every single person you meet...

[givememyleg]

...knows something you do not and has a chance to increase your overall knowledge and understanding of the universe.

so, degens, share the most interesting something you know.

[rong]

A career in financial sales is the least rewarding you can possibly stumble into. Avoid it like you would a large ladyboy rapist with aids.

[givememyleg]

here's mine.

when most people think about the concept of time they only scratch the surface on what it really is. if i were to ask you what time was, what would you say? most likely, one hour, one day, or the distance between two events or experiences. however, that is not time, that is simply a measurement of time.

if you compare time to space, you will see how flawed this is. one hour is a measurement, a length of time, just as a ruler measures distance within the first three dimensions. if we take a triangle, you may say a triangle has 3 sides, each 2 cm, but the measurement is not the object. in the same way, time is not the distance or measurement, time is as the triangle is in space.



time can be more accurately represented as a dot on a line that is constantly moving forward. however, time is not the line, time is only found within the dot.



the dot continuously moves along the line, going through different periods or measurements, but time is always contained within that one small dot. time is only now. time is that dot moving forward across a line. each and every event in your life is experienced in the dot – now, in the present moment. time flows like a river. time flows in the dot. time just is, now.

the ONLY time anything is ever experienced is in the present moment. the past and future do not really exist, only the present. as your dot moves forward, you will have experienced many things to help you make better choices in the present which will lead to better outcomes in the future. but the past only existed when it was present, and the future will only exist when the present gets there.

[OngBonga]

the ONLY time anything is ever experienced is in the present moment.

This is kinda flawed. Sorry, not trying to be a dick, but you and me experience time differently, because a) we are in different locations, and b) we are moving at slightly different velocities. Just like there is not a single rainbow in the sky, more, that everyone has their own rainbow depending on where they view it from, we all have our own time zone, depending on our velocities and location.

"Now" is an illusion. Your now is different to my now, because it takes times for us to compare our nows.

Time is fucking weird. Indeed it's like a river flowing, but the river doesn't flow at exactly the same rate all along, and no two people can be in exactly the same part of the river.

[bigred]

Boobies are wonderful.

[OngBonga]

^ not flawed

[MadMojoMonkey]

The only thing in the entire history of the universe that will ever see from behind your eyes is you. You are a unique contribution to the universe.

Whatever time is, it keeps marching on, as evidenced by change. You are here, you effect change. You can not help but to change the world, you can only choose how you do so.

Iron, and all heavier elements, are created in supernovae when stars end their life cycle. The blood in your veins is red because it is suffused with iron. You are literally a child of the universe in every conceivable way. You are made of star stuff.

[Chelle]

holding onto hope will get you through things you didn't think you'd be able to bare.

[givememyleg]

This is kinda flawed. Sorry, not trying to be a dick, but you and me experience time differently, because a) we are in different locations, and b) we are moving at slightly different velocities. Just like there is not a single rainbow in the sky, more, that everyone has their own rainbow depending on where they view it from, we all have our own time zone, depending on our velocities and location.

"Now" is an illusion. Your now is different to my now, because it takes times for us to compare our nows.

Time is fucking weird. Indeed it's like a river flowing, but the river doesn't flow at exactly the same rate all along, and no two people can be in exactly the same part of the river.

disagreement != being a dick.

time zones are just another measurement of time, a way to keep the tracking in order. it doesn't matter if it's 5pm here or 10pm there, the present moment is the same for us. it's (probably) also the same for a planet 100 million light years away, although i won't pretend to know that much about astrophysics to comment too strongly.

you're sort of right that now is an illusion but it has nothing to do with your perception of it vs mine. it's because there is a slight lag caused from our minds processing what we see now. we can never truly be fully present because we're always a bit behind. i feel like this lag has been eliminated before on drugs or while meditating, but who knows.

the river does flow the same for everyone. even though time is relative, there is always one set moment where everything is experienced for everyone.

everything in this reality is fucking weird.

[givememyleg]

The only thing in the entire history of the universe that will ever see from behind your eyes is you. You are a unique contribution to the universe.

Whatever time is, it keeps marching on, as evidenced by change. You are here, you effect change. You can not help but to change the world, you can only choose how you do so.

Iron, and all heavier elements, are created in supernovae when stars end their life cycle. The blood in your veins is red because it is suffused with iron. You are literally a child of the universe in every conceivable way. You are made of star stuff.

my man crush.

[Poopadoop]

A career in financial sales is the least rewarding you can possibly stumble into. Avoid it like you would a large ladyboy rapist with aids.

Pretty sure this is common knowledge.

My thing is that water doesn't put fire out by smothering it of oxygen, but it does so by cooling it beyond the point where combustion can take place.

Go forth with this. Use it wisely.

[jyms]

my man crush.

This one was cool. I like this guy.

[supa]

There is no now. There is only... now.

[supa]

My knowledge of things is minute. My knowledge of those things are limited by my laziness. That said, I had a chance to share some of that knowledge this week. It's nothing profound or intellectual but it seems to have had a huge impact on him and the way he hears (sees) music.

This seems like a good place to share that.

[wufwugy]

The only change is a very slow process. If you are unhappy and want to be a different person, you probably want to make rapid changes, but you'll find you can't keep them up and when you do them they don't make you feel the change you think you should. This is because true change is stupidly slow process. So you should take your idea of what slow change you would like to do, then only do about 20% of that. Then you'll finally be that turtle in the race that ends up winning

[MadMojoMonkey]

Yeah. I remember that moment.
Ah! to be 16 again... Wait. Scratch that. It sucked.

The good news is that your friend will have a good few years of those moments where a short conversation and a piece of paper can blow his mind. Unless he delves into music theory pretty hard at the beginning, which I do not recommend, but works for some.

[JKDS]

This isnt supported by anything that I know of, because i havent bothered to research it, but through self observation I think its pretty accurate.

Premise: The emotion of anger is an expression of poor physical health, and not actually a real feeling. It is purely the result of physical defect.

Support: I consider myself to be a rational person; I'm also calm and patient. Nevertheless, I have anger issues. My initial thoughts on why were based on genetics or perhaps 'learning' it from my environment. My mom was angry a lot, thus I became angry. However as I grew up, and grew healthier, I slowly came to understand that this is simply not the case.

To clarify, im not talking about being hurt. Dont confuse what I mean by anger with hatred or hostility. By anger, I simply mean uncontrollable rage. "Flipping the fuck out" for instance.

Anyway, as i grew I started to understand that my 'tantrums' were not because of genetics nor becasue I somehow learned it was the proper way to deal with something. More precisely, I noticed this only a few years ago when I attempted dieting. I just hit a body fat of roughly 30% and wanted to stop it.

Extreme Low Calorie Diet (Never do this)
-Lashing out occurred very often. Usually without any additional stimulus. Examples include yelling at the fridge (once lol), punching my legs because they didnt feel 'right', and being incredibly irritable towards people I get along with.
-The thing consistent with these and many many other examples during this diet was the diet itself. Hunger caused the anger.

After that, I noticed other things. I fixed my diet, but then as I accepted this notion that anger resulted from physical defect I saw correlations everywhere.

Sources
-Certain sicknesses (many sap strength and so anger is hard)
----I include high Blood Alcohol levels here
-Diet
-Fatigue
-Pain
-Emotional Stress

All of these result in a less than ideal state of physical health, and the body seems to respond with anger.

Knowing all of this, I still get tantrums sometimes. I have a poor nutritional foundation and that is something that is very hard to fix. However, in the past year I have yet to become angry AND have it also not be due to some kind of temporary physical defect. They have always been linked in my experience.

Conclusion: If you're like me, you have soemone that has tantrums a lot (my mom, for example). Obviously being healthy is something that is always advised by everyone, but curbing anger is another reason to support it. Also i feel it helps to understand the state someone is in when they are angry.

[OngBonga]

gmml... I wasn't referring to time zones in that respect, 9pm here 4pm there or whatever. I should say time frame, but I'm not good with using the correct language to get my point across lol.

You're travelling at a slightly different velocity to me, simply because it's highly unlikely we're at the same altitude, so we'll be moving with the Earth at different rates. We're in a different time frame buddy. 1 second to you is extremely close to 1 second to me, but not preciesly. We might find a billionth of a second over a billion years in time difference, but there will be a difference.

As for the river, one molecule of water is travelling at a different velocity to the next. The differences might be tiny, but for each molecule to travel at exactly the same rate as it flows, everything that influences the rate of the river would have to be uniform. A straight line, a perfectly flat river bed, no wind, a constant and consistent supply etc. Nothing in this universe is uniform.

This is what I mean by saying the river doesn't flow the same for us all. That could only be true if we occupy exactly the same region of the river, or if all influences are uniform.

[rong]

That's a cute story JKDS, but you're missing a fundamental point when it comes to anger.

OTHER PEOPLE ARE WRONG AND MY RAGE MUST TEACH THEM!

[a500lbgorilla]

I know a lot of things, but they've all come from stuff others have known. A truly original thought is really just a unique combo of 2 or more not so original thoughts.

First thing off the cuff, not one tiny particle of anything which made you up when you were born is with you today.

Well, maybe one stray particle that was with you at birth is with you today, but only by way of being shed and reabsorbed. It certainly isn't purposed in the same way. Some carbon of a muscle then is maybe now some carbon in the blood.

And beyond the physical stuff making you, even the pattern or structure of you changes, ages, breaks, heals, grows, atrophies.

So what are you?

If you could take 3 pictures of yourself a trillionth of a second apart, it would be impossible to arrange them in chronological order inerrant - making you a continuum.

You're simply the same guy you just were and the same guy you're gonna be.

[a500lbgorilla]

How low calorie is extremely low calorie?

I used to say frustration is the first sign of defeat, as usually I would wrestle with problems and become quick to frustration if they were impossible, but now I regard frustration as second gear. Work 'em until they fall.

[JKDS]

By Extreme low calorie, i mean what i think nutrition people call "Very Low calorie" diets, which is around 500-1000 cals/day. They are well known to nutritionists as an unhealthy way to lose weight for a variety of reasons.

I tried it without researching or even knowing what it was...because logically I just went "Calories = weight, therefore eat less calories for lower weight, and then GO BIG OR GO HOME!!!"

Im not sure what you mean about frustration. I want to say that anger resulting from frustration is actually resulting from something else though. Dealing with difficult situations might make you miss a meal, become overly stressed, or just be physically worn out and those could all lead to anger imo. However, there certainly is also a psychological aspect concerning failing to do what you think you are able to. Idk how that fits in, but i can certainly see it

[wufwugy]

JKDS, problems like that due to dieting certainly do occur, but it is pretty much due to dieting incorrectly. The types of things that people should do (even if they're not dieting) is consume more lean meat, vegetables, and even low fat milk, while supplementing some stuff, namely zinc, magnesium, and fish oils

I suspect that low magnesium and zinc are the most problematic nutritional deficiencies we have in our culture, and I have noticed some significant changes when I add those. I've also found that going too low in calories and trying to diet while not including denser foods like milk and chicken is just lolbad

[JKDS]

Dont get me wrong, im currently on a working and healthy diet and have lost a significant amount of weight due to that + lifting. But it was a first step for me in choosing to lose though, and it lead to my current thinking on anger

[givememyleg]

The only change is a very slow process. If you are unhappy and want to be a different person, you probably want to make rapid changes, but you'll find you can't keep them up and when you do them they don't make you feel the change you think you should. This is because true change is stupidly slow process. So you should take your idea of what slow change you would like to do, then only do about 20% of that. Then you'll finally be that turtle in the race that ends up winning

solid. yeah everything is being marketed as "instant" these days and most people give up not seeing results in a short period of time.

also like to add that 100% of change comes only with action. logically, it's so painfully obvious, yet many people (myself included) want to change certain aspects to their lives, come up with well thought out ideas or research a plan... then become stagnant when it comes time to move their feet. ideas are worth nothing if they aren't succeeded with action.

[givememyleg]

gmml... I wasn't referring to time zones in that respect, 9pm here 4pm there or whatever. I should say time frame, but I'm not good with using the correct language to get my point across lol.

You're travelling at a slightly different velocity to me, simply because it's highly unlikely we're at the same altitude, so we'll be moving with the Earth at different rates. We're in a different time frame buddy. 1 second to you is extremely close to 1 second to me, but not preciesly. We might find a billionth of a second over a billion years in time difference, but there will be a difference.

As for the river, one molecule of water is travelling at a different velocity to the next. The differences might be tiny, but for each molecule to travel at exactly the same rate as it flows, everything that influences the rate of the river would have to be uniform. A straight line, a perfectly flat river bed, no wind, a constant and consistent supply etc. Nothing in this universe is uniform.

This is what I mean by saying the river doesn't flow the same for us all. That could only be true if we occupy exactly the same region of the river, or if all influences are uniform.

hm yeah, okay... i'm not going to argue against any kind of "now" or "present moment" in relative terms. intuitively it makes sense in my head but i don't have the cognition to try and present my case, and certainly could be wrong.

but when you break it down subjectively, it is undeniable. it may be true that your now may be slightly different than mine, but we all experience time the same, even if it isn't constant as a whole.

[Vinland]

In cases of legitimate rape, a womens body will take care of unwanted spermies....

[NightGizmo]

I suspect that low magnesium and zinc are the most problematic nutritional deficiencies we have in our culture

Vitamin D levels are really bad in this country, too. Recently many doctors have increased the recommended vitamin D blood levels from 30 ng/mL to 50 (and some recommend up to 100).

I haven't really heard much about magnesium and zinc deficiencies -- why do you think they are the most problematic?

[rpm]

also like to add that 100% of change comes only with action. logically, it's so painfully obvious, yet many people (myself included) want to change certain aspects to their lives, come up with well thought out ideas or research a plan... then become stagnant when it comes time to move their feet. ideas are worth nothing if they aren't succeeded with action.

bang on point. i'm so incredibly guilty of this despite coming to the above painfully obvious realisation myself, and being reminded of it, many many many times.

ps i like the points you made re time. not really new ideas to me as i studied alot of buddhist philosophy in my undergrad. but you explained it really well and made good points

[Poopadoop]

There are more molecules in a glass of water than there are glasses of water in all the world's oceans combined.

[chemist]

In this world there is nothing that is certain except death, taxes and suckouts.

(I think it was what Benjamin Franklin said one time at a home game)

[The Norg]

Things are what they are, not what we want them to be.

Corollary: "Two is not three, not even for large values of two".

Not sure who I'm quoting there, if anyone knows, please let me know. I love that line, and would like to give proper credit if I use it

[MadMojoMonkey]

Vitamin D levels are really bad in this country, too.

Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin when sunlight shines on it. If you get 5 - 10 minutes of direct sunlight a day on even a small %-age of your body, then you are making enough vitamin D for yourself. All of this assumes that you live in a temperate zone. Tropical zones have more direct sunlight and so less exposure is necessary. If you live in an arctic zone, then supplements will almost definitely be necessary.

In keeping with the spirit of the thread:
"Through lightness and lunacy, life can be tolerated" -Pellum "Plum" Woodhouse

"Why stand-under and understand is all the same." -Shakespeare

[eugmac]

the ROI for becoming a classical musician is, on purely financial terms, miserably low. maybe you already knew that though. just stop expecting highly skilled people to play at your wedding for 100 bucks mmmkay?

[bikes]

[eugmac]

Oh an example came to mind. Recently at the London Olympics the London Symphony Orchestra, one of the best and most famous orchestras in the world, were told they ought to play for free, and see it as an honour to be allowed to take part. Did they also ask catering staff or security guards to work for free? Nope....

[Jack Sawyer]

Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin when sunlight shines on it. If you get 5 - 10 minutes of direct sunlight a day on even a small %-age of your body, then you are making enough vitamin D for yourself. All of this assumes that you live in a temperate zone. Tropical zones have more direct sunlight and so less exposure is necessary. If you live in an arctic zone, then supplements will almost definitely be necessary.

In keeping with the spirit of the thread:
"Through lightness and lunacy, life can be tolerated" -Pellum "Plum" Woodhouse

"Why stand-under and understand is all the same." -Shakespeare

Assuming you have very little melanin blocking the Vitamin D.

Some people need hours of sun in order to get enough Vitamin D. And with Vitamin D, you can't ever have enough.

[Pascal]

What benefits do advised/high levels of vitamin D give you?

[MadMojoMonkey]

One more advantage of being a pasty white man.

[rong]

I think someone had hacked into bikes acount

[givememyleg]

Oh an example came to mind. Recently at the London Olympics the London Symphony Orchestra, one of the best and most famous orchestras in the world, were told they ought to play for free, and see it as an honour to be allowed to take part. Did they also ask catering staff or security guards to work for free? Nope....

very ridiculous, reminds me of this:

[wufwugy]

Vitamin D levels are really bad in this country, too. Recently many doctors have increased the recommended vitamin D blood levels from 30 ng/mL to 50 (and some recommend up to 100).

I haven't really heard much about magnesium and zinc deficiencies -- why do you think they are the most problematic?

Well you could argue Vit D is the #1 underused nutrient as well; it is really close. Fish oils and even protein would qualify, perhaps even potassium

Anyways, I say magnesium and zinc partly due to what I know about them and have experienced, but also a lot of extrapolation (faulty methodology, I know). They aid in a wide variety of things including digestive health, energy levels, hormones, sleep, and I *bet* mental health issues.

Magnesium, specifically, is not something anybody gets enough of unless they eat a lot of vegetables, and its effects are quite noticeable on the digestive and lethargy issues. If you drink alcohol, you definitely want to supplement mag and zinc, as they will help you tremendously

[wufwugy]

What benefits do advised/high levels of vitamin D give you?

IIRC people with equivalent of about 2000 IUs a day have dramatic reductions in several cancers including liver and prostate and reduction in onset of other diseases like Parkinsons

[givememyleg]

There are more molecules in a glass of water than there are glasses of water in all the world's oceans combined.

love stuff like this. another amazing one is the shannon number which describes the varying possibilities of outcomes in a game of chess. if you were to take a guess at how many different outcomes are possible, what would it be? over/under on 10 trillion? i took the under, but the answer is actually pretty damn fascinating: the number is so large that it outnumbers the total number of atoms in the entire observable universe. (10^123 vs 10^80)

[rong]

Oh an example came to mind. Recently at the London Olympics the London Symphony Orchestra, one of the best and most famous orchestras in the world, were told they ought to play for free, and see it as an honour to be allowed to take part. Did they also ask catering staff or security guards to work for free? Nope....

Errrrmmmm..... wasn't their a huge amount of volunteers who pretty much made the whole olympic event successful?

[givememyleg]

IIRC people with equivalent of about 2000 IUs a day have dramatic reductions in several cancers including liver and prostate and reduction in onset of other diseases like Parkinsons

i've also heard decreased rates of depression, although i have no source to confirm that. kind of goes with the whole "winter" or "seasonal" depression theory, which may be nothing more than a lack of vitamin d due to decreased frequency and length of sunlight... not to mention most people spending 9-5 indoors when the sun is most active.

again, i could just be talking out of my ass.

[wufwugy]

i've also heard decreased rates of depression, although i have no source to confirm that. kind of goes with the whole "winter" or "seasonal" depression theory, which may be nothing more than a lack of vitamin d due to decreased frequency and length of sunlight... not to mention most people spending 9-5 indoors when the sun is most active.

It is probable. Most things affect mood, yet so far we only acknowledge a small percentage of things affecting mood

[NightGizmo]

What benefits do advised/high levels of vitamin D give you?

Doctors have known for a long time that low levels of D weaken bones. I think more recently they have found (or maybe found some initial evidence) that it affects the immune system, prevents cancer, mood, and probably other stuff I'm forgetting.

[Poopadoop]

love stuff like this. another amazing one is the shannon number which describes the varying possibilities of outcomes in a game of chess. if you were to take a guess at how many different outcomes are possible, what would it be? over/under on 10 trillion? i took the under, but the answer is actually pretty damn fascinating: the number is so large that it outnumbers the total number of atoms in the entire observable universe. (10^123 vs 10^80)

Very cool. Here's another: If the Earth were the size of a grain of sand the Sun would be the size of a tennis ball 25 feet away. And that tennis ball would produce enough heat to warm the grain of sand by a dozen or so degrees for billions of years.

[d0zer]

Speaking of vitamin D, it's synthesized from absorbing UV radiation, which is blocked out by sunscreen. Vitamin D deficiency leads to increased rates of cancer (among a myriad of other problems), so you can get a tan, get your vitamin D and get skin cancer, or you can stay protected from the sun and get some other cancer.

Alternatively you could just take supplements I guess...

[wufwugy]

Speaking of vitamin D, it's synthesized from absorbing UV radiation, which is blocked out by sunscreen. Vitamin D deficiency leads to increased rates of cancer (among a myriad of other problems), so you can get a tan, get your vitamin D and get skin cancer, or you can stay protected from the sun and get some other cancer.

Alternatively you could just take supplements I guess...

Interestingly, only a portion of rays are even blocked by sunscreen. IIRC, the ones that cause burns, which in turn can cause premature aging and cancer, are the ones that are blocked by sunscreen. But there are other ones that are at full force throughout the entire day, are not blocked by clouds, and don't cause burns that are the primary source of sun-exposure premature aging and cancer

This may not be entirely correct, just IIRC

[d0zer]

CPUs represent binary 1s and 0s as different voltage ranges. There were some wiseguys who tried a ternary system of 0s, 1s & 2s, with various voltage ranges for each, but ultimately it proved unreliable, and complicated the manufacturing of certain key components to an unacceptable cost point. Binary data can be represented by virtually anything: fiber uses light, wifi/GSM uses non-visible EMF, old modems over phone lines use(d) sound.

This is the framework of a large part of our modern infrastructure and we rely pretty fucking heavily on those 1s and 0s being transmitted reliably and quickly. Luckily we have error detection and sometimes correction but it's still a little crazy to think how heavily we depend on those 1s & 0s correctly going down the wire or over the air.

[Pascal]

Amazing how 1s & 0s on the other end are designed to interpret what the 1s & 0s coming down the line mean too.

Jaffa cakes (Jaffa Cakes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) are legally "cakes" and not "biscuits" - this was decided on the basis that cakes go hard when stale and biscuits go soft, and Jaffa cakes go hard therefore they are cakes. The reason this even came up in court is that chocolate covered biscuits are taxed and chocolate covered cakes aren't (by VAT).

[MadMojoMonkey]

WTF is wrong with you people? Don't you know a cookie when you see one?

[WillburForce]

A Scot will win a major tennis title. Heard it here first.

[Pascal]

Bit late

[WillburForce]

Bit late??? I've waited 76 years!

[Ash256]

You'll never be this young ever again.

[wufwugy]

You'll never be this young ever again.

asshole

[eugmac]

Errrrmmmm..... wasn't their a huge amount of volunteers who pretty much made the whole olympic event successful?

There is a difference - people wanted to be part of it so they volunteered. Good on them. These are professionals doing a job that only a professional can do, and THEY were asked to be a part of it. See the difference? If they can get a volunteer orchestra together that will do as good as job as the LSO, then they should go and do just that.

[Poopadoop]

Does anyone know if Mr. Bean got paid? Cause frankly I think him playing that one note at a perfect pace was the only thing holding that orchestra together.

[jyms]

Wow

[CoccoBill]

Snake Oil? The scientific evidence for health supplements

[CoccoBill]

Interestingly, only a portion of rays are even blocked by sunscreen. IIRC, the ones that cause burns, which in turn can cause premature aging and cancer, are the ones that are blocked by sunscreen. But there are other ones that are at full force throughout the entire day, are not blocked by clouds, and don't cause burns that are the primary source of sun-exposure premature aging and cancer

This may not be entirely correct, just IIRC

UVA and UVB radiation both cause skin aging and cancer. The SPF rating system measures the ability to block UVB, not UVA. If the sunscreen contains avobenzone, benzophenones or helioplex, it'll also block UVA, at least some of its spectrum. Most sunscreens only block UVB.

[rong]

Thinking more about this thread, there's one thing that I figured out a little too late.

Life is long. People say it's short, and looking back I'm sure it is. But in all probability you'll have approx 50yrs or so working, which is typically 40 hrs a week or w/e. And 50 yrs doing a job you don't enjoy is a long dam time.

So many people think about careers and are persuaded by money. But that's a huge mistake. Even if you pick a well paid career, only a select few will be super rich from it.

So the secret which all careers advisers should share is to ignore the money. Instead just find something you like doing. Anything at all. Then figure out a way to earn a living from it. If you genuinely enjoy what you do then you don't need money to escape it.

I know maybe a hand full of people who ate lucky enough to absolutely love their jobs/careers. One owns/runs an elephant sanctuary, one is a successful tv director, another is a musician.

All of them love what they do. They're excited by it and passionate about it and genuinely enjoy it and they're amongst the happiest people I know.

So that combined with surrounding yourself with people who make you feel good is a good start to a happy and satisfying life.

[jyms]

Read the book "The Passion Test"

[rong]

The Attwoods look like two of the most annoying people I'm ever likely to stumble upon.

[chemist]

Things are what they are, not what we want them to be.

Corollary: "Two is not three, not even for large values of two".

Not sure who I'm quoting there, if anyone knows, please let me know. I love that line, and would like to give proper credit if I use it

It's called Grabel's Law.
apparently said by a Professor Arvin Grabel during a lecture and so dubbed Grabel's law by his class who then circulated it on UseNet in the early 1980s.

[Pascal]

Godwin's law - as an online discussion goes on for longer and longer, the probability of a comparison to the Nazis or Hitler approaches 1

[eugmac]

Thinking more about this thread, there's one thing that I figured out a little too late.

Life is long. People say it's short, and looking back I'm sure it is. But in all probability you'll have approx 50yrs or so working, which is typically 40 hrs a week or w/e. And 50 yrs doing a job you don't enjoy is a long dam time.

So many people think about careers and are persuaded by money. But that's a huge mistake. Even if you pick a well paid career, only a select few will be super rich from it.

So the secret which all careers advisers should share is to ignore the money. Instead just find something you like doing. Anything at all. Then figure out a way to earn a living from it. If you genuinely enjoy what you do then you don't need money to escape it.

I know maybe a hand full of people who ate lucky enough to absolutely love their jobs/careers. One owns/runs an elephant sanctuary, one is a successful tv director, another is a musician.

All of them love what they do. They're excited by it and passionate about it and genuinely enjoy it and they're amongst the happiest people I know.

So that combined with surrounding yourself with people who make you feel good is a good start to a happy and satisfying life.

You're right, and I'm grateful that I have such a career option. It's still hard when you work your ass off and you just kinda scrape by, though. I didn't want to sound like a big whine post above by the way, but I was a bit tipsy and what can ya do, sometimes you gotta bitch. Just ran into my (hot blonde) neighbour on the way in now, was like ya had a long day, been rehearsing straight for like 10 hours, and she's like "well at least you're earning doing your hobby." It's such a kick in the balls to be told that what I'm doing is a hobby.

[eugmac]

very ridiculous, reminds me of this:

i forgot to give props for the awesome rant, pretty much sums up what i was trying to say, interestingly for a different but similar field.