getpost

> everyone should be aware that it’s very likely that each MDMA dose is incurring some level of damage

I think this is overstating the risk in supervised clinical usage, depending on what you mean by "some level of damage." It's possible that a single alcoholic beverage may induce some level of damage, but that is irrelevant for most drinkers. A more realistic comparison might be the risk associated with surgical anesthesia, which is significant, but that doesn't mean surgery should be necessarily avoided. There are always risk/benefit tradeoffs, and the MAPS research has focused primarily on MDMA use after other therapies have failed.

The MAPS Investigator's Brochure[0] acknowledges that, while preclinical studies in animals have shown serotonergic neurotoxicity at high or repeated doses, there is as yet no consistent evidence of neurotoxicity in controlled clinical settings with limited dosing. The report characterizes high-, medium-, and low-level risks. No high-level risks were identified, and medium-level risks are mainly cardiovascular and psychological.

[0] https://maps.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/MDMA-IB-15th-Edi...

Being optimistic is normally a good strategy for success, but it doesn't feel appropriate in dire circumstances, such as at the onset of World War 2. 70+ million people died, not to mention all the injuries, crimes, and environmental destruction. Saying "Think positive, the Allies will win!" in 1939 would have rung hollow. Instead of optimism, there needs to be a grim determination.

I put that statement to ChatGPT, and it reminded me of Churchill's "We Shall Fight on the Beaches"[0] speech, which is defiant, rather than optimistic.

Once again we seem to be in dire circumstances, on the brink of colossal ruin, owing the the whims of a handful toxic people, and the ignorance of so many who put them into power. I'm not at all optimistic, but I can try for grim determination.

[0] https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-fin...

What do you mean by "social development?"

Which part of the world is that?

How do you know the updated docs are correct? And what about the issue where doc training itself favors content near the beginning of the doc, but the salient facts might be near the end?

> I'm definitely not going to ditch my GPS in an attempt to improve my sans-GPS navigation skills.

Maybe you should, if Eleanor Maguire's research on "The Knowledge" and the hippocampus has any bearing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/science/eleanor-maguire-d...

Unlikely. The thinking is, "If we antagonize Trump, tariffs will make our products too expensive."

Check again? https://frontier.com/shop/internet/fiber-internet

We used to have Spectrum, but switched to Frontier Fiber as soon as it was available, a couple years ago now. Apart from a few hiccups during the first few weeks of service, it's been very reliable.

As a nearby Los Angeles resident, I can confirm that a significant percentage, say 30-40%, of drivers 1) don't stop at stop signs, and 2) routinely run red lights at intersections when few or no other vehicles are present. It's true that it's legal to enter an intersection when a light is yellow, but don't let this statement distract from the general traffic-lawlessness that prevails. Law enforcement is even less likely to follow the law (ignoring cases where lights and sirens are activated).

I think the defacto rule that many drivers follow is, 'if the intersection appears clear, I don't have to stop.' (I'm not advocating this rule, just saying what I think the rule is.) Cell phones and screens in cars have made this rule especially problematic because drivers aren't paying close enough attention to the road to ascertain whether intersections are clear.

This isn't a recent phenomenon in LA, but it seems to have increased during and since Covid. I'd love to find reliable data on traffic enforcement. The problem is cultural, but the apparent lack of enforcement seems to have expanded the population of scofflaw drivers.

> most of the people training these next-gen AIs are neurodiverse and we are training the AI in our own image

Do you have any evidence to support that? It would be fascinating if the field is primarly advancing due to a unique constellation of traits contributed by individuals who, in the past, may not have collaborated so effectively.

> regularly post public video attesting to you current mental state

Yes, indeed, that would attest to your mental state!

> Because its coins and banknotes don’t leave a paper trail

Slightly off-topic, I've wondered whether serial numbers are captured on bills processed through an ATM. Bill are also put through machines when human tellers receive them at a bank. These days it wouldn't be that hard to track the currency flows, although intermediaries would not be visible.

If anything you ever say during routine business operations can end up as evidence, clear and honest communication will suffer. The effectiveness of organizations, including the ability to act ethically, will be seriously degraded.

There needs to be some kind of work product doctrine, which protects the privacy of routine business communication. Defining that, while allowing the collection of evidence of criminal activity, won't be easy, but the current state of affairs is unworkable.

I don't wish to facilitate corporate crime, and it's obvious that some of Google's anti-competitive behavior is unlawful. But, I don't see any realistic alternative to what Google is doing in the current legal environment.

I think it does. I've been interrupted more than once mid-flow while programming to recharge the battery. Or say, you're in the middle of a presentation. There are lots of mission-critical uses, which can't easily tolerate an interruption. You can't stop to recharge, and it's silly to compulsively check the battery, or carry multiple mice to avoid that situation.

When the system was new, there was a reasonable warning ahead of time on the battery level, but now the warning is not sufficient for a work around, and the mouse much be charged within a minute or two.

I'd love to know the inside story about why this hasn't been fixed yet, after so many years of a clearly deficient design. Wasn't there an Apple mouse at one point that did have a connector at the head of the mouse, so you could just use it as a wired mouse while charging? I vaguely recall the charging port on the bottom was blamed on Jony Ive (no idea if that's reasonable) wanting a certain aesthetic, but IIRC the small port on the head of the mouse was hardly noticeable. It wasn't as intrusive as, say, the iPhone notch, which has to be looked at whenever you use the phone.

I'm reminded of the situation where General Motors kept thin, uncomfortable metal keys decades after other manufactures released more ergonomic keys, or even remote key fobs.

1) Learning about Attachment Theory was a breakthrough; it explains everything about my behavior, relationships, and life choices. It also suggests a method for change and ongoing personal development. Here are some books on Attachment Theory:

Attached https://www.amazon.com/Attached-Science-Adult-Attachment-You...

A General Theory of Love https://www.amazon.com/General-Theory-Love-Thomas-Lewis/dp/0...

Attachment Disturbances in Adults: Treatment for Comprehensive Repair [academic/professional text] https://www.amazon.com/Attachment-Disturbances-Adults-Treatm...

2) It's harder to make friends as you get older. Most friendships are built on an ongoing shared experience that is challenging, such as being in school together. Most of my adult-onset friendships are a result of having worked in small startup companies that were struggling to survive. Casual meetings of potential friends are much less likely to generate the energy and commitment for developing a friendship. If you're interested in the research on this, look into the work of Robin Dunbar, e.g.,

Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Robin-Dunbar/dp/1408711737/

I don't know anything, but isn't Sam already rich? And, if OpenAI is in a position to capture profits in an expanding AI industry, isn't this the best possible time to lock-in equity for long term gains and trillionaireship?

For many people, sadly, one can never be rich enough. My point is, planning for both short term exit, and long term gains, is essentially the same in this particular situation. What a boon! Nice problem to have!

I had a summer job as a dishwasher, which paid minimum wage. I was required to join the union, so after union dues, I was paid less than the minimum wage! Being a union member provided no benefits whatsoever for temporary employees such as myself.

This reminds me, the artist Gregory Blackstock retired with a union pension at 55 after 25 years' service as a dishwasher[0]. His art provided another source of income, but apparently he was swindled out of his estate.

[0] https://www.historylink.org/File/22894

It sill looks like the software is written by people who don't know how to care for plants. You don't spray water on leaves as shown in the video; you'll just end up with fungus infestation. You water the soil and nourish the microorganisms that facilitate nutrient absorption in roots. But, I don't see any reason the technology can't be adapted to do the right thing.

I wanted an affordable handheld supercomputer in the 1970s, and I finally got one! They are making new real estate, but it's not for sale yet.

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/aerial-view-isaac-hale-bea...

I neglected to check the boundary of Carmel-by-the-Sea, and you are correct, thanks! I happened to pick a nearby address outside the boundary. Here's a house in Carmel-by-the-Sea named "Carmel House" according to the placard on the dwelling.

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.5481627,-121.9235433,3a,73y,...

I feel bad for map developers. Searching Google Maps for Carmel House yields a house at 26177 Scenic Rd, not the house at the above link.

Within Carmel-by-the-Sea, some addresses on Zillow are like "Lincoln 7sw 13th," but that address is not known to Google Maps.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Lincoln-7sw-13th-Carmel-B...

Certain addresses on Zillow appear to be in standard form, such as 225 The Crossroads Blvd, Carmel, CA 93923, but notice the URL isn't Carmel-by-the-Sea. EDIT: Nevermind, that address is clearly erroneous, the house is on Delores St.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/225-The-Crossroads-Blvd-C...

Putting that address into Google Maps returns a location in The Crossroads Shopping Center, not the location in Zillow.

Years ago, I had to routinely redo my searches for Carmel addresses, since Google Maps assumed I was referring Carmel Valley near San Diego, zip 92130, not Carmel-by-the-Sea. That changed at some point; Carmel now "redirects" to Carmel-by-the-Sea. There is also a Carmel Valley zip 93924, east of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Homes in Carmel already have addresses, so they'll now be official in some way they weren't before?

Here's a house on Zillow, with the house number clearly visible. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/26387-Isabella-Ave-Carmel...

Google Maps https://www.google.com/maps/place/26387+Isabella+Ave,+Carmel...

Apple Maps https://maps.apple.com/?address=26387%20Isabella%20Ave,%20Ca...

There is something fishy though.

Searching for the address in Bing Maps shows the correct structure, but I can't seeem to generate a link with the address. The link is lat long. https://www.bing.com/maps?cp=36.54084%7E-121.930825&lvl=19.7

Open Street Maps address queries don't seem to work, and when I select that location on the map, the geocoded address is incorrect but close. https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?from=36.54084%2C-12...

What Carmel needs are affordable addresses, but that's a different problem entirely.

Ken McLeod[0] is teaching a 6 week class Tuesday evenings on the Diamond Sutra at The Alembic[1][2] in Berkeley. The first class was last week. It may be possible to join now and watch the first class online.

Ken recommends the Red Pine[3] and Thich Nhat Hanh[4] translations.

[0] https://unfetteredmind.org/ [1] http://berkeleyalembic.org/ [2] https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/practicing-the-diamond-sutra-w... [3] https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Sutra-Red-Pine/dp/1582432562/ [4] https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-That-Cuts-Through-Illusion/dp...

> Don't be paranoid.

How do you mean? I think the article (and my experience) suggests that you do have to be paranoid. [I looked up paranoid, just to be sure I knew the exact definition, and I didn't. It's an "extreme and irrational" fear. Is looking it up parnoid? Hahaha.] Colloquially, paranoia is extreme and not necessarily irrational. Think of Andy Grove, "Only the paranoid survive." Or Kurt Kobain, "Just because you are paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not after you."

Anyway, the way I frame the issue of software quality, is to hold the view that there are always errors, and the best you can do to apply extreme vigilance in attempting to ensure errors occur rarely.

GPT4o access is a handy feature, but, what I was hoping to hear about is an improvement in Siri's language "understanding."

In today's WWDC presentation, there were a few small examples of Siri improvements, such as an ability to maintain context, e.g., 'Add her flight arrival time to my calendar,' wherein Siri knows who "her" refers to.

In my day-to-day experience with Siri, it's clear Siri doesn't have the kind of ability to understand language that LLMs provide. It still feels like clever son-of-Eliza hacks with stock phrases. If your utterance doesn't match with a pre-programmed stock phrase, it doesn't work. The other day I said something like "Play the song you played before the one I asked you to skip," and Siri didn't seem to know what I wanted. OTOH, GPT4o can easily handle statements like that.

Does anyone know to what extent Siri's underlying language models are being upgraded?

I think ketamine is niche, and it will remain so. It's one of many tools. MDMA also assists in restoring brain plasticity[0].

For me, by far the most interesting development in mental health is Chris Palmer's work, which asserts that most mental illness is primarily a metabolic issue. If you think that can't be possible, read his 2022 book[1]. Here's a podcast[2].

[0] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02871-w [1] https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Energy-Revolutionary-Understand... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC-sQogfh3Q

Several adults in my friendship circle (retired or semi-retired) have evolved to spending nearly their entire waking lives online. They're able socialize normally, but they don't make the time to do that as often as in the past. This is tantamount to hikkormoridom.

One friend went to visit two other friends who live together in New Mexico. He imagined they'd be out and about doing stuff during his visit, but the hosts remained preoccupied by their online activities. The visitor could have stayed home and texted.

I had a IIcx with a Radius FPD, a dream machine! I could see a "page" of code without scrolling. I'd forgotten about the Apple FPD.

It begs the question, is outlier success mainly due to crazy ideas combined with a lack of discernment?

No pricing info, at least not without signing-up?