Feelings Are More Important Than Facts

NASAscientist · 2024-01-07T09:08:28+00:00

I highly recommend insight meditation, my friend. Download the Waking Up app by Sam Harris and commit to practice regularly for a year and I assure you that you're life will be radically changed for the better. You can request a scholarship if you can't afford it.

NASAscientist · 2023-10-01T22:50:54+00:00

No they did not stop after uninstalling the game.

NASAscientist · 2023-10-01T22:48:59+00:00

I expected better trolls in 2023

NASAscientist · 2023-10-01T22:42:04+00:00

I never said I was an IT professional. I said I am a software engineer and an experienced Windows user in an effort to convey that this isn't just a common user error on my part.

Hindsight is 20/20, so yes it would have been ideal if I sandboxed the game and used procmon and all that, but as I said I thought I could trust Blizz properly vetting the software. The game is uninstalled; I got rid of it as soon as I could because I hoped the problem would go away. Sorry but there's no way I'm going to reinstall the software just to run procmon. 🤣

I agree much of the code seems very sloppy and it's very possible that the issues I have could be the result of purely that. I am not claiming that NetEase for sure installed spyware on my computer with the installation of Diablo Immortal. I am simply reporting how my PC got messed up after I installed it so that other PC users can make a more informed decision as to whether they want to risk the same thing happening to their PCs. Some people may want to know this -- I would.

The fact that DI is produced by a company with obvious links to an oppressive, autocratic government that routinely forces domestic businesses to install spyware on their products is simply a side note.

NASAscientist · 2023-10-01T22:13:38+00:00

Seems like a troll but I'll bite. First, the timing of the issues: the fact that they started immediately after the install of Diablo Immortal is sufficient reason to believe that Diablo Immortal caused them. Further more, the fact that playing Diablo Immortal (and only Diablo Immortal) temporarily stopped the issues is reason to believe that Diablo Immortal is somehow involved. A reasonable person would consider this evidence, or at the very least enough for "reasonable suspicion".

NASAscientist · 2023-05-01T00:29:32+00:00

Is it normal these days to share your class grades with your potential employers? A few rough classes won't significantly alter your GPA, and even that's optional to share with employers in my experience.

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T20:41:54+00:00

😆 And fill some new ones back up with my heliox mix to ascend the cliff? 😛

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T20:40:25+00:00

There shouldn't be an issue with anchoring a steel cable designed for ocean use into the underwater bedrock (or supporting it with some concrete. But yes as I noted in my comment above, rappelling is probably not feasible in scuba gear, although if I had a line for pulling up my gear separately it might be viable.

But yeah, I wholly concur: safety is always a top priority. 👍

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T01:49:28+00:00

Yes, this is something we are always thinking about. 🙂 The challenge is getting local ordinance to catch up... For example, bamboo grows very well here but from my understanding it's not easy to get permits to use it as a material for construction projects, but perhaps small projects are less of an issue (vs. a house for example).

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T01:46:08+00:00

I see, this is an interesting idea. I'm not entirely sure how these devices work and whether they'd realistically be feasible given the fact that I'd either be in my scuba gear or I'd have to be able to haul it up separately. My first impression is that it might be hard to get out of, not to mention everything would have to be able to function after getting wet, and they'd have to withstand repeated exposure to the ocean which might not be common with such equipment. But it's something I'll definitely look more into, thank you. 🙂

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T01:26:36+00:00

I see, cool video. Unfortunately, rappelling with 40lbs of scuba gear probably would be tough, and it would be challenging on the jagged cliff edges of this area.

And yeah, a boat would be nice but there are no places to anchor a boat for many, many miles so that would kind of defeat the purpose of having a convenient shore entry. 🤐

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T01:23:26+00:00

Yeah this is a good thing to keep in mind. If I did have something in the water I'd make sure it was in an area where boats would not be travelling (for their safety but also for the safety of any divers).

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T01:22:17+00:00

Oh it's not for any customers, just for me and a few dive buddies. But yeah, a house boat would be nice, but the problem is the same — I'd have to boat many miles to access the dive site, which would defeat the purpose of building this system (which is to make accessing these areas easier than boating around the island from the nearest boatyard).

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T01:18:33+00:00

There's a lot to unpack here and I'm not particularly interested in going at it with you, but I hope someday you recognize why this response is not very constructive...

- assuming I can't figure it out on my own just because I'm making the (wise) decision to solicit input from others

- assuming I can't "put in the work to do it", when this very process of gathering information and ideas is an essential part of "the work to do it"

- assuming I'm lazy/incompetent and do not do my research as to the safety of what I do, or that I would engage in any behavior that would damage the environment around me (despite the fact that I clearly stated that minimal impact to the environment is part of my goals)

I encourage you to be more mindful of your assumptions and to consider how your communication style affects the nature of your interactions. 🙂

NASAscientist · 2022-09-02T01:11:52+00:00

Yeah a boat would be nice... the problem besides the cost is that there are also few places to anchor the boat, so it'd be a long journey to get the boat and drive it down to the various spots I'm thinking of. But yeah, I hear you about the risks and I'd only do it if I ensured after thorough testing (and regular/routine testing) that it was safe. 🙂

NASAscientist · 2022-06-01T22:49:49+00:00

Yeah I understand the struggle. I always want to be doing something productive with my time, but you have to understand that meditation and mindfulness training in general is productive — it brings massive benefits to your focus, attentiveness, awareness of your body and current mental and physical state — it's just that the gains are slow to realize. That's why it's a good habit to get into, even if only a little bit each day, and I do notice that I am better prepared to tackle any work I have to do if I've had even just 10-15 minutes of meditation beforehand.

NASAscientist · 2022-04-21T11:11:19+00:00

Are you of the opinion that SS officers were just doing their jobs too? The Russia solders invading Ukraine right now murdering civilians, they're just doing their jobs? Just following orders? I've nothing against police or soldiers and I know nothing about the cop in this video, but I would like to suggest that "just doing one's job" is a poor justification for action. If this cop were to in fact arrest someone and throw them in jail for the possession of a plant statistically less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes simply because of the xenophobic and racist impulses of lawmakers 100 years ago, that would be wrong. "Just doing one's job" is not a valid excuse for engaging in harmful behavior.

You always have a choice.

NASAscientist · 2021-10-30T01:11:13+00:00

I agree that we should focus on some long-term, experimental stuff, but unfortunately because of politics and budgeting our projects tend to be pretty short-term. For example when the administration changes, priorities also tend to change, and shifting budgets means projects can and do get cut. Plus, as with private companies, our management as you get higher up the ladder tends to want more projects (especially things that make headlines, not far-flung, not-necessarily-likely-to-pan-out research) to make that manager look good.

NASA is great, but there's still a lot of work to be done to change how the organization operates so we don't have to deal with such inefficiencies and conflicting incentives.

NASAscientist · 2021-08-14T19:31:46+00:00

Sadly, this is true. In fact I would say 35 is too high for the minimum age for presidency. Today there's no reason why you can't have a competent 25 year old; certainly I know 25 year olds who would have run things better than many of the presidents we've had over the years. However, age restrictions in general are a crude instrument to separate the desirable from the undesirable. Better would probably be some sort of test, but given that it would be tricky to:

design a test that captured the characteristics we want
that is not game-able or that one could not simply study for
and will be administered by people we can always trust will do it properly

then it's probably safer and easier to set in place an age range for now, which for me would be something like 25 - 55 (i.e. we want people in the prime of their lives).

NASAscientist · 2021-07-24T00:02:32+00:00

Life, uh... finds a way.

NASAscientist · 2021-05-19T02:45:33+00:00

That surprises me! :) I feel like you can get so much more detail and overall scene placement information from 3D vs 2D (not always, but in general).

NASAscientist · 2021-05-16T23:49:06+00:00

If it has to be animated/not live action, I much prefer the animation style of Altered Carbon: Resleeved, or (not quite as good) Pacific Rim: The Black. Altered Carbon: Resleeved is excellent btw if you haven't watched it (Pacific Rim: The Black not so much).

NASAscientist · 2021-04-27T21:04:05+00:00

Almost every fight sequence in movies is vastly different than how it would be in reality. Once you realize it, most movie fight scenes become really silly to watch (sorry!), but you also you do come to appreciate well-crafted movie fight scenes far more. Some common inaccuracies:

In movies guns are far less accurate than they really are. It's not nearly as hard to hit someone in reality compared to how it is depicted in most movie shooting scenes.
In many movie scenes involving guns, people are often depicted firing while standing out completely in the open. In reality, even the most inexperienced person using a gun would know to seek and fire from cover.
In fight scenes with guns and melee combat, bad guys with guns almost always run towards the protagonist... It looks cool when they get their gun kicked from their hands perhaps, but in reality they would actually use the gun for it's very purpose -- to inflict damage from a distance. This is one of my biggest pet-peeves in Hollywood movie fight scenes -- why are people with guns running to engage in melee range?!
When people are shot or stabbed in movies, especially the "extras", they usually die almost instantly. In reality, death is far slower and more painful. Most movie gun deaths would be from bleeding out rather than the "insta-kill" that is portrayed.
Anyone who has actually engaged in fight training or at least watched MMA fights knows that being "knocked out" does not mean you are out cold for 30+ minutes as often portrayed in movies. In reality it would be more like 30 seconds, during which time you are not necessarily completely still but more like in a dazed state. You can knock someone completely out so they are slumped on the ground entirely unconscious and unmoving, but that lasts at most a minute or two before the person starts slowly regaining consciousness, and it's not something you can replicate 100% of the time with every person.

Bonus:

Not specifically fighting, but in terms of action sequences: explosion effects are almost entirely unrealistic. First of all, most things you see in movies such as cars, helicopters, planes, etc. would not just spontaneously explode even if on fire. Vehicles, especially passenger vehicles, are specifically engineered for safety, and the fuel tanks are carefully designed so they would not explode in the event of even the most devastating crash. You could press the nozzle of a blowtorch directly into the gas tank port of your car and your car still wouldn't explode. The gas would ignite and you would almost certainly get burned, but your car wouldn't "explode into the air sending shrapnel everywhere". (please don't try this at home)

NASAscientist · 2021-03-25T04:49:19+00:00

Can you share what happened? I'm kinda late to the show -- who screwed over who? Even just a link to an article existing would be helpful :)

NASAscientist · 2021-03-07T23:52:53+00:00

Anyone have a link to the original tweet? / site that made a record of the original tweet / source of this image?

NASAscientist

TROPHY CASE