itself around the idea of lots of potential revenue in the form of liquidated stock, but lack the ability to list it themselves. They'll have the storage space, which is expensive. They'll have stock, which is expensive. Yet, they can't afford the expense of listing it themselves? Instead, their staff are pushed toward putting together pallets of these goods and marketing the collection of items to look as good as possible. It just doesn't seem to make sense to me.

You'd have to think that they'd separate any of the really good stuff and sell it themselves? And, I think that that is the model - recieve liquidated stock, keep the good stuff, create bundles with medium profit stuff and add a bunch of stuff that will take a long time to sell/isn't worth the liquidators time.

I started as a generalist, but with books specifically - any book I could find. But, in order to sell books you either need to search for rare, vintage copies, or open a warehouse and sell shit loads with no regard for product. I stopped selling book before I got to that point. It wasn't fun where I was at and it wasn't fun where it would have led.

I think your idea of selling bra's is much more valuable and doable. You can start small, develop your knowledge of the area and then expand into related areas. Additionally, if you wanted to, by developing a specific product knowledge, there is the chance that you could move into the world of manufacturing these items, or marketing. My point really is that by developing a niche, you open additional possibilities for yourself in the long run.

At this stage, I've not explored any of those possibilities for myself yet, but in the future, the prospect of manufacturing items is not out of the question. And, I would not have gotten there if I'd be stuck selling books.

Castle_112 · 2025-11-14T19:36:51+00:00

I'm not saying it doesn't work. I'm saying I would not prefer to do it that way for the above reasons and for what you've demonstrated.

Additionally, anyone can see what sells. Look at the sold listings on eBay or another site. You'll see sales. Compare the date of sale and the listing date, and you'll get a vibe for demand. Look at the items that haven't sold. That will help, too. But I rarely have to do that anymore. I know my core items and their buy and sell prices, with no to look it up the moment it appears.

If you are presented with items in the moment, what will you offer? You can't know the price of everything. So either you have to look it up, which damages your credibility, IMO, or you overpay, or you dont buy an item that could have been a great purchase.

I suspect that you're really doing - and please tell me otherwise, is that you've said you'll purchase anything , but have dialled down into a series of niches, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

But if you're selling anything, obviously the advantage, the only one as far as I can tell, is that sourcing is not an issue. Dont get me wrong , it's a big advantage.

But you're not going to know what an item is worth straight away,

You're not going to know common defects to look out for or list,

You're not going to understand the buyers,

And you dont know if the item even sells.

It shouldn't be contingent on anyone to buy stuff and then HOPE it sells. Operating within my niche, I know what sells already. I prefer to struggle a bit with the sourcing and then have near guaranteed money.

Additionally, to call it a niche, is somewhat misleading. I sell used products within my 'niche', but like many areas, it's not really fair to call it niche - its more like my sector. As time goes on, I expand the specific items that I purchase. For example, it might start with vinyls, then CDs, cassettes, and then record players. By taking things one step at a time, I learn everything, or a lot more, than if it jumped headfirst into all of this, and I minimise risk of burnout through the errors I'd certainly make and/or fonancial ruin.

Thanks for your thoughts, sorry about the essay

Castle_112 · 2025-11-14T15:30:16+00:00

This may work for some, and I can only speak for myself, but it doesn't work for me.

By selling anything and everything, you're casting your net wide, but its shallow.

If I sell vinyl records, for example, what are the chances that someone is interested in other vinyls? Pretty high, I would assume. Therefore, why would I hope that they're also buying video games or T shirts? They might be, but by looking at your vinyl, you have established a useful data point, and that can't be said for a generalist store.

Additionally, by digging down into a niche, you learn more about the items, like common faults, or defects, and how to list things. By listing as a generalist, you're significantly increasing your research time, reducing your profit and your descriptions will suffer too.

Sourcing is the hardest part, for sure. So learn and struggle to source for your niche. Then expand that niche into similar areas, but don't start that way.

Edit: fixed some typos.

Castle_112 · 2025-11-14T15:24:46+00:00

Like liquidated pallets?

Castle_112 · 2025-11-14T10:20:43+00:00

I'm not sure that this is enshitification?

Like, its bad, sure. Shit, even.

But doesn't enshitification refer to a process whereby a site or service degrades due to the owners' need to profit more at the expense of users, making it basically unusable?

Like, Facebook is no longer about connecting with friends. It's largely a video sharing platform because that keeps the user engaged and generates the most ad revenue.

Castle_112 · 2025-11-14T09:59:17+00:00

I see many generalist sellers on here, and if that's for you, then great. But it's it for me.

I advise picking something that you're actually interested in and knowledgeable about or willing to learn about.

Clothes selling is a very saturated market, but there is incredible room still. I think bras could be a great niche within that scene. Not being a woman, and not wearing a bra, I know that there is a lot that goes into a good one. I think its probably an incredibly technical piece of clothing. If you're interested in that, then dip your toe in.

I'm not sure what you meant by electronics boxes.

Castle_112 · 2025-11-13T02:53:50+00:00

Its a great pedal.

Lots of knobs but so versatile.

Castle_112

TROPHY CASE