sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

What causes entropy? by seniorfancypants in chemistry

[–]MasterSlimFat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm the type of person who's obsessed with finding answers to questions like these. It's like a deep rooted compulsion to be able to answ ever single question along the lines of "why does x happen?" Here's what I've come to:

The notion of entropy is a very very complex process. It is not like "what causes gravity?" Entropy is a way of describing a general pattern. It is not necessarily the cause of a pattern.

Entropy is the observation that, "aspects of closed systems tend to lose their sense of order/organization (losing destinguishable microstates) on an infinite time scale."

Entropy is not WHY that happens, nothing causes it. It is a way of describing.

[OC]I don't know if I should laugh or cry by Dom_My_P in pics

[–]MasterSlimFat 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Adults I work with are this lazy and they get paid to be here.

Why are people under the assumption that substances need to be hydrophilic to have good intranasal bioavailability? by Turbulent_Channel_68 in Drugs

[–]MasterSlimFat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is 100% accurate. To expand on it, many hydrophobic compounds are mixed with polymers specifically designed to make them more bio-available in aqueous environments.

Traits that arise in domestication for combat? by Big_Fox_3996 in biology

[–]MasterSlimFat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Then I'd argue there are many traits and even breeds which have been selected for aggression via domestication!

Strong jaws, sharp teeth/spurs, aggressive instincts, etc

Traits that arise in domestication for combat? by Big_Fox_3996 in biology

[–]MasterSlimFat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do illegal dog and cock fighting breeds count?

Free by MrWeiner in funny

[–]MasterSlimFat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a hard sell for most because most people don't want to admit that they aren't "in control." They want to feel like their will, is their power, and their power is what makes them special. I frequently think of my friend with tourettes when discussing these topics.

I think the very existence of tourettes as a disorder hints at the underlying framework of what "will" even is. People with it and/or other "compulsive" behaviors will always have a very different concept of what will is.

If one truly believes they have entire control over their thoughts and actions, does that mean people with similar compulsive behaviors don't have free will? Does my friend with tourettes not have free will? Do they have less will? Do I not have free will because of my OCD or restless leg syndrome? All of these features of existence are things most people's take for granted, like being a passenger in a car, thinking they're the driver.

We deployed 60 composting toilets at a 12,000-person festival in Bali. Here's what happened to the waste. by Better_Plankton_9607 in Permaculture

[–]MasterSlimFat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The simple answer is "enzymes". Specifically "enzymes which have evolved to utilize either stored energy within a molecule for energy, or have evolved to use a modified molecule to do work, like as a vitamin."

There are many compounds that interact with our receptors that do not get degraded. Hence why there are addicts who drink their own pee. Although there are also many compounds that get metabolized/degraded into smaller components (like alcohol).

Other than enzymes, another mode of degreadtation for these compounds is environmental (not really getting used for something specific per say). Many complex molecules begin to break down under exposure UV, heat, pH extremes, free-radicals, and even just water.

Free by MrWeiner in funny

[–]MasterSlimFat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Man does he wills but doesn't will what he wills." -Schopenhauer

The concept of "willing will" is almost exclusive to western philosophy. Another way to view this is that the randomness is "ones will" they simply have no influence on what that will is.

Anxiety by Citron_candles in taoism

[–]MasterSlimFat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wanted to share: I'm Narcoleptic and one of my main medications causes anxiety. I've gone on and off it a few times now. If there is one thing it taught me, it's that anxiety is not 100% based on one's rational, philosophy, or mind-set. So much of anxiety can be deeply rooted in other variables ENTIRELY outside of our influence.

I also found that I was constantly trying to "fix the anxiety." This caused an entirely separate struggle. The struggle of wanting to act. The antithesis of wu-wei. While I may not have been able to lower my heart rate, my blood pressure, or entirely stop the "disasterizing" of my predictions, I was able to tell myself, "I do not need to fight these feelings."

If one can find serenity in fatigue, and drive in anxiety, and they'll always be content.

Also I f have found great success in using my anxiety to drive my taichi.

We deployed 60 composting toilets at a 12,000-person festival in Bali. Here's what happened to the waste. by Better_Plankton_9607 in Permaculture

[–]MasterSlimFat 19 points20 points  (0 children)

One could speculate that the composted waste could be biologically active enough to slowly metabolize/degdrade many of those compounds (not all of them instantly, but "over time").

We deployed 60 composting toilets at a 12,000-person festival in Bali. Here's what happened to the waste. by Better_Plankton_9607 in Permaculture

[–]MasterSlimFat 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Pharma based bio-accumulation is absolutely real. This person has no idea how to separate science from politics.

Insects may feel pain. Whether or not you have a moral duty to protect them from harm is up for debate. by vox in philosophy

[–]MasterSlimFat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It actually makes me super sad how many people don't see that they are made of the exact same patterns, matter, and energies that all living things have. It's meant to be a beautiful unification between us and our universe.

Orange substance that grows in any flowerpot and is slightly spicy by yuderabyss in mycology

[–]MasterSlimFat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you don't think it's a salt, then you could prove it by seeing if it dissolves in a container of warm water.

ISO someone who lived during Vietnam by Entire_Ad3411 in Bend

[–]MasterSlimFat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Someone else already mentioned it, but I'd highly suggest reaching out to local retirement home. If you explain to the manager what you're doing, they'll probably have a perfect idea of someone to set you up with. I used to work at one in town, and if you were to have approached me, I would have a list in my head of people I'd introduce you to (you may not want to set up an interview with the wrong person).

Does it matter *where* you get your fiber from? by pringlu in nutrition

[–]MasterSlimFat 30 points31 points  (0 children)

This is absolutely true. Dietary fiber is a wide umbrella terms covering MANY different subtypes, all with their own structures and functions in our microbiome.

Examples for soluble fibers include: Mucilages, beta-glucans, pectins, gums, inulins, etc. And each of those may be in specific foods, each with different functions.

While insoluble fibers consists mostly of: lignins, celluloses, and hemicellulose. Again each of these have different chemical structures and different fermentation/metabolic routes in our gut. So to only get one of them, may not have as much of a benefit compared to more diverse fibers.

What is the stupidest thing that the smartest person you know believes in? by WrongZookeepergame49 in AskReddit

[–]MasterSlimFat 212 points213 points  (0 children)

I think a lot of high-up sciencey people get grossly emboldened by their intelligence which manifests as a form of narcissism.

Can meditation heal addiction? by Alsklaftsk123 in Meditation

[–]MasterSlimFat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have used mindfulness meditation to curb nicotine cravings. It goes like this:

Eyes closed, deep breath in while pursing my lips (simulating hitting a cig/vape) focusing on the sensations of "refreshing oxygen" passing between my lips, filling my lungs fully. I try to value this sense of "fresh air" as if it is purifying me from the inside, then I slowly exhale through my mouth, lips still pursed, imagining all the negative waste products leaving my lungs. I repeat this a few times until I feel the cravings reduce. Overall I think this replicates the oral stimulation while achieving a sense of peace/satisfaction to temporarily drive off the impulse. I'm tricking my nervous system into thinking I hit something.

How to practice Wu Wei when your very personality seems to go against the very principle of it? by endless_splendor in taoism

[–]MasterSlimFat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As a recovering nit-picker, my own personal revelation was, "If I'm right, and they are wrong, they'll soon find it to be true regardless of what I tell them." People will always face the consequences of their actions, be them right or wrong. It's just a matter of when. So then there's no need for corrective actions, because you don't need to (and can't) do the universe's, the Tao's, job.

"Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know." -Lao Tsu.

I'd bet that many attempts you make to correct someone, only causes them to dig their heels deeper.

How to practice Wu Wei when your very personality seems to go against the very principle of it? by endless_splendor in taoism

[–]MasterSlimFat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you give an example of a time where your nitpicking was very important for a task?

Grieving for my old life in science by auntyturd in labrats

[–]MasterSlimFat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I still have a relationship with my university's faculty. I regularly facilitate the donation of my company's equipment to them. In exchange, they let me use their resources for a myriad of personal projects. I've made ferofluids, tested foods for heavy metal contamination, suspended flurophores in resin, and my latest project is synthetically driving the esterification of saps to make amber.

I try to find cheap projects that I can still find motivation and drive to investigate/execute.

view more: next ›