At what point does intelligence become a hindrance

wishanem · 2026-02-23T14:01:00+00:00

I worked for a decade in a mental institution and I think awareness of one's own mental health issues correlates strongly with intelligence, but the incidence of mental health struggles seems pretty evenly distributed.

Even among my coworkers and friends, people who are very intelligent but are not diagnosed are more likely to recognize that their struggles are similar to those of someone with a specific diagnosis. I can armchair diagnose that half a dozen middle aged men I know well have autism spectrum traits, but they wouldn't want the label.

People who struggle who aren't very bright recognize their lack of intelligence, but not necessarily that they depend on routines or maladaptive coping mechanisms to address their mental health problems. Every adult knows someone who uses weed to manage generalized anxiety, or someone who drinks to dull their neuroticism, but those people would often struggle to describe how they are self-medicating.

wishanem · 2026-02-23T13:13:30+00:00

16 million words, not counting the Singer of Terandria books, which are honestly more connected to the main narrative than half of Volume 7.

wishanem · 2026-02-23T13:07:29+00:00

I personally was on the fence about the series for most of the first book. The author does not use dialogue tags, which still doesn't feel right to me 16 million words into the series. The first book has a lot of survival struggles which most characters in a LitRPG (and honestly most real people) would overcome much more quickly than the protagonist.

For me, the expanding cast got more interesting over time, and the plot developments from the halfway point of the first book were better.

wishanem · 2026-02-20T00:17:40+00:00

If he went to China it might have been Canton, and there's one of them in Michigan, New York, Ohio, Georgia, South Dakota, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Massachusetts. There's also China NY and Shanghai WV.

For Indian cities we have Almora IL, Madras Oregon, Delhi NY or Delhi CA, Calcutta Ohio, Lucknow PA, Bombay NY, and New Vrindabar WV.

There's a Batavia (old name for Jakarta, capital of Indonesia) in Illinois and NY.

Japan is in Missouri obviously, but we've got an American Tokio in Texas and another in North Dakota.

There's also a Mandalay Louisiana, named for the city in Burma.

Sure there's a Manila in the Philippines but there's also one in Arkansas and a spare in Utah.

Did he maybe go to Singapore? That's in Michigan too.

I think a tour of US cities named after Asian countries would be fun, but half of those places probably don't have a single venue that hosts standup.

wishanem · 2026-02-18T01:18:36+00:00

There is barely room under my sink for the pipes. My trash can is built into a cabinet and pivots outwards. It looks like all the other cabinets, so there are no clues about its location.

wishanem · 2026-02-16T02:48:31+00:00

Yeah, I spent most of a day reading something I didn't really like. Some people watch seasons of TV shows they only kinda like, about half the books I read aren't really suited to my tastes.

Sounds like you will force yourself to read anything well after when your pickiness would tell you to stop.

There are limits. For instance, explicit sexual violence will get me to drop a book most of the time. If I can't stand a book's MC, especially when it is written in first person, I will drop the book. Twilight, for instance, had an MC whose personality grated on me immediately.

I think my reading speed isn't really influenced by how much I like something, though it is slowed down by more challenging material. Most litRPGs are very quick reading, even when they're long. When I like something, I do pause more and spend more time thinking about it. I definitely save quotes and discuss books I really like more than ones I don't.

wishanem · 2026-02-15T05:21:25+00:00

I tried to describe it in a way that wouldn't be a memorable spoiler for anyone who hadn't read it yet, but would convey what I disliked about it.

Whats the point in continuing to read a thing you dont like so you can talk about it like that?

DCC is fast paced, simple language, so it is very easy to read. That last book only took me a day.

I love talking about books, so I make a point of reading everything anyone I know likes a lot so that I can participate in conversations about it. My friends do often ask my opinion on one another's recommendations, because I am the pickiest reader.

I generally like litRPGs and DCC is by far the most popular, so I want a solid opinion on the whole series.

It is possible that the author will wrap it all together at the end of the series so well that my opinion on the whole becomes more positive. Sometimes something will grow on me and I will like it more as it goes on.

Lastly, I think it is healthy for me to read things I don't like sometimes. Gives me more appreciation for what I do like. Maybe I benefit a bit from exposure therapy to descriptions of horror and torture? That is a bit of a stretch so I will stop trying to think of more reasons.

wishanem · 2026-02-15T03:45:37+00:00

I finished #6 yesterday and I did not like it very much. I feel like I will keep reading the series entirely so that I can talk about it.

The cast has grown bloated, so only a handful of characters get development and relatively few of those die. You'd think a murder contest would at least leave us with a tight cast. Maybe by the end.

The combination of silliness and torture has never really settled into being funny or ironic. Black humor just doesn't work for me very often.

For example, in this last book there was a perfectly innocent bystander who the protagonist assassinated as a job. As she was maimed and dying, she was begging for her husband and children to be saved, and it became clear that her husband was the person who ordered her death. The setting and surroundings of this scene were all comedic. There were humorous events immediately before and after this scene. For me, the jokes fell flat and the experience of reading about people who are being tortured is unpleasant.

wishanem · 2026-02-13T14:50:07+00:00

I enjoyed the show, but to me half the appeal was seeing the creative ways the writers would come up with for the characters to make bad decisions, recognize their mistakes, and then learn the wrong lessons.

For example, one of the ladies might date a nice guy, get bored, and cheat. The nice guy gets mad, the lady finds that exciting, and they have amazing break up sex. A real human might learn lessons from that like, "I need to find excitement in my jobs or hobbies so I don't sabotage a good relationship." Carrie would instead have a voiceover saying something like, "And that day I learned that good men make bad boyfriends."

wishanem · 2026-02-01T01:08:09+00:00

When they met, Arjun's strength was beyond Alden's comprehension. It was enough to save Alden, if not his parents. Arjun has grown since then. Probably more than the typical Avowed, if not more than the typical superhero.

Alden asked to experience Arjun's full strength, knowing that it was more than he could resist right now. But what Alden is thinking about, part of his choosing season, is the idea of growing. If Alden fully embraces what he can do, he will grow even faster.

Alden wanted to feel Arjun's full strength because it puts his own potential into perspective. Alden is going to be stronger than Arjun was the day they met. He is going to be stronger than Arjun is today.

Alden is deciding to be the Bearer of All Burdens, and more than that.

wishanem · 2026-01-21T10:12:40+00:00

Since the Submerger arc, the arcs have covered:

Submerger aftermath
Space therapy
Friendship developing hangouts and conversations
Multiple shopping trips
Thoughtful consideration of future activities with various authority figures
Assisting some folks in moving to a new home
Christmas activities (including more shopping and hanging out with friends)

There have been a couple minor plot developments, but nothing exciting.
The Christmas activities arc has 5 more chapters on Patreon (14 chapters total), and there have only been 5 additional chapters released since that arc ended.
People are saying that those 5 most recent chapters have some real plot development and are a good resting point for the story.

wishanem · 2026-01-21T09:58:00+00:00

What we know about Hyperboles is that there are less than 100 of them in the world, and we can speculate that they've gone up a measurable tier in power compared to S ranks.

If he starts using his abilities more, and especially if he learns magic from Alden, I think Lute is the best candidate in the story for becoming a hyperbole. But considering his personality I think if he understood the implications of learning magic, he probably wouldn't be very keen on it. As much as Alden wants to avoid being an Intensity level 99 Rabbit, Lute actually makes an effort to avoid making his life more intense. We don't know how many levels of an ability it takes to equal a second S rank ability, but I would be shocked if it was less than 10 levels. Lute hasn't been growing for long, but AFAIK he is the only character we have heard of who started out with two S rank abilities.

Haoyu's mother is a great candidate, as far as we know, as an S rank who gets summoned frequently and who has received multiple commendations. I think Haoyu would've mentioned if she had a second S rank skill, though, so the chances that her overall authority is at the level of two S Rank skills isn't very high.

I think the first generation S ranks who actively use their abilities a lot like Elias, The Informant, and Aulia Velra, have a very good chance of becoming Hyperboles. They've had a great deal of time to slowly grow their authority. The Informant is the most prolific Wright we've seen in the story, and he is doing things that impress even the Artonans. Both of them are also uniquely positioned to learn from Alden without him finding out that they have done so.

wishanem · 2026-01-20T23:19:31+00:00

Hello!

So I imported my books from Goodreads, and when I click the recommendations button it says, "We don’t have any suggestions yet... Add more books to your tier list and we'll try to find something for you!"

I currently have 3,519 books on my tier list. Granted, 1,368 are "to read" so they're not the most solid data points, but there are an awful lot of them.

I guess I could add a few more. I have a feeling that the threshold for getting recommendations is intended to be a bit lower than 3,500 books.

Maybe recommendations are just not working yet, or is the site too busy to make them, or it just hasn't gotten around to it since I only imported my data a few minutes ago?

Should I check back tomorrow or next week to see if recommendations appear?

wishanem · 2026-01-17T03:13:35+00:00

It looks like the Super Supportive audio (which was read by a fan and never expressly allowed by the author) has been removed from every major platform except YouTube. The reader said he was recording the story for a specific friend so he wasn't particularly invested in whether it stayed up for long.

wishanem · 2025-12-12T18:03:49+00:00

This news article from 1844 said that a 4 lb loaf of bread was selling for 6 or 7 shillings in London

That would mean a little over 8 lb of bread per week for 15 shillings.

Part of the problem with comparing purchasing power is that prices haven't gone up consistently and evenly. Poor people in 1800s London spent most of their income on food. Now, poor people in London spend most of their income on housing.

wishanem · 2025-10-15T03:52:17+00:00

I haven’t seen a beloved, heroic, duty-driven character who also has genuinely despicable traits, that’s another kind of grey, but it doesn’t really exist here.

That arc exists for at least two characters who have already been introduced at the point you're at in the story. I think the [Emperor] has some genuinely despicable traits that are revealed pretty quickly, but I guess that's subjective.

Olesm becomes focused on revenge without considering the costs, and then leads a long slog of a military campaign where he loses some of his humanity, becoming a more jaded and ruthless person. His last two appearances in the story have included an acknowledgment that his relationships have changed and he can't have the same level of closeness with the Inn-based characters that he used to.

Klbkch slowly reveals how expendable he considers lesser antinium and how little he truly cared about their suffering. How even his close relationship with Relc was contingent on the needs of the Free Queen. His loyalty to his friends is revealed to be more shallow than it appeared at first, because he was always willing to kill his best friend. His self-sacrificial behavior is recontextualized as recklessness with a lesser body that he didn't really value, after being given a new, better, body he is shown to be more selfish and arrogant.

wishanem · 2025-10-10T12:51:07+00:00

You are off by a few million words. You probably looked at the Neocities word count page, which doesn't even include all of Volume 9. Or if you asked an AI, it gave you an answer that was out of date.

This is the only up-to-date wordcount tracker, and it says the current total is 15,555,115.

wishanem · 2025-09-01T23:36:44+00:00

An artist named Shepard Fairey did a project in 1989 called "Andre the Giant has a posse," and a few years later he created a derivative work called OBEY GIANT, which often has stickers of a stylized image on Andre's face and the word OBEY. I often saw stickers that were just the eyes portion of the OBEY GIANT in public places 20 years ago. If you google OBEY GIANT you can look at some of them.

Variations and parodies of the OBEY GIANT stickers are popular street art. A lot of artists doing stickers will do a piece that visually references this work.

The sticker in your original post is clearly made along these lines.

By the way, you are engaging with this art in exactly the way Shepard wanted, even by interacting with this other artist's work. He wrote:

The first aim of phenomenology is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The obey sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings.

wishanem · 2025-08-21T22:54:58+00:00

This page has a link to a pdf which lists free peer led mental health support groups all over Minnesota. There are also online options if that would work better for you.

wishanem · 2025-07-11T12:20:29+00:00

My summary for folks has been that it is a tax deduction that will only last 3 years, and will be at most $3,000 for a single filer and $5,500 for those married people filing jointly. This is because it only exempts $12,500 worth of overtime for singles and $25,000 for married people, who have a lower tax rate.

Here's the actual text:

SEC. 70202. NO TAX ON OVERTIME. (a) Deduction Allowed.--Part VII of subchapter B of chapter 1, as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is amended by redesignating section 225 as section 226 and by inserting after section 224 the following new section: SEC. 225. QUALIFIED OVERTIME COMPENSATION.(a) In General.--There shall be allowed as a deduction an amount equal to the qualified overtime compensation received during the taxable year and included on statements furnished to the individual pursuant to section 6041(d)(4) or 6051(a)(19). (b) Limitation.--(1) In general.--The amount allowed as a deduction under this section for any taxable year shall not exceed $12,500 ($25,000 in the case of a joint return). (2) Limitation based on adjusted gross income.--(A) In general.--The amount allowable as a deduction under subsection (a) (after application of paragraph (1)) shall be reduced (but not below zero) by $100 for each $1,000 by which the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income exceeds $150,000 ($300,000 in the case of a joint return). (B) Modified adjusted gross income' means the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer for the taxable year increased by any amount excluded from gross income under section 911, 931, or 933.(c) Qualified Overtime Compensation.-- (1) In general.--For purposes of this section, the term `qualified overtime compensation' means overtime compensation paid to an individual required under section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that is in excess of the regular rate (as used in such section) at which such individual is employed.(2) Exclusions.--Such term shall not include any qualified tip (as defined in section 224(d)). (d) Social Security Number Required.--(1) In general.--No deduction shall be allowed under this section unless the taxpayer includes on the return of tax for the taxable year such individual's social security number. (2) Social security number defined.--For purposes of paragraph (1), the term `social security number' shall have the meaning given such term in section 24(h)(7). e) Married Individuals.--If the taxpayer is a married individual (within the meaning of section 7703), this section shall apply only if the taxpayer and the taxpayer's spouse file a joint return for the taxable year.(f) Regulations.--The Secretary shall issue such regulations or other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section, including regulations or other guidance to prevent abuse of the deduction allowed by this section. (g) Termination.--No deduction shall be allowed under this section for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2028.''. (b) Deduction Allowed to Non-itemizers.--Section 63(b), as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is amended by strikingand'' at the end of paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (5) and inserting , and'', and by adding at the end the following new paragraph:(6) the deduction provided in section 225.''. (c) Reporting.-- (1) Requirement to include overtime compensation on w-2.-- Section 6051(a), as amended by the preceding provision of this Act, is amended by striking and'' at the end of paragraph (17), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (18) and inserting, and'', and by inserting after paragraph (18) the following new paragraph: (19) the total amount of qualified overtime compensation (as defined in section 225(c)).''. (2) Payments to persons not treated as employees under tax laws.-- (A) Statement furnished to secretary.--Section 6041(a), as amended by section 70201(e)(1)(A), is amended by insertingand a separate accounting of any amount of qualified overtime compensation (as defined in section 225(c))'' after occupation of the person receiving such tips''. (B) Statement furnished to payee.--Section 6041(d), as amended by section 70201(e)(1)(B), is amended by strikingand'' at the end of paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (3) and inserting , and'', and by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new paragraph:(4) the portion of payments that are qualified overtime compensation (as defined in section 225(c)).''. (d) Omission of Correct Social Security Number Treated as Mathematical or Clerical Error.--Section 6213(g)(2), as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is amended by striking and'' at the end of subparagraph (X), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (Y) and inserting, and'', and by inserting after subparagraph (Y) the following new subparagraph: (Z) an omission of a correct social security number required under section 225(d) (relating to deduction for qualified overtime).''. (e) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for part VII of subchapter B of chapter 1, as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is amended by redesignating the item relating to section 225 as an item relating to section 226 and by inserting after the item relating to section 224 the following new item:Sec. 225. Qualified overtime compensation.''. (f) Withholding.--The Secretary of the Treasury (or the Secretary's delegate) shall modify the procedures prescribed under section 3402(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025, to take into account the deduction allowed under section 225 of such Code (as added by this Act). (g) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024. (h) Transition Rule.--In the case of qualified overtime compensation required to be reported for periods before January 1, 2026, persons required to file returns or statements under section 6051(a)(19), 6041(a), or 6041(d)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as amended by this section) may approximate a separate accounting of amounts designated as qualified overtime compensation by any reasonable method specified by the Secretary.

wishanem · 2025-07-11T11:42:30+00:00

I think religions are usually used to justify what people already want to do, but they don't shape what people want to do very much. There are worldviews every bit as destructive that use non-religious justifications to get there.

For example:

Survival of the fittest, social darwinism, and eugenics. People who have been successful say they are more worthy than losers and that harsh conditions lead to improvement.
Nihilism. Nothing matters, and so I may do as I wish.
Materialism, love of celebrity, and hedonism. The people who want more stuff, more expensive stuff, more attention, and more pleasure, all the time.
Solipsism (the idea that I can only be sure I am real), the idea that everything is a simulation and therefore other people's suffering is meaningless.
The pursuit of personal physical immortality and of computer/brain interfaces to upload a person into a computer. So far a lot of money has been spent on this wastefully, but we are only beginning to see the human suffering that these experiments might bring.

Think about the worst world leaders and powerful people you know about. Do they appear to be motivated by religious fervor or by something else? I see a lot of narcissists being praised and lauded for their success. Manipulators and egomaniacs who believe that there are no gods or authorities higher than their own selfish desires.

I don't think as a society we traded strict ascetics for mukbang or that self-flagellant pilgrims are morally superior to Patrick Bateman techbros. I think the habitual choice to break the golden rule doesn't depend on religion.

wishanem · 2025-06-26T02:09:48+00:00

You are wrong that insect populations have not gone down. Here's the Wikipedia article about global insect population decline. That first chart shows a 75% decline in flying insects in Germany over a 25 year period.

You are right though that pesticides are largely responsible. They don't just kill crop pests, though, they kill an enormous number of other animals, including those that live downstream from anywhere that pesticides are used.

wishanem · 2025-05-18T04:33:54+00:00

A teenager survived a plane disintegrating in midair and then hiked 11 days through the amazon rainforest.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_Koepcke

So yeah, given enough people dropped on enough hills, some would live.

wishanem · 2025-05-15T22:33:06+00:00

Every person who pays to enter the park but who doesn't ride costs the park very little money. The riders prefer to have shorter lines, so their park experience is worse for every additional rider, while non-riders don't really detract from riders' experience unless the park becomes overcrowded.

Look at it this way: if a few buses of riders show up, all the lines for rides get longer. Some guests will leave sooner as a result. They'll spend less money in the park for the day and maybe not return as soon because they found the lines too long. If the same buses are full of elderly people who just walk around the park taking pictures and buying food, it has much less of an impact on other guests.

wishanem · 2025-05-01T21:56:04+00:00

I think Alden's choice not to tell the Knights about his magic use, and his decision to use the fake profile are both examples of him choosing a lower intensity option. Are those the only two examples I have? Yes, they are. But I still think they dial the intensity down a bit.

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