Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
On Sun, Dec 23, 2012 at 12:37 AM, BGB cr88...@gmail.com wrote: On 12/22/2012 9:11 PM, Julian Leviston wrote: I think you've missed the point. The point is... you need to use your body and your emotions as well as your mind. Our society is overly focussed on the mind. could be, fair enough... The point is, if you don't use your body and emotions, they'll be sure to let you know. Perhaps in 15 years or so. Check out half-life of an IT worker, relevant post on /.: http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/03/1435217/half-life-of-a-tech-worker-15-years... The mind is co-dependent on the emotions and body, not independent. John ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
Read Zhuan Falun On Dec 23, 2012, at 9:25 AM, John Carlson wrote: On Sun, Dec 23, 2012 at 12:37 AM, BGB cr88...@gmail.com wrote: On 12/22/2012 9:11 PM, Julian Leviston wrote: I think you've missed the point. The point is... you need to use your body and your emotions as well as your mind. Our society is overly focussed on the mind. could be, fair enough... The point is, if you don't use your body and emotions, they'll be sure to let you know. Perhaps in 15 years or so. Check out half-life of an IT worker, relevant post on /.: http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/03/1435217/half-life-of-a-tech-worker-15-years ... The mind is co-dependent on the emotions and body, not independent. John ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
Respectfully, go read Zhuan Falun and then comment on this thread. On Dec 23, 2012, at 1:02 PM, BGB wrote: On 12/23/2012 11:25 AM, John Carlson wrote: On Sun, Dec 23, 2012 at 12:37 AM, BGB cr88...@gmail.com wrote: On 12/22/2012 9:11 PM, Julian Leviston wrote: I think you've missed the point. The point is... you need to use your body and your emotions as well as your mind. Our society is overly focussed on the mind. could be, fair enough... The point is, if you don't use your body and emotions, they'll be sure to let you know. Perhaps in 15 years or so. Check out half-life of an IT worker, relevant post on /.: http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/03/1435217/half-life-of-a-tech-worker-15-years ... The mind is co-dependent on the emotions and body, not independent. well, except I am already late 20s (will be 29 in a matter of days), and by this point arguably already using dated technologies. (but, the usual catch up is absurd, as most of these new technologies end up largely forgotten in a few years anyways, while the older technologies remain in full force...). IOW: mostly still using C, as Java is still lame, and C# still isn't very good on non-Windows targets (as many of the advantages it has on Windows, cease to exist on VM's like Mono). but, seriously, what is the point of playing catch-up? or taking C# seriously as a tool for much more than quick/dirty GUI apps and writing Paint.NET plugins and similar?... biggest thing I have written in C# thus far was a codec for a custom JPEG-based image format (it is like JPEG but added more features, *1), and mostly in the form of a Paint.NET plugin. in many ways, C# is much less well-suited to this sort of thing than C is (for example, for the image codec, I have both C and C# versions). *1: alpha-channels, expanded components (normal, luma, depth, ...), layers, lossless encoding, some additional transforms and filters (can help improve compression), ... basically, ended up bolting on some block-filters derived from those in PNG as well, which can help compress things better when dealing with certain types of images (flat colors and gradiants, or blocks containing sharp edges). it is, however, not strictly backwards-compatible with existing JPEG decoders (depending on which features are enabled). when the alternate filters are enabled, it also uses a different entropy-coding / VLC scheme. now, back in time, my early/mid 20s were a time of strongish and more poorly controlled emotions, and I put a lot of time and effort mostly in getting things mostly under control (such that being upset about something need not interfere with my external behavior or ability to complete tasks). (like, say, if a person is upset about something, it interferes with them writing code or working things, ...). after a while though, a person largely stops feeling upset about things. granted, there is always a risk of them coming back in some more aggressive form (or, occasionally, playing tricks, and bypassing its usual sandbox). granted, there is still the issue of memory-retrieval, where emotions can apparently interfere with the types of memories that are brought up (so, emotions are sort of like a cat that keeps getting up on the keyboard when it wants something, and one usually wants the cat to not be on the keyboard). sometimes it is necessary to get involved and try to stabilize them though, because otherwise emotions can go into a sort of feedback loop, resulting in adverse psychological and behavioral effects (often: conscious fragmentation, *2, partial loss of sensory input, reduced ability to move, ...), but things will usually return to normal once emotions burn themselves out and dissipate (I think the last time this happened was ~ 5 years ago though). *2: this state is a bit complicated to describe. I am left to realize that I don't really want to describe it, nor is it probably really topical here anyways. as-is, lacking a job, I am mostly trying to make it on my own, admittedly without a whole lot of success thus far. as for the future, I don't really know... John ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
As far as I am concerned, this is what programmers need because I found that the programming languages out there are incoherent and chaotic, no matter which ones they are. Underlying all computer machinery is a hodgepodge of accretion. Concepts lodged inside concepts for expediency. This is something I think Alan understands quite well, far more than me. But more importantly, I found out that they stir up irritability; when you can't get something to work right, it creates a hum of irritability around you that has to dissipate over the rest of the day because programming provides such instantaneous feedback to your every move; nowadays you can see if what you are doing works in just seconds, whereas you had to wait much longer; so consequently, people who program computers are often known for being irritable and impatient. If you are one of those people, investigate this practice. On Dec 23, 2012, at 4:53 PM, John Carlson wrote: There's something in your early/mid 20s. There's also stuff in your 40s too. Live life gracefully, don't run into brick walls. Perhaps there's nothing to do but experience it. Each person has their own path. John On Sun, Dec 23, 2012 at 3:02 PM, BGB cr88...@gmail.com wrote: now, back in time, my early/mid 20s were a time of strongish and more poorly controlled emotions, and I put a lot of time and effort mostly in getting things mostly under control (such that being upset about something need not interfere with my external behavior or ability to complete tasks). (like, say, if a person is upset about something, it interferes with them writing code or working things, ...). ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
Or going out and sledding in the snow with my daughter. Have a white Christmas everyone! On Sat, Dec 22, 2012 at 11:28 AM, John Pratt jpra...@gmail.com wrote: I want to tell everyone on this list about something I found. Maybe someone out there hears what I say, thinks I am pretty crazy for saying it to an entire mailing list, but appreciates it. That is the kind of person I am sometimes. I might tell a CEO not to use high-class mustard on a hotdog and genuinely wonder afterwards why he gets angry. So, similarly, I am going to tell all of you to go to FalunDafa.org because this is the best thing I have done to extricate myself cognitively from computer prison that we all live in. It is true that computers are impressive, but they are also injurious in other respects and if people won't acknowledge the downsides to what they do to our cognition, I don't think that is ok, either. I am actually a generalist on this subject, so I don't take technical stances on this minor subject or that minor subject inside the vast field of computer science. But what holds true for me also holds true for you, that computers draw you in to a certain, narrow type of thinking that needs to be balanced by true, traditional, *human* things like music or dance or art. ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
Thank you, captain obvious. Man is a three-centered (three-brained if you will) being. Focussing on only one of the brains is by definition imbalanced. Bring back the renaissance man. Julian On 23/12/2012, at 4:28 AM, John Pratt jpra...@gmail.com wrote: I want to tell everyone on this list about something I found. Maybe someone out there hears what I say, thinks I am pretty crazy for saying it to an entire mailing list, but appreciates it. That is the kind of person I am sometimes. I might tell a CEO not to use high-class mustard on a hotdog and genuinely wonder afterwards why he gets angry. So, similarly, I am going to tell all of you to go to FalunDafa.org because this is the best thing I have done to extricate myself cognitively from computer prison that we all live in. It is true that computers are impressive, but they are also injurious in other respects and if people won't acknowledge the downsides to what they do to our cognition, I don't think that is ok, either. I am actually a generalist on this subject, so I don't take technical stances on this minor subject or that minor subject inside the vast field of computer science. But what holds true for me also holds true for you, that computers draw you in to a certain, narrow type of thinking that needs to be balanced by true, traditional, human things like music or dance or art. ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
On 12/22/2012 5:52 PM, Julian Leviston wrote: Thank you, captain obvious. Man is a three-centered (three-brained if you will) being. Focussing on only one of the brains is by definition imbalanced. Bring back the renaissance man. so, if, say, a person likes computers, but largely lacks either an emotional or creative side, is this implying that computers somehow took away their emotions and creativity, or is it more likely the case that they didn't really have them to begin with?... like, a person after a while, observing that they rarely feel much of anything, no longer have much of any real sense of romantic interest, have little intrinsic creative motivation, are unable to understand symbolism, tend to see the world in a literal manner, ... and, then wonder: so it is? what now?... doesn't really seem like it is the computer's fault anymore than a person also noting that they are also partially color-blind. unless I have missed the point?... a more obvious downside though is that generally, doing lots of stuff on a computer keeps the user nailed down to their chair. even though they might realize that getting up and doing stuff might be better for their health, doing so is time away from working on stuff... I guess a mystery then would be if, some time in the future, there will be ways of using computers which don't effectively require the users to be sitting in a chair all day (ideally without compromising either the user experience or capabilities). (granted, yes, traditional exercise can be tiring/unpleasant though...). as for the mentioned practice, it seems like it could conflict with a persons' religious beliefs (many people consider these types of things as being occult). more often a person might do something like memory-verses or similar instead (like, memorize and recite John 3:16 or similar, ...). or such... Julian On 23/12/2012, at 4:28 AM, John Pratt jpra...@gmail.com mailto:jpra...@gmail.com wrote: I want to tell everyone on this list about something I found. Maybe someone out there hears what I say, thinks I am pretty crazy for saying it to an entire mailing list, but appreciates it. That is the kind of person I am sometimes. I might tell a CEO not to use high-class mustard on a hotdog and genuinely wonder afterwards why he gets angry. So, similarly, I am going to tell all of you to go to FalunDafa.org http://falundafa.org/ because this is the best thing I have done to extricate myself cognitively from computer prison that we all live in. It is true that computers are impressive, but they are also injurious in other respects and if people won't acknowledge the downsides to what they do to our cognition, I don't think that is ok, either. I am actually a generalist on this subject, so I don't take technical stances on this minor subject or that minor subject inside the vast field of computer science. But what holds true for me also holds true for you, that computers draw you in to a certain, narrow type of thinking that needs to be balanced by true, traditional, /human/ things like music or dance or art. ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org mailto:fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
I think you've missed the point. The point is... you need to use your body and your emotions as well as your mind. Our society is overly focussed on the mind. Julian On 23/12/2012, at 1:52 PM, BGB cr88...@gmail.com wrote: On 12/22/2012 5:52 PM, Julian Leviston wrote: Thank you, captain obvious. Man is a three-centered (three-brained if you will) being. Focussing on only one of the brains is by definition imbalanced. Bring back the renaissance man. so, if, say, a person likes computers, but largely lacks either an emotional or creative side, is this implying that computers somehow took away their emotions and creativity, or is it more likely the case that they didn't really have them to begin with?... like, a person after a while, observing that they rarely feel much of anything, no longer have much of any real sense of romantic interest, have little intrinsic creative motivation, are unable to understand symbolism, tend to see the world in a literal manner, ... and, then wonder: so it is? what now?... doesn't really seem like it is the computer's fault anymore than a person also noting that they are also partially color-blind. unless I have missed the point?... a more obvious downside though is that generally, doing lots of stuff on a computer keeps the user nailed down to their chair. even though they might realize that getting up and doing stuff might be better for their health, doing so is time away from working on stuff... I guess a mystery then would be if, some time in the future, there will be ways of using computers which don't effectively require the users to be sitting in a chair all day (ideally without compromising either the user experience or capabilities). (granted, yes, traditional exercise can be tiring/unpleasant though...). as for the mentioned practice, it seems like it could conflict with a persons' religious beliefs (many people consider these types of things as being occult). more often a person might do something like memory-verses or similar instead (like, memorize and recite John 3:16 or similar, ...). or such... Julian On 23/12/2012, at 4:28 AM, John Pratt jpra...@gmail.com wrote: I want to tell everyone on this list about something I found. Maybe someone out there hears what I say, thinks I am pretty crazy for saying it to an entire mailing list, but appreciates it. That is the kind of person I am sometimes. I might tell a CEO not to use high-class mustard on a hotdog and genuinely wonder afterwards why he gets angry. So, similarly, I am going to tell all of you to go to FalunDafa.org because this is the best thing I have done to extricate myself cognitively from computer prison that we all live in. It is true that computers are impressive, but they are also injurious in other respects and if people won't acknowledge the downsides to what they do to our cognition, I don't think that is ok, either. I am actually a generalist on this subject, so I don't take technical stances on this minor subject or that minor subject inside the vast field of computer science. But what holds true for me also holds true for you, that computers draw you in to a certain, narrow type of thinking that needs to be balanced by true, traditional, human things like music or dance or art. ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc ___ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
Re: [fonc] Falun Dafa
On 12/22/2012 9:11 PM, Julian Leviston wrote: I think you've missed the point. The point is... you need to use your body and your emotions as well as your mind. Our society is overly focussed on the mind. could be, fair enough... emotions are hard though, like nearly completely absent at one moment, or showing up and being distracting at another moment, and generally not very easy to make much sense out of them. but, I guess, if ignored too much they can start to fade away altogether. but, if not controlled, they can make a mess of things, leading to poor judgement and irrational behavior, but most often when emotions do show up, they are like I am bored and lonely, and this kind of sucks, which isn't really all that helpful. in other cases, they might show up, cause a sense of sadness, and erode ones' ability to do stuff, which also isn't really helpful. for most things in life, it doesn't seem to make much difference, but does apparently have a bit of a dampening effect in the relationship sense, like no one is really interested, which probably doesn't help matters all that much (and it doesn't help much when one can know with statistical near certainty that it wont go anywhere, most often because there is some critical incompatibility, or more often, the other person has only a short period of time before they lose interest and go elsewhere). most else is the short of short-lived emotional states which arise from watching TV shows or similar, but, when the show ends, everything is as it was before. nevermind things like poetry or similar, which are more just confusing and cryptic than anything else (what does it mean? who knows? wait, it was about drinking coffee? oh well, whatever...). even for as ineffective as it ultimately is, a person can still get a lot more of an effect by watching a pile of anime or similar (say, a person can get ~ 75 hours of emotional stimulation by watching ~ 150 episodes of InuYasha, then be looked down on by others for doing so, or similar...). and, sometimes, there are good shows, some of which a person can wish there were more of (like, say, Invader Zim), but then again, there are always new shows (like MLP: FiM...). and elsewhere, there are videos on YouTube, like all the endless Gangnam Style parodies. otherwise, a person is left to realize that their life is kind of empty and unproductive, and seemingly all their emotions can really seem to do is remind them about how lame their life is (and there isn't even really much to want, like say, there is no real way to build a newer/better computer without dumping lots of money into overly expensive parts, and better is trying to find a way to earn some sort of income...). but, even as such, it is hard to imagine though if/how it could be any different. in a way, such is life... but, at least I am sort of making a game, and putting some videos of it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRVaCPgVxb8 and, a video about some of the high-level architecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlamKh8vUJ0 nevermind if it amounts to anything much more than this (hardly anyone cares, no one makes donations). but, keeping going is still better than falling into despair, even if everything does eventually all amount to nothing. or such... Julian On 23/12/2012, at 1:52 PM, BGB cr88...@gmail.com mailto:cr88...@gmail.com wrote: On 12/22/2012 5:52 PM, Julian Leviston wrote: Thank you, captain obvious. Man is a three-centered (three-brained if you will) being. Focussing on only one of the brains is by definition imbalanced. Bring back the renaissance man. so, if, say, a person likes computers, but largely lacks either an emotional or creative side, is this implying that computers somehow took away their emotions and creativity, or is it more likely the case that they didn't really have them to begin with?... like, a person after a while, observing that they rarely feel much of anything, no longer have much of any real sense of romantic interest, have little intrinsic creative motivation, are unable to understand symbolism, tend to see the world in a literal manner, ... and, then wonder: so it is? what now?... doesn't really seem like it is the computer's fault anymore than a person also noting that they are also partially color-blind. unless I have missed the point?... a more obvious downside though is that generally, doing lots of stuff on a computer keeps the user nailed down to their chair. even though they might realize that getting up and doing stuff might be better for their health, doing so is time away from working on stuff... I guess a mystery then would be if, some time in the future, there will be ways of using computers which don't effectively require the users to be sitting in a chair all day (ideally without compromising either the user experience or capabilities). (granted, yes, traditional exercise can be
