_8j7i's comments

abstractbarista | 4 years ago | on: Doctors and pharmacists ramp up calls for Americans to stop using ivermectin

They stated something as fact to influence our behavior, when they did not actually have the requisite knowledge to make such a statement at that point in time.

They should have instead said "We don't know whether they're effective yet, so don't hoard them, because doing so could cause X."

There's nothing wrong with admitting you don't know something yet.

Instead, they make commands without supporting evidence. That implies total disregard for the peoples' intelligence. Upon realizing this, trust is lost and dissenting actions increase.

abstractbarista | 4 years ago | on: Reddit bans anti-vaccine subreddit r/NoNewNormal after site-wide protest

I respect what you're saying and honestly it is shitty. It is true, I deleted the many technical posts I made because I did not want to leave that value on the site to support what is has become.

I feel bad about it. I hope people are able to find my posts in archived formats somewhere. But I just didn't feel comfortable on there any more. Reading around there is just gross now. I think I will concentrate on posting on my own website now.

abstractbarista | 4 years ago | on: Mysteries of obesity: wild animals are becoming more obese too

I've read that "Your body adjusts to input, so it's not that easy!" many times now. I don't dispute it is true.

But why not call the body's bluff? Cut input further! And then cut it again. Be more stubborn than your body.

Not saying it would be easy. It would probably be really hard. Not sure if I could actually do it if I had to. But surely, it is possible?! What little physics I know seems to strongly support it.

abstractbarista | 4 years ago | on: The grandmaster diet: How to lose weight while barely moving (2019)

Is there data to back up an individual 'set-point'? People think differently, so I can only speak to myself:

If I was heavier than desired, and I noticed my body was gaining weight while I am suppressing caloric intake, I would reduce intake even further. Call the bluff.

Of course, easier said than done. It's perhaps a masochistic mindset, forcing yourself to feel hunger, and obstinately refusing to give in. Since I was young, my conscious response to hunger seems different than many. I can easily ignore it for hours, if I am focused on something interesting. Hunger is an annoyance I typically ignore. The body screams "Wahh, I'm hungry! I'm going to make you feel bad until I eat!" and my internal voice says "Go right ahead. Suck it up, you're fine. I'm having too much fun to tend to you. Maybe you get something in a few hours."

If anything, I probably don't eat 'enough'. But I don't try to eat less. I eat whatever I want whenever I want. I am very happy with my weight. I eat a wide variety of nutritious food. But ultimately it's just annoying that we have to eat at all.

abstractbarista | 4 years ago | on: How is efficacy vs. severe disease strong if 60% of hospitalized are vaccinated?

This stuff is exactly why I loved statistics in college!

The frustrating thing is, there is no way to verbalize the meaning of this data, without immediately being labeled a 'bigoted right-winger'.

People just don't want to hear it. I tend to believe all people have the capability to understand this nuance. Unfortunately, they openly refuse, because it contradicts their perceptions.

It's honestly kind of scary.

abstractbarista | 4 years ago | on: CSAM Detection Technical Summary [pdf]

It is unacceptable for this process to execute on my devices. I am very glad I own zero Apple products, and this has solidified my resolve to never change that.

I'll be watching for proliferation of this technique in other devices, and will promptly trash any that implement it. (I already avoid uploading unencrypted content to cloud services.)

In this imperfect world, privacy keeps innocent people free. Long live AES-256.

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