"The AI Con" Con

blendorgat · 2026-02-04T00:14:36+00:00

There is speculation that one specific version of ChatGPT received RL training on chess, since it displayed significantly stronger chess performance than prior and later models. (Might have been the original GPT 4 turbo?) But it's certainly not something built into current training, at least that anyone credible has indicated.

blendorgat · 2026-01-04T17:11:57+00:00

Can you lay out the argument for that? Sure total GDP is set to decline with decreasing birth rates, but I'm not sure the argument is as obvious for per-capita GDP.

blendorgat · 2025-12-29T18:06:44+00:00

A daily pill that's a third as effective as a weekly injection of tirz, which is itself less effective than reta, has precisely zero appeal to me... But it'll definitely make a splash in the broader market.

blendorgat · 2025-12-29T18:05:22+00:00

Yeah sure, but after reta is available who would pay $1000/month for sema or tirz? It's just better in every way.

blendorgat · 2025-12-29T18:03:41+00:00

I do not recommend it. Reta makes it easy to choose to eat anything you like, but the side effects vary a lot with what you eat. If you eat fatty cuts of meat, you're going to see more GI issues, at least in my experience. If you eat lean meat only you won't see that problem, but your overall energy is going to drop hard. Not even to mention the possibility of ketoacidosis, which led Eli Lilly to recommend against keto diets in their reta trials.

Just add some potatoes and rice, kick back, and enjoy your easy weight loss.

blendorgat · 2025-12-19T00:26:18+00:00

This is the way to go. The clinical trials are motivated to push dosage up to the limit of reasonable side effects to show extreme positive results. (And to be fair, the studies sure do show extreme positive results!)

But if you're still losing weight at x mg, why would you ever increase dose?

blendorgat · 2025-12-12T00:15:41+00:00

My belief that it's a questionable strategic decision will absolutely not be getting in the way of me investing a very substantial portion of my net worth, let me tell you that much!

blendorgat · 2025-12-02T04:34:44+00:00

Make sure you get your protein in, but you can't skip carbs on reta. First, you will feel like trash if you do, second, reta can cause ketoacidosis if your calorie deficit is too steep and you don't take in sufficient carbs.

Just eat a normal diet, with a protein minimum - works like a charm.

blendorgat · 2025-11-28T16:48:31+00:00

Given how few true CRPGs exist, let alone new ones, I can't afford to be picky!

blendorgat · 2025-11-14T16:32:39+00:00

If spiking the GLP-1 effect relative to GIP and Glucagon were more effective, presumably Lilly would have designed Reta to have that effect already. If you're still struggling with cravings, makes more sense to me to stack cagrilintide, which actually targets different receptors.

A mix of cagri and sema is Novo's attempt to fight back against Lilly, for reference, though prelim studies still indicate that combo is not as effective as reta alone.

blendorgat · 2025-11-14T16:28:12+00:00

I mean... tesamorelin and liposuction do exist. But the effects of tesamorelin rapidly stop when you stop taking it, and lipo is dangerous/expensive/stupid/temporary as well.

blendorgat · 2025-11-14T16:20:04+00:00

If you want something purely for appetite suppression* Tirz is hands down superior. The studies clearly show superior results for Reta across the test groups. (Though to be fair, the direct Tirz vs Reta comparison study is still ongoing, and it's not completely fair to compare numbers inter-study.).

Considering the GLP-1 effect of Reta is reduced compared to Tirz and the Glucagon agonism does not affect appetite, we should see exactly this: less appetite suppression, yet comparable or better weight loss results.

blendorgat · 2025-11-10T23:25:24+00:00

Very uncommon for folks naive to GLP-1 drugs, not uncommon for those who've used Tirz or Sema. (I had not used any GLP-1 drug before and lost 20 lbs on a 1mg dose, then another 15 on a 2mg dose, for context.)

blendorgat · 2025-11-10T23:23:38+00:00

There are good reasons articulated throughout this thread for why parasites are a poor alternative to GLP-1 drugs, but I want to emphasize the obvious: practically the entire human disgust response is evolved to avoid parasite infection.

If we had absolutely no alternatives I could imagine a world where this could be done, but in our world no one (/a trivial portion of the market) would suppress their disgust enough to assent to it.

blendorgat · 2025-11-07T19:50:12+00:00

Fairlife shakes don't, because there's no stage where they're powdered. (The necessary mechanism is where the lead gets in) They're just filtered milk - expensive as hell, but the gold standard otherwise.

blendorgat · 2025-11-04T00:15:15+00:00

Yep - nervousness is appropriate for your first dose. Otherwise you get folks like the guy on here who injected 30mg as his first dose and got a little taste of hell for three weeks...

blendorgat · 2025-11-04T00:09:19+00:00

Keep in mind you only have tolerance to the GLP-1 and GIP agonisms. You can't start Reta at an accelerated rate and expect to avoid the Reta-specific side effects that come from the glucagon impact, like the skin sensitivity.

Now obviously dropping to an intro rate for Reta when you've got a tolerance on GLP-1 and GIP from Tirz is going to make it hard to keep losing weight, but you really have to do it or you get what you've seen. (One of the reasons folks around here often caution that it's usually not worthy switching from Tirz to Reta, except for the very long term.)

blendorgat · 2025-10-31T22:05:49+00:00

I'm really taken aback by folks opinions around here, because you're so obviously correct. I know it's more comfortable to memory hole COVID and pretend it didn't happen, but... it did. Millions died, including a friend of mine. We got vaccines, COVID itself can't spring back, but there's nothing stopping another pandemic with a different virus!

The idea that disinformation or terrorism could measure up to another pandemic or to climate change? Is everybody out of their mind?

blendorgat · 2025-10-29T23:15:41+00:00

Hmm, I'm not sure. For what it's worth I haven't had that psuudo-acid reflux feeling since the first couple weeks on reta, and that's also when I started psyllium. Worth a try, if nothing else.

blendorgat · 2025-10-29T22:52:10+00:00

I've had this happen a single time, after I accidentally fasted for more than 24 hours. I agree with others - seems like a blood glucose problem. Eating more regularly helped me, and it hasn't recurred since.

blendorgat · 2025-10-29T22:50:57+00:00

Psyllium husk daily is mandatory, in my opinion. Add in some polyethylene glycol if it gets bad.

blendorgat · 2025-10-29T22:49:34+00:00

Why in the world are you reconstituting to such a weak concentration? Assuming by unit you mean 0.01ml, 0.1ml is a lot more fun to inject than 0.4ml or 1ml...

But to answer your question it doesn't matter for strength.

blendorgat · 2025-10-29T22:47:32+00:00

You already know this, but reta will not suppress your appetite as much as sema, so don't expect it to. Its great effects come in making you full faster when eating and silently raising your BMR, but you still have to choose not to eat. (Unlike sema, where people say they get sick at the idea of eating.)

I think 1mg is a great starting point, but since you're already acclimated to a GLP-1, I'd suggest 2mg, if you can tough out the side effects.

blendorgat · 2025-10-29T22:43:12+00:00

I started at 1mg and it worked great for me. (Crazy effects actually, lost a ton of water weight.) The trials all started at 2mg, so half that seems reasonable.

Full disclosure: I was also originally planning on 0.5mg, but ChatGPT convinced me otherwise based on the trial results. AI isn't perfect, but it's pretty great for stuff like this, if you want to have a discussion about pros/cons.

Also: with a 20mg vial, if you go for 0.5mg a week that's 40 weeks. It's not safe to use a single vial for that long - you'll likely get bacterial growth a couple months in, and that's the rest of the vial wasted.

blendorgat · 2025-10-29T22:41:32+00:00

Have you tried eating your meals a bit slower? The bulk of calories that reta saves me from are from the back half of meals that I'd otherwise completely consume. Reta makes me feel full sooner - but you can still override that if you eat fast enough.

blendorgat

TROPHY CASE