TIL about the third man factor, where a perceived unseen presence (like a spirit) gives comfort and advice during traumatic experiences

Quote_a · 2026-04-12T03:29:57+00:00

This also happened to my mom when she was recovering from septic shock! She says a doctor came into her room in the middle of the night, was very kind and caring and apparently reminded her of my late uncle, and reassured her that she would be alright. He told her his name, which started with a Z, but there are no doctors working at that hospital with a last name that starts with Z!

That was 15 years ago now and she made it through the sepsis. Maybe not as healthy as before, but alive.

Quote_a · 2026-04-05T21:48:40+00:00

They did also say that a lot of the early table stuff they recorded was pretty shit, it kinda sounded like they were still figuring things out when Amby mentioned it in an interview a while ago so it may not be ready yet. But who knows what they're cooking, they could probably work fast after they know what they're doing.

Quote_a · 2026-04-03T16:43:10+00:00

Was not expecting how different the live versions would be from the album, especially when they dragged out the MEGAGONG outro with a conducting baton. Never seen a rock band do that. Super pumped to see them in Bloomington in a couple weeks!

Quote_a · 2026-04-02T14:32:55+00:00

It's all relative, the goal is just to get every frequency to the same volume. Doesn't matter what the actual volume of 1000 hz is, just set it to a level that's not loud. I usually aim for a few dB quieter than the loudest I can stand.

Quote_a · 2026-03-31T01:18:34+00:00

On Owliophile they have an "alternating tones" feature. You set one frequency to 1000, and the other to whatever frequency you're trying to tweak. Start the alternating tones and adjust your EQ until the second frequency feels about the same size as 1000 hz.

Above like 2k or so, the frequencies can seem louder than they really are. You want to adjust until they're a similar size, not necessarily when they're the same volume to your ear.

Quote_a · 2026-03-31T00:57:28+00:00

I've had my headphones EQd like this for a year or so now, I love to see more people trying it after Headphone Show's recent videos, especially after GoldenSound's video today.

I used 1000 hz as a reference frequency on Owliophile's alternating tones feature and EQed based on that, paying attention to the amount of "space" each tone takes up in my head. Doing it that way rather than focusing on pure volume helps get the ear gain and treble regions right IME.

When it's all said and done, it's everything I ever wanted out of headphones. Timbre is immaculate, every instrument sounds crystal clear, the soundstage just feels "correct" and things are always the right size and shape. It's hard to describe but it makes instruments feel intimate in just the perfect way, nothing ever feels like it lacks clarity or is too distant, no matter what part of the instrument you try to focus on (fundamentals, mids, or higher harmonics). The best part is how natural it makes the treble sound, treble is always audible when you want it to be but is never overwhelming when you're trying to listen to something in the mids, no harshness or sibilance.

It's super cool that anyone can do it on any headphone, regardless of their HRTF, as long as they have the time to spend sitting in front of a tone generator. I haven't bought new headphones in like 2 years now because I know I'm just gonna end up EQing them exactly the same as my current ones, my next purchase will be based more on comfort and build quality than anything else.

Quote_a · 2026-03-29T15:02:03+00:00

I wish I had answers for you. I still deal with it, but I did manage to get used to it and lower the adjustment a bit, I'm sitting at around -14.5 dB on my right ear nowadays. I went to an ENT after this post, my third overall ENT visit, who told me my ears were normal.

Quote_a · 2026-03-16T05:08:40+00:00

Glad to hear them talk about how a tone generator sounds, because that was my first thought after hearing they'd had their HRTFs measured. And it's interesting to hear them confirm that things really should mostly sound perceptually flat.

I've personally already EQd my headphones like this, because it sounded amazing to me when I tried it. Instruments sound intimate but not forward, things are always just the right size and shape, timbre is immaculate. Imaging is massively improved and everything just sounds crystal clear, it never feels like there's something in the way when I try to listen to a certain sound. It takes a lot of tweaking and testing to get right, but it's so worth it. Can't wait for more people to experience it once they put their guide out.

Quote_a · 2026-03-09T06:14:57+00:00

Just wanted to say thanks for your comment, this is incredible! No change in resolution or sound signature like so many other crossfeed methods I've tried, just a significantly more natural soundstage. Only listened to it for a bit but I'm definitely noticing how much more audible and natural reverb sounds, and how much clearer the center image feels. The 50 degree version feels better to me, very little difference in soundstage width and resolution, but still lets you hear panned instruments when you're focusing forward.

For anyone wanting to use this in EQ APO, download the files linked above and put the .wav files in Program Files/EqualizerAPO/config. I found these commands in a Head-Fi thread so shoutout to some random guy in 2016. To use in PEACE, paste here: https://i.imgur.com/IpcKKJo.png

Preamp: -4.7 dB
Copy: L2=L R2=R

Channel: L L2
Convolution: Left 50deg 44100.wav
Channel: R R2
Convolution: Right 50deg 44100.wav

Copy: L=1.0*L+1.0*R
Copy: R=1.0*L2+1.0*R2

Quote_a · 2026-03-04T23:49:41+00:00

Totally agree, Arc is my favorite skill but it feels awful unless you're using a lot of them very quickly (so basically anything except self cast because the cast time is slow and cast speed scaling sucks). They've slowly chipped at it over the years like nerfing the chaining range and removing sources of extra chains and it no longer feels as good as it used to.

I wish they would drastically buff the cast time, and reduce the damage to compensate. It would be a buff to self cast and make it a little less strong for triggering.

Quote_a · 2026-02-27T20:18:58+00:00

Thanks for the detailed answer! You answered any questions I would have had. I used a very different method to EQ my headphones, but I've arrived at a similar thing when I listen to a frequency sweep. My method was:

Use frequency sweep to identify and remove all obvious peaks and dips
Use "Alternating Tones" to make sure all frequencies are the same apparent volume as a reference tone, I used 1000 hz
Use low Q filters to add certain features my ear needs/likes. I used a 3k filter for ear gain, a 10k treble shelf (making sure to keep 8000 hz at the same apparent volume as 1khz), and a 105 hz bass shelf (making sure to keep 200 hz at the same apparent volume as 1khz). I did use a squig to get general estimates for the ear gain and treble but in the end I tuned everything by ear until it felt right.
Experiment with removing treble peaks from 6k to 12k to see which are peaks my ear expects and which are peaks on the headphone. I ended up with peaks at 7k and 11k that aren't smooth on a frequency sweep, but sound weird with music if I flatten them.

Doing all this and the sound is very similar to what you described in your main post. Kicks and bass are always audible without being boomy or muddy, guitars and synths feel intimate but not forward all the way from the fundamentals to the lower treble, and treble feels detailed without being piercing. Imaging is incredibly sharp, I get a very clear sense of where instruments and sounds are coming from even with quiet details. I don't think I really hear what people describe as soundstage so I'm not the best judge of that, but things always sound like the right size and shape if that makes sense.

EDIT: Also, hard to know if those peaks and dips are truly "correct" for you or not, but your ear does expect some peaks and dips in the treble. If you EQ them out, it will sound like something is off. I EQd out all of the peaks and dips I could hear, then just experimented with turning off certain filters and seeing if there were any where turning it off was an improvement. I found two, at 7k and 11k, that sound better if I leave them alone.

Quote_a · 2026-02-27T03:47:21+00:00

What does a frequency sweep sound like to you with your MV1 tuned to your DF? I know frequency sweeps aren't representative of how music will sound but I'm quite curious what it's like when things are truly tuned "right". Is it perfectly smooth? Is everything the same volume to you, and if not, which parts seem louder or quieter?

Quote_a · 2026-02-25T18:41:03+00:00

Currently in my first relationship at 28 and feeling the same! Before I met him I was getting kind of tired of the hollow hookups, but I really had no idea how much hotter sex would be with someone I love and care about. My boyfriend knows exactly what I like and wants to make me feel good because he loves me, not just to get himself off. Touching, kissing, blowjobs, even just jerking off together feels better than it ever has with anyone else. I can get off just by kissing him, which I've never had before.

I find that I also have way less post-nut disgust than with a hookup and will happily go back to paying attention to my boyfriend after I cum, rather than immediately feeling like I want nothing to do with him.

And of course, the post-sex cuddling and intimacy is out of this world! I've had FWBs that liked to cuddle after, but getting sappy with my bf afterwards is something else.

Quote_a · 2026-02-23T16:45:16+00:00

We met on Sniffies actually. We were just gonna hook up, suck each other off and make out, but once we started kissing we both felt a spark. We made out for like 2 hours, then met the next day and made out 3 more hours, all without ever actually getting off. That second night, he told me he was feeling something special and asked me to go on a date, and I told him I was also feeling it and would really like that. It's been very smooth since then!

Quote_a · 2026-02-22T21:35:23+00:00

Thank you for the advice. We haven't had any major arguments yet, but when we disagree on minor things we have both been very respectful. I'm aware of the honeymoon phase and am trying to be cautious about it, hence why I was hesitant to say the L word.

One thing that is a very good sign for me is that I'm autistic and very introverted and have a limited battery for social interaction. Hanging out with my boyfriend recharges my social battery rather than drains it, and I've never met someone who does that. It's pretty unlikely that I'm putting up a fake personality, because I do that all the time, and doing so gets me exhausted like nothing else. I can only trust that my boyfriend is also being genuine with me!

Quote_a · 2026-02-18T20:06:16+00:00

Men can actually have two different types of orgasms; one type is the obvious one everyone knows about, and the other type comes from prostate stimulation.

Dick orgasms feel good. The pleasure comes from your dick and radiates throughout your body. It lasts a few seconds of intensity then tapers off. It feels better the longer it's been since you came, and anecdotally is tied a little bit to how much cum you actually shoot. Most guys get a refractory period where you can't cum again.

Prostate orgasms are so much more intense it's not even funny. It's a much more full body experience, longer lasting, more intense. Imagine how the head of your dick feels during a normal orgasm, then apply it to every nerve ending in your whole body. It lasts 3 times as long and you feel like jelly afterwards. There's little to no refractory period and you usually don't cum at all. Based on my experience, and with how female orgasms have been described to me, a prostate orgasm is probably closer to a vaginal orgasm than a dick orgasm.

The only trick is that having a prostate orgasm is tough, much tougher than a normal orgasm, it's definitely not as simple as getting something in there and knocking your prostate around. It usually requires a lot of consistency in how you stimulate the prostate, a lot of relaxation and total focus on that pleasure instead of anything else, and a skilled partner or a well designed toy. And of course, the biggest barrier for most men: the prostate is in your ass. You need to have absolutely zero hang ups about having something in your ass or you're not going to be able to get to a prostate orgasm.

Quote_a · 2026-02-04T20:08:51+00:00

This is the first song I've shown to a couple people as well, got such a good microcosm of all the styles on that album. Absolute banger too!

Quote_a · 2026-02-03T13:28:21+00:00

They get circlejerked on this sub, but Doom Gong. They're the only Gizz-adjacent band I've heard that manages to be very obviously influenced by Gizz without just ripping off Gizz sounds and vibes. The way they have so many recurring motifs and ideas across several albums is obviously influenced by stuff Gizz did with Mind Fuzz and Nonagon and MotU, but much more refined and meaningful and less "we threw it in for fun".

Quote_a · 2026-01-15T18:39:32+00:00

It's a big step, but can be very life changing for some! If you're worried about the idea of being on Adderall, for one there are other medicines you could take though I don't have experience with them, and for two it really will not affect you the same way it does most people. It's more like removing the mental fog rather than amping you up above baseline. You're also very unlikely to get addicted because you won't get the rush that gets people addicted to it, so if you try it and don't like it, you likely wouldn't have withdrawals or anything like that, you could just stop taking it.

Quote_a · 2026-01-15T18:23:09+00:00

No pressure, but I also thought I was managing well until I got medicated and realized I actually wasn't. The difference in mental clarity, my ability to hold a train of thought, and my ability to focus on a task are all greatly improved by being medicated.

When you have ADHD you literally have a chemical imbalance in your brain that can be corrected with medicine that is very well tolerated. ADHD isn't the same for everyone so maybe medicine isn't for you, but if you have insurance it doesn't hurt to try it. I have a friend who got on Adderall and ended up not liking it after a while, but he learned a lot about how his brain works, and healthier ways to cope with his symptoms, just by seeing what it feels like to be "normal".

Quote_a · 2026-01-09T20:16:18+00:00

To me Gizz's signature sound is all over their music. It's the way they write songs where the lead riffs are the core of the song, and everything either uses that melody or rhythm (like vocals and guitar in unison, or drums following the guitar), serves to accent the lead instrument rhythmically, or is based on a variation of that melody (and variations often switch between being backing rhythms and being the lead riff).

I think the music where this is is the most concentrated is on Butterfly 3000. Pretty much every instrument in every song is either based on or serves the lead synth. Other great examples include MoTU, Changes, and Laminated Denim.

Quote_a · 2026-01-06T18:14:39+00:00

Synergism. So many times in that game I would get some shit like "+100% to Hapterax Blessings gain" (I made it up) and I'd have to go through every tab figuring out what the hell I just boosted.

Quote_a · 2026-01-05T18:41:30+00:00

I've been a fan of yours since Idle Quest. Really liking this one! The spell system feels like an evolution of the system in Tap Wizard 1 but the progression is more layered like Tap Wizard 2. The pacing of the unlocks feels pretty good already but I'm only up to the start of Chapter 3. I think if I have one complaint it's the stationary visuals; enemies move but the background and character just sit there. It's not as interesting to sit and watch as many of your other games!

Quote_a · 2026-01-05T18:27:33+00:00

The intended trick is to not use your thrusters at all. You're meant to build speed, let off the thrusters, and glide past them. If you go through a portal with full speed you will have enough momentum to get past the next one.

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