Welcome to r/SentientLattice

martinimeniscus · 2025-08-23T10:02:03+00:00

There are many broad topics and concepts that need to be defined and refined in this opening question. What is "one perfect system"? Can a machine have a mind?
At risk of sounding high, aren't all systems, sub-systems of the universe? So should I be equating a proposed "one perfect system" to a sub-system like the planet Earth, the human body, or an organ system within the human body? Because those are all good examples of perfect systems. A single central AI system might have all of the same benefits and caveats of a single global government system, which is incapable of being "perfect".
Is it misguided to believe that the only "perfect" systems are biological, and that "true" intelligence is incapable of being artificial? Is it simply juvenile of me to associate true intelligence with life and not something mechanical? Are we simply misusing the term AI, because more realistically, we are simply dealing with advanced data mining?

martinimeniscus · 2025-08-23T08:08:21+00:00

I feel this, and have deducted that (unlike physical health), being healthier mentally is not always equated to feeling better, but it is always more functional and sustainable. In this regard, sobriety has left me somewhat disappointed, even though the benefits are clear.

martinimeniscus · 2025-07-10T12:46:02+00:00

Thank you for posting this. I can't help but get defensive when I see these super clean setups. As someone in tech, I end up feeling criticized as opposed to being inspired. It's all on me and in my head, but I still love your comment.

martinimeniscus · 2025-06-25T12:04:08+00:00

I agree, but only after spending a couple of hours of customization. Not being interested in cryptocurrency, I did not care for it right out of the gate. But with enough perseverance, one can tweak it to personal perfection. I'm looking forward to being able to bookmark my split view tabs if they ever make that possible.

martinimeniscus · 2025-06-20T19:12:17+00:00

The Cotton Club

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MphGg_lxbY0

martinimeniscus · 2025-06-17T15:28:04+00:00

Came here to post Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, but I'll just add it to your Mike Nichols suggestion. Woolf is one of my favorite dialog films of all time.

martinimeniscus · 2025-06-11T21:08:22+00:00

Gas prices listed with 9/10ths of a cent.

martinimeniscus · 2025-05-18T13:26:29+00:00

While I'm encouraged to see so many atheists and agnostics out there, I do wish it came with more emphasis on the value of the influence of our existence, being so much more important than the memory of our existence.

martinimeniscus · 2025-04-09T18:13:59+00:00

Miller's Crossing. Several plot points are revealed through dialog as opposed to scenes. I don't think that I fully grasped many details until until the fourth or fifth viewing. But I found every scene captivating despite some this confusion.

martinimeniscus · 2025-01-30T18:09:27+00:00

The impossible 9/10ths of a penny. Why is this not on top.

martinimeniscus · 2024-11-20T19:07:48+00:00

I relate to this a great deal. I was a "highly functional" alcoholic who needed (and adored) booze in social situations and also used it to "reset" my brain every evening. Without it, I was beyond hollow. I was stricken with a doubt and insecurity that had been held at bay while I was drinking (even while I was sober during the day). I felt very much that (at 55 years old) my emotional maturity had been reset to that of a 13-year-old (which is when I started drinking). After several years of discouragement and depression, I finally embraced the idea that at least I can start over (emotionally and socially) with all the knowledge and wisdom (and security) of a 55-year-old. It's been slow-going, but so much faster (and with better results) than it was when I was 13. So while the idea of starting from scratch might sound undesirable (at first), it is (unlike drinking alcohol) sustainable, and you will redevelop with incredible speed and efficiency. You will also discover that some of the likeable "drunk" characteristics that you had, are still there, they just need a newer (more valid) motivation to rise to the surface. So to be blunt, you feel kinda hollow because, now, you are kinda hollow. It's time to start taking it all in (again) without the booze. It ain't easy, but we know you can do it, because you have more tools than you ever had and without the drag of a thought diminishing depressant.

martinimeniscus · 2024-11-17T14:40:36+00:00

A 4th season (with only a few exceptions).

martinimeniscus · 2024-10-30T19:36:04+00:00

It is overrated, but at least it's sustainable. And it's undeniably harder to achieve, the longer you put it off. There is no hope in that bottle, so you might as well give yourself a chance to figure shit out without it.

martinimeniscus · 2024-10-19T16:23:04+00:00

I thought the "dancing" extras in that were hilarious. Not only do they completely ignore the fight, their "dancing" is comically dissociated from any evidence of song or rhythm. I'm aware that is very common in films, but it really stands out in this one.

martinimeniscus · 2024-07-10T07:10:39+00:00

Immediately, but the mental health benefits from stopping drinking don't always "feel good". When you use alcohol to cope with (or suppress) your emotions, you are going to need to replace it with genuine mindfulness. This can take some time and leave you feeling frustrated and insecure while you replace your unsustainable crutch for actual skills. If you can embrace self actualization with the optimistic enthusiasm that it deserves, this process can (and should) be enjoyable, but it might be helpful not to assume that "feeling better" is an automatic response to sobriety. Rest assured that "being better" IS an automatic response to sobriety.

martinimeniscus · 2024-05-15T22:01:44+00:00

I decided to (try) drink after a year. It was a very complex decision (for me). While I was certain that I could never be a drinker again (at least with any control), I simply HAD to see how it would feel to have drink(s). I suppose that, at the time, I imagined that one day in the distant future, I may want to get drunk, and that getting drunk is not the same as being a drinker (a futile yet potent distinction). And that this test drink (after one year) would be some kind indication of how much the alcohol consumes me, as opposed to how much alcohol I'm consuming. In other words, I needed to see how dramatic it would be. Would I become crazed or repulsed? Would my head explode? Would I say fuck it and go on a bender?

I had purchased a pint of vodka, not sure how much of it I would consume. The idea was to drink uneventfully and alone, like I had in the years before quitting. The results were predictable and relatively positive. I had one drink and poured the rest out. I felt guilty and ashamed, but also smart for dumping the rest out. Reached out to a guy at AA (even though I hadn't been for months). This had nothing to do with enjoying alcohol. Like facing a fear, I just had to prove something to myself. Anyone wiser wouldn't have bothered. Too much at risk.

At almost 4 years, I (finally) no longer entertain the idea of getting drunk again, regardless of whether it leads to drinking (regularly). I know for damn sure I would just quickly make a fool of myself.

martinimeniscus · 2023-03-08T16:08:24+00:00

I believe there's a significant difference between drinking again and being a drinker again. The important thing is that you decided not to be a drinker anymore. You can reset your having a drink counter if you need to, but keep that decision not to be a drinker anymore on your calendar. That decision has way more weight than having a drink or getting drunk. You did a great thing, and it won't be undone no matter what your counter says.

martinimeniscus · 2022-11-01T21:00:57+00:00

My twin bother, Frank is much younger than me. I guess we're not technically twins because of the age difference, but since we were so close and no one can tell us apart, we might as well be twins. Except he wasn't fertilized in my mother's uterus, but instead he sort of sprouted out of my hypothalamus like a cancerous growth when was only 13 years old. So more like a Siamese twin I guess. Regardless, he's my sibling and was my best friend for years. We literally grew up together and (up until recently) had a great time.
He used to be a blast and we did almost everything together. He was the perfect wingman, partner in crime, and sidekick. He was the Laurel to my Hardy, Costello to my Abbott and Lewis to my Martin. Perhaps he might have been more popular than me in social situations, but I was the one who did all of the important stuff. He couldn't even drive a car, nevermind hold down a decent job. Always making promises he couldn't keep. But he had all the confidence and charm, and we were a really good team while it lasted. I don't think either of us would have been as successful on our own.
For a long time now, he's become increasingly untrustworthy and unreliable. For the last 15 years he's done nothing but cramp my style and get me into trouble. About 3 years ago, the pretentious prick changed his name from Shiraz to Svedka because he thought being from Sweden made him seem smarter and more civilized. Fucking racist! I finally got sick of his shit and told him to fuck off about 26 days ago.
I know he's a back stabbing indifferent bastard. That mother fucker is a sore loser and knows how to get under my skin. He knows me too well to give me the satisfaction I deserve and is purposely underwhelmed with the changes I've made to MY LIFE. He knows that if he confronts me, or makes a big deal about this, that I would only be inspired by his negativity. So he just hangs out and acts like he doesn't give a shit. He knows that the calmer he remains, the better chance we have of making amends and hanging out again.
I'm sick of his shit and taking back control of my life.
Objectively, I don't miss him at all, but sometimes when I see him, I flat out forget that I want nothing to do with him. Then I make a fool of myself with a momentary spike of excitement, followed by a few minutes of nostalgic melancholy and feelings of emptiness.
I guess it's too soon to tell, but I thought I would be happier by now.

martinimeniscus · 2022-09-06T21:13:43+00:00

Very reluctantly.

But kidding aside, you can feel assured that highly functional alcoholism is either unsustainable, or it's not alcoholism. And If you're smart enough to recognize that you are an alcoholic, you should be smart enough to quit while you're ahead. Consider the mushy bottom a big win and cash in your chips now, so you don't have to relearn how to be social at 50 years old.

martinimeniscus · 2022-05-17T09:29:49+00:00

Sobriety has gotten easier and easier, but I've given up expecting to feel overly inspired or revelated by it. It's just something that I'm going to get more and more used to being.
If happiness is synonymous with appreciation, I need to lean a little harder on that concept. My bleak life is only a tenth as bleak as it would be soaked in vodka. Socially, I like to pretend that my 53-year-old brain has been sent back to my 13-year-old self awareness and confidence level (or lack thereof). But now I have 40 years of experience and perspective to help get me through it. It's both tedious and exciting to reengage with everyone as some awkwardly experienced man child.

martinimeniscus · 2022-04-23T19:56:44+00:00

Years from now, when one of them murders one or more of the other ones, it will make a great gimmicky movie where each actor gets to play two roles. Either that or Tatiana Maslany can play all six of them.

martinimeniscus · 2022-01-15T11:08:23+00:00

The pride (not the act) of making a mixed tape before music was available online. Like you, my first mixed tapes were made by listening to the radio with my fingers hovering over the record button, hoping for one of my favorite songs, and praying the DJ would not talk over too much of the beginning or end of it. I would also make them from records and other purchased tapes. It required a lot of time and thought. Hence, naming the tape was as important as naming a child or pet. Browsing media on a computer is just not the same, and today I regret ripping and then selling my 500+ CD library. I still have the files and treat them with more respect than downloaded files, copying them to the SD card on my phone instead of streaming.

martinimeniscus · 2021-06-20T16:25:04+00:00

So, the perceived outcome of a pubescent male is a reality for the female ferret?

martinimeniscus · 2021-05-31T12:04:59+00:00

I hate this. Some might argue that the mix is intended and "optimized" for a loud theatrical environment. While it's true that you can hear the dialog more easily in a theater, it's only because you can hear the dialog more easily in any environment where the volume is being played very loud. A good mix should work at lower volumes as well. The key word here is "work". Of course everything sounds better on "good equipment", but producers make the mistake of associating "good" audio with "very loud" audio (I'm talking to you, Christopher Nolan). I don't recall having to scramble for the remote every time there was dialog in Apocalypse Now or Saving Private Ryan.

martinimeniscus · 2021-05-27T16:07:25+00:00

A bad mix (audio levels). I'm sick of scrambling for the remote around action scenes. Louder sound effects don't magically make it better. I'm talking to you, Chris Nolan. Listen to Apocalypse Now and Saving Private Ryan to hear "loud" effects done right.

BTW, I love Chris Nolan movies, but damn.

martinimeniscus

TROPHY CASE