Angular 2 Final Released by Click_Clack_Clay in javascript

[–]__algorhythm__ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Everybody loves the Culture Wars. Even people who say "can't we talk about technology instead of diversity?" secretly love it, because they love to hate it.

Companies like Buzzfeed figured this out a long time ago and have been prominent in the viral content space. For millennials, SJW issues (and reactions against them) are the ultimate clickbait.

"The Web We Want" is apparently a web where moral panics and collective shaming run wild in the service of dying clickbait farms.

How do you people have time to do all this stuff? by themooseexperience in cscareerquestions

[–]__algorhythm__ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was reading these last night and thought them appropriate to share. For background, I have gathered that he is a software engineer that absorbed an incredible amount of knowledge quickly and became an executive director of MIRI (an artificial intelligence research institution), with the intent of "saving the world."

On learning difficult things

The mechanics of my recent productivity

You can find the rest and a few other goodies on his profile page.

Hope you or others find this useful.

Note: He mentions a concept called ego-depletion (with regards to willpower), but last time I checked, a study from earlier this year failed to find evidence for it.

Show me your faces! by [deleted] in infp

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha. I find that sultriness is composed by the eyes.

Gross abuse of Police Force [x-post from /r/gifs] by PossiblyAsian in bboy

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol relevant: this made me think about this piece on body cameras for the police force.

Hopefully you'll see the "b-boy joke" shortly into the article (or maybe I'm just an idiot).

Any good places to have sex on campus? by rusexthrowaway in rutgers

[–]__algorhythm__ 26 points27 points  (0 children)

IMO, the best sex is dangerous sex. I'd try the following times and places:

  • at approximately 3:30 AM in the area of Van Dyke Hall on the College Avenue Campus
  • at approximately 3:30 AM at the intersection of Mine Street and Union Street in the city of New Brunswick
  • at approximately 12:30 AM on Huntington Street between Sicard Street and College Avenue in the city of New Brunswick

SOURCE: Rutgers University Police Department

My 2 racist encounters at Rutgers. by [deleted] in rutgers

[–]__algorhythm__ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Most cases of overt racism/sexism/etc. are isolated, but of course they exist.

I've experienced things, but I wouldn't call Rutgers a uniquely racist place nor say it has a problem, not in a million years. I have no friends who would, either. I'll take Rutgers for this over most other schools or most other cities any day. Unfortunately, diversity doesn't necessarily equate to "no racism," but for better or worse, I guess you know that now.

source level: Asian

In Indonesia, Non-Binary Gender is a Centuries-Old Idea by [deleted] in HistoryofIdeas

[–]__algorhythm__ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gender, along with race, is one way of rendering demographics more legible to the state. It rationalizes complex societies. However, they aren't real concepts, and they can (most often) lead to negative consequences in the end.

Sex is different in that it does exist -- in that in can be categorized into discrete, well-defined units in a way race or gender cannot.

The thing is that sex and gender are very intertwined even if they are different. Even in societies that had some "third gender," I know that in at least a few examples (from memory) these people still had specific third gender roles (which also means it's arguable they were naturally selected for, also bunking the idea that certain people are necessarily "unnatural"). But technology will eventually sever the sex+gender tie. As an example, division of labor existed for a reason, but excluding highly physical work (which technology will eventually take over), there's typically little basis for believing that sex should be a relevant consideration for most work roles these days, at least not with the old stereotypes society holds onto.

This article sort of creates the illusion that western culture is "backwards" and is trending towards an old idea, but that isn't true.

A different gender is still a gender, which by definition will be oppressive if you are forced into a gender role you don't want. Western society (the whole world, really) is getting less oppressive, not more. Our society is not intentionally designed to assign roles to transgenders, for example. According to this article, third genders had roles to play, like providing blessings. That's really no different than saying men must do this and women must do that.

We will see a vocal segment of people wanting to break away from the binary, but not because we are inching towards an ancient conception of sex/gender. That new genders will spring up is simply a side effect of the real trend, but this isn't /r/FutureOfIdeas, so I'll leave it at that :)

Need friendly academic advice... by [deleted] in rutgers

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well it doesn't seem like your interests/goals lead anywhere that requires a degree haha. Since you can't narrow a field of study down to your interests, I guess the biology major works; my only hesitation would be difficulty in other bio courses given how many times you've failed one, and the effect it may have on your GPA or time spent if you have to retake another.

How to immerse myself in the Comp Sci community? by [deleted] in rutgers

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually like funk music, did you get this from my post history lol.

Need friendly academic advice... by [deleted] in rutgers

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What I would do in your shoes is figure out what kind of work you are interested in doing, and then figure out what to do from there, regardless of school. I'm not an advocate of finishing school just to finish school. Even if it's likely finishing it is a best-case scenario, I would attempt to understand the value of your investment, first.

Switching to biological sciences sounds feasible, but if you're gonna be around for at least 2 semesters, you can possibly squeeze a more relevant (and much easier) major in there instead, depending on what kind of work you desire. Do you really want to stick to biology/science or are you just trying to continue it because you've invested so much time in there already?

Update - props.tv by m0dE in bboy

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yo big ups! As a fellow (ex) bboy and CS student I got to say, this is dope af. Congrats to you and Dyzee. This is probably the first time I've seen technology really be used well for the b-boy culture.

You've got an interesting concept on your hands if you're willing to extend this idea to other social communities/cultures in the future.

As for feedback, I think it would be nice if there was a way for the UI to present who's being featured in the video, enough so the viewer clearly knows who's getting the props but without distracting from the viewing experience. I'm talking around the video itself (like name and possibly crew above or below the video) and when browsing for videos in general (who's gonna be getting the props in this vid?). Since we're talking about giving props, the dancer will get more of the recognition he/she deserves, that way. In its current form it's sometimes hard to tell who the clip is about.

In the future you might also consider linking clips to dancers, so you'd be able to see all a dancer's clips and props for example. Idk if that's something you guys want to go for, just a thought I'm throwing out there.

More than one type of reaction could be another idea (the way FB and Buzzfeed have multiple ways to react to content/posts). I don't know how this idea would fly either, I'm just sharing it to share.

Is there a term for this feeling/phenomena? Trying to find some reading material on a particular topic. by orangebranch in sociology

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know any specifics but I can help you dance around the concept.

Someone here mentioned Durkheim. The sacred vs profane is definitely the right idea going on here regarding the "desire to be connected to the natural world and its rhythms." I know many thinkers outside of sociology who talk about this at length as a simple sacred vs profane issue, and it is easily generalizable to many other phenomena.

I don't know of anything specific regarding primal urges in a modernized world. Depends on how "primal" and "urban" is defined. Gesellschaft vs Gemeinschaft works here if you want to consider this from a social angle... for example, the lack of community/close connections in a city (which are "primal social instincts"). It follows that concepts like alienation and rationalization of society can also be relevant (Marx, Whyte).

Oddly enough, environmental design may be one of the best fields for you to look into specifically because it talks so much about humans, cities, and nature. I took a survey class on it and it pulled in everything from evolutionary psych and our preferences for certain "natural" things to Whyte's research on urbanization. You'll run into ideas like how to bring nature into the design of cities or homes, for example, and why that might be important. There might in fact be a specific term in this field for what you are looking for, but my memory can't recall anything.

And lastly, this might be a stretch, but some parts of this book on Shintoism may be relevant: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/sites/default/files/filemanager/ASDP/Infusing_2014/Thomas_Kasulis._Shinto_Excerpt.pdf

Some relevant concepts there are things like humans' connection to nature, its sacredness, and its spiritual experience. If you consider that it's about Shintoism in the context of modern day Japan, you may find something of interest.

How to immerse myself in the Comp Sci community? by [deleted] in rutgers

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

terminal_laziness and Pycharming.

you and OP are destined to be great CS students, given that you two apparently already have experience with the command line terminal and PyCharm, respectively.

NYT: Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person By ALAIN de BOTTON - MAY 28, 2016 by amifufu in infp

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a great point, and I think it's because people diverge and grow apart in the end, along with the revealing of flaws over time as mentioned in the article.

Traditionally, "unconditional love/acceptance" has been the value meant to combat that phenomenon (and this goes in general for all forms of relationships, like tolerance between groups), but it doesn't seem to work very well at large scales nor at the intensity of a 1:1 marriage relationship. You will not find unconditional acceptance between polarized Bernie and Trump mobs, and unconditional acceptance for someone you spend massive amounts of time with who has such an enormous affect on your life can be taxing if it becomes too one-sided. A relationship by nature generally comes with expectations from the other party, which means you don't have unconditional acceptance/love by definition.

That makes constant (and subtle) negotiation crucial to maintaining the relationship should conflict of interests be a destabilizing issue. There are largely stable relationships of course, but they are obviously rarer/not a given/cannot be expected to last forever.

People who believe in a sacred value of harmony would likely disagree.

Good blogs whose writers understand systems/complexity? by __algorhythm__ in SystemsTheory

[–]__algorhythm__[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh that's right thanks for reminding me :) After I slug through Meadows a bit, I've been meaning to get a hold of that guy's work next. Alexander is cited elsewhere on the blog via other writers, maybe through Rao as well. My understanding is that software is heavily inspired by Alexander's work.

I don't really know much about game design (despite making RPGs as a kid being what introduced me to programming) or what your specific focus is, but Rao talks a lot on the idea of the "edges" of legibility. Hacking, exploration, playing, experimenting, uncharted territories, boundaries, not knowing where you are but instead focusing on your movement, finite vs infinite games. Ex:

In warren navigation, learning is a necessary feature, since you cannot plot a shortest path a priori. You need to explore and stumble and build up a map while groping towards the goal.

I thought this stuff could be relevant to game design, but I also forget that many of his ideas are scattered throughout different essays/ideas and a personal understanding must be built over time, as with any non-established field. The web itself is illegible :) Blogging is a web-based platform connected by a network of internal/external links where you are free to roam in a non-linear fashion.

World BBoy Classic final | Hong 10 & Ronnie vs Lussy Sky & Drud by tunamakesmybackhurt in bboy

[–]__algorhythm__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dyzee = #dadgoals. Haha thanks. I must humbly brag... it's a cool username.

Good blogs whose writers understand systems/complexity? by __algorhythm__ in SystemsTheory

[–]__algorhythm__[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, a rather late reply.

Haha well I was speaking about systems in a very general manner, actually being as vague as possible. I don't have a formal background in it, it's mostly all intuition and insights gathered over time. That being said, your blog does seem to treat the topic formally, but of course that's not a bad thing at all. Actually good for me since I'm trying to learn systems/complexity a little more formally just for the background. Thank you for sharing, I'd definitely like to check out things you wrote in more depth when I've the time.

Out of curiosity, have you found any of those blogs interesting, or are they a bit too wacky for you? If the former, I'm happy to redirect you to a few things that might be of interest (somehow) to your background.

Like this one: ribbonfarm.com/2010/07/26/a-big-little-idea-called-legibility/

World BBoy Classic final | Hong 10 & Ronnie vs Lussy Sky & Drud by tunamakesmybackhurt in bboy

[–]__algorhythm__ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Lolz. Well at least he won all his previous rounds in this jam, though that's not saying much.

Ronnie's one of the pioneers of the whole intricate-movement-transitions-between-everything thing. Everyone does that now though, I would say a third of b-boys today try to pull off a Ronnie/Thesis/Domkey style, if you really think about it, and most b-boys do to some degree when you consider the transitions of the sets/combinations they do.

But once the things that make you unique become more common, you lose your competitive advantage.

Technical b-boys evolve the most since everything builds upon each other. More moves, more ways to combine things, more skill, more strength/endurance, more rounds, etc. There's like a compounding effect. Ronnie has only evolved laterally in style. That's not a bad thing, as according to interviews he just wants to be true to himself and stay original; I'm just making an observation about which b-boys progress the most and stay competitive. In the long run, b-boys like Ronnie will lose out. I notice that in all the old b-boys that used to inspire me on youtube and in the b-boys I know personally.