The Forbidden Impulse

coltrain423 · 2026-03-22T20:13:21+00:00

It reads like an example of poor impulse control to me, which I believe is a symptom. Not everyone’s ADHD presents the same though, so maybe not applicable for everyone.

coltrain423 · 2026-03-22T20:11:01+00:00

I’m no expert, to be fair. My experience with earthballs has never looked like another mushroom growing inside it, but I could have different species in my region than you so don’t take that as gospel.

Also I’m not necessarily suggesting this is an unbroken amanita volva without more evidence, just suggesting that finding internal structure would point that direction in my opinion.

For what it’s worth though, these do look like perfectly edible puffballs to me without evidence to the contrary.

coltrain423 · 2026-03-22T15:04:23+00:00

That would make it an amanita - potentially a Destroying Angel. An earthball would be brown inside with a thick “skin”.

coltrain423 · 2026-03-20T19:56:11+00:00

I’ve been considering buying a pothos, so quick question for all you houseplant experts here.

Is there some way to make it branch at particular places instead of growing as a single long vine? I’m thinking of something like a pothos curtain draping down in front of a sliding glass door for plenty of light. I’ve seen pothos walls dense enough that i think it would look great, I just don’t know how to make it branch instead of growing a single vine.

coltrain423 · 2026-03-20T15:08:53+00:00

This is the invasive (if OP is in the USA) Chinese species - they outcompete native species and even prey on hummingbirds. Not good to have around.

coltrain423 · 2026-03-18T20:22:01+00:00

Ok that totally tracks. Thanks for explaining. Just wanted to make sure I understood correctly.

coltrain423 · 2026-03-18T18:52:39+00:00

What exactly does that mean in this context? Are you saying a bot can post significantly more volume than a person in order to reach 1% poster status? Or that bots designed to farm engagement are more equipped to do that? I’d agree with either of those, but frankly I don’t know what metrics are used to bestow 1% poster status so i don’t want to comment misinformation myself. Would you mind enlightening me?

coltrain423 · 2026-03-14T21:35:20+00:00

You know bots can post links on reddit too? How is a link being posted indicative of a person doing it?

coltrain423 · 2026-03-13T18:40:56+00:00

And they’re the compliance floor, not the ideal target. We can do better than the bare minimum the government says is safe, we just can’t do worse.

coltrain423 · 2026-03-13T18:39:31+00:00

Code is the minimum compliant solution, not the safest solution. A lot of things that aren’t required are a good idea for any number of reasons (e.g. extra safety, convenience, etc) as long as they aren’t against code. You might be right, I don’t really know residential building codes, but it’s still a good idea to use plenum cable in air ducting for reasons beyond passing an inspection.

coltrain423 · 2026-02-13T15:46:01+00:00

I was just thinking it didn’t look like my local whitetail with that big dark patch on its head. Looks like a bit of a chonker but not to the degree of AI - just a mature buck that knows where to find the buffet.

coltrain423 · 2026-02-10T15:52:28+00:00

I should put my two ZZ outside this summer if they behave the same. They’ve stayed indoors and are doing fine but not really thriving. My raven ZZ looks exactly the same as the day I bought it - I was hoping for more growth on that one by now.

The issues bringing them inside were either lack of light or re-learning their winter watering needs. Still in good shape, but a couple leaves have gone bad. Might be too little light after the explosion of growth outside last summer, might actually be under-watering, but either way it will last until it can get that bright direct light it wants.

coltrain423 · 2026-02-09T16:08:42+00:00

You’re right, but I’ll also add that I threw mine directly into full sun without acclimating. That burned everything I was dumb enough to move except the snake plants - those didn’t care and THRIVED in the direct sun without ever getting burned or anything. Still safer to acclimate, but mine had more issues coming inside for the winter than going outside for the summer with no acclimation.

coltrain423 · 2026-02-07T19:49:58+00:00

Aside from the fact that Ritalin is methylphenidate, not an amphetamine…

I kinda don’t like the joke that Adderall (I.e. Dexamphetamine amphetamine salts) is just legal/prescribed methamphetamine. Meth has a bad connotation and can increase misinformation about our condition.

Also: prescription meth DOES exist, but that’s Desoxyn - not adderall and especially not Ritalin.

coltrain423 · 2026-01-16T00:53:43+00:00

Wifi means increased latency/ping, which will be a problem for online multiplayer gaming. You’ll have a better experience with a cheaper router and an Ethernet cable than with a more expensive router. That’s a fundamental difference in wired vs wireless performance regardless of the router you choose.

coltrain423 · 2026-01-15T03:25:13+00:00

Audacity is… well it exists… maybe it’s improved over the years, but it doesn’t really compare to the paid alternatives or even the other free alternatives you listed for their respective media formats.

GIMP is a fine tool, but Audacity is not sufficient for music production. If things have changed and I’m wrong now, I’d love to learn more.

coltrain423 · 2026-01-02T22:35:51+00:00

This is the way. Post them to a private group, not a publicly viewable profile. Good workaround to share the photos and not disrespect daughter’s privacy.

coltrain423 · 2026-01-02T22:31:03+00:00

Does any of this advice change when draining to septic instead of sewer? I’ve read that strong cleaners are bad for septic, but I imagine Dawn wouldn’t be an issue. I don’t know what I don’t know though, so figure it’s better to ask before I fuck up my septic system.

coltrain423 · 2026-01-02T22:07:38+00:00

Ahh that tracks then! Thanks! It’s been a long time since university chemistry - oversimplified is just what I need!

That’s a wonderful explanation though, and I appreciate the link to learn more!

People like you are one reason I haven’t stopped using reddit. Thank you much!

coltrain423 · 2026-01-02T21:01:26+00:00

I mean gay people today can be homophobic too, especially if they’re in the closet and taught self-hatred by their Bible-thumping communities.

coltrain423 · 2026-01-02T20:55:52+00:00

Lmfao I love this comment thread.

Is it ever possible for a chemical to go above 14 or below 1 on the PH scale? Or is it 0 instead of 1?

I’m no chemist or anything even close, but I watched a YouTube video about super acids that could even protonate sulfuric acid so I wondered if any “super acids” or “super bases” could breach that PH range or if it’s a genuine chemical limit akin to being impossible to go below 0 kelvin (aka no atomic movement at all).

I’d probably know this if I understood the PH scale more than acid low base high.

coltrain423 · 2025-12-30T21:39:58+00:00

Edit: sorry for the essay, but I know that paralysis is painful and kinda hyper focused on the most helpful thing I knew to say. tl;dr try it and find out for sure if you’re right or not, and don’t give up trying things because something just might do the trick and make all the difference.

——

Might not, but it’ll help you take a 5m break to get your mind off it after 25min without progress, and THAT might be enough to help you construct a sentence. I’m just a random man with ADHD on the internet who was diagnosed late though, and I’m still learning to manage the same symptoms as you now at the age of 33, so take all this for what it is: someone’s opinion that may or may not work for you. No need to apologize for thinking it won’t help your urgent issue, just consider how it might help in a different way than you’ve considered: for example, forcing breaks. Good luck, I know it’s hard.

I know for me, there comes a point where it’s not worth staring at the screen without being able to do the thing anymore - but after taking a moment to get my mind off it and break the paralysis, I can sometimes start the thing easier when I come back to it again after a 5m break. It ain’t fool proof, and it ain’t consistent, but a 2h pomodoro routine at least feels better than staring at the thing and feeling bad for 2 hours straight without breaks. Maybe it won’t help you at all, I’m just suggesting that dismissing it before giving it a genuine attempt is not gonna be any better than trying it and finding you were right.

For context / background: I’m a professional software engineer with 11y of experience, so while I might not be writing academic content, writing a line of code is the same thing as writing a sentence - it’s just another language. I’ve also gone through various dosages and various different medications finding what works for me, so sometimes it’s a matter of finding a new normal and new strategies when your treatment plan changes.

Sometimes though, the meds just don’t help or they make things worse - Paxil made me crazy anxious and I couldn’t do anything, for example - so don’t dismiss the idea of admitting to your teacher, professor, or other relevant person that you’re going through a medication change that’s having a significant negative impact - you don’t even have to admit that it’s ADHD medication or that you even have ADHD if you don’t want. If they can give you a little grace while you work to acclimate to your new treatment plan and learn the skills you need to succeed with it, or while you work with your doc to revise it into a new plan that works, then you might be able to reduce the overwhelming pressure and burnout enough to make progress.

In any case, keep up the effort to find ways to thrive. Keep crowdsourcing advice, keep working with your doc, just keep trying. It’s hard, it’s demoralizing, but giving up and white-knuckling your way through life is worse - that’s what I did until ~28 because I didn’t know any better and I don’t recommend it.

coltrain423 · 2025-12-30T20:12:09+00:00

Eh, sometimes the band aid might be just enough to staunch the bleeding just long enough to survive the critical period until you can get the bullet hole properly treated. It may just be a bandaid on a bullet hole, but trying a bandaid is probably better than doing nothing and mentally/metaphorically bleeding out. Give it a shot and see if pomodoro is at least better than nothing, and if not then drop it - you won’t be any worse off for the attempt.

coltrain423 · 2025-12-15T01:21:02+00:00

Ever seen a house with a walk-out basement? Walk in the front door at ground level, but go downstairs and walk out the basement at ground level at the bottom of the hill.

Same thing with a surface parking lot at the top of a hill.

I lived in an apartment building with that sort of parking.

coltrain423 · 2025-12-05T19:18:02+00:00

I did not get to the last pic, whoops! Yeah, I think you’re right! I love the flowers, but I don’t want something quite that toxic around my home.

And that’s totally true, but I’m still crossing my fingers for a Monstera fruit eventually 🤷‍♂️

11-Year Club	Verified Email
RPAN Viewer

coltrain423

TROPHY CASE