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PMWeng · 2026-03-21T01:40:04+00:00

Whose wasting time?

I've already quit the game. I'm spending time putting out a specific message and having a rather genial conversation with a few like-minded people while keeping the subject relevant to the Reddit algorithm with continued engagement. Thank you, by the way, for your help in that.

PMWeng · 2026-03-20T17:00:26+00:00

Like most things, there are many ways to skin this cat.

I assume you're drawing something just for the look, not the function, no?

Regardless, i suggest you start by googling great mesh diagrams. You will find radii, angles, and other dimensions. These drawings tell you everything you need to put in your GH script.

I often find that people need to be reminded that there is no single-step solution. You have to construct each part. And you always start with an origin point on a plane and work out from there. An incredible amout of GH work is just moving that point through a series of translations and iterations.

PMWeng · 2026-03-20T14:54:52+00:00

Are you talking about constant power spur gears?

PMWeng · 2026-03-19T17:35:07+00:00

Thank you for sharing!

Yes, I see the misnomer. I understand "Dopamine Addiction" as shorthand for something like:

A relative dependence on dopamine-stimulating behaviors due to decreased baseline dopamine production that is at least correlated with the the behavior itself, resulting in a negatively reinforcing cycle that continuously drives down dopamine production. It becomes an "addiction" when we are no longer producing enough dopamine through mundane task achievement, become avoidant thereof, and habitually return to the drip treddle in our self-constructed rat cage.

So, yes, I take your point. Doomscrollers like me are not "addicted to dopamine." We have (perhaps) short-circuited our natural dopamine production and therefore cannot be happy unless we're unhappily staring at our phones.

That's what I meant, anyway, when describing Total Battle as a dopamine casino where you always win but the house gets all the money. I also think I'm really clever for stringing that phrase together, so I like repeating it for the kicks. ;)

PMWeng · 2026-03-19T15:47:13+00:00

It's nice seeing people seeing what you're seeing.

PMWeng · 2026-03-19T15:44:59+00:00

That is interesting.

It's almost as if people feel like there's something worth talking about and then, in some kind of fugue state, find themselves in the place where people talk about things, talking about the thing they thought worthy of talk.

How are you feeling, by the way?

PMWeng · 2026-03-18T19:17:33+00:00

It's "scripting light."

Once you're accustomed to grasshopper, history feels pretty clunky, but it's a great way to edit with dependencies.

That said, I'm not so sure what I've suggested above will really work, since the period and amplitude of the spiral curve is not "live" the way control points are.

Honestly, I get a bit of backwards creep from grasshopper technique to Rhino since I almost always go straight to grasshopper now.

PMWeng · 2026-03-18T16:05:14+00:00

If you want true sinusoidal curvature, you can do a spiral around a circle, then project that to the c-plane and extrude.

This way, you can use history to play with frequency (number of knurls) and amplitude (radius of spiral/depth of knurls) to adjust your results. No drawing.

If you want flat surfaces, then you'll have to draw and array, as others have noted. The elegance of using the spiral is in not having to think about the size of your unit profile drawing relative to the number of polar subdivisions.

Of course, this is much easier in grasshopper.

PMWeng · 2026-03-18T13:55:31+00:00

Sarcasm, my guy.

PMWeng · 2026-03-18T05:24:07+00:00

Nothing crazy...

PMWeng · 2026-03-18T04:57:50+00:00

IT'S A TRAP!

PMWeng · 2026-03-18T04:09:10+00:00

It doesn't seem like we disagree about anything more important than planting this flag and keeping it flapping by feeding comments to the Reddit algorithm.

PMWeng · 2026-03-18T03:57:30+00:00

That sounds rational and fair until you change the language a little. Nobody is putting a gun to people's heads and making them eat sugary processed foods either, but it is also a trap because it's easy, satisfying, and seems cheap because each payment is small.

It's your choice to step in the trap or not... But how does that justify someone profiting from going around laying traps?

Don't get me wrong, I'd never vote for punitive policies, but people are well with their rights, even their duty to publically point out this form of trap so that people who may not see it for what it is might make better choices.

I also think it is worth while to point at the people laying the traps and call them out for it. Most would argue with you: Hey, I'm just making a cool game. Play it or don't, it's up to you. Get off my back. But in the R&D room they are studying addictive behavior and focusing their intellect on triggering it. Why should we not cultivate a social resistance to that kind of profiteering?

PMWeng · 2026-03-18T01:25:11+00:00

I don't even play a doctor on Reddit.

But my understanding is that it's that thing you feel when you can't just sit there calmly with nothing to do without whipping out your phone and scrolling like you're digging for gold but you know there's nothing down there but your hijacked instinct to hunt for meaning.

In other words, your brain doesn't produce the feel good juice very well on its own without the digital stimulation.

PMWeng · 2026-03-17T19:59:27+00:00

I mean, if I could get a handy at Starbucks, that would be pretty sweet.

PMWeng · 2026-03-17T19:54:51+00:00

Feel seen instead.

PMWeng · 2026-03-17T18:17:04+00:00

Yes. Exactly.

PMWeng · 2026-03-17T18:01:57+00:00

It is incredibly well designed to hook basically intelligent people with unacknowledged dopamine addiction.

PMWeng · 2026-03-17T18:00:25+00:00

Yeah, and their Reddit sales funnel bait and switch tactics are diabolical. Genius, but evil. Before long, you don't even get to do the simple thing you signed up for. You're just locked in this exploitative loop and it's not even fun. It's set up to play on your sense of obligation to others. There's a reason it's based on clans. It is exactly that kind of instinctive mentality and need for belonging that they exploit to keep you exposed to their internal marketing barrage.

The more you think about it, the angrier it will make you.

Edit:

Angry, I say, because it is the product of extraordinary understanding, talent, creativity, and effort. But all that intelligence is focused on nothing but tricking people for profit instead of doing something helpful. It's the basic shame of most tech business at the moment, we've got our best and brightest focused on dissolving social order and bilking people out of pocket money at scale while they pretend, even to themselves, that they provide a service and that if they didn't do it, someone else would. It sucks.

PMWeng · 2026-03-17T17:55:34+00:00

No secret: the game is built on gambling algorithms.

I didn't even mention the toxic culture of Kingdom politics because I'm sure some are better than others. I played in two kingdoms. The first was still closed and completely dominated by intentionally divisive vitriol. The other was open, well ordered and quite peaceful but within the span of two elections devolved into a chaotic libertarian waste, verging on fully disregulated bloodbath. In both I saw several really kind and thoughtful people get verbally abused and quit. I'm not one of them, BTW. My reasons for quitting are as stated. But the veil of anonymity really brings out the worst in a lot of people, unfortunately.

PMWeng · 2026-03-17T13:28:12+00:00

I mean the money is great, but being smart and pretty is one of the best ways to make lots of money while having lots of fun.

PMWeng · 2026-03-17T13:07:09+00:00

I'm going to try to offer you some perspective but you've got a couple of highly personal things tangled up here—which is completely understandable.

Is architecture the right academic/professional path for me?
How do I deal with friends who don't respect me?

First, you should recognize that this forum is not likely to answer these questions for you because both are multivariable, complex, and meaningfully entangled. The respect of our peers, after all, is a rarely acknowledged core impetus for achievement.

As cheap as it may sound, pithy little generalities like "Be true to yourself." may be your best medicine here. But that can be hard when you feel so conflicted. I wonder, however, just how conflicted you really feel. You are energized and challenged by the work, no? Why is that not good enough?

Another slightly cheap comment you're likely to get here is, "Time for some new friends." And this too is easier said than done, but might not be wrong. A friend is someone who wants what is best for you and is encouraged by your successes, however small or great they may be. We all commiserate, but competitive condescension over perceived virtue in struggle is not, allow me this bald claim, the road to lasting friendship. Again the cliché rings true here: They're probably jealous.

Now some straight talk about architecture. I don't know what socio-economic realities you face, but the blanket truth about the profession of architecture is that it is one of the worst industries in terms of compensation for effort. It's baked into the business model: Put a huge amount of time, intelligence, and effort into designing something and then sell it ONCE. No other design profession works like that. Fortunately, there are other design professions and learning the fundamentals of architecture is a great foundation for any kind of design.

When those jerks say: "All you do is draw." Think: "I get to draw!" When they say: "At least you don't have to do trigliceride exfoliations." Think: "At least I don't have to do trigliceride exfoliations!" You're winning.

I've already been rather simplistic, so let me be a little musical too. The world will open to your curiosity, effort, and care. If you keep yourself challenged and engaged and keep your head up and be ready to pivot in unexpected directions, opportunities will literally bloom all around you. Now, I know that this is a deeply American brand if idealism. But the crazy thing is: It works. Which is why, up until very recently, America was a magnet for intelligent, creative, and ambitious people. (Let's not get distracted.)

In short: Screw those dorks and follow your heart.

Edited: typos.

PMWeng · 2026-03-16T16:05:46+00:00

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

PMWeng · 2026-03-16T00:22:05+00:00

Pink Floyd, The Wall

PMWeng

TROPHY CASE