- anechouapechou parentThere's a theory that at the very beginnings of the universe, as it cooled down, there was a period where the average temperature of the universe was between 0-100º C, meaning the whole universe was within a "habitable" temperature range, and this could have supercharged the creation of the building blocks of life. I think I learned about it on a Veritasium video... Maybe someone knows which one? :)
- Cocoa flavanols are some of the most powerful compounds for heart and brain health. If you look around, you’ll find brands that actually test their cocoa for heavy metals. To get the most benefits, go for natural (undutched) cocoa, as, like the article mentions, the dutching process can strip away up to 80% of the good stuff.
- I believe that last-mile edits do not significantly improve the quality of (most) creative work. To produce high-quality work, one must have already "cached" their "motor heuristics," which, in simpler terms, means having dedicated thousands of hours to deep and deliberate practice in their field.
The definition of 'last-mile edits' is very subjective, though. If you're dealing with open systems, it's almost unthinkable to design something and not need to iterate on it until the desired outcome is achieved. In other domains, for example, playing an instrument, your skills need to have been honed previously: there's nothing that will make you sound better (without resorting to editing it electronically).
- > I just cannot imagine forming a deep, lasting connection with someone who regularly interacts with a technology that’s kneecapping our collective attention spans
I wonder if she has such strong opinions on social media and short video content.
> I probably won’t find what I value in someone who thinks “productivity” means asking an app to summarize a movie plot so they don’t have to waste their time, you know, watching it.
Reasonable, but it would be very foolish to assume that everyone that uses LLMs uses it in such a stupid way. Everyone is free to have their own opinion, and my opinion is that the author didn't even try to go deep into the subject, just feeling the ick and reasoning it later.
- I'm not quite sure if his goal with writing this was to help someone or to brag about how much he wins at life.
- > He elucidated the idea of your prefrontal cortex solidifying around 25, making personality changes MUCH more difficult.
It’s true that neuroplasticity tends to decline around this age, but there are several important caveats:
- Exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise, promotes the release of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which enhances neuroplasticity. Consistency matters, regular aerobic activity raises baseline BDNF levels, while sporadic exercise only causes short-term spikes. Studies even show that long-term cardiovascular exercise can alter brain structure.
- Belief in your ability to learn is associated with better learning outcomes and higher neuroplasticity markers. Whether this comes directly from belief or from the behaviors it encourages, it’s still practical advice. Don’t entertain thoughts that you can’t adapt or learn -- especially during exercise.
- Psychedelic experiences (with substances such as psilocybin, ketamine, or LSD) can open what’s called an “acute neuroplastic window”. During this time, brain network dynamics become more flexible and neuroplasticity increases. Surround yourself with the right people, ideas, books, during this period, and it can lead to dramatic positive change. But as this state can amplify both constructive and destructive influences, proceed with care and good research.
- Fittingly, his website was hugged to death
- That's so cool. I watched all of his work, and was in the animation scene, and I didn't even realize at the time, the creator is Chinese! I learned how to use Flash, dabbled into scripts, learned to do very basic stuff on 3DSMax, as a ~10 year old little shit, and all of that most likely wouldn't have happened, if it wasn't for his work -- it's safe to say that my life was dramatically impacted by him. Thanks for sharing this, OP!
- Stoicism: dichotomy of control; Buddhism: tale of two arrows; Socrates: "The unexamined life is not worth living"; I'm sure there's more...
Humanity has produced a great deal of knowledge on how to live well. Modern society is just too distracted to learn about it.
- Despite Apple's walled garden, its anti-consumer practices of trying to keep you in the ecosystem, and other behaviors (like the green/blue bubbles fiasco) that are absolutely reprehensible and inexcusable, I still used iPhones because it seemed far superior to the other offerings on the market. Fortunately, Apple is doing its best to make me see the light.
- There is no central, certified, Stoicism source. I have read a little bit of Seneca’s work, and it wasn’t for me. Just realize that there are many authors, and even considering the generality of the most famous ones, saying that Stoicism preaches repressing emotions is just categorically false. I’m not interested in going in circles here though. Thank you for the discussion!
- Modern psychology (CBT) is built on a Stoic idea: “It’s not things that upset us, but our opinions about things.”
Stoicism doesn’t tell you to repress feelings. It tells you to examine them, to look at the beliefs behind them. If the belief is false (“this event ruins my life”), you correct it; if it’s true, you accept the feeling without letting it take over.
The Stoics called destructive emotions “passions,” but they also recognized healthy ones, like rational joy, caution, and goodwill. The goal isn’t emotional numbness, it’s clarity and alignment with reason and nature.
So, far from emotional blindness, Stoicism actually inspired the same kind of introspection that modern psychology promotes, just with a different vocabulary.
I would encourage you to read about CBT’s history and it’s influence on more modern psychology techniques. It’s likely that you are representing the Stoicism you commonly read about these days, on reddit, youtube and even on some books that take some liberties on translating it or do a bad job of it (it’s hard…). Most modern sources absolutely suck. A good translation from the original greek sources of Epictetus is very hard to come by.
- This is a very common misconception. Stoics (at least in the classical sense, which is what I study) seek to classify their emotions as either positive or as passions. And through the analysis of their own opinions, using logic and the concept of aligning with nature and the common good, they seek to agree with what is correct, disagree with what is incorrect, and suspend judgment on that which is not evident. A person can only be good or bad through actions that are their own responsibility; therefore, things outside of their own responsibility (such as a Stoic's son dying) cannot make them either good or bad, but rather their reaction to the event can. The interpretation that if a Stoic suffers when experiencing the death of their own son, they are being a bad Stoic is actually completely incorrect. They will only be a bad Stoic if, from this event, they allow themselves to be carried away by the suffering that is natural to every person who has a natural affection, and start to have opinions and actions contrary to nature.
- Anecdotal, but recently I've done a complete 180 on:
- My diet (Mediterranean), with absolutely zero processed foods.
- Sleep (red light on evenings, no screens 1 hour before sleep).
- Daily exercise (lifting and 30 minutes of zone 5 cardio weekly).
My appreciation for life has skyrocketed, I don't feel like I'm being oppressed by life, and my depression symptoms are gone. I used to think the root cause of it all was a pretty rough childhood. It turns out, it's just 'crap in, crap out.' It has been jarring to me that my inner experience and mental health could so drastically change in such a short amount of time.
So yeah, it's anecdotal, but I'm pretty inclined to agree with this article.