Why do depressed people prefer actions that reinforce their depression (listening to sad music, staying alone in a dark room)?
Scott Alexander believes that it has to do with "set points" (in the same way that anorexics continue to perform non-voluntary actions that burn extra calories like extra fidgeting). He believes the body will adjust the emotional "set point" to this depressed state and fight to maintain it. This is part of why behavioral activation, opposite action, and CBT are most effective for depression.

autocmd FileType yaml setlocal ts=2 sts=2 sw=2 expandtab

Behind "Hello World" on Linux

• run steam w/ steam -console
• use console menu to run shader_build <A pp_id>
  <DT>
  <A HREF="https://rmusser.net/docs" ADD_DATE="1682526751" PRIVATE="1" TAGS="">Infosec_Reference | An Information Security Reference That Doesn't Suck!</A><DD>Free resource for anyone interested in learning more about Information Security.

In the early 1990s, two Russian artists named Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid hired a market research firm to survey the public on what they wanted in a work of art. Across 11 countries they then set about painting a piece that reflected the results. Each piece was intended to be a unique a colla

Composition is technically the only skill you need to make art that looks aesthetically pleasing. (Even an unknown child's scribble can be enjoyable to look at if the arrangement is nice.) The other fundamentals are more about using art to communicate information within the image.

Sarcasm “works” because it alludes to a critique without ever actually making it. It shifts the burden of substantiating the criticism as an exercise for the audience and further suggests that if they don’t already understand it then they are deficient.

The hole in the ozone layer has been slowly repairing itself since the Montreal Protocol banned aerosol products in 1987. The latest report from the UN predicts the ozone layer will make a full recovery in about 43 years.

A great explanation of Anki and it's algorithm

A website that hosts user content must:

1. block CSAM
2. block copyright infringement (or else DMCA)
3. block hate speech (or else users and advertisers pull out)
4. comply with FBI requests about CSAM
5. allow fair use (while working with 2)
6. block CSAM again (with more aggressive filtering)
7. block spam (or users leave again) (oh and this one isn't a legal fight, just annoyance)
8. loosen the overly-aggressive CSAM filter
9. comply with international law
10. hire more moderators that speak more languages
11. deal with people thinking that being removed for violating the rules too many times is a personal attack
12. remove hate speech (again, but as a legal issue this time)
13. copyright/fair use battle (again)
    ... this continues to level 20

A few years ago I gathered the scraps of quotes, poems and inspirational bits and bobs I had floating about in various notebooks and cubby holes and decided to plonk them all in one place for easy reference, create my own Bible, something I could go to for inspiration and guidance and succour. There are poems, quotes from spiritual leaders like Thich Nhat Hann, things I heard on podcasts or movies, excerpts from novels, and even a few Tweets.
Whenever I read or hear something that makes me sit up, open my eyes a little wider, slow down and think, “this is important, I need to remember this”, I pop it in my green-covered notebook, knowing future me would want to feel that same tingle and joy again and again.
Consider writing your own holy book, or unholy book, your choice.

Hey man you good?
By God as my witness no.

On dealing with stress:

Viliam
Writes Kittenlord’s Java Game Examples
Oct 25
There are stressful things that cannot be avoided, and there are also stressful things that can be avoided. On the other side of the equation, there are things that reduce stress; some of them are harmless, other some with bad side effects.

The general strategy is to eliminate the unnecessary sources of stress, and only do the harmless things that reduce your stress, but do them a lot. Hopefully the overall result would be that you can deal with whatever stress remains.

A lot of stress is caused by specific people. Some people just love drama; they will create a conflict even in a situation where anyone else would just relax and enjoy a beautiful day. Some people are assholes; they reduce their own stress by stressing out others. If possible, avoid them. If not possible, try to reduce your time spent with them, and stop thinking about them when you don't have to (unless you are calmly strategizing how to further reduce your contact with them).

On the other hand, there are people who are great at making you relax, or great at helping you. (These might be two different types of people.) Try spending more time with them; maybe do something nice for them in return.

Some people do not realize that they can be strategic about who they spend their free time with. For example, instead of picking up a phone and calling other people, they wait until someone calls them. Problem is, sometimes it is the wrong people who call you all the time; you could call the right ones instead.

The same is true about internet debates. Some places are just horrible, and the winning move is not to visit them. Even in a relatively nice place such as ACX sometimes bad things happen. You need to realize that "not responding" is a perfectly valid option, and often the right one.

For me, the stress-relieving human interactions typically happen offline. There is something nice about being fully in the moment, instead of having 20 browser tabs open. Another activity that works for me is taking a walk alone.

Some stress is caused by things other than people. In such case, try asking a friend for help. Or just talk about it, any someone may offer a useful advice. Sometimes there are people able and willing to help you, they just do not know that you have this problem.

Avoid addictive things. If you start fighting stress by taking drugs, overeating, or debating online, there is more stress coming in the future as a consequence of your actions. (Nothing wrong with browsing the web once in a while, or eating once in a while, per se. Problem is, if you do it as a way to cope with stress, so you increase the dosage when the stress increases.)

Don't panic. If you can't fix the big things, at least try fixing the smaller ones. (Do the dishes. Clean up your room.) It might help build you the right attitude.

Sometimes the stress is caused by stupid ideas of other people. Maybe you worry a lot about achieving something you actually do not care about, only because someone else told you that you should. (Problem is, this is sometimes difficult to distinguish from a genuinely good advice.) Sometimes, abandoning the whole idea is the right option.

There is a checklist "HALT: hungry, angry, lonely, tired". If you feel bad, check if you are not in one of these conditions; if you are, address it directly. (Take a healthy snack. Breathe deeply. Call a friend. Take a nap.)

• Am I bored of a specific thing that I have to do? (Being in a meeting, working on something tedious, etc)
• Do I not have anything interesting to do? (e.g. because all of your normal hobbies are inaccessible to you right now)
• Am I unable to find anything interesting right now? (You're probably depressed)
• Do the things I am trying to do seem in principle interesting but I'm not in the mood for them? (You might have an unment need and anything that doesn't meet that need)
• Am I trying to do things that I don't have the energy for? (You're tired, pick something easier)
• Are there things that I want to do but also want not to do? (e.g. they've got a fnord or an ugh field associated with them)

Wouldn’t it be quite a coincidence for this to be the moment public opinion got it right?

| COVID | Moneypox |
| RNA virus | DNA virus |
| 100nm diameter | 220-450nm diameter|
| fast-evolving | slow-evolving |
| R0* of 8.2 | R0 of 1.4-1.8 (currently) |
| Respiratory | Skin-contact |
| 3-5 day incubation | 7-21 day incubation |

*R0 = infection rate