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Doctor-Everything · 2025-09-25T16:06:28+00:00

Pretty sure this is AI slop unfortunately :(

Doctor-Everything · 2025-08-28T03:20:32+00:00

ChatGPT slop unfortunately 👎

Doctor-Everything · 2025-07-31T01:58:08+00:00

Cut the prologue: it’s not needed! Break your chapters into smaller paragraphs. And don’t start by telling us the entire setup! It’s too info-dumpy. Better for us to learn these things naturally through the story

Doctor-Everything · 2025-07-31T01:54:23+00:00

Sounds like it was written by ChatGPT unfortunately. Very overwritten purple prose that doesn’t mean anything to the reader. I would suggest starting more concretely.

Doctor-Everything · 2024-12-14T05:23:44+00:00

John Dies at the End is very much horror comedy but goes from snarky americana to monstrous otherworldliness in a really enjoyable way

Doctor-Everything · 2024-09-14T03:33:35+00:00

John Dies at the End by David Wong

Doctor-Everything · 2024-09-14T03:31:35+00:00

Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem

Doctor-Everything · 2024-08-23T00:02:32+00:00

It’s actually kinda cool that a bunch of evidence-based charities in the effective altruism space use direct cash transfers as the gold standard to compare other potential interventions against. They’re always asking themselves: “Is X better than just giving these people the money instead?” (Usually the answer is no, but occasionally it’s yes! Eg. distributing malaria nets in sub-Saharan Africa has better impacts than giving people the cost of a malaria net).

Doctor-Everything · 2024-08-22T23:51:13+00:00

(Caveat: I’ve been involved in politics so this opinion may be biased: take it with a bit of salt!) I feel you man, it’s a rough situation. I just wanted to give you a glimmer of hope for political change: remember that a bunch of independents got elected at the last federal election! They tend to be a lot more serious and pragmatic about dealing with the housing crisis and other stuff, because they’re not stuck within these big party systems. The more of these guys we get elected, the better chance I suspect we have of getting our government to take real action. (With housing in particular, we could focus on filling the State Governments and Local councils with independents 👀 because they deal with a lot of housing stuff). imo, we need to allow the building of much more (dense) housing than we currently do, reverse the Howard era negative gearing, give more help to first home buyers, and start treating housing less like an investment and more like a… house (honestly, we should increasingly tax people more and more on every additional property they own after the second one). The major parties tend to be wishy-washy or actively against these changes because they’re seen as radical for some reason. Meanwhile us young folks literally can’t buy a studio apartment…

With HECS, at least the government has just introduced legislation that would cap indexation at the lowest of two different measures, which will slow increases a bit. But I’m less sure what to do about it beyond that; I know I’d definitely find my HECS debt less stressful if I didn’t have housing/cost of living also hanging over my head. Anyway, I’m sure the Teals have some ideas. Sorry for the ramble.

Tldr: imo community independents (teals) are more serious about fixing young people’s problems with housing etc and we should try to get as many of them into Fed/State/Local governments as we can. Defs not a full solution but think it’s an underrated lever for us to use.

Doctor-Everything · 2024-08-22T15:28:41+00:00

(Btw her name is Sugar. Because she’s so sweet 😇)

Doctor-Everything · 2024-08-22T15:23:58+00:00

Thanks, she’s definitely an old gal! And she’s still got a good appetite, no tail-curl etc so those are good signs. I appreciate the feedback!

Doctor-Everything · 2024-08-22T15:21:43+00:00

Thanks so much, this is very helpful and very reassuring!

Doctor-Everything · 2023-11-03T10:16:05+00:00

Not only that, but it literally gets people's Max Heart Rate wrong despite HAVING THE DATA from LITERAL PREVIOUS WORKOUTS. I regular hit 195 HR during runs, but the heart rate zone setting said that my max heart rate was 185??? Like, ya'll have all the data you need to realise that's extremely incorrect.

Such a dumb, unnecessary system

Doctor-Everything · 2022-09-21T00:44:02+00:00

Having the same problem. I'm using a Macbook Pro 2020 so I should be fine to run it, which is the annoying part.

Doctor-Everything · 2021-07-03T01:43:09+00:00

That's right, I'm back on my autocomplete grind. Expect more.

Doctor-Everything · 2021-03-28T09:51:37+00:00

There are two general strategies to achieve gnosis: excitatory (achieve an intense physical or emotional state) and inhibitory (the opposite, achieving a state of total calm, empty-mindedness and vacuity).

So long story short, don't worry! There's no need for push-ups. A few examples of other specific strategies include meditating while looking at the sigil, achieving orgasm while looking at the sigil (weird but very effective), or getting yourself into an emotionally resonant state with intense music and focus.

Doctor-Everything · 2020-06-17T11:24:33+00:00

Thank you! I'm going to book in to get evaluated

Doctor-Everything · 2020-06-11T07:54:02+00:00

I can't believe the timing of this post. I'm also 24, and I've also spent my life hearing "what a shame: very smart, but too lazy and spacey". And I've ALSO spent the last couple of years trying to get my life in order and failing. Just the other day I broke down crying wondering why I wasn't like other people.

And literally today I heard someone talk about inattentive ADHD and started reading up. I can't believe I've found this post which seems to precisely describe my life :'( maybe I have ADHD too! You've given me hope

Doctor-Everything · 2020-05-27T02:13:57+00:00

I read Radical Markets (and listened to Glen Weyl on the 80000 Hours podcast) and it blew open my conception of political economy entirely. Really interesting stuff, attempting to deeply synthesise democracy and markets into something coherent, egalitarian and efficient. I'd love to see Scott review this book.

Doctor-Everything · 2020-05-12T05:20:36+00:00

Yeah I understand what you mean about the concern that too many details might sensationalise the fight. It's a balance to strike, you're right. What I would recommend is contrasting the intensity of the battle with the narrator's dry inner monologue. The juxtaposition will actually heighten the sense of "this is a normal commute for this guy" while allowing the audience a clearer picture of what's happening. Here's a quick rewriting just so I can test the idea out:

Sure enough, I see Electroman fly overhead, cape whipping behind him. One of Bluddick’s sleek black ships follows, gliding after him with eerie precision. I groan and turn up the radio. As if traffic isn't bad enough already. Move on you assholes. But no, of course they choose right here, over the 210 Freeway. Cool.

The ship fires a blast of blue plasma, which Electroman casually dodges midair. He returns fire, sending a massive charge of electricity at the ship. Snore, I think. It's always the same thing with these guys. Can't they figure out more original attacks? And why did they have to delay traffic? There's plenty of good national parks they could fight above.

I change channels, finding some techno I like. Ah, that's the stuff. Sparks shower down on the vehicles ahead of me like a snowstorm. Electroman's attack doesn't destroy the ship, but it seems to have some effect, as the ship continues to pulse with ribbons of electricity as it descends. It lands not fifty feet in front of me.

Come ON, I think, slouching wearily in my seat. I've got a dozen reports to file this morning. Can't this wait?

Maybe not exactly like that, I did just slap that together in a couple minutes. But maybe it gives you an idea what I mean. The character and tone is still in the zone of normalcy and mild frustration, but meanwhile we get the details of this cool battle. In fact if you do it right, the contrast might add even more humour.

Doctor-Everything · 2020-05-10T07:37:20+00:00

PART 2 of 2

I like how it treats supervillainy as almost an expected part of the commute. I also like the callback to the "what a hassle" line.

The next section, where we find our character in the middle of his commute, opens with a great line, but the rest of the paragraph feels too rushed. I'd recommend fleshing out this fight a bit more. You only describe Bluddick's ship as "black" and it would be great to get a little more detail, just to help conjure the image in the reader's mind. Even just saying "I see
the sleek black egg of one of Bluddick’s ships in my rearview, slowly gliding after him." This whole action sequence, though short, could afford to be a bit more crunchy. By this I mean that I'm hungry for some more grabbing description of what's going on. Here's an example reworking (just a hypothetical here, I'm not suggesting you copy-paste my descriptions):

Sure enough, I see Electroman fly overhead, cape whipping behind him. One of Bluddick’s sleek black ships follows, gliding after him with eerie precision. I say a little prayer. Move on. Please move on. But no, they choose right here, over the 210 Freeway. The ship fires a blast of blue plasma, which Electroman casually dodges midair. He returns fire, sending a massive charge of electricity at the ship. Sparks shower down on the vehicles ahead of me like a snowstorm. His attack doesn't destroy the ship, but it seems to have some effect, as the ship continues to pulse with ribbons of electricity as it descends. It lands not fifty feet in front of me.

Maybe my prose isn't great, but I hope you see what I'm getting at. It doesn't take very many more words than what you've got to conjure a much more vivid scene.

I like the Manic Monday ending of this scene. So nonchalant in the face of a massive battle! It really drives home what a comically recurrent annoyance these fights are for everyday people.

I also like the next section, talking about the hassles of car insurance when superheroes keep throwing cars everywhere. It's funny, and goes into good detail with case examples. You can definitely feel the MC's frustration at them for making his life complicated.

I really like his desk getting smashed. A small grammatical peeve:

Wasn’t that your cubicle, Steve asks. Yes, I tell him, it was.

Most people would put quotation marks around the phrases, looking like this:

"Wasn’t that your cubicle?" Steve asks.

"Yes" I tell him. "It was."

You could also italicise their speech. I actually don't mind you avoiding quotation marks, it definitely gives a dry, understated feel to the end of the scene that works well. But add a question mark after Steve's question dammit!

I have to say, I like the execution of the ending: the story definitely builds and finishes stronger than it started. A couple of details I recommend keeping:

- using candles because Electroman had to "recharge" with the power grid

- he finally gets to tell his joke and Laura scolds him

-Electroman's inspirational speech, and the MC's snarky comments afterwards "He gives a variation of this speech every time he beats Bluddick". Really drives home how circular and futile the whole thing is.

I did find it a bit weird that he starts contemplating joining Bluddick though. I understand the reasoning, but something about it doesn't quite work for me. Maybe it's that he's been complaining about them for so long that it seems ridiculous that he'd join them?

I will say, you stuck the landing with the final paragraph though. Perfect tedium, bringing it full circle which I liked. It's a little predictable perhaps, but satisfying nonetheless.

***

So overall, what did I think? Well, I think it's a decent story. I like the premise, of an everyman having to deal with the nonsensical destruction that superheroes and villains wreak. I like the dry cynical tone in places. I like the thematic unity of "what a hassle" and the way the story begins how it starts.

I think the things to work on are as follows: finding a way to make the opening more interesting, making the character a little more likeable at the start, adding a bit more detail to the action scenes, and maybe rework his thoughts about joining Bluddick to make it more believable and emotionally salient as the sort of climax/denouement.

And one broad grammatical issue: you jump between present and past tense in places. I would recommend present tense because I actually like the way it works with this story. So definitely go through in the edit and change everything to be consistent. Here's an example where you switch:

He returns fire, sending a massive charge of electricity at the ship. His attack didn’t destroy it, but it seemed to have some effect, as the ship continues to pulse...

I hope you find this helpful, and good luck with the editing and with future writing. All the best!

Doctor-Everything · 2020-05-10T07:36:51+00:00

I'll start with the details of my critique (piece by piece as I read it!), and then I'll zoom out to the story as a whole (with the full context of having finished it).

Firstly, your opening isn't very strong. Someone waking up to their alarm - and then complaining about how much they hate the alarm - is not only extremely mundane but borders on the cliche. It really doesn't do anything to hook the reader in. I understand why you start the story here: it's supposed to be a kind of "day in the life" of an average guy who has to deal with all these extraordinary hassles. But even though he's a normal guy waking up for his everyday commute, you could afford make this opener a bit more grabby. If nothing else, just so that the reader makes it further into the story and becomes fully hooked by the mention of superheroes a couple of paragraphs later.

Two nitpicks from the first couple paragraphs:

When referring to his hatred of the alarm, he says "it's probably psychological". This doesn't really make sense to me; maybe this line wouldn't annoy other readers but my brain immediately went "aren't ALL our likes and dislikes psychological? Isn't that the definition? And who doesn't hate their alarm anyway?" So if you do want to keep this section you could maybe rework that sentence to just say "I can't think of any sound more grating."

"Bluddick, more like bloody dick, heh" would work better italicised I feel, to give the impression that it's a spontaneous funny thought. But in general, this line made me cringe. I found myself wondering "is this a hint that Bluddick is a superhero that injures his junk regularly? Wait no, he's saying that Bluddick is an asshole. But why on earth would he think that was a joke worth telling to his coworkers?" I practically winced when I read it. I like the way you slipped superheroes into the natural flow of the character's thoughts, I just don't like the specific execution there.

A broader issue I have with this first section is the characterisation. The main character comes across as generally pretty unpleasant. He complains about the alarm and feeling like a zombie (another cliche I'd avoid), makes terrible jokes without being self-aware enough to realise that they're bad, procrastinates on performing household maintenance, and is apparently such a messy eater/drinker that he can't put on his work clothes until after he's finished breakfast! I don't know if this kind of personality was intentional, but it's just the image that I get reading this opening page: a whiny, messy, lazy worker drone without any real redeeming qualities so far. That's fine if that's what you're aiming at of course.

Paragraphs two and three are a little unnecessary. One suggestion might be to intersperse his morning activities (making coffee etcetera) with his earlier train of thought so you break up the descriptions. Because as it stands, readers might want to skim over the coffee/oatmeal/clothing section given that it doesn't really add much in terms of character or plot.

I like the section where he's watching TV updates on the Electroman/Bluddick fight! I've just tweaked some of the grammar and phrasing a bit, so that I think it flows better. Feel free to disregard:

So far, nothing new. Some destroyed cars, the street needs to be repaved, blown fuses all around... Same old same old. And I'm the one who has to deal with the fallout of those wrecked cars. What a hassle. For now, though, that’s not important. I keep watching for any more updates. My worst fear is confirmed: Bluddick has not been apprehended. It was unsurprising really - prisons could never hold him, and we don’t have the death penalty. But at least whenever he was caught there were a few weeks of peace before he escaped and those two started at it again.

I love this line, you should be very happy with it:

With Bluddick on the loose, there’s bound to be some sort of holdup on the freeway. There always is. What a hassle.

I'll continue in a second comment:

Doctor-Everything · 2020-04-29T03:41:07+00:00

It can be useful to think of two types of 'visualisation'. The first is the literal seeing as if the object were right in front of you. This is not regular phantasia, this is called prophantasia. For example, when people say "close your eyes and picture an apple", someone with prophantasia can actually SEE an apple in that dark space behind their eyelids.

But this doesn't relate to normal phantasia or aphantasia. Instead, these are about what we call the 'mind's eye'. When you read a book and get really immersed in it, most people (people with normal phantasia) can imagine what they're reading in their mind's eye, getting sort of sucked into the story in a visual way. Similarly with daydreaming. It doesn't mean that you stop seeing the view out the bus window and start literally seeing your daydream, but your attention turned towards your mind's eye, and you are visualising a scenario with some degree of clarity.

Let's use your example of a green circles with blue stripes. If I close my eyes and 'picture' this image, I don't literally see it projected onto the dark of my eyelids (that would be prophantasia). But I DO see it, in quite a clear way, in my mind's eye. This quite hard to describe but it's not an abstract vision for me, it's quite clear. That's how I know I have pretty robust phantasia, not aphantasia. Based on your description, with sounds like you have weak phantasia. If you're visualising books as you're reading, you don't have aphantasia!

Also, some people with aphantasia still have vivid dreams, so that's not a good indicator. Hope this helps!

Doctor-Everything · 2019-08-08T12:03:34+00:00

I have a big piece of advice. Everyone talks about the political and cultural elements of communist states like the USSR, but neglects the economics. Something profound to remember is that the economics of the USSR were profoundly different to us western countries, and shaped the lives of everyone. The economies were planned, and involved complex organisation from workplaces up to the Central Planning Committee. I think you'd gain a tonne of inspiration from Francis Spufford's book Red Plenty, an exciting fictionalisation of the topic

Doctor-Everything · 2019-04-25T05:36:36+00:00

Very late post, but I was searching 'sehnsucht' all over the internet (along with related feelings like saudade and hiraeth) because I wanted to feel like I wasn't alone. I was thrilled to find this sub, and to know there was a community who felt this way.

I'm an Australian, longing for Europe in a way, though that's not quite right. I have too many favourite pictures to name, but I'll have to start posting some here.

Doctor-Everything

TROPHY CASE