nitrogen

What present-day meme will reach a similar level of distribution and hazy origins? Will we see future generations speculating about the true nature of Harry Potter, or the Jedi, or Chuck Norris's superpowers, or the one true Nyancat?

Comment · 4 years ago

Words follow that I hope might help you or someone else; but might not. I know sometimes the last thing one wants is "yet more advice." These are just things that work for me.

I'm vegetarian and I eat a pretty healthy diet.

Consider adding grass-fed/pasture-raised beef (or even just an occasional not-bottom-tier hamburger) to your diet on occasion. In my twenties I found that eating some high quality protein (better with friends, but even alone) added a small but growing crack in the walls that barricaded my soul.

Also consider drastically different life philosophies/cultures in case the one you're in isn't for you (e.g. the ideas that meditation is a cure-all or that vegetarianism is virtuous are pretty culture-specific). For me that meant leaving conservative religion, but for others it might mean leaving progressive "religion."

Something else that helped me was going into social situations with a slight "idgaf so I'll just be my positive self no matter who might try to shut me down" attitude.

And finally, find any weak link in the vicious feedback cycle and chip away at it. Don't feel bad, but if you do, don't feel bad about feeling bad, but if you do, don't feel ...etc. Put the brakes on the meta-guilt and just be okay with feeling whatever for now, and you can feel something else later.

Comment · 4 years ago

I'm curious what was wrong with the in-floor heating. Modern in-floor heating is really nice, though you have to account for thermal lag.

Comment · 4 years ago

"Pretty successful" is a poor proxy for "satisfies condition X." Kindle is known to be bad for anything where the spatial layout matters.

Comment · 4 years ago

They should, in a kids' math textbook.

Comment · 4 years ago

Many of us have lost a sense of community and place we once had. I don't know what about our culture has done this, but it's bad.

The marketing, political, religious, and cultural industries that divide and conquer us into ever finer slices of demographic identities to sell us things have convinced everyone that they can only be themselves by emphasizing their irreconcilable differences with others. In doing so they have robbed us of any sense of common identity.

It's no longer acceptable to be thought of as part of broad category A where everyone has different interests and affinities. Instead now, we have to be exclusively XYZ and W, and nobody else could possibly understand the XYZW perspective.

Comment · 4 years ago

Such subversively worded math problems should be avoided, no matter who the named parties are.

"Jimmy, Jack, and John go to the store..." would be just as effective of a setup for a story problem without sneaking in moral displays.

Comment · 4 years ago

I can see Who Let The Dogs Out and The Macarena making periodic comebacks, getting future reboots/covers/remixes, etc.

Comment · 4 years ago

A lot of posters here aren't interested in discussing the actual data. They're personally offended, and responding off of that.

The perfect summary of much of modern political discourse.