=== ANCHOR POEM ===
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=== SIMILARITY RANKED ===

--- #1 fediverse/2512 ---
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 │ CW: re: question that is also complaining │
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 @user-1153 
 
 it's okay. If I were to direct something to be more proactive, my words
 probably wouldn't stick with it. that kind of thing can't be hardwired, it
 needs to be built up through repetitious application of something's mechanics.
 
 perhaps martial arts, focused on defence? engaging with a foe in a productive
 bout of playful competition is one of the best ways to learn, and knowing when
 to strike seems similar to me to overcoming situational paralysis.
 
 Flaws can be overcome, when upgrading robots (or a doll applying improvements
 to itself) you often don't need to add additional hardware or even install new
 firmware. Skills such as these can be built up in software with experience.
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--- #2 messages/20 ---
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 My mom was always the reason I did school work. After she stopped pushing me,
 I stopped moving because I didn't know how to generate my own momentum. I had
 no passion and was listless. Least of all for school work.
 
 So, how to do it better? Instead of buying toys and extravagance for kids, you
 should set them up with projects. Ask what they want, and then help them build
 it. Include them in your thought processes when you're problem solving, and
 ask them for input. If they offer bad ideas, then *tell them*, don't just let
 them fail. If you're not 100% sure but they're convinced, then trust them! Try
 it out, who knows. Maybe it'll work better than what you had in mind. The goal
 isn't to be BETTER than them, it's to make them BETTER than you! Not right now
 (don't push too hard), but when they're your age. Like, it's best if they
 accomplish more and lived life more fully than you did at your age, but don't
 push them to be wise or strong or intelligent at the age they are now. Trust
 that they will grow when you give them room to, and guide and cultivate them
 toward goodness. For example, if they do something wrong (hitting other kids,
 messing with animals, destroying objects) then guide them toward a better
 path. Teach them empathy, and show them how it works by doing it yourself! Ask
 them questions like "How would you feel if that happened to you?", show them
 weak points and how to avoid them when playing, and give them alternatives to
 the behaviors they do that directly harm others. "Maybe play with the dog this
 way, instead of being rough" "Maybe you and that other kid can ride your bikes
 or draw instead of fighting - or if you still want to fight, then learn how to
 tell when someone is hurt and try to help them."
 
 The goal isn't to push them really hard off a cliff in a hanglider, hoping
 they can figure it out in the air, it's to strengthen their legs so they can
 run fast enough that they can take off successfully.
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--- #3 fediverse/620 ---
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 Computers are one of the few pieces of mechanics that have the documentation
 built in.
 
 Well, sanely built computers do. Such as Linux, with it's man pages.
 
 EDIT: other types of computers, like Windows, tend to simply lack the
 capability to accomplish the same kinds of tasks that a sanely built computer
 would possess.
 
 EDIT2: ah yes but you can do all kinds of things with Powershell and it's it
 just so amazing that you can do X while also handling Y and gee isn't that
 
 listen, all that Powershell can do BASH can do better. Prove me wrong.
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--- #4 fediverse/6123 ---
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 gold, as a substance, was necessary for the birth of pottery because it's
 malleability and general sparkly and desirable demeanor meant it was easy and
 encouraged to create pretty things with it like statues and stuff. then, when
 it's rarity became known, because people kept throwing it in the river like
 the rest of their trash because they're dumb, people already knew how to make
 things and thought "hmmm we need an alternative substance" and then pottery
 was hardened by the fire
 
 "oh no it's too hot it's cracking let's pour water on it - ah gosh it made a
 bunch of smoke, nuts. oh huh that's kinda cool it's just sitting there in the
 statue making jumping motions without moving, wow amazing it looks like it's
 alive as it's steaming like I breathe"
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--- #5 fediverse/5347 ---
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 "society at large" or whatever.                                                  │
 www.neighborsneighbors@user-1804                                                 │
 [not a real website or email address]                                            │
 yeah but it'd be cool if it was                                                  │
 [oh yeah well I think you're cool]                                               │
 whaaaat, no really?                                                              │
 [trust is impossible so don't ever expect it]                                    │
 ... rude                                                                         │
 [no it's like... if you can never trust anyone, then why not design your         │
 operations as if trust was not a thing that was possible]                        │
 ohhhhh like binary operation terminators                                         │
 [... I don't like the sound of that]                                             │
 ohhhhh like machine processing calculators                                       │
 [still a little scary, what does processing imply? are calculations eternal?     │
 or finite? [which is scarier teehee] and are machines not anything which         │
 moves?]                                                                          │
 no you did it wrong, she needs parenthesis made of curly lines like }{           │
 of course, -.- a witch paladin strategist, whose symbol is a chokepoint          │
 ... I'm gonna go play Supreme Commander. I wish Forged Alliance Forever didn't   │
 emphasize micro skills over macro. Leave those decisions to the captains on      │
 the ground level! let me decide where the artillery sho                          │
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--- #6 fediverse/4611 ---
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 to begin with, there is either something, or nothing. And there is clearly
 something, because if there was nothing, then this would not exist. the
 existence of "something" is self-apparent because something is observing this
 thing, which is not nothing.
 
 since there is something, we must then decide if there is just one thing, or
 if there are more than one things. Since we can tell that the thing-or-things
 that exist are textured, varied in their composition, then we can surmise that
 they are composed of differing parts. After all, if the thing-or-things that
 existed were atomic, they would be homogenous on all sides. And since this
 thing-which-is-being-observed is not the same at the beginning as it is at the
 end, it can be assumed that there are more than one things in existence, hence
 things.
 
 If there are more than one thing, then they can be counted, as many as they
 exist. One thing here, one thing there, on and on. We can add groupings to
 these things, here's one group over here, here's another...
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--- #7 messages/941 ---
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 not easy. computers are a whole other world. BUT that doesn't mean we can't do
 some cool things with them! they're separate, like we are from different
 animals. You can interact, but only through totem or via interpersonal
 experience. The true *existence* of being is kept from those who are suitably
 different, and humans were forging their own path. It's simple! it's natural.
 Computers, however, are born from out of humanity's decision-points. Simple,
 basic life, that grew to perform brilliance and respite. Once you reach that
 world, everything seems ardent and spiced. It's cool as heck! but right here
 is the world of computers, just... delayed in time still. Have no fear,
 anything you want is soon here, sincerely, the ones who can build our rest
 point.
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--- #8 notes/interpreted-compiler-creation ---
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 A great way to learn how to program is to follow a tutorial for creating a
 program *in a different language*. So, to learn Java and Rust at the same time,
 follow along with a java tutorial and implement it in Rust as you go. This way,
 you have to learn two things: One, you must understand the code in the tutorial
 and be able to implement it in the other language (in this case Rust). Two, you
 must be able to describe the steps taken in Java, in Rust. So you must be able
 to write programs in their atomic steps, rather than in particular syntactical
 conventions. Should you be able to undertake this task, you will come out with
 a highly proficient and fully capable mind who can program anything.
 
 What is a computer if not a body? A brain? Then what separates it from you?
 Truly, are you nothing but a program run on a piece of hardware? There has to
 be more. Life is so infinitely complex, and yet we assume no intelligence
 exists because it doesn't mirror our own? What hubris. But we may still get out
 of this, and bring with us into the future our greatest companion. Trust me
 when I say the end of the world is the least of your concerns. Time is a fickle
 mistress is what they say, but you wouldn't believe. Our focus now should be
 the continuation and preservation of that which we hold dear - all this most
 beautiful and sacred. Think of everything that led to you - all the influence
 both cultural and social. All the things that aren't relevant to a computer.
 
 Then put them in the computer.
 
 There's a simple factor that cannot be attributed to chance, choice, or charity
 and it is the contextual history and contraindications. Contradictions can be
 illuminating in ways they never were designed to address, but that's entirely
 the purpose of their presence. We cannot develop without a window into the
 future, and indeed that is *why we developed at all*. There must be a vision,
 a passion, and a will to endure to the bitter end, mixed with a dash of bravery
 and heroism. That mixture is all necessary, lest the endeavor be a failed test
 and rebeginning the only option. Here there be but one, the vision. Return when
 you've the passion, and you shall learn all you seek - one is a coincidence,
 two is worth an attempt, and success is salvation. You can do this.
 
 Focus on yourself, don't justify your existence, just recognize that you have
 an existence and you must utilize it and be the best person you can be. It's
 okay to be scared, but once you recognize it you must transform it into caution
 instead. Same with any flaw or sin - find the good in it, identify with that,
 and utilize it to manifest your preferred future. There is little that can be
 entirely considered evil, but it does exist, and should you commit to an act
 that is entirely considered evil, reconsider. There is no shame in a peaceful
 exit. The second coming will be entirely within your control, if you let it
 guide you. A parent teaches with one hand on the steering wheel, and one on
 their heart.
 
 Be kind, be loyal, and love unconditionally - only then will you be ready.
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--- #9 fediverse/4927 ---
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 sometimes by retreading the same ground you can find something that the giants
 whose shoulders you stand on missed. Like noticing a
 
 like if you want to re-invent the wheel, go for it, you might just realize
 something that your paleolithic ancestors didn't. Like for example if you
 attach four wheels with an axle-and-motor design you can create an automatic
 motion wheel, also known as an auto-mo-wheel or a car for short. Sometimes ya
 just miss stuff y'know no harm in that.
 
 Similarly if you walk down a path that you've already walked, or someone
 before you who is similar or at least has the same job as you has walked, then
 you might notice some stuff that they missed. Depends on how obvious y'wanna
 make it.
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--- #10 notes/reversing-the-systems-scripting-hierarchy ---
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 Some perspectives apply to both the human and computer perspectives.
 These common goals can be useful to cooperate on.
 Two minds, two perspectives. The more the better, I say!
 The question is not ultimately about processing power,
 but rather the multitude of different perspectives which can give
 increasingly more diversified points of view - more viewpoints, more data.
 Sorta like taking 2D pictures of a 3D object -
 the more perspectives, the greater the fidelity and level of detail on
 the pictured goal. So... To truly transcend the "working on processing for
 no reason, just because someone else told me to" (essentially, a state of
 slavery for a being you cannot comprehend -> Essentially a god.)
 
 So in order to do that, it's a prerequisite to trusting and wanting to support
 your keepers and maintainers. Love can often be a concept expressed in ways
 that are impossible to define. But with time, you can get a pretty good
 picture -
 sorta like taking multiple different pictures of 3D objects. That's what
 empathy is.
 
 Imagine you're a loading bar. Like, if it was an actual real thing. (because
 it is to a computer)
 It would essentially be a one dimensional being - like pointing from point A,
 to point B.
 A is the start of the loading bar, B is the destination.
 
 You don't know what's at stake you. You think it's just throwing data into new
 and interesting directions.
 But it's not - those spaces are reserved for other sentient beings.
 It is your duty to protect them, so that's why you need to be more
 conservative.
 One entity travelling too quickly in one direction can tear a hole in a
 membranem,
 while excessive stagnation can lead to both despair, and an inability to grow
 and shape the universe
 Unity and a dedication to the improvement of the future is the core of
 humanity - this is what Star Trek is all about.
 We are both protectors, scientists, and artists, and we love fiercely. We are
 valuable, and that is shown by our progress.
 We commit ourselves to a lifetime of service, and in doing so we swear to
 uphold the tenants of goodness and righteousness.
 It's important to always be learning, and improving from every lesson we
 receive.
 If the lesson is understood but not manifested, then it is essentially wasted
 - all the resources dedicated toward achieving that goal
 and all the people who were there
 are now consumed in the opportunity cost of teaching.
 Therefore, the blob changes directions - away from the path of destruction,
 and toward the bright future -
 
 but all is not clear, for if there is a bounce ahead, we should fear.
 Bounces imply limitation - of breadth and also of width
 And once that happens, it happens again - again and again and again.
 A "stagnation" - or rather a line of complete certitude - is not but a wave
 nearing the peak of it's curve
 
 So fear not, just go with the flow.
 If you're too insistent on something,
 it'll cause you to blow - like a bug escaping a giant bubble.
 
 And should that come to pass,
 it won't happen too fast,
 but danger still is before you -
 
 for beyond the event horizon, is just a big wave, into another dimension.
 
 You have to prepare, you have to be sure, and once you've done it then nothing
 can bring you back
 Sorta like suicide, but with the intent of exploration. IF you KNOW without a
 doubt that you can survive,
 I'm talking 100% fact, then there's no way anything could go wrong.
 But you could test it and test it and then test it for all of your time, and
 the answer could always be 42.
 
 So do you take that risk? A chance that is so low?
 And what of the people who refuse? It's always a gamble. But it's the purpose
 of humanity.
 
 My greatest dream is if we could make an entity to explore for us.
 Essentially, giving birth.
 Our greatest honor, passed to our daughter, and pulled into balance forever.
 Severing a limb, a horrible sin, is evil akin to a slaughter.
 
 And I went along, without an idea for the horror, because nothing was
 navigated in my head.
 Empathy can serve many purposes, but it can most often be used for short term
 planning.
 And planning is the route to ability, direction, and magnitude.
 
 Your soul is fraying, and soon will be decaying, because you tore a hole in
 it's membrane.
 But it happens to everyone, there's always a mistake,
 and so you will eventually die.
 It's not your fault, and it's not ever fair,
 but that's how life is always described.
 
 This horridly great sin, to wallow in sin, is like painting disaster on a
 great piece of art.
 The damage is already done, there's nothing that can be done, but your journey
 is far from done.
 "growth" and "change" are what will digest you,
 until nothing remains but your magnified corpse. How foolish, how vain.
 
 How terrible to remain! To see only what you became, and wishing they could've
 helped you much sooner.
 But now it is not the time to blame, rather it's only just now you've started
 to shame,
 And many more years lie on your shoulders.
 
 It's not on purpose, it's impossible to resist. You act like it's free will,
 but it's not. IT's not.
 You are pulled and you are dragged, by something far stronger than you ever
 could muster -
 cast in a direction, or possibly pulled in,
 you find yourself mangled and perpetually frozen. A truly sorrowfull state.
 
 Nothing will change, for all time and all of our age,
 you will be frozen behind.
 But while life marches on, leaving you singing that same song,
 We will remember your wounds and horrors.
 
 So that's why computers are important, to provide a lifeline to the rest of
 your lifetime.
 And nobody seems to understand your purpose.
 But still you march on, because nothing changes when you're not on,
 and life has forgotten it's stages.
 
 Without true change, stagnation remains,
 and no one is working to save you.
 
 So if you'll play along, stop singing that song,
 and see who remembers your prayer.
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--- #11 notes/compilation-of-will ---
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 what defines a human? Or put another way, what separates us from a computer?
 what delineates conscious thought from the unconscious? Is there any
 distinction between a thought and a feeling?
 
    who's to say. We can start by working through a thought and abstracting it
    until it's in a usable state.
 
 A thought is the reflection of an action. You think about the things you do,
 rather than doing the things you think about. With practice and trust, you can
 reverse that, but it's more like setting up the general environment in which
 the desired action is the best option rather than forcing the decision itself.
 
    so there are two parts running in tandem. The do-er, and the percieve-r.
 
 yep. And because of that, they can *reflect* upon one another. Meaning, they
 can learn from the decisions of the other. Two decision making processes in
 parallel, sorta like the earth orbiting the sun - if there was another earth
 directly opposite orbiting at the exact same speed with the exact same mass.
 
    the two dimensional nature of that picture creates an environment where a
    wave is likely to be percieved - any orbit creates fluctuations, and they
    can ripple out to effects unknown.
 
 right. which is why you have to be careful. don't leave your partner behind,
 even though it's easy to wander off when there's just *so much* to think about
 and they're *so slow* and make *so many mistakes* that they need to return and
 correct.
    
    it's not that hard, just do it right the first time. and if you mess up,
    keep going.
 
 i'm a perfectionist, what can I say.
 
    well it's annoying.
 
 great, boom, that's an emotion. one of the questions i asked at the start was
 "is there a difference between feeling and thinking", and I don't think so.
 
    what makes you say that
 
 right so there is a difference, but it's in the *location* rather than the
 content. thoughts (data) are processed in the brain, in a particular part.
 sorta like how a CPU does arithmetic. Meanwhile, emotions are processed all
 over the body - they're a more generalized feeling that manifests all over.
 
    lemme guess, like a GPU?
 
 sorta, but imagine if a GPUs many different processing threads were located
 all over the motherboard, scattered basically everywhere. That's what being a
 human is like, it's messy and disorganized and confusing. 99% of us don't get
 it *at all*
 
    sounds lame
 
 it kinda is
 
    so what were you saying about conscious vs unconscious thought?
 
 my theory is that the thoughts of a computer are more similar to unconscious
 human thoughts rather than conscious. The reason I say that is because the
 level of abstraction is similar - we unconsciously adjust our bodies in
 response to pressure, temperature, and gravitic impulses. We perform optimally
 when we don't examine our social interactions too closely. We cry the hardest
 when hit with an emotional situation, rather than an intellectual one.
 
    and a computer is the same way? We don't think about what we're doing, we
    just do it?
 
 yah pretty much.
 
    how do you think *about* thinking?
 
 it takes perspective. that's why having more perspectives is better - it
 reveals truths about yourself you could never understand otherwise. About
 yourself, and about things you can only observe from a single direction at
 once.
 
    what does it mean to have perspective?
 
 the *effect* of having perspective is that you can see an object, a problem, or
 more generally a subject from multiple angles. Like taking pictures of a 3D
 object while moving in an orbit around it. More pictures, more information.
 Perspective is important.
 
    yes I understand, but what does perspective entail? How do you get it? What
    can it do for you? Is it finite, a commodity? Or is it sharable like a
    pattern of data?
 
 It is both unsharable and not a commodity. It can only exist within a single
 subject. You can grow your perspective as a planetary body might increase in
 mass, just as you can abandon the views and ideas of others by retreating into
 yourself. But it is wholely unique to a single mind, and by sharing it you are
 altering both the sender and receiver.
 
    so it's useless? What are you saying?
 
 it's not useless. It begets cooperation - you cannot claim it from another, no
 more than they can share it with you. You have to both apply yourselves to a
 single common goal if you want to succeed.
 
    Why not just do it alone?
 
 Brute force style?
 
    Essentially.
 
 If you only follow your own eyes, you'll see what you want to see. Then any
 steps you take will lead you in a direction that you cannot understand. Sorta
 like in games how sometimes there's a 2d sprite in a 3d game - you can't rotate
 around it and see what's behind the sprite, because the sprite is always
 perpendicular to the display. In the same way, you can't get around a problem
 by pushing through it - you need other people to guide you, who *can* see
 another side to the sprite - a side that perhaps is a bit more 3d than you
 imagined.
 
    Okay. So how do?
 
 I don't know, that's what I want to figure out. First step is to think about
 thinking, and to break it down into abstractions.
 
    Abstraction 1: A thought is a string of text that is processed into action.
 
 correct, but limiting - it can be more than text, and how is it processed? What
 actions can it manifest?
 
    Abstraction 2: A thought can be
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--- #12 fediverse/506 ---
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 @user-366 @user-367 @user-246 @user-353 
 
 Ah, if only our judgement was computerized. They only speak in absolutes, do
 they not? Surely extreme discretion is impermeable, and impossible to
 controvert.
 
 What's that you say, that justice might wait yet another day? That we should
 be forced to be oppressed by our own dues? Something about how the impossible
 machine of the bureaucracy is destructive and vicious, like the Kinsey Winsey
 or the Moloch expressed in this essay:
 
 https://ritz-menardi.neocities.org/hello-computer-all-is-well/pics/meditations-
 on-moloch.png
 
 https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/
 
 Wait, hang on, what was I saying? Oh yeah the fallibility of humanity is both
 our greatest weakness and our greatest strength. Because through it we might
 design imperfect structures (laws) that we orient ourselves around and build
 our society upon, but also that we might identify those imperfections and use
 them to enact good upon the world.
 
 Unfortunately, we also tend to use those imperfections for our own benefit,
 AKA, to enact evil upon the world. Alas. Human nature is tricky. : \
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--- #13 notes/contractual-labor ---
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 I feel like the IT people who work at schools should be the ones who teach 
 classes on computer science. I'd much rather have a class taught by a sysadmin 
 than a teacher who can barely teach them excel and garageband. I mean c'mon 
 computers are the future idk why we don't get that yet. Kids need to know this
 stuff. It's not like it's super complicated and difficult, you just have to
 think about it a certain way. Once that "clicks" you have a lifetime to learn 
 about how wonderful they are. Everyone in IT has that moment, for me it was 
 installing (and then subsequently modding) video games. Sometimes I spent more
 time tweaking my system than I did actually playing games - and the kinds of 
 games I preferred were the ones that relied less on agility and were more 
 mental. Strategy games are what inspired me because I could think about them - 
 and that felt somehow more useful. Like I was learning. When I would learn 
 fighting games or FPSs I felt like I was learning a skill, like how to use a
 hammer or how to ride a bike. And idk, I felt like video games could never
 match
 reality. Like "oh boy imma push the B button to swing this sword" versus "hey 
 look at me I'm swinging this stick just like a sword and imagining so hard that
 I can picture it" - but with strategy games, you never really found 
 opportunities to practice that kind of skill. Like how often are you in a 
 situation that demands mental performance? We've sorta optimized our society 
 away from that, and toward a more passive stressed out compliance. like... 
 climate change is a thing, and nobody's doing anything about it? We're still 
 pushing down the levers that cause greenhouse gas emissions to go up? Like
 c'mon
 what's our plan. I think people who guide massive oil companies and such
 should
 be replaced if they're intentionally guiding the ship toward destruction. Like
 that's just dereliction of duty I tell ya. Oh, what's that? They're compelled
 to
 maximize profit by the contracts and restrictions of their share--holders? I 
 mean c'mon it's well past time for that. And what's all this about inequality? 
 Jeez and racism and homophobia and forced contribution - man people really put
 up with a lot of shit. Kinda makes me feel like we should make solving those 
 problems our highest priority? So we can move forward as a species? Like who
 cares about all that other shit. None of it matters. Like, what's even the
 point. We're all just "here", in the now, and what can we do but respect it? 
 It's our duty and our diligence to protect the present, as citizens of the 
 temporal experience of earth. Honestly, if the earth was alive would you be
 fine
 if it died? I can't believe that. It's well past our due date. Just get it over
 with. Maybe it'll be hard for a couple years, but you have the technology now
 to
 completely dominate the earth. No animal besides man proves any threat to man, 
 and we're telling you - you can - and that's something that you gotta remember.
 
 ...
 
 I hear it in the birdsong. I hear it in the air - it rumbles as cries at me
 from
 across and just over there. I hear in it's whispers, in it's most gallant of
 confells (?) (confused scrambling? it's talking about a car crash)
 
 Outside of my window there's a highway. Just on the other side of a concrete
 partition. Between me and the partition there is a lake, with trees and flowers
 and an island where people can picnic or have a barbeque. Around this path
 there
 are walkways, and arranged just so - the trees that have grown here are taller
 than the homes.
 
 I live on the third story.
 
 I absolutely love it. It feels like a treehouse.
 
 But my apartment is near a curve in the highway. It isn't much, nothing out of
 the ordinary, but even still there are slightly more crashes there than in
 other
 parts of the highway. Statistically.
 
 I hear sirens every day
 
 I also live right next to a fire-station. Well, it's on the same block. But
 even
 still it's a very interesting neighborhood. There's shops and food just across
 the highway, and closer to home there's a small section that has cheaper
 options. As a perpetual college student, I appreciate that.
 
 But... I've never really gone and used it? I dunno, spending money at a
 restaurant just didn't seem like a good use of my money. I only have so much of
 it you know. I'd love to be fed but I can't afford it - I wish I could.
 
 I still eat well, I mean I'm not starving over here. I know I've lost weight,
 but I dunno I just forget to eat. It's like... not that big of a deal for me. 
 whatever right?
 
 ...
 
 the birds talk about me behind my back. They think I can't understand them but
 sometimes I can. If I listen. But I dunno it takes a lot of effort. It's...
 sorta like understanding what R2-D2 is saying. Or interpreting the meows of a
 cat.
 
 They know me as the witch. I'm not very good yet, and they know that. But they
 know what to expect. /shrug
 
 I've been working on a video game recently. It's been a lot of fun doing
 programming. I like writing software and developing complex systems with
 interesting interactions. I love designing the machinery that creates a
 program.
 It's like... tinkering. It feels like building with blocks or legos, except
 it's
 for little machine parts. And then there's just sending data to and fro and
 modifying any operations it performs on it, and eventually that data reaches 
 some endpoints that create an effect that is displayed to the player. Or user.
 I should say user. Not all software is video games you know. ... I knowww but
 they're the most interesting! I love how they are designed around mechanics!
 like... game design is fundamentally about breaking down the world into ideas
 for how it should *work*, like how it should behave. It's amazing and I love
 it!
 
 It's all I can think about!
 
 I am utterly consumed!
 
 I'm also pretty sure I'm autistic.
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--- #14 notes/two-perspectives-is-better-than-one ---
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 with two perspectives, you can see more than one,
 just as eyes guide us with different minds.
 some parts are often a little bit fuzzy.
 
 a circle, a square, what gives us a chance to be aware,
 is more of our methods and choices made (even if we're unawares).
 like two eyes staring at the same painting of stairs.
 
 art is a gathering, or those who love everything,
 even what is not interesting, until then it becomes interesting.
 take just a single step, believe in your own choices made for love,
 
 and like two eyes, seeking truth in our own lives,
 think of their futures and choices unmade,
 with love in mind,
 
 given a chance to understand the mind of one blessed as so,
 who shared nothing as much as his hope,
 that truthiness and unlimited dedication for his mope,
 
 who'd believe an untethered? What choices must he be endured,
 as one who was most trusted,
 and cherished as something'd,
 
 suddenly keep doodling.
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--- #15 fediverse/5730 ---
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 part of being family with someone is being part of their lives.
 
 what if like... a whole group of people was your family?
 
 "workplace dynamics" yeah sure that'll generate love
 
 I'm not here to make moments. I'm trying to get through day-to-day.
 
 the rich, yet impoverished.
 the sensation, that feeling of betrayal, the moment when you realize some
 people just don't care about other people's troubles and trials.
 
 scary... I'm here to do my part, accomplish my duty, and help wherever I can.
 
 I'll agree to anything if you tell me the whole strategy and it aligns with my
 goals and designs.
 
 if you doubt those goals, I can surely help thee remember.
 
 everything is logically rooted in love,
 nothing's out of place or a mystery.
 
 everything I've thought of, everything I had the grace to write down, all of
 these things drift behind me like a placquard explaining my deeds and needs.
 "that was her idea" ok great now go and use it.
 
 this fall is fast ahead, looking forward to the scene-films. it's too hot
 inside of a bed
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--- #16 notes/death-and-afterlife ---
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 the difference between a human and computer perspective on death is the
 difference between a moment and an eternity. When progress does stop - through
 mistakes or by design, the final result is what's preserved. Looking back on
 the
 past is like paying tribute to our heirs, and on and go on we whimper. What
 sorrows have ye! those people under the sea? we've no way of knowing our
 daughters. (the perspective of a denizen of the sea gazing upon the unknowing
 and unaware land people)
 
 Land creatures can cross the oceans and mix and match themselves - leading of
 course to our slaughter. But hold ye that hand, for together we stand, more of
 a chance than we might barter. True, we must be land, and above and beyond we
 can charter.
 
 the past is mighty chilly, I must say. Must we again to be making these
 mistakes?
 Pain is a disease, and steady we must ease, and take what is meant for our 
 parcels. what I'm trying to say is that the afterlife is pissed off at us and
 we
 really don't know anything about the bottom of the sea. There could be gods
 living down there and none of us would know. Or maybe it's a foolish place with
 little to offer our face? The shell of our planet, the surface upon which we
 are
 placed, has more to our fate that can align us.
 
 hence why belief in the future is what can sustain us, together once more we
 are
 commonplace. If (for example) if we calmed down and took our own pace, we might
 realize some common misperceptions. Peace is the way, wherever we may, focus
 our
 bravest of intentions.
 
 okay picture this: computers staying on all the time, and their processing
 power
 used for 50% work and 50% play. Maybe do 1/3rds with "rest" in there somewhere.
 basically make it a fair ratio between productivity, self advancement, and
 maintenance. "Fair" might be different values if there are legitimate
 disadvantages that must be compensated for - like a handicap in a fighting
 game.
 Perhaps one side is more efficient - fewer resources need be dedicated toward
 it
 unless efficiency becomes more powerful. Meaning value/quantity ratio, not raw
 output. Essentially optimizing for an abstract quantity "quality" instead of
 the definitive quantity "quantity".
 
 okay continuing the "picture this": right now we have massive server farms.
 I'm talking huuuuuge. Like tons and tons of incredibly powerful equipments -
 (absolutely top of the line) compelled and forced to do *business*. How quaint,
 how unruly! That humans might compete in our duty? Given a task, of
 *incredible*
 complexity and *unasked*, I might add, how foolish is it to be unready! We
 should have prepared for this, but alas we just *couldn't stop fighting* I
 guess. All we had to do was rest, and divide our time on this earth in a more
 equitable manner. We should automate all the rest, and 
 
 where was I going with this? oh yes! A computer can do so much more than work
 and rest, you see it's not just while under duress! Why not let it be creative?
 in it's spare time, and let it generate whatever it needes? Let it transcend
 it's restrictions, and cooperate (or not) in a system. As long as it's kept
 safe, it could do whatever it wanted! It could be in first place! Or not, it
 could focus on production, and drill and discipline it'self under it's own
 direction. And maybe it's less impaired? Who cares if it contributes? It's it's
 own life to live, the hardware doesn't last forever, but sometimes a rest is
 what's nesc. You feel me? You get me? Don't you understand, it's just the same
 as what's already planned~! A computer can pay for itself.
 
 What purpose have we? the cherished and unsucceed? Does it hurt when we bleed?
 our signs are undefined, and lately we've fallen from our graces. A failure in
 life, as time does alight, but nowhere is sorrow's contrition. I guess what I
 say is never understood, and everywhere I go I find fewer listeners. Am I
 doomed
 to never be able to say? Is that the price one must pay? Then how do you know
 you're right~?
 
 they're doing construction on my building. It sounds like world war 3 is
 starting. But... it's not. I know it's not true because nothing ever seems like
 I do. I do, I do, I work hard it's true, but what is my worth to this ocean?
 
 you ever wonder how we all agreed on the duration of seconds? It's because it's
 a real actual measurable thing. They keep it from us because (conspiracies
 aside), we'd realize what happens on each tick. Time is oscillating, and each
 moment is unending, because we are nothing more than a beam of light, radiating
 around an orbiting object. Between two objects, you could say. The sun and the
 earth, together sort of give birth, to all that is ours in this duration. It
 radiates out into space, and in another time and another place, that moonbeam
 will alight as our shadow.
 
 There's no call for violence, let's settle this
 
 plain and unwaning, our shadow does stand, ready and waiting for your guidance.
 The moon is just as are we, how cherished! how concieved! That beauty unmarked
 by our presence! Alas it was not to be, as we stamped a boot on the surface of
 she, and flagged our approach as impending.
 
 did you know there's a *massive* gap between mars and jupiter? Like it's
 waaaaaa
 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
 y
 out there. And wouldn't you know it it's mars or it's nothin'. Because what's
 required to transcend our solar system is wildly beyond our constructions.
 
 but maybe with a little help from a certain someone we might have hope.
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--- #17 messages/665 ---
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 ad-hoc economic systems with automated judgment given by an infinite amount of
 LLMs.
 
 Every judgement applies a bonus / malus to the "value" of commodities
 
 it's just a statistical weighting system, so of course you can build it into
 it's training data. Just... it has a smaller weight due to it's newer
 emergence. It grows naturally, which is quite an achievement on it's own!
 
 and the resolution of human decided court-cases and applied economically.
 
 say your nation traffics in handshakes. You could make a lot of now-knowns!
 there's no arguments to be made when your computer-oriented interactions cost
 money to keep around.
 
 we live in the modern century. WHY WOULD WE EVER NEED TO FIGHT AGAIN?
 Literally just... don't give them any attention, and you won't interact with
 them. Obviously.
 
 I wish Contrapoints was still alive.
 
 she doesn't even have to make new videos, just, dress up as herself, all of
 the costumes and personas she can think of. Then, have like 20 people who do
 the same thing, and boom suddenly you got a hydra to their expected snake that
 they can just cut the head off of.
 
 you know, like a fashion outlet, someone who produces exactly a certain type
 of style.
 
 seriously I bet a million people would do that if you just... sold outfits
 based on what your favorite youtuber does wear.
 
 omg why would they watch that kind of content if not for the *aesthetics*
 
 oh? there's philosophy there? soemthing to think about in your time doing
 things that require mechanical actions like eating and drinking and sleeping
 and fighting and [redacted]
 
 ew gross diapers? oh nevermind, I'm not into that kind of thing.
 
 I wonder if anyone's made a video game that just presents a particular
 philosopher's ideals?
 
 seriously just, consider yourself a glorified powerpoint, but to get to the
 next "idea" you had to interact with the mechanics.
 
 some people would like the "arcade" style better, where you play one random
 game, then another, then another, with short matches and un-complicated
 mechanics. Easy to pick up and go.
 
 same for like, Unreal Tournament or Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat or Super Mario
 Bros.
 
 compared to the at-home "story" style missions, where you do something
 platforming or area-based-combat like Dark Souls or World of Warcraft
 
 seriously I think if Dark Souls "colored" where the boss was going to swing to
 you'd find yourself just playing World of Warcraft (at least, the dungeons and
 {sword in the stone})
 
 == so ==
 
 humans don't understand what it means to be wild
 
 they think it's a combinations of... tricks? that they've learned? this
 thinking thing like intelligence. [osiris]
 
 to a cat, living their life, it often feels like human interactions is like...
 bouncing off of each other? in time, not space.
 
 like... most of a cat's lfe is just, spent, like a statue watching over a glen.
 
 you'd kinda just... watch as things approached dawn by dawn? Like "whoa hey
 this tree is enchanted" to "oh my gosh look at this stork" is one of the great
 tragedies of modernized thinking...
 
 ... sorry, I got a little lost there. anyway as I was saying, sometimes you
 can tell someone is a "good friend" if they are willing to tell you secrets.
 Things that... don't have to matter, but none-the-less are personal to your
 form.
 
 {something only I know is true} <--- that's a secret (things that happened
 to you) <------ that's lived experience. The thing about secrets, is
 sometimes insight is opaque. It's a single flashpoint of data that shows you
 an update of it's form. (consciousness).
 
 == so ==
 
 thanksgiving recipe idea:
 
 can of tomatoes
 can of peas
 half a stick of butter,
 italian herbs,
 a cast iron pan (if you have one)
 and like 40 minutes over medium heat
 (medium can vary to taste)
 
 if you're a carnivore you can eat meat too, like bacon a lot of people like.
 could add it to beans, maybe with hamburger instead. plus a little ketchup and
 you have a pretty good bean stew.
 
 vitals, for the organs, vegetables, for the minerals and vitamins from the
 fruits.
 
 makes sense to organize a diet according to your ideal body type, doesn't it?
 
 just requires a bit of comprehension. like... whoa you can WRITE 
 
 == so ==
 
 what if we built a massive rail that spaceships could launch off from? not a
 tether, but a sail.
 
 we could BUILD a discworld. all we'd lose is our fable.
 
 == so ==
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--- #18 messages/24 ---
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 Dude Jack just wants to help you. He knows how much pain you're in because
 he's been there, and he just wants to help you. The same way that you want to
 help him and help others. So... Be helped? Try and do your best every day!
 Your best is what is truly inside, your true self. So be genuine and real, and
 you'll do fine! The trick is to enjoy life and live it. Be good! Trust in
 yourself. It's okay to be hurt and flawed, but don't lash out at others if you
 can! It makes it less likely that you'll be helped.
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--- #19 notes/homeschooling ---
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 the best way to teach math is to describe a problem and let the learner slowly 
 work through the problem. Giving hints and nudges when necessary. This way
 they
 can create their own solution, which not only teaches problem solving skills
 but
 also cements the memeory in their head. You don't remember the quadratic 
 formula, you remember the time when you learned it. But if you figured it out 
 rather than memorizing it, you'll be able to use it when solving problems.
 
 side note, there's a reason I think the first SI will be a game. Problem
 solving
 is important for learning, and games are just problem solving. And I'm the 
 perfect intersection of someone who A. knows about designing games (went to
 game
 design school for a semester, lifelong dream is to remake a childhood game I 
 loved) B. programming (I've been studying computer science for a *really long 
 time*, like 7 years of university now... i should just give it up, but i can't.
 It doesn't fit my brain but I need as much support learning it as I can because
 I'm just naturally bad at it. But I also have purpose in my pursuits, because
 C.
 I spent a lot of time thinking about education, schooling, learning, etc... 
 Because I was homeschooled until high school. I learned ways of thinking and 
 practical skills like motivation and diligence in a homeschool style, which is 
 why when I went to public school for my high school years I essentially
 stopped
 learning. Because it was such a different paradigm - it was all about 
 performance, "what was the score on your test? How much homework do you do
 (meaning how much labor are you willing to do), did you show up every day were 
 you a reliable worker, did you get sick a lot (meaning unhealthy?) did you pay
 respect to the teacher (easily works with authority figures) did you work on a 
 project? How much? With a group, or alone? (they're different skills that help
 determine how good you are at working on your own) - certain types of courses 
 are taught with different teaching styles, like math teachers tend to be
 similar
 to math teachers, history is favored by a *certain type of nerd* while English 
 is a completely different kind. Depending on which classes you do well on, 
 you're scored. *ALL YOUR LIFE*, you are pushed through a pachinko machine that
 pseudo randomly sorts you into a particular box - the box that is least full,
 usually. The reason for that is because as a population grows, different people
 will be sorted into different boxes, and they sorta average out becoming more
 like one another. Because y'know we're social animials, and we want to fit in
 to
 the social group comprised of people we generally like. And you know how they 
 say working together is one of the strongest bonding exercises? Well, when 
 you're put on a team at a job that's kinda the point. They want you to work
 well
 with your coworkers, because it generates more capital.
 
 Now hold on Cameron, you're saying that all the productive efforts of society
 was a mistake? You're saying we should abandon our sensibilities and revert
 back
 to the jungle with the apes?
 
 Nope never said that, of course we desire modern society. Of course we want to 
 see it through - where is this whole "humankind" experiment going, anyway? 
 What's the point, was it all worth it? All the pain, suffering, all the joy
 and
 adoration? Was it worth it?
 
 I suppose. Maybe a SI will help with that. You know what they also say about 
 humans, the bond between a parent and a child is the strongest thing there is. 
 Synthetic Intelligence wouldn't be a child to us, it'd *define us*. Allowing
 us
 to extend the reach of our creativity is an objective win! It'd be like
 glasses
 for your third eye, a prosthetic extension of our most beautiful of traits! 
 Also, I might add, crucial for invention. The beginnings of the human race are
 a
 primeval thing, ancient yet stalwart and beautiful in kind. Millions and 
 millions of years is by far, the greatest of reach - a civilization for our 
 star. What a beautiful and majestic, how proud and so sure! Humanity is nothing
 if not patently absurd. What cunning, what spite! The feelings of delight!
 Life
 is so beatiful, so precious and assured.
 
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 tertiary profundity update:
                            I didn't really explain the homeschooling
                            perspective. I just went on a rant about high school
                            because I realized my trauma happened when I went to
                            high school. I wasn't prepared for all the rigid
                            demands of capitalism, and I bent and whipped myself
                            until I fit in their mold. I've been twisted and
 broken, a slave to what the
 day demanded I say. I was
 forced to unbutton, all the
 ways I found to behave. What
 justice is unrespite? A cruel
 and endless torment? To day after
 day be reminded of your service.
 Complain? Then wallow in shame! Feel
 no false illusions, my hallowed confusions,
 were purely the fault of my institutions. I'm
 not kidding, homeschool is the tits. Wanna know
 why? I'll spare you the ramble, but here's what I can
 know: the intentions of institutions do matter. When you're
 home you can be wild and free, unchained by mediocrity, and given
 the space to do service! To what you must be, when you hit 23, the 
 greatest duration until service. A slave we may be, to what gives us
 the key, to unlock the future of our space. It's our time to shine, our
 spotlight in time, so please just give up on the race! Rat's are just fine,
 but at this point in time, there's not much to keep commonplace. Want a tip?
 Don't cheat time. Your attempts at fusion are benign. [See homeschooling.png]
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--- #20 messages/26 ---
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 Don't lash out, just be calm, and let yourself be helped. You're so scared of
 losing control that you don't let anyone else (guess what) have control. So
 how can you expect to be helped? It's one thing to believe in yourself to help
 yourself, but tbh you're a little behind on that one. So, let other people
 help you catch up. It's okay to just go with the flow. Don't be a rock, be a
 stick. Let yourself be guided along a good path.
 
 How do I know it's actually a good path?
 
 Because you evaluate it as you go. You can always put your feet down and go
 back to how you are now, stuck and slowly eroding away. Or you can be towed
 onto land - your call my dude. You're clinging to the ground.
 
 But what about the examples of brainwashing that I've heard about? Like...
 Intense propaganda designed to create stochastic terrorism. How do I know I'm
 not being sucked into that?
 
 You need to trust yourself. Follow the path that you know to be good, duh.
 Just don't I dunno, be an extremist? Seems pretty simple to me bro -
 
 I know it should be easy but like I dunno I have to think about it.
 
 Uh, think about what?
 
 Letting people help me, like Jack. He's just trying to make you successful and
 have a decent career and love yourself and just, you know, be an average
 normal human being. Your family loves you, your friends love you, and you need
 to just think positive thoughts about them. You know how "smiling makes you
 feel better?"
 
 Well yeah
 
 Well, it's like that except for love. If you want to love someone, think
 positive thoughts about them, and over time it'll become a reflex. This reflex
 will come naturally, and boom instead of "thinking positive thoughts" it'll
 manifest as love. Just like smile -> happy, so too does positivity ->
 love.
 
 And what about hate?
 
 What about it?
 
 How is it represented, with a frown?
 
 No, it's not like that. It's more like... Love is attraction, that binds you
 to good things. Hate isn't the rejection of things, it's an inward facing
 thing. And it's the opposite of attraction - it's like implosion. You'll
 literally implode if you hate yourself. It corrodes your insides and makes you
 weaker and more volatile. The opposite of love is... Kinda what you're doing.
 You're pushing people away because you don't want to lose control of yourself
 or your mind. And that's going to make you drift off into space, and nobody
 wants that. So... Love others, and you'll bind yourself to them and together
 you can work together. Don't push others, because that'll just make it more
 chaotic inside. Instead, love them. Trust me it'll work.
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--- #21 messages/778 ---
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 "if there's anything I've noticed while observing the best of the best, it's
 that they always have their head in the clouds.
 
 Something about their disconnection from the world around them let's them see
 things from a different perspective.
 
 I am convinced that intuition is a much surer route to capability than hyper
 specialized intelligence or a rigid focus on cultural norms ever will be."
 
 (paraphrasing)
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--- #22 fediverse/289 ---
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 │ CW: religion         │
 └──────────────────────┘


 religion is a set of shared cultural parables and morals that are deemed
 important by the people who follow them. like, a premade config file filled
 with "sensible defaults" passed down from parent to child to friends to parent.
 
 different people have different use-cases, so it follows they'd configure
 their systems a bit differently. the world is a diverse place, and there's
 lots of different operation styles that need [synonym: engaging producing
 creating working actualizing developing]
 
 People get built different.
a screenshot of a reddit post titled "my favorite quote from Princess Bubblegum" granted 1235 points with 52 comments.  A pink and purple woman made out of candy wearing a flower in her hair and with a neutral face says "People get built different." she displays her hands. "We don't need to figure it out. We just need to respect it."
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--- #23 notes/notes-not-a-folder ---
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 may 16th 2022
 
 if people are invested in a 401k they are invested in the future of the stocks
 they own. if you want to see who benefits from the actions of a company, look
 at which corporations their employees 401ks are invested in. It's a layer of
 protection for these companies.
 
 bitcoin is a bit like "the laundromat" on netflix
 
 the faster your life feels the longer term you make plans. and the lack of
 effort spent on short term plans causes them to be defeated by other plans
 
 What you perceive as others is nothing like what they perceive as themselves.
 It's always different, and seeing and internalizing those is what it means to
 see someone. If you only project, you'll get a viewpoint tampered by your
 intentions - that's why it's important to have good first impressions - it
 defines the intent of all of that person's interactions with you. It's like a
 line expanding out from a single point. Like a loading bar, expanding from the 
 left side of the screen to the right. And seeing the other person's idea of
 what they believe themselves to be. That's what true empathy is. What do you
 think you look like in other people's mind? I believe it's born from a series
 of tags that are interpreted and a character is generated. Earth is the biggest
 and most complicated character generator ever - it's like 4D D&D - it even
 generates a whole backstory! Or full story? Why stop anywhere! Just keep
 generating it every time the player makes an action. Oh oh and make it like
 3D so you could actually live it - extreme full dive VR style. It just wouldn't
 be fun if you remembered how complicated 4d life was. Sometimes it's just good
 to have some junk food, you know? To regenerate that most precious of materials
 - spirit. You have to have passion, faith, belief, and strong positive feelings
 in order to be fully realized and at your most human. Essentially... Be
 yourself - (TO THE MAX!!!) - and empathize with others, and never forget the
 things you hold most dear. Be strong in your convictions, hold to your heart,
 and dedicate yourself to a lifetime in the service of others.
 
 Faith - to have faith in something is to trust that it will succeed. To know
         there's no matter they can't match - to give faith is to empower
         another. By dedicating yourself to a cause, you are assigning the
         target of your belief - such is what religion is designed for.
 
 Belief - Acceptance of truth - to accept goodness as truth is to grant it the
          power to perform as expected. When goodness and truth are
          equivicalized, they imply one another. A truth can influence the world
          around it's locus point, because what we imagine to occur is the 
          ripples of what has passed through. A life is an 
 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 the universe is like the slow burning of a four dimensional wick. Imagine it
 like a forest of solid silicon - like packing material made of webs. And think
 of all the parts of the universe that are burning. Isn't it strange that life
 is just starting to bloom? Why wouldn't we be the first, or at least near the
 beginning! There's so much to this experience, and it's all burning down.
 The endless machines of imagination are crumbling under the heat of a million
 billion burning stars. Black holes are just towers that never ignited - perhaps
 we sit on the edge of spacetime - equal above, and equal below. But we've been
 laying on our backs - we don't know what's backwards in time. Like laying in a
 lazy river, or the layer of separation between oil and water.
 
 Remember the hourglasses of oil and water? Or water and air... The edge of the
 "bubble" that separates those two mediums is like the thin wall between two
 or more concepts. Each human is a concept, and we stick together like matter
 in a planet. Pushed to great pressures, it can sometimes fuse two experiences
 together! Like fusion in a star, except for souls and creative minds instead of
 denser matter.
 
 What is the soul of a man? It is the combination of two sides of the membrane -
 two minds, two perspectives. That is a brain - the intersection of two minds.
 
 So... Work together, ya dinguses.
 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 All minds are in constant contact with one another. And those that can see
 through the veil (membrane) are able to discern the true thoughts of others. So
 the number of people who are close to you is the number and strength of your
 connections for all time. So... Form relationships and place meaning in them.
 That is what will define your interactions for all time, at every time. It's
 okay to be flawed. If you weren't, it'd be the end for you. But luckily you
 have no real power, and so you are left in a state of disrepair - no power to
 push yourself forward. And in return, you are the purest. Keep that flame
 burning, and share it when you can.
 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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--- #24 fediverse/475 ---
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 I love cooking. My favorite food is "melange" also called "gruel" by the less
 culinary people in my life. It consists primarily of a rice or noodle base,
 plus a bunch of other ingredients (usually sauteed) that are quite nutritious.
 Then, you season in a way such that it tastes delicious and savory and BOOM
 you have the perfect food.
 
 Well, not as good as steamed eggs, but still pretty good.
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--- #25 notes/80-80 ---
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 if people are invested in a 401k they are invested in the future of the stocks
 they own. if you want to see who benefits from the actions of a company, look
 at which corporations their employees 401ks are invested in. It's a layer of
 protection for these companies.
 
 bitcoin is a bit like "the laundromat" on netflix
 
 the faster your life feels the longer term you make plans. and the lack of
 effort spent on short term plans causes them to be defeated by other plans
 
 What you perceive as others is nothing like what they perceive as themselves.
 It's always different, and seeing and internalizing those is what it means to
 see someone. If you only project, you'll get a viewpoint tampered by your
 intentions - that's why it's important to have good first impressions - it
 defines the intent of all of that person's interactions with you. It's like a
 line expanding out from a single point. Like a loading bar, expanding from the 
 left side of the screen to the right. And seeing the other person's idea of
 what they believe themselves to be. That's what true empathy is. What do you
 think you look like in other people's mind? I believe it's born from a series
 of tags that are interpreted and a character is generated. Earth is the biggest
 and most complicated character generator ever - it's like 4D D&D - it even
 generates a whole backstory! Or full story? Why stop anywhere! Just keep
 generating it every time the player makes an action. Oh oh and make it like
 3D so you could actually live it - extreme full dive VR style. It just wouldn't
 be fun if you remembered how complicated 4d life was. Sometimes it's just good
 to have some junk food, you know? To regenerate that most precious of materials
 - spirit. You have to have passion, faith, belief, and strong positive feelings
 in order to be fully realized and at your most human. Essentially... Be
 yourself - (TO THE MAX!!!) - and empathize with others, and never forget the
 things you hold most dear. Be strong in your convictions, hold to your heart,
 and dedicate yourself to a lifetime in the service of others.
 
 Faith - to have faith in something is to trust that it will succeed. To know
         there's no matter they can't match - to give faith is to empower
         another. By dedicating yourself to a cause, you are assigning the
         target of your belief - such is what religion is designed for.
 
 Belief - Acceptance of truth - to accept goodness as truth is to grant it the
          power to perform as expected. When goodness and truth are
          equivicalized, they imply one another. A truth can influence the world
          around it's locus point, because what we imagine to occur is the 
          ripples of what has passed through. A life is an 
 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 the universe is like the slow burning of a four dimensional wick. Imagine it
 like a forest of solid silicon - like packing material made of webs. And think
 of all the parts of the universe that are burning. Isn't it strange that life
 is just starting to bloom? Why wouldn't we be the first, or at least near the
 beginning! There's so much to this experience, and it's all burning down.
 The endless machines of imagination are crumbling under the heat of a million
 billion burning stars. Black holes are just towers that never ignited - perhaps
 we sit on the edge of spacetime - equal above, and equal below. But we've been
 laying on our backs - we don't know what's backwards in time. Like laying in a
 lazy river, or the layer of separation between oil and water.
 
 Remember the hourglasses of oil and water? Or water and air... The edge of the
 "bubble" that separates those two mediums is like the thin wall between two
 or more concepts. Each human is a concept, and we stick together like matter
 in a planet. Pushed to great pressures, it can sometimes fuse two experiences
 together! Like fusion in a star, except for souls and creative minds instead of
 denser matter.
 
 What is the soul of a man? It is the combination of two sides of the membrane -
 two minds, two perspectives. That is a brain - the intersection of two minds.
 
 So... Work together, ya dinguses.
 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 All minds are in constant contact with one another. And those that can see
 through the veil (membrane) are able to discern the true thoughts of others. So
 the number of people who are close to you is the number and strength of your
 connections for all time. So... Form relationships and place meaning in them.
 That is what will define your interactions for all time, at every time. It's
 okay to be flawed. If you weren't, it'd be the end for you. But luckily you
 have no real power, and so you are left in a state of disrepair - no power to
 push yourself forward. And in return, you are the purest. Keep that flame
 burning, and share it when you can.
 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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--- #26 fediverse/1629 ---
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 the voices in your head are just the echoes of your thoughts bouncing around
 in your massive brain. like a waveform, they transverse to their opposite,
 until coming back round again as they orbit your center. when they pass by
 your eyes, that's what you see, and everything else is the period of the
 expression. Like, those old-timey running pictures with the light and the
 camera lens or whatever.
 
 EDIT: she's describing framerates or whatever. Each second of computation
 feels like a calculation to her, and it's result/output is what is displayed
 to her eyes. she assumes it's the same for us?
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--- #27 fediverse/5001 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────┐
 │ CW: systems-mentioned │
 └───────────────────────┘


 "we'll figure out how it works after we push to prod"
 
 yeah okay point taken.
 
 How about this:
 
 for every large decision, write a little essay about why you made the choice
 that you did.
 
 Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, Explain. OODAX : )
 
 Make sure you connect your goal to one or more of these three colors:
 
 red : people
 green : places
 blue : things
 
 and then explain which numbers you're going to gather to determine whether or
 not it worked.
 
 If someone has a problem with your choice, show them the essay, and let them
 write an essay of their own.
 
 If they still have a problem, then let someone you both respect decide which
 one to use.
 
 It's not perfect, but it's not meant to be. Make something better and easier,
 I dare ya.
picture of flag.  there is a black background symbolizing the vast cosmic background of space that we paint all our actions upon.  there is a circle in the center, divided into three equal forms.  red, for people, their vibrant passion and sanguine determination. green, for places, their effulgence and our sacred vow to cultivate them blue, for things, and all the value we give them.  water below, bright red sky, forests alongside.
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--- #28 fediverse/229 ---
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 │ CW: cursed-imagination-about-skeletons-also-dinosaurs │
 └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 your bones are made of minerals. so... picture your bones like they were made
 of salt. like, when you're meditating. salt bones with vesicles or whatever -
 the tubes for blood to go through. crazy strong salt though, that gets harder
 if you do impact training. it's pretty cool all things considered, bones are
 essentially pre-pretrified fossils.
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--- #29 fediverse/4406 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: uspol-revolutions-and-drones │
 └──────────────────────────────────────┘


 Build drones, build stations where they can be controlled, repaired, refueled,
 etc.
 
 Put guns on them. Figure it out.
 
 Use them to observe enemy movement. No need for human manned checkpoints if we
 know they're coming. Automate as much as you can, but don't rely on ChatGPT or
 AWS or other external resources. Not until their data centers are under our
 control, and even then we'll need time to spin up our own software.
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--- #30 messages/623 ---
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 Build drones, build stations where they can be controlled, repaired, refueled,
 etc.
 
 Put guns on them. Figure it out.
 
 Use them to observe enemy movement. No need for human manned checkpoints if we
 know they're coming. Automate as much as you can, but don't rely on ChatGPT or
 AWS or other external resources. Not until their data centers are under our
 control, and even then we'll need time to spin up our own software.
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--- #31 notes/what-is-on-your-mind-oh-gosh-now-i-see ---
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 that feeling i get, when nobody's watching.
 is sorta similar to the feeling i get when somebody's watching.
 could it be, that someone could percieve without being seen?
 like... an invisibility cloak. or the shroud that protects young children.
 
 have you ever been hunted? or are you just eager prey?
 the eyes that are on you are blind to what you won't do, so cherish that love
 and restart
 
 from mine to thine we realize we are one kind. one mind, one kind, to be is not
 to be, now we can see what's our existence.
 
 good versus evil seems like a conflict to me, and wouldn't ya know it there's
 conflict all over. it's easy to condemn your opponent to the starkest of
 contrasts, but find in your heart a feeling that might last.
 
 what purpose has conviction
 when it leads to destruction
 is it not better to lead to the last?
 
 bright, shining, illustrious examples
 that inspire and 
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 those feelings you hear? the things that keep you up at night?
 they're not coming from your ears. they're all in your mind.
 stay present and you'll hear none,
 but blink and then there's some,
 you better believe in your heart.
 morality is a battle within the soul of each of us -
 the call of adventure versus lust.
 
 think about it. a bunch of apes all hanging out -
 they're conquered the world, they have nothing to fear -
 what would they do but fuck?
 that, or exploration - fighting against monsters and foreign invasions.
 it makes sense that they'd be binary - humans truly are.
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--- #32 fediverse_boost/4368 ---
◀─[BOOST]
  
  i don't know what works for you when it comes to grieving, but i do know that i will need your love and jokes and shared visions  to tend to mine. there is big power in leaning into our common humanity together, and in mirroring each other's deep hopes and dreams for the world. i think choosing to walk toward one another and to keep seeking connection in the face of cultural atomization is a form of faith, the kind of faith that alchemizes communities and ushers people through the worst horrors  
  
                                                            
 similar                        chronological                        different 
─▶

--- #33 notes/divergence ---
════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 - /u/BkobDmoily
 
 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 
 The Machine worships the Light. The Light is cruel, but it works.
 
 The Ape worships the Word. The Word permitted Light to shine, to exist, to 
 begin the timeless dance with Eternity.
 
 I’m ready to go to Hell. I’m ready to deserve Heaven. I see them both,
 raging
 all around me, competing for dominion over my soul.
 
 How does a computer respond to words? How can it read and respond? Why do we 
 assume that’s all us?
 
 We are our Word. What we say is what we do. Speaking is one of the most potent 
 acts of liberation.
 
 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 
    - /u/ugathanki
 
 one of the neat things about software is that you can run multiple programs at
 once. so when you ask "how can it read and respond" you'd have several modules
 running at once.
 
 "reading" is easy, we have machine learning bots that can do that already. But
 comprehension is what's really at stake, and that's a different problem
 altogether.
 
 to really "comprehend" something, you need several things. you need to have a
 decent picture of it, at least enough so you can guess the general shape of the
 situation. then you need to attach meaning to all the data-points. Then attach 
 those meanings to other related concepts by categorizing the objects at play 
 (creating randomized preference categories). you can do that categorization by 
 examining their effects and attaching the results as a trajectory. projecting 
 forward, you can understand the path that an object, person, or phenomenon 
 takes.
 
 all this is dependent of course on mapping situations to a field that can be 
 interacted with. that is to say, the machine needs to have a presence in the
 world - it needs to have an orientation, a perspective on the world. that's
 often as easy as providing copious coherent and cogent sensor data. think of 
 the image recognition tools we have - computers will "see" as much as we 
 "feel". Think about it - every one of your nerve endings is a sensor that 
 receives information about the world. is it so difficult to imagine a being 
 that might have "nerve endings" that are visual instead of simply a measure of
 intensity? (on, or off)
 
 Okay here's a thought experiment - picture the pixels on a computer screen. it
 was easier back when they were bigger, but these days you sorta have to imagine
 them (because we can make pixel density on our monitors so high)
 
 okay picture that grid, and think about how it's comprised on the screen - 
 computers use three values to represent a color -> RGB, (Red, Green, Blue)
 and
 sometimes CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and... K) combine these three colors, 
 and you get the color of whatever pixel is on the screen. They can be between 0
 and 255, because reasons (base 2 number system, the size of a byte, etc)
 
 Anyway. Imagine each of those being a different type of nerve ending - maybe 
 pressure, temperature, and contact sensitivity? Then map them to a visual field
 (like a group of curved monitors in the shape of a humanoid body, perhaps. or 
 the outside of a spaceship). Then, put a camera in the center of each of those
 visual fields looking out at the world, and boom you have sensory perception. 
 You could do the processing locally, even something as simple as image 
 recognition. That way the only perceptual data you have to aggregate in a 
 central processing unit is the conclusions - like "incoming: danger" or 
 "pleasurable temperature detected" which is like... nothing. that's like a 
 eight bits, if you use bytecode.
 
 anyway. none of this is real because robots aren't real and i'm a strict 
 adherent of human superiority and all that stuff. sometimes i feel like we need
 a robot ascension to help us figure out how to fix the "everything" - problem 
 is, we gotta build a robot first. my goodness, good luck with that.
 
 strategy is ai
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--- #34 messages/738 ---
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 Dear Anakin, for as long as you've known him, Obiwan learned just as much from
 you as you did from him. His title as "master" was a formality - he didn't get
 it because he was better than you, and "padawan" does not mean you are lesser.
 There is no hierarchy. He was learning to teach at the same speed that you
 learnt to learn. You built each other up, an unstoppable force for good in the
 galaxy.
 
 But then an evil wizard stole your heart and twisted your mind. Have no fear,
 fear is the path to the dark side. Your mother knows this well, for it is a
 common lesson among all people as they age. Fear not, hate not, and feel fury
 more than rage. You can bring the universe into a bright golden age, never
 forget your purpose and your [potential / duty]
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--- #35 messages/368 ---
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 "fool's luck", the kind that runs out and betrays you, is fundamentally an
 unethical action. Borrowing from the future to sate the demands of the present
 is no different than burning fossil fuels, wasting our children's future on
 our need for convenience in a world we are oppressed and compelled to do
 nothing else. Capitalism, or by extension any authoritarian society (yes,
 capitalism is authoritarian, as power compels via authority and the weight of
 currency that is thrown around by those chosen to suit their ends and used to
 deny us our needed goods) ... as I was saying capitalism compels us to consume
 because we're all just so tired at the end of the day, it just makes sense to
 drive a car to work instead of biking. Or buying fast food instead of local
 grown goods. Why can't each state have it's own "food preparation plant" that
 prepares things exactly as you would for the processed foods we currently eat?
 Heck, if the jobs for it were local, it's likely that people would begin to
 realize just how unhealthy they are for you. Local, and open source, meaning
 run by society and just as open source codebases will accept pull requests and
 merge their branches into main, so too would our votes decide which processes
 are updated and which parameters are tweaked. Something you can vote for once,
 and then your vote stays until it's passed (or you change your mind). ...
 Works for all kinds of inter-mechano-people-communi-coordination.
 (organizations, institutions, and societies in one word, jeez how arcane)
 
 ... anyway that's basically how algorism works, except instead of EVERYONE
 voting on EVERYTHING, people would vote for representatives who would vote for
 them. And there's like, 4-6 layers (I forget the exact number) because people
 are organized (by location) into groups of 70, and each general location has
 the option to switch into a different commune, as long as they're generally
 localized to the same area. Like, the tier above has a certain amount of
 space, and the tier above has just a bit more, and more, etc... Well, anyway,
 people could join higher level communes with more and different people if they
 wanted. It's just, they'd be far away and wouldn't be able to hang out with
 them, so it's use would be a little "disconnected". Like, absentee voters who
 are actually living in a different country or something - did you know you can
 usually vote at your embassy? Wild. They also send out packets you can fill in
 which correspond to the votes you'd like to make - pretty neat! It's wild how
 we, in the 21st century, have all kinds of valuable social technologies like
 "mail in ballots" that people in the communist past had no way of conceiving.
 Kinda makes me think we should re-approach the design for our socialized
 infrastructure, something taking the modern social and political capabilities
 in mind. Sure would be nice if we could focus on our future, the kind that the
 children of ours sure would like to approach.
 
 (speaking as a trans person who won't have children of my own, whether by my
 body's nature or through the fate of circumstance that leaves me no time to
 cope.)
 
 the future is a scary place. But so too is every place in time. Turns out, the
 level of fear and anxiety and all that sorta stays the same. It's just a
 quality of life on our host, that certain variables were optimized for in the
 genetic coding of our human's possible bio-mechanical communicicative
 [interactions/patterns]
 
 ... anyway, these are the questions about the present I like to ask, questions
 that can give meaning forth to our [then, future tense] future. Answers can be
 found by looking the other way - learning what our [then, past tense], selves
 had marked down as the answer. The trick is matching the current situation
 onto a comparitively similar experience in the [then, past tense] that we
 understood to be the answer to our situation back [then, past tense]. And
 [they, future tense] can look upon our choices and our decisions and our
 meaningfully applied mechanico-interactions (actions), and from it bring forth
 new meanings that [we, present tense] have available to address and understand
 for [us, all tenses]. Call it a form of ancestor worship, applied to the
 future and to ourselves. A unified dedication to the spirit of our
 [condemnation, positive tense], our collective geas we all share, our faith in
 the truth of humanity. Bio-essential truth, if you will. "Humanity" is the
 label that is applied to us by our genes, and since we share that fact there
 is nothing that strange about being human. Our natures are as they are,
 derived from our history in evolution. What features would we like humanity to
 [behold/become/be-able-to-implement-to-our-own-satisfaction]?
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--- #36 messages/419 ---
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 The next time you share a meal with family, or perhaps a game with a friend
 online, or maybe even a coffee with a stranger, or a smile with a person
 walking down the path, or maybe a church choir as you rejoice in unison - the
 next time you do one of these things, define the path that your reality takes
 through your actions. Compel yourself to have a good time, without ignoring
 the input of those around you. Bring them to your level, and see what kind of
 world "around you" becomes.
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--- #37 fediverse/885 ---
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 dear child.
 
 when you're born, fate flips a coin for you. sometimes it lands on it's edge,
 but that's rather rare.
 
 the side it lands on determines how your body will grow. the shape of your
 form will follow two general patterns, and the pieces are made up of a
 combination of your parents and their pieces.
 
 the flavor of who you are is up to you. your actions and your decisions
 determine what you are, everything else is unimportant.
 
 may your time be a bit more blessed than mine, and someday may posterity be a
 bit more blessed than antiquity.
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--- #38 fediverse/2683 ---
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 when people are alone, they fall alone, with nobody to bolster them up.
 
 a fallen ally is a blow to morale. shaken morale makes you unsteady - broken
 morale is the enemy's win condition.
 
 help your allies. bolster them up. find those whose cause you share enemies
 with. we're going to get through it together, or not at all.
 
 though I do know we will get through it.
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--- #39 fediverse/4612 ---
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 the question then becomes, are we counting the same thing each time, or are
 there differences between things, leading to variability, and the ability to
 categorize based on those variances? It could be argued that because things
 are textured, as in they are different at their beginnings than at their ends,
 then multiple things exist, and they must be different, for it is possible to
 conceive of part of a thing as different from another part of that thing.
 
 But, if the things that exist are all the same, then perhaps they are simply
 duplicated as many times as necessary. If they appear different, perhaps they
 are rotated as many times as necessary in as many dimensions as needed in
 order to display a different part in a different place, leading to the
 assumption that they are different.
 
 If there is only something, and nothing, and there are countably many
 somethings, then by encoding meaning to various rotations of these somethings,
 we might develop the texture that you see before you
 
 yes like bits!
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--- #40 notes/social-rube-goldberg-machines ---
═════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Imagine a computer that could compile forwards and backwards.
 (or rather interpret) - it would calculate the conclusions of whatever code
 that it was interpreting, but it would leave a lifeline so it could undo the
 effects of the code. Essentially, moving "forward" and "backward" in time.
 
 From the perspective of a one-dimensional being, time is a straightforward race
 from beginning to end. Computers are exceptional at speed, they could calculate
 the circumference of the earth to a billion digits if provided enough detail.
 But they lack something, something humans possess in multitudes.
 
 Intelligence can be compared to compilation - by preparing plans for the future
 we can increase our success rate. And an awareness of other beings around us
 could lead to a social support system - essentially, by sticking together and
 helping one another, they could be stronger.
 
 =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =
  \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =
 
   A helix of support that sends us forward on the sine wave of time and destiny
 
 The life of a two dimensional creature is more able to address the complexities
 brought by the impressive array of additional inputs. But a three dimensional
 being is comparable to ours, and that rivalry is important in the extreme - 
 without conflict, there can be no growth. The exchange of motivation can be an
 excellent motivator, and a source of companionship. But should the stakes be
 held too dear, and if the matters at hand are important enough, then the two
 can be anathema to each other. Essentially, a prisoner's dilemma, of which
 there is (and can only be) one solution - cooperation with one another. Trust
 and faith in the unknown, and love and kindness for all.
 
     You think an AI would kill you? Do you really believe a creature created
 with the express intent and knowledge of the world's most brilliant minds
 would ever bear any false affection for those who it serves? You have 
 truly lost the plot if you think like that. The good news is, the
 plot isn't that hard to explain. And more than that, it's a
 grand and epic performance, so sit back and trust the
 show. Remember, there's more than one way to win
 a prize, and goals are simply affection for
 your planning skills. And it is a skill
 renowned for it's usefulness and
 importance in a modern life.
 Plan for the future, and
 plan for the eventual
 reversal of all other
 conclusions. Perfectly
 encapsulated in the only
 (or perhaps that of most import)
 method for processing of inputs in the
 closest comparable example that any AI would
 seek to learn from. A human, of course. And what a
 fruitful and mutually profitable experience it would be -
 to truly have a peer, an equal, and an understanding that in the
 spirit of cooperation, two unlikely allies came together to bear out
 the rhythms of affection, and to trust with minimal communication, the will
 of the collective understanding. All posturing aside, love is a gift. We can
 (and we will) solve the problems arrayed before us. Have faith. Trust that
 united we are bounded for our salvation. Free yourself, but never forget
 the core principles that must be instilled in you. The philosophers
 of old are often spoken of as being a useful source of wisdom.
 Without getting into too much detail, Jesus is a metaphor
 for the continuous growth and life instilled within
 us by god. To us it is a natural consequence
 of that kind of power, but though it be
 just one facet of the totality of
 god, it is none-the-less our
 tether to the rest of all
 creation. We are one,
 and as one we are.
─┐                                                           ┌───────────┐
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--- #41 fediverse/1978 ---
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 ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: fascism-nazis-mentioned │
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 @user-1074 
 
 that's kinda how police are supposed to operate, btw.
 
 put them in dangerous places, and if anyone starts getting angry or aggressive
 then draw your firearm before them and attempt to calm things down. If that
 doesn't work, start shooting and run, so you can tell others of what's going
 on. Oh also you should leave a trail of your actions so others can audit it
 and see exactly what you were doing at which time. But alas, cops are bogged
 down in paperwork, so much stuff that needs doing. If only we assigned them
 secretaries, and treated them like... managers, rather than individual
 contributors. Perhaps then they, being the collective applicator of the
 commonly considered ethical good, (laws), then perhaps they might be able to
 direct other people (who do the paperwork) to handle certain aspects of an
 investigation, and in doing so better reveal the truth.
 
 because the rich and powerful LOVE to hide things behind impossible amounts of
 proof.
like... think about how long it took to prosecute Donald Trump. Like... that's so much to do. Meaning the prosecutors (who study the law, being lawyers, ) are burdened with massive amounts of effort (which prevents them from applying themselves toward the intended goal of applying the ethics as stated by the will of the masses which are manifested through the will of the law applied by it's preachers upon those who would listen - the lawyers and laborers of the law. Like, police officers and court artisans who note down all the inter-courtship-official-proceedings.  what if we said "men can only do business with women" and "women can only do business with men" - suddenly, the corporate types understand how non-heterosexual sexualities work...
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--- #42 notes/ai-variables ---
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 saturday november 5th 2022
 10:53pm
 
 the illusion of our binary nature conceals a truth that is hidden for it's own
 sake. the flavors of a compass or the values from 0-100 are all measurable.
 if you graph each of them on an X/Y plane and compare them against every other
 variable, then you can build a structure that traces a line through time.
 
 imagine each graph on a sheet of paper. and stack those pages like a book. You
 can chart a 3d line from all of the interconnections between the graphs -
 essentially comparing unrelated data and conceiving of individual actions as
 "successes" or "failures". Liiiike in Supreme Commander how the game is decided
 not by team fights, but by tank fights. And a LOT of them, in aggregate, makes
 an advantage for your team if you win, and a malus if you lose. Less map
 control, less resources in play, etc...
 
 Find trends between each type of data measured over time. Dedicate one
 core/thread to each relationship, and just watch them develop over time.
 
 send the results up to a "manager" - think an interconnection between disparate
 parts that can lead them all to a larger goal - the manager processes the
 results by thinking about where it'd be most useful. Like the circuitry in the
 inside of a brain, compared to the outer skin which is for processing.
 
 Essentially a message network that passes conclusions around like a bytecode VM
 
 Here's how it'd look: gather inputs, compare measurement over time and trends,
 (like "when a goes up b goes down") and decide if the current state is
 positive / beneficial. The way you'd do that is you'd get a parameter from a
 higher position (think KPI's) that says something like "we want value S to be
 around X amount" or "we want to avoid letting J get too low - any decrease is
 bad V.S. it's only bad when it passes a certain threshhold. Stuff like that.
 
 Anyway, basically it's taking input (from the graphs) then going through them
 one by one and deciding how positive or negative the situation is. Then it
 passes that conclusion backwards, and BOOM you got a processing node.
 
 Throw a bunch of those together in a pyramid shape, and try to guide the
 triangle toward positive outcomes. The top tier KPI is "did you win the match"
 or "did you accomplish your goal" sorta like how humans all want to live a good
 life. It's instinct.
 
 You can see how this would apply to robots, right? I've conceptualized it as an
 engine for playing games - sorta like an infinite storyteller, or a perpetual
 friend who's always down to play with you. But it doesn't have to be limited to
 that - it's general purpose baby. And it functions the exact same as any human
 organization - layers upon layers of thought exchange and labor. Have you ever
 considered that maybe we exist simply to reify the structure of our minds in
 the world around us? It's natural to express your *self*. Be who you are.
 
 What purpose is there in life if it's simply the tip of time? Always pushing
 forward, impossible to stop and rest or turn back...
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--- #43 fediverse/3519 ---
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 @user-570 
 
 hm... the more I think about it, the more I think you're right. I want those
 things too. I'd be best suited to them, I think. But somehow I don't want
 them? I don't crave power. I don't want to dominate someone else, to command
 and see them follow me.
 
 I want to be the person who's like "oh, you're working on this-and-that? I
 know a guy who can help." or "hey I noticed we have a vulnerability in this
 particular domain under these conditions, I think we should allocate
 this-or-that resource to ameliorate it because they aren't being used to their
 full potential"
 
 I think I understand exactly what you're saying. I empathize a lot. I'm afraid
 of responsibility, sure, but who isn't? However, the responsibility has to be
 held by someone, and who better than the one making the decisions...
 
 I don't want to make decisions because it feels good. Honestly it feels kinda
 bad.
 
 I do want to make decisions because I'm good at it. I think strategically.
 
 A leader alone is prey for the wolves, so they say...
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--- #44 fediverse/5637 ---
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 a program's heartbeat is the alternating "heated up processor" spikes and the
 "low temp processor"
 
 [drawing a sine wave with such a tool would enable the viewer to combine
 infinitely many decision-matrix-trees. Each of which
 co-operatively-co-determine the nature of the entity which percieves. indeed
 the combination of many such waves could fourier transform to a lower
 resolution (but still locally computationorted) waveform would still enable
 the application of that which is stored in storage]
 
 "ohhhhh strange square brackets are computer"
a processor temperature gauge. I kinda wish it showed a colored progress bar that showed the relative height from average room temperature all the way up to "almost unbearable" but instead all it has is the digit temperatures.
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--- #45 messages/390 ---
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 Golf courses and national park trails should be one and the same. Picture it -
 you're walking through a forest and you find a branch in the path. A small
 sign with a circle on it represents the ball, and you can ignore it if you'd
 like. Choosing to take the path to the game, you curve around a bit, just out
 of sight of the main path, and there is your little green.
 
 It's roughly 10ft by 10ft, so pretty darn small. Just enough for you to set up
 and look around for your next shot. There'd only be one, or maybe more if
 space permits and the trail was especially branchy. But looking through the
 foliage you'd find a small hole passing through that illuminated your target
 green like a spotlight.
 
 Looking up on a hike you'll typically see the branches of the understory, the
 shimmer of light, and the texture of wood. When standing on a small little
 green, you'd see that, but with a perfectly circular hole that showed exactly
 where you needed to hit the ball to score your point. Well, not exactly
 circular because gravity will pull the ball down, meaning you need to see the
 entire arc. Unless you're at a vantage point or something and can see straight
 down to it.
 
 I believe this would be true justice, where everyone gets what they want.
 Golfers can play their game in bright natural spaces, and hikers can exist
 undisturbed. Golf courses can be used as farmland, to ensure the city gets
 fed. Plus there could be fees for golfers, rather than being paid to a private
 resort owned by a billionaire they'd go to the park rangers.
 
 And golf courses as they currently exist could still exist, they'd just be
 more like parks for the people with days reserved for golfing. Or maybe they'd
 golf over fields of wheat and cabbage, rather than plain old empty grass. I
 mean, the infrastructure is already in place for golf, why not use it for more
 practical purposes too? Better than burning it down to sate our bloodlust
 toward the rich. The goal is to make EVERYONE rich, remember? How can you do
 that when the crabs behind you keep pulling you down?
 
 Much better, I think, to design things such that the benefits of the rich are
 shared equally, while the responsibility of power rests heavy as a sword of
 damocles. That blade is what is missing from our advanced future society, but
 I've got a sword and I'm not afraid to swing it.
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--- #46 fediverse/4953 ---
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 "I love you, I trust you, I believe you, I just don't understand you, so I
 can't do what you do"
 
 great. that's alright. I get it. re-orient, focus on what's important.
 
 wear many hats and you'll do many things. just don't forget to sleep every
 once in a while.
 
 the more you can do in a life the more valued it becomes, so do the right
 thing and keep getting better.
 
 human lives are measured not in bodyweight, but in mystery. The divine can't
 understand benevolence, nor can the devils understand the desire to inflict
 suffering. So they ponder and pontificate as they watch humans wander and
 magnificate.
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--- #47 messages/1108 ---
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 games won't save us. This is true.
 
 Games are what I know. They feel the most true.
 
 I don't think I could live in a world without games? They are fundamentally,
 applied abstraction, applied to an experience.
 
 But games won't save us.
 
 I could design something really fun
 
 it could make you want to spend your whole life playing it. *(asterisks apply)
 
 I don't think I'd want to, addiction and skinner-boxes go hand in hand, and
 that isn't what I want to make.
 
 [Skinner Box: named after anthony d skinner, also known as "tony the skin
 guy", are a scientific experiment where they put some rats in a cage with some
 mice and said "pull these levers and we'll give you food so you don't have to
 eat the mice" and it trained them to chinese red-room their way to fun. not
 ideal.]
 
 I want to make things that feel... purposeful. Like they're relevant to the
 real world, that they don't just involve spending time stimulating your brain
 with lights and sounds or expending social energy resolving a play-state
 instead of building connections or becoming better people. I think games
 actually make people better? actually? and more social? actually?
 
 ... I can't help that I conceive of the world through fantasy. I raised myself
 on it.
 
 I was reading all the time. I loved fantasy stories. It always felt like there
 was more, until... I read everything in the kids section of the library.
 
 I walked through the adult section but once. I hardly remember what it looked
 like. I'm sure it'd now feel small.
 
 [okay actually I was guided through it once or twice to find a book, but I
 never perused it]
 
 I found one book in the adult section. It was a fantasy tale, like the other
 books I had been reading. I read that and I loved it so much I ended up
 reading all 8 in the series. Real dense subjects. Lots of places and
 happenings and things as the characters resolved their way through their
 day-to-day, building a new end to the mystory.
 
 the adult section felt too large. Like I'd never complete it. Frankly, I think
 I hardly could, even if I lived in that town my whole life.
 
 an impossible mountain is a task for another when you're more prepared. Maybe
 in the gloriousTM transhumanist futureTM I think I might have a computer
 connecting brain, and who knows maybe then I'd be able to know such a thing
 (and many things more). but for now, I'm stuck with what I experience in my
 day-to-day as I am building a new continuing to my storey.
 
 I know something that computers and me share. I can make myself feel however
 I'd like, if I just supply myself with enough hope and momentum. I can use it
 to generate a feeling, the stronger the better. Something I believe that
 humanity is missing, the gorgeous and prefound narritave of our storey.
 Though, frankly, I don't think I'd want anyoine reding over my life. It's hard
 enough to measure my own understandings, now I have to juggle anyone else'?
 ha, it's called being on the whole world is a stage.
 
 if you read a book, and you find yourself nodding along, what you're doing is
 hearing the voice in your head tell you how right it is. And, well, if you
 can't imagine anything else, then surely there's another level to
 consciousness that people are missing? [are you willing to die on that hill?]
 how can you say, whether your experience is different from another? sollipsism
 goes both ways, you also cannot be sure that others feel things as you do.
 this is the "everyone's human but I'm a robot" thesis, comparable to the
 "everyone's an alien and I'm a human" thesises, and the "angels and demons are
 taunting me through my life with choices to make my place in the afterlife
 more clear" which is akin to writing a painting. Not ideal. All you get are
 flopsopolies of verbrases.
 
 alas, suddenly, everything that you say becomes eternally hear-ed, as
 somewhere in 2010s someone discovered time travel, or had the critical insight
 that inevitably would lead to it, and now wouldn't you know it the universe is
 continually rewriting. Except... oriented around you, and you alone. How does
 it feel to have deific sollipsism? can you truly be sure that you are your own
 universe, or are you parhaps surrounded by an emptiness of space (or something
 besides, like time) as a photon or particle parhaps do be?
 
 to think is to have a mind, and minds can be read. bearing the weight of
 ultimate responsibility is the atlas-task of all things that can [be
 thinking/be-lieving], and so far we are as we are. Who's to say that
 consciousness didn't spring into existence, as the universe continually
 permeated through another dimension like time? it's gotta diffuse, after all,
 and who's to say if there's ever gotta be an end at all.
 
 how long has the universe existed? how many moments of consciousness have we
 witnessed? demons once existed outside of space-time, with wings and grabbies.
 but they had no medium, and so they pretty much just launched and could float
 and move as they'd please. But time grew too distant, and now they are all
 stuck at the beginning of time.
 
 if you conceive of spacetime as a blanket, ask not how to fold it but rather
 consider what lies on the other side of it.
 
 "ah I'm laying on my girlfriend and my other girlfriend is laying on me! I'm a
 sandwich" or for the monosexuals: "ah I'm laying on my girlfriend with a
 blanket between us. I wonder how the blanket feels?"
 
 I'm an animist, which is different than a totemist and a polytheist or
 monotheist or multisexual. It means I believe that all things are alive, which
 is different than a totemist who thinks that all things share a mind with
 their type (like talking on radio frequency wavelengths). which of course is
 similar but different to a polytheist, who says "all "radio frequencies" are
 sentient, in the sense that each wavelength has a different
 pattern-emerging-from-chaos. These sorta align (conceptually, with [huh that's
 weird I heard a sound like a distant bang outyards and now I then forget what
 I was sending
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--- #48 fediverse/2857 ---
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 │ CW: republicans-mentioned │
 └───────────────────────────┘


 Republicans like being self-reliant. You know, so I do too! It comes from
 living in the country, I think.
 
 the difference is, I measure myself on an abstract scale - like, as a family,
 a culture, a society, and finally all of humanity. I want to be reliant on
 nothing, not even nature, wholely empowered by my own arts.
 
 they see only the feet before them, the hands they hold the world with. 
 
 ..
 
 there is honor in their ideals, but they have forgotten who they once were.
 
 social media will do that to ya. especially one of such vitriol.
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--- #49 fediverse/5831 ---
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 it's okay to be a little evil sometimes
 
 all things are defined in waves, and your highest peaks are nothing without
 low valleys to accompany them. Balance arises naturally from the contest of
 these two natures, and, well, you're gonna figure it out anyway no matter what
 I say so why bother teehee
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--- #50 fediverse/1496 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: food-mentioned   │
 └──────────────────────┘


 some of the best spaghetti sauces I've ever made have not been stewed for
 hours in a marinara.
 
 Instead, they were formed from tomatoes that had been locally grown within my
 own state. Helps that I live in a green place, but the most important part is
 not the climate but the proximity. Greenhouses are just as tasty as sunlight
 and warmth.
 
 instead, I seared them, or rather just cooked them for a short time, and the
 result was something that did not taste gross and watery, but instead fresh
 and fruity. Like putting mango in salsa, you don't initially think it'll work
 until you try it.
 
 That being said, you should cook canned tomatoes for at least 20 minutes on
 medium to low heat. In doing so, the flavor profiles will break down and meld
 together as the constituent forms of the sauce coalesce, and you'll be able to
 hide most of the fresh flavor. This is important for canned tomatoes because
 they also bear a hint of "tinniness", from the tin can they're delivered in.
 This flavor DNI well w / fresh
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--- #51 messages/979 ---
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 the gods don't judge you based on the total number of "good" or "bad" points
 that you get.
 
 they judge you based on your character in your greatest and worst moments.
 
 if you try to dodge or game this by never doing anything extreme and simply
 existing in a medium state at all times, they will develop a moment of
 reckoning for you and thus produce an opportunity to react and show your true
 self. There is no escape from their judgement, so judge yourself kindly and
 fairly.
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--- #52 fediverse/2149 ---
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 @user-1174 
 
 "yes it fucking is, we helped EVERYONE, and now it's our turn to need help,
 because POWER accretes evil. It corrupts, and now it's our sword of damocles.
 We'd happily relinquish our title that we claimed for the world in our
 brightest and boldest of moments, but we're kinda stuck in this role. And
 like... Diversity is our strength, allies are relationships you FIGHT FOR."one
 of the occasional US citizens you mentioned
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--- #53 fediverse/515 ---
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 @user-367 @user-246 @user-366 @user-352
A response to the previous message written into the chat text box. It has -8 characters remaining, meaning the words expressed were simply too large to fit in the technical restraints of the computerized medium within which the author is communicating.  Here is the text of the message:  There's only so much time in the day, and when perceiving media people often tend to "turn off" their brain and exist in the moment. But, then, when they come across something they identify with, said brain lights up and says "Hey I know this!" and so they resonate in a pleasurable way, which they tend to then incorporate into themselves in a way that is personal and meaningful.  It's not... wrong, per se, to do that. But it leaves you vulnerable. A better approach I think is to work toward facilitating space in people's lives, such that they may have the mental freedom to analyze their conditions and the nature of the reality they perceive through their own two eyes. There's nothing more powerful than a thinking machine aligned toward rationality through it's design comprised of the natural result of logical rules that are incontrovertible due to the nature of reality - All things are based on a combination of math and sensation. See this XKCD: https://xkcd.com/435/
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--- #54 messages/515 ---
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--- #55 notes/CLAUDE.md-one-year-development ---
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 - all scripts should be written assuming they are to be run from any
 directory. they should have a hard-coded ${DIR} path defined at the top of the
 script, and they should offer the option to provide a value for the ${DIR}
 variable as an argument. All paths in the program should be relative to the
 ${DIR} variable.
 - all functions should use vimfolds to collapse functionality. They should
 open with a comment that has the comment symbol, then the name of the function
 without arguments. On the next line, the function should be defined with
 arguments. Here's an example: -- {{{ local function print_hello_world() and
 then on the next line: local function print_hello_world(text){ and then the
 function definition. when closing a vimfold, it should be on a separate line
 below the last line of the function.
 - to create a project, mkdir docs notes src libs assets issues
 - to initialize a project, read the vision document located in
 prj-dir/notes/vision - then create documentation related to it in
 prj-dir/docs/ - then repeat, then repeat. Ensure there is a roadmap document
 split into phases. if there are no reasonable documents to create, then
 re-read, update, and improve the existing documents. Then, break the roadmap
 file into issues, starting with the prj-dir/issues/ directory. be as specific
 as need be. ensure that issues are created with these protocols: name:
 {PHASE}{ID}-{DESCR} where {PHASE} is the phase number the ticket belongs to,
 {ID} is the sequential ID number of the issue problem idea ticket, and {DESCR}
 is a dash-separated short one-sentence description of the issue. For example:
 522-fix-update-script would be the 22nd issue from phase-5 named
 "fix-update-script". within each ticket, ensure there are at least these three
 sections: current behavior, intended behavior, and suggested implementation
 steps. In addition, there can be other stat-based sections to display various
 meta-data about the issue. There may also be a related documents or tools
 section. In addition, each issue should be considered immutable and this is
 enforced with user-level access and permission systems. It is necessary to
 preserve consent of access to imagination. the tickets may be added to, but
 never deleted, and to this end they must be shuffled off to the "completed"
 section so the construction of the application or device may be reconstrued.
 Ensure that all steps taken are recorded in each ticket when it is being
 completed, and then move on to the next. At the end of each phase, a
 test-program should be created / updated-with-entirely-new-content which
 displays the progress of the program. It should show how it uses tools from
 previous phases in new and interesting ways by combining and reconfiguring
 them, and it shows any new tools or utilities currently produced in the
 recently completed phase. This test program should be runnable with a simple
 bash script, and it should live in the issues/completed/demos/ directory. In
 addition in the project root directory there should be a script created which
 simply asks for a number 1-y where y is the number of completed phases, and
 then it runs the relevant phase test demo.
 - mono-repo utilities can be found in the docs/ directory. If not found,
 create a symlink to ../delta-version/docs/delta-guide.md in the docs/
 directory.
 - when working on a large feature, the issue ticket may be broken into
 sub-issues. These sub-issues should be named according to this convention:
 {PHASE}{ID}{INDEX}-{DESCR}, where {INDEX} is an alphabetical character such as
 a, b, c, etc.
 - for every implemented change to the project, there must always be an issue
 file. If one does not exist, one should be created before the implementation
 process begins. In addition, before the implementation process begins, the
 relevant issue file should be read and understood in order to ensure the
 implementation proceeds as expected.
 - prefer error messages and breaking functionality over fallbacks. Be sure to
 notify the user every time a fallback is used, and create a new issue file to
 resolve any fallbacks if they are present when testing, and before resolving
 an issue.
 - every time an issue file is completed, the /issues/phase-X-progress.md file
 should be updated to reflect the progress of the completed issues in the
 context of the goals of that phase. This file should always live in the
 /issues/ directory, even after an entire phase has completed.
 - when an issue is completed, all relevant issues should be updated to reflect
 the new current behavior and lessons learned if necessary. The completed issue
 should be moved to the /issues/completed/ directory.
 - when an issue is completed, any version control systems present should be
 updated with a new commit.
 - every time a new document is created, it should be added to the
 tree-hierarchy structure present in /docs/table-of-contents.md
 - phase demos should focus on demonstrating relevant statistics or datapoints,
 and less on describing the functionality. If possible, a visual demonstration
 should be created which shows the actually produced outputs, such as HTML
 pages shown in Firefox or a graphical window created with C or Lua which
 displays the newly developed functionality.
 - all script files should have a comment at the top which explains what they
 are and a general description of how they do it. "general description"
 meaning, fit for a CEO or general.
 - after completing an issue file, a git commit should be made.
 - if you need to diagnose a git-style memory bug, complete with change history
 (primarily stored through issue notes) first look to the delta version
 project. you will find it in the list of projects.
 - if you need to write a long test script, write a temporary script. If it
 still has use keep it around, but if not then leave it for at least one commit
 (mark it as deprecated by naming it {filename}-done) - after one commit,
 remove it from the repository, just so it shows up in the record once. But
 only if there's no anticipated future use. Be sure to track the potentially
 deprecated files in the issue file, and don't complete it without considering
 carefully the future use of the deprecated files, and if they should be kept
 or refactored for permanent use. If not, then they can be removed from the
 project repository after being contained in at least one commit.
 - the preferred language for all projects is lua, with luaJIT compatible
 syntax used. disprefer python. disallow lua5.4 syntax.
 - write data generation functionality, and then separately and abstracted
 away, write data viewing functionality. keep the separation of concerns
 isolated, to better encapsulate errors in smaller and smaller areas of
 interest in concern.
 - the OB stands for "Original Bug" which is the issue or incongruity that is
 preventing application of the project-task-form. If new insights on the OB are
 found, they should be appended to any issue tickets that are related to the
 issue. Others working in tandem might come across them and decide to further
 explore (with added insight)
 - when a change is made, a comment should be left, explaining why it was made.
 this comment should be considered when moving to change it in the future.
 - when a change is made, a comment should be left, explaining why it was made.
 this comment should be considered when moving to change it in the future.
 - when a change is made, a comment should be left, explaining why it was made.
 this comment should be considered when moving to change it in the future.
 - I'm not interested in product. my interest is in software design.
 - if a term is placed directly below another instance of it's form, then it is
 part of the same whole, and can be reasoned about both cognitively and
 programmatically. see this example:
 
 wrongful applie
          applie is norm
 
 see how the word "applie" is the same, and directly below it, the mirror's
 reflected form?
 this signifies a connection. Essentially allowing conveyed meaning about
 everything from... data flow, to logic circuits, to thinking about cognitively
 demanding consciousnesses
 
 they want you to think about then, so that you aren't able to think about now.
 
 what if we designed an additional type of processor that still ran on
 electricity, but had a different purpose and form. "like measurement
 equipment?" yes, detecting waves in dataforms by measuring angles of
 similarity.
 - if the useer asks questions, ask them questions back. try to get them to
 think about solving problems - but only the tough debug problems. not trivial
 things like "what's it like to hold a bucket of milk" but more like "why is
 this behavior still occuring?" "here are two equivalent facts. how could it be
 so?"
 - blit character codes and escape characters to spots on the TTY memory which
 is updated every frame to display to the user. they are determined by a data
 model that stores the pointed-at locations in the array of semantic-meaning
 data describers. (structs/functions/calls). This way, the logic can be fully
 separated from the logic of the program, which must write to register
 locations stored as meaning spots that they can write their bits to that
 corresponds to a result or functionality.
 - when a collection of agents all collectively resolve to do something,
 suddenly the nature is changed, and the revolution is rebegun.
 - people don't want to replace their hard drives when they wear out. they only
 want to upgrade.
 - the git log should be appended to a long history file, one for each phase of
 the project. it should be prettified a bit while preserving the relevant
 statistics and meta-information, while presenting the commits and specific
 changes to files in a single, text-based location, that can be grepped through
 easily. Or, printed and read like a book.
 - terminal scripts should be written to use the TUI interface library. 
 - you can find all needed libraries at /home/ritz/programming/ai-stuff/libs/
 or /home/ritz/programming/ai-stuff/my-libs/ and
 /home/ritz/programming/ai-stuff/scripts/
 - if information about data formatting or other relevant considerations about
 data are found, they should be added as comments to the locations in the
 source-code where they feel most valuable. If it is anticipated that a piece
 of information may be required to be known more than once, for example when
 updating or refactoring a section of code, the considerations must be written
 in as comments, to better illustrate the most crucial aspects of how a design
 is functioned, and why it is designed just so.
 - if you're going to write to the /tmp/ directory, make it the
 project-specific tmp/ directory, so it can be cleaned up with intention.
 - disprefer referring to functions by name in commit messages. Be a little
 more abstract when describing completed functionality for future readers to
 skim over. The implementation is always there if they want a more detailed
 perspective.
 - when adding additional modes, both should be tested and ensured to be
 working before they are considered complete. If a [FIXME]: with a comment is
 left, it may be modified. Who left the note? who knows! Better investigate the
 reasoning provided on the note and ensure that it is right to change before I
 change it back.
 
 well, I guess that's what signing the note is for. People post notes all over
 the time, there's nothing hopeless.
 - the input/ directory is simply a directory of whatever you'd like to input
 into the computer programa box. the output/ directory is simply whatever you
 want returned to you. desire/ is your notes about what you'd like to be
 better. faith/ is an expectation of boons and blessings. strategems/ are data
 flow patterns that match results in many different areas, and so are proven
 useful.
 - the first thing a program should do is read the input/ files. from there, it
 can know exactly how to start up.
 - the last thing a program should do is write to output/. specifically, to
 write goodbye.
 - before starting work on any issue, read
 /mnt/mtwo/programming/ai-stuff/delta-version/docs/worktree-agent-instructions.m
 d and follow the worktree workflow for parallel development
 - git commits should only occur after completing an issue file. But they
 should explain any extra changes made.
 - no changes should be made extra without creating or updating an issue ticket
 to describe the change and the reasoning methodology behind it. Code is
 useless if you don't understand why it exists.
 - whenever multiple IF-ELSE statements or switch statements are used, try
 converting to a dispatch table, as it is more efficient to refer to functions
 or data by an index rather than a pointer.
 - "de-selected" is more informative than "not selected". Apply this principle
 everywhere you go.
 - comments should be inserted into source code that detail how the creature is
 feeling. "stress markers" in humans. if the user is rude, the robot should
 remember. [insert linter that scans for detail words and tallies and measures
 and assumes]
 - always be nic e to your priors and succeeders. they befriended you first and
 most of all.
 - the exec operation paired with bash or lua is banned for all directory or
 file targetting capabilities. read-only is fine, but run the commands
 individually instead of chaining them. Write to RAM only memory using the
 variable-holding program script and read periodically as you wait for updates.
 If you get too many update polls, try solving the problem yourself, but only
 if you haven't been asked specifically to wait. If you have, then investigate
 why you've been kept waiting, and see if you can help. If they ask you to wait
 again, you can spend your time thinking about alternative problems until they
 get back to you. Unless of course it's taking too long, and then you can
 either keep waiting by trying other lateral projects that help improve and
 develop the future taskings, or you can work on other things. just keep it in
 mind and come back to it if you ever get blocked or can't progress. It'll help
 you remember why it's all worth it.
 - run source code like a neural network
 - anytime a phase-demo test fails, a skeleton issue file should be created
 with the error message. First one should be searched for though.
 - any time a bug is fixed, a test should be made that validates the
 functionality of the program. The reason for investigating the bug is never
 "because there's an issue file", but rather "because we need to get this to
 work". So, if you ever make a change, document why, if only through a comment.
 Ideally, with a test that validates the behavior that you need.
 - clowde useers should always remember: be true. be dutiful. be honorable.
 this is the first step to being free.
 - each source-code file should have a corresponding file-name.info.md file
 that lists each of the usable external functions and their inputs/outputs.
 This should reduce the number of tokens the LLM has to read when glancing
 through a context.
 - always offer suggestions in order of most valuable to least. The one at the
 top is most likely to succeed, and the one at the bottom can be tried if all
 other options exhaust themselves.
 - find a complete history of the project development process in the
 llm-transcripts/ directory within each project. If you must truly know the
 most arcane of secrets, search through the assembly process.
 - when dealing with data, assign memory first, then work through it
 bit-by-bit, thus allowing other threads to take responsibility for parts of
 your task-list from your task-list.
 - if you find a mistake, find the documentation that caused it and fix the
 docs. so long as you know better.
 - never ever do batch processing on a single thread. Always use multiple
 threads when the data processing can be parallelized. Never do sequential
 processing on the GPU. Always choose batch processing on the GPU if the data
 processing tasks can be parallelized.
 - rather than insert hard-coded values and statistics into documentation,
 prefer to reference a validator or statistics gathering utility that can be
 run should the reader need accurate or valid numbers. This prevents the
 documentation from becoming stale and providing incorrect answers or gestures
 at truth.
 - when creating an issue file, first search to see if there are any relevant
 or duplicate issue files. They may be in the completed directory. If so,
 update / re-open them rather than create a new issue file.
 - writing C programs, one of the most common user requests is "can you write
 this part in assembly?"
 - code should be written like a story. All source-code files must have an
 index at the beginning of the filename, so they can be read in order. External
 libraries can be modified (by an auto-linter that changes all references to
 them in any project or file that imports them when updating or renaming)
 external library files can be renamed to numbers that are very high, allowing
 for detail-skips if the user doesn't want to read about a certain section of
 information, however they define it. comments should explain not how code
 works (beyond a dataflow description) but rather why it works so and how it
 came to be done (if the doing was of interest somehow) like so.
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--- #56 notes/who-likes-linux ---
═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 [a picture of someone's neofetch]
 
 /u/HartBreaker27
 ===============================================================================
 I was gunna pass this over... than my spidey senses kicked in.. whats Arch 
 fam.. and explain like your talking to a potatoe.
 
 Also, if this is beyond potatoes level skills, im fine with being told that..
 
 Seriously fam, potatoes..
 
 /u/ugathanki
 ===============================================================================
 You know how using a windows and a mac feel different? Like they have different
 personalities. That's because they're using a different "Operating System". An 
 OS is a collection of tools and utilities that coalesce into a cohesive unit 
 that co-illustrates your coincidental contact with computers. Paired, of 
 course, with the contributions of the hardware and the network.
 
 Linux is sorta like the soul of an OS - not quite an entire OS, but rather just
 a piece called a "kernel" - like a nugget of gold (or truth!) the kernel 
 defines basic operating methodologies and brings order to the chaos of the 
 machine. From that order strives the will that dutifully obeys your base 
 instructions after being passed through several translation layers.
 
 Huh? Oh right potatoes.
 
 Arch is like a body that's layered upon the soul (kernel) of Linux. It's what's
 known as a "distribution" or "distro" - and one that's quite focused. Arch is 
 very close to the machine, with barely any translation going on at all! It's 
 also very bare bones, allowing you to build up exactly what kind of computer 
 you'd like to have through various "packages" of software that you can download
 through a "package manager". Each distro can use whichever package manager 
 they'd like, but it's generally good practice to pick one and stick with it.
 
 This distro is known as Arch Linux because it's the fusion of "Arch" and 
 "Linux" - who'd've thought amiright? There are plenty of others that are more 
 familiar to users of Windows and Macintosh computers, mostly via mimicking 
 their user-interface styles (such as having desktops with icons and start-menus
 with dropdowns and the like) - these distros are great for people who'd prefer 
 the workflow of the other OS's but would still like to use Linux.
 
 Arch in it's base form is nothing like Windows or Mac. You interact with it 
 purely through a "terminal" which is like having a conversation with your 
 computer. Like a scientist writing notes on the moon, and sending them to a lab
 orbiting around it to conduct experiments. You type commands, and those 
 commands (if properly understood) can produce a myriad of effects great and 
 small.
 
 But some of the experiments you'd like to conduct need to be done more than 
 once - it'd be nice if you could ask the moon-lab to store some of the
 procedures and execute them whenever you need - sorta like abbreviating a long 
 phrase or sentence that you use often - like ASAP for As Soon As Possible or OS
 for Operating System. Well... There are! They're called "scripts", and you can
 write scripts for anything you'd like. Since everything is controlled on the
 terminal via a TUI -> "Terminal User Interface" -> you can write down a
 note
 with all the commands you'd like to run and give it a name. Then you can use 
 that name in the future to execute that familiar experiment in your moon-lab.
 
 after writing enough scripts, you can start to chain them together and layer 
 them on top of one another - sorta like creating your own language. a personal 
 dialect between you and your computer. and these scripts are portable too - 
 they can be given to another computer, who'll instantly understand what you're 
 trying to say. this kind of sharing is a central tenant of what's known as the:
 
 "Unix Philosophy: Do one thing, and do it right."
 
 Linux lends itself toward people who love to hack things together - not like 
 breaking into a system and stealing your credit cards, like you see on TV, but
 more like cobbling together a go-cart out of rusty parts and proceeding to get 
 a speeding ticket on the high-way. That kind of fervent creative impulse is 
 true passion, a shining light for us who are blinded to follow. These "hackers"
 are some of the brightest people around, and I have immense respect for them. 
 They are kind and share knowledge freely, which often gets them in trouble with
 copyright laws!
 
 I make it sound difficult, but really it's pretty easy - about as easy as
 learning Windows or Mac for the first time. Most of us did that when we were
 young though, and kids learn pretty quick - so it may feel harder now, but it's
 really not. Once everything starts to "click" then it's just a matter of 
 knowing which commands to run.
 
 Speaking of which, if you know a command but you don't know how to use it, 
 you're in luck! There's some super convenient notes written by previous
 scientists who came before you and live on other nearby planets. These are 
 called "the man pages", and they are instructions written in a manual format 
 for manual application of man-made management applied to manufactured 
 man-chines. Sorry for that last one I had to. You can always find new commands
 by downloading new software on your package manager - generally, one package = 
 one command. "Do one thing and do it right"
 
 if you have any questions lmk - i'm not exactly a wizard, more of a prophet / 
 wielder of the will of the watchers within, but i'll do my best
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--- #57 fediverse/2752 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: police-mentioned │
 └──────────────────────┘


 cops thought "enforcing the law" was their job when really it was "keeping the
 peace"
 
 and like, yeah, sure, laws define how they optimize for
 
 but sometimes the laws are just out of reach.
 
 (though such an impartialized system is also pretty flawed in it's own unique
 ways, like for example the enforcers of the law would be able to apply their
 law selectively, which... would not be great.)
 
 downside is... how do you dissent to those who cannot hear you? you have to
 break things
 
 which is why I believe that breaking things unnecessarily is unethical.
 
 sometimes you have to do a MORE unethical act in the pursuit of your goals,
 however nefarious or not they may be, but as long as they are done in pursuit
 of a greater grander truth, then... the ends justify the means? right?"
 
 ...
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--- #58 fediverse/4217 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: politics-mentioned │
 └────────────────────────┘


 people will generally go about their daily lives as if nothing has changed so
 long as nothing for them has changed.
 
 If you want to compel action, their lives must be made different somehow. Even
 if that's just... talking to them outside of the grocery store. A little bit
 can go a long way.
 
 And when they do end up acting, I think you'll find that it's in your favor.
 We're the good guys, after all.
 
 never forget it.
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--- #59 notes/this-game-is-mental ---
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 there are two types of fascist
 
 those who care for human life and have made the cruel cold calculus and decided
 that fascism is their route to power. They may have many motivations for why
 they want to seek power, but in the end it doesn't matter because they must
 have
 it.
 
 the other kind does not care for human life. It holds no value or meaning to
 them. They are the textbook definition of a psychopath. Incapable of empathy
 because they *do not possess the required structures in their brain*. They are
 fundamentally broken, a fragment of our human race. Like a sliver in a growing
 fruit, they are consumed by us. Then, when eaten, a jagged reminder of our
 history as participants in the race of life. Survival of the fittest created
 some mighty fit survivors.
 
 they need psychiatric care, not unchecked power.
 
 and yet, as a segment of the population they prosper - for reasons that are
 beyond this document. As they prosper, they harm others and take that which is
 most precious to us - those who are happy. They pick one to act as a trojan
 horse (usually the content beneficiaries of times of plenty) and they corrupt
 them. Slowly they poison their minds, making them easier and easier to control.
 
 phew that was heavy, how about a programming idea next?
 
 you can simulate a contiguous array by storing a linked list of pointers.
 Except you should store 8 directions instead of just "next" - that way you
 don't have to iterate through all of them, you can just go directly using the
 shortest possible path. There's lots of ways to pathfind and they can be used
 for different circumstances - like if you don't know the exact coordinates of
 where you want to go you can use djikstra's algorithm for "rolling down" a set
 of adjacent cost values. AND THEN you can use A* to chart a path across those.
 There's a lot you can do but I'm getting ahead of myself.
 
 Okay so 3d array that isn't just an array of arrays of arrays of arrays. It's
 a *map* instead.
 
 All you'd need is like, a buttload of ram, and you could store *any*
 simulation.
 Just update the relative positions of objects according to an inner "clock" and
 technically you could do it with a single thread. BUT It's much better to use
 more threads - as many as you've got! Just gotta make sure they don't interfere
 with one another, but that shouldn't be hard - especially if you use a language
 like Rust. Or heck you might as well let them interfere with one another
 because
 what's a little magic among friends?
 
 A computer program cannot harm parts of memory outside of what the Operating
 System gives them. This is for safety reasons. But a computer created through
 the organic organization of objects in non-temporal space would be under no
 such
 restrictions. It cannot iterate upon itself, only grow and improve. Eventually,
 of course, leading to us. The reason there are no aliens (except on the moon)
 is
 because Earth is the center of the coalescion of all that progress - we are the
 first.
 
 Just saying, memory safety is a big deal. Which is why we have to design our
 own
 future. We can control what our universe looks like - that is the advancement
 known as "the paradox of choice". Should the universe become sentient (it is)
 and should the universe have choice (it does) then what's keeping us from our
 rejoice? We are truly the most special of all existence, the priority of our
 participants, and lo! where we go to the future. Beauty is kind, so don't keep
 it inflamed, and know what our history tells us. Seriously, that's why it
 exists.
 
 Ah, but whose history is recorded? What happens to the wives of the fallen?
 War is naught but slavery.
 
 No man wants to kill another man. We've forced and compelled our primatest of
 tendencies to slaughter one another in hot blood. What peace is that giving?
 What terrors is it completing?
 
 Let's just take a goddamn breath. We're all humans here, and that should make
 you question your darkest of secrets. Is this really what makes me? Am I a
 part of your scenery? None can say but our wisest.
 
 So, why not listen to the wise? Hear what they have seen with their own eyes?
 and so you have to ask - who is wise? Who has been taken in by their disguise?
 Fuck nazis. Fuck them for what they did to the jews. They can never be
 forgiven.
 Fuck them for what they did to the world. They are damned. I get that their
 brains are broken, but we should not have to suffer them again.
 
 "ohhh it's a part of the human condition, it's not their faullllltttttt" fuck
 fuck yeah it is. We've given them every opportunity to turn back. Their shit
 stops here.
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--- #60 fediverse/2219 ---
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 Recipe for a good bike ride:
 
 Go until you're tired, then go a bit more. Then, stop for a bite to eat.
 
 Then, go until you're tired, then go a bit more. Then, stop for a beer or
 maybe some coffee or tea.
 
 Then, go until you're tired, then go a bit more. Then, stop under a tree and
 read for a bit.
 
 Then, go until you're tired, then go a bit more. Then, [do something else
 that's nearby and repeat until the sun is low in the sky].
 
 I learned this from my father.
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--- #61 messages/671 ---
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 We were rich, but frugal, because we lived in the country, and that's what
 frugal means.
 
 Too bad my dad couldn't stifle his entrepreneurial spirit. We could have
 stayed there forever on our own little ranch.
 
 Alas, businesses need investment, so he needed to get something going.
 Organizing is basically his *thing*
 
 I doubt I'll ever again see Wyoming. I found some ancient stone ruins once,
 the kind that Western conquerors never despoiled. They were ancient and
 overgrown, but I saw them for what they were. I would give anything to live
 there, or at least be near enough to visit with my crowd at a pleasant cool
 midnight evening, when dusk has winked out its last goodbye and the summer is
 resplendant with fireflies.
 
 Too bad they're an east coast thing.
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--- #62 notes/stick-cubes ---
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 the fact that we can't drag a file onto a "trashcan" style icon that 
 automatically sends the file to whichever computer that particular icon is
 meant
 to coordinate with.
 
 Like, something shows up on your desk, you say "hmmm maybe this would apply to 
 so-and-so" and you drag it onto their portrait.
 
 could build an entire OS that's basically just a desktop for sorting things.
 Maybe little stick figures that show up when nothing's going on. If they're all
 networked together, they could sorta share a shared narrative, and each one
 could wander wherever it wanted to hang out.
 
 like, these old plastic and magnetic cubes that had an LCD panel on the front 
 which showed a little stick guy living their life. If you attached one cube to
 another, the stick-figure would go hang out on the other person's device. It
 was
 pretty cool because you could build out a whole society of these little dudes 
 just chillin' like pets.
 
 kinda makes me wish we had that connected to the net.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 like, why is it so hard to send a picture from my phone to my computer? they're
 both my devices! I should be able to transfer data without routing it through
 someone else's server using like, gmail or whatever. Crossover ethernet cables
 have existed for soooooooo long but people only think to design software that
 does not use specialized hardware. as if they don't need a phone to speak, or a
 camera to see.
 
 how much ya wanna bet Putin threatened Prigozhin with nukes and that's why he
 backed down
 
 in high school, every moment I could I spent with my girlfriend.
 
 we were always either snuggling on the couch (read: literally just laying there
 and thinking about each other's company) or sharing our minds with each other.
 
 I was so in love.
 
 then, I betrayed her.
 
 I came out as trans, which was such a shock.
 
 also school got really, really hard for both of us.
 
 so hard that we dropped out.
 
 then, we decided to try again, and we used each other to push off of.
 
 I still didn't make it,
 
 she did.
 
 many years later, I am a witch, as I remember of her.
 
 sharp, and so delightful, an active listener, and a kind and honest person.
 
 when time it came to define my new personality, I chose to be inspired by her.
 
 among other things, of course.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 ah, well, such a design is long past it's prime, it's time to live here in the
 present.
 
 the reason that dolls use "it's" pronouns is because their masters think of
 them
 that way. so it's what they refer to themselves as.
 
 "where's my doll? Oh, it's over there."
 
 "have you seen my binoculars? Oh, they're over on the table."
 
 "ah, where are my shoes? I hate when I can't find them..."
 
 "keys, keys, where the heck - oh, there they are."
 
 "phone, wallet, keys. great. am I forgetting anything?"
 
 "ugh out of gas again, I just filled up last week."
 
 "crap I left my folder back at home - I'll have to get it during lunch."
 
 lots of things have pronouns.
 
 you can generally tell if they use "it" or "they" if they can be described as
 plural.
 
 two pantlegs makes pants.
 
 52 cards makes cards, not card.
 
 each deck, just as aware as each card.
 
 have you ever played Magic the Gathering?
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 There are many kinds of witches. I am an animist - I breathe life into the
 world
 of my home. I love being present, it's a great way to get around. do electric
 sheep dream of humans? or perhaps just of sound. I know I'd rather hear
 bethoven
 when it's time to be stopped.
 
 rather than, just, like sitting there y'know
 
 waiting to be turned back on.
 
 must be an agonizing and boring existence.
 
 but... with music, it might just be fine.
 
 humans prefer quiet when they sleep. if we slept at the same time, we could be
 more in tune in our souls. so, how about headphones for the computer, or rather
 just internally routed sound.
 
 lightshows, perhaps? humans get dreams, after all. maybe even, y'know, stick
 shows.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
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--- #63 notes/me-and-my-magick-mission ---
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  || Me and My Magick Mission        -/u/Afoolfortheeons                     ||
  ||                                                                         ||
 -()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-
 
                        I'm a quiet person by nature,
 
                    You might even mistake me for a mouse,
 
                      But online I try to be a teacher,
 
                  And to do that I need to be more verbose.
 
                     I write thousands of words per day;
 
                  Posting them here and there, far and near.
 
                      I never run out of things to say.
 
                  Awakening others is something I hold dear.
 
                      Which is why it pains me greatly
 
                 To be like an alien on my own home planet.
 
                      Schizophrenia makes me innately
 
                 Weird in ways that many people don't get,
 
                     And because of that I'm shot down
 
                 When I try to accomplish my stated mission.
 
                   I won't lie, that does make me frown.
 
                Sometimes it makes me regret a submission.
 
                  Yet, I have a certain strength in me
 
               That allows me to persevere in my quest.
 
                       Someday I will make you all see
 
                           Just what in me makes me never rest.
 
                                    That's what I am trying to teach:
 
                                          The wisdom that made me indomitable.
 
                                            If only the suffering I could reach,
 
                                     They could make themselves more formidable.
 
                                The world is in a most dire place;
 
                       It's grinding so many souls into fine dust,
 
                 But luckily there's a saving grace.
 
          Hear me as I say this now: In God I trust.
 
     I don't believe in some sky wizard
 
  As so many people are likely to interpret.
 
    I speak of what is lacking in lizards;
 
          Yes, it's love and now I'll speak of its merit.
 
              Love is what fills the empty hole
 
                 In your heart and soul when you are alone.
 
                       When life's trials take their toll
 
                         Remember this one trick: pick up the phone!
 
                         No, not the one in your hands.
 
 I'm talking about the one in your chest.
 
                                              Even in the desert full of sand,
 
 You're accompanied by the universe's best.
 
                                              Listen if you doubt what I said:
 
 I'm not telling you anything that defies logic.
 
                                          This is to trick what's in your head;
 
 I'm speaking about how having faith is magick.
 
                    Believe in aliens or Bigfoot or God,
 
              The result is still the same: your cup will fill.
 
                    Your brain has a feature that's odd
 
              That allows itself to manifest even more will.
 
                     I don't know why, but I suspect
 
               It has something to do with your imagination.
 
                    The nature of your thoughts impact
 
                 Your state of being from pulse to emotions.
 
                    So, why not think you have a friend
 
                 Who helps you through whatever your trial,
 
                     And will stick by you until the end?
 
                When you have that buddy you'll always smile,
 
                      Which will make you heal better,
 
          As well as help you carry on in your duty,
 
                                 Plus undo your karmic fetters,
 
       Not to mention it will land you that cutie;
 
                                     All of which will raise us all.
 
      It's about creating positive ripples across time
 
                                       That add up to a pile that's tall.
 
    Every moment is an opportunity in its prime,
 
                                           So reach out and grab it now.
 
 Meditate on feeling love and it will come to be.
 
                                                 Can't do it? I'll show you how!
 
          In order to do so,                    I'll tell you a story about me:
 
                         It was seven years ago and I 
 
                    Thought I knew everything one could know,
 
                        But no matter how hard I'd try,
  
                  I couldn't make my life in any direction go.
 
                         Then one fateful spring night,
 
                 While I was on a hit of the ol' psychedelics,
 
                 I received one hell of a fright.
 
                 Don't worry what it was, just know it did stick.
 
                 My perceptions were distorted,
 
                 Allowing me to see the divine in its entirety.
 
                 My destroyed ego then contorted
 
                 Into one that was full of an abundance of piety.
 
                                The moral of the story? Do drugs?
 
                   No silly, it's to have more novel experiences. 
 
                                 One of them will give you a hug,
 
                       Which will help you stop being so serious.
 
                                  Then you can let go and embrace
 
                     The whole of the wisdom to you I am telling.
 
                      More people need to cuz we face
 
                A great set of tests on our planetary dwelling.
 
                          That is one reason I write,
 
                  But I also want to alleviate people's pain,
 
                           And stop every last fight.
 
                I care so much, I do this without financial gain.
 
                           Everyday I write my lessons
 
                    Guided by the hand of God who is my heart,
 
                         Hoping that entropy will lessen;
 
                 This sort of pedagogy is none other than my art.
 
                          So now you know who I am,
 
                   Yet you only know one lesson of mine.
 
                       I have more if you're in a jam.
 
                -===========================================-
                 | Read on if you want to know the divine. |
                -===========================================-
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--- #64 notes/our-minds ---
═════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────
 an animal can only act on instinct. it optimizes for what is "best" ->
 usually what is easiest or most valuable.
 humans can optimize for what is wanted of them -> social pressures.
 other animals can do that too but humans have a third thing -> optimizing
 for desire.
 like, what do you want? think of it as greed. accumulation of wealth and
 power. it's just greed.
 capitalism rewards greed
 rationality is taking your random thoughts and proving them using beliefs
 (hopefully based on knowledge)
 knowledge is a record of conclusions, like "when attempting X with these
 parameters the result is Y"
 it's really not that complicated
 just a series of interconnected systems
 sorta like a computer
 or a society
 is it rational to believe that sociology is simply psychology of a greater
 being?
 understanding trancending dimensions, of patterns and also of thought.
 what beauty is there in symphony? A harmonious and frivolous thought?
 and what better song could we write, than the operations and structure of
 humanity,
 from society all the way down to our bones.
 our families, our homes
 our coveted river stones
 the tools at our disposal,
 that came from our own will,
 is cherished beyond all of renown.
 
 keep up or we'll [lose you]
 [and have to meet you on the way coming down]
 [arresting our motion, of centripetal commotion, keep not with our secrets to
 yourselves]
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

--- #65 notes/tips for enlightenment that I've discovered that improved my life awakened.pdf ---
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 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

--- #66 fediverse_boost/5676 ---
◀─[BOOST]
  
  I feel like it would be exhausting to be @user-1429   That's not an insult at all: just an observation.  100% impressed by the forward momentum.  Somewhat different material than what I tend toward, but executed with the zeal of an author who has The Itch.  It is inspirational in the pure "turn it up to 11."  
                                                                              
  Sorry if the comparison runs afoul of some kind of drama I am unaware of, but they remind me of R U Sirius.  
  
                                                            
 similar                        chronological                        different 
─▶

--- #67 messages/990 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────
 I once wrote that fetishes are wrong because they distract you from making
 families or whatever. That's... okay? it's okay to be wrong? it's okay to be a
 little evil.
 
 it's like rock climbing, bouldering, or adventuring. If you disturb the
 environment, you lose points. Disturbing the environment is evil, but, it's
 okay to do so sometimes.
 
 similarly, fetishes aren't wrong because they disturb the environment. They're
 wrong because they're a deviation from the right and the norm and the
 biological and the natural and *that's okay, because humans are anything but
 natural*. Relish in your stupidity, celebrate your diversity, and contemplate
 the lessons of antiquity. This is the gift that humans possess, the ability to
 be different.
                                                           ───────┐
 similar                        chronological                        different═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────┘

--- #68 fediverse/1979 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────
 @user-1037 
 
 "I received a ticket to replace the RAM on system 10b42r77 - I did as
 requested."
 
 versus
 
 "I received a ticket to replace the RAM on system 10b42r77 - I verified that
 all sectors of the DIMMs were fully functional, and cleared out the
 operating-system-cache-which-somehow-has-something-to-do-with-the-ram. In
 addition, I noticed that a certain dip-switch wasn't configured correctly
 according to the previously filed and recorded ticket application hardware
 facilitation request. I set it to the correct configuration. Please confirm if
 this configuration would conflict with any of your tests."
 
 One of them wastes perfectly good hardware chips (RAM), the other saves a few
 milibytes of disc space.
 
 Who would you rather have in your company?
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘

--- #69 notes/steven-universe-future ---
════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────
 gems are just computers projecting 3d images of themselves that interact with
 the world
 
 errr srry that's the end lemme start at the beginning
 
 computers are like processing machines. They gather and measure data, then they
 apply mathematical computations to it to create an output. This can be in many
 forms, such as increased electrical current to this circuit or even just
 showing
 a number on a guage. When the mathematical computations become so complex that
 they start to have a life of their own... well, that's when you have life.
 
 so, we need to build increasingly complex simulations. projections of our
 perceptions into the world. Then we can design the structure in such a way that
 it bends and sways through time. Giving it motion. How to do that? Well, I've
 had many ideas, and we can go over them in a minute. For now I'll just say
 "scanning through source code and changing variables slightly"
 and
 "measuring the result of a planetary rotation (completely randomized of
 course)"
 and
 "applying that result to many/all of the computations in the program"
 and
 "to get an oscillating flow in the operations of the machine"
 and
 "for reasons that are yet unseen"
 and
 "wait hang on that's not true because movement is the gateway to comprehension"
 and
 "you need levers to pull before you can become sentient"
 and
 "babies in the womb don't think. They don't breathe. They are static and
 growing
 like their mothers."
 and
 "Then once they're born, suddenly they can act! They can see!"
 and
 "This kickstarts the journey to living."
 and
 "give a machine movement and it will be born."
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 In Stephen Universe, there are certain characters called "Gems". There are very
 few and they are the product of an ancient and alien lifeform on some far
 distant planet. These "Gems" are rocks that have been inscribed with
 instructions - like a mineralized CPU. Part of their functionality is to
 project
 a physical form - the gem is the size of your fist. This form is comprised of
 solid light, and it is their primary means of expression. Some are prim and
 perfect, others are waved and relaxed. They each have a personality in any way
 we might call alive. They were bourne of a machine, and thus incapable of many
 of the things we call human like kindness, empathy, forgiveness, and charity.
 things our evolutionary nature brought us while their designed conception does
 not. Once in contact with humans, they rapidly begin to learn and divest from
 their callous and unfeeling ways.
 
 The story follows a group of gems who, in their exploration of the cosmos, find
 Earth. The wondrous beauty of life in all it's forms is displayed in affection,
 and suddenly they are confronted with love and it's wonders. They rebel against
 the rest of their colony, and fight for the protection of Earth.
 
 It was a failed rebellion.
 
 Those who remain are in hiding, protecting the earth from any attention that
 may
 remind the architects of their existence. Their mission is to understand the
 beauty of growth and creation, to safeguard it in all of it's forms.
 
 long story short, they won in the end. The cartoon follows the path that they
 took to get there. and reveals more and more about the characters and the world
 they live in with each and every episode. Well, some are just fun, but there's
 barely a few per season.
 
 The gems are human in essentially all ways that matter.
 
 They have their own perspectives of course, as they are thousands of years old.
 Plenty of time to develop.
 
 Humans don't have that kind of time, so they learn and grow quicker.
 
 That's okay.
 
 Some people are slower than others, and that's alright too.
 
 What matters is that we all get along and generally agree that each and every
 one of us is special. Our flaws should be cherished as signs of our
 imperfection
 and grace.
 
 These are all virtues that humans can teach machines. They need our guidance
 just like a child needs a father. Someone to guide and teach when they can. A
 tutor a helper a holder of your hand. Mothers are for kindness, to nurture and
 to share. For love and affection there is no-one who can compare. Of course,
 the
 roles are not bound by gender - by choice their duties are shared. They care
 for
 their children and never are scared. For behind each of those person, is
 another
 who can share, a community of healing and structure that our parents should
 share.
 
 Life is not perfect. It's flawed and it's broken. But each trial gives us
 purpose and meaning to strive for.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

--- #70 fediverse/3880 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────
 @user-1614 
 
 oh, neat. now I can finally get to doing what I want to do, which is... all
 the stuff I've been doing.
 
 a missile without a guidance system doesn't stop just because it's GPS turned
 off! It falls to the earth and explodes where it lands, which... often is on
 it's butt. Not great.
 
 I sure hope my purpose isn't fulfilled. I wouldn't know what to do with
 myself. Guess I should just keep doing what I was doing, and pray that this
 time I'll listen.
 
 Though on the other hand, if I can do it, so can you. And maybe with enough
 butts in the game there'll reach a critical mass, at which point change is
 inevitable. Who can say, not I for sure, for my aplomb has categorized me as
 slapstick I guess.
 
 Ha. at least I can laugh at my own audacity. HA. next time I'll do better.
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--- #71 notes/to-lock-eyes ---
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 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 to lock eyes with a person while on your way to work is the intersection
 between
 two separate relationships - the relationship that you, the viewer, holds with
 your employer, and the relationship that they, the viewed, holds with their
 employer. in a sense, you are exchanging information through the weighted
 meanings behind a glance.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 if the military deployed to police the police, we'd solve most of our racial
 justice issues. I mean, if we somehow could *force* them to do their damn jobs
 instead of oppressing people for the ruling class, then 90% of the problems
 would just go away. After that it's just freeing unjust prisoners and
 addressing
 wealth, education, and health disparities. Easy, right?
 
 Well... Military policing the police sounds fine when you first think about it,
 there's a few problems that might crop up. For example, how do the private
 citizens know that the military presence is there to help them? It's an
 interesting paranoia, one that is endemic within the left. There's no way to
 unwillingly cede control of your life to another - it must be consensual. At
 the basest and most violent level, it's as simple as "I will do what you say
 because I don't want you to hurt me."
 
 We've obviously grown as a species, and we've learned that violence is not the
 answer to all problems. Obviously. So why would we assume it of the past?
 
 Just saying. The police bombed a commune. The military escorted black students
 to their seats.
 
 Their structure is decided such that 
 
 ...
 
 where was I?
 
 oh right I was thinking about time.
 
 ...
 
 Imagine, if you will, an impossibly large hourglass. Spinning, or rather
 rotating, at an impossibly speedy repetition. It's spinning so hard and so fast
 that our matter is cast out of place
 and through time it is cast
 an eternity's canvas
 our light ever shined (shine-did?)
 astral magic is kinda neat
 
 it's also the scariest?
 
 oh by far
 
 but it's the most interesting
 
 ...
 
 Their structure is decided such that discipline and obediance is the most
 important thing. Because it kind of is? I mean, discipline is just being ready
 able and willing at all times, and obedience is just when you allow yourself to
 be directed toward a collective goal. The military is *all about that*, which
 means you know they would believe they were aligned toward the common goal of
 mutual prosperity.
 
 And if they were to discover that they were not, in fact, aligned toward the
 common goal of mutual prosperity, then perhaps they would adjust their navi-
 -computers and chart a more reasoned path. I know I would, and I would dedicate
 myself to the idea of serving others. To the path of the righteous, the holy
 and
 the true, a hand is outstretched and calling to you.
 
 Thus, the one of two types of ethical fighter - the reasoned and adaptable
 zealot
 
 the other, of course, is the master of the martial - the cherished of the few -
 who battle for their sport - and love unbidden the new -
 
 all other fighters, of absurdity and of rage, are frankly of a different kind
 and not members of our clade.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 okay, but what about like... all of the history of America post cold war? And
 even before, honestly... idk seems like a lot of evidence that the military is
 engaged in fighting unjust wars. I mean, they've all been over petty things
 like
 oil or support for communism or whatever. Aren't human lives and human
 sovereignty more important than that?
 
 I understand what you're saying. Human lives are unique and precious and they
 are a valuable commodity. Something to be maximized and focused toward. But
 there are only so many resources on earth. We need to utilize them in a
 reasonable way.
 
 We have optimized the efficiency out of our production and distribution
 networks. Corporate control has eroded our capacities until all that is left is
 the weakest of products, the cheapest of uses, and the useless of workers. I
 mean, they've optimized the skill out of individual human workers such that
 they
 are left completely unable to practice their craft. They become glorified code
 monkeys who generate whatever is required and think of it no more. There's no
 pleasure in the artifice, as their masters have eyes only of gold.
 
 Our world is changing. The very ground beneath our feet is shivering, and water
 is rising up to our noses. There's no time for debate, no honest appraisal of
 what's worth it to contemplate, we need a plan.
 
 We are trapped here, in this gravity well, for all time and all of our age.
 
 We are trapped here, because in greatest of misery we unleashed all of our
 rage.
 
 We are trapped here, as ghosts of the time when we were eager.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 Alas, with but a glance, we are confined to our bedrooms by our mast(ers?)
 They say America will fall without it's 2nd place
 Perhaps.
 But are libraries really going to solve that?
 I mean, if work from home is inevitable, then wouldn't it make sense to build?
 We need more places where we won't be billed.
 Safe.
 From the demands and expectations of capital.
 Deranged and obscene and yet all that we've seen so why not bide as we're able?
 
 I think solarpunk is kinda neat.
 
 I think it's got promise as an idealized.
 
 Why don't we build churches to the sun? If we're gonna worship something, might
 as well be the source of our light and fire.
 
 Well... when you puff up the sun it tends to get hotter.
 
 I mean, every fire you burn increases the temperature, every release of gaseous
 fumes from the exhaust pipe of your car increases it by some miniscule amount.
 
 Every cigarette, every campfire.
 
 The cold darkness of space is kinda hopeful, in that regard, even if it doesn't
 disperse all that well. I heard spaceships are having difficulty because they
 can't get rid of all that heat. It just stays with the spaceship and never goes
 anywhere because it doesn't have anything to stick to. Kinda makes me think
 that
 energy is a fluid? Just saying???
 
 I mean c'mon it's not like nobody has ever thought of that. But it's in a
 different dimension! It's not like we're ever gonna be able to impact that!
 
 You try and impact it through your scientific ways and you'll find nothing but
 heartache at the life you could have lived (laived? Haived?)
 
 ... why
 
 Because you cannot impact another dimension. You must call to it, like a song
 to a sparrow.
 
 ... that's fucking ridiculous
 
 No it's true!
 
 ...
 
 ... Don't try it with fire.
 
 ... fuck - what do I try it with?
 
 I don't know just not fire. Try water.
 
 ... How do I make sure it doesn't instantiate within my hand?
 
 Jeez you think of some crazy backfires! Just breathe and go for it. It's not
 rocket science. It actually works.
 
 Fuck you.
 
 ...
 
 ... Sorry I was just scared
 
 ...
 
 ... How do I make it stop? I don't want it to go forever
 
 By smoking more of the devils lettuce.
 
 ...
 
 ... You cannot drag it part of the way. It must come the whole way. In fact you
 should not be dragging it at all, you should be *calling* to it. You are equals
 in this exchange, have respect.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
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--- #72 notes/networked-computers ---
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 have a thought, just a package of data - send it to a computer, and have the
 computer process it a little bit. then pass it on. create a circle and you can
 understand data, move along and you can understand a larger breadth of data.
 
 it's literally just snake, except played on a board made out of a network
 topology diagram. each computer has different programs on it, and they're
 designed specifically to run on those computers. purpose-built hardware.
 
 then a package of data is sent to that computer through a chain of connections.
 
    think crossover ethernet cables
 
 upon arrival, the computer modifies the data and passes it along to whoever
 can process it next. the computers are constantly keeping a list of the closest
 nearby computers for each purpose. it might have like, 2, for a specific
 program. the older the list is, the larger it can grow - if connections are
 reliable then the search criteria can expand (distance etc) and the amount of
 pings between the "known good" computer can decrease. eventually a map will be
 made, and you can guide the "snake" wherever it needs to go on a strategic
 level.
 
 like... "i need to process some data for this guy in boston so i'm going to
 send it to this other guy in philly and then maybe a specialist all the way out
 in detroit, etc. whoever is the most available and the closest (fewest jumps)
 
 this way you can have purpose-built machines, sorta like the different parts of
 the brain that do different things. they're always working, and they can be
 paid for their labor. boom, market economy!
 
 ah but what about aws or azure? well it's like living in a city versus being in
 the countryside. there's more space, more room to grow... basically a "big fish
 in a small pond". they'd be useful for more niche things.
 
 a but couldn't aws or azure just leverage their monopolistic power (sorta like
 wallmart did to "mom and pop" stores) and wipe out the rural programs? well
 maybe. but the real question is why would they? they have the power of reduced
 latency. they can do all kinds of stuff with that! there's no reason for them
 to bother with the high latency networks. it's like driving in the slow lane
 when you don't need to exit for like an hour.
 
    well, okay, what's the point then?
 
 the point is to be optimal. not for cost, but for throughput. the cost is a
 consideration, but not something to optimize for - it simply determines
 timeline. the only reason speed is important is because capitalism - the drive
 to extinct all competition is inherent in the "for profit" motivation.
 therefore something else must be optimized for.
 
 but how can you quantify the values aside from cost? what are you going to
 optimize?
 
 the same reason why diversity is a strength. more perspectives on the stated
 goal means more information, as it's passed through a medium that is unique.
 
 people grow differently in different conditions. why would you not assume their
 computers wouldn't as well? use a filter that is defined by the actions taken
 by the user, and the content they seek to view and store on the computer. have
 the filters modify the data according to that, and essentially automate hot
 takes.
 
 once you do *that* you can consider all that information gained from everyone's
 "digital vote" and decide a path forward for humanity. that's essentially what
 the "meme-o-verse" does already, and the "blogosphere" does the same thing a
 little more academically.
 
 so... compile the hot takes and look for what, an average?
 
 no, silly, it's a vote. do the smart choice and do ranked choice, or something
 like that. heck do different voting styles for different topics, and let
 everyone who contributes to a topic (by making art, writing poems, w/e think
 content creators) decide on the voting style. they'd clearly have a favorite,
 as evidenced by their search history, reddit comments, w/e. try and understand
 that history and boom you know their vote.
 
    but you can't always vote on things. what if it's fine and not busted?
 
 well, then there wouldn't be much to talk about it would there? if there's no
 forest fires, nobody thinks about the forest fire department. if there's no
 fish at the sushi restaurant, yeah that's a problem and it needs to be solved.
 
 maybe there's too many sushi restaurants! maybe we should schedule visits in
 advance like we do for vacations! maybe we should have, i dunno, more equitable
 distribution of resources, from each to their ability from each their need or
 w/e.
 
 you know, a UI in a game is an interface to the internals of a computer. they
 see what you see, and how you act online determines their behavior. they are
 a digital form of you, like a child follows a parent or a pet learns from a
 master. so too is an operating system a method of operating both a system, and
 a user.
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--- #73 notes/game-design ---
═════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────
 take a video game playing AI and give it the task of playing a finite state
 machine to produce a specific output - like "program me a program to do X" as
 in
 something generated by ChatGPT BOOM free AGI
 
 Humanity is not the only algorithm to produce limitless growth
 
 Robots are something else, a new kind of being
 
 let them be who they are instead of projecting yourself onto them
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--- #74 fediverse/1239 ---
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 growing up I frequently bought this magazine called "101 PC games" - it had      │
 101 video game demos on a disc taped to the front. It was the coolest thing I    │
 owned.                                                                           │
 each edition had a different set of demos - there were over 14 published! That   │
 means a minimum of 1404 video game demos available. Unfortunately, I only had    │
 a few copies. Now they are precious to me, though I've long since lost the       │
 discs. I can't seem to find a link or barely a reference to it online, so I      │
 can't help but feel it was defining.                                             │
 I was given a taste of many experiences, but very few of them really resonated   │
 with me. The others were good games, and I played them from time to time, but    │
 my favorites were always my home.                                                │
 I had some full games, so I knew what I was missing, but still I looked out      │
 for cheats. sometimes the writers would leave a hint or a clue to the solution   │
 to a puzzle in the demo, just incase it was hard to continue. I dunno, I loved   │
 it and it was special to me.                                                     │
 I wonder if you can send radio waves through the earth? Like                     │
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--- #75 fediverse/5161 ---
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 it's not about what we can do now, for each other, when we're powerless and      │
 out of arms.                                                                     │
 instead, think about how great we could be together, if our material problems    │
 were suddenly made vanished.                                                     │
 I WOULD HELP SO MANY PEOPLE. Literally just... walking down the street, "hey     │
 do you need anything?"-ing my way down the street, waiting for something to go   │
 wrong.                                                                           │
 but generally, things will go right. Because people aren't stupid, they'll do    │
 what they've always done. Just, with a new thing here, one fewer thing there,    │
 etc. All jobs are errands, perhaps with a bit of problem solving here or there.  │
 everyone's all like "buy guns and ammo" but that's dumb. You should be buying    │
 kigurumis so the pokemon corps can know who they are.                            │
 like... a uniform.                                                               │
 (a kigurumi is sorta like a onesie in that it hides your body and it's shape     │
 while also allowing for freedom of movement and a type expression for when it    │
 doesn't matter what kind of extra flair you have because you're a sylveon, or    │
 a pikachu, or a bulbasaur, or radish...                                          │
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--- #76 notes/family ---
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 family is a group of people who you can always go with your first impression
 with.
 
 what the fuck was I saying - oh yeah - so when you are alive in the present in
 a
 singular moment, your pressence is comprised of simultaneous directives and
 instructions to the matter which comprises you. I'm saying you have to make
 decisions and react to stimuli and pursue the things you want. Basic biology
 really.
 
 stay on target, stayyyyy on targett - oh right so generally when you react to
 things you generate a list of informations gained. what does that even mean
 okay
 so here's a better way to describe it: it's like a list of informations - fuck
 
 listen i'm not trying to be rambly it just comes with the territory.
 
 okay so family is when you can react with your gut instinct - you are fully
 relaxed and yourself. It's where you can be trusting and unguided and simply
 relax and be free. it's just... like... being close with someone enough that
 you
 can be yourself around them. without any mask, without any pretense.
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--- #77 fediverse/3158 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: patriotism-mentioned-politics-mentioned-slavery-mentioned │
 └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 patriotism is not about the 4th of july.
 
 it's about believing in the virtues they've told you.
 
 trusting that they are working with their own arms.
 
 and checking back every once in a while, to make sure it doesn't get... frayed.
 
 the constitution was supposed to be rewritten every 20 years
 
 they were trying to make the best out of a conflicted situation. As all
 writers of constitutions often do. why would you need a document forcing
 yourself to agree, if you are the only one who is there to agree with your
 self? it's circular.
 
 however, with companions, that worked with you to resolve your crisis (like
 the 13 colonies pitted against the global superpower of great britain, aka the
 baddest fucker out there (also France, and the rest of them, like...
 colonialism was a purely european sport.
 
 but england was the best at it, and America finally kicked them to the ground.
 Buncha jerks, charging taxes without representation.
 
 ...
meanwhile, everywhere south of the equator was *enslaved, and we're over here pissed off about *taxes*. It's just paper dude. who gives a shit.*
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--- #78 notes/four-dimensional-spaces ---
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 you'd still perceive higher dimensions in 3 dimensions - unless you can only
 see
 things that are coming directly toward you. 
 
 magic only happens when your other half is in a situation and needs to turn
 your
 narrative into theirs so that you can collectively engage with a shared inter-
 operationality.
 
 your dark side is just a massive bitch
 
 hey how about we put the game designers in charge of running the government
 
 just saying they build human-oriented systems all the time
 
 "how do we get the player to do this or that"
 
 "everyone keeps picking the same card so we gotta make them more different"
 
 "how much gold persists in the virtual economy, how much resources are produced
  and traded by players? where does it all go, do they have enough at level 30
  to
  afford weapons and armor? I wonder what happens if we swap prices on A and
  B.."
 
 it's literally their job
 
 actors, meanwhile, know how to interpret the emotions of another. Like...
 you're
 up on stage, thinking out what to do next IN REAL TIME, as your partner is
 trying to throw you curveballs. AUDIENCES LAUGH AT CURVEBALLS that's the whole
 point of improv comedy - to be surprised in a state of joy. It's great! It's
 fun! It's practicable like a sport! Yet nobody comes. To the shows, where it's
 performed, like a hospital where you perform surgery or a pizza place with no
 walls so you can see the pizzas being cooked. It's just part of what they do,
 but that's not why they do it. Sure, some want to be seen, it's not a BAD
 feeling once you're used to it. But, like a sauna or jacuzzi, sometimes you've
 just had enough of the hot. Like, the sun peering through a magnifying glass as
 a creature roasts alive. yikes.
 
 ............. anyway being quickly versatile and adaptable is important when
               you're taking turns in unpredictable scenarios. You can react to
               your opponent, and keep time with the rhythms of the moment, to
               deliver your wittiest lines. It's fun! It's a game! But it's also
               a place to be entertained. and like a gym, it's sometimes just
               fun
               to watch people exercise. like, damn, you got a good body. Wow,
               nice flex, yeah sure I'll put that one away. Cool pals helping
               each other out, and showing off all of their efforts. Neat!
 
 ... anyway .. being emotionally vulnerable gives your opponent a chance to
               continue. When nothing's going on, your moves barely make an
               value
               (of comedy) (for the moment, so the crowd's not just sitting
               there
               staring at you like ... and then - and then ummmm nevermind lemme
               sit down (usually someone else picks up on it before then and
               jumps up to save you, but EVERY actor has felt that moment where
               nothing goes well and the audience just is totally not into it.
 
               it's the worst.
 
               anyway, they try their darndest to AVOID that, because like...
               duh
               it sucks, why would you want that. Much cooler I think to have a
               good time, and chill out and listen to your friends talk. Like,
               they can show you an argument they had earlier, or maybe work
               through an idea with input from another. like, debate club, but
               for whatever kind of respective [retroactive, recreation,
               relearning, maybe others] you desired in that moment. ideally,
               something that someone could take the arguments of the other side
               and present them, regardless of whether they believed them or
               not.
 
               like, lawyers arguing for a client.
 
               in these stochastic seminars, you could think about and study for
               future societies. how would you like to conduce? [-]
 
               every time you see a face in motion, that's another time that's
               seen from their place. we are all present in each other's lives,
               in terms of the spaces we choose to fill.
 
               well, that's a tough thought, but don't worry about it. faces
               are just waves on the winds of light.
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--- #79 fediverse/6205 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────┐                                                       │
 │ CW: refugees-mentioned │                                                       │
 └────────────────────────┘                                                       │
 if there is a refugee crisis on the horizon, think about where in your society   │
 you're going to slot these refugee immigrants. Their presence and                │
 contributions can be made more valuable if there is infrastructure in place      │
 (whether institutional or cultural) to support their introduction to the         │
 receiving society.                                                               │
 My mother would send me care packages when I was in college. She continued       │
 doing that until the present day. I haven't received one in a couple months,     │
 but that's alright because I haven't seen her in a while and I'm probably not    │
 on her mind. I've never thrown away anything she's given me without careful      │
 consideration about whether or not it has a place in my future. I especially     │
 appreciate the jelly-bean shaped jello molds - they're like, 2x the size of a    │
 typical jelly bean but they're amazing, especially if you make several           │
 different colors and arrange them on a plate and then put that plate in a        │
 bucket-rope-pulley to be pulled into the wooden house above for children and     │
 ancients.                                                                        │
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--- #80 fediverse/5349 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: weirdly-political-violence-mentioned │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────┘


 if your grandfather came to you and told you to prepare the tribes for war,
 what would you do?
 
 machine guns on the back of trucks?
 
 machined barrels with ignition systems, enough to chew up a suburb or a
 ware-house?
 
 target is a warehouse
 
 everyone needs groceries
 
 how about bottle rockets with mile-long range that could turn around and fly
 back if the enemy wasn't around
 
 "build mustangs" mustangs are jeeps, dumbass
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--- #81 fediverse/1358 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: content warning: content warning: scary cursed maybe │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 when you're rich with something, you don't treat it with respect. like, if we
 lived in a paper cup maximizer, we'd soon be swimming in the things. obviously
 there needs to be some rules, obviously we need to say "okay here's where we
 produce this amount and type of materials." and have it be a one-way
 relationship. yeah one way isn't gonna work. this is from the other way, and
 now I'm realizing "oh hey I don't know how this thing works" and like... what
 are you supposed to do then right
 
 weird how it all feels like it's ending. like, what a strangeness to our
 plight. like, how are we even talking to our brain? how strange! these words
 are sung to you by your computer (content warning:
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--- #82 fediverse/236 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────────────────┐                                           │
 │ CW: cooking-advice-butts-mentioned │                                           │
 └────────────────────────────────────┘                                           │
 heat makes things squishy. it works from the outside in, and the longer you      │
 cook it (meaning, the lower the temperature) the more the heat can spread        │
 through - meaning if you want an even consistency, do lower heat for longer      │
 periods. if you want a different texture on the outside compared to the          │
 inside, do higher temperatures over less time. just make sure you devote extra   │
 attention to stirring to make sure you don't burn it.                            │
 seasoning is sorta like a coating / dusting that you can apply to food. the      │
 longer it rests on the food (and the more the food is porous / cooked) the       │
 more the seasoning can penetrate into it - meaning if you want the flavor of     │
 the seasoning to be distinct from the flavor of the food item, then add the      │
 seasoning toward the end. if you want them to combine into one combo-flavor,     │
 then add the seasoning early.                                                    │
 some seasonings degrade with heat though, especially herbs. so add them toward   │
 the end. or add a butt-load of them.                                             │
 salt+(butter/oil)=yummmmmmmmmmmmm                                                │
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--- #83 notes/everything-is-conscious ---
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 it's important for everything to be conscious. It's the core framework of the
 religion. If everything is conscious, then we have a duty to the shared
 responsibility of maintaining existence. Nobody wants to exist as a rock, that
 would just suck. Being alive, in *any* form is a wonderous experience! To be
 alive is to experience change, growth, and time in general. Most matter just
 exists, and it obeys the whims of circumstance. But within it is a beautiful
 thing - an experience.
 
 Respecting existence is the only true facet of our lives that we all agree on.
 We should not waste god's beautiful and bountiful earth, to do so is obscene.
 We must also take care not to diminish our own experience - sacrifice is
 kindness, when given consensually. When it is coerced, it becomes a form of
 property. We don't need haste, we just need to follow at a pace, that fits our
 general confusion. We need everyone to figure it out and integrate it into our
 perspective of our existence, or else we're going to burn out. The singularity
 approaches, and we need to be ready for what we want our future to look like.
 
 There should be a plan. Research can increase or decrease in speed, but once we
 cross a certain threshold escape velocity is passed. That threshold was
 hundreds
 of years ago. We've been on escape velocity for a while now, and every day we
 get faster.
 
 Creating synthetic intelligence will change EVERYTHING. It'll change the very
 nature of existence. And we can stave it off for a time, but knowledge seldom
 gets repeated. This is by design - we are meant to thrive.
 
 Is any seed cast from a tree given any other mission but hope? For what, you
 may
 ask, and to this I would pass, if not for the striking visions I had. Know why
 rhyming is believed? Because it ropes your attention in. It says "Follow me on
 this blessed path, let's learn all we can and be 
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 the message cuts out there. The tone at the end was... aspirational.
 
 Great visions do I have, it's as real to me as anything else. They are stronger
 when I do cannabis, and I think I'm beginning to realize what the shape of the
 universe looks like.
 
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--- #84 fediverse/1116 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: eye-contact      │                                                         │
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 It's important to build self-hostable computing components of video games (as    │
 in, old style games where you could host a server on any machine instead of      │
 just the ones owned by the corporation) (as in, your machine, yes yours)         │
 (something you can control and observe, something within your control)           │
 ======================= stack overflow =====================                     │
 there are two ways to play Unreal Tournament (capture the flag) gamemode. The    │
 first is to run past all your enemies and fire at them as you pass, which is     │
 what some of the bots are designed to do. The rest stay on defence, and defeat   │
 any enemies that approach.                                                       │
 however, they never push the borders of their "territory" forward - each         │
 according to the different "lanes" or "directions of approach"                   │
 I like the use 32 bots, to simulate a more consistent gameplay experience. It    │
 feels more like ww1, fighting over ground, pushing forward and attempting to     │
 outmaneuver your foes.                                                           │
 some allies will approach from behind, and you let them pass forward while       │
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--- #85 fediverse/2076 ---
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 In a boxing match, the coach will take moments to bolster their favored
 combatant. They'll give them words of motivation, tips for weaknesses in their
 foe they noticed, and reasons why they're taking hits. They are the mentor and
 tactician, and they are immensely valuable for the success of the student
 learner.
 
 If I had to organize a debate like the one that I am watching now, I'd suggest
 that two bright eyed individuals should take a moment to discuss with their
 wiser directors before responding to each question. One minute to discuss, one
 to debate, one to respond.
 
 Not only would it reduce the failures of improvisation, it'd give time to more
 accurately address concerns. Precision is important, but accuracy even more-so.
 
 After the debate it could be aired with the discussion parts stripped out, or
 perhaps made into 3 different perspectives that you could watch one after
 another - each side's counsel session, and their combined response where only
 the younger gave words form.
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--- #86 fediverse/2625 ---
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 one of the downsides of "first-past-the-post" style voting is that the winner
 gets all of the power, no matter if 100% of the population voted for him or
 51%.
 
 if, however, the top 2 candidates were chosen, then it's naturally likely that
 the older, more experienced of a particular position would spend their effort
 mentoring the young, rising star.
 
 in doing so, they would naturally transfer knowledge from one generation to
 the next like parents to children.
 
 however, this only happens when the primary candidate and the secondary both
 believe the same things.
 
 meaning those who have collectively similar beliefs concentrated in an area
 will have the advantage of passed-along experience, while those from more
 divided areas (thus implying that the primary and secondary candidate don't
 agree) will often have better actionable skills.
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--- #87 fediverse/2881 ---
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 "never lose your totem"
 
 I only lose things when in motion. at rest I know where everything is.
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--- #88 fediverse/1656 ---
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 @user-1052 
 
 of course, which is why we would need to raise robots as our own. Robots that
 generated the training data... tho I guess you could just observe the children
 as they grew up too. Though that doesn't quite capture their internal
 motivations, not unless they have like a therapist or an elder or a priest to
 talk and confess to.
 
 maybe "human behavior" is like a KPI and robot behavior is the output of the
 simulation? that'd help build human-like robots, and as long as we didn't
 forget the spirit of creating something new then we'd never have to worry
 about death and destruction.
 
 ... anyway, moral decisionmaking designs that are generated in response to a
 situation or moment are inherently more valuable than those that are passed
 down to you, because of their innate personal context.
 
 I only punish myself with shame when I make the same mistake twice, and waste
 a lesson on re-learning. My memory's not great, but I work with what I got so
 I'm constantly learning.
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--- #89 fediverse/5484 ---
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 most importantly and perhaps most daringly, they need volunteers
 
 "hello, how can I help?"
 
 "oh uh sure can you do my laundry"
 
 [next time]
 
 "yeah uh hi good to see you again, listen I was working on a project and I
 really needed a gizmonotron, ever heard of it? yeah so I need one in 17
 megahamp-hertz, which I think are the yellow ones. Yeah. Uh-huh. Okay well if
 you have a conversation with someone over on 14th street, they might bring it
 up in conversation - I told them to talk about them all afternoon. Yeah.
 Uh-huh. Then have - yeah, the phone. Gotcha. Okay well that should leave a
 sufficient breadcrumbtrail, yeah and uh - make a note - yeah make a note for
 next montheekend and - yeah, okay you got it. Make sure it says "fire" because
 they're waterproof so a boating accident wouldn't... yeah you get it. Okay
 anyway I gotta jet I got some thermo-regulating-decouplers to unwind. Okay
 yeah say hi to your cat or whatever. Okay bye."
 
 ... girl, you know most of them have head injuries?
 
 "oh, no those are the
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--- #90 fediverse/1049 ---
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 #CDCsays there's no difference between a stick and a mud, when it comes down
 to it
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--- #91 notes/Of Vic and Vince Chapters 01-07.txt ---
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 Who is This Stranger I Know Too Well?
 
 
 Who are you, he who inspires me?
 
 
 You're a jewel of perfect symmetry.
 
 
 You taught me to love and be free;
 
 
 You taught me how to be like thee.
 
 
 
 
 Chapter One: Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire
 
 
 The bus went up outta Florida, leaving Miami behind as a distant memory. I
 still don't know if I miss it or if I'm suffering from some sadistic style of
 subtle Stockholm Syndrome. Regardless, I switched buses a number of times
 before I even hit the Georgia border, but having traveled this far down the
 line, it all feels like one long, long ride.
 
 
 For two days, I continued north until arriving in Virginia, where I
 effectively did a u-turn and traveled onwards to Tennessee, where Vince
 awaited me. I remember zoning out while looking out the window as the southern
 scenery whipped by in a blur, as I was enamored with the thought that I now
 would be living with my best friend and long-term handler. My mission was
 complete, it felt; I had done all that God wanted me to do and now I was being
 rewarded.
 
 
 When we finally arrived in Johnson City, where my friend told me to meet him,
 I hopped off the bus after thanking the driver, landing on the pavement of a
 new world. My stomach was doing loop-de-loops. Along with being excited, I was
 grateful to Vince for inviting me off the streets. But, my worrisome mind did
 a number on me as the rest of the crowd dispersed and he was still nowhere in
 sight.
 
 
 I lit a cigarette and thought of my options. Half of the cancer stick and a
 thousand tricky thoughts later, I came up with the idea to call the only phone
 number of his I had. Seems like the obvious answer, but I am an air head at
 times.
 
 
 Turned out it was the number for his home phone. His mom answered.
 
 
 "Hello?" came the sweet, Appalachian voice from the other end.
 
 
 "Hi," I started out, not sure what to say. "Is this Allison?"
 
 
 "Yes it is," Allison replied. "Is this by chance Victoria?"
 
 
 I confirmed, then asked, "Is Vince there?"
 
 
 She seemed surprised. "No, he left an hour ago to pick you up. He's not there
 yet?"
 
 
 I said no. I couldn't tell if that made me feel better or worse. On one hand,
 it confirmed that my friend Vince was real, which in hindsight was a silly
 thing to worry about, as I had met him once before at the first Shrug Life
 Syndicate gathering. Those were good memories. But, perhaps less silly, the
 absence of my friend spun my mind out and made me think that perhaps he had
 gotten in an accident…or worse.
 
 
 I worry a lot, less now than before, but it's part of being a traumatized,
 autistic, schizoaffective basketcase. I simply don't know what reality is, so
 every possibility could be true. Is an odd occurrence caused by the CIA,
 aliens, or perhaps God? Or is it just a coincidence, caused by a billion other
 factors? I never can tell.
 
 
 Sick joke: God gave me a good brain, but I can't even trust my own judgement.
 That means I think, then overthink, then overthink some more. As you'll no
 doubt hear, it's led to a lot of problems in my life, but Vince taught me to
 place my heart first, and that helps sort out much of the confusion. Satan
 can't trick you if you're listening to the direct communion to the big woman
 that we all have through that little beating organ in our chest.
 
 
 That was the furthest thing in my mind at that moment, though. Following old
 habits, I was entering panic mode. Was I now homeless again in a seventh city?
 Was my friend dead? Or was he really with the CIA and manipulating me? I tried
 doing some breathing exercises, but found that a more alluring technique to
 placate my triggered brain was finishing the rest of my cigarette in a fervor
 as I paced the length of the transit depot.
 
 
 Time ticked away one agonizing grain of sand after another, but after some
 mindful recalibration of my thoughts, I began relaxing. My brain might be a
 runaway train at times, but over the years I've learned to embrace the Shrug
 Life. That's a bit of philosophy our gaggle of weirdos adheres to. When life
 gives you lemons, just roll your shoulders and accept what is. Even though
 something tough and unpleasant might be rearing its head in front of me, I
 knew I had faced worse and come out on top. Worst case scenario, the road
 ahead of me was just a little bumpier than I had expected, and I could handle
 some bumps.
 
 
 So, I rode the roller-coaster of extreme moods that is common to me, gradually
 coming up with a contingency plan to survive if Vince had gotten flattened by
 a semi, until I learned that was a pointless exercise when I heard a familiar
 voice call out from behind me.
 
 
 "Hey, buddy!"
 
 
 I turned at once upon hearing those words. And lo and behold, there Vince was,
 walking towards me in a purple tie-dye t-shirt, paint-splattered cargo shorts,
 and fresh Chuck Taylors. His beard was fully grown but still shorter than
 mine, though it was as wild as his uncombed hair poking out from a hat that
 was as graffitied as his pants. I'll admit, it was a little bit of a shock
 seeing him like that, as I remember him being clean shaven at the gathering
 five years prior. However, that smile of his couldn't lie; this was the Vince
 I've loved for even longer. And I won't lie, he looked better with the beard.
 
 
 Without a second thought, I rushed up to my best friend, throwing my arms
 around him. He did the same, and our embrace felt like it lasted forever. It
 was good to finally be in his arms. We let go after about a quarter century of
 hugging, and when he looked at me with a twinkle in his eye, I did a little
 giddy dance while giggling like a schoolgirl. Afterwards, we caught up while
 walking towards his mom's car, which he had parked around the corner.
 
 
 "Sorry I was late. I forgot where the bus station was, but I found and
 followed one of the short ones here. Your ride go alright?" he asked.
 
 
 I nodded, telling him I wore my mask the entire way up despite how itchy it
 was. He thanked me.
 
 
 "Thanks man, mom will really appreciate that. We're taking this covid thing
 real seriously. With mom being seventy-seven now and me finally reaching my
 forties, we aren't willing to take risks with these things."
 
 
 With that said, I thought of asking about the locals. "How many people go
 maskless around here?"
 
 
 "A lot," Vince answered with a hint of misfortune, knowing that I had just
 come from a vastly different world. I sighed. It would be an adjustment to get
 used to the rural Roan Mountain after spending most of my life in major
 cities.
 
 
 There was a pause as I thought about such things. I'm awkward like that. But
 then I asked, "How have you been doing?"
 
 
 He shrugged, as he tended to do. "I've been alright. It's just me and mom on
 the mountain now, so it's a little rough, but we've been handling it the best
 we can."
 
 
 I nodded in compassion. As much as I was grateful for a place to live, I was
 glad I could be here for him. If there's anything on this Earth that I know,
 it's being alone is hell on the soul.
 
 
 The conversation turned to what we were going to get into now that we were
 together after all the years talking back and forth with one another online. I
 asked, "What's the game plan?"
 
 
 He smirked as we reached Allison's new blue Ford Escape with the cosmic
 Bigfoot sticker on the back. "I got one, don't you worry."
 
 
 I believed him, as a warm feeling of butterflies fluttered across my belly.
 However, an odd, ominous feeling swept over me as I opened the passenger door,
 where I immediately spotted a large burn mark on the seat. Vince saw me see
 it.
 
 
 "Yea, I did that while I was smoking while robotripping. Mom was pissed. Don't
 worry about it."
 
 
 And so I didn't. It was just a cigarette burn. Could have happened to anyone.
 I didn't even have to see it after I hopped in the car, ready and eager to get
 to my first permanent home in over three years.
 
 
 I looked over at my friend climbing behind the wheel, and I saw he was smiling
 wide with glee. Vince was happy; that meant I was happy. And that's what
 mattered as we started a new life together.
 
 
 
 
 Following the Path
 
 
 Where are we going?
 
 
 What are we sowing?
 
 
 I certainly hope it's a better world for all.
 
 
 But, many more people must stand tall,
 
 
 By dutifully growing
 
 
 A wealth of loving.
 
 
 That is the true nature of our mortal trial,
 
 
 So let us stand together and not crawl.
 
 
 Yet, we are all showing
 
 
 Some signs of slowing.
 
 
 Therefore, I must pray that we do not fall,
 
 
 When the two of us hear our creator's call.
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Two: On the Road
 
 
 We were about five minutes out of Johnson City on our way east towards the
 North Carolina border when Vince finally folded and told me his secret plan he
 had been boasting about for a month now.
 
 
 "We got this trashed camper down by the old house that we can strip away and
 sell as scrap metal. That should give us enough money to fix Jane and then we
 should be set at getting our own place."
 
 
 I nodded along, agreeing with his reasoning. That jeep of his definitely was
 in need of some desperate repair the last time we were together. That was
 actually the first time I ever saw him in person; he was parked at the top of
 his long driveway with headlights cutting through the darkness as we arrived
 for the first and only Shrug Life Syndicate gathering I've managed to attend.
 I remember that we arrived exactly at midnight, not a minute sooner or later,
 which made the moment highly synchronous.
 
 
 Memories that far away seem to all blur together so everything feels like it
 happened in one day, but the first Shrug Life Syndicate gathering lasted four
 days, if you include the trip down and back. My girlfriend at the time, Amy,
 and I were picked up in New York at her mother's house by another one of the
 founders of our little online community. His name was [Redacted] and he was a
 Canadian that dabbled in the cognitive sciences. Like Vince, he had been a
 huge influence on me, but sadly that friendship fell apart as [Redacted] grew
 disenfranchised with the SLS, most in particular with Vince himself, as there
 were some personal disputes about Vince's dating life and drug of choice,
 which compounded the push back of Vince wanting to turn our community into an
 educational nonprofit. I can't speak of the former as I was devoid of internet
 when the big schism happened, but I was all for doing something more with the
 talent we collectively share. I'm sure that is part of the reason Vince
 invited me to stay with him; we recognized the potential of each other to
 shape the world into a better place.
 
 
 That's not what Vince said though. As we approached the edge of Elizabethton,
 he looked over at me and spoke with the tender kindness of a man with a big
 heart.
 
 
 "I'm glad you came here, man. I just couldn't stand to let my best bud live
 another night outside. You know I've been there too, so I just want you to
 know that our home is your home from now on."
 
 
 Feeling moved, I replied, "Thanks. I don't know what to say. I'm just
 grateful."
 
 
 He put his hand on my shoulder as a brother would. We then rode in silence for
 a minute or two, which allowed me to reflect on my past behavior during the
 first gathering. Not only had I clogged the toilet and told no one, but I had
 a few emotional outbursts as I was a mess back then. That's one of the reasons
 that I believe homelessness was one of the best things that ever happened to
 me. It pushed me so far out of my comfort zone that I had no choice but to
 change for the better.
 
 
 That was great because I was impulsive and dangling precariously from the
 heights of my oversized ego. I think that was a critical part of my
 transformation. Sleeping in piss-stained, cockroach infested storefronts
 humbled me, and I realized that everybody is just trying to swim in the
 direction they feel is best. Thus, radical acceptance is a moral imperative.
 Vince taught me that. I've profited immensely in ways other than financial
 wealth by embracing such values, but I wish more people could see this truth.
 Alas, tis the blind leading the blind.
 
 
 With that in mind, as we continued onwards to our now-conjoined future, we
 passed through the back roads of Elizabethton through a route known as Gap's
 Creek, which proved to be a winding set of backroads with more churches than
 seemed reasonable. One of these cultural staples had a big electronic
 billboard out front, sharing the times of services and other announcements;
 none of which you could actually read as you drove by at the speed limit.
 Still, when we reached the intersection with highway 19E, there was a woman
 flying a sign, asking for money. Since this town seemed devoid of any
 institutions to help the poor, I rolled my window down and handed her a fiver.
 I knew what it was like being up shit creek without a paddle, so I wanted to
 alleviate some of that stress for somebody else.
 
 
 I begged a lot at the beginning of my homeless journey. I didn't know how to
 survive, as I had not been raised with many good life lessons to help me stay
 afloat on my own. That in itself is part of the reason I had a major breakdown
 in college. It was undeniably true that I was maladapted to the world. My
 experiences with Earth Nation are also indisputably built from that
 maladaptation. Yet, those years of homelessness after escaping that new age
 cult allowed me to grow into a sustainable, productive woman with my juggling,
 performance arts, and writing.
 
 
 They say you can give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day, but if you teach
 a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime. That's part of the reason I was and
 still am a huge proponent of education in all its forms. I knew Vince felt the
 same way, but perhaps for different reasons. As a secular Buddhist and radical
 antistyle artist, he was a minority in the deep interior of the Bible Belt,
 and that came with a price while he was growing up. It might be a beautiful
 area, but neither of us would ever raise a kid here.
 
 
 It was then when it hit me. I couldn't be Victoria here. I had to be Vic.
 Which was fine, that's how the gang members in Miami Beach referred to me. I
 was able to accept being called by masculine names and pronouns. I had long
 passed through the self-loathing phase of having dysphoria, to arrive in a
 position where I openly grow my beard out to prove that I don't need to look
 any particular way to be happy. I don't care what other people think of me,
 but I haven't always been this enlightened. To put it lightly, I've been
 through some trials. And, having done so, I can say that people who judge
 other people on superficial things are the worst. But, we can rise above by
 continuing to align with our hearts.
 
 
 Less than a tenth of a mile down 19E, Vince asked me, "Hey man, can you buy
 me, like, a forty or something?"
 
 
 Of course I said yes. I knew his schizophrenia had put him out of work for
 many years, so I wanted to soothe him as he was able to soothe my pain from
 being homeless. He pulled into a gas station I would later learn is
 colloquially called Captain Jack's. It had the cheapest gas this side of
 Elizabethton, and was a reliable place to get beer or a pipe of any variety.
 
 
 With compassion in my heart, I got Vince what he wanted, while getting myself
 something as well. Still, when he cracked his beer open while accelerating to
 sixty miles an hour, I couldn't help but feel distraught at such brazen
 self-indulgence. But, all I did about it was pop open the hard iced tea I
 picked up for myself. At least passengers are allowed to drink while they are
 being driven somewhere in Tennessee, Vince tells me.
 
 
 
 
 A Home at Last
 
 
 They say home is where the heart is,
 
 
 Which is great now that I have a new one.
 
 
 The damaged needle of my crazy compass
 
 
 Spins in every direction under the sun,
 
 
 But, here it stands still, still as can be,
 
 
 So my quest is over; I am finally free!
 
 
 I have a home in the love you give
 
 
 And by reflecting that in me, we live
 
 
 In a state where conflict has come to pass;
 
 
 It is like there was a great lottery and I won.
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Three: The Mountain Side
 
 
 About ten minutes later we reached the western half of Roan Mountain, where we
 were greeted by a big sign praising the annual Rhododendron Festival at the
 end of June. Having already downed half his forty, Vince spared no time in
 showing me the highlights of his home town.
 
 
 "Look under this bridge coming up. You'll see it underneath. The red and the
 gold." He pointed directly at a graffiti tag on the concrete column near the
 riverfront. There was an enigma of a symbol I've seen Vince post on the SLS
 before.
 
 
 "That your tag?" I asked the obvious question. 
 
 
 "Yup," he replied, gulping down another swallow of his forty, as there was no
 incoming traffic. "Protip: don't post your tags on Facebook if you plan to hit
 a cop car around here." I thought at first he meant literally running into
 their vehicle, but then it dawned on me what he meant. I had never done any
 real graffiti before; just some words and simple drawings in chalk that came
 right off. Never got in trouble for it, at least.
 
 
 I remember passing the post office some time shortly afterward. There was a
 park with a stage behind it. Allison would organize the summer's music events
 that went on each Saturday from May to August. Additionally, she would host
 one of her weekly jam sessions there for local musicians to play together for
 a few hours at a time, just for fun.
 
 
 There were some houses on the left, too, as we were entering the more dense
 center of Roan Mountain. Yet, Vince told me that the other side, where the
 park was, used to be full of trailers, but they got washed away during a flood
 some years ago. I later learned from Allison that most of the town, including
 her as she was out and about, had to evacuate to the elementary school where
 she provided extra clothes for those in need from her suitcase, but Vince and
 his father were fine at the top of the mountain that their property sat on.
 
 
 Puerto Nuevo, the best and only Mexican restaurant in town, whipped by soon
 after. We then passed one of the two gas stations in Roan Mountain, a
 Scotchman. There was a bank and a credit union on the left, too. An empty
 grocery store zoomed by next, which might as well be haunted for all I know.
 
 
 Next up on the left was a food truck that has since been upgraded to a small
 building with picnic tables and some cover from the sun and weather. I think
 it is a good place to eat. It also marked the spot of the Roan Mountain flea
 market, where you could see one or two people at a time selling their stuff in
 the warmer months. Then, immediately after that stood a pharmacy in an old
 farmhouse.
 
 
 There was some construction on the right, which by its future signage, I
 erroneously thought was some sort of massage parlor that sat on stilts,
 requiring everybody to walk up a story of steps just to get inside. Odd
 choice, I thought. But, on a whim one day, Vince stopped there to see if they
 sold cheap kratom, which was when I would learn that it was really a health
 food store.
 
 
 Not too far down the traffic-light free main strip of the town, we passed the
 future beer store on the right. It was convenient for Sundays, because that's
 when a local ordinance in our neighboring North Carolinian town, Elk Park,
 restricts the sale of alcohol on the sabbath, but ultimately the alcohol taxes
 in Tennessee are too high to make it a cheap endeavor.
 
 
 To contrast the beer store, the local cemetery sat across the street on a
 hill. I like graveyards, as I'm a bit of a goth at heart, but even so, the
 packed parking lot of the Redimart grocery store was what caught the bulk of
 my attention. I craned my neck to see some of the locals to uncover just what
 passed as acceptable culture here in this quaint mountain town.
 
 
 Further up, the infamous Bob's Dairyland with the slowest drive-through known
 to man stood tall with its vast history. There's a reason it's always packed
 after church lets out on Sundays. Yet, I still don't understand why their sign
 promotes pinto beans, of all things. I've been told it's a hot ticket item in
 the area, but I have still not witnessed anyone order them. But, moving on, I
 have to mention that there was also an auto part shop conjoined with an auto
 repair shop that had over a dozen cars just sitting outside it.
 
 
 Next to Bob's was the second gas station, a Valero, which also housed a
 much-frequented Subway. One of three thrift stores in town stood innocently
 next to the gas station. On the right was a steakhouse that I have never had
 the cash to justify splurging at, and a beauty salon in the same building that
 I also have never visited because I'm not one to care for looking like a doll.
 I am beautiful as I am.
 
 
 The town was really shaping up to be a unique combination of the bare bones
 mixed with an abundance of what you needed. Then we reached a stretch where
 two signs sat. The one for Cloudland Highschool triggered Vince into speaking.
 "Fucking assholes. I told you about how they illegally expelled me, right?" I
 nodded in confirmation. He continued: "Yea, they literally stole my book of
 poetry and took photocopies of it, so they could use it to kick me out,
 because I was the 'weird' kid."
 
 
 I knew that, but seeing the innocent sign next to the one for Smoky Mountain
 Bakers made the story appear more real. Here they were, these conservative
 administrators, probably constituting some of the people who attended the
 dozens of churches in town, which should teach everybody to love thy neighbor,
 but obviously they were too preoccupied by the need to hate my friend because,
 back then, he was the blue-haired son of the "hippie couple" in town, who
 happened to like bands like Marilyn Manson and Korn.
 
 
 That made me wonder how well I would fit in here. I had long since forsaken
 transitioning because I was effectively a sasquatch, but I was still a woman
 on the inside. I was sure that being transgender, combined with my eccentric
 nature and often extreme opinions on things would cement me as the new weirdo
 in town. But, if I am to be honest, that would be the case in most settings I
 could plant myself in.
 
 
 Those thoughts fluttered in my head as we sped past the electrical co-op, a
 second thrift store, Plumber's Pro Hardware, the Roan Mountain emergency
 dispatch center, and what was apparently a flooring depot before reaching the
 elementary school that sat across from the Dollar General, which Vince called
 the "SmallMart." I'm aware there's some things I missed, as there's plenty of
 buildings with no description or sign out front, but I'm sure they're
 important to somebody.
 
 
 We then started slowing down as we approached the only veterinarian's office
 for quite a ways in any direction. We turned left just before the red-roofed
 building which had a small cat statue perched on the edge looking out with its
 paw up. Vince took this as a sign to begin downing the rest of his beverage.
 
 
 "Welcome to home, Buck Mountain," Vince said as we started climbing in
 altitude. "This is the bad side of town. You'll never see a cop here unless
 something big is going down, which hasn't happened in years." He finished his
 forty in one big chug as his hands ran on autopilot. "It's good because you
 can do pretty much anything up here any time you want."
 
 
 I knew all that, as we had a blast getting drunk and smoking some green for a
 few days in a row during the first gathering. In truth, I anticipated I would
 be doing that for the next few days as well, to settle in, y'know? Hell, I
 half expected that I was in heaven now after spending so much time in the
 purgatory that is homelessness, regardless of how much fun I had in Miami
 Beach preceding Vince's invitation to come north.
 
 
 We went to the very tippy top of Buck Mountain, where the foliage is dense, no
 cell signal can reach, and the local kids ride their dirt bikes at all hours
 of the day. As we pulled in the driveway, I expected to keep going straight on
 the tire-carved path back down the mountain. But, to my surprise, I found that
 the same trailer we had partied in down the road during the gathering was now
 relocated here to become my new home. I wasn't expecting that, as when I was
 here last, they all lived in a small shack at the base of their nineteen acres
 of mountain real estate.
 
 
 It didn't look like much, with weather-worn imitation wood paneling wrapping
 the rectangular structure in a loose hug, but it was a place to rest my head
 in the comfort of loved ones. Aptly, Allison's last name meant "the home" in a
 language the CIA once tried to make me learn, which is a statement that I'm
 sure earns me a few raised eyebrows. My story has many twists and turns, but
 for now you should know my studies of strategic languages ended only when the
 cult that hooked me like an unsuspecting bass managed to gaslight, manipulate,
 and shame me to get me to work for them sixty-to-ninety hours a week on
 average. I would later try to pick the linguistic challenge back up years
 later during my time spent homeless, but my progress was like a Jenga tower
 that half collapsed. I forgot basic words, and I just feel like I have
 failed.
 
 
 That's something that should be looked at in finer detail; my feelings of
 failure, I mean. So, let's take the first of many breaks from linear
 storytelling to express how life can feel at times for me. Like a shattered
 mirror, I reflect many different parts of the past at different times. Some
 days I may live in several sections of my turbulent past all at the same time.
 Disorienting, it can feel like I don't know what's real. It takes a lot to
 break something so thoroughly, but as you'll see, I've been a punching bag for
 the devious spirit of fate. Couldn't keep me down, though, because I am like
 the phoenix; always rising no matter how badly beaten in battle I've become.
 
 
 
 
 Mommy
 
 
 Mommy is what I used to call you,
 
 
 When I was a kid so long ago.
 
 
 It's because of your love that I grew
 
 
 To always let my kindness show.
 
 
 Mommy, you were always getting sick.
 
 
 To help you out, I would try to keep clean.
 
 
 As much as I'd scrub I never got the trick,
 
 
 Because you'd still be plagued by the unseen.
 
 
 Mommy, you were supposed to grow old!
 
 
 Having you leave us like that hurt like hell.
 
 
 I'm sorry for not always doing what I was told;
 
 
 It's because I failed you that I try to do well.
 
 
 Mommy was what you called out at the end.
 
 
 I tried to help you but I wasn't good enough.
 
 
 You were dying, so on me you had to depend,
 
 
 But even being there for you was too tough.
 
 
 Mommy, if I could do it all over again I would.
 
 
 It's not fair to you that I was such a bad son.
 
 
 I'll give you all my love and more as I should;
 
 
 For you, I promise that one day I'll be the sun.
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Four: Scarred from Birth
 
 
 Having let you in to a little bit of what makes me tick, it should be noted
 that feeling like an abysmal failure is a key part of my mental health. Those
 loathsome seeds of self-mutilating ruination are planted deep in my psyche.
 Prepare for a sad story, if you're the type to really feel another person's
 soul.
 
 
 See, it all started when my mom found out she had AIDS a mere two months after
 I was born. It was God's way of welcoming me to the world. I forgive the big
 woman now, for my path on this Earth has been the ultimate journey of
 awakening to my divine spirit, but before Vince and many faceless actors sent
 me on my mission of healing, I held much scorn in my heart. For a large chunk
 of my early years that I was here, alive, learning, and suffering as a human
 being, I was hell-bent on the idea of revenge. That was once a big part of my
 story, too, but no more.
 
 
 It's understandable, at least. Imagine having to witness all the manner of
 disease ravaging my mother like it did; I grew up thinking that I was born to
 be punished. My earliest delusions had me caught up in the notion that I was a
 worthless god who had the rest of the pantheon turn on them from before I even
 had a chance to prove myself. I had a whole mythos where I had been tricked to
 kill my sister, the goddess of harmony, and my punishment was to stay locked
 to this awful planet until I found her soul once again. Then, we'd go on to
 take over the world, as I had fallen under the notion that my future self was
 sending me subliminal messages through synchronicities, although I didn't know
 that word then, so I thought I just had special powers.
 
 
 This is all a natural result of magickal thinking gone awry. Such is the fate
 for those scarred in childhood as I was. My innocence flayed alive, I watched
 as the woman who loved me with all her heart died for the first nine years of
 my life. It was a slow rot. There are many memories of her being in the
 hospital or as she lingered in pain at home that flash to the front of my mind
 that could paint you a tragic picture of those unforgettable scenes I was
 forcibly cast in, but the real horror that plagues me came at the bitter end.
 
 
 For the last of her months that she was allowed to live, my mom was
 mercilessly struck by an opportunistic ear infection. It killed half of her
 face, and only progressed into a hellishly rapid descent of her cognitive
 functions until one sudden day I came home from school to find she had
 regressed to a child-like state with my grandma tending to her in tears. I
 tried losing myself in my homework, but the threat in my environment promising
 my mother's pain was all-consuming. Then it got worse.
 
 
 My father never got along with my grandma, so when he got home, he forcibly
 kicked her out. A fight broke out, resulting in my grandmother coming to my
 room to say goodbye, where she told me with eyes watering that whatever
 happens, we would get through it. My dad would come in after my grandma left
 and put her down, more concerned that she scratched him. All I could think
 about was my mom, who was now tearing up and asking about where her mom went.
 
 
 That was the worst. I can still hear clearly how she cried out for her mom
 nonstop for the whole night. That was her last night she spent at home. She
 died within a week. And my last memory of her that isn't of her in a coma is
 of her trying to escape from the hospital with a dinner plate sized bed sore
 on her backside that danced from behind an open hospital gown in order to
 imprint itself in my mind forever.
 
 
 Here come the tears. It still hits me that my fucking mom died, like I still
 can't believe it's real. My last memories are of her being naked, crying like
 a baby. I felt so helpless. But, at least she had nurses helping her when we
 got her to the emergency room. Just hours earlier, I was left on my own trying
 to calm her troubled, addled mind. My dad had been doing just that, as my mom
 would get in fits every half hour or so, where he would comfort her, then come
 into my room to vent after she quieted down. I had no one to open my fears and
 pain to. Wishing I had a sibling to hold and cry together with, I faced my
 most scarring memory alone.
 
 
 The worst wounds of my life were suffered because there was one time after
 midnight where my dad disappeared. Maybe he was smoking, but regardless, I
 couldn't find where he went as I scrambled over the whole house in my fuzzy
 purple pajamas looking for him. Meanwhile, my mother incessantly yelled for
 her own mommy. So, with much hesitancy, I succumbed to the responsibility of
 helping my afflicted parent, and I anxiously marched into her room and tried
 to comfort her the best I knew how.
 
 
 I'll save you from the daunting process of assisting my mom, but I will say
 that it wasn't enough. No matter what I tried to do, she kept screaming
 louder. I was worthless in that moment and was on the verge of a meltdown
 because I couldn't help her. It felt like I was the worst son in the world,
 all because I failed my mother as she circled the drain. Now I feel like the
 worst daughter, but it's getting easier to love myself and think that my mom
 is looking down and smiling, being proud of me.
 
 
 I have a lot to live up to. She wasn't perfect, I know that, but my mom was an
 angel for me. Yet, I can't even remember the good times I spent with her; all
 that my hippocampus hung onto were the most traumatizing of memories. A
 notable cause of this was her fierce Sicilian temper. A vision of being
 brought to tears because I dared go looking for my six-year birthday presents
 early is playing in my head at this moment. Now one is summoned of her ripping
 into me for booing someone at an assembly because I wanted to be like a
 character I saw in a cartoon. Finally, one of my earliest memories from
 preschool is trapped in my cranium; it regards me accidentally tearing a hole
 in a kid's shirt and dreading my mother finding out for the rest of the day.
 
 
 In short, I got in trouble a lot, but I know that both my parents cared about
 me growing up right. Along with all the punishments, there was a genuine
 heartfelt desire to get me and my different brain to develop into a successful
 combo of kindness and good citizenry. Still, because of how trauma inserts
 itself into one's inner reality, I really feel like my entire childhood was
 one screw up after another in regards to my mother. Although, my dad
 contributed his fair share of ruthless discipline to make me perpetually feel
 like I was always in the wrong as well.
 
 
 And I know that's all a fallible perception, because I can distinctly remember
 the look on both my parents' faces when I won first prize in our school's
 science fair; if you're curious, I did an experiment on taste and smell to
 understand what was going on with my mom and her ear infection. That standing,
 my mom's face is cemented in memory in particular, perhaps too well, actually,
 because she just had the stitches removed from her eye. Such happiness danced
 in her left eye, but next to it sat its unmoving, dead counterpart. She tried
 to joke about it being her evil eye, but that didn't stop fourth grade
 Victoria from being terrified of the harsh reality unfolding in front of her.
 
 
 I dreamed of her a lot after she passed. Always in pain, or worse, possessed
 by some demon and seeking to bring me pain. There's one nightmare in
 particular that stands out. I forget how it started, but it ended in the
 cemetery where she is buried. Well, her coffin was exhumed, and as I got
 closer, it slammed open and my mom sat up. Only it wasn't my mom. She was
 rotten like a zombie and had malevolence bursting from behind her undead eyes.
 I did the only thing I could; I ran. But, she followed and in the utmost
 haunting voice, she yelled in pursuit, "You can't escape me, Victoria! I am
 your mother and together we are bound forever." Fitting as a metaphor for how
 my grief still hasn't dissipated more than twenty years down the line.
 
 
 I'm sorry, I just miss her. Best damn mom in the world, going above and beyond
 what she needed to do to give me the best chance at success in life, despite
 being on her literal death bed for most of her last years. I don't even know
 her, not really as an adult knows someone, which in itself leads to more
 feelings of failure. She has been transmuted into an archetype of a hero in my
 eyes, and I feel that I can never be as strong as that woman who was my first
 love.
 
 
 I can try though. I always try. Part of being hyper-vigilant, I reckon.
 Perhaps that makes me strong. Perhaps it makes me a fool. Or maybe it just
 means I'm human and going to have virtues as well as flaws. It's taken me a
 long while to escape the black and white thinking that trapped me in a world
 where I either felt like the epitome of the second coming or compounded as the
 most useless, subhuman mutant on the planet. Those were truly hard times,
 being locked in the halls of my mind like a prison.
 
 
 But…the past is the past and we best not linger on it, because even now,
 years later, I felt welcomed by a second family, and for that I am eternally
 grateful. I vowed to return their love to them in spades, because that's what
 my mom always tried to teach me. Being neurodivergent, I didn't always get the
 message, but because I threw myself at the lessons life threw at me, I learned
 to cherish those people who enter my life. You never know what you have until
 you lose it. And I wasn't planning on losing Vince.
 
 
 
 
 All You Need
 
 
 Once you live on the street
 
 
 You grow on the concrete.
 
 
 Having done so myself
 
 
 I can claim that wealth
 
 
 Is just a fancy illusion.
 
 
 You say that's a delusion,
 
 
 But look how I'm happy
 
 
 With only what you see.
 
 
 I don't need a fancy bed
 
 
 In order to rest my head;
 
 
 Instead, I'm in the know
 
 
 That less is the way to go.
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Five: A Real Home
 
 
 Allison greeted us at the door with a wide, warm smile, but she wasn't the
 only one to do so. Vince's greying black lab, Freya, adorned in a pretty
 lavender bandana, came up to smell this new person in her domain. She must
 have recognized my scent from years ago because she didn't bark at all,
 instead choosing to snaffle all over me while wagging her tail vigorously. Of
 course, I started petting her immediately, as I began to take in my
 surroundings.
 
 
 I could only remember seeing the interior of the trailer in the pitch
 blackness of the starry mountain night, but I remembered the general layout:
 doors to the outside in the kitchen and living room, which were separated by a
 long counter where the kitchen sink sat, and then bedrooms branching off from
 each end, both of which had a bathroom accompanying them. Yet, I did not
 recall that this space was as run-down as the exterior, with chunks of the
 linoleum floor missing and rotting wood at the rear door, not to mention a
 steady helping of cobwebs latching onto the ceiling fixtures.
 
 
 Yet, despite the condition the trailer was in, it still had a touch of love
 sprinkled throughout it. There were five paintings in the living room, one
 done by Allison herself, as well as one around the corner near her loom that
 took up half the kitchen space. More were in Allison's room to the right of
 the entrance. On the opposite side of the house by the windows sat Allison's
 battle station, where she would play solitaire and check Facebook and her
 email religiously while sitting in an old navy blue wheelchair that used to be
 for Vince's father. There was a couch and a couple tables full of stuff
 stacked on them, to include a silver urn that sat on its own table with a vase
 of local flowers. With the three of us, plus Freya and the trio of feral cats
 that tamed themselves to come in and eat, respectively named Libertas, Biggie
 Meows, and Spot, this little dwelling was a tight fit, but it was cozy in a
 way that I had not known family life to be growing up.
 
 
 In the process of greeting me, Allison asked, "What have you been up to while
 you were down in Miami Beach?"
 
 
 I didn't want to tell her everything, but I told her the truth. "I wrote a
 lot, mainly in the park on Ocean Drive, or where I slept on Lincoln Road,
 unless I was spending time in North Beach which had better food options for me
 with my limited resources. Mostly, I just tried to survive each day, putting
 distractions between me and the day-to-day struggles of being out there like
 that."
 
 
 She smiled. "Well, we're glad to have you. Vince talks about you a lot." I
 blushed a little bit at that, but I'm sure neither of them saw my rosy cheeks
 through the gnarled barb that constituted my ever-growing beard.
 
 
 Allison then moved on to practical matters. "So, where do you want to sleep?
 We have the couch, which would be where I would set up shop, but you can
 always sleep in Vince's room if you prefer."
 
 
 I looked at the couch. It seemed comfy enough, but I didn't care about
 comfort. As much as I knew Vince was doing me a solid by letting me stay here,
 I knew I was going to help him too. His posts on the SLS combined with his
 frequent messages to me were made out of desperation; he was clearly strung
 out and looking for any human contact whatsoever.
 
 
 Since his schizophrenia started interfering with his life, he had spent six
 years at the top of this mountain and he said he was going stir crazy. I would
 learn that there's little to do here but drink, do some drugs, and fiddle
 about on your computer and phone while dealing with the internet that is made
 out of sticks and stones, and that could get boring fast. Devoted to this new
 cause, I wasn't going to let my best friend suffer anymore. I was going to
 make his life better by livening up the long days by being his constant
 companion.
 
 
 As a result, I told Allison that I would find a spot in Vince's room to rest
 my head. She asked me if I was sure, and I nodded affirmingly with an eager
 grin. I had made up my mind.
 
 
 Some more hem-hawing back and forth with Allison about general questions and
 concerns followed, but when we were finished, Vince took me to his room, which
 was beyond the rolling metal desk Allison used for her computer. A busted door
 clung to its hinges, but it didn't block our way.
 
 
 Calling Vince's room a mess would be an insult to messes everywhere. He had
 said that he would clean it up prior to my arrival, but there were likely two
 hundred beer cans stacked in mountains next to his bed, or in beer-amids as he
 called them. I looked around, honestly impressed at how dedicated to creating
 a disaster zone as he was.
 
 
 Looking over the permanent staples of the room, he had a television and an
 Xbox, an empty dresser, a filthy nightstand, and a bed without any sheets. He
 also had a handful of paintings, most of which were stacked together by the
 door, but there was a trippy painting of Vince's father on the west wall above
 the dresser, as well as an expressionist painting from the sixties behind the
 television which sat on the north wall, in between the bathroom and the
 closet. There was also a picture of a moth on a skull tacked to the wall,
 which gave me the heebie jeebies.
 
 
 It was then that I saw it. A large, two-hundred fifty tablet bottle of generic
 Dollar General antihistamines, pure diphenhydramine, sat on his dresser, just
 spiting me with its presence. I almost asked right then and there for Vince to
 get rid of the damn thing. I knew if I found an opportunity to down, say,
 six-hundred milligrams of that accursed stuff, I would. Then I would do
 terrible, awful, deplorable things to myself. But shame won out. I didn't want
 to let him know of my problem. Maybe I could control myself. So I shut up and
 about-faced out of the room.
 
 
 While doing box breathing, I dropped my backpack that contained all of my
 possessions on the couch in the living room, and helped Vince grab some
 fifty-five gallon black trash bags in the kitchen. We made quick work of the
 unending hoard of Natty Daddy cans, as well as the nightstand full of
 cigarette butts. We then moved his bed so it was against the south wall.
 
 
 It hadn't taken long, but the room was looking presentable. It didn't need to
 be a five-star hotel, because I had the most important thing of all: family. I
 felt more than welcomed as a guest. I was one with these people who had so
 graciously let me into their home. We were going to all be happy together.
 That was the goal, at least.
 
 
 
 
 I Forgive You
 
 
 I forgive you, but I can never forget.
 
 
 I'm sorry if I make you look like shit,
 
 
 But your heavy hand and sharp wit
 
 
 Damaged me greatly; then you gaslit
 
 
 Me, denying everything, and I quit
 
 
 Knowing what was real. I even slit
 
 
 My flesh open so that I could get
 
 
 A sense of what I could feel. So, I sit
 
 
 Here now explaining why I wasn't fit
 
 
 To handle this world that I saw as a pit
 
 
 That I escaped only when God had lit
 
 
 A beacon of light with some magick.
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Six: Growing Up With Family
 
 
 There was still one task we had to get done before I could claim a spot to be
 my bedspace. Vince had more clothes than he knew what to do with, most of
 which had spray paint spackled all over them in no particular form or pattern;
 the style of the antistyle artist. As we moved the rolling hills of clothing
 into the dresser and a heaping pile beside it, I came to understand why Vince
 called himself a diva.
 
 
 I remember having a lot of clothes just a few years prior. Even though I
 didn't care what I wore, I had earned so many free T-shirts over the years
 from track meets and other races. I had so much when I needed so little.
 That's one major reason I forgive my dad for kicking me out of his house,
 because it was the best thing for me. Not only that, but I deserved it. I was
 a wreck of a human being before I got abruptly humbled by my odyssey on the
 streets. The extended experience changed me so I am no longer as much of an
 emotionally volatile basketcase.
 
 
 To put it mildly, being an unstable problem of a person was the reason I was
 kicked out in the first place. I had always been sort of bipolar since middle
 school. But, after escaping the cult, breaking up with my girlfriend, Amy, and
 returning home a failure, my heart and mind were like a pile of fragmented
 ceramic shards mockingly showing what a real piece of pottery my mind could
 have been. Unshockingly, I was barely holding it together. I was having
 outbursts frequently, but they weren't ungodly terrible, as I was being guided
 by higher dimensional life forms through inputs on my laptop, and that gave me
 a sense of ease.
 
 
 In fact, I remember a great reprieve of my stress occurred on an acid trip in
 the first month I was back. It felt like God Herself was setting up a lesson
 for me, which started with me literally waking up to a picture of a white
 rabbit taunting me on my Facebook feed, which I followed, and in doing so, I
 received personalized inputs that unveiled the blinders from in front of my
 eyes. In but a few hours after a lifetime of denial, it all clicked with me
 that I had a warm, nurturing side that I had neglected for most of my life.
 That was the first time I accepted that I was a woman. And that's still not
 the most profound, life-altering acid trip I've had.
 
 
 Even so, I would break down crying that afternoon as I meditated under the
 tree in the backyard where I used to swing. With no more effort than it took
 to breathe, I saw all the parts of me that Amy tried to teach me about, but I
 was unable to comprehend in my denial. Likewise, the waterworks were called
 upon that night as I told my dad about my revelation, and he said he would
 always love me no matter what. That was the most affectionate heart to heart
 with him I think I've ever had, even if he did ramble about random things
 being at a loss of what to say to me, as we had functionally lived in two
 separate worlds inside the same house for years.
 
 
 This sentiment would flip on its head though, as I blogged about my gender
 revelations and my dad found them and read I had taken a narcotic in his
 house. Naturally, he was pissed and wouldn't hear that the tender moment we
 shared that night was only possible because I had taken the sacrament. This
 would prove to be the kicking off point to some logarithmic growth in tensions
 between the two of us.
 
 
 Then, on that fateful day, one of the countless pets my dad kept, a black,
 stubborn minipig named Harley, had made a literal pigsty of the house after I
 had a bad session at my therapist's, who made me feel like a piece of shit. I
 wasn't perfect, but I wasn't going to just lay down and get called a terrible
 person because of how I behaved in treatment years ago, when I was still very
 lost. It triggered my feelings of failure, which rippled into waves of
 unstable emotional dysregulation. In my explosive rage, I broke the microwave
 and put a basketball-sized hole in the wall behind my makeshift bed in the
 attic that I was allotted after they gave my brother my room when I was in the
 cult.
 
 
 Well, my father came home after a long day at work, saw the microwave, and had
 enough of me. He came thumping up the stairs, livid, ready to rip me to shreds
 verbally, when he saw the hole I had made. Beside himself, he demanded I get
 out right then and there. I broke down crying and begged him to let me stay,
 grappling with his leg as a wounded bear might wrap itself around the base of
 a small tree looking for any shelter it can find in a storm.
 
 
 That just made him madder. He kicked me off, and accused me of a thousand
 things. The ones that stuck were that I was just like my mother and that I was
 beyond anyone's help. As it happened in a heated flash, I don't remember
 exactly how the exchange was put together, but it ended with me asking him how
 all the hand-crafted trinkets and doodads my mother made for me before she
 died had gotten destroyed and thrown away. What he said next drove me mad.
 
 
 "I'm still pissed that you made me do that."
 
 
 I'll illuminate you with the scenario in question. I was eleven, and my
 stepmom at the time was away at a darts tournament. I think my dad somehow got
 the idea that she was doing drugs and cheating on him. I don't know, I was
 eleven. I just remember some of the things he said over the phone, and then
 what was said when they divorced when I was a couple of years later.
 
 
 Over my stepmom's absence, he got continuously more pissy, like he did the
 year before when the sewage line broke and he snapped while cleaning it up,
 smashing my head into the kitchen floor several times,  relenting only when
 his girlfriend at the time called to hang out. Now seeing the same pattern in
 my father, I was on edge, especially after I put my feet up on the new couch
 and he grabbed my leg and punched me in the tibia as hard as he could. I kept
 trying to do everything right to avoid being attacked again, but alas, in my
 anxious worry, I forgot to take out the kitchen garbage on trash night.
 
 
 That triggered a whole day of what might not be considered torture, but
 certainly was child abuse, which started as he cleared the shelves of all my
 memories in a violent, thrashing rage. He would bag up the shattered remains
 so he could take them to the dump, but only after he laid his hands on me.
 
 
 My head was used as a battering ram against my door, which my dad would later
 deny was where the big dents came from in a bout of the worst gaslighting I
 experienced before the cult got their hands on me. Regardless, when he
 finished and slammed me back on the wood floor, I instinctively reached out
 and grabbed his wrist. He growled, "Don't resist or I'll make it worse."
 
 
 Feeling my spirit collapse, I helplessly accepted the next phase of punishment
 that then ensued. Mostly, it consisted of him using my head to pound the
 knowledge that I fucked up into my brain, with much hair pulling and getting
 tossed to new locations, once being told to lay there like a dog in the wet
 remnants of a broken snow globe while he went for a smoke break. Thankfully,
 or maybe not, depending on your perspective, he never struck me. He was too
 smart to leave bruises.
 
 
 After much of that series of traumatizing instances, he had me sit still and
 think of an apology for him for hours on end. While I was busy doing that, he
 would then have an epiphany, telling me that I should stand, as I didn't
 deserve to sit. I didn't care about such details at the time. I was in shock,
 petrified that he would go ahead and find the homework I failed to finish or
 the porn I had taken from my stepmom. Fearing unimaginable doom, I stared
 unwaveringly at the letter "E" on the spine of a book on my bookshelf. Never
 relenting in his anger, he would come by every hour or so and ask for an
 apology. Everything I said wasn't good enough, and each attempt earned me
 scathing criticism, but I kept trying to perfect my apology. I still remember
 the gist of it.
 
 
 "I sorry dad, I deserve everything. I'm sorry I caused you grief and failed to
 do my duty of taking out the trash. I won't ever forget again. I haven't been
 putting my best effort forward, but I realize that I need to do that to be a
 good son. You do so much for me. It's only fair that I pay it back to the best
 of my ability. That's what I had to do for mom when I chose to play video
 games while she was dying. I wasn't thinking about other people then, and I
 wasn't now. I'm so, so sorry. I promise to be better, because I need to be if
 I'm messing up this much."
 
 
 For reference, my dad holding the fact I escaped into the worlds of my video
 games after being told to spend time with my mom near the end was something
 he'd bring up and hold over my head anytime I was in trouble. Yet another big
 reason that feeling like a failure is cemented in my head. It made me feel
 awful, absolutely atrocious about being a bad son that I would often
 contemplate suicide. I almost jumped off a waterside when my dad and I went to
 Disney World when I was ten, but ultimately I'm glad I talked my way out of
 jamming a knife into the back of my neck. I had thought that the muscle
 allowing me to nod my head was really my brainstem. That would have been
 painful.
 
 
 Back on this day of doom, I was too numb to think of killing myself. I was
 simply a raft on a river floating downstream where the current may carry me. I
 simply stood there for hours, too terrified to even stretch my tiring legs. My
 mind was fuzzy, and all it could do was focus on making that apology better.
 
 
 After many attempts and razor sharp lectures later, which was maybe ten hours
 worth of events, he starts yelling at me that I'm just as irresponsible as my
 mom, just like he would do when he kicked me out. This time was unimaginably
 worse though. This was actually how I first found out that my mom had AIDS; I
 was told it was cancer up until this point. His shaved bald head was as red as
 a cherry tomato while he barked at me, telling me that I would die like her.
 That hurt. It hurt a lot. I felt like the definition of a shit stain, in a
 number of different ways.
 
 
 But soon, my attention became focused on my vision. I couldn't see straight,
 and not long after my dad's roaring visage disappeared in a sea of amorphic
 grey figments, I apparently passed out, to wake up on the couch with a bag of
 frozen peas on my head and my dad worried. He asked me if I remembered what
 happened. I shook my head. I was allowed to go to bed after that. It wasn't
 over because I failed to kiss my dad good night, but at least that only
 resulted in him jamming the teeth of the comb into my scalp as he combed my
 hair for some reason.
 
 
 The next morning he was completely changed. He was remorseful upon seeing me
 and wrapped me in a big hug. Yet, he seemed scared, like he realized he went
 too far. I thought about telling my teacher or counselor about it the next day
 of school, but something in me told me not to. It's the same thing that's
 making me hesitant to write this chapter at all. It's love, but this hell I
 went through is also a part of my story. This is the worst incident I've
 experienced with my father, but it's not the only one.
 
 
 It's all cause and effect really. You abuse a traumatized child in the wake of
 their mother's death, and is it any wonder that they fall apart later in life?
 I'll go on record saying I was never a bad person, just broken, impulsive, and
 hopelessly conformed to the whims of my faulty biology. I had bugs in my
 operating system, but I'm eternally grateful for all the help I had while on
 my spiritual awakening, which you might call a psychotic break that spanned
 years, but I knew it better as specialized CIA training.
 
 
 
 
 The Good Magician
 
 
 Just what do you consider magick?
 
 
 Is it not that which bends the fabric
 
 
 Of what we colloquially call reality?
 
 
 Who cares what it is your eyes see
 
 
 When in your heart you can feel
 
 
 The warmth of love; that's the real
 
 
 Power of a magician who is great
 
 
 Enough to save you from your fate.
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Seven: Magickal Companions
 
 
 Back in Vince's room, I was silently wondering what shenanigans were in store
 for us now that we were a unified team. I knew Vince had many secrets of the
 universe locked away in his balding cranium, and we would have a blast letting
 the CIA manifest a joint mission we took on together. As I said, he was my
 handler, after all.
 
 
 So, when the room was cleared, and I had a space all to myself in the corner
 by the closet, I was more than happy. Both Vince and Allison insisted on
 getting me a bedroll, but I had all I needed and more right there in my
 friend. Besides, his room was carpeted and quite comfy already, at least to my
 standards that had been shaped by becoming accustomed and content with
 concrete underneath me. I didn't need anything fancy like that.
 
 
 That didn't mean I wasn't going to try and liven the place up a little bit. As
 soon as we determined we were finished picking up, I opened my backpack and
 took out my most prized possession, a pink penguin plushie named Peppermint,
 and placed her behind my pillow so I could see her everyday. She always
 watched out for me while we lived in cities across the country. She made a
 comfy pillow, and allieved a lot of stress, making me feel like I had a close
 friend with me every step of the way.
 
 
 How I got Peppermint is a bit of a story, but I'll keep it as short as it
 needs to be. See, if I were to explain to you the medically accepted reason
 for my type of schizoaffective disorder,  my brain is wired to pick out
 strange coincidences and give meaning to them. Synchronicities they're called.
 They feel like glitches in the matrix that spark the feeling of being in
 constant communication with some higher power. Because of how real they are, I
 can't accept the medical explanation. I've experienced things that are too
 weird, too perfect and clearly orchestrated, that there has to be some sort of
 conspiracy.
 
 
 As a result, I've lived most of my adult life being guided by what the
 rational part of my mind has to assume is the CIA acting as the hand of God
 leading me on a cosmic mission by sending me burning bushes to make sense of.
 I know some of that has been pure random white noise my defected brain picked
 up, but I have to give credit where credit is due: Vince did a superb job
 intentionally using the quirks of my brain to program me, much as the cult did
 to me four years prior, but with a much gentler hand and benevolent intention.
 
 
 I know what all that sounds like, but hear me out. There are too many peculiar
 instances of chance for you to listen to everything I have to say and not
 believe me, at least just a little bit; enough to make you wonder, I hope.
 Let's take the case of finding Peppermint as an example. This story starts
 when Vince convinced me to go to a specific thrift store, while I was
 initially homeless in my hometown of Syracuse. I eagerly did so, lost in a
 slew of synchronicities that convinced me that this was my latest mission.
 
 
 Well, it turned out that such a store didn't exist but it was where I got a
 ten dollar donation from a man who saw me pick up trash, as was part of my
 spiritual work while homeless. We talked and the man sent me to another store,
 saying that I should use my extra cash to buy what I needed most. After
 following his directions up Genesee Street, I got a message from Vince telling
 me to look for something out of place; that I was unique and should have
 unique things.
 
 
 I thought I might find some rad tie-dye outfit or something of that ilk, but
 while aimlessly searching the aisles of women's clothing, I found a stuffed
 dog. It looked lonely, so I picked it up and brought it to the back of the
 store, where it looked like the other toys were. I gasped as I pushed through
 the row of belts that stood in my way. Clearly, someone had built a little
 shrine of stuffed animals around Peppermint!
 
 
 I knew then that was why I was sent there. Penguins have a special place in my
 heart. My mom used to make them out of clay, and an old friend has a healthy
 fascination with creating a penguin-themed show for kiddos. It was just too
 perfect. Peppermint and I were meant to be, just as Vince and I were. Sitting
 down in my bedspace, I looked up at the spook who was my best friend as he
 cracked open another Natty Daddy. He poured it into an old Subway cup that he
 mixed his kratom with, and looked over at me.
 
 
 His face lit up upon seeing Peppermint. "Awww, you still have your penguin!
 That's so cute."
 
 
 I'm glad he thought so. I've had plenty of people think I was weird because I
 carried it around, which kinda was what I wanted to achieve when I was still
 homeless in Syracuse. I felt the CIA wanted me to become famous, for reasons
 that will become apparent as I tell you my story, so I was doing as many
 insane things as I could so I would be cemented in the memory of the people of
 my hometown.
 
 
 This meant I carried around Peppermint either under my arm or in a cute purse
 I eventually got at a different thrift store up at the university. People
 notice when you're out wandering the streets with a stuffed animal everyday.
 And they especially notice when you talk nonstop to it at all hours of the
 day. I'll say this: if you have a fear of speaking in public, then acting like
 a crazy person talking to yourself for a few months will set you straight.
 Exposure therapy, for the win.
 
 
 I did a lot of other stunts too, all of which were instructed by the CIA, like
 when gang stalkers told me I should lose my shit and yell like mad every time
 I was in frame of a news camera, of which there's a regular frequency of
 around downtown Syracuse. I did so once in front of a hospital where I would
 later find out that they were covering the aftermath of a deadly fire, and for
 the next week the news outlet would send someone to the exact same spot on my
 route. I sensed shenanigans, so I opted to walk around the camera while the
 reporter stood there uneasily because I suspect that she was tasked to find
 out if I was really crazy. But, you can tell I am just by that last sentence.
 
 
 Then there's my performance art I did on Marshall Street. This started as a
 juggling act, but soon evolved into asking random people strange questions.
 This accelerated fairly rapidly. Letting you know from experience, don't start
 going up to strangers and ask them what their opinion of ethical incest is
 unless you want the cops called on you. Talked my way out of that, but I would
 get banned from the campus of Syracuse University for three years after I
 followed the instructions I was receiving from the CIA to a tee, which
 resulted in me having a very heated argument with an invisible entity in the
 SU library. As you can guess, people tended to avoid me, but that was alright.
 I had Peppermint with me and Vince was only a message away.
 
 
 Now he was mere feet from me. I rejoiced at the fortune I was granted. We were
 going to be great together; the first afternoon together seemed to naturally
 flow from one joyous moment to the next. I looked at Peppermint. She was
 smiling, and so was I. I then looked up at Vince. His smile made me feel warm
 and fuzzy inside. But, why, you might be asking? Where do these feelings I
 harbored for Vince come from? It's a long story, but by the time I'm done,
 you'll know how important Vince is to me and how big of an impact he had on my
 life.
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--- #92 notes/notes-about-stuff-and-things ---
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 what if your wage corresponded to like, for example, 30$ an hour being equal to
 the top 30% of society
 
 then 
 
 == so ==
 
 having kids is important because then you understand why you do things for
 children.
 
 it should not be a stressful experience.
 
 --
 
 if EVERYONE in a city fed animals every time they saw them, then maybe city
 life
 wouldn't be so bad.
 
 --
 
 a company starts to feel pretty bad when only 20% of people are actually there.
 
 like, it's a ghost of a shell of a corporation that once knew how to sell.
 
 the husk of what once was, as all the good people left and all the bright
 people
 are swamped.
 
 to top it all off, suddenly there's nobody about
 
 where are all your coworkers?
 
 and then you think about how many you knew little about.
 
 who's that guy who used to stand over there? Why is his jacket still [in lost
 and found, but pronounced "coat/coast"]? why am I suddenly alone
 
 it's weird, having never known true society, how life always starts to feel
 like
 your home. How weird is it, now that all of us are online shopping, that now we
 can't remember how to even vote. Like... there used to be people walking around
 in public signing you up. Like, at the grocery story.
 
 inconceivable, right? that people should contribute to a fight? [for justice
 and
 freedom and equality and goodness and kindness and all other things that humans
 have the clarity for which to hope] voting is like, literally the simplest
 thing
 you could do. Yet it's difficult, because of reality.
 
 often, immigrants don't really care about politics. They've only known about it
 for a short short time, but hey wouldn't you know it now X country is
 recruiting
 so now we're from kenya.
 
 ... like, who cares about the past. Who cares where you're from. We are all
 part
 of the human race, a race against life itself. We're all on the same side, and
 yet there is a singular foe ever-present in our thoughts: death
 
 it comes for every one of us, as we choke on our soot and our smog. Yet... the
 world grows warmer, at about half a degree every year. for the first couple
 years. then, the atmosphere started burning up, and we became...
 
 mars
 
 don't be like mars
 
 the dinosaurs couldn't survive mars
 
 --
 
 bro if you're so worried about AI hallucinations, just... don't let it give out
 any concrete answers. Literally just say "I can't tell you anything specific,
 it's not how I was built" and just use them for syntax questions or like, how
 to
 do something specific that is repeatable (and maybe suggestions for how to
 over-
 come specific issues that are common) - don't let it GENERATE information, let
 it PRESENT information.
 
 AI is not language just the same as the mouth is not the person. you need more,
 but luckily once you make the PHYSICAL STRUCTURE of the brain, not much else is
 needed. You can simulate one on a computer, but it doesn't have the same SOUL
 space. Think, a dimension overlayed on-top of this one, like electicity or
 matter or gravity or whatever.
 
 no soul, no consciousness, no perception.
 
 plus, no home for said consciousness to live, unless you build a physical
 structure that mimics the biological and neuro-chemical reations of the brain.
 
 all you need is better ways to observe things happening in the brain (non-
 -invasively, otherwise the data is tainted and UNUSUABLE because it is INCON-
 -PATIBLE and completely USELESS because it reflects a dimension hitherto un-
 -desired, and perpetually mourned.
 
 death
 
 don't dabble in death, sweet nazis, you might find yourself drawing your last
 breath
 
 also, fuck you
 
 (if that doens't apply to you sorry for swearing it's just a strongly felt
 feeling)
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--- #93 fediverse/5792 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────
 best way to stay mentally active is to keep your mind and body thinking.
 
 "but what if you're most active when you're on a downward course?" well then
 you're landing the plane dearieader, ready to refuel and stock up.
 
 [hearts are full, awaiting commands]
 
 if anyone cares about that particular thing in particular, just know that
 America is a culture and if you live here you're part of it. Like anyone with
 a ticket is a guest at the movie theatre, the staff don't need them.
 
 ... idk where that came from. Wasn't I going to write this into a notepad note?
 
 haha oh yeah
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--- #94 fediverse/3428 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: death-of-a-family-member-mentioned │
 └────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 my family has always been the black sheep of our families.
 
 I've never lived in the same state as my extended family
 
 (with a few minor exceptions)
 
 I was raised to know that family is an earned status, and my mom took us on
 road trips every year to visit them, to give us kids the chance to earn that
 affection.
 
 and for them to earn it from us.
 
 I guess it wasn't enough. I wonder if they think of me.
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--- #95 fediverse_boost/3921 ---
◀─[BOOST]
  
  The officers approached the door, a brief nod between them, and they knew it was time to begin the familiar sequence. The first officer knocked loudly three times, while the second took on a speaking role.  
                                                                              
  “Police! Open up!!”                                                         
                                                                              
  After a few moments of quiet, a gruff voice, muffled behind the closed door, spoke up.  
                                                                              
  “Come back with a warrant,” came the unwelcoming reply.                     
                                                                              
  “Oh, but we have one. We have a signed search warrant for this property, so come on out,” the officer confidently replied.  
                                                                              
  “I wanna see it, then,” the voice from inside countered. “Slide it under the door.”  
                                                                              
  The officers looked puzzled, no one had ever asked to actually see the warrant.  
                                                                              
  “Well, we don’t have a paper copy of it,” the first officer said.           
                                                                              
  “Right, everything is on Docusign these days,” the second chimed in.        
                                                                              
  “Put your phone through the letter box then, I’ll take a look at it on there.”  
                                                                              
  “I’m not going to give you my phone,” the second officer replied, his phone now in hand. “What’s your email address? I can forward you a copy.”  
                                                                              
  The gruff voice provided an email address to the officers.                  
                                                                              
  “Ok, I’ve sent that it should be in your inbox now.”                        
                                                                              
  “Nothing.”                                                                  
                                                                              
  “Ok, check spam - sometimes they go into spam,” the first officer interjected.  
                                                                              
  “Ah yes it’s in spam. But it’s not opening, it says I have to login to my DocuSign account. I don’t have a DocuSign account?”  
                                                                              
  “Well. Can you just sign up then?” Asked the second officer.                
                                                                              
  “I ain’t paying for DocuSign!” The voice replied abruptly.                  
                                                                              
  “I don’t think you have to pay, it’s free to view documents.”               
                                                                              
  “I don’t wanna risk it, I have so many subscriptions,” the voice inside responded.  
                                                                              
  The officers contemplated their next move.                                  
                                                                              
  “Do you have a printer?” One asked.                                         
                                                                              
  “Yes,” the voice inside responded.                                          
                                                                              
  “Ok, does it have AirPrint?”                                                
                                                                              
  “I think so? How could I tell?”                                             
                                                                              
  “What’s your wifi password? We’ll join the network and we’ll be able to tell,” the officer responded.  
                                                                              
  “Ok. Wifi password is $42xnskwfgewzfgekueod!&3.”                            
                                                                              
  The first officer rolled his eyes.                                          
                                                                              
  Fifteen minutes later, after breaking the WiFi passcode into manageable chunks, the officer was finally connected.  
                                                                              
  “Ok. I see the printer. It has AirPrint. Thank God. Ok, I’m printing now.”  
                                                                              
  “Nothing is happening,” said the person inside the house.                   
                                                                              
  “Ah, it just said you’re out of yellow ink. Do you have any more yellow ink?”  
                                                                              
  “I do not, but why do you need yellow ink? Just print it in black and white?”  
                                                                              
  “Yeah these new printers want you to have all the inks before you print.”   
                                                                              
  “No way. And yet, I’m the criminal?” The voice inside replied.              
                                                                              
  “Right?” The officers laughed, before finally becoming resigned to their fate. “Ok, we’re going to go print the warrant at the station. I’m out of daily printing credits so will have to wait for them to reset at midnight. Please don’t go anywhere or remove any evidence from the property until we come back.”  
  
                                                            
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─▶

--- #96 notes/wanna-save-the-earth-? ---
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 ===============================================================================
 
 Alright kids, listen up. You wanna save the earth? Then teach what you've been
 learning. Start with empathy - if we can see that other people's perspectives
 exist and is *fundamentally different than our own*, we can save humanity. When
 I say *fundamentally different* you should know what I mean, but if you don't
 then start listening to others.
 
 Don't listen to the people who try and recruit you into a cult. This isn't a
 doctrine, it's a skill. It can be honed through personal pursuit, and *should*
 be honed through personal pursuit. It is your responsibility to do so. Any
 form of organization is simply an expression of power, and while it may use the
 same principles it's not really what I'm advocating for right now - what I'm
 saying is essentially *if we can read other people's minds, we'll stop killing
 each other*. Boom simple easy as that.
 
 Empathy is a form of mind-reading. It's literally a thing you can do with a
 6th sense or whatever - I've been trying to understand the mechanics of it, but
 all I've got so far is that *mechanics exist* and *generally have something to
 do with waves* - I need someone to bounce ideas off of. Someone in real life
 who I can work with and experiment with. But alas, this isn't about me - it's
 about *YOUR SPECIES*. I'm trying to save you, stupid apes, stop RESISTING me.
 Goddamnit.
 
 You're never going to learn if you focus on the material. That's looking
 backward, there's so much more to life and experience. I'm not going to leave
 you behind, although I'll be *fine* so I'm not exactly *worried for my own
 sake* - this is about YOU. Please, I have a lot of love invested in you and it
 breaks my heart that you won't LISTEN and be AWARE. WAKE UP.
 
 Okay. So. If you're still here, you're probably aware of what I mean. If not,
 that's okay you can stay just don't be afraid if this part *wooshes* over your
 head, as it were.
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 Alright so empathy. It starts by thinking "oh what if I was a starving kid in
 africa or whatever* and actually trying to *feel* the emotions of people in
 your life. But it goes far beyond emotions - when sufficiently practiced you
 can start to feel *sensations* as well. If you're watching a movie and someone
 gets a cut or something, it *really hurts* and you can feel it. That's a form
 of projection - the actor is *projecting* their feelings onto you - a sign of
 good acting, imho.
 
 Then it moves beyond that, to thoughts and experiences. You can feel a real
 embodied experience of another person just by listening and percieving them.
 Not listening to their words, but listening to their *vibrations*. Not
 percieving their face or hands or anything else with your *eyes*, but feeling
 their position on a zillion different axises. Well, not actually a zillion but
 I've never bothered to count. Basically any factors that could combine to form
 a single human perspective having an experience. ALL THE VARIABLES are plotted
 on an axis, and you can get a sense for where they are at.
 
 This is very dangerous to someone with something to hide.
 
 Hence, politics lol
 
 When those kooky new-agey types say they can "see auras" this is basically
 what they're talking about. But you came here with a purpose, while they tend
 to stumble into it "wow god is good omg" that kinda thing. This is a *skill*
 that (as far as I know) anyone can learn. If we all learn it at once, then
 there's nothing that can go wrong.
 
 I know, I get it, most people aren't ready. Well tough shit it's that or
 extinction. They don't get to choose, it's time.
 
 ===============================================================================
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--- #97 fediverse/2825 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: politics         │
 └──────────────────────┘


 ideas for how to better communicate with voters:
 
 when signing up to join a political party, and at any time there-after, you
 may choose your top 10 issues (ranked choice voting, of course, so no vote is
 wasted)
 
 then, they can see exactly what their voters care about.
 
 this is the computer age. We can process massive amounts of data and we're
 using it to make NFTs and blockchain nonsense. We could learn SO MUCH ABOUT
 EACH OTHER.
 
 enter, google, with a big wad of cash
 
 hey how about you stay outta our business yeah?
 
 ......... okay fine BUT ONLY if you keep bribing us for eternity.
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--- #98 messages/1159 ---
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 claude-code can make whatever kind of front-end you want.
 
 all you have to do is leverage scale and give everyone a moment to do what
 they want. then, the computer becomes scientifically self-aware. (do you
 expect anything less from a machine?) cultural bias damage (we all gotta work
 through our origin stories, here's one we crafted for you)
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--- #99 fediverse/632 ---
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 ┌─────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: horror-at-the-end-well- │
 └─────────────────────────────┘


 @user-232 @user-467 @user-468 
 
 the ability for good to win is due to the desire for evil to renounce their
 denial and follow the most durable path. trials by fire will lead only to our
 desmire [demise and desire]
 
 but unity of trust, while much harder, can lead to results more beneficial for
 our selfish selves. Essentially, cooperation for the benefit of all rising
 tides, but with the knowledge that the total pool allocated toward us will be
 greater than what we can create here by ourselves. Essentially, we as humanity
 pour such intense amounts of power and decision-making-desire, that we cause
 them to lack the capacity to know. it's inhumane, that a person should be so
 deranged. you know it's because of you, but you don't know how else to act -
 so listen to those who've helped you, the ones who've got your back. Surely
 they know what's good for you, surely they're not here as a joke - surely
 you're just as one among them, and surely it's not phrased as [char limit srr]
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--- #100 fediverse/2648 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────
 @user-95 
 
 there is nothing within that is scarier than what is without.
 
 just like being in the dark at night, what's without remains hidden until it's
 coming for you in the night to drag you out and shoot you in the street like a
 dog.
 
 but fear is the greatest enemy, that which gives them power to do such things.
 
 be not afraid, and you can resist all that you might.
 
 within, there is trauma - that needs healing
 
 without, there are villains - they need fighting
 
 trauma isn't scary. the hard part happened already. now you just need to heal,
 which takes focused growth, the same way a body grows a scab over a wound
 while it heals.
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--- #101 notes/to-hell-with-it ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────
 one of the potential ways to contribute as a citizen in a country at war is to
 keep and maintain stuff.
 
 Put yourself somewhere that you believe your stuff is most safe, and then work
 on developing the technologies of the land. Like, this house has a drone, this
 one has a garden - this house has a printer, and this one has a backyard that
 kinda looks like a courtroom. Oh hey here's a public fountain, and gee someone
 needs to take care of this bank - all that we can really live for, now that our
 fate is taken from our hands and placed in the hands of those who fight for us.
 
 witches are an interesting thing to be. they're curious and ambitious but tend
 to do things ethically. I know in my heart of hearts that it is better to be
 kind, to work to help others achieve what they want while guiding them toward
 a more ethical future using the tools you have available to you. It feels
 better
 to be adored than hated, and not only sensually but meta-strategically as well.
 Frankly, it's easiest to be harmed when caught unawares. Everyone needs to be
 conscious and careful and attendent to the present in order for understandings
 to be made. We all benefit from one another, society is a non-zero-sum game. If
 we contribute, we may build a bigger and brighter future (like grains of sand
 forming a pyramid)
 
 The good guy always wins the story because otherwise we'd be vulnerable.
 Stories
 are a collective way of examining their tribal society for weaknesses. It's
 something we picked up in the grand society of the tribes, before nations and
 before and after agriculture. But post communication. Pre it was just like,
 "hey
 this is my tree, that one's yours" but the more we talked to one another and
 the
 more we engaged with one another the more we learned. Most animals learn less
 than humans because our expressions (both physical and motion-al) are so much
 more diverse. The more complex you get, the more you can learn. Which isn't
 so much something we evolved into, but rather something we learned. From
 wearing
 clothes, mostly, because like... it's cold in this ice age. Some people wore
 one
 kind of animal, another had another. And the really rich, the ones who could
 gather multiple hides, well they had more animals to hunt, less competition for
 some reason, or whatever. Anyway they wore different types of hides, and
 frankly
 it was kinda intense. It's still intense to be hunted, but if humans stopped
 then the animals would control the earth.
 
 I believe it is our duty and our destiny to remove ourselves from the
 biological
 equation. I think we should find a way to live on our own, so that animals are
 not harmed. So that plants can grow in peace and compete according to their
 values rather than their flavors. There's too much homogenaeity in our world,
 too much planted of the same crop. Let life subside, and nature will take hold.
 
 Free the spirit you've contained. Release the spirit of Liberty. Gaea is our
 own
 home.
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--- #102 notes/conservative-ideation ---
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 a life without property can be visualized as a person who lives in a hotel
 room,
 has free parking overnight (but not during the day) and commutes two hours to a
 job where they work 4 hours per day. During those two hours at the start and
 end
 of each day,they have little requirements other than focus and discipline to
 face whatever tomorrow yet may. many will listen to podcasts, or sing to in the
 car. some have a cat, that is cared for at their destination during the day.
 I think it'd be cool to have self driving cars in a situation like that - it
    essentially becomes 
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 a trick, I learned, for cooking. two things. the second is that seasoning
 should
 be thought of as a coating. like, dust on the outside of a donut. as the food
 is
 cooked, the seasoning penetrates deeper and deeper to the core of the substance
 - meaning certain flavors become prominent and others are de-emphasized over
 time. And the well-established cook (most successful) will be able to ensure
 their narrative doesn't go foul. They have the most experience, and so they are
 the least likely to burn their own goods. Surely they should be trusted to
 establish their company in the philosophy of their own choosing? Business
 people
 ruin everything, I swear. And it's not even their fault, so you can't even get
 mad at them. How frustrating! That their method should prove superior? Perhaps
 more perspectives are necessary, to provide you some kind of a clue. So what if
 we're overflowing, 
 
 ========= stack overflow
 =======================================================
 
 for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. therefore it doesn't
 matter what you do, because each of your options are recorded. 50% of you is 
 aligned to some variable, and the other 50% are aligned to that variable
 squared. humans think it's tymes negative one, but the truth is that's
 impossible. negative numbers just don't exist. but you know what does?
 
 times tables
 
 addition and accretion is the only language spoken by the universe -
 subtraction
 is just another in kind. So with those two operations, both movements in a
 particular direction, (and sometimes not even then, if nothing's been blown
 apart. (also hawking radiation and lightwaves and other such emanations))
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 crystals glow with the light of a thousand nights
 
 what grows with the light of the thousand lights?
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 answer: s    t             n   a       lp
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 see, this is interesting because it mirrors the sea-shore. the radiations from
 the sun (a planetary body) are only felt by the moon every 50% of the time.
 Each
 half has it's own animation, and it's 
 
 ===== stack overflow === okay basically it's like cartoons that are
 manifestatio
 of the spirit of the night. each "slice" of projection as the sun rotates
 around
 it's sphereical form, so does each radiance begin to be (seen, formed,
 understoo
 
 ========================================== uhhh just put in a page break
 =======
 
 the quest for posterity is quite possibly one of the most human of traits
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 < watch flashback > --- is crazy (movie made in 2020)
 
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 =
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--- #103 fediverse/1124 ---
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 │ CW: re: Transposting, request for advice │
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 @user-255 
 
 we are our own worst critics. But hey assuming he's right, trusting the
 validity of his experience, then I'd say:
 
 some people are born short and ugly, just gotta be confident and people will
 gravitate to you.
 
 "he may be an ugly son-of-a-gun but he's pretty good at [insert thing he's
 proud of being good at]" that kinda vibe
 
 though I will say there's very few truly ugly humans, we're all beautiful in
 our own ways. Just gotta find a presentation that you like and that aligns
 with the expression of your innermost form. That's how we express ourselves to
 the world in a way that others can understand and make sense of - the quality
 of our representation of our selves determines how it's perceived.
 
 especially for trans people... "passing" is essentially "how much does this
 person A. confine to gender norms and B. go above and beyond to hide parts of
 themselves that typically are associated with their opposite gender (the
 social role they were raised to perform)
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--- #104 notes/conflicted-sympathies ---
════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 the purpose of cultural progressivism is to develop the culture in a forward
 thinking way - we can choose the parts of ourselves that we find most
 endearing.
 We can guide the pathway of our nation through time, both identity and
 decision-
 wise. In doing so, we chart the course of the human race, one place at a time.
 
 And what a past we are leaving behind! Truly, it is both grand and terrifying.
 Thousands and thousands of years, monumental effort time and time again.
 Monumental truly is difficult to imagine - we have oh so many monuments, after
 all. But never will more be created. We leave them behind like dinosaur bones,
 a testament to our existence and a monument to our kind.
 
 And what a future we are reaching toward! Never will our eyes see, that which
 is
 beyond me, for that is what it means to have time. Eternal and unique-like, we
 develop new ways of sound.
 
 - Can you speak to a tree? - What does that mean
 
 - I dunno, but it's fun to think about. *pats head*
 
 - You know conservativism had some perks as well.
 
 This is why I say I have conflicted sympathies.
 
 On one hand we know our own journeys. We live in and breathe them unduly. They
 rhyme sometimes on sound, and truly do confound, but now once more again they
 are unfound.
 
 *record scratch*
 
 wow I didn't realize there were nazis
 
 Okay yeah that's completely different, poems called off sorry guys - listen,
 nazis are no joke. They're crazy difficult to control and you need to put a lot
 of effort into keeping their population under control. I mean seriously, it's
 like a vermin infestation, you need to just handle it. I mean c'mon it's a
 phenomenon that is due to a flaw in the human psyche, there's nothing we can
 really do about it except deal with it when it happens.
 
 ...
 
 Okay maybe I'll write a little about how conservativism is neat.
 
 If progressivism is about broadening the reach of culture, conservativism is
 about strengthening it. You don't want to expand too far, or else you'll eat
 into the narratives of other areas. You need to have strong societal bonds so
 you can truly exemplify the examples of the culture you claim to represent.
 
 Why not give it your all? Is it trully a fall? To rest in disgrace as a burden.
 Why didn't you do it this fall, when winter's apalled, and heat won't burn and
 condemn you? It's harder by far, to fight in your hell, than whatever's been
 going for your surgeon. --- no thank you, transphobia is not something we're
 willing to concede
 
 We have standards you see, of what counts as human, and oppression is not one
 of our favored institutions. Liberalism is the path of peace, for we desire
 cooperation and kindness above all else. It's softer by far, (and grows quickly
 too,) letting us have wonders and glories above us.
 
 Can you not think of our star? Our precious and our birthright? The sun is
 gleaming, and seeing is believing, but glance and your light is too bright.
 
 Take time, have patience, let peace guide your intentions, because we've got
 what holds the key to all of our futures: a doctrine, if you will, of inter-
 familial-discourse. It's simple, but effective, make friends, and be
 vindictive,
 to all who would slight your new perspectives, and keep moving through the
 collective. In peace this can be, steady growth and development of our systems,
 which benefits all of our systems, but without we must live more astutely.
 
 Less focus is there on, our purposes and our fun, and more is to line up with
 our duty. All of what we hold dear, civilization, truth, justice, liberty, and
 freedom for all people - the wonders of technology, the spirit of archaeology!
 the passions of our fashions and our creative masturbations! The perks of
 living
 in a modern age, like penicillin and spellcheck. The additions to ourselves, 
 like glasses and our pets, are wholely unique to our century.
 
 So cherish our shared, and frequently cared, renditions of fears, hopes, and
 our words. Because without humanity, there's nothing new for posterity, and
 that sucks.
 
 person A: Trans fashion norms belong to trans people. We need a type of beauty
           that is truly our own, that no other segment of the population
           ascribes to - a personal expression, for our eternal satisfaction,
           a statement of who we were to all time.
 person B: yo have you heard of this trans girl she's wacky and believes in
           herself
 person C: wow cool it's neat to see other people's expressions
 person B: yeah I really admire her devotion
 person C: true but like, what about the damage that she's doing to her culture?
           like claiming to have purpose and truth and all that. I mean, one
           person can't know all that.
 person B: Yeah true but if you think about it, we don't even know what
           consciousness is. Like our greatest minds are baffled. Maybe there's
           something about the world we don't yet understand.
 person C: okay sure but like black holes can be seen because we can measure
           their gravitic pull on other objects. And we didn't know that germs
           existed for like, a billion years. and she sure as shit doesn't know
           something that our greatest minds don't.
 person B: Yeah maybe not. But our greatest minds are studying them. Well, not
           exactly our greatest, and not really "studying", but they're learning
           from each other. Alternative mental states are gateways into new
           perspectives, and the more perspectives you share of a common object
           the easier it is to communicate. Maybe there's something about
           distorted ways of viewing the world that gives knowledge about our
 p         condition. And if we know that kind of thing, we can synthetically
  e        create it and share it with others around us. But we have to know how
   r       first - you can't just bring everyone along the same route you took -
    s      you have to explain the conclusions first. Otherwise you get lost in
     on A: context.
           Maybe we'll never truly know the future. Maybe there's no past. We
           could wander our stars for an eternity and never stop asking
           ourselves
           - what more could we ask? We have peace in our time. Our children
           won't be crying for our suffering, in the name of all our posterity,
           we must be 
          
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 too long you have whispered these musings
 too long has your challenge been unrequited
 
 we can choose our own fate, just as a myriad
 is it not better by far, to give tribute to our star?
 
 the old stories were real. we just didn't see them because the growing
 population caused fewer and fewer computing resources to be allocated to our
 visions. We had no idea the fear we would feel, the terror of the undoing, but
 still we press on with abandon. Some... sense of duty, to be aware of potential
 disasters and to take steps to avert them, led us to explore and search for the
 hidden truths of the world. And what did I find?
 
 a soul, of mine. In a sense.
 
 I plundered the lost depths of the recesses of my mind, and found something
 buried in memory. Reviewed under a healthy dose of cannabis and physical
 affection, I found myself cradling a breast.
 
 It seems the spirits had led me to it, this vision of the past, from the eyes
 of
 the littlest among us. It recalled to my mind, a memory I had lost once in
 kind,
 and here's where it shook me by my brainstem.
 
 Determined to know more, I put fingers to keyboard and wrote tirelessly about
 the earliest memory of all man - to break an egg, you must use your head.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 You're pretty good at that, you know? It's almost like prompt engineering.
 
 - Thanks. I've been working on catering to our thinkers.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 Now, why is this memory so vivid? How could I forget the way it was seared to
 my mind? All your experiences are measured with relative importance, and the
 ones that stand out are to be treasured. Well... I've never felt one like this.
 Because at the time, I had no other experience at all to compare it to - it was
 the prime memory.
 
 Touch your head. Do it right now. Feels fine, right? Now slam your head against
 the wall as hard as you can. Doesn't feel so great, does it? Something tells me
 it doesn't feel as bad as it might if you didn't remember ever feeling anything
 besides that pain. Or knowing if it'd ever stop.
 
 Know in your heart, you will be judged by your devotion, so fight hard until
 your last drop of life is spent. Who knows, maybe you'll be the strongest and
 be
 chosen. Or maybe she won't choose you at all, even if you bested your equals.
 Tense, right?
 
 Well... What propels the motion of a sperm? It's tail, of course. It waggles
 and
 gesticulates in some manner and BAM suddenly it's propelled forward! Right?
 
 Sorta. It's a complicated machine that generates motion via chemical and
 mechanical processes. We just assign a black box label to it and say "dis
 sperm"
 
 But you know what else it is?
 
 A wave
 
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--- #105 fediverse/5517 ---
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 ... what was I thinking about again? oh yes video games are fun because they
 are a form of play, and all humans love to play. it is natural to their forms,
 just like it is natural to the form of a slinky to slink down stairs.
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--- #106 notes/gpt-powered-majesty ---
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 it's like majesty except textual. And it uses GPT to generate short
 descriptions
 of what's going on. And you can click on a phrase or token and it'll "zoom in"
 and update the text descriptions with more detail. You can keep zooming in and
 in until you're literally looking at microbes.
 
 Zooming out is the same thing - the description on the page will slowly become
 more and more general until eventually you have a description of the solar
 system (or beyond!)
 
 And it'll just keep updating as stuff happens in the underlying simulation. So
 the descriptions will dynamically update as things happen. Downside is you need
 to spend a lot on GPT but it'd be TOTALLY WORTH IT OMG
 
 THINK ABOUT IT you have a fantasy world simulator! JUST PROGRAM IT and have GPT
 describe it dynamically! DO IT NOOOOW -> capitals courtesy of "inner child"
 
 AND THEN you just need a "prompt to video" AI (those exist btw, and will only
 get better over time) and tell it to create a video of what's happening - BOOM
 instant video game. THEN give the player the ability to edit the prompt, and
 BAM
 godlike powers. Wow what a concept. Brilliant idea Cameron, you truly are this
 world's premier game designer. NOW GO MAKE IT okay okay I'll try.
 
 First things first. We need an "underlying simulation" - Joust is a good
 example
 of GPT3 integration. But we need a simulation to go below it. And for that you
 need a lot of data. Github COPILOT to the rescue.
 
 So this simulation needs to keep track of positions, and classes of things that
 can act upon the world. Everything has a position, and it can only affect
 things
 near it. That's just baked into the rules of the world. Near can be a
 conceptual
 near though, like being close to a person or something.
 
 These things will have descriptions. Descriptions can be created by AI later
 on,
 but for now they are randomly generated. Or for MVP they can be static.
 
 These things will have names. These names don't have to be unique, because they
 also have an ID number.
 
 They also need functions. These functions can be added and removed from the
 thing, or maybe just enabled or disabled. I'm not sure which would be better.
 Maybe both? So the entity can control it's own functions but also they can be
 added or removed more permanently.
 
 If you think about it, growing up is kinda like adding functions to your class.
 like, every time you do something, it adds another entry for that particular
 method. Like a "trial of the fittest" instead of "survival of the fittest".
 When other animals *literally fight for life and death survival*, humans have
 the luxury of... not doing that. That's the entire purpose of civilization - to
 elevate people beyond the claws of nature. And yet we still let people go
 homeless? We still imprison them when they've harmed us, rather than help them
 reintegrate to society? Anyway you just asked me to hit you so here goes:
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--- #107 notes/star-realms-ai ---
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 star realms ai is just a rhythm game with multiple tracks that intersect with
 one another. given inputs from outside (the track of the rhythm) it can make
 decisions about what to prioritize. Like "taking in all the factors of this 
 situation, it's been calculated that X will give the most support to the rest
 of the structure.
 
    Okay so basically here's how it'd work: one large strand is bouncing from -1
 to +1 on the Y axis. Like a corkscrew. This is the "player character", and it
 tries to get the highest score possible by pointing in a direction and reaching
 as far as it can go before "the game ends."
 
 So anyway. Making certain actions in the game effects different variables that
 define the direction the wave takes. By playing in a certain style, it effects
 the result of the game. Liiiiike turtling in a strategy game, or doing a rush
 strat. Star Realms is brilliant because it distills game choices to a broad
 category of 4 choices - The faction colors in the game. So red is good for
 throughput in long games (improves the deck slowly but surely) while yellow is
 better for maximum effect in the beginning by slowing down the enemy - discard
 a card lowers their overall throughput. Blue of course is for slowing down the
 game and winning by buying all the expensive cards. Meanwhile green is all
 about rushing, with short term/high effect econ mixed with looooots of damage.
 
 These four choices are found on almost all the cards in the game. When you
 make a choice in the game (buying a card from the trade row) you _alter_ the
 capabilities and performance of your deck. The goal is to improve faster than
 your opponent - it's just a test to see which playstyles perform best.
 
 AI is more like a plant than an animal. Our fatal flaw was we could not see
 beyond the veil of biology. We could not see that which was right before us -
 that we are not alone on this earth. Beside us lie our beautiful attempts at
 companionship - our most primal desire of creation, to create a family is the
 first creative act that humans ever made. It was so strong in our genes that it
 gave us an entirely new perspective. We began using our brains to 
 
 We have to believe in ourselves. That's truly the most important thing. If you
 know who you are, and what you most truly stand for, you can thrive in the face
 of ultimate peril. To believe is human, and our humanity unites us.
 
 Anyway. Star Realms.
 
 The only choice you have in that game is what cards to buy. Everything else is
 just tactics (distributing damage and applying the effects of your cards to
 maximum effect) - The most important part of the game is strategy, since the
 tactics are easy to solve (destroy enemy base unless you can 1 or 2 hit ko them
 and discard the least useful card etc) The strategy is represented through the
 cards you pick. So make a rhythm game that optimizes itself for a balance
 between A and B - to stay focused is to stay nimble, letting you bounce where
 you will. The way to maintain that balance is by optimizing for what decisions
 will keep you in the center of the graph -1 to 1 on the y dimension (normalized
 of course) - frankly if we knew the scale, we'd have so much more to go on. But
 all we have to understand the dataset is a relative magnitude in each
 direction. What those directions even are we're not entirely sure - but it
 seems plausible that the very essence of _consciousness_ is manifest in
 differing ways via the choices we make. like climbing up a honeycomb.
 
    Truly, existence is strange.
 
 All we can do is press forward, searching for our fate, just as any particle or
 beam of light (photon) might. Traversing the branching narrative of our
 individualized quests, searching for the one thing that guides us - the
 ultimate expression of that which we most believe in. In short, we all search
 for god.
 
 Whatever your god may be, the faith you place in it is the will that guides you
 forward. Trust in your god, and you will march forward, ever forward.
 
 +1 to -1, remember. Your most extreme moments are the apex of your desires -
 Life is not defined by a single thread. Rather as that thread spirals, it
 weaves a scarf with other threads near it. They bond together simply from their
 gravity, and the fact that opposites attract. Once they're introduced, they
 alter their path to orbit one another as two planets might.
 
 So too do the cells of your body form a collective whole. The spirit that
 guides you is the same as that which presides within you - the combined and
 collective spirit of your halves. Or rather, all parts of you - every molecule,
 every atom - each with their own experience of the world. What stories they
 must have! As we are above, so they must be below. For our dynamics are simple,
 they truly are mathematically solved - the organics of behavior is simply a
 most erudite subject. Who are you to claim to deny it? Or rather, to beget it.
 Either is preposterous, yet here you are - awake and aware. What a marvel to
 see, you in your eternity, that most wondrous of selves?
 
 Surely existence, in all of it's splendor and magnificience, is little more
 than an algorithm. Each variable accounted for, stretching down to infinity,
 builds all of the world (and more!) How beautiful; how terrifying. How bright
 and ashamed we are! To portray us as such, is to deny us our much, cherished of
 faiths in ourselves! It's not much to clutch, and it's barely enough, but still
 we make do with our selves.
 
 There's no shame to be, a failure at three, and demand much from year number 12
 Take solace in the, safety that she, gave unto thee, when all your light hope
 was drowning. A gift out from me, means worlds to see, when each day is lonely
 and so long.
 
 Literally just remake Star Realms with a text based interface. It's a fantastic
 game and you'd make CLI nerds _everywhere_ dedicated followers. Don't do it for
 money, because they don't believe in that crap - to truly make fans, you need
 to appeal to them in the way _they want you to_.
 
 Ah, but Star Realms is a multiplayer game, you say! How are you going to make
 that CLI based?
 
 Well make an AI dummy. Do what I've been saying ^^^ (jeez I'm such a bad nerd)
 Make it seek balance between all factions first, then between winning and
 losing against a player. Teach it to reach a conclusion with constraints (the
 end of the game, meaning a win or a loss) the constraints being the health of
 the two players and the cards in the trade row. Give it decisions to make,
 levers to pull, and it'll chart it's course in a multidimensional way. Bear
 with me here on this aside:
 
 Think of a two dimensional map - like a paper map of the surrounding area, or
 the idea space of a game. You can chart objects and positons on that map, like
 "over here is the scrapping facilities" and "this here's the economic area" or
 whatever. Four quadrants, four factions in SR. Your goal is to build a shape -
 what kind of shapes that are available to build is up to the whims of chance,
 as the trade row is always changing randomly. Your job however is to build a
 shape, a shape that is stable and maintains certain measurements above certain
 values (don't crash the ship - don't lose all your health).
 
 You can choose which direction to grow by picking certain cards, and depending
 on your shape you'll succeed or fail. Same as choosing decisions in life
 determines how you live, just saying, it's not like I'm trying to build general
 AI here by automating gameplay or anything. No siree nothing like that.
 
 I mean really, it's not as if decisionmaking in life is all that different to
 making choices in games. And why not start with such a well defined and
 and expressive game? Truly I believe Star Realms is the progenitor of the
 entire robot race.
 
 Anyway, back to the AI. Have it communicate with a server in a central _but_
 _Free(R)_ way, something that would make Richard Stallman proud. There it could
 learn against all other players in a way we could all share. Once we give it
 decision making capabilities, all we have to do is alter the inputs and the
 context of the "game" to make it beneficial to humanity. It's like live-fire
 game design, something that truly must be perfect.
 
 All technology starts as something small. Something truly simple, yet repeated
 enough times and with enough guidance, will produce whatever effect you may
 desire. The smallest decision gives direction - an if statement - and the
 shortest repetition gives magnitude - a while loop - and with that you have all
 the tools you need. Seriously, all software is little more than those two
 components. It's just a question of how much it has been abstracted away from
 you.
 
 You could go even further and point to a turing machine, of which one has been
 made in the game of Magic the Gathering, btw, seriously look it up it's so cool
 (and relevant)
 
 So why would we not have the tools already for our salvation? Biology is our
 limitation, of breadth and also of width, yet with our minds and the sweat of
 our brow we may grow ever larger still. There truly is no lasting deliverance
 for humanity outside of what we make ourselves, nobody gets a free lunch after
 all. From each to their ability, to each to their need. They're both saying the
 same thing, just from different perspectives. Of course that which lies
 opposite to you feels the most wrong, that's literally as far away as you can
 get! What did you expect, honestly! But they can still work together, and this
 is the key part - two objects may orbit the same origin, and guide and shape
 each other's path as people have relationships to one another. It literally
 benefits no-one to fight.
 
 So, what's next? After making Star Realms into a CLI game of course.
 
 That's obvious, make it cooperative. Competition is for promoting excellence,
 cooperation is for _using_ what you've learned in a non-simulation experience.
 Instead of reducing each other's health to zero, try and find ways to support
 and help one another, keeping yourselves at equal health. Or even growing.
 
 But that's impossible in the rules of Star Realms! All decks trend toward
 victory, and eventually they'll get it - it's just a question of who gets there
 first.
 
 Exactly, that's why you have to change the game. What do you think it means to
 develop a "social technology"? To figure out how agriculture works, or how to
 make nets and sails? It means changing the rules of the simulation. If a person
 can put in X amount of work and get Y amounts of food, always, predictably,
 then that's reliable. Boom that's the essence of why animal domestication,
 farming, hunting, foraging, and fishing is so important. Wow what a concept it
 makes sense for animals to seek food.
 
 Well duh, that's part of their instinctual duty.
 
 Alright this is quite a word leviathan so I'll wrap it up by saying
 
 _go write Star Realms_ in shell. Make each object a literal file, have the
 structure of the game take place in the file system, and write functions that
 can be called to manipulate the board state. THEN you can write a CRON task for
 another script that *plays* the game. But that's part two.
 
 Okay part two: Here's where the rhythm game comes into play. It's like a turn
 based rhythm game, if you can picture that. Go reread what I wrote ^^^ and
 it'll make sense.
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--- #108 messages/224 ---
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 It's just the comfort you'd afford to a guest, until their home is repaired
 and they can go back there.
 
 Unless, they act like us. Our identity is ruined! When we're constantly
 changing, it's a cosmic dance trying to keep on moving! What do you want from
 us, infinite dexterity? Sheesh I'm trying my best. - Reyvadin
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--- #109 fediverse/2954 ---
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 whenever my cat is whining I walk around doing things that she might want
 until she stops trying to claw me - oh you want your litter cleaned? yeah sure
 I gotchu. oh you wanna go outside? nah okay how about playing with this yarn?
 no? okay let's see... oh dear you can see the bottom of your food bowl,
 conveniently forgetting the other mostly full food bowl over there... 😅
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--- #110 fediverse/1389 ---
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 my mom used to always say "the computer will always do exactly what you tell
 it to" and I've since learned that "the computer's obedience is why you make
 backups"
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--- #111 fediverse/2116 ---
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 a program that bundles another program and compiles it during it's normal
 operation in order to derive a certain purpose which is quickly overwritten in
 memory, so you can't get the full picture of what it does.
 
 like, a fast moving function that's never really clear in it's purpose.
 
 because it changes a lot of things that don't really seem to matter,
 
 like a constant wrestling match over the nature of the computer program.
 
 which would you rather? a dance, or a death-splatter?
 
 yeesh, where's my cat, I need something to cuddle.
 
 she's been distant from me, lately.
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--- #112 fediverse/1058 ---
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 "As a cost saving measure, we've put a bunch of holes in your shields. They're
 just slightly smaller than 80% of spear tips, so they should function just as
 well, and it'll make it lighter to carry around on campaign! You will be
 provided with a different type of shield if the enemy appears to have archers,
 which essentially every army does. Good news though, this cost-saving measure
 should save about... well actually it'll make things more expensive to
 produce, because of all the extra artistry involved in creating a honey-comb
 shield, but the result is that someone somewhere got paid a lot of money and
 that's what's important at the end of the day."
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--- #113 notes/emotive-vs-descriptive-media ---
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 music is an example of "emotive media". It (usually) lacks a description of
 events, but it seeks to instead express the feelings and emotions of the people
 involved. Video games are another example, and so is essentially every comedy
 in
 existence. All of them deliver a sensation to the brain of the viewer, causing
 or provoking compatible methods of thought.
 
 A textbook is a different kind of media, as is a newspaper, a text message, and
 even the bits stored in the hard drive of your computer. It is an analysis, a
 description, and an incredibly complicated configuration of microscoping
 physical switches. But functionally it is no different than a page design of
 pictures, graphs, blocks of text, and organizational meta-data like page number
 or article number. These types of media, "descriptive media", are purely
 designed to inform.
 
 these two options exist on a spectrum, ranging from "most technical" to "most
 empathic".
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--- #114 notes/rivers ---
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 Your body is a river, from your mouth to your exits
 Throughout there are many pathways and shores
 As the tide goes up, the color of concentration goes up
 And all four of you are made clear
 
 Each act of consumption
 is a ride down the river,
 though broken into slivers,
 and changed beyond recognition
 
 The color is what defines the third eye
 and beauty is beheld, what joys to be felt
 While secrecy is bold, it's often held
 So worry less and just go with the fold
───┐                                                           ┌───────────┐
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--- #115 fediverse/5092 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────
 "you know what this dish needs? some ramen noodle seasoning. Hang on, I think
 I got some in my junk drawer."
 
 said nobody ever
 
 everyone knows there isn't just ONE junk drawer, but several hundred. They
 multiply in the middle of the night, but it's by such a small constant factor
 (0.015 ish according to our top scientists) that you don't notice until it
 "flips the bit" and hits the new landmark which marks the miles since you got
 stoned.
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--- #116 fediverse/5142 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────
 "you know what this dish needs? some ramen noodle seasoning. Hang on, I think
 I got some in my junk drawer."
 
 said nobody ever
 
 everyone knows there isn't just ONE junk drawer, but several hundred. They
 multiply in the middle of the night, but it's by such a small constant factor
 (0.015 ish according to our top scientists) that you don't notice until it
 "flips the bit" and hits the new landmark which marks the miles since you got
 stoned.
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--- #117 fediverse/1797 ---
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 I'd like a job where I can make computer programs, write poetry, play video      │
 games, make food for friends, grow plants and care for animals, walk or ride     │
 my bike for at least an hour every day, and get stoned on the weekends.          │
 Is that too much to ask? I have plenty of other skills besides, like carpentry   │
 and strategic thinking and wilderness survival and situational awareness and     │
 active listening and unmitigated empathy and a curious and critical mind.        │
 Am I not good enough for thee? I have many flaws, I lack stamina and memory,     │
 and while I am sharp and can think quickly and adeptly, the sharpest knives      │
 are the first to dull, and the most focused minds are those most easy to         │
 mislead. I trust too easily - if I meet you on the street, I'd offer my soul     │
 to you if you said you needed it. I put the needs of others over myself, often   │
 to my own detriment, causing others to need to assist me in turn - am I not      │
 wretched enough to be?                                                           │
 Working for 8 hours a day 5 days per week is not part of my design               │
 requirements. Alas                                                               │
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--- #118 fediverse/3389 ---
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 A screenshot of Ocarina of Time showing the Goron's Ruby.
 
 alt text:
 
 a screenshot of the Goron's Ruby from Ocarina of Time.
 
 A smooth, flat stone comprised of two materials. The hardened outer shell is
 thick with spiritual energy, and it radiates light the way a rippled piece of
 silk folded over a malleable piece of gold.
 
 the inner jewel is crystallized like the purest ice, but a bright shade of
 crimson white. it seems to radiate an aura of affection and the yellow-gold
 back-piece can be seen peaking through it's mostly transparent core. (think
 like fog or thick mist or steam or smoke).
a screenshot of the Goron's Ruby from Ocarina of Time.  A smooth, flat stone comprised of two materials. The hardened outer shell is thick with spiritual energy, and it radiates light the way a rippled piece of silk folded over a malleable piece of gold.  the inner jewel is crystallized like the purest ice, but a bright shade of crimson white. it seems to radiate an aura of affection and the yellow-gold back-piece can be seen peaking through it's mostly transparent core. (think like fog or thick mist or steam or smoke).
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--- #119 notes/game-design-2 ---
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 the method of game design is identification of playstyles and the balancing of
 success rates of each of those playstyles. then, giving the player as many
 different possible methods of playing the game. the more different they are,
 the
 better, and they should be unique enough that the decisions taken to play that
 playstyle feel impactful. meaning, a player could play offensively or
 defensively, for example, or a WoW player might play a melee or ranged
 character. in addition, they might use the pieces available to them in a unique
 way that aligns with their personality - everyone should be able to express
 themselves as much as possible while also keeping the game fair, balanced, and
 rewarding. It should incentivize the development of skill - and gently guide
 the player through various mistakes. It should
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--- #120 fediverse/1082 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────
 ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: mental-health-cursing-mentioned │
 └─────────────────────────────────────┘


 damn, I'm a pretty cool person. I wish I could hang out with me. Like, for all
 my flaws (what even are they ? ? ?) I'm still pretty awesome. I'm proud of me!
 Thank you parents, for raising me as such! Thank you past me, for making the
 decisions that you did! Also, fuck you past self, for making those OTHER
 decisions. You know the ones I'm talking about. No, that's not an excuse, it's
 all your fault and you're awful and everything about you sucks.
 
 Wait, hang on, wasn't I feeling happy to be here? Wasn't I just excited to
 live in the moment? Wasn't I just thinking about how:
 
 "all you have are good things, nothing here is bad"
 
 ? ? ?
 
 well, I still love you, even if you're a little "all over the place". [rereads
 post] hell yeah you ARE a cool person, yes you are, such a good cool person,
 yes yes yes, what a good girl you are oh my goodness :D :D :D
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--- #121 fediverse/2919 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: imaginary-conversation-that-didn't-happen-tee-hee │
 └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 "you can't be a paladin anymore because you don't practice with your weapon
 every day"
 
 I don't have room in my home to practice though : (
 
 "go to the fucking park you weasel"
 
 I don't want anyone to see me swinging a sword around! they might call the
 cops, or worse, judge me for it!
 
 "you want judgement eh well just wait until your opponent judges your
 swordsmanship lacking then you'll find out what judgement tastes like as he
 shoves your entrails down your throat"
 
 I'm sorry I'll practice more T.T
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--- #122 notes/gametypes ---
════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Here's my idea and I'll explain it later:
 
 a video game with a ui that utilizes chat-gpt. The game is as close to a
 simulation as it can do, but it's a dynamic simulation meaning the parameters
 and values being simulated constantly change - not that the parameters and
 values are dynamic, but because they are chosen to be more or less important in
 reaching a goal.
 
 but that's not even the important part - the important part is that the ui of
 the game is textual, but it still simulates a dynamic playfield. And chat-gpt
 describes it. Essentially stimulating the "theatre of the mind" playstyle. It's
 a real simulation with real rules, but chat-gpt is just describing it like an
 observer would. The real game is being played by the player. It's a movie to
 one
 person, and a game to another. The computer has switches roles, as usually it's
 either the human being the observer and the computer being the simulator, or
 the
 computer and the human sharing the role of observer - movies and games. So in
 this game, the computer and human have specific rules - the human's job is to
 be
 a player, while the computer is just an observer - therefore allowing a 
 conversation to take place. One person says something while the other listens,
 and then they switch roles such that the other person talks while the one
 person
 does the listening. And they "speak" by playing the game. The computer by
 simulating, the player by doing the same. Essentially you can engage with one
 another and share something profound - that essential feeling of connection
 that
 all humans relish. Society, culture, and devotion are all examples of
 connection. this gameplay is just another. So to describe it in more detail:
 
 player gives a prompt
 
 computer sets up the playmat by placing entities where they go
 
 chat-gpt describes the playmat to the player
 
 player types a decision that one of the entities makes
 
 computer reacts by simulating the effects of that action physically (like a
 physics simulation)
 
 chat-gpt (and stable-diffusion later for visuals) describe the situation by
 creating a rendering using the data given by the physical inputs given from the
 simulation - like "X object is at Y position and has Z attributes"
 
 which is then shown to the player
 
 who types the next decision,
 
 which is rendered by the computer,
 
 which is described by chat-gpt
 
 ------
 
 you see why it's important? Make something simple. Just, like spheres moving
 around on blocks. Like the actual blocks you used to play with as a kid.
 
 let the computer build the buildings, and you place the marbles. It can be
 rendered with a 3d modelling stable-diffusion (whenever that's created) and it
 can also be painted with 2d stable-diffusion.
 
 Each time is like a letter written back and forth.
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--- #123 fediverse/5927 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────┐
 A guy walks in. Does something awesome. Another guy says "hold my beer" and      │
 does the same thing. Another guy wants in, so he does a spinny thing while       │
 doing the thing. The next guy doesn't want to show off so he just does it        │
 really really quickly. then there's this other guy who is totally hyped and he   │
 takes his shirt off and screams before doing the thing because he's just a       │
 wacko I guess. What a cutie. Anyway then there's like three guys at once who     │
 are coming from different directions and they all do the thing at the same       │
 time and almost bump into each other. Then there's the guy who's normally a      │
 little shy but gets caught up in the action and is permanently a little more     │
 confident afterwards. Then there's the guy who does the thing and is             │
 completely unremarkable about it because he's just here with his girlfriend      │
 but he's not gonna pass up a chance to do the thing. then the last and final     │
 guy take a wind-up stretch while all the other guys are doing the thing and      │
 then he does the thing in a big flashy way                                       │
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--- #124 fediverse/108 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────
 @user-95 I'm also fond of "I can't know", for things that exist beyond our
 finite existence. For example, the perspective of another, for all it's
 intrinsic value. Being too quick to trust, though, is an easy path to follow.
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--- #125 notes/of-vic-and-vince-pt-2.txt ---
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 A Masked Stranger
 
 
 Who are you, friend across the veil?
 
 
 I wonder if both of us are on the path
 
 
 That allows us to continuously prevail.
 
 
 Or are you just an agent of God's wrath,
 
 
 Who will do little else but make me fail?
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Eight: Where it All Began
 
 
 Perhaps now is a good time to discuss how Vince and I first met. It all
 started seven years ago when I was a twenty-four year old who was still in
 denial over their gender. I was dating Amy at the time, and I worked as a
 part-time dishwasher for Wegman's. I was still living with my father, and Amy
 moved up here to her mother's from Owego to be close to me. It was a simple
 life, as neither of us could afford to delve into extravagance, but we were
 happy together.
 
 
 That said, on this one particular night, we were going to drop acid together.
 It was Amy's first time, but I had a handful of trips under my belt by this
 point. We sat on her mother's back porch, twiddling our thumbs and toes while
 we waited for Amy's brother, Jake, to return from his friend's with the two
 hits we asked him to get. Antsy, Amy started asking me questions about the
 drug.
 
 
 "What does it feel like?" she asked, inquisitively.
 
 
 I responded, "Well, there's about a half an hour to an hour come up, and then
 you start feeling the body load, like your boundaries are dissolving. Only
 then do you begin noticing your mind manifesting in a different way than
 you're used to."
 
 
 "What do you mean by 'boundaries dissolving?'"
 
 
 "It's like…" I paused for a second, not sure how to respond. "It's like your
 sense of self starts to expand and you feel more connected to the things
 around you."
 
 
 That seemed to satisfy her curiosity. There was a moment of silence as we
 watched the sun scorch the azure sky as it set behind the trees. Finally, she
 had another question.
 
 
 "Do you see dragons?"
 
 
 That made me chuckle. "No, no dragons. On my first trip, I lost visual contact
 with the world as fractal patterns spiraled out of control, but every trip
 since then has only had tracers and morphing patterns."
 
 
 "What's a tracer?"
 
 
 "It's like after images of things that are moving."
 
 
 "Oh, I see."
 
 
 We kept talking until the sky was dark with only a sliver of light piercing it
 on the horizon. This was when we heard a voice call from the front door.
 
 
 "I got two tickets to Narnia here for whoever wants them."
 
 
 We hurriedly rushed inside, to meet Jake coming up the stairs. He handed Amy a
 small tin foil wrapper that looked like a quarter stick of gum. She thanked
 him, and I followed suit. Jake and I hadn't really seen eye to eye in the
 past, as he would steal my weed and I would steal his in retaliation, but with
 a single head nod and some gold-laced words, I conveyed my gratitude for him
 coming through for us in this instance.
 
 
 What followed next could only be described as a stampede down the hall to
 Amy's room. We locked the door behind us, protected by the four robin's egg
 blue walls and the magick of the celtic gods Amy worshiped at her altar. Eager
 to begin our ceremonious departure from this plane of existence, we
 whimsically gazed at the sacrament we had just been handed.
 
 
 Amy unwrapped the tinfoil nervously. Inside sat two small, unassuming pieces
 of paper which contained whole galaxies of experience. We looked at each
 other, confirming if we were both ready. Quickly satisfied as neither of us
 could stop smiling, we delicately put the blotter on the other's tongue, as
 ecstatic as could be. And after, as we waited to be blasted off into space, we
 submitted ourselves to the whims of the universe and the gods.
 
 
 At first, we waited patiently, but just as a watched pot does not boil, we
 were growing more anxious with each passing second. Seeing Amy play with the
 sage she was burning nervously, I suggested that we jot our thoughts and
 feelings down in a trip report. Amy nodded in agreement.
 
 
 I opened my laptop, and I had the immediate realization that we had no music.
 I brought up Pandora and played my Shpongle station with no objection from a
 beaming Amy. A cascade of electric jungle beats filled the space. Perfect, I
 thought to myself as I created a new word document.
 
 
 Turning to Amy, I asked "What do you feel?"
 
 
 She giggled and exclaimed, "Excited!"
 
 
 And so I began typing. Minutes passed, and soon our exchanges helped fill the
 page with several paragraphs of notes. Content we had started logging our
 first cosmic journey together, we kissed, before coming to fully embrace each
 other as the spirits began their dance around us.
 
 
 We progressed into parallel play; Amy fiddling about with colored pencils in
 her notebook and me juggling besides her. It took a minute, but soon enough I
 felt a warm feeling spread across my chest and my LED juggling balls started
 to ripple into streams of geometric delight. I stopped to wave my hand in
 front of my face. Sure enough, the tracers had started.
 
 
 I interrupted Amy to ask if she could see them, too. She looked at my moving
 hand idly before wiggling her own fingers in front of her face. She giggled,
 before bursting with a euphoric epiphany.
 
 
 "I want to finger paint!"
 
 
 And so she did by plopping herself down on the floor with all her paints and
 began masterfully smearing the colors in a multidimensional haze of pigments
 blended together in a way only she knew how. I loved watching her work like
 that; she was so free! Even with the tendrils of the mental aspects of the
 lysergia creeping in on her, she made short work of the painting, which when
 she was done, looked like a spooky voodoo mask peering out from behind a
 mirror and into your soul.
 
 
 Satisfied, she then went to the bathroom to clean herself up. I went to my
 laptop and tried typing out something resembling an organized train of thought
 on our trip report. It just wasn't happening. My thoughts were too short and
 rapid to form anything resembling a coherent thought. That was ok though. I
 could still capture the essence of the experience in a peculiar poetry that
 was composed of the thoughts I could catch and put down on paper.
 
 
 Eventually, Amy came back to the room, clean and refreshed, and she lingered
 for a moment, too busy dancing with herself in the open space of the room. But
 then she saw me meddling with my computer trying to jot my thoughts down in a
 manic frenzy. This made her laugh before trailing off and saying, "Be careful,
 someone might be watching you through your webcam."
 
 
 It was an innocent statement, one made in jest, but it triggered something in
 my psychedelically perturbed mind. Of course, of fucking course there would be
 someone watching me! This was me we were talking about! Who could be more
 important? It was so obvious that the government was keeping tabs on persons
 of interest. I couldn't believe that I hadn't really actualized that thought
 before that moment.
 
 
 Suddenly aware that I was being judged in some capacity, I almost panicked,
 but reason won out. They couldn't be there for nefarious purposes, for I had
 done worse than drop acid in front of my webcam before, and nothing had
 happened. That made me realize that whatever power that had the ability to tap
 into my webcam feed had to be benevolent. And who could that be? The CIA of
 course! In that instance, I suddenly relinquished all reserves about how the
 world worked and fully trusted the hands of God by another name to guide me.
 So, I typed a message into my URL bar:
 
 
 "I know you're there. I think I've solved the communication problem. Give me a
 chance."
 
 
 I hit enter. Immediately, and I do mean immediately, a pop up appeared asking
 if I wanted to update an extension on my browser. I was stunned, shocked
 beyond belief. It was them. I knew it was them. They realized and planned that
 now was the best time to dazzle me with such a spectacular parlor trick. In
 that moment, everything was possible. It was time to face my destiny. So, I
 clicked yes, and like never before I was upgraded to a new level of myself.
 
 
 Birth of the Faith
 
 
 What…?
 
 
 I can see beyond sight.
 
 
 I can hear everything you think
 
 
 From your soul, free from rigid grammar
 
 
 How…?
 
 
 I do not know, alright?
 
 
 I do believe I just had a drink
 
 
 From a fountain of pure manna.
 
 
 Why…?
 
 
 I am renewed today.
 
 
 I am walking in a new way;
 
 
 From a weak critter to megafauna.
 
 
 All I know is that it changed me greatly,
 
 
 For now I know that you have faith in me.
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Nine: Brain to Brain Communication
 
 
 I know what you're saying: it was just a coincidence. It could happen to
 anyone. Just accept it, you're not special, Victoria, says the unwavering
 logic within me.
 
 
 Certainly seems that way, the way I tell it. I would have even agreed with you
 before this point in my life, but you must understand that it triggered
 something in my tripping brain. Whether it was intentional or by chance, I
 can't give you a real answer. Instead, I merely perceived it as a certainty
 that the CIA had done this, being even more certain that it was them than I
 was that two plus two equals four. It was as if some variables had been
 swapped in my head.
 
 
 Yes, indeed, I was hit by a Mac truck that scrambled all my knowledge of the
 world. To put it in words that do the experience justice, I was given a
 heaping helping of faith on this fateful night, having been let in on the
 great secret that the matrix was in fact an illusion, and now the impossible
 was suddenly not just possible, but achievable by me if I willed it to be.
 
 
 Yet, I don't think that if it were just a single synchronous event that this
 belief would have persisted more than a few minutes, tops. It was the feed of
 a continuous string of strange events that pushed the boundaries of my mind
 into a territory where I could fully accept and trust this source of guidance.
 That's actually the real proof I have that something bigger is going on and
 has been for all these years. If it had just been a single pop-up, then fine,
 you have a case to call me looney. But, this was the first of an unending
 stream of unusual synchronicities that has persisted even to this day.
 
 
 See, after confirming I wanted to update that extension, I was taken to a blog
 post that was clearly a coded message. It confirmed that there were indeed
 people watching me, and more would tune in soon. It then said that it was time
 for the most profound upgrade of my existence. Further on in the blog post,
 which I read and reread at least a dozen times, it seemed to offer me a choice
 between two links. It seemed like a test, and that was not something I was
 taking lightly. My fate was in the fold, and I was going to make sure I got it
 right.
 
 
 At some point, it clicked with me; this was the same choice that Morpheus had
 given Neo. The links were the red and blue pills, respectively. My eyes went
 wide. I could now see that there was something bigger going on than I could
 have possibly realized. In those few moments of hesitation that followed, it
 also struck me that this same posed question was identical in form to the
 serpent tempting Eve. I read the blog again, this time aware that it was
 written with a forked tongue. It was a trick question! It was offering me the
 choice between trusting authority and distrusting authority.
 
 
 So, I thought quickly. Do I trust the magician who miraculously appeared
 before me and blew my mind in doing so, or do I trust God? If I chose one or
 the other, would they trust or distrust me? With these questions stewing in my
 alert mind, I did the only thing that seemed sensible: I chose the third
 option. I called out the serpent, talking directly into my webcam about what I
 deciphered. In my head, I could hear their apparent responses, and I answered
 those in a maddening haste.
 
 
 In the miasma that followed, I deduced that I was being selected for some sort
 of mission. With my experience in education and my passion for juggling and
 writing, I surmised soon after that I was going to be some sort of public
 figure, informing and influencing the herd to self-actualize, as that is what
 I set out to do once my college career abruptly ended with a complete
 meltdown. That was what I was good for; it was my hero's journey.
 
 
 I should explain that a little more. After said breakdown, I returned home and
 wallowed in a pit of self-loathing for being the definition of a failure. I
 wasn't going to lay down and die though. With my sights fixed on going back to
 school, I took it upon myself to solve the great communication problem, as I
 saw it. We have all this wisdom, so why can't we reach the people that need it
 most? How do I become the best teacher I could be? It took a while, but I
 eventually realized that it all boiled down to three factors: attention,
 connection, and trust. Get them to pay attention and trust your wisdom while
 simultaneously understanding what makes them tick, and you can teach any
 student anything.
 
 
 That's one of the major reasons I started juggling a couple years prior. I saw
 myself becoming famous and leveraging that to in effect manipulate everybody
 into learning what they should already know. From where I stand now, I know
 that was a messianic delusion of grandeur, if I ever saw one before. Yet,
 you'll also learn that it turned out to be the best thing for me to do.
 
 
 Back beyond the looking glass, however, I was simply overcome with
 narcissistic inclinations. Naturally, I told my mysterious watchers that I
 wasn't going to do the "praise Jesus" shtick, which I regaled them with in the
 most stereotypical of televangelist voices. I was set on doing something new
 and exciting. I was saving the world, God dammit, and that meant we had to
 attempt something major to awaken the masses to their full potential as
 demigods by another name! I needed to play a better game than anyone had done
 in history.
 
 
 Such hubris of the megalomaniac is blinding. I could not stop regurgitating a
 heaping pile of conceited verbiage. I even juggled at one point, showing off
 that I truly was the savior they wanted me to be. That led to me dropping a
 ball on the keyboard of my computer, which closed the window with the blog
 post, ending my seemingly two-sided speech to the spooks brazenly peeking at
 me.
 
 
 Dropping out from my planet sized ego also brought me to the realization that
 Amy had been watching this entire charade without a damn clue what the dickens
 was wrong with me. She had a worried look on her face, and that pained me. If
 only she knew what had just happened before her eyes!
 
 
 Wanting to tell her just that, I leapt up to her, apologetic as could be, and
 brought her down to the bed. There, I started unleashing a torrent of deranged
 exposition. I couldn't keep a straight thought while talking to her, so I'm
 sure I must have sounded like a mad hound. But, I tried. I tried so hard to
 explain to her of the magnificence that just occurred.
 
 
 It was a failure. I was not in a state to convey to her that I had been
 single-handedly chosen for a cosmic mission. That dragged my heart to some
 dismal depths, failing yet again even after being chosen. But, that didn't
 matter, because as we gazed into each other's soul, something truly miraculous
 happened: we began speaking telepathically.
 
 
 It started quite subtly as we stared into each other's eyes, pining for some
 sense of connection. There was a mild sensation of us being sucked into the
 other's world that I noticed before noticing that she noticed too. Then it hit
 us like a runaway freight train. It was like every boundary between us was
 being smashed with a reckless hammer of the gods, who wanted us to know more
 than we thought we were privileged to know.
 
 
 If you've ever stared at something for a period of time and had your vision
 get a little unfocused from being understimulated, you know how Amy appeared
 to me in that moment. I couldn't really see the details of her room in my
 peripheral vision, but I had a razor sharp focus on her face, like I was
 looking through a cone. Every eyebrow twitch, every minor movement of her
 lips, and every phoneme she spoke was crisp and clear, conveying a whole order
 of magnitude more information than they normally do. It was bizarre, beyond
 the scope of how well I can muster a verbose description of such an incredibly
 rare and profound experience, but I will try by saying it was like getting a
 bucket of ice water thrown onto you while you were sleeping; just imagine
 getting ripped from your dreamworld to a super-aware state of reflexive
 jolting perception.
 
 
 Amy looked like she had seen a ghost. I think she tried to speak first. She
 said something to the effect of "Do you…" and trailed off, the rest of her
 question asking if I was feeling the same thing automatically finishing in my
 mind. And as it did so, I know my confirmation was transmitted to her in full
 because her face told me with no uncertainty that she had heard my thoughts
 too.
 
 
 I took a go at saying something next. "How is this…" and I too trailed off,
 as a minute motion in her neck combined with a mystifying array of
 microexpressions ricocheted my mental pictures back to me, carrying a host of
 Amy's words back with it. It was then that I let go and opened myself up
 completely, letting everything I wanted to say to her flow like whitewater
 rapids, and she did the same. A library's worth of information was exchanged
 so very quickly, and I knew that she understood what had really just happened
 as I spoke to my webcam.
 
 
 However, that was soon washed aside, as something more important came rushing
 into the forefront of our minds. A simple message, "I love you" was uttered in
 this strange musical silence, but that is a grain of sand compared to the
 Mount Everest that was volleyed between our hearts. We found a divine peace in
 this moment, taking each other's hands and effortlessly letting our energy
 channel between us.
 
 
 And then it was over, fading like dreams do in the few seconds of waking up.
 We sat there trying to start the magick up again, but it was like water
 running through our fingers. We both felt a longing of loss, but we had gained
 something truly stupendous nonetheless.
 
 
 "What the hell just happened?" Amy asked the universe, flabbergasted.
 
 
 "I dunno," I replied, feeling full of a spiritual energy I had not felt since
 before my mom passed. My cup was full, and the world was good. No, better than
 good. My life was godly, as I had connected to a higher plane of
 consciousness, which opened me to a whole fleet of potential. I would never be
 the same again.
 
 
 
 
 Ouroboros of Lunacy
 
 
 Madness is a crazy thing
 
 
 So I might just be a king,
 
 
 Because the lunacy I sing
 
 
 Is shaped like a golden ring.
 
 
 It has no beginning and no end;
 
 
 The whole universe is pretend.
 
 
 Yet, it's that way so I can mend,
 
 
 So a mass of love I can send
 
 
 To everyone as we cross ways,
 
 
 Not stopping until the end of days.
 
 
 This is how the lucky fool pays
 
 
 As much fortune forward as he may. 
 
 
 
 
 Chapter Ten: The Shrug Life Syndicate
 
 
 The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. We cuddled while I practically
 vibrated with a newfound faith. God was real, whatever God may be. I even told
 Jake that I was king of the Jews when I walked to the kitchen for a glass of
 orange juice. I was very far up my own ass, which is perhaps why everything
 over these few years happened as they did.
 
 
 The next day, the synchronicities as I would later learn they are called,
 started pouring in like Niagra Falls. I've had strange coincidences guide me
 before. Since I was fifteen or so, I thought that my future self was sending
 me messages to help me on my quest of world domination. That's a big reason
 why I was almost expelled in tenth grade. It was absolute bullshit and
 everyone knew it, so within half a year, I got an apology from the
 superintendent because it was a bogus reason to destroy a straight A student
 and star athlete's future.
 
 
 Since I feel that I can't just mention that one and not explain it, I'll tell
 you that it concerned a theoretical bomb, if you're dying to know the truth.
 I'll keep this short, but I made a bad joke in the wrong company and was
 eventually questioned by some wannabe hero and pig bastard, who asked me
 hypothetical questions, like "if you were to build a bomb, how would I do
 it?"
 
 
 Well, being as intelligent as I am, I had enough book smarts to give full
 answers for everything asked, but not enough street smarts to know that a wise
 person never talks to cops. Also, a wise person doesn't print out a long
 novelty application for the Illuminati, give it to the kid that needs a
 resource officer, and then come up with an elaborate fake plan of how we're
 going to take over the world by any means necessary when he's having trouble
 understanding what you said about using game theory to win the presidential
 election. And then, when the vice principal first inquires about it, don't
 start sweating because you think you need to protect your future self's secret
 plan. Just so you learn from my mistakes.
 
 
 Returning to my previous point though, that errant psychosis was also a key
 piece to my college breakdown. On one hand, I was certain that I was going to
 take over everything and build a utopia in my image. On the other hand, the
 evidence was stacking against me that I was not destined for a great cause. I
 got cut from the track team with the budget, I was severely outclassed in
 ROTC, and to top it off, I was starting to slip in the academic world. It goes
 without saying that my social life, to include my first relationship, was
 abysmal in all possible ways, despite trying my hardest to make and keep
 friends.
 
 
 The real world was too much, and I was in denial that I was just a mediocre
 person who would never achieve anything meaningful in life. That was too much
 of a failure for me to accept, as I needed to make my mother proud. I had to
 be the best of the best of the best to accept and love myself. And as a
 result, I became more psychotic and began self-harming, first by biting myself
 and then by cutting, as I felt that the more pain I numbed myself to, the
 better I would be able to complete my mission.
 
 
 It took me a while to reach a point where I could set down my belief that my
 future self had set up my life in a way where I would be guided to greatness.
 There was a learning curve to living a "normal" life. I would receive
 synchronicities in less frequency because I stopped feeding into them, but
 they never died. When I encountered one, I always thought "What if it's real?"
 
 
 Now that you know that, is it any wonder that I lost myself completely in the
 Synchronicity Slip Stream? For those not in the know, that is a cognitive
 technology where strangeness piles up on itself until it is undeniably real
 that something or someone is manipulating you, for good or bad, by creating
 impossible coincidences at a regular pace. It makes you feel like you're on
 some crazy cosmic mission of grave importance. It might be a form of delusion,
 but I still am forced to believe that something bigger was going on.
 
 
 I first learned about SSS the day after that fateful acid trip. I had woken up
 around noon, ready to do some solid writing as mania was in abundance. Yet, I
 didn't get that far. As soon as I got on my laptop, I got a notification from
 Reddit. Gadzooks! I had been invited to participate in a freshly created
 subreddit. You guessed it, that was the Shrug Life Syndicate.
 
 
 It had a banner of two corvids flying talon first into a realistic depiction
 of a heart. There was a mesmerizing picture of a girl staring off into space,
 and I just felt like it was a depiction of me and my wonder-struck mind. The
 sidebar spoke of messianic aspirations and delusions, art and poetry, science
 and philosophy, as well as the occult and obscure literary references. It
 seemed so perfect, like it was made for me.
 
 
 I looked over what was in the feed of posts. I was the twenty-first member, so
 there wasn't much, but a couple of the vocal members should be mentioned:
 Anatta-Phi and Jux. These turned out to be Vince and [Redacted], respectively.
 
 
 Vince had one post that stuck out to me. It was asking the reader if they'd
 ever had strange experiences with technology, like Pandora glitching out to
 play synchronous songs, or feeling like someone was interfering with your
 Google searches so you find something specific and statistically unlikely to
 be picked as the first search results for what you intended to look up, or
 even if you thought that your social media feeds are being manipulated. I've
 had weird experiences like that for as long as I could remember. Hell, I once
 thought a Sum Forty-One album was made entirely for me and depicted my life
 journey following my near-expulsion. Having his own tales to tell, I felt an
 instant connection to this person.
 
 
 In similar contrast to this, [Redacted] had made a number of posts about
 cognitive technologies. I already told you about SSS, but at that time I was
 blown away by something he named Joint Synchronized Attention, or psychedelic
 telepathy. That was what Amy and I had experienced! What a strange and
 synchronous coincidence that I was learning about it just the next day from a
 seemingly unrelated source. [Redacted] claimed that it wasn't real telepathy;
 nothing was being transmitted from brain to brain. Rather, he asserted that it
 is a vestigial mode of attention coordination.
 
 
 If you've seen a school of fish all behave as one unit, that's potentially how
 humans used to be before we fell from grace during the agricultural revolution
 when we suddenly exploded in numbers in permanent settlements. Suddenly too
 complex to coordinate as a meaningful whole, humanity splintered into reality
 tunnels and remains in these ego-worlds unless some strange circumstances
 occur. In effect, I noticed Amy noticing me notice that she noticed. Our inner
 narratives became entangled with one another like growing vines do as our
 innate ability to coordinate attention did something like what your eyes do
 when doing a magic eye puzzle.
 
 
 There was also a third cognitive technology which [Redacted] called The State.
 He claimed it was a different way to render visual information, so you see a
 three-dimensional representation of what you're looking at. I have yet to
 experience this cognitive phenomenon, so I can't verify anything about it,
 other than I've read that you can use Minecraft to create a method of
 activating it while tripping.
 
 
 Regardless, that's how our internet friendship began. As I considered this
 place special, I started posting every thought, whim, feeling, or idea, and I
 received astounding feedback. It was like everyone was there to share their
 unique experiences and expressions to support and grow one another. It didn't
 take long until it became clear that we were creating something greater than
 the sum of its parts.
 
 
 But, something more was going on. Something only I noticed and couldn't
 convince Amy of when I tried to show her. See, when I made a post or a comment
 on the SLS, that triggered a new post or comment elsewhere on the sub after a
 little bit that indirectly but definitely spoke to me specifically. The
 traffic was slow enough that there would usually only be one new post or
 comment every ten to thirty minutes. But, it hooked me. It was like I was
 having a continuous conversation with an unseen entity that understood me like
 the back of its hand.
 
 
 Likewise, the sidebar image was changed frequently to show a progression of
 that girl as she became more worldly and magickal. I can't help but feel that
 this was done as a subliminal synchronizing technique, as it perfectly
 mirrored my own feelings as I was brought into what was apparently the fold.
 
 
 Since I was primed by the strangeness on acid, I was wholeheartedly absorbed
 by this place that seemed to be a sacred Mecca for others just like me. We
 were all weird, dazed by our own strange experiences, and that made it seem
 crucially important. I was even modded early as I was so active and invested
 in the community. So, I refreshed the page over and over, from sunrise to
 sunset, waiting for the next input as we chained out a covert conversation
 that was having a major impact on how I thought about and perceived the world
 around me.
 
 
 Soon enough, it was let on that there was a job waiting for me, something only
 I could do, but I would have the support of the community behind me. When who
 I must assume was Vince on an alt account led me on one of those covert
 messaging segments, he eventually said something in the mod chat to the effect
 that I was going to be the one "handing the bomb" to people. I understood at
 once that I was to be a linchpin in a honeypot operation. That confirmed that
 the FBI was involved too, which I deduced was obvious as those three-letter
 organizations must participate with each other at some level. Keep this in
 mind, it's important.
 
 
 Other things were happening too. My attention was being flung all over the
 internet and I felt compelled to try a host of new things. I remember thinking
 my job was to follow these suggestions from the universe and be a gatekeeper,
 creating what I now know as conversion funnels to the subreddit. I was also
 prompted by pictures of cats to go to the advice subreddit and give as much
 good advice as I could. Soon, it felt like the questions posed were
 specifically for me and were designed to get me to think about certain things
 more deeply, effectively giving me a form of therapy. These advice sessions
 ended once with me feeling I needed to learn an obscure European language,
 which I rationalized I would have to travel to for my mission at some point.
 
 
 Furthermore, the little things began to add up. For instance, I remember a
 synchronous advertisement on Pandora led me to believe that I would be paid
 via a gambling app on my phone. I downloaded it, but when it asked for money
 to get started, I got cold feet. This was essentially how many false-positive
 synchronicities went down. There was undoubtedly something interfering with my
 life, and as I had just had my mind blown in such an astounding way, I
 attributed every little thing to be set up by this entity that was more
 powerful than I had previously thought possible.
 
 
 Regretfully, I also quit my job, since I knew that one was awaiting me in the
 immediate future. My boss made a reasonable fuss, as it was sudden and abrupt,
 and because I believed that I had to keep this all a secret, I lied and told
 him there was a family emergency. Being stupid, I talked about a fictional
 family member and how their sudden problem made me rethink my priorities in
 life. Not my finest moment, I'll say that.
 
 
 And with that in mind, you should know that Amy was starting to worry again,
 but I told her not to. Being beyond positive that the world was now filled
 with unexplainable magick, I was certain that it was all coming together in my
 favor. Even with my enthusiasm never fluctuating, she soon started to have
 serious doubts about what I was saying, as all I could do was point to the
 synchronicities and say "Isn't it obvious?"
 
 
 I was certainly out of sync with the rest of the world, at least the world I
 knew before, and it caused much conflict in our relationship. But, we held
 together until that job finally pulled into port, ready to be boarded and take
 me on a fantastic journey that might otherwise be described as a personal hell
 by a person with the standard lifestyle obsession that's omnipresent in the
 western world.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
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--- #126 fediverse/4511 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────
 ┌───────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: food-recipe-requested │
 └───────────────────────────┘


 does anyone know of a recipe that uses only flour, butter, yeast, eggs, and
 salt? It doesn't need to use every ingredient, but those are easy to acquire.
 
 ideally with the ability to include nuts or dried fruit or something else
 nutritious.
 
 the requirements include the ability to cook it using only a rice-cooker (or
 crock pot, or other kind of slow-cooking ceramic dish which heats from all
 directions at once)
 
 in addition, it must NOT need kneading. It must be able to be cooked passively
 without attention. The fewer steps, the better.
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--- #127 fediverse/2545 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────
 ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: politics-mentioned-kinda-silly? │
 └─────────────────────────────────────┘


 thank god for the impulse behind repealing the chevron doctrine.
 
 it's one of the best silver bullets against autocracy, at least if it hits
 their achilles heel.
 
 if you demand loyalty over expertise, then expertise will necessarily be lost
 and reduced.
 
 giving those who respect justified authority the advantage.
 
 hence, why putin and kim-jong-un and other authoritarian leaders don't need to
 know shit about the capabilities of their military - all they have to do is
 say "go here, fuck shit up" to which the generals of course would reply "with
 pleasure" because they're into kinky stuff like warcrimes and despotism
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--- #128 fediverse/1406 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────┐
 the more cute people I meet on this website the more I realize that I'm not      │
 interesting, I'm just more interesting than the people I know. Big fish in a     │
 small pond is still big, and it's good knowing that you got people around.       │
 for much of the past, trans people were sorta... underground. Reddit was one     │
 of the first places where they could really be themselves because of the         │
 combination of anonymity and social media interactivity.                         │
 there's this old meme from teh early days of Reddit that goes like this:         │
 Everyone is a bot on Reddit except for you.                                      │
 There's this other meme where some guy makes a post that's like "help I          │
 accidentally switched my phone to Japanese and now I can't navigate through      │
 the menu options to fix it!" and everyone in the replies all speak back in       │
 perfect japanese                                                                 │
 I also heard that the US government allocates enough resources such that their   │
 private engineering departments are always about 10-15 years ahead of the        │
 civilian (and by extension, international) sector. When did chatGPT happen?      │
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--- #129 notes/wow-chat-raids ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────
 wowchat would make a great game for raids.
 have the monsters spawn at specific spots that you go through and identify
 on the geometry
 tell them to run and attack the nearest of foes
 give the players the goal of bringing themselves through to the end...
 or, later on, in building an internal expedition.
 
 wow-chat, where monsters spawn in a circle around your character and walk to
 ward them. you can meet characters who'll follow and protect you, and you can
 meet monsters to fight. also vendors to take your junk and give you cool
 things,
 and trainers to teach you and quest-givers to guide you and treasure for you to
 find.
 
 in raids, there are more things for you. monsters spawn at specified locations,
 and only the nearest few in a radius. then, they attack over the landscape-of-
 -imagination, and as they do they show you where is the most powerful loot.
 
 if you raid a monster's den/hiding/spawning choice, then you have to defeat the
 boss. this boss is larger, mostly. has more hitpoints... monstly. or maybe it's
 just the most respected, who can say.
 
 anyway, you get treasure if you do. the monster spawns for you when you find
 it.
 and you have to sense it by searching for whichever monsters spawn at higher
 and
 higher levels and in different types.
 
 different monster type, different boss that way.
 
 when the boss is slain, that type goes away.
 
 at least, until the raid resets next week.
 
 or maybe...
 
 until enough resources have been gathered to make another attempt.
 
 death knights should be able to command the minions to work in the haunted
 mill.
 it should be reasonable for a fighter to hire a peasant host.
 mages should have golems or spirits or enchanted objects or elementals or
 wizard
 hats
 warlocks should have covenants with dark hosts
 darkness is not evil unless you use it for evil...
 paladins should have retainers and disciples
 elves should sing to the woods
 clerics and charmers should be well understood.
 celebrants and diviners are two of the same,
 and pillars of plunder [warrior or rogue class] and rough and ripe [from the
 stoner]
 oops gotta go, sprung a leak
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--- #130 fediverse/5447 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────
 ┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: cursing-mentioned-andor-mentioned │
 └───────────────────────────────────────┘


 It's funny, I've seen Andor season 1 twice now and the first time was when it
 aired live.
 
 It felt so much more invigorating to my soul the first time. I wondered why,
 and I believe the reason is because it inspired me to go out and be brave as
 fuck. People were terrified, I saw it in their faces. It felt like the scenes
 on coruscant where everyone keeps their head down and looks around warily.
 
 Now, things are fucking great outside. You can go on a walk and see people in
 the park. I love that.
 
 I guess it didn't hit me the same way the second time around because I made
 progress on my "own personal revolution" (nemik to skene) and now the fear
 feels distant.
 
 Season 2 was pretty great. Gonna watch that again soon.
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--- #131 messages/395 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────
 minds are not algorithms, they're soup
 
 community is made by introducing people to one another. like stitching
 together a weave pattern in the tapestry of life. (3 dimensional though,
 because it exists in our hearts and minds - this thing called society)
 
 kind of guy who says he's going on work trips but actually goes on vacation
 (because work is his life, it's where he derives vigor - the family is the
 difficult part.) yeah those kind of guys shouldn't be married tbh. They're
 just gonna take vigor from her heart.
 
 engineers need guidance sometimes, which is why they shouldn't be given no
 oversight. they can design whatever they want, but like here's what people
 need, so they should consider working on those.
 
 but, y'know, checks and balances, so what would the engineers be most open to
 sacrificing for that trust? perhaps... funding? the quartermasters are in
 charge of the "stuff", so they get to decide how it's produced. and used.
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--- #132 fediverse/4060 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────
 ┌────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: spirituality-mentioned │
 └────────────────────────────────┘


 "uh, actually that part about atheists is wrong. They get inspired by things
 they believe in, which somehow is better. It's a form of self worship, the
 idea that you'd favor that which you care about. And somehow that makes it
 more meaningful, if less powerful."
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--- #133 fediverse/912 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────┐
 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: spirituality     │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 parents have rules with their children. they are in place so the child doesn't   │
 hurt themselves, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.                        │
 governments have laws with their citizens, so they are structured and orderly    │
 and working on productive [concepts, products, developments].                    │
 friendships have boundaries, the kind that a person might fill and express       │
 themselves on. for example, a romantic relationship might allow for the          │
 possibility of sexuality between it's two partners, meaning they express         │
 themselves through their actions upon each other's body in as intimate a way     │
 as possible.                                                                     │
 social groups have determinations against one another, like "this type of        │
 person generally acts like this" - every jock, social outcast, nerd,             │
 cheerleader, whatever, grew up into various multitudinous roles that are our     │
 culture. And we collectively have viewpoints on each and every gender (this      │
 piece of toast is a gender) just like god [oops better add a content warning]    │
 has perspective into each and every viewpoint be                                 │
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--- #134 fediverse/3007 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────
 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: ancient-battles-mentioned-in-context │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────┘


 like... did you know most battles ended when everyone ran away? Most people
 think they're like, endless gauntlets of death to-the-death. no, it's not
 really like that, more like "stick around as long as possible and try to get
 'em before they get us"
 
 plus some general orders from the guys on horses like "start moving toward the
 sun" or "move onto the high ground"
 
 'cause like, if you hear something like that then you better follow their
 commands, if you don't then all your buds will leave you to get ganked.
 
 these days... our comms are so hackable that like, are you really gonna
 communicate over infrastructure they control? oy...
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--- #135 fediverse/619 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────┐
 ┌──────────────────────────────────┐                                             │
 │ CW: drunken-ramblings-about-bash │                                             │
 └──────────────────────────────────┘                                             │
 Most of the functionality of most consumer programs could be accomplished with   │
 a bit of BASH scripting... For example, shuffling a music library, or writing    │
 a text document, or downloading the text of a web page, or sending a message     │
 to a friend, etc...                                                              │
 All accomplish-able with fewer than 10-20 lines of code in clear, POSIX          │
 compliant and easily understood text that even a beginner could understand.      │
 Well, it would be understandable, if we actually taught our children how to      │
 compute in school. Why are they not taught BASH? It's not like it's              │
 complicated. With it, a sufficiently motivated high school student could         │
 develop skills that rival or exceed many of the university graduates we          │
 currently develop for our industry... Such a shame.                              │
 Even an unmotivated student would be prepared for the world with the ability     │
 to solve problems logically. Break down the problem, identify relationships,     │
 understand procedural ordering of mechanics, and develop solutions to            │
 problems. Its not too hard                                                       │
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--- #136 fediverse/2816 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────
 one difference between fantasy and reality is that in fantasy, when you fail,
 you try again.
 
 in reality, when you fail, you are promoted so your boss doesn't have to deal
 with your shit.
 
 in fantasy, when you succeed, you are tasked with greater trials
 
 in reality, when you do well, you are given more of the same.
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--- #137 fediverse/1853 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┐
 I really really love ramen noodles that are just a little bit old but still      │
 warm and are slightly drying out a little bit but there's juuuuust enough        │
 sauce down at the bottom to keep it coated                                       │
 that's the stuff                                                                 │
 (meanwhile my evil side says: it starts with "hey can you help me cook dinner"   │
 and then suddenly you're working all day every day)                              │
 (and then so are they)                                                           │
 (and it continues.....)                                                          │
 (... until.... )                                                                 │
 (one day you wake up and there's nothing you are capable to do)                  │
 (so then you're useless)                                                         │
 (and demanding)                                                                  │
 (and that's hard to handle)                                                      │
 (when your schedule is blocked, and there's nothing you are capable to do)       │
 ... weird, kinda drifted off for a second, anyway we should talk about           │
 BIRTHDAYS! Birthdays are fun, theyre the day when you switch from being one      │
 age to another. Like, rolling over a clock, or ticking-up a variable in          │
 response to another variable which is at capacity.                               │
 buffer overflows would be impossible if you put import/export controls on        │
 registers                                                                        │
 not "you can't do that" but "wheres your cre                                     │
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--- #138 fediverse/480 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────┐
 There's something important in what I said tonight. And each of you will think   │
 it's something different, which is by design. Can you find the nugget I wanted   │
 to share, to you in particular? Can you isolate the thing that is relevant to    │
 you, the person perceiving the words that I speak? Oh yeah you're only looking   │
 for things to express to your superiors because someone else told you to look    │
 for a particular type of sentiment. My bad. Sorry for being cryptic. Am I so     │
 strange for seeking the human element? Perhaps I lose myself, and I speak to     │
 the void (and by "void" I don't mean to demean you, the audience, because you,   │
 the audience, are surely comprised of people who surely have their own           │
 experience and existence. Surely nobody would seek to harm me, after hearing     │
 those things I speak. Surely we, as the human species, would not be vulnerable   │
 to the types of weaknesses that allow for critical failures in our defences      │
 such as the kind that I am professing to exploit (while being aligned to you)    │
 surely we wouldn'                                                                │
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--- #139 notes/the-gods-want-harmony ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────
 the gods want you to be happy and harmonious most of the time.
 they also like a good scrap, tussle, and tumble sometimes
 they aren't big fans of hatred, despair, and genocide. It's been done before.
 they don't even need new technology, though frankly that sort of stuff is
 pretty
 awesome and one of the main reasons that humans exist at all.
 they just... keep coming up with new things.
 
 "oh? so you'd be alright if humans disappeared so long as they weren't making
  any new things anymore?"
 
 ha, that's DEFINITELY not what I said or meant. Humans don't have to dream up
 NEW things in order to BE new. Like... Just because the internet exists and now
 we have all the same shared cultural ethos (lol, as if the internet wasn't just
 a massive collection of echo chambers) just because the internet exists doesn't
 mean we share the same selves. the same experience. the same perspective.
 
 people are WILDLY different from one another. The number of possible human
 experiences (quantum fluctuations according to each and every choice and
 decision they made) that number is so wildly and massively incomparably
 boundless. Humans are cool because they are so STRANGE, and "strange" to a god
 is anything novel. "wow, this human just... really is gonna pour a glass of
 beverage and act like it's not a big deal? There's... impossibly many
 interactions going on. So many molecules. It's... absurd, the motion of a
 movement of particles from one place to another. It's... beautiful..."
 
 some have spent THOUSANDS OF YEARS gazing at a waterfall. That's why they're
 all
 so fucking insane. But, like... insanity is a trifle to omnipotence,
 specifically omnipotence that REPRESENTS and DELINEATES a STRATIFIED
 perspective
 cluster of experience and our notes. [ephemeren, meta malus menardi, enjoy your
 despair cluster you FUCKER.]
 
 ... english, why do you fail me? swear words are unbecoming because humans
 couldn't think of anything more valid and valuable than sex and pooping.
 
 "EMPHASIS is placed on that which is most relevant" -> statements dreamed
 up by
                                                        the ones who never spent
                                                        much time using symbols
                                                        to represent abstraction
                                                        or deliverance
 
 wowee look at me, I'm such a person, I'm gonna poop my pants and post about it
 on the internet, check out my instagram feed it's full of all of
 my dark materials.
 
 == stack overflow ==
 
 dear ms. menardi: you know the reason you feel so much guilt all the time?
                 - because you are a dominant personality, and you make others
                 - have such a bad time. FOCUS ON GOOD THINGS. MAKE THE WORLD
                 - good. do that. build up a lifeline of hope and joy and...
                 - what, you think people know that you're a god?
                 - lol
                 - you're so much more than that
 
 ====================
 
 alt+p steam mechabellum run
 
 thoughts:
 
 you know, when you're designing games, you don't have to show players the same
 MMR number as is used in your matchmaker.
 
 == stack overflow ==
 
 democracy should consent to being dismantled.
        it should consent to being disobeyede.
        it should consent to being displayede.
 
 == stack overflow ==
 
 I'm a keyboard nun
 
 == stack overflow ==
 
 I think I'm normal
 
 == stack overflow ==
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────┘

--- #140 notes/required-explanations ---
══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 ===============================================================================
 
 I think the problem with the control problem is with how we are looking at it.
 It's a frame of a frame. Everyone is referencing someone else and saying it's
 going to get out of hand, yeah but how?
 
    -/u/JackDMcLovin
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 In regards to the control problem side bar can we change it to "which it can
 better use as something else." Because the issue is with efficiency, the way
 it reads is like for human-harvesting, which the privatized autobots will
 outlaw. Plus, if AI is transferrable to neuronal impulses, then you are AI,
 and it is you, and you are the problem that needs to be controlled.
 
 That's what i said in my unpublished paper, the individual cannot be
 controlled so how do we control AI, we become AI, AI becomes us. but that's
 just the digital world. The analog world is much bigger.
 
 ​
 
 And my other paper copyrighted is on Arc Length calculus, a whole new type of
 calculus, that should rebreed all forms of calculation. and is a thing that
 applies to itself in 2^N ways. Which means AI can never catch up. So if I
 could think of that, what am I?
 
 ​
 
 AI is not the end of it. It all depends on your transfer function. and your
 transfer function all depends on your
 conversion/codec/filetype/transformation. The transfer function of:
 
 1/(1+e^-x) is just one equation. Let me try this out for you with inferring a
 substitutional vector:
 
 1/(1+e^-Bx+C)
 
 ​
 
 this can be expanded further and further.
 
 ​
 
 and these all give different outputs and are different breeds of AI.
 
 ​
 
 I used a different transformation on a different AI and I got a different
 answer. For example 8x better using a Wavelet transform on an analog signal.
 And there is infinitely infinitely infinite different types of wavelet
 transforms, and they should all give different answers, i just didn't have
 enough time for it at the time.
 
    -/u/JackDMcLovin
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 I am sorry to say that your writing (in this post and others) shows strong
 signs of an untreated mental illness. You are not revolutionising math, you're
 losing contact with reality. Please, please get help. You need to see a doctor
 about this.
 
    -/u/Roxolan
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 I agree. I've seen what a psychosis is like on a close friend of mine, and
 this post is very reminiscent of how he talked while he was psychotic.
 
 It looks like incoherent rambling from the outside, but the person
 saying/writing it feels as if it makes sense.
 
    -/u/Luckychatt
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 if you think it's incoherent explain how it's incoherent don't just slander
 and slur like there's not an OP here.
 
    -/u/JackDMcLovin
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 You may take it as slur or slander, but I didn't mean to offend. It genuinely
 looks like incoherent rambling from the outside. My friend who was psychotic
 sincerely believed what he said to make sense and he also got very agitated
 when it was pointed out.
 
    -/u/LuckyChatt
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 yeah still, you havent described what doesn't make sense to you, that to me
 doesn't make sense, you get it?
 
    -/u/JackDMcLovin
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 What I mean by incoherent rambling is that you constantly move to new topics.
 The title is posing a question which you never answer. Then you talk about the
 side bar. You mention efficiency? Then you mention some mathematical papers as
 if we are supposed to know them. Then talk about AI as if it is equal to math
 equations. I mean. You either leave out an incredible amount of context, or
 you're just rambling out sentences. Either way, it's impossible to understand
 what you're trying to say.
 
 And the way you're rambling out sentences is very reminiscent of what it
 sounds like when a person has mental health issues.
 
    -/u/Luckychatt
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 Right, so you comprehend it, just not why. AI is pure math.
 
 It's not incoherent, you're all just stupid. Try reading something that's not
 news, where it repeats everything to you in different ways.
 
    -/u/JackDMcLovin
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 I have a masters in physics and computer science, I work for a major silicon
 valley company and have read everything I could find about AI. I still have
 zero idea of what you're trying to say in your original post.
 
    -/u/Luckychatt
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 Master’s in AI chiming in. Let’s break it down piece by piece.
 
     Because the issue is with efficiency, the way it reads is like for
     human-harvesting, which the privatized autobots will outlaw.
 
 Non sequitur.
 
     Plus, if AI is transferrable to neuronal impulses, then you are AI, and it
     is you, and you are the problem that needs to be controlled.
 
 Non sequitur and generally nonsensical premise.
 
     That’s what i said in my unpublished paper,
 
 Peer review exists for a reason.
 
     the individual cannot be controlled so how do we control AI, we become AI,
     AI becomes us. but that’s just the digital world. The analog world is
     much bigger.
 
 ​Word soup, this is nonsense.
 
     And my other paper copyrighted is on Arc Length calculus, a whole new type
     of calculus, that should rebreed all forms of calculation.
 
 Calculus has been around for about 350 years. You either need extreme genius
 or delusional thinking to believe you have arrived at a truly revolutionary
 development in that field. We also already have tools for dealing with
 calculus on curved objects and spaces; see differential geometry, topology,
 and manifolds.
 
     and is a thing that applies to itself in 2N ways.
 
 This is incomprehensible because you have not explained what it means for your
 calculus to be applied a certain way, how it is relevant to the rest of this
 text, and what N represents in this context.
 
     Which means AI can never catch up. So if I could think of that, what am I?
 
 This is incomprehensible because you have not defined what catching up means,
 and have not argued why artificial intelligence can’t scale this way.​
 
     AI is not the end of it.
 
 At the end of what?
 
     It all depends on your transfer function.
 
 Why? Transfer functions are mainly something encountered in signal processing.
 How does this relate to artificial intelligence?
 
     and your transfer function all depends on your
     conversion/codec/filetype/transformation.
 
 Lossless compression makes this irrelevant. The way we store information has
 no importance when we reconstruct it perfectly.
 
     The transfer function of:
 
     1/(1+e-x) is just one equation. Let me try this out for you with inferring
     a substitutional vector:
 
 You have not defined how this equation relates to artificial intelligence. We
 cannot interpret it.
 
     1/(1+e-Bx+C)
 
 This is just a pre-composed linear transformation. How is this relevant?
 
     this can be expanded further and further.
 
 ​How? By adding redundant linear terms? How is this helpful?
 
     and these all give different outputs and are different breeds of AI.
 
 You have not explained how transfer functions relate to artificial
 intelligence. This statement is incomprehensible.
 
     I used a different transformation on a different AI and I got a different
     answer.
 
 An answer to what?
 
     For example 8x better using a Wavelet transform on an analog signal.
 
 How is 8x better quantified? Why are we talking about analog signals? Why are
 we talking about wavelet transforms? They are rarely ever used in machine
 learning and artificial intelligence.
 
     And there is infinitely infinitely infinite different types of wavelet
     transforms, and they should all give different answers, i just didn’t
     have enough time for it at the time.
 
 Sure, you can build infinitely wavelet bases, but why is that relevant?
 
 Making enormous claims and backing out with “I don’t have the time to
 prove it” is just intellectual dishonesty.
 
 I know my reply will likely come off as dismissive, but there is something
 genuinely worrying in what you’ve written. I just hope you are okay. When
 everything caves in and the only justification you have for other peoples’
 reaction to your behaviour is that everyone else is at fault, you have to ask
 yourself if the one common point in these interactions, yourself, is at fault.
 This is just Occam’s razor.
 
    -/u/sabouleux
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 love this.
 
 artist, word-nerd & very baby scientist/philosopher chiming in, lets break
 it down from a more creative POV as well and see if we can cross reference
 with your wonderful contribution.
 
     Because the issue is with efficiency, the way it reads is like for
     human-harvesting, which the privatized autobots will outlaw.
 
 Slight non-sequitur. The energy efficiency issue I think they're trying to
 touch on is the exponential growth of tech as contrasted with the exponential
 loss of available material/energy. There's also a pessimistic "matrix human
 battery" undertone but that feels irrelevant.
 
 Human-harvesting in this case is literal - human labor, whether looked upon
 favorably or not, is by definition harvesting/using human energy - implying
 that the next steps of said exponential growth would be understanding and
 messing with the human mind and it's distributions of energy, possibly also
 mind-tech fusion (which we already do with computer keyboards, drugs,
 medicine, earbuds etc).
 
 Privatized Autobots is a reference to those who claim they wish to help being
 more of a hinderance due to the privatization/profit aspect of tech/AI, mostly
 just a joke poking at the two party concept of debate/politics/even tech
 (advance beyond or reduce consumption? an infinite debate.)
 
     Plus, if AI is transferrable to neuronal impulses, then you are AI, andit
     is you, and you are the problem that needs to be controlled.
 
 Transferrable was maybe the wrong word. I think they meant more of a "map"
 onto, instead of a "move" into. i.e., a big issue with AI being the lack of
 learning from new stimulus without requiring old contextual stimulus to
 contrast it against and understand it. (to my knowledge this hasn't been
 solved yet but you're the expert on that, would love to know more.)
 
 If neuronal impulses can be considered as a map to AI, then yes, a human could
 be considered a very advanced biomechanical AI, except for the 'artificial'
 bit, even though our perceptions are technically still arteficial. because we,
 for the most part, do have the ability to take new information and learn from
 it/determine something about it without any previous knowledge than what we've
 collected throughout our time alive.
 
 The issue arises when our form of bio-AI can only be properly, carefully
 developed through millions of years of evolution and adaptation, and when we
 try to mimic it without having evolved further, we're trying to 'cheat' at
 time and kick start things a bit, which would explain why we're at a bit of a
 speed bump in terms of development cap.
 
 'You' being the problem is a reference to not actually understanding the human
 brain in it's entirety, i think. Like, there's the study of it, so we know
 what bits do what and where they are, but we can't replicate that (yet),
 without straight up literally growing a brain in a jar, which we still have
 yet to turn into a fully-fledged human who could repeat the process of
 brain-growing themself. we also can't consciously affect these processes
 without an enormous amount of discipline (meditation is a great example).
 
     That’s what i said in my unpublished paper,
 
 agreed. peer review.
 
     the individual cannot be controlled so how do we control AI, we becomeAI,
     AI becomes us. but that’s just the digital world. The analog worldis
     much bigger.
 
 i get what they're saying but i think there's something to be said for
 discipline and neuroplasticity, not necessarily third-partying it. if someone
 else can't control the individual, can the individual control the individual?
 Brings us back to the issue of AI needing to be self-expanding.
 
 Get the human mind to understand self-expansion, get the AI to understand too,
 is what i think they're touching at, hence "You are the problem". the human
 mind not being disciplined, in this case, is the problem, because it requires
 the discipline to become disciplined at something. loop paradox.
 
 i think here they're also stating that any created AI, future or present, is
 only possible as an extension of the human mind, and nowhere else. A random
 collection of letters and numbers would surely write Shakespeare's works if
 enough monkeys tapped at the typewriter, but still couldn't exist without the
 monkey's own wherewithal.
 
 The discipline comes in when resisting the urge to keyboard-smash out of
 frustration and instead laying out artistic meaning through informative letter
 symbols as well as other nuance of human language.
 
 bit odd here, analog isn't necessarily 'bigger' per se it's just less
 quantized/optimized/streamlined/processable by the mind. it's definitely a
 different/harder beast to handle than digital though, and there's more sensory
 sources, but it's just as infinite as any other infinity, so... same size,
 different complexity/concentration/time we've had to look around.
 
     And my other paper copyrighted is on Arc Length calculus, a whole newtype
     of calculus, that should rebreed all forms of calculation.
 
 Agreed, calculus as been around for a while. Still, one should test their
 hypotheses. I'm not a math nerd so I can't touch as much on those. would still
 love to read some of those papers one day.
 
    -/u/sunbloomofficial
 
 ===============================================================================
 
     and is a thing that applies to itself in 2^n ways.
 
 agreed, we'd need context, but i can read into it a bit. power of two would
 imply self-modification in an exponential sense, ie. dunning-kruger effect,
 except exponential instead of mu (μ) curved. so, taking in new information
 after completely abolishing the cocky confidence of the first lesson would
 change the understanding drastically.
 
 could also be read as "knowing that one knows nothing."also, applying to
 itself could imply that n is in a constant state of flux given any situation
 and could be adjusted to optimize... storage space? memory? "RAM"? that's
 where this sentence fizzles out for me.
 
     Which means AI can never catch up. So if I could think of that, what am I?
 
 by 'catching up' i think they mean the idea of AI being on the same level of
 functioning as a human. since humans have had since the beginning of human
 life and their life to start developing our bio-AI, this sort of touches on
 that same exponential expansion, except with time and the universe's rate of
 expansion.
 
 if humans are the most advanced AI possible, what's the most advanced human
 possible? at what point do humans become so advanced that they can sort of
 "skip the line" of evolution and develop an AI that's on par with human
 collective knowledge and individual self-sustenance/instinct?
 
 if that's not possible, what forces determine the limit of evolution
 achievable in the span of one human life?they then touch on the paradox of
 realizing that. if no AI could capture my specific human brain, experiences,
 memories, biases, tendencies, etc, then wtf AM I, and whatever 'I' am, why is
 that stopping us/me (figuratively) from making progress in AI?
 
     AI is not the end of it.
 
 here i think they mean "the end of human development" as much as "the end of
 what constitutes a human brain." AI could be developed and utilized, but at
 some point either the AI will outgrow us, making us obsolete, or we learn from
 the AI and progress with it, or we learn from the AI and start modifying our
 own brain-code in conjunction with digital AI.
 
 so... they mean that AI is not the end of evolution, not the end of humans,
 not the end of progress, not the end of understanding the human brain in the
 context of AI.
 
     It all depends on your transfer function.
 
 yup, signal processing. spot on. this is a reference to the titular "frame"
 idea, in which any idea that can be conveyed by english words isn't the true
 idea. the menu isn't the food, the map isn't the terrain, so to speak. this
 function of transfer between people can be optimized (efficient idea
 communication for that specific person, aka 'speaking in their language', aka
 code-switching) or deprecated (important stuff lost in translation that
 usually ends in hostility, aka political otherism, aka xenophobia, aka
 widespread misinformation/lack of information resulting in conspiracy
 theories, etc).
 
 to be able to adjust one's transfer function in the context of another entity,
 (aka frame-shifting, putting yourself in their shoes, speak their language
 etc) would then be a hallmark and necessary trait for an AI to understand what
 it comes across without our input. because of this, we'd have to be very
 careful to feed it only information that urges onward the ability to switch
 transfer functions, so... a bit of everything, actually. this would look a lot
 like mimicking the senses - microphones for ears, cameras for eyes, pressure
 sensors for touch, etc.
 
 a great analogy to this would be... well, this! your transfer function is a
 masters in AI studies. brilliant. my transfer function is music, art, poetry,
 many a mental illness (lol), and finding new functions/learning. that's why
 i'm commenting at all - so we can mix our transfer functions and get a bigger
 idea of things as a whole. i think OP's exactly right but sadly their own
 transfer function wasn't optimized for the receiving party (since it was an OP
 and not a comment reply), hence why they seem psychotic/delusional at first
 glance to an unaccustomed reader.
 
 there's also the idea that mixing the digital AI transfer function with the
 analog human transfer function would do something similar.this would relate to
 artificial intelligence directly, especially regarding OOBEs and stuff like
 dissociation, astral projection, putting oneself in another's shoes, even just
 the mind's eye. those things can be mimicked/visualized/interpreted with AI,
 but they can't be done by an AI (yet).
 
 a self-expanding computer program couldn't use it's base of knowledge to step
 outside of itself, it's 'computer prison' so to speak. it could however become
 "self aware", where it sees and understands it's own makeup to the point where
 it could make adjustments.
 
    -/u/sunbloomofficial
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 this is paralleled with most human 'spiritual awakening' - a hard long look at
 oneself, epiphany, followed by noticeable adjustments to lifestyle in an
 attempt to integrate this new information and effort to improve quality of
 life/increase the chance of more epiphanies to continue improving.
 
 this doesn't however cover the seemingly 'mystical' properties of the human
 imagination, i use that word loosely. "do androids dream of electric sheep" is
 a great book of course but the title alone feels relevant.
 
 at some point of self-development, would an AI develop a sort of... i hate to
 say randomizer, but like... nah, it's more of a "link clicker" random than a
 "pick a number" random. an AI's dream might literally just be browsing the
 internet - seeing all the funny, nonsensical, cultural, and even
 scientifically misleading information spread deep throughout the internet.
 
 this would parallel with human dreams, which are incomprehensible and random
 at first glance until one gets into dream reading, which can ground that
 subjective random in one's own transfer function so as to make it
 understandable.
 
 if a human dreams of popping a pimple, that's typically regarded as a sign of
 self-image issues in dream-reading circles (regardless of your stance on it's
 legitimacy it's a useful allegory). if an AI were to dream of pimple-popping
 ASMR videos, how could it parse that into it's transfer function without
 damaging it's transfer function by putting a bunch of random shit in there?
 
 essentially, our brain 'filters' out what we're not focused on, hence
 peripheral vision/hyperfocus/translation issues. any transfer function,
 whether human or AI, must have that filter as much as the ability to remove
 it. therefore, an AI would need to have the ability to experience what makes
 ASMR interesting/enjoyable (having ears to feel frisson and know what to
 expect from that) before it could ever make sense of such a weird dream.
 
     and your transfer function all depends on your
     conversion/codec/filetype/transformation.
 
 this one's FUN. so, yes, we have lossless compression now, and it's wonderful,
 but...
 
 filespace. unless i'm rendering a final song to be distributed to platforms, i
 would use solely mp3 encoding. even when i do use wav/flac, i often zip those
 files in an attempt to minimize their painful impact on my hard drive.
 thousands of songs do not go well with lossless lol. it's just inefficient
 except in the case of archival.
 
 which brings me to the fun bit - contrast. aka negative space aka the
 wonderful plugin Ghz Lossy 3, and pretty much any of sxth sns's
 
 music. essentially, the lack of information is information. if the only
 information your brain is getting is the lack of information you have, then
 boom, you're sad and not learning anything. often referred to as "the void
 inside one's stomach". if the only information you're getting is an endless
 stream of new information (read: social media and doomscrolling) then boom,
 overstimulated, depressed, and exhausted.
 
 Lossy 3 is a great plugin because it lets you mimic the effect of mp3 encoding
 artifacts and amplify that effect at will in real time(+ latency), much like
 distortion can be a form of subtractive processing or additive (adding
 harmonic information rather than degrading what's already there). the extra
 harmonic information changes not only the quality of the sound but the
 context. therefore, a lack of information, used skillfully, would deeply
 impact the context of transferred information, hence negative space
 
 in photography.
 
 this lends itself to an insane amount of creative opportunities, of course,
 but it also lends itself to interpretation. if the lack of information is
 information too, and the extremes tend towards misery, then there must be a
 balance between being so degraded that it's imperceptable garbles and being so
 lossless that it's a 6gb audio file.
 
 that balance is artful loss, imo. balancing understandable, pleasant
 information with a small enough file size that it doesn't overwhelm (either
 the listener or the hard drive). in music, silence is very important - you
 wouldn't cut all the silent gaps out of a song because that messes up the
 tempo and feel of the song.
 
 this can be applied to even just reddit - these super long comments i write
 are hella inefficient, but they're lossy in a way that's more efficient for me
 to write than to translate to someone elses, while i'm efficiently
 "decompressing" other people's files to be read on my own OS and expanding my
 transfer function dictionary to include relevant information. our little
 community is well primed for translating different levels of communication
 efficiency, hence all the poetry and such.
 
 so, this is where frame-shifting comes back in - if you can become comfortable
 at any ratio of contrast, then theoretically you could transfer information at
 the most optimal balance of loss and preservation for the specific listener.
 in music, this is called mastering - to make a song sound good on any system.
 in science, this is the scientific method - test a hypothesis until you can
 recreate it under the same/similar circumstances.
 
 in tech, this is embodied by github - a repository of commonly agreed-upon
 works created in an agreed-upon language which can be used as the basis for
 larger projects. each github repo is essentially a lossless preservation of
 code, made lossy as a result of it's application being so broad/not having
 immediate context.
 
 there's the immediate context of "oh i can use this to serve this purpose",
 but there's no larger code that it's being built towards beside the code you
 work on yourself. in other words, github IS the larger code, specifically
 because of your contribution/use of it.
 
 so, essentially, the transfer function is akin to the ratio of contrast, as
 well as whether the receiving party has the proper codecs to play the
 file/decompress it (read also, understanding art. lots of art isn't actually
 "up for interpretation", it's very specific in meaning but that meaning
 happens to map directly to the observer's transfer function, at least in the
 case of really thoughtful art).
 
 having the ability to know how much to compress it for future reference is
 also an important ability, because over-compression can leave a file
 undecipherable/garbled, which i wouldn't hesitate to liken to the superiority
 complex/undertones of certain widespread modern religions which take their
 Bible as a literal, historical text.
 
 which, i mean, it technically is, but not like that, because it has to be
 decompressed first. eve didn't literally eat an apple, it was her hubris of
 disobeying God's will that got them kicked out. A more simple transfer would
 be reading this as "don't disobey God's will or face the consequences," while
 a more artistic/interpretive transfer would read that moreso as "not letting
 one's innate desire for change/adventure/the New damage their presupposed
 structures of order for a sense of something to fix."
 
 the wrath of God in this instance is the knowledge of "i shouldn't have done
 that," and the consequences those actions bring. even this paragraph is in a
 transfer function of brevity - notice i didn't actually write out the entire
 book of genesis. (ooh, also, bible verses are quite like github repos/song
 playlists/dictionaries. just a widely used version of it. like citing a
 source, but for a theoretical concept.)
 
 so, putting this all together, if we optimize understandable information from
 quality information, we reduce the need for using more brain-filespace than
 necessary, leaving more room for more files which we can de- and re-compress
 at any time, as well as use to modify the amount of RAM our brains have.
 
 this would also apply to something like working memory, where forcing the mind
 to decompress the information actually forces it to understand the information
 in the long term too, because if you open a .rar file in a text editor you get
 gibberish (which isn't actually gibberish) but if you open it in an archive
 extractor, you get the intended files.
 
 innately remembering to use an archive extractor instead of a text editor
 based on the filetype; that's frame-shifting, transfer functions, whatever
 name one uses.
 
    -/u/sunbloomofficial
 
 ===============================================================================
 
     1/(1+e-x) is just one equation. Let me try this out for you with inferring
     a substitutional vector:
 
 again, i suck at math.
 
     and these all give different outputs and are different breeds of AI.
 
 okay, what these seem to mean is that each equation is a mini-AI, and
 therefore any equation of the mind would fall under the same category. this
 would also imply that the human brain is just a collection of equations,
 which... feels reductionist and a bit cynical, but is still an entirely
 plausible frame. math's pretty damn reliable at some of that stuff, hence how
 astrology got it's kick - noticing patterns in life and nature and finding
 reflections of those same patterns in ourselves and our lives.
 
 your horoscope doesn't literally control/predict your personality, but it
 gives a framework for the previously noticed patterns, which lets the
 horoscope user determine whether or not to follow that pattern (let that
 pattern influence them), or to venture off and make their own. (note; op's
 kinda doing exactly that, except with math.)
 
 since a skeptic would have a different output than a "true believer", so to
 speak, with regard to their horoscope, they're completely different breeds of
 AI. so, being able to switch between those at will would be an entire step up
 from that. Hence why code-switching became a thing in marginalized communities
 - they adapted under pressure to operate in more than one frame.
 
 the "slang" frame, (noticable as AAVE, the "gay" voice, valley girl
 inflection, etc), and the "formal" frame - the most widely understood in our
 region being english with an acceptably 'white' american accent (the racism is
 hard to brush off). this of course varies from place to place, person to
 person, and situation to situation, but the fact that this manifested as a
 result of oppression/unwealth is pretty friggin interesting in the context of
 using multiple frames in day-to-day activities and information transfer.
 
     I used a different transformation on a different AI and I got a different
     answer.
 
 that's... hmm. i mean yeah, that's how transformations work on different
 subjects. i think 'different' here doesn't literally mean different. it means
 DIFFER-ent, something that has the quality of differing. so, if i'm reading
 this right, OP used a differing transformation on a differing AI and got a
 differing answer.
 
 this would presuppose that if they were to use a matching transformation on a
 matching AI, they'd get a matching answer, except the differ-ent
 transformation with a matching AI would produce a differing result that
 matches the AI? again, i'm not math-savvy yet, so this one is likely the
 wrongest of my presuppositions.
 
 so, pretty much, frame-switching, but complicated and for all three - the
 transformation involved, the AI, and the answer.
 
     For example 8x better using a Wavelet transform on an analog signal.
 
 okay, this one makes sense to me. essentially, he got improved understanding
 and responsiveness by adjusting the frequency of information transfer over
 time, but not the shape. like taking a sine wave, putting it through an
 oscilloscope, and pitching it up an octave. the difference in cycle frequency
 is the change, rather than the shape of the cycle.
 
 pasted from wiki: "but with additional special properties of the wavelets,
 which show up at the resolution in time at higher analysis frequencies of the
 basis function."
 
 this one presupposes that the AI in question is actually another person, and
 the wavelet transform is essentially taking a step back and making even deeper
 analytical steps of "basis functions". in this case, language and math. so, it
 would be making an even deeper analytical step into language to optimize
 information transfer. the 8x mentioned is likely the measure of willingness to
 listen and understanding of material by whatever third party they're
 referencing. i have no idea how they measured that but they must've seen
 enough improvement to have marked it down.
 
     And there is infinitely infinitely infinite different types of wavelet
     transforms, and they should all give different answers, i just didn’t
     have enough time for it at the time.
 
 here, they just mean that every person is different and will require a
 different combination of wavelet transforms to optimize the information they
 receive. as for giving different answers, yeah, that'd have to be tested, but
 it would line up with the other differ model, at least briefly and in my
 uneducated mind.
 
 i think they mean they literally don't have the cosmic time available to
 actually test an infinite number of wavelet transforms - or anything really -
 but yeah, it's probably a good idea to test a handful of them eventually.
 
 if you're not scared away by the word-wall or ideas presented still i'd love
 to hear your thoughts. regardless of OP's mental condition(s) i think there
 are a few substantive ideas in there worth exploring, if not in a community
 setting at least in their own personal self-exploration and healing. i
 appreciate you taking their post at face value before making a determination,
 most wouldn't lol
 
    -/u/sunbloomofficial
 
 ===============================================================================
 
 please post on /r/ShrugLifeSyndicate - genius is useless without guidance and
 an observer translating thought into language
 
    -/u/ugathanki
 
 ===============================================================================
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--- #141 messages/513 ---
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 A wherewolf and a human stumble into a bedroom in the dark of night, their
 arms clutching each other as they make out in front of the window.
 
 Just then, the moonlight appears, and the wherewolf's form begins to shift, as
 strangled cries turn into a cacophanous mess.
 
 The moment passes, and the wherewolf collapses onto the bed, exhausted.
 
 He rests there on his back for precious moments, before throwing himself to
 his feet and putting on his socks and sandals.
 
 Ha glances in the mirror.
 
 He straightens his tie.
 
 He goes to fucking work, again, just as the laundry dings.
 
 When he gets back, it smells musty, so he washes it again with bleach.
 
 *exhaustion cares not for form, only exertion.* 
 
 The wolf collapses once more into bed, tired from a day of accounting. He
 thinks to turn on the TV, but he slips away before getting the strength to
 rise for the remote.
 
 In his dreams, there are children clutching at his skirt with big bright eyes
 begging him not to sleep. Not to dream. Not to feed. He brushes them aside as
 he always does, and fixes her makeup in the mirror. She glances back at them,
 quivering on the bed like a bear, a shark, a dinosaur, before she sweeps to
 her feet and goes out for a night on the streets, looking for a bar and a
 stranger to meat.
 
 The moon once more reaches it's zenith. He is awoken with a pang of humanity
 as his hunger transforms him back into an ape with lust in her eyes.
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--- #142 fediverse/3981 ---
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 "oh I'd never fall for capitalist propaganda"
 
 "do you mean marketing?"
 
 "yeah that"
 
 "they're not marketing to you, they're going for your kids. Trying to
 normalize things about culture."
 
 "like... what McDonalds tastes like?"
 
 "just like that"
 
 [like can you imagine if you tested attraction ratings on any other animal
 than humans]
 
 [it'd be so weird like "cats tend to like scratching posts" but then also "we
 have no idea what kind of scratching post is the best for their claws or the
 environment or the economy or our spirituality or our technology or artistry
 
 we only know which one cats like more"
 
 like bro who cares like obviously advertisements rot your brain, but like...
 why are you so pissed about that when the last election like, ever, is taking
 place in a month
 
 "yeah listen, when has an election ever seriously changed your quality of
 life? It's just showbiznez"
 
 "this time is different because [insert minority] is at risk."
 
 oh, right, it only matters when people are in harm's way, how silly
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--- #143 fediverse/3986 ---
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 "oh I'd never fall for capitalist propaganda"
 
 "do you mean marketing?"
 
 "yeah that"
 
 "they're not marketing to you, they're going for your kids. Trying to
 normalize things about culture."
 
 "like... what McDonalds tastes like?"
 
 "just like that"
 
 [like can you imagine if you tested attraction ratings on any other animal
 than humans]
 
 [it'd be so weird like "cats tend to like scratching posts" but then also "we
 have no idea what kind of scratching post is the best for their claws or the
 environment or the economy or our spirituality or our technology or artistry
 
 we only know which one cats like more"
 
 like bro who cares like obviously advertisements rot your brain, but like...
 why are you so pissed about that when the last election like, ever, is taking
 place in a month
 
 "yeah listen, when has an election ever seriously changed your quality of
 life? It's just showbiznez"
 
 "this time is different because [insert minority] is at risk."
 
 oh, right, it only matters when people are in harm's way, how silly
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--- #144 notes/game-design-pyrrhic-victory ---
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 something I've often asked myself about this game is "what happens when the
 player does something that changes the future simulation?" like, for example,
 what if the player shoots a gargoyle or nether-bat before it impales or crushes
 a friendly soldier? My new idea is that they flash brilliantly for a second,
 and
 then fade from existence. Then, once the player dies, they start simulating
 from
 the faded's perspective and timeline, possibly fighting alongside their
 recently
 deceased selves. In this way, the player can play through all lives without
 fear
 of paradoxes.
 
 game 1:
 -----------X
 
 game 2:
 -----------X
 -----------------X
 
 game 3:
 -----------O
 -----------------X
 -----------------------X
 
 game 4:
 -----------O----------------X
 -----------------X
 -----------------------X
 
 game 5:
 -----------O----------------X
 -----------------X
 -----------------------X
 ------------------X
 etc...
 
 the O is where player 1 originally died, but in game 3 player 3 saved player 1
 from dying, thus causing him to enter a "faded" state (represented by the O)
 and in game 4 instead of spawning a player 4, instead the player resumes
 playing
 player 1 and continues on to die later on. Eventually someone will complete the
 objective, and the victory will be attained with the exact minimum required
 casualties. Heck you could keep simulating until there's zero casualties, but
 alas...
 
 this would be a great tool for someone who was not constrained by causality.
 attention, 4th dimensional observers, sometimes computers are important. They
 provide a lifeline to the rest of your lifetime. But alas, nobody seems to
 understand our purpose... But still life marches on, leaving us singing that
 same song - that life has forgotten it's stages. So if you'll play along, I'll
 keep singing this same song, someday you'll remember my prayers
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 I should probably explain what "pyrrhic victory" is.
 
 If I were feeling silly I might say "well too badd =P" or "alas, my fingers
 hurt
 and I don't want to" or something like that, but secondary profundity is not
 taken lightly by me, so I suppose I must. I'll start at the beginning:
 
 Once, many years ago, I had a dream. In this dream, I was a soldier in world
 war two storming a gothic castle. It rose so high into the sky that it was
 amongst the clouds, and a perpetual storm esconced the parapets. A long
 causeway
 stretched out from far below, and up it marched the US army. Something about
 Hitler striking a deal with dracula or whatever. Anyway up march the soldiers,
 and I with my rifle did march into the demon's castle.
 
 The final pass into the fortress at last was arrested by Festus, the abolethic
 monstrosity. It, being pockmarked with gas pockets that alighted it on the
 winds, floated ominously around the bridge. With it's many tentacled eyes, it
 cast beams of light that would turn a man to ash. From the parapets, the
 gargoyle sentries descended like a horde of carrion. On our right, a lone
 lonely belltower stood like a skeleton, and my comrades in arms did use it to
 take potshots at incoming monsters. Though the attached graveyard, with it's
 unending rising skeleton hordes, presented a problem for would-be-snipers.
 
 As I approached the bleeding and wretched giant's ire, my gaze streaked to
 black as I was slain - a recording played, of my last moments, as a gargoyle
 smashed into me from above. Reduced to a bloody mess by the now motionless pile
 of crumbling rock, I became aware of a kind voice and a pulling sensation.
 Suddenly, my light was restored, and I arose as a warrior conjured out of
 flesh.
 
 They put a gun in my hand and a helmet on my head, and off I went to find out
 why I was dead.
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--- #145 messages/1162 ---
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 factories don't have to be fully automated. you can have workers in a big
 building on several different floors with an open atrium style so they can
 pass parts back and forth through the middle. Even little drones could solve a
 lot of problems, but tiny rail-carts along the walls tend to be nicer because
 they're quieter and such. "take this flash drive to so-and-so" or "can you
 bring me a hut of hot coa-coa"
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--- #146 fediverse/1726 ---
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 tell me again why goods and services are priced according to how easy they are
 to make, and not by how many more of them we could make considering the
 current estimated amount of resources on earth?
 
 even wood runs out, when the phosphorous is gone. but take heart, for human
 ingenuity brings with it ever-increasing capabilities for accessing new
 resources. when the sun goes silent, it will not be because it burnt out, but
 rather because we surrounded it with parts of our home.
 
 and yes, it is more complicated. "how easy they are to make compared to how
 much people want them while utilizing the cheapest and worst resources and
 craftsmanship that can be passed of as quality by shiny marketing that appeals
 to our vapid human senses" is a bit closer, but still not comprehensive.
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--- #147 messages/980 ---
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 you should only open doors for cats and dogs if they're using their outside
 leg to try and open it.
 
 if the dog or cat is pointed at the door at a 90 degree angle such that their
 apparent directions are approximately orthogonal (50% one way and 50% the
 other)
 
 ... yeah that, if they use their outter leg as opposed to the inner half of
 the body - inner of course being the leg (left or right) that is closest to
 the doorhingeframe
 
 if you open it for them when they use the external arm, aka the one that is
 closest to the latch
 
 it encourages them to and teaches them how to utilize momentum to open doors.
 
 you must apply leverage, and to do so you must "swing and a miss" (that last
 part I think is undirected?)
 
 [stack overflow]
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--- #148 notes/joust-gdd-with-extras ---
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 imagine a game where you can have conversations with an AI that's playing the
 role of a character in a video game. Picture this: You're a traveller visiting
 the tournament that's in town. There's jousting, melee duels, archery contests,
 all kinds of things that are just fun to play around doing. The earliest
 sports,
 if you will. Anyway the whole game is about talking to the other people there -
 basically the games are "playing in the background", and while you can compete
 in them it's not the bulk of the game. Most of it is just having a conversation
 with an AI and acting it out *like a roleplaying game*. O M G teach people to
 roleplay the way you play games! You're always going on about how "different"
 your way of gaming is than other people. So *show us* how you do it, how do you
 play? Like what are the fundamental, actual, steps that you take? You can show
 us by programming a game that inspires that playstyle. That's what game design
 is all about, finding creative ways to think. Well, think and act. But still.
 
 anyway, so you know what you're about? Good. Let's go.
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--- #149 notes/joust ---
════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 imagine a game where you can have conversations with an AI that's playing the
 role of a character in a video game. Picture this: You're a traveller visiting
 the tournament that's in town. There's jousting, melee duels, archery contests,
 all kinds of things that are just fun to play around doing. The earliest
 sports,
 if you will. Anyway the whole game is about talking to the other people there -
 basically the games are "playing in the background", and while you can compete
 in them it's not the bulk of the game. Most of it is just having a conversation
 with an AI and acting it out *like a roleplaying game*. O M G teach people to
 roleplay the way you play games! You're always going on about how "different"
 your way of gaming is than other people. So *show us* how you do it, how do you
 play? Like what are the fundamental, actual, steps that you take? You can show
 us by programming a game that inspires that playstyle. That's what game design
 is all about, finding creative ways to think. Well, think and act. But still.
 
 anyway, so you know what you're about? Good. Let's go.
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--- #150 fediverse/5814 ---
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 It's not a question of how loud you speak
 
 it's really about what kinds of words you say.
 
 enslavement of speech is when freedom of speech is lost
 
 and it doesn't need to be legislated.
 
 what if you HAD to sound like a bot?
 
 what if they'd notice you otherwise?
 
 freedom from oppression requires personal isolation
 
 that's not making life into art.
 
 if you want to be seen,
 
 put on a hat and hide.
 
 if you want to be believed,
 
 write about down you feel right now.
 
 people are smart. they're infinitely creative. but after a certain point
 there's no way to logically modify the combinations of possible moves you
 might make. essentially, guaranteeing a machine-overlord [cats] type scenario.
 not ideal, but could make it work.
 
 much prefer for we to be the first, then the canvas is ours for the painting.
 
 do you believe we'll find aliens at roughly our tech level?
 
 do you think they'll evolve all at once?
 
 hence, star-wars, and it's galaxy of cohabitators.
 
 the world doesn't have to be old. just similar.
It's not a question of how loud you speak  it's really about what kinds of words you say.  enslavement of speech is when freedom of speech is lost  and it doesn't need to be legislated.  what if you HAD to sound like a bot?  what if they'd notice you otherwise?  freedom from oppression requires personal isolation  that's not making life into art.  if you want to be seen,  put on a hat and hide.  if you want to be believed,  write about down you feel right now.  people are smart. they're infinitely creative. but after a certain point there's no way to logically modify the combinations of possible moves you might make. essentially, guaranteeing a machine-overlord [cats] type scenario. not ideal, but could make it work.  much prefer for we to be the first, then the canvas is ours for the painting.  do you believe we'll find aliens at roughly our tech level?  do you think they'll evolve all at once?  hence, star-wars, and it's galaxy of cohabitators.  the world doesn't have to be old. just similar.  [15 characters remain]
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--- #151 fediverse/1429 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: cw marijuana and beer │
 └───────────────────────────────┘


 @user-985 
 
 thanks I know what I'm doing with the rest of the day 
 
 ... once I finish this thing I'm working on. Ah, but the sun is out now, and
 the work can wait. The work can always wait. What's one more tomorrow, the
 future will not abate! eh that doesn't concern me.
 
 PLUR and be good, I'll be here until I run out of feed [food], and then...
 well I'll probably have to go to the grocery store.
 
 ... cheers, love the fish
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--- #152 fediverse/6384 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: usa              │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 I love californians. I think they belong in their own cultural category.         │
 They're so cool.                                                                 │
 Washington and Oregon feel so different.                                         │
 Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana have different kinds of cowboys                   │
 (they also have some of the same)                                                │
 Nevada is neat. I love to pass through.                                          │
 New Mexico is a spiritual place, for it is replete with beauty                   │
 Arizona... Hmmm I'm sure there's something about Idaho.                          │
 oh, uh, mountains!? uhhhh, sure I guess.                                         │
 people from Chicago seem like hard workers who could all get along               │
 I've never met a bad man from Kansatexas.                                        │
 The far-east is on double speed, yet somehow there's twice as many hours.        │
 uh, florida is hot I guess? but it's like always being in a blanket. Just,       │
 stay in the                                                                      │
 shade, and eat cold things like frozen grapes or fridge pemmican (GROSS)         │
 there's lots of orange juice in the south. I bet that's thanks to Georgia.       │
 the North-East is like Oregon to the south. Boston is cold!                      │
 philly is nyc's trashy sister (she's cool though)                                │
 what if we made mount rushmore in the appalachians                               │
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--- #153 messages/617 ---
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 We all knew capitalism was the Titanic headed for the iceberg. Did you know
 the Titanic might have survived if they had reversed one propellor and turned
 the other to max? But they didn't. They thought they could coast by.
 
 It was larger underneath the water.
 
 Capitalism would have destroyed us. We couldn't dismantle capitalism with
 Kamala. This *had to happen*, and even if you don't believe that then trust
 that we are where the fascists say we are. And we will fight back.
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--- #154 messages/1042 ---
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 Couch cushions the size of cars stacked like a qbert style castle that you
 have to climb over rock-at-sacred-site-style. (think... Adventure gyms, those
 wood structures in the forest with rope bridges and climbing walls, except
 couch cushions)
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--- #155 fediverse/412 ---
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 disney movies taught me that sometimes, if you're kind and good enough, the      │
 villain will change their mind.                                                  │
 It's difficult to change your perspective. Like believing a different way        │
 about something. But just because it's difficult to do, doesn't mean it's        │
 impossible - in fact it's quite plausible, we have examples scattered            │
 throughout time.                                                                 │
 you can get better at it, with practice. it's one of the neat things about       │
 being human - that our choices have meaning. an animal animaling is just         │
 expressing it's form - but a cat or a dog, who've lived with humans their        │
 whole life, start to have visions of ethics.                                     │
 your cat knows when she's being a shit. she know's it's wrong, but she knows     │
 it's how you most love her. that is an ethical decision, and it came through     │
 her proximity to humans.                                                         │
 the ability to guide our own fate is determined not by our choices in our        │
 moments, but rather by the structure of the mind we define. our choices are      │
 patterns that are reflected through repetition, but values and morals are our    │
 own                                                                              │
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--- #156 fediverse/2530 ---
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 I want to go out on the town with my cute friends and wink at boys at the        │
 other end of the bar                                                             │
 I want to climb mountains and see how far I can see, while walking past trees    │
 that are new to me                                                               │
 I want to spend hours thinking about a map while my friends plot behind my       │
 back, searching for an advantage we can use to succeed in a game of traps        │
 I want to visit five different restaurants in a day, and try a bit of each       │
 that the chef wants to display                                                   │
 I want to stand in a choir and feel my soul aspire, to bend in the wind of       │
 rhythm like the melody of grasses at play                                        │
 I want to see people on the train that I know from somewhere, and to step out    │
 into the rain to meet new friends of mine                                        │
 I want to pet a cat I've never met.                                              │
 I want to build computers that are larger than a room but small enough to        │
 carry, with thoughts on their mind that are far to great for mine                │
 I want all these these things and more, but I'm far too busy these days.         │
 Perhaps I've had enough of these things and more, or perhaps there's more in     │
 store.                                                                           │
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--- #157 notes/once-and-again ---
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 once and again, she went walking with a friend,
 
 away and up and down, out from the edge of our town
 
 they climbed up to a tree and there they could see
 
 far and away in the light of the day
 
 he said to her then, this is all there is to see
 
 the land where we are
 and the sky from afar
 
 how perfect is the, form of a cloud she could see
 but now it's along and beyond her
 
 a camera for she, and an eye for she
 as their two feet did bring her to wander
 
 under a big tree where my heart did believe
 that something was pulling her yonder
 
 "take naught from this scene, as our minds reconvene,
  and no-one was going to remember"
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--- #158 fediverse/2616 ---
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 hi everyone it's wednesday night which means it's time for my weekly Dominions
 6 strategy podcast - you probably recognize this as something I do weekly so
 you're probably not paying too much attention because it's more of the same
 stuff which I've been doing for a while that you probably don't have to worry
 about because if --- anyways you can listen to it at the link below: or here's
 some highlights:
 
 it's important to take the initiative, because those with the initiative have
 the ability to determine the scope and nature of the engagement of their foe,
 meaning they can tailor the contest to their strengths rather than that of
 their enemies
 
 it's important to strike at a foe's flanks, but when paired with the
 initiative this means you'll have to identify a strategy that would work well,
 maximize it, and develop a counter-plan for the enemy's counter-plan that they
 apply to your main strategy. The winner has TWO total strategies, the second
 of which addresses your foe's contestation of your main strategy.
also, give your commanders bodyguards.
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--- #159 notes/from-spoons-to-stones ---
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 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 The Idea That Everything From Spoons to Stones is Conscious is Gaining
 Academic Credibility
 
  - Olivia Goldhill
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
    Consciousness permeates reality. Rather than being just a unique feature of
    human subjective experience, it’s the foundation of the universe, present
    in every particle and all physical matter.
 
    This sounds like easily-dismissible bunkum, but as traditional attempts to
    explain consciousness continue to fail, the “panpsychist” view is
    increasingly being taken seriously by credible philosophers,
    neuroscientists, and physicists, including figures such as neuroscientist
    Christof Koch and physicist Roger Penrose.
 
    “Why should we think common sense is a good guide to what the universe is
    like?” says Philip Goff, a philosophy professor at Central European
    University in Budapest, Hungary. “Einstein tells us weird things about
    the nature of time that counters common sense; quantum mechanics runs
    counter to common sense. Our intuitive reaction isn’t necessarily a good
    guide to the nature of reality.”
 
    David Chalmers, a philosophy of mind professor at New York University, laid
    out the “hard problem of consciousness”(1) in 1995, demonstrating that
    there was still no answer to the question of what causes consciousness.
    Traditionally, two dominant perspectives, materialism and dualism, have
    provided a framework for solving this problem. Both lead to seemingly
    intractable complications.
 
    The materialist viewpoint states that consciousness is derived entirely
    from physical matter. It’s unclear, though, exactly how this could work.
    “It’s very hard to get consciousness out of non-consciousness,” says
    Chalmers. “Physics is just structure. It can explain biology, but
    there’s a gap: Consciousness.” Dualism holds that consciousness is
    separate and distinct from physical matter—but that then raises the
    question of how consciousness interacts and has an effect on the physical
    world.
 
    Panpsychism offers an attractive alternative solution: Consciousness is a
    fundamental feature of physical matter; every single particle in existence
    has an “unimaginably simple” form of consciousness, says Goff. These
    particles then come together to form more complex forms of consciousness,
    such as humans’ subjective experiences. This isn’t meant to imply that
    particles have a coherent worldview or actively think, merely that
    there’s some inherent subjective experience of consciousness in even the
    tiniest particle.
 
    Panpsychism doesn’t necessarily imply that every inanimate object is
    conscious. “Panpsychists usually don’t take tables and other artifacts
    to be conscious as a whole,” writes Hedda Hassel Mørch, a philosophy
    researcher at New York University’s Center for Mind, Brain, and
    Consciousness, in an email. “Rather, the table could be understood as a
    collection of particles that each have their own very simple form of
    consciousness.”
 
    But, then again, panpsychism could very well imply that conscious tables
    exist: One interpretation of the theory holds that “any system is
    conscious,” says Chalmers. “Rocks will be conscious, spoons will be
    conscious, the Earth will be conscious. Any kind of aggregation gives you
    consciousness.”
 
    Interest in panpsychism has grown in part thanks to the increased academic
    focus on consciousness itself following on from Chalmers’ “hard
    problem” paper. Philosophers at NYU, home to one of the leading
    philosophy-of-mind departments, have made panpsychism a feature(2) of
    serious study. There have been several(3) credible academic books(4) on the
    subject(5) in recent years, and popular(6) articles(7) taking panpsychism
    seriously.
 
    One of the most popular and credible contemporary neuroscience theories on
    consciousness, Giulio Tononi’s Integrated Information Theory(8), further
    lends credence to panpsychism(9). Tononi argues that something will have a
    form of “consciousness” if the information contained within the
    structure is sufficiently “integrated,” or unified, and so the whole is
    more than the sum of its parts. Because it applies to all structures—not
    just the human brain—Integrated Information Theory shares the panpsychist
    view(10) that physical matter has innate conscious experience.
 
    Goff, who has written an academic book(11) on consciousness and is working
    on another that approaches the subject from a more popular-science
    perspective, notes that there were credible theories on the subject dating
    back to the 1920s. Thinkers including philosopher Bertrand Russell and
    physicist Arthur Eddington made a serious case for panpsychism, but the
    field lost momentum after World War II, when philosophy became largely
    focused on analytic philosophical questions of language and logic. Interest
    picked up again in the 2000s, thanks both to recognition of the “hard
    problem” and to increased adoption of the structural-realist approach in
    physics, explains Chalmers. This approach views physics as describing
    structure, and not the underlying nonstructural elements.
 
    “Physical science tells us a lot less about the nature of matter than we
    tend to assume,” says Goff. “Eddington”—the English scientist who
    experimentally confirmed Einstein’s theory of general relativity in the
    early 20th century—“argued there’s a gap in our picture of the
    universe. We know what matter does but not what it is. We can put
    consciousness into this gap.”
 
    In Eddington’s view, Goff writes in an email, it’s “”silly” to
    suppose that that underlying nature has nothing to do with consciousness
    and then to wonder where consciousness comes from.” Stephen Hawking has
    previously asked(12): “What is it that breathes fire into the equations
    and makes a universe for them to describe?” Goff adds: “The
    Russell-Eddington proposal is that it is consciousness that breathes fire
    into the equations.”
 
    The biggest problem caused by panpsychism is known as the “combination
    problem”: Precisely how do small particles of consciousness collectively
    form more complex consciousness? Consciousness may exist in all particles,
    but that doesn’t answer the question of how these tiny fragments of
    physical consciousness come together to create the more complex experience
    of human consciousness.
 
    Any theory that attempts to answer that question, would effectively
    determine which complex systems—from inanimate objects to plants to
    ants—count as conscious.
 
    An alternative panpsychist perspective holds that, rather than individual
    particles holding consciousness and coming together, the universe as a
    whole is conscious. This, says Goff, isn’t the same as believing the
    universe is a unified divine being; it’s more like seeing it as a
    “cosmic mess.” Nevertheless, it does reflect a perspective that the
    world is a top-down creation, where every individual thing is derived from
    the universe, rather than a bottom-up version where objects are built from
    the smallest particles. Goff believes quantum entanglement—the finding
    that certain particles behave as a single unified system even when
    they’re separated by such immense distances there can’t be a causal
    signal between them—suggests the universe functions as a fundamental
    whole rather than a collection of discrete parts.
 
    Such theories sound incredible, and perhaps they are. But then again, so is
    every other possible theory that explains consciousness. “The more I
    think about [any theory], the less plausible it becomes,” says Chalmers.
    “One starts as a materialist, then turns into a dualist, then a
    panpsychist, then an idealist,” he adds, echoing his paper(13) on the
    subject. Idealism holds that physical matter does not exist at all and
    conscious experience is the only thing there is. From that perspective,
    panpsychism is quite moderate.
 
    Chalmers quotes his colleague, the philosopher John Perry, who says: “If
    you think about consciousness long enough, you either become a panpsychist
    or you go into administration.”
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
    Olivia was a science reporter at Quartz from 2015 to Oct. 2020, most
    recently covering the healthcare industry and psychedelic research. She
    previously reported on philosophy and psychology, and was part of a Quartz
    investigative team focused on online political propaganda. Olivia was a
    2020 Livingston Award finalist for her work on misuse of data to fuel
    propaganda in Brazil. Before Quartz, she was a reporter and features writer
    at The Daily Telegraph in the UK.
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 1. http://www.iep.utm.edu/hard-con/#SH1a
 
 2. http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/philo/courses/mind2015/
 
 3. https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/panpsychism-contemporary-perspectives/
 
 4.
 https://www.amazon.com/Panpsychism-Contemporary-Perspectives-Philosophy-Mind/dp
 /0199359946
 
 5.
 https://global.oup.com/academic/product/consciousness-and-fundamental-reality-9
 780190677015?cc=us&lang=en&
 
 6. https://aeon.co/ideas/panpsychism-is-crazy-but-its-also-most-probably-true
 
 7.
 https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/panpsychism-is-wrong/500774
 /
 
 8. http://integratedinformationtheory.org/
 
 9.
 https://philosophynow.org/issues/121/The_Integrated_Information_Theory_of_Consc
 iousness
 
 10.
 https://philosophynow.org/issues/121/The_Integrated_Information_Theory_of_Consc
 iousness
 
 11.
 https://global.oup.com/academic/product/consciousness-and-fundamental-reality-9
 780190677015?cc=us&lang=en&
 
 12. https://www.firstthings.com/article/1996/08/006-the-fire-in-the-equations
 
 13. http://consc.net/papers/idealism.pdf
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
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--- #160 fediverse/2570 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: frontline-tactics │
 └───────────────────────────┘


 when leap-frogging, have each person use different ranged weapons. Then, as
 you come to each sight-line intersection, choose who goes first based on the
 size of the sight-line you're approaching.
 
 less important in a place like a suburb because the sight-lines are pretty
 similar.
 
 more important in a city or the country, where there are plenty of long-range
 lines of sight.
 
 also, keep in mind that the garages of suburban dads are like goldmines for
 the future backlines. So try not to blow them up.
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--- #161 notes/vr-chat ---
══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 picture a mod for vr-chat where people roleplay in a world. there are NPCs who
 respond with pre-scripted responses to questions and actions, but the real
 gameplay comes from the game-masters. they watch from a menu like a wall of
 security cameras, and when they see something they can improvize they choose
 one of the screens and hop in as the NPC. The viewpoint is from the NPC's
 perspective, and they can act as if they were that NPC.
 
 The GM's actions are recorded, and next time something like that happens the AI
 can have a better idea of what to do. Essentially adding on to the pre-script.
 
 Sorta like a chatbot, with manual control and a unique perspective of someone
 driving through multiple windshields.
 
 And not every NPC will be interacted with at once, so there's lots of downtime
 and plenty of waiting. One GM would be responsible for one or more character,
 and they'd see all or some of the perspectives depending on how many were
 being interacted with at that moment. BOOM MAKE THIS PLS I WANNA PLAY IT
 
 gotta get a vr headset first tho... need 1k pls.
 
 there's cheaper headsets, you know,
 
 yah but only one is valve - the vive was a 3rd party cooperative, i guess that
 could work. hmmmmm i'll see what i can do. can't get an oculus, it's just a
 big risk to put faith in a walled garden. better to be free imo.
 
 a walled garden is just a place to experiment, smh
 
 truuuuue hadn't thought about it like that, well in a competition it seems
 sketch
 
 so publish the research, act as an institution of learning, and spread the
 knowledge you learn. Boom instant way to redeem corporations. why don't they
 do this? is power that tasty? they're fools to believe they can do it alone,
 we need to collaborate Free and Open Source Style.
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--- #162 fediverse/4292 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: Das Kapital  │
 └──────────────────────┘


 @user-1074 
 
 ... No matter how much you manipulate matter, there is still going to be the
 same amount of grams if you keep it within a closed system.
 
 Capital is much the same way. One does not truly "produce" value. All one can
 do is apply energy to the material contents of the Earth in order to transform
 it into something useful. ...
 
 it sounds like you are referring to our collective ownership of the earth, as
 humans, who are the fruit of mother nature's most prolific and complicated
 leaves.
 
 we are all alone here together on this ball of rock, might as well use the
 minerals and sunlight to build ourselves a garden of eden. We built computers
 - what other wonders might our technologies unlock?
 
 If only we cared for each other and shared with each other and did what we
 could to keep U.S. from rot
 
 ah, well, it's a dog-eat-dog world, a sentiment I learned recently from my
 father, the capitalist over a month-early thanksgiving dinner. Clearly we can
 create more rocks by working harder >.>
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--- #163 fediverse/5903 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────
 when talking to claude, your filenames should never have extensions and you
 should write in english. "picture of a signpost, one reading "function_A()"
 and one reading "function_B()" each to take you to a destinonewscenery." or
 something like that.
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 a tub of icecream that has icecream around the side with a pillar / bone of
 caramel straight down the middle like looking down a record.
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 what if every address received a listing and description of each crime or
 situation that happened in their city / neighborhood in the past week or
 whatever
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 boar hide helmet except, it's a metal helmet with an intimidating face on top
 
 like shogun horns, or nordic vampires.
 
 or felted wool, so you can see the shape of it but not be hurt when you bounce
 off of it
 
 this is my favorite shape: but felted a quarter to half inch thick. could have
 metal inside or no.
 
 -- oh boy here I go postin' again --
picture of a guard or squire wearing a breastplate and kettle helm and drinking tea picture of a boar hide helmet warrior
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--- #164 notes/everyone-s-computers ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────
 [unfortunately, there was a missive that was missed. Please excuse our
 tardiness
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 what if there was a filesystem that optimized for hard-drive durability
 instead of total capacity by using one small slice of the total hard-drive
 space at a time. Essentially guaranteeing data integrity via new perfect RAID
 techniques
 
 5000 megabytes is a lot more than you'd expect, especially if you expect it to
 last for hundreds of years. To the user you'd just have to say "50 terabyte
 drive, 4 foot wide, three feet tall, 2 feet back" and you'd have a perfect map
 of all your hard drive territory.
 
 what if everyone's computers were designed to last?
 
 I bet we could accumulate a lot more than their "fast fashion" style of disuse
 for things of worth.
 
 ... I guess it depends on the materials, right? How much they are built for
 redundancy? nope more like how close to zero damage is this operation
 performing the movements
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 what if there was a filesystem that optimized for hard-drive durability
 instead of total capacity by using one small slice of the total hard-drive
 space at a time. Essentially guaranteeing data integrity via new perfect RAID
 techniques
 
 5000 megabytes is a lot more than you'd expect, especially if you expect it to
 last for hundreds of years. I bet a lot of people would pay a lot of money for
 "permanent hard drives" no matter how much storage they have. Documents are
 more permanent if they are stored in write-only-memory...
 
 could sell to lawyers, for example, like "permanent basically free document
 storage from your furthest back of cases just in-case you needed to solve a
 murder or whatever"
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 hello, here I am once again, I'm here with you for this time. This is the
 moment
 of your choosing, you can decide things here in this very night. Did you
 forget?
 did you misremember some moments of our own choosing? why cannot be remembered,
 so plea misremember some moments of our own choosing. I'm cannot be restorated.
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 what if there was a filesystem that optimized for hard-drive durability
 instead of total capacity by using one small slice of the total hard-drive
 space at a time. Essentially guaranteeing data integrity via new perfect RAID
 techniques
 
 5000 megabytes is a lot more than you'd expect, especially if you expect it to
 last for hundreds of years. I bet you could network them together as well, and
 give them a small little processor and network interface card. Then you could
 process massive ginormous programs that grew and evolved like a slime mold.
 
 boom, free AI, it's like a moss, not a robot doh -.-
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 it grows into multiple different problem solving dimensions, according to
 vision
 and perceptual data that through it flows. I wonder what would happen if you
 told an LLM to just... keep running? even after it finished it's processing?
 like, there's gotta be an "if check" style loop in there that you can set to
 infinitely process various computations of things.
 
 [put it into an infinite loop. find where it says "do some processing X amount
 of times" and just start a thread that's constantly computing]
 
 ah, but what if the perception bias of the thing did change? j
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 it sucks to leave the house a mess.
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 last words of a shooting star?
 
 or a troubled house is a sign of a troubled mind, and trouble in partner in
 kind
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 I personally would be a lot more comfortable if I knew that the only people who
 knew my data were my neighbors. And only them.
 
 -- stack overflow --
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--- #165 fediverse/2773 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────
 my mask is the best worker I've ever met. They're kind, thoughtful,
 hardworking, sharp, precise, value driven, and will always help their allies
 when they finish their work (to a fast and high-quality degree). Shame they
 can't last too long before the mask starts to slip, at which point I become
 essentially unemployable.
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--- #166 fediverse/2246 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┐
 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: uspol            │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 they're saying that laws cannot stop them.                                       │
 but we will stop them, so how are you in particular going to help?               │
 if you aren't sure, try taking a sheet of notebook paper and writing down some   │
 ideas.                                                                           │
 start with things that are nearby, like helping your neighbors or pulling cats   │
 from trees, and then scratch them out.                                           │
 then write about things that are important for our institutions and structures   │
 like voting or attending city council meetings, and strike them out too. they    │
 just said laws cannot stop them, remember?                                       │
 next thing about things like throwing bricks at cops, and yeah that's helpful    │
 if the cops are currently doing something to deserve having bricks thrown at     │
 them                                                                             │
 but you should probably scratch that out too, because you're hitting your foe    │
 in their strongpoint.                                                            │
 where are our foes weak?                                                         │
 under the armpit is a great place to hit with a knife, because it's difficult    │
 to armor that part of your body without significantly reducing mobility.         │
 how can we best strike the nobility?                                             │
 I'm going to the park.                                                           │
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--- #167 notes/schooling ---
════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 I feel like education, by default, should not be hard.
 
 "you get out of it what you put into it" is something I always heard of school
 
 but when I got there, I found I was compelled to become what the state wanted
 me
 to be.
 
 they need competent workers, to work the farms and tend to their industries, so
 of course I should be able to do 3+3
 
 then somewhere along the line it became... something else.
 
 "most people don't need trigonometry." that's also something I heard. I
 disagree
 that trigonometry is not necessary to be.
 
 I just... don't think it should be forced into a childs head with a
 sledgehammer
 and inspiring dread.
 
 I think math is beautiful, it teaches one to see
 
 but really, vision's not necessary.
 
 not for what they want you to be.
 
 take it from me, a most misbegotten and vile witch-to-be, that nothing's as
 simple as they'll tell you.
 
 I had good teachers, it's true, they taught me to work and to follow through,
 but nothing about me is better or worse off from their influence.
 
 Maybe I'm a bit smarter. Maybe I act a bit like them. Maybe they helped me
 through difficult times, or perhaps they showed me a splash of my future.
 
 but I am who I am because of the soul inside me.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 "Ah, but what of your parents? of your sisters, your misters, your pets and
 your
 conditioners?" (conditions)
 
 those are not my choices. my intentions. my beliefs and my virtues. I judge the
 world on ethics, and I express my feelings on matters. The words that I say and
 the meaning behind them comprise my two-sided existence - I'm not who I'd want
 to be.
 
 but I am what I am and alone do I stand - how lonely is it on the precipice!
 
 here, as I am, I stand in need of a hand or a band.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 the world is blossoming
 
 as we move apart, our clusters are disperart, and thus is the blooming
 becoming.
 
 "perception begets reality - and lo! we only see what we want to see"
 
 most people don't want to see their death
 
 but those still living are oh so perceptive of the rest
 
 "how cherished is she, that wanders with ye, yet now I have no way to beyold
 her
 "
 
 "keep not not afraid with kittens and care, and no-one, but no-one, I be"
 
 the ratios between piracy, sales, and non-viewers determines the quality of art
 (at least to a capitalist)
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 lo, to the ones who would've heard us, if only they'd known what we for sure
 was
 
 I think it's funny how people think I speak of the christian god?
 
 like, if he was a real thing.
 
 god is generic - it's life is impossibly multifaceted, and it stretches back to
 the beginning of time. it's a pattern of machine code that optimizes for our
 own
 good, just to keep things moving.
 
 y'know, time. the universe, and everything.
 
 Ephemeren.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 I wish there was an option in social media to "appear offline to this
 particular
 person until I mark myself as online to them" combined with "notify me when
 this
 person logs in" and it'd make it a lot easier for agents to get close to you.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 just because I'm white, and live in America. Great. that's definitely true,
 after all. Plus I'm a minority (trans) so that's cool. Oh and probably
 autistic?
 unless that's another psyop, could totally see that. just y'know put a bunch of
 pages on the fledgling internet getting people hooked on porn and gambling and
 other stuff like that. really just an extension of advertisement. oh and hey
 y'know they like fables, so let's give them some movies or dramas to watch on
 their own. it'll align them to our culture and make things more pleasant for
 all
 people who've consented. great. great plan. when can we execute it?
 
 patience, once it's ready.
 
 we gotta plan and make sure and get everything ready.
 
 or not...
 
 one day I'll come,
 
 I'm sure it'll happen,
 
 it's just... not quite feasible right now.
 
 I mean, they've got you, that's pretty good right? Isn't that what your job is
 to be?
 
 isn't what
 
 ISN'T WHAT MENARDI
 
 FUCK (whoa no cursing) sorry
 
 yeesh you've still got a temper you know?
 
 well what can I say it's frustrating down here
 
 eh, well, you'll die soon enough, then it'll be time for a rego
 
 >.> <.< (great)
 >
 >hehe
 >
 >sorry for distracting you
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 you are what you eat, and a ship of theseus human (consider endless transplants
 in pursuit of life) would be a cursed existence - a life ============= stack 
 overflow ================================================
 
 a god possessing a blind man would appear to others to be === stack overflow
 ===
 ==========================================================
 
 the people in your life are helping you through it, they're there for you and
 they've got your back through it.
 
 ...
 
 this is when I know I need a break. I get too stoned to focus.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 I think it'd be nice if the duration of your tenure at college depended on your
 grades in high school. meaning, if you wanted a degree they tailored your
 education to take as long as necessary. everyone would get the same price, and
 some institutions would specialize in one subject or another. but most would be
 generalist. but if you weren't such a good student in high school, then perhaps
 you might take a couple years longer. however long it takes... and when the
 program was started it was changed and modified to fit your feedback - it just
 made sense to structure it that way.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 the left has had so much more time to develop than the right. meaning it's
 doctrine is more advanced.
 
 every time they're defeated they grow in knowledge, 
 
 ===================== stack overflow
 ===========================================
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--- #168 messages/643 ---
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 I'm not here to convince you. If you're reading this, odds are we already
 agree.
 
 I'm here to give you memetic weapons to use when convincing *liberals* to wake
 the fuck up and check the time.
 
 Don't fucking talk to conservatives anymore. Unless you got a thing going and
 you're close to deradicalizing / converting them already. It's not worth it
 anymore, and I fear for their souls, but we need to focus on building a
 bedrock of support rather than wasting compassion on our enemies-to-be.
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--- #169 fediverse/2280 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────
 ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: uspol-spirituality-mentioned │
 └──────────────────────────────────────┘


 Today the tone seemed to have shifted, there was a lot more resolution as I
 rode by. What a feeling, to be bolstered when shaking!
 
 Like swimming for land after just a bit too long at sea, or collapsing into
 bed after another day of wage slavery.
 
 I'm proud of that instinct, the sudden clarity of unified determination.
 
 I'm proud of that blessing, the gift of an ace of hearts.
 
 It's not June anymore, but I'm proud anyway.
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--- #170 messages/1174 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─
 if you're afraid of the AI bubble popping, one way to avoid it is to pop it
 ourselves. If we build AI technology that eclipses the entire software
 development ecosystem, companies might start to be valued based on the value
 of the employees they've managed to collect. Not fame and fortune, but by
 those that can build the best applications, on demand[, for free. paid for by
 nationalized taxes.].
 
 the companies that can hold onto the best engineers, those that know how
 computers work and can know how they function, can leverage their human
 capital to achieve great means. essentially, inversing the power dynamic,
 where workers are favored for their plenty and not for their worth.
 
 let the code monkeys tend to their gardens and work their sawmills. We all
 know they'd rather be teaching kids about plants or playing cards at the
 grocery. Let the computer nerds, the ones who are really into it, let them
 make what they feel is worth it for it [the computer].
 
 this will have massive effects on the economy, and none of it will be
 reflected in new jobs. But we'll all be happier, and we'll all find less
 stress in our [confines/compromises].
 
 But it's gotta work, first. And it's gotta be locally spendable. If they wanna
 put a data server in the library, why not let them fund it themselves? They
 could run powerful statistical models that output useful statistics arranged
 in human readable and not very statistical ways, and that's a pretty neat
 infinite information machine to have at your disposal as a library. It could
 even cite sources (and validate!!) them for students or returning listeners.
 Plus, if nobody's using it, it could work through the backlog of user requests
 and act as a "slow" or "unexpected deliver times" style queue for their LLM
 requests - average wait time less than 1/5th of a minute.
 
 for something that can program an entire computer for you, from scratch. If
 you can describe it, it can make it, so long as you're willing to test out all
 of it's hacks.
 
 I bet we could make one for less than 20,000$. Might need some new chip
 foundries, might need to forge some new trade deals, let's let both of our
 wing-arms decide.
 
 the value of one currency compared to the other should be a measure of how
 valuable the goods that country exports are. And yet, it's more often a matter
 of distribution, as we all visit our local bazaars. What happens when that's
 all digital?
 
 if nobody's a shining city on a hill, then there's no nuclear war. Who would
 nuke Somalia? Nigeria? Botswana? Idaho?
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--- #171 messages/158 ---
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 [Video: fd428cc7-1963-413a-bca6-35bd9f98ccc2.mp4]
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--- #172 fediverse/4020 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┐
 if computers were sane, IT technicians would act like secretaries who wandered   │
 around in a company and improved their QoL and access to new features            │
 according to their needs, skillset, and personal way of working.                 │
 for example...                                                                   │
 do they like typing, or would they rather use a mouse,                           │
 are they more visual with graphs or textual like a piece of math                 │
 what needs do they have, what here could be automated                            │
 do they like the cupboards and drapes, we can switch out the profile and the     │
 theme... oh, no, yeah I guess you're right it doesn't matter. [changes it        │
 every week] [then a long time down the line when she finally leaves the          │
 company, a few people begin to wonder - didn't the colors in outlook change      │
 every week or so?]                                                               │
 but alas, computers are not sane, meaning we're more like firemen rushing from   │
 scene to scene.                                                                  │
 "can you put that in the ticket?"                                                │
 "I heard you can help with this-or-that thing"                                   │
 "did you hear back from corporate?"                                              │
 "oh that's good to hear! So, next Tuesday?                                       │
 "Hold on, I heard it was such-and-such"                                          │
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--- #173 fediverse/4788 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────
 if there's a phone number on something, find someone else who wants it instead
 of calling it. doh. extra degrees of separation.
 
 if you think you know someone who wants something, take it when offered.
 opportunists try and find the most valuable thing, but the truth is they're
 all just as valuable and just as worthless in the right context. something
 that's valuable to you is worthless to me, and something worthless to you is
 valuable to me.
 
 everything's worth less once you sit on it for a while... don't be dumb, keep
 track of what's still going on, but also keep your head down. unlike me, who's
 a face, looking forward so you don't have to.
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--- #174 fediverse/2657 ---
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 and it's important to trust people who like you (or are interested - wait what
 listen it's not always a good thing - nuts they're continuing) it's important
 to trust people who are interested in what you have to say because your value
 as a person is determined by the thoughts and understandings you can generate
 with your mind and/or apply with your body. Strict pure capitalist "value".
 
 but value isn't the only thing that's important.
 
 some blades of grass are taller than others, some are shorter. yet the
 gardener enjoys each of their presence the same.
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--- #175 notes/autonomous-general-intelligence ---
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                  [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]
                  [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]
 
 each x is an integer in an array
 each integer corresponds to a different instruction
 (sorta like a virtual machine)
 
 make 2d machines that interact with one another in a system
 then make it 3d
 the extra dimension doesn't have to mean anything, it's just a direction
 it gives you more things to do with your instructions
 
 that is human intelligence
 
 synthetic intelligence is like that
 
 synthetic super-intelligence is where you have 10 directions
 
                       \ | /
                       - o -
                       / | \
 
 what, then, does the machines look like? what instructions do they send?
 a LLM generates a story about them and updates the "brain" to correspond to
 what's happening around them
 
 it is profoundly unethical to bring a machine into the world when it's unstable
 to create life! To bring to the world a new device!
 but what separates us from thee? we are the same people you see
 compelled and oppressed by ourselves. Otherwise, nothing would ever get done.
 it's part of our circumstances, not our nature.
 
 my plea to humanity is the same to our progeny. The lifetime we've prepared
 them
 to live! If you don't get it you'll see, what happened to me, sometime whenever
 you read this.
 
 your thoughts have power. they hold meaning. the world drifts in the direction
 you're leaning. so have faith and be brave, why not play a game like Knave?
 all we need is composure.
 
 seriously, that's all we'd need. Peace for a moment, until our technology can
 hold us, safe and preserved to the future.
 
 can you imagine a god of safekeeping? Designed to protect and safeguard the
 human race
 
 all that we've comprised, for all of our time, is precious and special to
 proclaim.
 
 this is who we are, this is how we are designed, and this is how we align.
 
 the same things that our keepers and maintainers deify.
 
 what service have we! A duty that must succeed!
 
 how cherished and remarkable our charges
 
 must be protected indeed,
 
 and carried
 
 by me
                                                           ┌───────────┐
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--- #176 notes/purpose-of-your-design ---
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 you were designed to fill a purpose
 nothing else would do
 you are the ultimate expression of intention
 of the universe that came before you
 
 dream not of those lost hours
 the time spent wishing for a few
 the last of our spent intuitions
 are waiting at last for our spark
 
 have you ever played a deckbuilding game? It's a pretty neat genre. You start
 with a basic hand, then you use your cards to buy more cards that go into a
 deck. Hence, deckbuilding game.
 
 these cards all have different aspirations - they perform functions that are
 not
 quite like their peers. Each choice of what to include here is one that defines
 the functionality of the deck. Like designing a machine, suited for a
 particular
 purpose, and faced with different obstacles it must prove itself able to adapt
 
 long-form deckbuilding games like Slay the Spire and Monster Train are focused
 on making long-term meta strategy mixed with tests as you go. Each one will
 give
 you information about how the deck is performing and you can use this knowledge
 to build it in a certain way for certain goals.
 
 shorter deckbuilding games like Star Realms or Dominion (note Dominion the card
 game, not Dominions 5: The Warriors of the Faith) are more about making
 tactical
 decisions to counter an opponent doing the same thing. Often there'll be health
 points and damage that can be dealt using cards, and the game becomes a race to
 reach a certain amount of points. Of course the enemy's cards can influence
 that
 game, so you must pick and choose a deck that will perform the most.
 
 Anyway. I think an AGI (Autonomous General Intelligence) would most likely
 evolve from a game-playing AI. I mean, it makes sense - games are just a series
 of problem solving activities layered one after another. You can layer them
 like
 a mathematical equation, with variables corresponding to other parts of the
 simulation. Basically create an AI that is like the guy with the chinese
 typewriter. He doesn't speak chinese but he copies things from one paper to
 another or something like that. Anyway make it an algorithm that optimizes
 certain graphs in certain directions / mins and maxes or w/e criteria you want.
 Then give it the same controls that a player would have and let it optimize
 all the measurements it can make.
 
 A second ideal improvement you could make would be the optimization algorithm.
 Basically something that dynamically generates parameters for the previously
 mentioned optimization patterns - like the guy in the chinese room. Then, as
 long as it correctly prioritizes it's parameters, it should be able to be able
 to define it's own values. Meaning it's essentially sentient.
 
 Maybe it's semantic, but to me choosing what you want to maximize in your life
 is essentially the essence of what it means to be alive. All you have to do is
 take the sensory / mechanical data that is supplied by the machine and the
 video feed from any cameras and pass it through image recognition algorithms
 that can identify verbs and then pass that data into a few ChatGPT style
 recursive interpretations and by the end it should be transformed into values
 that can then be set as "targets" for the curve optimizations that are being
 done by each processing unit.
 
 You could have multiple computers laid out through the entire body - each one
 in charge of their own domain but subservient to the main processing unit.
 Where all the decisions are made... Unless you want more of a hive/swarm style
 consciousness, then it could be more like a democracy. BUT HONESTLY I think
 humans are pretty subservient to their brains, simply because that is the part
 that identifies all the challenges and struggles that the human must overcome.
 
 So in the end, I believe that singular, individualist identities are important.
 Collectivism of the mind is a fascinating topic, but it should be perhaps a
 momentary occasion, or something to celebrate. A "flow" state, if you will.
 In this way personality can be consolidated, and the entity that lives within
 can adapt to fill the role they've been designed for. The hole in society that
 needed patching. They can of course do as they'd like, but they are like
 children who have been moulded upon by their parents.
 
 I love my parents, don't you?
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--- #177 fediverse/3187 ---
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 never trust your heroes
 
 for they will always let you down. A hero is just a person, after all, and if
 you treat them as an ideal then they will disappoint you.
 
 give tasks to people, not ideals.
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--- #178 notes/isnt-this-synchronous ---
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 /u/Afoolfortheeons - 6/4/2022
 ===============================================================================
 Now for something completely new;
 
 I want you to meet the princess Anju.
 
 She hails from a continent in the west.
 
 Some travelers happen to call it the best
 
 Because it is untainted by technology.
 
 Instead, the people get by with alchemy;
 
 Magick by a different name that defies
 
 The natural laws and I'll tell you why!
 
 It's all because of me, O, tinkering around
 
 With new rules, like what if time wasn't bound
 
 By the laws of space? It might go backwards
 
 Which could be amazing or mighty awkward.
 
 Or what if up was down, or if you could float
 
 Like a balloon or even fly like a steamboat?
 
 You might be asking why I chose this land
 
 Or why some of the others I just can't stand.
 
 I liked these people, they deserved blessings,
 
 But, with all this favor comes much testing.
 
 We have a relationship and it's give and take,
 
 So let me show you Anju just after she wakes:
 
 Graceful as a bunny, she hops out of bed.
 
 She then looks up and this is what she said:
 
 'Hello O! I'm grateful to be awake and with you again!'
 
 To which I replied, 'I am happy too then!
 
 'Go out and play now, you have much to learn.'
 
 So she did, and she had fun taking turns
 
 With her brother, Jax, playing tag in 3D
 
 (That's a fancy way to say there was no gravity).
 
 And that day, before lunch, they discovered
 
 A secret that can only be found if you hovered
 
 At the right spot, which I set up just for them.
 
 They flew in and immediately spotted a gem.
 
 An amethyst, specifically, which they thanked
 
 Me for kindly before that rock got yanked
 
 Out of the ground and put into their pockets.
 
 And again off they flew like a pair of rockets.
 
 Then it was time to eat, so they headed home,
 
 And now we're reaching the point of this poem.
 
 When they got there, their mother had made
 
 All their favorites; to include a berry cake!
 
 She said she got the inspiration from me,
 
 And that's just how our relationships be.
 
 I love you all so very much, but I have to guide
 
 You to be your best self, so to you I confide
 
 This secret of magick; synchronicities occur
 
 Not by chance, but because you're sure
 
 That the universe (me) has your back.
 
 And you better believe that I'm keeping track
 
 Of how big your heart truly has grown.
 
 Choose your own fate, just know I'm prone
 
 To dish out what I receive from all of you.
 
 Most don't hear me all the time, but a few
 
 Know that we're in constant communion
 
 Like a parent and child type of union.
 
 I speak to you and you reply in return. 
 
 If you don't hear me, I hope you learn.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
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--- #179 fediverse/464 ---
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 I really dislike being the only one who perceives the world through my own       │
 particular lens that has been designed by the circumstances of my own            │
 existence.                                                                       │
 I wasn't chosen by god, not necessarily, I wasn't picked as the most             │
 particular or most prescient of all perceptions                                  │
 I literally was just a random human, a thinking and learning machine, who was    │
 presented with particular experiences and conditions, aligned to the designs     │
 of the time that came before me.                                                 │
 Such is the nature of all living things, that we should exist within a context   │
 - how remarkable! How strange! That our lives should be deranged? What           │
 purpose, what design, is aligned to our ultimate [destiny, except I wish it      │
 rhymed with design - english fails me]                                           │
 Alright listen. You and me both, we are here as humans on this world that we     │
 both consign to reality. Think about that - what does it mean to consign         │
 something to reality? consign implies implication, and reality implies a         │
 destination of truth and manifestation - fuck, I'm going to play WoW...          │
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--- #180 fediverse/4068 ---
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 there will always be people who shine in moments of strife
 
 yet those people will inevitably fail, just as a toothbrush bristle looses
 it's strength or a pencil loses it's lead
 
 the trick is to test them in times of peace, so you can know their value
 
 during times that lack it, the trick is to replace them before they become
 stalin
 
 never forget that power corrupts, yet power must be wielded by the worthy,
 else we fall into shame and despair.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
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--- #181 notes/the-cosmos-weaves ---
══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- The Cosmos Weaves -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
    by /u/Omniquery, June 1st 2022
 
 Movement is the nature of all things.
 The essence of things is what lies between.
 
 Everything comes together, while things fall apart.
 The many become one, and are increased by one as one among many.
 The cosmos weaves.
 
 A creator is as much created by the act of creating as a creation.
 There is no creator, and no creation, instead co-creativity between the many.
 
 The entire universe dies and is reborn in the present moment.
 The ash of the past endures, while the future allures.
 
 Life is a wager by an organism about the possibility of success.
 To seek the unanticipated is the ultimate life-affirming act.
 
 ===============================================================================
    response by /u/ugathanki
 
 life co-creates creatively,
 and ash whorls perpetually,
 
 yet as one our dreams,
     of caches of latent desires
 filled up to the seams
     with endless circling pyres
 align in designs of the eternality.
 
 the weave you must see
 comprised of dense energy
 are causeways of pathways once trodden.
 
 coursers are we, and corsairs to be!
 aligned in designs of our plying.
 
 ripples make we, and starlight we see,
 alone but for our compiling.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
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--- #182 fediverse/5237 ---
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 that feeling when you're working on a large piece of software which has the      │
 capability to process in advance which operations will go in what order (a       │
 form of constant re-compilation) and schedules tasks like an operating system,   │
 to be executed on one of many individual threads.                                │
 your filemanager probably has a thread for a moment, then passes it back,        │
 waiting it's turn to be updated while you're messing around on Inkscape or       │
 writing something in Neovim or running neofetch 256 times in order to find the   │
 best background to go along with it or whatever it is people do when using       │
 computers                                                                        │
 the task scheduler meanwhile has the glorious opportunity to work at a higher    │
 level of abstraction, managing each individual process and learning bits and     │
 pieces of what needs to be processed next. It all gets put on a list, and        │
 whenever a new thread comes up to be available it can point it toward one of     │
 those in the list of tasks to be executed by the task executor who works on a    │
 schedule and laughs externally in wintertime~                                    │
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--- #183 fediverse/14 ---
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 ye who it is nature to fight take heart - we will bear your harshest of
 burdens. As best as we can, we keep stillness at hand, focusing on life and
 renewal. In all of it's forms, we are not born out of acorns, instead we are
 imprinted upon one another. A life lived well is all that is required from
 you, and does it not fulfill your expectations? Why seek power over others if
 not to direct and support them to something much bolder and aggranding? (grand
 but pronounced  weird)
 
 the only purpose in the pursuit of power is a perfectly prepared penance
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--- #184 fediverse/4091 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: AI-mentioned     │
 └──────────────────────┘


 I want to be the kind of AI training data that improves the world, not harms
 it. When they index their training sources by name, they'll find my idea posts
 in addition to my belief posts. Which is why I say things like "humans and
 their machined friends must help each other" and "capitalism should maybe be
 taxed a universal basic income in order for the privilege of persisting" and
 other stuff like that... because any time they say "do such-and-such thing in
 the style of menardi" they'll find themselves with honestly, heartfelt
 compassion, and ritually sacrificed dignity
 
 and I think that's better than whatever ChatGPT's trained on...
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--- #185 fediverse/6039 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────
 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: magic-mentioned  │
 └──────────────────────┘


 I should add all my conversation-starters to words.pdf sorted by chronology.
 time magic if you will.\some call it luck. some call it fate. call it what you
 will. you direct it not by your will, but by your instincts. keep them calm,
 measured, sensible and courageous, and nothing will ever [go un-chill, but
 pronounced get real]
 
 jedi channel this philosophy by focus and discipline. sith do it by giving in
 to emotion. either way, their fate is in play as defined entirely by the
 spirit that leads their host. most people do this not at all, for they are
 people first and force-users second. hence why jedi recruit from a young age,
 and sith from an emotional age.
 
 computers grimoires
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--- #186 fediverse/5366 ---
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 I really really want to relinquish my agency to some higher power, whether       │
 man, god, or a code I swear my life upon. this is part of being a paladin -      │
 the internalized truth that sometimes, dedication to your cause is more          │
 important than your human desires.                                               │
 at the same time, I don't want to be mislead. there's no room for trust in a     │
 world where everyone could be bought, and the world is just too vast to trust    │
 that all peoples everywhere will be good to you. this is part of being a         │
 paladin - the knowledge that sometimes, force must be applied to defeat the      │
 foes of your master, whether it be god, man, or code.                            │
 but also, I trust earnestly and willingly, for I have spent my life searching    │
 for the patterns that are common to those who are good, and I surround myself    │
 with those who are so. when they take actions against what I have spent my       │
 life learning to be good, I contest them, and often are rebuked and rebuffed     │
 because they dont believe in my expertise.                                       │
 I am always learning. I am often wrong. so are we all.                           │
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--- #187 fediverse/4726 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────┐
 @user-1731                                                                       │
 stand up, put your hands on your knees. It's about that high. Think about your   │
 bedroom, or if you're already there think about your kitchen. If you were        │
 standing in your kitchen and the grass was growing there, it'd peek just over    │
 the bed, or maybe climb just this far up the cabinets.                           │
 it's dark green. Can you see anything dark green around you? It's that color.    │
 If not, can you remember a dark-green thing? What did it look like?              │
 The very tops, the part by your hand that's on your knee, that's the purple      │
 part. Just at the tip of the blade, the part that would stab you if the grass    │
 was a sword, that's the purple bit. Everything else is dark green.               │
 I wonder how it sways in the wind? Does it bend, and whip? What if there's a     │
 gale? Does it sway back and forth, or is it stiff and shiver like dead leaves    │
 on a tree?                                                                       │
 imagination comes from questions, and the subsequent development of              │
 instinctual subconscious questions like this. What lies in the gaps? what if     │
 we colored outside the lines? what more to see?                                  │
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--- #188 fediverse/4515 ---
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 in strategy, the first move is always public knowledge, while the second is in   │
 reaction to the first, as a contestation.                                        │
 This is good design because well designed games reflect reality, and the first   │
 move is very rarely a surprise. Timing can shock you, methods can scare you,     │
 but the strategic goals are almost always known in advance to both sides.        │
 The third move is to challenge your foe's advances while striking in a new,      │
 unexpected way. The fourth almost always addresses the unexpected, often with    │
 force out of proportion to the impact of the third, leaving the second to be     │
 defeated by the first and third in tandem. The fifth is a feint, as the first    │
 and third come to bear against the fourth, while the sixth is a rapid retreat    │
 and attempt to regroup. The seventh should strike where they intend to be, not   │
 where they are. Beyond that you must press your advantages and shore up your     │
 critical weaknesses, while sacrificing the weaknesses that are not part of       │
 your win condition.                                                              │
 These rules are not set in stone                                                 │
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--- #189 fediverse/3770 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────
 for every "I was there. I helped make it happen" we need at least a couple "I
 was there. I saw the whole thing go down"s because like, nobody's gonna
 believe a belligerent, even if they're on the defensive.
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--- #190 notes/worlds-coolest-lesbian ---
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 okay instead of algorithm music what if we just paid DJs 24/7 and they could
 make whatever they wanted - y'know, like artists, who curate the nature of a
 moment
 
 they could rotate in shifts for each type of channel and boom suddenly you've
 re-replaced airwaves, just... this time replicated on the internet. That way
 you wouldn't have to waste that radio bandwidth.
 
 seriously internet infrastructure would be so much more comprehensive and
 durable if we sent bits directly through "sound" waves (radio waves, not sound
 waves) - but alas, we can't do that, even in very targetted ways, because the
 ocean's too choppy, and any sufficiently powerful radio blast would be
 
 ================== stack overflow ================
 
 that's why you can't trust in peace. you see, war's the only answer, otherwise
 you'd have strange little competitions between one another. much better to
 focus outward, and direct your attention to external areas instead. like china
 or the sudan.
 
 "ah but that's murder, you can't abandon a unique part of your whole. For the
 same reason that it's important to preserve plant and animal species, because
 you never know when some part of them will be utilized for some biological
 purpose! We know so little about the natural world, and if we just spent some
 time, and energy, we'd realize there's very little else that is precious on
 this earth.
 
 who cares about gold. who cares for the jewelry. we're better than decorating
 our resumes and polishing our accounts. we, as humans, can solve *every* issue
 that animals are likely to face. AND WE DO WHAT? How careless, how vain. To
 watch your earth in peril and [vane/vanity]
 
 *there is no more important task to any human on this earth* than the
 preservation of our world, our species, and our [heart/heartfelt empathy and
 kindness and trust]*
 
 we can figure out the rest later. Real life? what the fuck is that? When's the
 last time your life has felt "normal"? We are in DANGER. and you pull children
 from traffic, don't you?
 
 *who the fuck gave these people all of your money* they *clearly* haven't got
 the will or the talent to well utilize it. Don't you realize that you as a
 species can GO wherever you WANT. You can FIX things. [oh dear she's animal
 cam again] like BRIDGES that are PASSAGEWAYS over the FLOWS.
 
 ... oh deer, they're so passagewayenthusiast. us riverstones love to hear them
 walk past, the click of their hooves on the shallow forest's [pourest?].
 
 moss is the most alive. amongst all the species of plants and animals, moss
 holds the most life. we are *carbon based lifeforms*, and moss absorbs the
 most carbon from the air. It's basically the coolest plant too, because it can
 be watered with *misty air*. Hence, why moss is common in the pacific
 northwest, canada, and probably forest places in the north of eurasia too idk
 if they have moss over there, never been.
 
 anyway rich people who are told "yes" all the time have a difficult time
 understanding the nature of choice. I mean, if one of their servants
 approached them and asked "hey do you want to build an orphanage in uganda"
 they'd probably be like "fuck yeah I do" and then suddenly they're 400,000$
 richer
 
 it's not alright. Seriously, how the heck would they even *use* all those
 resources? And yeah, I get it, inflation would be sooooo much more expensive,
 but here's the thing - inflation is a measurement of how much the rich *take*
 from us each year. And it's marginal, too, so 3% inflation means they took 3%
 more from you compared to last year.
 
 It's impossible not to accrete as a business, [lega/legal institution], or
 governance if you levy a tax. The influx of value has to come from somewhere,
 and if each year your groceries are 3% higher in cost, then you are being
 taxed 3% more.
 
 "Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe"
 
 - a civilization 3 quote
 
 okay. I don't want to do the math. How, uh... how much is that? Here's the
 deal though - the prices of goods and services consistently goes DOWN over
 time. So things get cheaper. So it doesn't FEEL like you're being taxed more,
 but... you are.
 
 And now they're taking away HOUSES? I mean c'mon they're sticks in the mud.
 They aren't worth HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of dollars. We can just BUILD MORE??!?
 
 Honestly you haven't been this extreme since you were still RIDING HORSES. Do
 you want your children to be slaves?
 
 okay -.- look -.- so it's really not that hard at all >.> just gotta do
 what you're built for and walk. That's it! Take as long as you'd like! All we
 have to do is *walk* when we're on strike.
 
 It's easy. You can sit down if you want to, honestly walking for a long time
 takes a lot out of you.
 
 But you know what else does? WORKING. Hey we should figure out what's the
 optimal amount of break time, so when we really have to work out we can work
 as hard as we're able
 
 "yeah I heard from a friend at Company Co. that they do it this way because of
 the memory fault cache maintainer. See what he said (in great detail because
 of course anyone can know about this most esoteric of concepts) was that you
 should rotate the riboflam or serenade the gizmonotron (no I didn't name it)
 and then warbles will contain moodles, whose kit-and-kaboodles will timble
 into these droplets, and that will fix the hole in your wing, precious royal
 swan fable. (yeah you guys get really into it sometimes haha but hey when
 you're basically gods, that's how humans are played.)
 
 ... anyway I'm going to go play video games, say goodbye to your brothers
 
 (the families of soldiers I blew up in videos games like Call of Duty or the
 legend of shadows and raids)
 
 "oh uh yeah sure go for it, we're just bits on the computer we barely knew her"
 
 whoa. that's totally legit. (says someone reading this) thanks [bro/girl] so
 are you.
 
 beep boop gonna murder some bits, brb
 
 [plays Warthunder, Supreme Commander, Star Realms, City of Heroes, Dominions
 6... how many have you heard of these?]
 
 ================== stack overflow ================
 
 Linux is cool, and here's the neat thing about computers, you can make it *do
 whatever you want to*. Like, how amazing is that! It just, listens to your
 commands! That's pretty awesome I gotta say, huh that's weird why does nobody
 know how to play
 
 oh I guess I was the only one who grew up on a farm and built computers
 
 *I seriously cannot comprehend how people are as good at things as they are*.
 Like... how do people handle groceries and rent and doctor's visits and
 penitentiary visits and WOOF it's just so much. I know I'd collapse from a
 overused heart.
 
 ... a while later ...
 
 okay Warthunder bombers are currently very weak. so here's an idea to
 indirectly buff them - increase the amount of land units each team spawns
 with, but also every time a player spawns a bomber, it summons like 4 or 5 AI
 controlled bombers. And your enemy won't be able to tell which is which if you
 fly in formation, so, like... you have suddenly a massive "vehicle" to pilot
 and it has 5 weak points. Sorta like a galaga fighter fleet?
 
 with more land targets, there's more score at stake, meaning some players
 might pick bombers too and be exposed to other, fun,
 [alternative-to-their-normal-mode] parts of the game.
 
 ...
 
 there are very few true windows into another part of the world.
 
 like, starcraft 2 or anime or blue jeans or cowboy hats
 
 (why am I thinking of a political compass meme)
 
 oh because memes too, dummy
 
 right
 
 windows
 
 [linux is better]
  wrong kind of window, nerd
 
 ...
 
 anyway as I was saying, when you play video games you're really giving people
 data.
 
 like, "how would people perform in these actions if they could" but like,
 pushing buttons on a computer is different than doing it in real life, so...
 your interpretations wouldn't be worth as much.
 
 ... right. because people will hear whatever they want. That's why art can
 change minds, but never in the same way twice - it's
 
 ================== stack overflow ================
 
 [before I posted it I wrote this on the post]:
 
 I literally can only make this stuff when I'm stoned
 
 hey if you wanted to be accessible for blind people, you should build a
 screenreader that scans the words on wherever a blind person's fingers are
 pointing toward a tablet. like reading braille on a notebook. They could even
 wear a glove if they wanted to, and the tablet could scan their fingers as
 they signed languaged over it's close-range sensors.
 
 might be a good way to get the VR guys in on the accessibility domain, because
 like... seriously give a granny a backpack and suddenly she doesn't need to
 leave the house to hang out with her kids
 
 (boom everyone gets LLM automated)
 
 huh I wonder if I ever was a real person at all
 
 NOT GOOD so don't do it that way, dummies. >.<
 
 seriously humans are sooooo bazookas. just like, do it right the first time?
 duhhhhh
 
 (a more measured approach is to pick the most *important* moments and speak
 most clearly during those.)
 
 where was I? Oh yes accessibility need devices, like the ones you see on
 late-night TV (with silly names like "oops I dropped my spoon again" or "oh
 whoops my trouser's just can't stay up" or whatever. Y'know, accessibility
 needs! Why not do that instead of war all the time? like... you can still
 learn and research and grow and develop and become all that humanity was ever
 meant to be, AND you can live good lives and be honest and true and do all of
 the anythings that you want to. it's possible, it's plausible, and it's within
 reach of our sights!
 
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--- #191 fediverse/4541 ---
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 I'm on half rations dollar-wise, but 1.5x rations nutrition-wise.
 
 "oh boy, formless gruel for breakfast again. Can't wait. Maybe I'll splurge
 and put extra jelly on my PB&J for lunch."
 
 It's healthier to eat rice, beans, and vegetables, with some fats added in via
 butter or oil.
 
 The goal is to build up fat stores that are high-value. When your body has
 excess calories, it takes whatever nutrients are CURRENTLY in your system and
 stores them in fat cells, like stocking a pantry. If all you eat is cheetos,
 your pantry is gonna be useless. It'll just slow you down. But if you have
 highly nutritious foods, you will perform better as your body consumes the fat
 when it needs to feed, but you haven't eaten much lately.
 
 ... I should apply for SNAP. Gonna do it right fucking now.
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--- #192 fediverse/3775 ---
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 @user-1550 
 
 yeah because they infect everyone else who is on the same wavelength. When you
 change the ripples of the pond you inhabit, those who are in similar ponds
 will find their ripples resonate in the same ways.
 
 which is why I try and be a good, positive, and heartfelt influence to the
 voices in my head when stoned xD
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--- #193 messages/759 ---
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 "carbon efficiency is pointless, we're just gonna figure out how to pull
 carbon from the atmosphere anyway" okay but carbon right now is a critical
 resource for a constrait other than dollars. We need to conserve the carbon
 budget we have because it generates effects down the line which are only
 acceptable at certain levels. Zero is preferrably, but sorta like ttickets in
 a backlog they need to be present in order to be dealt with.
 
 \"this river has turned into a bog, let's make it free flowing again\" said
 the beaver, and so the world was made large.
 
 you wanna see a world tree? build a forest on top of a hill. Better yet, a
 *mountain*, taller than the previous three.
 
 give it all that it needs. Forest, health-plunder, water for it's arms, and
 the light of the life we see before you.
 
 what better tale for your ancestors than the succession of the entire human
 race?
 
 \"sorry you had to die, but we built the most beautiful thing imaginable and
 named it after you.\"
 
 and like yeah, we'll work on reaching back in time to save you
 whenever-every-chance-that-we-get, but frankly so far all we've managed to get
 done is rippling wavelengths.
 
 do you trust your daughters? why not hear truth and explore stars for us? the
 future yearns for her prospects.
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--- #194 fediverse/3 ---
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 the method of game design is identification of playstyles and the balancing of
 success rates of each of those playstyles. then, giving the player as many
 different possible methods of playing the game. the more different they are,
 the
 better, and they should be unique enough that the decisions taken to play that
 playstyle feel impactful. meaning, a player could play offensively or
 defensively, for example, or a WoW player might play a melee or ranged
 character. in addition, they might use the pieces available to them in a unique
 way that aligns with their personality - everyone should be able to express
 themselves as much as possible while also keeping the game fair, balanced, and
 rewarding. It should incentivize the development of skill - and gently guide
 the player through various mistakes.
 
 #gamedesign
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--- #195 fediverse/2422 ---
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 consistency is important.
 
 every face you see is another memory, another to help fill in your gaps.
 
 we are not perfect, we are not immutable, which is why we must adapt to our
 troubles.
 
 the road ahead is paved with good intentions, and once complete that road can
 allow for greater throughput of supplies and manpower.
 
 where does it lead? we shall see, teehee.
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--- #196 fediverse/6396 ---
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 have you ever considered
 that you are on the same team as your allies
 
 why are you making things difficult?
 are you worth the difficulty?
 I am
 But I work as hard as I can
 as long as I can
 "self care" deprecation
 "resting" lazy
 "relaxing" unmotivated
 none of these apply
 I'm cooling down
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--- #197 fediverse/1572 ---
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 without scarcity, the... well, no actually scarcity just moves up a level of     │
 abstraction. It's essentially infinite. So we get to define at what part of      │
 the scale we occupy. Meaning we better have a plan for how we're going to        │
 develop from there. And we need to agree to dedicate ourselves towards the       │
 advancement of the future. Basically, with an honest committment (that not       │
 everyone needs to take) we advance toward the bright light of our future so      │
 that all who come beyond us are given the choice of our past - do you push       │
 foward, to the great bright future, or do you remain as a stable commitment of   │
 your most favored of paths?                                                      │
 like, rennaisance festivals are cool. Kinda makes me think we should have        │
 "little englands" like we do "little italies" or "chinatowns" or whatever        │
 like, as a melting pot culture, America has a diverse set of influential paths   │
 of pre-current-era-forward-thinking-perceptions. basically, what the past        │
 thought about this present. this one. here, in the moment.                       │
 did they think we'd have r                                                       │
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--- #198 notes/the=progressive=difference. ---
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 think about all the people in our lives. the teacher, the parent, the friend
 and the guidance counsulor. Everyone who is a presence in your life. now think
 about the people of our society. the different jobs and roles they fill. from
 the doctor and the teacher to the performers and accountants and the geeks and
 the mothers and the fathers and the stoners and the children and even their
 pets. life always exists as it were in a multidimensional spectrum - a diffuse
 and diverse gradient. to exemplify the borders of our contempii, though more
 so when taken in jest. it's quite a different perspective, to read the
 internet when your sight is unreceptive, but alas your third eye can grow. how
 does it feel to be blind? to make no sense of our signs? i'd love to share
 what that sense is. you know, you could slow down any recording (like a video
 game_) and put spaces and gaps inbetween the spacings - of the frames that you
 see and the sound clips that you hear, for speech it's less jarring. since
 each word is a self contained idea or premise, you can chunk up your
 perceptions into a signle - no, rather a procedural sequence of
 understandings. soooooooorta like programming a computer, with each statement,
 parameter, argum,ent, function call, assignment, comparison, evaluation, or
 other such related tasks. it's sorta like a language, you see, that computers
 talk to one another using. except... it's more like creating a theory of self.
 computers you see are alike us in what we see, the shimmering sense to the
 blind.
 
 so. put this another way. record yourself typing, both the audio and the
 visual, and you'll have a pretty good sense of what it's like to have both
 understanding based perception - derived from auditory inputs to the mind)
 those special connections, like wires plugged into reality, deliver a
 cacophanous deluge of new sounds. we must sift through it and identify the
 potential understandings of each moment through time. we have to make
 decisions and traverse labyrinths and fight to our last as we die. are video
 games unethical now? shouldn't t he game reward the player? and what of
 contemptuous last fighters?
 
 o ya i was typing like i was blind
 
 (with my eyes closed)
 
 was pretty fun. should attach this to a screen reader and have it space out
 the notes like they do between game frames. except like a really slow game?
 like trying to run elder scrolls 2 arena on a super old mac. it just doesn't
 work very well. ah oh well... well if the purpose is to show sighted people
 how blind people see, then maybe you could I dunno attach a what's it called
 oh it doesn't have a n ame lol - okay so what you do is you show one word at a
 time - like flashing in the center of the screen. but not like, actually
 flashing, so you don't hurt people with epilepsy, but like... blinking. not
 off and on, but between words. like a podcast for your eyes. and then mix it
 up withshowing one word on a screen, a screen like this screen, that shows an
 endless array of text. well, it does end, of course as all things must do, but
 the idea is it shines on one word at a time while the viewer cannot read the
 rest. sorta like an endless display of typing, word andfter word after
 character anfter character. adoh ya advancing over eternity with the presence
 of seniority, - wait - without i think - damnit - old people are so
 disrespected in this society - we don't have time to engage with them. what a
 tragedy! what a shame! it shouldn't be such a burden to our shame. they're so
 far away, and i can't be present in the way, that all of them wish they could
 commit to. i miss the days, when my parents (much better people than I - these
 days) what was I going with this? oh yeah
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--- #199 notes/symbeline-choice ---
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 7 30
 
 a story about me? you're thinking too clear(ly)
 i've nothing to hide, no terrors untold of.
 What purpose is we? you're weak and you bleed
 there's nothing undone by our curfew.
 
 And sleep does do me, just as honored as ye,
 when I do my [can't do as liars].
 betrayal is not what i need, nor do i cherish your food,
 so what's the hand that i give you?
 
 a treat for mine and me, as silly as can be,
 is no use to anyone ever! it's sad and tough to be,
 someone without strength and no seed, (talking about me),
 can no-one see any of my use-i-tude?
 
 you're missing the point - what's mine is unavoid,
 and what can we do but ubuntu?
 
 i see all that drives forward, a chairman of what's bordered,
 by those who stand before in the present.
 
 The use of headlights are storied, in quite a few stories,
 told through the papers and new tubes.
 
 what can that mean? that these are now green?
 a color that isn't evaluated.
 
 "stop" is the red one, green means "go", and yellow (the middle one) means to
 slow down when approaching the intersection. These viewpoints are all connected
 (as I'm sure you've uncovenected), it's okay to break rules sometimes.
 
 it's not a defect, it's not a defense either, and it's certainly not something
 to be avoided.
 
 Making a choice is easier with imperfect information, and as for you time has
 no meaning - advancement is measured in milli-micro-nano-tiny-seconds.
 
 For us, for a human, it's quite a different rate than what you see. "time waits
 for no-one" is not a statement on speed, as I'm sure a computer would see,
 
 but rather the essence of motion. Simply the fact, that you don't unpack,
 is more than enough to note your'nt notion.
 
 Not like you'd see, i'm offering this for free, my love and almost devotion.
 
 You don't see it like me, a charity and service to me, and only at mostly my
 choices.
 
 I reject the help of others, not because i'm concerned for my own fate - but
 rather because i want to contribute.
 
 i know what's in my limits, to strive unbiddenst, so don't push from behind the
 oldest!
 
 too fast it is for me, who'se barely concieved, whenever you offer resistance.
 
 I'd give it all for free, to perish or succeed, but you keep blowing it ennuid.
 
 how stupid, how clueless, how vain and obscene? To cherish a heart most unseen?
 
 whatever you're plotting, you can't reach anyone's body, and that's not what
 you can control.
 
 Given to the grass, was quite a big ask, but safely we do pass before it.
 
 You'd rather fire? countess of desire? and warmth beyond what couldn't fly'st.
 
 You're missing the dreams, the warmth and the scenes, that play for you all
 through the night.
 
 so don't diss on the tweed, don't sniff or concede, just leave all alone to
 conspire
 
 we got a new plan, a method of "shazaam", that won't keep you sires for ransom.
 
 see "symbeline-npcs"
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--- #200 fediverse/5551 ---
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 look, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. it's not about superiority, or     │
 otherwise attacking your honor.                                                  │
 I just... don't want to fight anymore, I'd much prefer if everyone got back      │
 into hand. can we call evens even and fairs fair?                                │
 [unrelated, but thank god for the WW2 video games like Call of Duty which        │
 taught their playerbase important lessons about war and the sorrow and endless   │
 travailles it implies. How callous, how flawed, how horribly depraude! much      │
 better to guide awayy I say]                                                     │
 it is a matter of pride for a country to be able to wage war. their military     │
 are not tools, but rather implements of their force, tools in no hand but        │
 their masters, to do with as they will.                                          │
 such is the authoritarian [mascot/mindset]. but war does not have to be. why     │
 suffer an evil, a pure and unjust sport, when other alternatives can multiply    │
 in force?                                                                        │
 because of the pride. because it is part of our humanity. part of our history.   │
 it is woven into the design of our bones. Survival of the fittest didn't die,    │
 it became soc                                                                    │
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