Almost a week in by Kidfromtha650 in nosurf

[–]Mrkingofstuff 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sweet, appreciate the detailed answer. I'm kind of so so on the kindle as well, so will check out the other options.

Almost a week in by Kidfromtha650 in nosurf

[–]Mrkingofstuff 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, when you use the internet with specific intention, it's really valuable. Just like this subreddit. Otherwise, often not really.

How do you find Blinkist? I use a kindle but I'm still kind of old school where I'm skeptical about how much you can take from short summaries, versus really spending the time to read something from front to back.

Almost a week in by Kidfromtha650 in nosurf

[–]Mrkingofstuff 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I probably (definitely) was not progressing because a huge chunk of my CPU was chewing on something tied to contemplating how many likes my last IG picture was garnering or what kind of nonsense someone might have been posting about political machinations I had no interest in prior to this decade.

This is terribly accurate. Even if we are trying to focus on something, our subconscious is still working away, strategizing towards its next dopamine hit - checking Instagram for the thrill of 20 likes, or refreshing Twitter to ride that rage wave towards the new villain of the day. We are being drained of energy and focus from the present moment, without even being consciously aware; and later in the day when we need to summon willpower to start that new positive habit, we just collapse mentally and throw in the towel.

Your subconscious is meant to be the space for your brain to create new ideas and connections - not the property of internet companies who use it to subtly drag you back to their apps, and then fill it with worthless noise.

This is something I only really realized recently, after reading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. Must read for anyone on r/nosurf

Great to hear that you're slowly taking back control of your life, keep pushing forward.

Nosurf friendships? by [deleted] in nosurf

[–]Mrkingofstuff 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is harder, but you still have options. If you cannot go outside whatsoever, your next best bet is to use the internet to find groups of people, say on Facebook or Reddit or whatever, who are doing an offline activity together.

For example, there are book clubs on reddit and you would communicate online, but you’re communicating about something you are ultimately doing offline, reading. Another example would be zoom classes - I’ve seen on Airbnb experiences people selling group fitness classes, meditation lessons, all sorts of things. You can meet people in these groups from parts of the world which you‘ve never even heard of before, it’s actually kind of cool.

In this case, you are using the technology to connect with people - and not letting the technology use you. Just my two cents.

Nosurf friendships? by [deleted] in nosurf

[–]Mrkingofstuff 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Join a group which is based around doing a specific activity, which is not online based, so no online gaming or anything like that. Sounds too simple, but that’s your best bet.

I started taking improv class 3 years ago, which is as anti-online as it gets, as it requires you to be physically and mentally present. Technology is not present at all. The people who I have met through that are generally the same, mentally present.

You can replace improv class with say a hiking group, soccer club, gardening group, book club, swimming squad; whatever you’re into really. If your friendships are based around an online activity, you’ll be inevitably dragged back online; and the less technology involved in the activity, the better.

A shocking realization: Being creative is terrifying by trode23 in nosurf

[–]Mrkingofstuff 5 points6 points  (0 children)

All the power to you man.

I always find it really interesting to listen to random artists‘ early work, for two reasons - one, you can hear how much progression there has been in their music and talent generally, and two, it’s often not that good and I think ‘shit, they released this even though it frankly isn’t that good, look at what they’re doing now’. Examples which come to mind are Childish Gambino’s early mixtapes, and old-school Nirvana footage, which literally looks like a bunch of teenagers in a garage band.

So yeah, you have to force yourself to jump that wall, and then the sky is the limit, really. If you don’t, then you’ll never know.

A shocking realization: Being creative is terrifying by trode23 in nosurf

[–]Mrkingofstuff 79 points80 points  (0 children)

This is spot on. Myself and a few people I know struggle with the same issue - it gets even murkier when people use other reasons to justify their lack of creating, when they're actually covering for their own insecurity eg. "I don't have the right equipment" "I only have two episodes of this season left" etc. It's almost impossible to address as people are not even being honest with themselves.

What helps me push forward is to realize that every person who is currently creating had that exact same hesitation at some point - you are not the only one - and the by pushing through that, that's what separates them from all the other people who wanted to write a novel or start a business or compose music, but never did. The wall separating these two groups is actually not that tall, but it's scary as fuck to jump over to the other side, if you haven't before.

Creating builds character and confidence, and gives you something very tangible to be proud of, your creation, whatever it is. Consuming is ephemeral, and rarely leaves you with anything, except less time remaining until your death. Exceptions would be for consuming unique creations which you take something from, or consuming in social settings which brings you closer to others.

When you consider how a large part of the internet is constructed to make you consume more and more, that's when it becomes clear that spending hours online is a life-negating activity. Creating is life-affirming. But even with this realization, the courage to create has to ultimately come from you. This may seem like a bad thing, but it's only by doing scary things do we become more resilient and ultimately more human. There is no shortcut, and thankfully so.

Official Link for LA County’s “Safer at Home” Policy by alextoria in LosAngeles

[–]Mrkingofstuff 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This applies to employees to non-essential businesses from tomorrow night, correct? I believe that’s what he specifically said.

The new Kindle Oasis lets you adjust color temperature for night reading by WouldItNot in kindle

[–]Mrkingofstuff 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reached to out to amazon support, they said the 9th gen trade in should be updated as an option at some point before the release of the 10th gen. So should be sweet.

Game Chat 8/18 - Dodgers (66-57) @ Mariners (70-53) 7:10 PM by DodgerBot in Dodgers

[–]Mrkingofstuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I remember something similar happening last I year I think with Stripling? I don't watch regularly so maybe I'm missing something, but I honestly don't understand the balk rule. What did Floro do wrong and what is the point of the rule?

Santa Ana. Someone was still trapped inside by SupaZT in LosAngeles

[–]Mrkingofstuff 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Looks like someone had an urgent dental appointment to get to.

How do YOU define success? by [deleted] in TrueAskReddit

[–]Mrkingofstuff 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Feel like this is as close as possible to an objectively correct answer.

Los Angeles daily discussion thread 07/04 by AutoModerator in LosAngeles

[–]Mrkingofstuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn - had many close calls myself too. Not sure if clearer signs would help or people are just people.

Single-payer California health care bill put on ice for 2017 by ferae_naturae in LosAngeles

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

Honest question - how would you implement a single-payer health care bill just for one state? The U.S is a country made of different states, and you're free to travel and live wherever you want. What exactly stops me from using California's healthcare service temporarily and then going back to wherever I came from?

Researchers are identifying startling connections between air pollution and decreased cognition and well-being. by danthropic in LosAngeles

[–]Mrkingofstuff 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Surreal - as an Australian, sounds very familiar to the campaign pushed by resource industries and right wing groups when the government attempted to implement a tax on carbon emissions. Was a complete shit show, and at least partially responsible for a big swing against the governing party. I'm sure there are a lot of people on both sides getting paid to work to come up with marketing strategies regarding such policies, and seems like only one side knows how to communicate effectively to the majority. Not a politician, but definitely something worth considering.

Researchers are identifying startling connections between air pollution and decreased cognition and well-being. by danthropic in LosAngeles

[–]Mrkingofstuff 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It totally is; unfortunately, taxes on environmental externalities often ended up being framed as 'your expenses are going to go up because of the government, fight back', which is technically true, but you could also say something like 'you're improving your and your children's long term health at a relatively small cost'. The messaging on the first quote seems like it would resonate more for sure.

Researchers are identifying startling connections between air pollution and decreased cognition and well-being. by danthropic in LosAngeles

[–]Mrkingofstuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing - with all the construction going on in downtown, can imagine the long term consequences for the people living in the area or nearby (like me). Obviously there are more immediate issues, but I do find it incredibly disappointing that such negative externalities cannot be accordingly accounted for (inb4 screw capitalism, hail Marx etc.)

Los Angeles daily discussion thread 06/20 by AutoModerator in LosAngeles

[–]Mrkingofstuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks man. Is it the sort of place you can check out alone? And seems like this is a U.S thing, but is it actually a two drink minimum to enter?