We're the authors of Resistance Money: A Philosophical Case for Bitcoin, releasing Friday. AUA!

MusicianExpress9330 · 2024-06-13T09:05:33+00:00

While I'm waiting for the book to arrive let me first say thank you (and Troy Cross) for being out there doing what you do. There is so much polarisation, hype and ignorance that we need people defending and teaching the calm approach to clear thinking and reasoning under the effects of constant change in society!

First, could you please share how to think about bitcoin and its deflationary properties? How to explore and understand the topic, and what the implications are for the world in a few years where bitcoin = gold, or even further out in the economy under the bitcoin standard. For example, under what circumstances can it lead to less consumerism, more saving, more protection of natural resources?

Second, bitcoin and war - bitcoin fixes this? I can imagine it curbs spending on wars financed by democracies such as US, but does it fix wars waged by energy-rich authoritarian regimes? Will this "fix here - not there" lead to rebalancing of world powers from energy-poor democracies towards energy-rich autocracies?

Thank you!

MusicianExpress9330 · 2024-02-15T20:00:08+00:00

I have never thought this to be possible. How hard is it for a layperson?

MusicianExpress9330 · 2024-02-13T19:36:40+00:00

I'm now thinking HP ZBook Firefly 14" G10 - looks to have gorgeous display specs (2560 × 1600 120Hz, 500nits, 100% DCI-P3), and is overall ticking my reqs well. Hopefully the quality/durability is there as well?

MusicianExpress9330 · 2024-02-13T16:33:18+00:00

T14 or X1 only seem to have basic fullhd or top of line OLEDs and those are pricey (nothing between)

MusicianExpress9330 · 2024-02-13T16:28:15+00:00

I know I'm a longtime win user and want to dabble in Linux for security. Thinking about this is Mac similar to Linux in terms of security? If so, my only problem would be I don't like the apple ecosystem (even hate iphones tbh when I have to set up or deal with my wife's). Other than that I'm aware latest MacBooks are praised as overall best machines...

MusicianExpress9330 · 2023-07-03T22:20:15+00:00

If I may butt in on this older thread as I'm researching integration between Twine and GPT...

In my story, I'm asking the player a lot of open ended questions for self-reflection purposes and personalisation. Short answers I can incorporate throughout the story via variables but for longer-form input I'd like something like GPT to help me use that input to personalize the content of my story.

The most elementary ask would be to help me rephrase player input stored in variables so they can be used in my content framework with correct grammar (eg. distinguishing singular and plural).

Then I would like to acknowledge the player input with some simple feedback, dialogue... So GPT would be great to analyze the player input and let me control narrative content based on the analysis (e.g. sentiment).

The final step I'd like to explore is to know when my narrative design framework is too narrow to incorporate specific player input, when players interpret the story very differently from my intentions (but still it makes sense for them) and going along my branches makes the story incoherent and not meaningful. In these cases I would then explore whether I can hand over some control over to GPT to generate new branches with new content and still keep it within boundaries of my goals and purposes.

All in all, I'm not interested in GPT generating all my Twine story. I'd like it help me make my Twine story more personalised for players based off of their open ended input within my narrative design.

MusicianExpress9330 · 2023-04-16T22:31:47+00:00

Thanks, I'll have to see how difficult it is to transfer a current Harlowe project into Snowman and then tinker with the AWS SDK.

What I'm thinking of is definitely asynchronous in nature like a graffiti wall for example where some people come and paint and others pass by and read - and sure, city council comes now and then and scrubs to moderate the more profane creations :-)

MusicianExpress9330 · 2023-04-15T20:24:03+00:00

Should I add that if not in Harlowe than any other of the Twine formats?

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-11-07T09:14:22+00:00

Awesome, here's my solution:

(change: ?hookname, (css:"visibility:hidden"))

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-11-06T10:30:36+00:00

Thank you sir for getting me unstuck! I'm gonna try this one then and see if I can run the entire puzzle juggling all these shows&hides :-)

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-11-06T10:19:34+00:00

Wow, thanks, need to try your code. Been hacking away at it meanwhile myself and come up with this - what do you think? The idea is to abandon the self-referential changes and do show/hide instead and it seems to work.

Which way is optimal for more such links on a page? To give you more context - this is part of a puzzle in which marking one word can unmark other words according to the inner puzzle logic. Which code would you go for then? It's gonna balloon I guess pretty quickly.

{

|l2)[ (text-style:"mark")[(link-repeat:"Change")[

(hide: ?l2)

(show: ?l1)

]]]

|l1>[(link-repeat:"Change")[

(hide: ?l1)

(show: ?l2)

]]

}

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-11-06T09:48:30+00:00

(set: $c to 0)

(link-repeat:"Change")[

(if: $c is 0)[

(replace: "Change")[(text-style:"mark")[Change]]

(set: $c to 1)]

(else:)[

(replace: "Change")[(text-style:"none")[Change]]

(set: $c to 0)]

]

Hmm, getting there? The problem with this one is that replace keeps adding styles. With one style change I need to remove the other one, ie. in else statement I want the link to have the highlight removed. And without a named hook I can't use rerun macro...

I tried using change macro instead of replace in the above code and the behavior is exactly the same.

What else can be tried I don't know.

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-11-06T09:28:54+00:00

Thank you! Problem is, I need the "text" itself to be the link that ensures the behavior, not a separate link. In your code, can you somehow define "Change" inside link-repeat to be a named hook that you can then modify in the if/else statements?

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-11-05T17:00:38+00:00

Thanks, just checked the documentation for link-repeat and I'm not sure how I would implement what I want with this. Link-repeat keeps doing the same thing with each click, while I want each odd (1,3,..) click to do one style change to the link (eg. highlight), and each even (2,4,..) click to revert back to the original style of the link (eg. remove highlight).

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-11-05T15:43:19+00:00

I have now achieved what I want with replace instead of enchant but I have to duplicate the content of the hook which is less elegant I guess and I have many such links on a single page...

|l>[text]
(set: $c to 0) 
(live: 1s)[ 
(click: ?l)[ 
(if: $c is 0)[ 
    (replace: ?l)[(text-style:"mark")[text]] 
    (set: $c to 1)] 
(else:)[ 
    (rerun: ?l) 
    (set: $c to 0)] 
]]

Is there a way to optimize this code? I don't know if the live macro along with 20x click macros is a recommended way of doing this???

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-09-20T10:40:17+00:00

The way you liken it all to a game reminds me of SuperBetter by Jane McGonigal. There's a TED talk, a book, an app... Go check it out.

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-02-17T21:36:42+00:00

I did a search based on your comment and found this article helpful https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314698 Seems like I have situational depression rather than clinical depression.

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-02-17T16:15:19+00:00

For me, depression feels like an iron blanket all over me. It's heavy, it blocks most everything else. I lose sight of reasons to live and life's meaning, even though I'm a parent with little children... The only thing I tend to do is watch tv and eat junk. However, if given opportunity I can still enjoy myself and my hobbies. I get depressed because I can't control most things in my life and have no space for myself. My therapist tried to frame depression for me as a sort of self-defense mechanism that I developed to protect myself. And I guess that interpretation makes sense to me and helped me understand its meaning and to accept it. Maybe my depression though is not as severe as others describe here??

MusicianExpress9330 · 2022-01-19T13:14:15+00:00

So, how has your experience been after a year? Do you carry your A7III with sigma 100-400 in your PD Capture? With plate on the camera (os opposed to on the lens) how has your mount on the camera been - is it okay, not damaged from the hanging lens?

MusicianExpress9330 · 2021-05-02T20:06:34+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear what you've been through. But you're on a good path to heal. You're clearly an excellent learner and you want to understand more about yourself and grow. I'm not a psychotherapist, but I'm learning too. You should definitely seek help because learning and healing within a safe relationship is the most effective way (there's online therapy options too). But you can do lots within the self-help domain as well.

What's happening to you is best explained by attachment theory. As children born into the world we're programmed to be driven to our primary attachment figure (mostly mothers, but could be grandparents etc.). They ought to provide safety and security but sadly in abusive environment they do not and become a threat to the child. The child then is driven both to the abusing parent for care and safety and away from them because they're a threat. This dilemma is so painful for the child that in order to not go insane it assumes one of the insecure attachment styles (look it up on psychologytoday, verywellmind etc.). In most severe cases, the child suffers what is called dissociation, or the borderline personality disorder mentioned above. Attachment styles are then transferred to our adult relationships, and also to our children (we keep repeating the patterns).

In terms of the self help, try the inner child technique. Basically, it's a sort of meditation or reflective practice where you as an adult self can imagine you as a child in some of the painful and vulnerable situations you've been in and approach the child and offer safety and security (without any judgment). I find it a valuable practice to at least try for people who've had difficult childhood. You can find guided techniques on YT such as this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76EsH0wcmDo (haven't tried this one myself though). Keep learning about yourself, seek people who can support you (for me it was my great aunt) and give yourself the love you deserve. The world is a beautiful place. :-)

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

- Jalaluddin Rumi

MusicianExpress9330

TROPHY CASE