starkd

32 ms·

451.
by starkd 4y ago
There is a fine line between being honest with your thoughts and indulging in unhelpful solutions as anything other than unhelpful. Life is not about living on the terms you choose. You inherit the terms under which you are to live. Reje
452.
by starkd 4y ago
Murdering your self is still murder. There are other victims besides the person committing it. The reason why it is a taboo subject is because it is contagious in a way. When the idea is broadcast at large, there is an increasing likeli
453.
by starkd 4y ago
I suspect that is very seldom the case. Depression is cyclical. There are moments of joy and content. I think it speaks to a loss of hope in society at large.
454.
by starkd 4y ago
I think about half Taiwan exports go to the mainland. That is a signficant pull towards people favoring unification, if China really wants to play hardball. (And they will.) It all depends on the Taiwanese will to fight.
455.
by starkd 4y ago
Well, that's good to know. I hope you're right. The story I read neglected to mention that information.
456.
by starkd 4y ago
There is still widespread anti-unification support, but, as with everything, it's a bit more complex. Recent elections took a bit of the wind out of its sails. Chinese military excercises have taken somewhat of a toll. I know they do
457.
by starkd 4y ago
That's why I said "without firing a shot". Yes, a full-on invasion would most certainly be complicated. But the war excercises China is conducting are done for the purposes of intimidation, getting concessions before it eve
458.
by starkd 4y ago
Especially if any metric is deemed a source of "systemic inequality".
459.
by starkd 4y ago
I think it makes it more likely that China is going to swallow up Taiwan without even firing a shot. Wargame simulations are giving a dim prospect for defending the island. US has removed fighter jets from Japan. And public opinion in Tai
460.
by starkd 4y ago
It reminds me of a line in a Sopranos episode. Only it substituted penis for bottom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHmsqjm4lV0
461.
by starkd 4y ago
Why do people keep citing this tired already easily refuted line? It was not just about nude pictures. Read a little more about the contents of the laptop and his connection to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma as well as Chinese ener
462.
by starkd 4y ago
Another pearl of his is to be "profuse in your praise". Even if it risks sounding empty or pure flattery, because it always leaves a good impression and works.
463.
by starkd 4y ago
"Contrary to people’s forecasts, they were more likable the more they spoke, and their partners formed global rather than differentiated impressions." In my experience, reticence to talk is mostly about fear of saying something st
464.
by starkd 4y ago
This kind of writing has its own rewards. It is just as valuable to the writer as the reader. Paul Graham makes the point that developing writing skills also develops your ideas. If you cannot articulate your ideas well enough for others
465.
by starkd 4y ago
I think this is the downsides of cleverness that Oscar Wilde eludes to. Its overuse can be hollow, snide and become downright mean and cynical. Very emotionally draining.
466.
by starkd 4y ago
I don't think cleverness is quite the same as inventiveness or a skill that equips you for a job. It is more a psychological tool people often use to navigate the world. I think that's what the essay was getting at.
467.
by starkd 4y ago
This is one of the problems with chatGPT. Good writing is not just a way to communicate ideas. It is also a way to develop ideas that are worth exploring. Being proficient with language - good language skills - means being proficient with
468.
by starkd 4y ago
It reminded me of one of Paul Graham's essays. It is important to hone writing skills as a way of looking more deeply at issues and understanding them.
469.
by starkd 4y ago
You do not have to respond to everything. Some writing is an opertunity for reflection. If you respond without some reflection, you become more of an NPC.
470.
by starkd 4y ago
What an odd comment to make. His central thesis about "cleverness" allowed him to tie together a number of disparate elements. It is what writers do strive to do. If this was in the New Yorker would that confer legitimacy? Tha
471.
by starkd 4y ago
Perhaps, but not sure you can separate gun owners from non-owners for such a study. Criminals do not always know beforehand which of their victims have a gun. The element of surprise creates hesitation to commit a crime.
472.
by starkd 4y ago
You do know what this kind of government/corp collaboration is, don't you? It's literally the beginning of a fascist state. This is not hyperbole either, though I wish it was.
473.
by starkd 4y ago
Exactly. The fact so many don't understand this is discouraging. Just because you support a particular candidate shouldn't mean it is ok, because it could very easily go against you on another occasion. There needs to be a unif
474.
by starkd 4y ago
The story is in how anxious they were to fit it into a hacked material case. Because there was no other existing mechanism in which to do it. (They claimed it in the emails Taibbi referenced.) They admit it was not tenable, because first
475.
by starkd 4y ago
That's flat out false. He clearly claimed in the thread there was clear evidenceof political motivation. For one, he cited the political donations are heavily slanted. Secondly, he mentioned the mass confusion that reigned as they t
476.
by starkd 4y ago
or you can watch msnbc/cnn and pretend that their is no crime problem - or make excuses that minimize it. So, it cuts both ways.
477.
by starkd 4y ago
True. But this just shows that we do know how to bring crime under control. Just a question of political will at this point. The recipe is there, if we look to history.
478.
by starkd 4y ago
They understand it, but they actively work to undermine it by engineering the human race.
479.
by starkd 4y ago
I would submit this would not be a very informative metric. Simply because the purpose of owning a gun to defend yourself is that you don't ultimately have to use it. There are many gun owners who never find themselves in that posit
480.
by starkd 4y ago
And, depending on the state, if you do use force in self-defense, it may be an open question if you will or will not be prosecuted, and (more importantly), if a jury is willing to convict.

More ›