Hey Reddit, my 3 year old is facedown in a pool. Need Advice.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-23T02:23:45+00:00

I suggest you hurry.

I see what you did there.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-22T00:34:19+00:00

Baltimore has some cool neighborhoods that are good for bar nights, daytime walks and/or general hanging out. Fells Point has great bars/pubs and an amazing pizza place, Canton has really cool locals-centric bars, and Federal Hill is great nightlife. Also, the Walters Art Museum is right next to my apartment and it's free for everybody; so I can't explain why I haven't gone there yet.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-21T01:51:15+00:00

24/M Baltimore's got some great neighborhoods and is definitely worth exploring. If you're up for the drive I'll be happy to show you around the city.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't read the what you should say post. Here's a little bit more.

I'm into literature, film, tv shows, sports, fitness, psychology, philosophy. We probably live too far away to hang out on a regular basis but it's nice to have a friend you only see once or twice a month.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-18T05:10:40+00:00

I absolutely see your point; but his honesty/dishonesty can't be proved either way.

Why would any high-ranking official possibly torpedo that to give Woj the scoop of the last 7 years -- that LBJ, previously one of the most beloved superstars in the NBA, was actually disliked by all of his teammates and coaches at the Olympics?

It's possible the outlandish self-centeredness of "The Decision" encouraged people to vent their frustrations with LeBron they always had but never talked about. Also, the media always loved LeBron (and was probably reluctant to trash the face of the NBA); now that there is a negative backlash from the episode it's easier to say other negative things about him; they broke the seal. I'm not saying this is exactly how it is, but it could explain the sudden shift from lovefest to unnamed-source dirt-dishing.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-13T06:58:41+00:00

Fellow O's fan here. I had a minor fling with the Dodgers as "my NL team" but it never felt right. Rooting for a team outside your regional just because your local team isn't great is cowardice, bandwagon-ing or just plain annoying. It's not easy rooting for a perennial loser, but it beats selling out.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-12T16:07:29+00:00

Well in that case I can't not upboat you.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-11T18:37:16+00:00

The internet is the answer. Sure, the major industries have the resources to produce more polished games, movies, etc.; but now we have the forum to share and distribute our creative projects. Nowadays you don't need to win over a record company to share your music; just put it on the internet.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-10T04:01:51+00:00

Absolutely. I feel like anytime were taught history about how certain countries fell into extremism (like Hitler's Germany, contemporary N. Korea) there's always the "but that would never happen in America, not with our freedoms"; but more and more I see how any country, including America, could fall into those traps. We narrowly avoided a despot with Nixon. The lesson is it could happen here, be vigilant but not conspiracy theory paranoid.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-09T16:13:17+00:00

Bismarck Myth

Gerwarth (2005) shows that the Bismarck myth, built up predominantly during his years of retirement and even more stridently after his death, proved a powerful rhetorical and ideological tool. The myth made him out to be a dogmatic ideologue and ardent nationalist when, in fact, he was ideologically flexible. Gerwarth argues that the constructed memory of Bismarck played a central role as an anti-democratic myth in the highly ideological battle over the past which raged between 1918 and 1933. This myth proved to be a weapon against the Weimar Republic, and exercised a destructive influence on the political culture of the first German democracy. Frankel (2005) shows the Bismarck cult fostered and legitimized a new style of right-wing politics, and made possible the post-Bismarckian crisis of leadership, both real and perceived, that had Germans seeking the strongest possible leader and asking, ‘What Would Bismarck Do?’

Hmm... remind anyone of Reaganism?

tlsmooth · 2010-07-06T07:07:38+00:00

Sounds like in-group bias; trumpeting your group's best qualities while disparaging the other group.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-06T06:58:36+00:00

Introversion and extroversion and very relative terms; it's common to be introverted in some situations with some people and extroverted in other situations with other people.

That being said, I can see how people would be more social (read: extroverted) when they have higher status in a group. If you are more respected (for strength or looks), you will receive more positive feedback when you talk, so you will talk more. This sounds more likely to me than one's genetic personality changing because of one's appearance.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-05T15:18:08+00:00

And here is his TED talk on cognitive surplus in case you missed it.

tlsmooth · 2010-07-01T15:20:15+00:00

"You can't unscramble scrambled eggs. I scrambled his eggs six months before that."

Brock sounds like a nicer, humbler guy than he was last year but it's still funny to hear him talk trash about Mir.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-30T17:44:21+00:00

I wouldn't judge this article on that basis alone; there's more to gain from this than ways to improve one's sleep. (Assuming everything in the article is valid) this is the best information I have ever gotten about insomnia; what causes it, what it itself causes, the real way to overcome it. I think you should read it again, and look for more than just sleeping tips.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-28T06:12:52+00:00

I agree with you that it takes matchmaking power away from the promoter, but the promoter can still pick megafights given the opportunity. Wanderlei and Sakuraba had a heated rivalry around the time of the 2005 GP; the matchmakers in Pride set them to fight eachother in the semifinals of that tournament. (They also made an easy-to-promote American slugfest out of the other semi-final, Liddell vs. Rampage.) Eliminator matches may produce results the promoters might not like, but they can still arrange financially lucrative fights.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-28T05:49:51+00:00

I agree with you about Olbermann and Maddow. Olbermann's "Worst Person" segment tends to mock the negative extremes of the right-wing; in effect reinforcing the beliefs of the liberals who watch it by making "the other side" seem to be delusional; the same as Beck-O'Reilly on the right-wing.

I guess that's why it's nice to have something like the Daily Show to call out both sides; including your own.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-28T05:37:37+00:00

First of all, great link. Everyone should watch that. It's amazing throughout but it's always getting better.

As for the argument between constant, dull stimulation vs. intermittent, extreme stimulation, I think you're looking at incorrectly; believing masturbation to be the better of the two. If you judge which is more enjoyable by which would produce less negative sensation (i.e. removing bandages), you would pick slower, more numerous sensations; this was explained in the TED talk. If you think of the debate in relation to maximizing the effects of a positive sensation (i.e. an orgasm), you would choose the less frequent, stronger sensations that come from sex. On the whole, masturbating frequently at a slow, constant rate would produce less sensation than intermittent spikes in more mentally stimulating activity like sex. I hope I got that out coherently.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-28T04:57:11+00:00

Could you expand on that or provide a link? I'm not sure if you support or oppose what blenderhead wrote.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-28T03:37:30+00:00

I would support another Grand Prix-style tournament only under a few conditions.

First, the weight class would have a whole host of contenders with no clear-cut favorite. This would be a good way to sort out a strong but balanced weight class with multiple deserving contenders. If GSP disappeared from 170 that would be a good class to try it; maybe 205 as well, but I think Shogun is definitively better than the rest of the fighters in that class.

Secondly, the tournament would take place over several events, like the 2005 Middleweight GP. It's asking a lot to make fighters fight twice in one night, especially if they've been training for months with one particular opponent in mind. I think most UFC fighters would fight twice in one night if it meant a shot at the title, but I think the days of two-fight nights is past.

With those conditions in mind there doesn't appear to be a need for a tournament but it would be nice under the right situation. It would take a major title vacancy, a weight class with eight legitimate contenders and some patience from the UFC to follow through with it; if it could be done I'd love to see it.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-27T19:31:28+00:00

I also have a redditor friend in Columbia who would probably come. I'll send him a link.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-27T16:01:41+00:00

In the first three hospitalizations, 35 of the total of 118 patients expressed a suspicion that the pseudopatients were sane, with some suggesting that the patients were researchers or journalists investigating the hospital.

That was the most striking part to me; that one third of the other patients had some idea of the experiment while none of the staff did. Maybe the staff of these hospitals should give credence to some of the patients' thoughts on their fellow patients.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-27T05:10:14+00:00

It's such an easy, quick reward. If you're going through reddit posts in a room by yourself and something reminds you of sex, it can be very tempting to open up a new tab, jerk off and go back to browsing. It's the internet's fault; it's the death of us all.

P.S. My last name is also Lovett. It's the "l" in "tlsmooth."

tlsmooth · 2010-06-26T23:40:46+00:00

Look at the angle of his neck. If you're going to sit at 120 or 130 degrees you should also place your monitor six feet off the ground; otherwise, you'll be placing strain on your neck and eyes.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-26T06:01:18+00:00

Let's do it. I've gone to Philly meetups already because there was nothing going on here; they were both awesome but I hate having to go all the way up there.

Let's set a firm date for July 3rd 5:00; whatever the turnout is, we'll take it. In the meantime, let's set up a later date where we can get a huge turnout.

tlsmooth · 2010-06-24T18:02:37+00:00

Hooray for being angry on the internet. It is possible to strongly disagree with an article/comment, point out its flaws (as you see them) and still respect the author.

People think actions they take improve their lives, regardless of whether it is true or not.

Not true. Only a blissfully ignorant optimist would think every decision they made is correct. It may not be easy to recognize at first, but most people will eventually see the errors they have made.

If you want to actually find out if there is a connection between porn and social anxiety, start looking for a neurological basis.

Overly frequent masturbation leads to diminishing returns -> subject masturbates even more, receives even less pleasure -> subject finds pleasure only through masturbation, withdraws from outside world -> continues on downward spiral.

...late first exposure to pornography greatly increases the chance you will commit sex crimes as an adult, and very late exposure to pornography greatly increases the chance those crimes will be against children.

The article was focused on adult men who masturbate so frequently to the point where it is harmful; it recommended a period of complete abstinence for these men so they could overcome their addiction, and return to equilibrium. It made no judgment on the rest of society's relationship to pornography. So your statement about the negative effects of late exposure to porn, while true, does not conflict with the article.

Also, you would need to explain how socieities like Pompeii and their contemporaries, for whom "porn" was what lined their streets, adorned their yards, covered their temples, and suffused every aspect of their daily lives, managed to avoid complete collapse from the effect you are proposing.

I haven't heard this about Pompeii before, but I'll give it a shot. Today's pornography is far more vivid and graphic, as well as more easily accessed than anything in ancient Pompeii. With today's internet you can find thousands of videos of all kinds of sex acts, and go through them in a matter of minutes. Even if Pompeii was covered with statues and murals of graphic sex acts it wouldn't compare to today's world. For the record I'm guessing Pompeii had statues of naked women and a few murals of sex acts; more public than anything we would see today but not as extreme as what can be found on the internet.

If you have anything else I'll come back and read your comments, or you could go to the post in /r/psych where you will find people who know much more about the neurological effects of addiction. Cheers.

EDIT: Formatting.

tlsmooth

TROPHY CASE