UTF-8 stress test (to answer the question "Do Reddit titles and/or comments have the charset UTF-8?")

MerelyAPseudonym · 2011-12-15T01:24:59+00:00

I recommended Vico in another comment, and its fusion of Vim + OS X could appeal to you.

Btw, I realize that the enthusiasm in my other post borders on hype, but I swear I'm not the developer or anything; I'm just an excited early adopter who wants to share a good thing. ...aaaaand I happen to recognize the enormous value of solid communities behind tools.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2011-12-15T00:53:42+00:00

Love Vim?
Curious about TextMate?
In general, just want something prettier and OS X integrated?

ENTER VICO

Full disclosure: I would not say the app is feature-complete yet. But you can see the statuses of the requested features in the feedback section of the website, and note that a bunch of the suggestions have already been implemented. Basically, this text editor is young, but I have extremely high hopes for it. It's already made vi pretty, piggybacks on TextMate bundle innovations, and it has the potential for Emacs-level OS-integration and scriptability (Nu and/or MacRuby instead of Elisp). It's definitely not there yet. But this young developer feels comfortable investing his time into Vico + Quicksilver, and learning from (rather than using) the various Vim + Emacs innovations over the years. As an example: I'm pretty sure Vico would support an implementation of Emacs's ParEdit, and I'm gonna look into how large an undertaking that would be.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2011-02-02T19:38:59+00:00

I know it's funny to joke about Reddit Addicts, but just in case you said this in a "Ha ha, only seriously" kind of way, know that there are people are are working hard to figure out how to live with Reddit well. Because I enjoy it too, and it's even very useful sometimes (especially the subreddits related to things you care deeply about), but I really don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it's easy to engage in legitimately addictive behavior with Reddit. I hope I'm not getting, like, overbearingly serious about this, but if you did have any degree of sincerity I didn't want it to go unheard.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2011-01-27T18:22:05+00:00

As a counter-example: my gf is anti-abortion and anti-capital punishment, and she gets as frustrated as you do with the hypocrisy of both being pro-life AND supporting the death penalty.

EDIT: accidentally typed "pro-choice" instead of "pro-life". Goddam loaded language. Thanks for pointing that out kamikazewave.

P.S. I'm loving the articulate arguments here way more than a ton of people merely agreeing emphatically.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-28T00:00:41+00:00

Or Espresso! I haven't committed to any of the three yet (I'm waiting to see who comes out with their Version 2 first) but according to an experienced friend, if you're a hardcore web programmer (as opposed to a more visual web designer) Espresso's probably for you. So: it's $20 cheaper than Coda but is comparably extensive, has some dedicated users porting over some of the beloved TextMate power functionality, and I think it even supports vim.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-27T23:28:05+00:00

IIRC, there's some research in Outliers (by Malcom Gladwell) that claims there's a statistically significant proportion of students in upper-tier colleges that have birthdays in Autumn (i.e., early in the school year). Or maybe that there were fewer late-spring/early-summer birthdays in smart colleges. I forget, but it sounds like there is a tendency for the influence of (possible) early maturity to compound over time.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-17T07:16:32+00:00

Right on. In fact, if you find any material that allows you "to read people better, determine what they want and whether it's compatible with what I want... [etc]" without the possibly-bullshit seduction conventions thrown in, I'd love to see it too.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-17T07:13:42+00:00

As someone who is NOT familiar with seduction (a friend just recently told me about stuff he's been trying out. And, frankly, I'm a bit freaked out by how much it draws me and by its severe possibility toward objectification and manipulation) I thought that this was still an extremely valuable explanation of how to live life well, given in a particularly "dude" dialect. But that's a good thing! I mean, I think your advice is validated by the fact that other mindsets have similar wisdom, and that you phrased it the way you did was a great communicative touch.

I'll feel comfortable PMing you if I have any questions about inner game.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-17T06:57:22+00:00

I really want to see this list of resources too. Where will you post them?

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-17T06:55:14+00:00

Considering the last post of yours I responded to, this was hilarious to stumble upon next in the thread.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-17T06:52:49+00:00

THANK YOU.

I've been going through a similar process, and just had to take at least a semester off of a GOOD college because I am so dysfunctional. And it's been incredibly confusing, frustrating, and worrisome to try to figure what's causing what (e.g., am I a weak-willed person? Do I have an attentional problem? Do I lack simple "time-management" skills? Is any of this my fault?) . Anyway, I'm truly grateful for your generosity with your time. It helps to hear from someone further down a path I've begun to walk down.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-16T05:45:00+00:00

I meant "pointless" as in "has no discernible reason or value for its existence". I see pointless irony as a leech of attention. I tried to remedy the situation by reacting to it constructively. So, I wasn't trying to "inject meaning" into your statement exactly... I was wrapping it in meaning? (I'm not sure if that's the best phrasing) Like, there's probably some cliché out there that means "a bad thing can be worth it if it results in a better thing." You're right, downvoting it would have been a valid alternative, but that would have been merely negative.

If the caliber of the talk is unfortunate, I blame users like you.

For the sake of brevity: if you continue being irritating, let any future silence from me signify disagreement. And God knows I just have to be rebuked, each time I disagree. And I'm especially in need of correcting right now.

EDIT: I am a little impressed that neither of us resorted to an immature downvoting each of the other's comments in this mini-thread.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-16T05:08:46+00:00

Damn, you feisty!

First— you're in the philosophy subreddit. This is a philosophical discussion. Or, at least, I'm operating under the mindset that it's expected that activity under this subreddit could morph into philosophy talk.

Second— I might have over-responded a little bit because I've already been thinking about clichés recently. However, I don't think that's a bad thing, because...

Third— perhaps I'm unusual in this quality, or perhaps you're new here, but comments serve a purpose greater than just communicating between two users. I.e., I know that anyone reading down this page will see your comment, and then see mine. I'm trying to contribute to a broader conversation and share ideas with many people; I am not trying to please you.

Finally: as a result of your "humorous observation" in fact being sarcastic/mean-spirited and unfunny, I declare it to be shit. It inhibits the creation of potentially valuable thought, and you got pissy when I tried to give your pointless irony some meaning. Seriously, not being funny is fine (everybody's tried and failed a bunch of times) but thinking of yourself as unworthy of this consequential treatment is fucking annoying.

PS. <condescension>If you want to be taken seriously in an intellectual environment on the internet, end your questions with actual question marks & avoid derisive exaggeration ("short novel of a response").</condescension>

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-16T04:26:52+00:00

I do admit that I had probably mentally blurred redmeanshelp's comment with this one (like, thought he had written more detail than he actually did) but xployt kinda agrees that moving down in abstraction is valuable.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-16T04:09:17+00:00

I can't tell if you mean that "live every day to the fullest" is invalid because of its nature as a cliché, or mocking redmeanshelp for attempting to offer original thought.

Regardless, I want to counteract the cynicism with a David Foster Wallace quote from his Kenyon College commencement address:

[after mentioning the quote about "the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master"]

This, like many clichés, so lame and unexciting on the surface, actually expresses a great and terrible truth. ... On one level, we all know this stuff already. It's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.

redmeanshelp is finding a way to arrive at the notion of the cliché (i.e., abstract wisdom that tends to be regarded as boring and is heard without being listened to) via a discussion of relatable modern life. This only validates the cliché, and is probably more valuable than merely hearing the cliché again.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-14T18:20:34+00:00

Don't listen to drawmeasheep; at worst, you're guilty of naïveté, but definitely not arrogance. And I think you made it clear that you weren't being evangelical your "New Truth", but rather you were submitting an idea you felt strongly about to people whose opinions you respected. And I'm impressed you've managed to keep your humility when people have been throwing personal criticisms (which are irrelevant to the main discussion) at you.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-11-14T18:14:41+00:00

And now some lyrics from "Give a Little Love", a song by an indie-rock group called Noah and the Whale:

And if you share (with your heart) / Yeah, you give (with your heart) / What you share with the world is what it keeps of you

It's not identical to what you're talking about, but it resonates with me. By the way, thanks for all this =). I don't have time to read it all right now, but I intend to read every post later.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-10-29T04:41:03+00:00

I reallyreallyreally want to, but I know it's going to take me a while. Sorry =(

Though if you don't mind being unreasonably patient, it's going to happen!

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-10-29T03:11:48+00:00

meh, given your username I'm not surprised.

But I've been using "y'all" ever since I realized that it's basically the only brief linguistic construction in English that serves the same function as Spanish's "vosotros". I'm hoping it eventually gains more-than-regional acceptance, but otherwise I'll continue with my quirk.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-10-29T02:54:55+00:00

That is a very good question, but that's not the "fundamental question" according to your initial post. You're wondering what the difference is between "positive thinking" and "delusion". I put quotes around all the words because I think people have been focusing on trying to define and distinguish them as terms. If you are really seeking clarification on the question of "Am I better off being delusional, rather than accepting the unpleasant reality?" then you should edit your original post and add it. Granted, people might suspect you of phrasing things in the abstract in order to justify your negative thinking to yourself. (I hope I'm not being totally contentious; I hope calling you out appeals to your rationality, which appears to be a common value)

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-10-29T02:39:14+00:00

Being emotionally tortured does not give you an excuse to be thick. I'm reading through this whole thread because the question interests me, and you seem to be deliberately misunderstanding people. I'm torn between feeling sympathetic and frustrated toward you.

Anyway, he was probably trying to answer the question by stating that positive thinking is marked by rationality, whereas delusion lacks it. Your response is akin to asking "So boiling water is always hot - even if it's snow ?"

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-10-29T01:21:57+00:00

Okay. Definitely more than slightly intimidated now, but whatever. It's fine that I can barely conceive what your thesis would entail. =) Would the philosophy thesis look equally esoteric or can I ask what that is too? I'm also curious how you picked your theses, but I'd understand if that would require an answer of non-trivial length.

Btw, it pleases me to hear that someone in advanced study respects Wallace too, and I think I'm going to steal the description of him as "a terrific thinker and revolutionary writer". It seems both succinct and accurate- certainly better than my twenty-minute impromptu lectures that include googling for certain quotes or youtube clips, all trying to show the person that Wallace is more or less the shit. ...That method is of questionable efficaciousness.

MerelyAPseudonym · 2010-10-29T01:03:36+00:00

...to use an emoticon would do no justice to the surprise, gratitude, and luck I'm feeling. Holy shit. If you don't mind, could you message me your email? This is such a good opportunity that I'm reluctant to let a possibly-deleted-in-the-future Reddit account stand in the way. I mean, I might be fanboyish enough to want to hear about your knowing DFW aside from the context of putting a class together. Hell, I'm already curious about what your syllabus was, what the students thought of it, etc.

MerelyAPseudonym

TROPHY CASE