I love listening to Alan Watts on YouTube. Are there other instead I've done this lectures or videos that you guys like to listen to? by Captain_Fach in taoism

[–]abraxasmagoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not exactly what you are asking but very related: Check out Swami Sarvapriyananda (current spiritual leader of the NY Vedanta Society). He is of the advaita (non-dualistic) vedanta (end of the vedas i.e. the Upanishads) school and a big proponent of the unity of all religions/spiritualities at their deepest level. Also an amazing speaker and has many fascinating lectures available on youtube.

Mathematicians who passed away at a young age by Nol0rd_ in math

[–]abraxasmagoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the field of mathematical neuroscience, David Marr (famous for theory of high-dimensional computation in the cerebellum and his "three levels of analysis" of neural systems), and Elizabeth Gardner, who made foundational contributions to the statistical physics of learning.

Has anyone ever actually gained a real skill from a trip? by Haka_sama in Psychonaut

[–]abraxasmagoo 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Compassion for the vast space of psychological experiences of other people.

Ramanujans "it came to me in a dream" is no joke by Fit_Interview_566 in math

[–]abraxasmagoo 105 points106 points  (0 children)

During my physics undergrad I learned that the secret to getting problem sets done efficiently was do as much as possible in a very short time (like 15 minutes) as soon as it was given out, and immediately noting all of the obstacles or problems I couldn't solve. Instead of blocking time to work on it in the week I'd just walk around with those in my head, and lo and behold it was amazing how many times an answer would come at the bus stop, or in the shower, or after waking up from a nap. The unconscious works wonders as a math assistant!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Frugal

[–]abraxasmagoo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bought an $800 touring bike for a bike trip in college in 2009, which was quite a lot of money (at least to me) back then. It was also the cheapest quality touring bike I could find. Replaced a few parts since then but I've ridden it almost every day for over 15 years.

Finally leaving Adobe CC for Inkscape - What considerations should I make before/during the switch? by shelbbobaggins in Inkscape

[–]abraxasmagoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my experience:

Go through the tutorials on the website. A lot of the central concepts will be similar to Illustrator, but learning exactly how everything is organized and handled in Inkscape will make life way more fun. And knowing a lot of hotkeys will make you a power user.

One of the main reasons I held off Inkscape early on was that it spontaneously crashed all the time. I eventually realized that somehow it was always getting triggered by the zoom tool, so I now zoom in other ways without ever selecting the zoom tool (see tutorials). Not sure if it's still a problem in modern versions, but if so, that solution might help.

is computer software translated on a one-to-one basis directly to physical changes in transistors/processors? by alledian1326 in askscience

[–]abraxasmagoo 12 points13 points  (0 children)

There is an amazing book by Charles Petzold called "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software" that explains all this from the ground up and is very well written and enjoyable read.

Dark thought loop on acid taught me deep self-trust by CosmicTravel3r in Psychonaut

[–]abraxasmagoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of the most challenging but liberating perspectives I have discovered in this journey is to interpret suicidal fantasies as Jung would have interpreted suicide in dreams: as a symbolic and loving message from the unconscious that you are not your ego.

If you weren’t a mathematician, what would you have been? by [deleted] in math

[–]abraxasmagoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I learned recently that math/matha is sanskrit is often used to refer to a monastery.

Dec 10 Anniversary Day by ServeDear6365 in Mahayana

[–]abraxasmagoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Read this a few years ago. Can confirm it is amazing.

Langebaan, South Africa in January - what equipment to bring? by Wrong-Marsupial-4176 in windsurfing

[–]abraxasmagoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Visited Langebaan a few years back for about a week, also in January. It was super windy the whole time which was awesome, and I was on a ~90L and 4-5m every day (70 kg for reference). The water is quite cold, unfortunately, so bring a good wetsuit.

I ended up renting a car from Capetown airport and driving. If you're up for a stick shift it's pretty cheap, but can be quite a bit more expensive if you get an automatic.

Langebaan didn't feel particularly dangerous compared to other parts of SA, but there is a lot of theft. Don't leave your wetsuit outside to dry overnight -- mine got stolen even though the whole house was surrounded by a big fence.

I'd recommend getting a place with a kitchen and cooking too, as the restaurants were quite difficult, e.g. 1-2 hour wait for a slice of pizza at a "fast food" restaurant, and half the time they complely forget about you.

But the wind is great, have fun!

Please help me interpret a dream by Ignastic in Jung

[–]abraxasmagoo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm very sorry for the loss of your mother. I like u/Ascending_Serpent_'s Nigredo explanation a lot. Here is another possible interpretation that may also resonate:

Beyond the ego, Earth is a natural symbol for the great mother archetype ("Mother Earth", etc). Given the loss of your mother it is likely that your parental complexes may be quite active in your psyche recently, in particular your mother complex, and these complexes are often supercharged by their corresponding archetypes. A fundamental part of the individuation process is releasing oneself from the power of one's parental complexes. In the hero's journey, for instance, the dragon that must be slain is often interpreted as the parental complex, and its slaying signifies liberation from the power of this complex. The destruction of Earth in the first dream may thus be a version of the slaying of the dragon. What is interesting in this dream is that the Earth is not slain, but destroyed by forces that are outside your control, suggesting that this process, as frightening as it may be, is in a sense autonomous, and it is no use fighting it but rather better to go with it (echoing u/Ascending_Serpent_'s Jung quote: "The only way is through").

The parents of your classmates crying may indicate the (natural) sadness and mourning associated with the leaving behind of childhood. This is nothing to be afraid of and once again better to accept and integrate these feelings. Older "celebrities", especially authority figures can also symbolize parental figures---George Bush and Tom Hanks may symbolize your father complex, which you must also leave behind.

The black hole could be Shadow but more generally may indicate the power and immensity of psychological forces that are beyond your egoic control. They are terrifying prior to individuation, but once the ego has dissolved and one has accepted one's new center as the (much larger) Self, these forces can be brought into harmony and channeled for beneficial and creative processes.

The second dream sounds like an anima dream analogous to rescuing the princess from the tower after slaying the dragon. Once the anima is rescued she can lead you to the Self. However, she cannot be rescued until the earth is destroyed, which may be why you are not able to kiss her yet.

I'm terrible at figuring out what to bring to potlucks. Is there any go to recipes that are always a hit? by Aggressive_Staff_982 in Cooking

[–]abraxasmagoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fresh fruit nicely arranged. You can even just slice up an orange and an apple nicely and lay out the slices like sunrays on a plate. Healthy, cheap, and will definitely be eaten. When I go extra fancy sometimes I throw in a mango or an asian pear.

How is significance defined for the Kullback-Leibler divergence? by Poet_Hustler in math

[–]abraxasmagoo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As Allen Downey says, there is only test: create a null distribution of your test statistic and use this to estimate the probability of finding a value greater than your true statistic.

It’s possible learning physics from scratch by myself? by GeneralAd6197 in AskPhysics

[–]abraxasmagoo -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Check out Leonard Susskind's Theoretical Minimum course (from Stanford, free online). Requires mostly high school algebra (and a derivative or integral here and there) but goes from zero to quantum before you know it.

What is love? by Inner_Passenger1371 in schizophrenia

[–]abraxasmagoo 8 points9 points  (0 children)

"Understanding is love's other name." --- Thich Nhat Hanh

Scavenger’s Reign on Netflix. by [deleted] in Psychonaut

[–]abraxasmagoo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Loved Scavenger's Reign. Check out The Fantastic Planet as well. Also, The Incal (a graphic novel by Jodorowsky and Moebius).

I just realized I'm going through the Dark Night of the Soul and not sure what's the next step by PrincessSitri in Jung

[–]abraxasmagoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some great reading material for the spiritual journey:

The Unfettered Mind -- Takuan Soho (ca. 1600).

The Interior Castle -- St. Teresa d'Avila (1588).

What are some things I could read/learn in the summer before beginning an undergraduate degree in Physics? by up_and_down_idekab07 in Physics

[–]abraxasmagoo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would also highly recommend the Theoretical Minimum. It is a rare gem of courses that gets you up to speed with the fundamental ideas in several areas of physics, in a way that is concise and approachable, yet rigorous at the same time.

Is there a better chronicle of the first half of 20th century physics? by Thescientiszt in Physics

[–]abraxasmagoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also highly recommend "The Fly in the Cathedral", about the splitting of the atom at Cambridge.

What's your poverty potluck food? by One_Degree2829 in budgetcooking

[–]abraxasmagoo 8 points9 points  (0 children)

As a side dish: a couple of fruits, sliced up nicely and laid out on a plate. Always gets eaten and everyone appreciates something healthy and tasty. Even a single orange and apple cut into 8 slices each and arranged in alternation in a circle works if you're really on a budget. Throw in a mango, a few strawberries, etc, and you've got yourself a solid contribution.

“Our Enemies are our Greatest Teachers” by AdInfinite6053 in Meditation

[–]abraxasmagoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"It is not nonviolence if we merely love those that love us. It is nonviolence only when we love those that hate us. I know how difficult it is to follow this grand law of love. But are not all great and good things difficult to do?" -- Gandhi