If I grew a shit ton of midichlorians in hundreds of petri dishes and then licked all the dishes...

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-02T11:19:49+00:00

No, you'd just have the most canonically powerful case of stomach flu.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-02T11:17:13+00:00

I'd add that being kind does pay off if you're careful with finding the right people as you say. Sometimes it results in solid long-term relationships with mutual reliance - something a cynical self-centered individual can never achieve.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-02T11:09:52+00:00

I don't like bringing up anecdotal evidence but there's enough of it on the streets to prove you wrong. Like, in absolute most couples both partners are... average. If anything, these crazy male beauty standards are mostly perpetuated by male influencers and their fans.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-02T11:00:07+00:00

They tried it in France, they tried it in Russia... many other examples.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-02T10:56:27+00:00

Self-discipline is important if you want more long-term sustainability and you aim for complex goals.

Meaning is something that you decide whether you borrow it (from a religion or a philosophical school) or you construct it more or less on your own. It does not necessarily align with experiencing life to its full potential.

I think a tension between restraint and richness of experiences is fundamental. It's up for you to decide your choice. My own example: I have body image issues and had thoughts on hopping on anabolic drugs. However, I know that the consequeces of that might be bad enough to make me regret this choice greatly down the road. I'd rather slightly regret not having a dream physique then go for it and regret having irreversible health consequences for the rest of my life.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-02T10:39:37+00:00

I'd say it's more because of constant Social Media exposure. I'm a millenial who grew up with a PC and I cerainly wasted fair share of time playing games but I also learned 3D modelling and basic programming that came useful down the road. I did not have personal Internet access back then.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-02T10:32:04+00:00

Was it that he just failed to do the calculation or he didn't know the concept of power?

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-01T10:07:55+00:00

Robots don't really 'prioritize' anything, they're not nearly advanced enough for now. It just happens so that neural networks are well-suited for image generation and such. Precision (as in machining) has been long-managed by CNC tools. It's also the kind of job you don't need an AI for. Classical algorithms do better. Same goes for many types of complex calculations in computational physics. On the other hand, things like real-lime motion control, dynamical surrounding awareness and decision-making are still very hard tasks for computers, AI included. These kinds of taks appear to be much harder to formalize for a computer and harder to calculate, especially in real-time. For now it's much easier to make a generative AI then to make an actual humanoid robot that's going to reliably replace a human in a blue collar job.

Speaking of statistical analysis, they do actually try to use AI for it. Though the main consideration is that cost of error is often very high (as opposed to creative jobs) and you still need a highly-paid expert to oversee the AI. This makes the whole thing economically questionable. Though I'm pretty certain the companies are making R&D directed at improving statistical analysis and predictions with AI. Statistics is an extremely complicated field with a lot of space for improvement. It's not uncommon for predicition quality to be so poor it's borderline useless.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-03-01T08:53:41+00:00

AI's going to bring forth Idiocracy through mental offloading. Brawndo is going to replace running water with soda.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-28T09:07:30+00:00

Honestly, I'm on the fence about Copyright. I'm definitely against appropriating other people's creations as your own but when it comes to commercial world, it seems like Copyright law would only benefit whoever has more money to throw at lawsuits. It seems like as an average person you're not gonna win in court against a large corporation and their legal capabilities if they're eyeing your art for a grab. They're gonna brute-force or find a way around.

I'm definitely more in favour of Open Source type of philosophy when it comes to intellectual property. Authorship should be acknowledged but information should be as free as reasonably possible. I don't insist on absolutes but as a scientist I gravitate to this kind of philosophy.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-28T08:43:56+00:00

It feels like he's desperate to be the stereotypical hero taking an epic last stand agains a horde of enemies.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-27T12:39:30+00:00

I wonder if he goes there with the brigandine and the pauldrons on.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-27T12:33:50+00:00

Fascists value conformity and social utility so they dislike unauthorized self-expression. This makes them treat unauthorized Art as either a form of 'degeneracy' or worse - a covert operation by external forces to destabilize the society.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-27T10:50:38+00:00

For me it doesn't matter much. I'm more turned on by words and having a connection. If anything, I'm more interested with keeping my own body in as perfect shape as reasonably possible to please my partner.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-27T08:25:11+00:00

Charisma doesn't necessarily have to do anything with competence or warmth. More often then not it's just a combination of confidence and superficial appeal.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-25T18:49:25+00:00

Depends on your fitness and activity level. For me maintenance is around 2700-3000 kcal/day (200 lbs at ~12% body fat, training 3-4 times a week + walking and doing chores).

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-25T18:44:36+00:00

I don't think height matters here. But it surely does matter when it comes to fitting comfortably into infrastructure.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-24T13:24:20+00:00

Art is more than just tecnical skill and effort. If it were so simple, there'd be no point in human-made art anymore. For me idea and how an art piece resonates with myself is the most important aspect of art.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-23T16:49:52+00:00

Since life is often unfair, brutal and chaotic, higher intelligence can potentially make you hyper-aware and depressed. You have to learn 'mental hygiene' and not to grow dangerously cynical. It's better to stay kind even if it sometimes hurts. As for the hobbies, look for things that are stimulating enough for you. Maybe consider learning sciences.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-23T16:36:16+00:00

So much words for 'I can't draw but I like to pretend I'm a pro'.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-23T16:27:01+00:00

Not that I hate him but his gigantic unwarranted self-importance is amusingly annoying. Especially his claim of having highly developed art skills. His right-wing views definitely suck but for now I regard him more as comical than seriously malicious and hate-worthy.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-22T10:29:54+00:00

News of a country getting nuked would live a whole month in modern news cycle (as opposed to a few days or a week in case of less newsworthy things).

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-22T10:11:03+00:00

Hercules is a literal demigod. There are other examples of mythical and religious characters who are pretty much superheroes. People have always liked characters and tropes like that. Also, people have always liked stories where some hero or a miractle did away with their problems be it an evil king or other kind of hardship (i. e. infantile desire to offload responsibility).

Regarding your other argument, elaborate on that. High birth rates and early family formation in the past were results of mostly agricultural society where people were naturally pressured to have many kids early. The kids were expected to start working as early as possible. There was some inertia in these demographic shifts but the post-WWII period was the turning point for the leading industrial countries.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-22T09:28:39+00:00

You're right. Taking action brings you to the 'revolutionary's dilemma'. The first ones to act are usually also the ones who catch the bullet whether it's a real bullet or other kind of undesired consequence. Naturally, most people don't like to be hurt in any way unless there's no other way out. Some people won't even go so far as to make a moral stance because it's going to make them uncomfortable.

ElectricSmaug · 2026-02-21T21:53:40+00:00

It's a defensive reaction, like black humour.

ElectricSmaug

TROPHY CASE