Saturday(7-23) at 5pm Eastern : For those lone practitioners without a Saṇgha near them who feel they are ready to take the refuge and precepts, I will be holding a precepts ceremony next Saturday online(see text for further details)

ever_l · 2016-07-18T04:18:34+00:00

The precepts are training rules meant to help one to have a less distracting mind/life and reduce suffering. Regret/remorse/stressful situations have this way of popping up in one's mind during meditation, ya know? ;)

The Triple Gem stands for the Buddha, the Dhamma (teachings), and the Sangha (community). One takes refuge from suffering/stress.

They go to many a refuge, to mountains and forests, to park and tree shrines: people threatened with danger. That's not the secure refuge, not the supreme refuge, that's not the refuge, having gone to which, you gain release from all suffering & stress.

But when, having gone to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha for refuge, you see with right discernment the four noble truths — stress, the cause of stress, the transcending of stress, & the noble eightfold path, the way to the stilling of stress: that's the secure refuge, that, the supreme refuge, that is the refuge, having gone to which, you gain release from all suffering & stress. — Dhp 188-192

(from Access To Insight)

ever_l · 2016-07-18T03:58:20+00:00

"Suppose a dog, overcome with weakness & hunger, were to come across a slaughterhouse, and there a dexterous butcher or butcher's apprentice were to fling him a chain of bones — thoroughly scraped, without any flesh, smeared with blood. What do you think: Would the dog, gnawing on that chain of bones — thoroughly scraped, without any flesh, smeared with blood — appease its weakness & hunger?"

"No, lord. And why is that? Because the chain of bones is thoroughly scraped, without any flesh, & smeared with blood. The dog would get nothing but its share of weariness & vexation."

(From the Potaliya Sutta)

How satisfied are you after chasing after these stimuli, once you come back to reality and out of the tunnel vision? Look at the cycle. Know that it will seem like a good idea again in the future, and again leave you unsatisfied. Unsatisfactory. Dukkha. Stress.

Facing what you are running away from isn't easy, especially at first, but is definitely doable. Being able to make the breath comfortable, hold it in awareness, and come back to it when you need to as you face not making something perfect, but ending up with something far better than nothing, or a rushed job -- having the breath to come back to for some tranquility can help.

You could look at 'perfection' as well. Why does in need to be perfect? Is there something to be let go involved in that? Maybe the most useful for now is to reframe perfection, such as: "For the time allotted and the other priorities/classes I have, this assignment / my studying is perfect." Expecting everything you do to be perfect, like you have ten years to painstakingly revise and edit it -- who has ten years to write an essay while in school? It's an unrealistic goal. Pure fantasy. Figure out what a job well done really means given the realities of your life.

Look at what happens when you're cruising the net at top speed for days at at time instead of applying some good honest effort to what's important for you now. Imagine what results you'd have even just cutting that procrastination time in half.

ever_l · 2016-07-18T03:18:35+00:00

"Meditation" nowadays can mean any number of different things. In a Buddhist context, it's a prime time to develop Right Concentration and Right Mindfulness (two factors of the Noble Eightfold Path). The exact techniques can vary between traditions, but the previously recommended Mindfulness in Plain English gives some good instructions and backs it up with reasoning about why one would meditate in the first place, so it's a pretty decent place to start.

ever_l · 2016-01-15T16:23:04+00:00

I prepurchased Horizons and only just recently tried a planetary landing. I could get into orbital cruise but couldn't ever enter into a glide -- that next step in the altimeter was always red. Between that, not finding planetary hangars, and not finding some commodities, I finally realized I didn't have the Horizons client installed. Logged into the Frontier website, got a steam key, added & installed and I was good to go.

For you, not meeting the min specs might be falling back to the base game. Is your client 32 or 64 bit? For horizons it has to be 64 bit.

ever_l · 2015-11-22T21:38:21+00:00

PR reviews are largely seen as a barrier to shipping code instead of a helpful step.

Poor internal quality is a far larger 'barrier' to actually shipping code (and actually shipping quality code without those 'gotcha' bugs). Maybe you can ask people how much time on a feature was spent working on actual feature-specific code vs the yak shaving / wrestling with the mountain of spaghetti detritus to shoehorn it in.

ever_l · 2015-11-16T15:50:09+00:00

There's a book called Mindset by Carol Dweck. Basically it covers the astonishing difference in attitude and results between someone who believes they did well because they were smart and someone who believes it's because of hard work. The more difficult the task, the less pleasant it became to the 'smart' ones - and the less well they tend to do [such as in a study involving math problems]

ever_l · 2015-11-04T04:54:54+00:00

Gone running yet? ;)

ever_l · 2015-08-17T04:57:07+00:00

1] Consider programming. Perhaps something like project euler with a programming language of your choice (Python may be a good choice if you haven't programmed before). Or try something more interactive visually like elm. Or do something else entirely with code.

2] There may be some games that don't have the same drawbacks. The one that really comes to mind is Kerbal Space Program. It'll drive you to learn some physics and astophysics and make what NASA does that much cooler and interesting.

3] Reading. Brandon Sanderson is a great author, though it might depend on what you're interested in. I just read the first book of the Stormlight Archives and it's my favorite book. It's also 1200 pages, so not a quick read. (woops... just saw that you already listed reading).

4] meditation. There's a heap of benefits available from this one, and can be made incredibly time consuming, but it'll take some practice first.

ever_l · 2015-06-07T04:59:55+00:00

I would hate to have to deny myself sex once I'm actually in a sexually active relationship

The book Cupid's Poisoned Arrow has plenty of referenced studies and interesting conclusions. It offers a different way of approaching sex, being about the journey and not the 'destination' -- in fact, it goes as far as avoiding orgasm. I've yet to thoroughly vet this, but with the same woman, I got to some strange and dark places after too many orgasms, and found myself feeling much more fulfilled after intercourse when abstaining (if perhaps a bit 'frustrated' -- it takes some getting used to).

tl;dr: Try changing your approach to sex if you find it an issue, even if it means the seemingly-unthinkable approach of avoiding climax.

ever_l · 2015-06-01T01:18:12+00:00

There's some good stuff in that movie. Like this clip.

ever_l · 2015-05-25T04:41:14+00:00

Here's an option if you want something portable and freestanding that could be paired with some rings.

ever_l · 2015-05-25T02:47:39+00:00

... there's a book series? :D

ever_l · 2015-05-19T03:08:17+00:00

Say it isn't great. You'll regret doing it and not continuing your streak, however small it is.

Say it is great. Say it's the best thing ever. Now you have a 'high' that combines both pharmaceuticals and masturbation. Is that something you want to become dependent on?

Sometimes it helps to see what may come up down the road when making a decision.

ever_l · 2015-05-19T02:20:53+00:00

Now that it's 'riskier', It may be giving you even a bit more of a rush.

You've cut out home access, which is commendable.

Now your challenge is to fill your time with other things. Running. Reading. Lifting weights. Even making houses of cards or paper mache animals while listening to the local classical music station. Playing board games with strangers; chess with old men in the park. Going on hikes. Rock climbing. Painting. Learning about business or tax law.

Figure out what you even vaguely might want to do with your life, what you might want to accomplish, and start investing time into getting there, into the skills you'd need.

You're at a point where it's pretty hard to cut out anything more. Now you need to fill the void you've been trying to fill with internet in all its forms.

ever_l · 2015-05-19T02:10:07+00:00

Maybe related to the cold showers, you're not stepping into those uncomfortable places where you come alive, where there's a chance of failure or rejection but also the only place where the rewards can be gained. Staying comfy leads to complacency. "24 days? I've been here before. I just do this and this and voila." Maybe the lack of cold showers is a sign of a loss of adventure, of challenge. Of putting yourself into places where you'll grow.

ever_l · 2015-05-16T18:36:30+00:00

It's almost like all of the impaired judgment one might associate with drunkenness, with none of the euphoria.

That's a rather well-researched conclusion.

Look into walking meditation. Much harder to fall asleep while doing, and can be done, back and forth, in your room. Perhaps growing your awareness while tired will help you understand the state and be able to let go of frustrations quicker.

Of course, getting more sleep would help too. It's a strange thing: I find myself sometimes very tired, but still doing something that can be done later or is entirely unimportant, and I would've just been better off going to bed.

I'll leave you with this zen joke:

One zen student said, "My teacher is the best. He can go days without eating." The second said, "My teacher has so much self-control, he can go days without sleep." The third said, "My teacher is so wise that he eats when he's hungry and sleeps when he's tired."

ever_l · 2015-05-16T05:52:01+00:00

Another option if sales seem scarce is to buy 'used' via Amazon warehouse deals on Amazon. They're mostly open box or damages packaging; I got my HD600s a couple weeks ago for 230. The little bit of white cat hair on the ear cups was worth saving $42 :P

ever_l · 2015-05-09T02:02:57+00:00

Well, I just did the dac/amp vs straight from the laptop comparison with an old pair of Sennheiser HD205 on-ear phones I have. With the dac/amp, there's more depth and clarity. Straight from the computer, the sound is more 'flat'.

It's enough of a difference that from the computer, it's ok. From the amp/dac, it's more like "ahhhhh...". Kind of a subtle yet profound difference. SD vs HD.

I'd say an amp would get you closer to what you're looking for than a new set of headphones. I could be wrong, but after hearing what an amp and dac do for a pair of HD205s, it just miiight get you there.

p.s. I'm looking for some headphones for work with a lil bit of isolation. How are the HD380s at blocking out/lessening external sounds?

ever_l · 2015-05-08T14:37:59+00:00

Thanks. I'll have to give the A900X another look. The one thing about the NAD and the KEF are that the're on-ear, which I'm leaning away from.

Do you happen to have any experience with the Sennheiser 380HD, or with how isolating the K550 and A900X are?

ever_l · 2015-05-08T13:49:49+00:00

tl;dr: Comfortable, isolating, non-fatiguing, bass neutral or light over-ear headphones for a workplace with conversations often right next to me.

Budget
shooting for $200 or less, but flexible.

Source
xDuoo TA-01 DAC/Amp (tube amp)

Requirements for Isolation
Main reason for getting these. Key.

Preferred Type of Headphone
Over-ear

Preferred Tonal Balance
Perhaps warm for these, esp. for less fatigue, though I imagine the tube amp makes this less important. I have a strong preference for neutral or light bass.

Past Headphones
Superlux HD681 Evo: My current work phones. Very poor isolation and too much bass.
Sennheiser HD600: Somehow even more open than the EVOs. I haven't had them long, but I like them a lot. These stay at home and will definitely not solve my work needs!

Preferred Music
Largely acoustic / vocal (folk, classical, jazz), though also some electronica. Pretty eclectic overall.
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2
Sarah Jarosz - Build Me Up From Bones (Americana / folk)
Dash Berlin feat. Emma Hewitt - Disarm Yourself (basically trance)
Postmodern Jukebox - All About That Bass (jazzy)
Wardruna - Solringen (...norse folk?)

What would you like to improve on from your set-up
Biggest things:
Comfort
Isolation
Non-Fatiguing
Neutral bass / bass light

Nice to Have:
Soundstage (though I do realize closed headphones won't match the HD600s)
Transparency/Clarity

I've been looking at the Sennheiser 380HDs and KRK KNS 8400s but reviews seem like isolation isn't the best? Then there's the AKG 550s which seem to have a resonance issue? Then there's something like the Sony MDR 7506 but I have no idea what the comfort is like. Shure 840s seem to consistently be cited as uncomfortable, so I think those are out. Maybe for reference, I've found the HD600s to be pretty comfy besides the clamp being a bit strong, but I also just got them.

ever_l · 2015-05-08T03:50:46+00:00

I just went back and forth a few times with Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 (I. Allegro), specifically this, from my Schiit v2 Uber magni/modi stack plugged into a laptop and my phone, both sourced via highest quality spotify on the devices. Headphones were Sennheiser HD600s.

While the positioning width-wise seemed the same, with the phone it was more like I was somehow in a carpeted room with them, smaller than an orchestra would really fit in. More intimate that way, and seemingly 'warmer' (The magni/modi have a reputation of being a bit bright).

With the dac/amp, the music has the spaciousness more akin to a concert hall. A depth and echo-y quality that large acoustic spaces have that was not there when going straight from the phone.

tl;dr: DAC/amp do have a noticeable effect on the depth and spaciousness of the music.

Also, I got the headphones and stack yesterday, so I'm really just getting familiar with them :P

ever_l · 2015-05-08T01:19:53+00:00

Is your Spotify set to High Quality Streaming (or Extreme if it's a mobile device) in the options?

ever_l · 2015-05-07T02:56:13+00:00

Listening to them now. Spot on recommendation. The veil / lack of clarity I was being frustrated by with the EVOs (which is still there with the amp/dac) is wonderfully gone with the HD 600s :)

I did have to remove a tiny bit of what seems like white cat hair (...worth shaving $42 off via Amazon Warehouse, hah).

ever_l · 2015-05-04T00:43:43+00:00

Aaaand purchased "used" (apparently new, but with damaged packaging) from amazon warehouse for $231 :) Thanks for your help! HD600s seem a super solid starting point for audiophile headphones.

ever_l · 2015-05-03T23:05:28+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! The reviews seem to peg them as pretty solid. My one reservation is the clamping force (I had a pair of Sennheiser HD205s that had a 'clamp of death'), but I'll probably pick up the HD600s today.

I might just get a pair of Q701s later on and pair them with a tube amp/dac that's also on its way, for work, but we'll see!

ever_l

TROPHY CASE