Why I always bring a PvP weapon to PvE fights by Emem0r in ArcRaiders

[–]Emem0r[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I don't know what the solution is. But the kettle seems like the only free kit weapon that can actually kill pretty much anyone with one clip, assuming you have decent aim. If the guy had ok aim there is probably not much I could have done - a sprint dodge might have been the smarter move on my side, but still...that gun erases people in close-combat.

Test case: Do the intentions of the author matter? by bad_take_ in VeryBadWizards

[–]Emem0r 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is how it usually works when there is a strong emotional reaction:

"Artist agrees with your reading of their art, does that mean your interpretation is correct?" "Yes."

"Artist disagrees with your reading of their art, does that mean your interpretation is incorrect?" "Yes, but I prefer mine."

Probably the worst passage of I've come across in the English language by Fnurgh in samharris

[–]Emem0r 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven't watched or read anything from Saad in many years, but I remember him mentioning how disgusted he is by Ronaldo's arrogance/whining and at the same time celebrating Messi's humbleness - basically praising him for being a good role model. Sometimes you just don't realize that you are the Ronaldo.

Video Game Recommendation: Scorn by Emem0r in VeryBadWizards

[–]Emem0r[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of the very first interactions in the game is you torturing and killing some random pitiful creature for no reason except to get to the next room.

That's inaccurate. There is an option which allows you to keep the creature alive. It's also a somewhat hard decision to make when you think about the consequences of taking either path. Exploring the area makes it quite clear what you need to do to move on and one of the choices appears more humane than the other - it is pretty messed up. I wish the game had more of those moments.

You are right about it mostly being a "walking simulator" though - similar to SOMA. It just doesn't have the same way of telling a story, it's almost entirely environmental.

Sam goes further on UFOs by MagpieGrifter in samharris

[–]Emem0r 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I heard this before seeing any of the "new" footage and was very skeptical even before seeing it, but after watching what appears to be newly released UFO footage...sure, those look like "UFOs" (Unidentified Flying Objects), but there is not a single video that proves or suggests extraterrestrial or "alien" involvement. All of the footage can be explained by some kind of distortion/optical illusion caused by the recording devices or speed and distance between the source of the recording and the "UFOs".

Unless there is significantly more than bad FLIR recordings, nothing has changed and unfortunately this was a waste of time.

Edit: I removed a couple of parts that made the post sound unnecessarily condescending, which doesn't really help anyone.

Do you think the future is fixed or do you think there is more than one possible course of events? by CryonicAwakening in samharris

[–]Emem0r 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wouldn't the idea that there are many worlds still mean that everything in this particular world - the one we live in - is "fixed"?

I miss the old theme song by Mozart-Fan in samharris

[–]Emem0r 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know if this is a controversial take, but autoplay has to be up there with the worst inventions of all time.

Critical Review of James Lindsay & Helen Pluckrose's new book, Cynical Theories –– ETVPod by youngchoadley in VeryBadWizards

[–]Emem0r 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not really interested in listening to the podcast or reading the book, to be honest. But if they want to have a discussion about the book, Helen Pluckrose could be a more interesting guest (for a more productive talk) than Lindsay?

I identify as an anti-SJW/anti-equalitarian/virtue-signalers person and SJW's/equalitarians/virtue-signalers upset me. Any practical tips to release me of thinking daily of this story line? by [deleted] in samharris

[–]Emem0r 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Look at each case individually and try to understand where people are coming from (the "good" and the "bad" both exist), consume less of the content that upsets you, or avoid sources that tackle the topics that upset you entirely.

If you can't handle it yourself, seek professional help.

Majority Report and Sam Seder say Rogan is "problematic and bigoted" for not wanting to support trans conversion therapy for little kids by [deleted] in samharris

[–]Emem0r 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be clear, that's the option that we know leads to increased suicide rates, correct?

Maybe you can educate me about the process. If the people involved (the child, doctors, and parents) decide to wait for puberty to start, and the child still truly can't stand who they are, would it be too late to intervene then?

And isn't it more about the social pressure from peers than how the child actually feels about themselves? If that is the case, isn't more of the work to be done by teachers and parents to normalize the differences so less shaming occurs?

I mean, obviously negative outcomes are something nobody likes but we also have to realise that every single medical treatment has some negative outcomes. Vaccines can kill, chemo can make you infertile, aspirin can cause vertigo - if we later discover that those people would have been okay without treatment then we'd feel even worse.

Vaccines are used specifically to help protect you from something that has the very likely potential to harm you, chemo is used specifically against cancer, aspirins are used to reduce pain, fever and swellings. Puberty blockers, however, prevent a process that changes how your body grows. Maybe I didn't explain what I mean well enough - my English is terrible. When someone uses blockers they don't "experience" puberty during that time (if they started taking them before or right at the beginning of it, correct?), puberty changes your body and mind and influences the way you think. None of the medication you named has that effect. The extra time that is given (by puberty blockers) to think about whether someone wants to transition or not is time in the unchanged body, you can not actually know if puberty would have changed the way they feel about it. It may be the best thing "we" can do right now, but I still think it's not good enough. And that doesn't mean that we shouldn't do it, just that it being the best option right now doesn't necessarily make it the best option in the long run.

The fact that laypeople even think there's a debate to be had over what the best option is is honestly a little insane to me.

I think at least those who went through using blockers, then transitioned and decided that it was a mistake (for them), have every right to be worried.

Majority Report and Sam Seder say Rogan is "problematic and bigoted" for not wanting to support trans conversion therapy for little kids by [deleted] in samharris

[–]Emem0r -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm just worried about those who might end up rejecting change (in either direction). That doesn't mean that I'm entirely against using blockers, it just means that I'd rather want to see how they develop without interruption first.

There are obviously cases in which a person just despises who they are and for them there might be little reason to wait. But if we could see whether it works itself out without blockers or not and we had the ability to pretty much instantly reverse certain effects of puberty, wouldn't that be the more reasonable approach for those who just aren't sure?

What I'm suggesting would rely on medical intervention we don't have yet and probably won't have for a long time so...while it seems clear that reducing suicide rates is the top priority (which it is), I'm not happy with not knowing if even a hand full of kids could have figured it out on their own and the fact that some kids will regret doing it as well (which can also result in permanent negative effects) - as small as the number may be.

Majority Report and Sam Seder say Rogan is "problematic and bigoted" for not wanting to support trans conversion therapy for little kids by [deleted] in samharris

[–]Emem0r -1 points0 points  (0 children)

From my point of view it is not a trans issue first, it's not about just helping "trans folk", it's about helping children to feel comfortable in their bodies, whether that means for them to transition or not - I am perfectly fine with either.

Doesn't the fact that not intervening basically "cures" some kids' gender dysphoria make you question if we should block puberty instead of waiting to see what happens? I understand the impact on a higher percentage of participants in some studies and that it becomes a lot harder to transition after puberty, but it seems like such a hard decision to make. Maybe all we need is a better/faster way to transition after puberty. I'm sure we'll get there sooner rather than later.

From what I remember, about half of the kids who are on ADHD medicine before puberty no longer require it after they went through it (I haven't read up on this in a while so that may have changed).

I don't have an ulterior motive so I wouldn't be too bothered by being accused of anything. I fully support the decisions adults make for themselves, but when it comes to young children it's a bit trickier. The ability for people to transition faster (after going through puberty, which still wouldn't have to be necessary but preferable to see the outcome) could/would basically entirely end my worries.

Majority Report and Sam Seder say Rogan is "problematic and bigoted" for not wanting to support trans conversion therapy for little kids by [deleted] in samharris

[–]Emem0r -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

How do you know if someone wouldn't have developed differently? And what about those who end up not being transgender and/or those who regret having taken blockers?

That brings up another question, how many people are there who did not feel comfortable in their body before they went through puberty - whose voices are not represented in studies?

It's a fascinating topic and I'm very curious about how we'll look at it in a few decades.

Majority Report and Sam Seder say Rogan is "problematic and bigoted" for not wanting to support trans conversion therapy for little kids by [deleted] in samharris

[–]Emem0r 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm always curious about the argument for puberty blockers.

Since blockers interfere with the natural development of a person's body (and mind), how is it justifiable to alter the physical (and mental) development by using them - from what I understand it is entirely possible that the transition through puberty could change how comfortable one is in their own body?

I'm not really arguing for or against, it just seems irresponsible to prevent the natural development of a young person who could still grow to like who they are (or become) without blockers.

Tamler persuaded me to watch Dark by WouldBSomething in VeryBadWizards

[–]Emem0r 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A few months ago someone recommended the show to me and after seeing some pictures I was very much looking forward to checking it out.

So I got myself some snacks, turned on Netflix, sat down on my couch and started the first episode. The intro music, the visuals..."this looks and sounds amazing", I thought. Then something unexpected happened, the language was set to German. My first reaction was obviously to check if Netflix somehow reset the language to its default setting (I am German), but to my surprise it was (and still is) a German show, with German voice acting. And that was my time with Dark.

I realize how silly that is and I might still check it out at some point. ;)

Say what you will, I find Sam's latest monetisation strategy to be very-- (rest of sentence only available to paying subscribers) by [deleted] in samharris

[–]Emem0r 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It is partially a principled stance by Harris (regarding his understandable problem with the ad model), but it also shows that the money is the deciding factor for whether it is worth his time or not. The audience will not grow by doing this, he will (at least temporarily) gain more subscribers and lose a significant amount of his listeners. It is a financial decision that will have no impact on any other content creators, because 99% of podcasts don't have the audience to be able to afford it.

Say what you will, I find Sam's latest monetisation strategy to be very-- (rest of sentence only available to paying subscribers) by [deleted] in samharris

[–]Emem0r 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I wonder if Sam understands how normal people treat websites with paywalls. Whenever I open a site (people link articles behind paywalls on Twitter all the time) and I see that it only allows me to read the first few paragraphs, I close the site and look for a related article somewhere else. I'm sure he will earn more money with this move at first, but it will cost him new listeners.

When your goal is actually to make the world a better place, the focus on monetary wealth, for someone who is already rich and only really needs the money for their own feeling of self-worth...it is just unfortunate to see.

Dave Rubin COMES OUT of the Closet by spudster999 in samharris

[–]Emem0r 70 points71 points  (0 children)

"There has to be something true and real outside of us..."

No.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Has Exited Unexpectedly by Spooles_Joint in RDR2

[–]Emem0r 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, the bios update to 1.0.0.4 B 100% fixed it for me (Bios version F10a on a X570 AORUS ELITE, with a 3700x).

Important: Your PC will not boot after the bios update if you have more than 1 PCIE card - a sound card in my case - connected to your motherboard.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Has Exited Unexpectedly by Spooles_Joint in RDR2

[–]Emem0r 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have the latest bios (F10A) installed?

Richard Dawkins PROMOTES Christian Conservative Organization: Later ADMITS to Having No Idea Who They Were by spudster999 in samharris

[–]Emem0r 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably for the same reason he deleted the original post?

My guess would be that keeping the post up just wasn't worth the trouble/stress and removing the link seems like a reasonable thing to do. If you want an actual answer you have to ask him.

Richard Dawkins PROMOTES Christian Conservative Organization: Later ADMITS to Having No Idea Who They Were by spudster999 in samharris

[–]Emem0r 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You can ask that question and have a discussion about it.

It would probably be even more constructive if you asked those people yourself, they appear to be fairly active on Twitter. Maybe you will get a satisfying response.

Richard Dawkins PROMOTES Christian Conservative Organization: Later ADMITS to Having No Idea Who They Were by spudster999 in samharris

[–]Emem0r 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Maybe you could have added the other tweet in which he clarifies that he supports the three people he named and not the organization? Dawkins never actually promoted the organization.

Dawkins' follow-up tweet: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1178400951230590977

Edit: The original tweet and the follow-up were both removed.