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Most arguments are about ego, not ideas
25 days ago
- The author, a software engineer, stopped arguing because winning arguments often led to personal alienation rather than persuasion.
- Correctness is not always beneficial; it creates a dynamic of right versus wrong, producing a loser and damaging relationships.
- Arguments are often ego-driven rather than about ideas, making rational debate futile and turning disagreements into personal fights.
- Humans are primarily emotional beings who rationalize feelings, not logical creatures, so logical arguments are often ineffective.
- Correcting others rarely helps; people learn from consequences, not advice, and unsolicited correction is usually perceived as criticism.
- Help should only be offered when explicitly requested, as it creates an opening for advice to be received without ego barriers.
- Instead of arguing, profit from differences by building on unique perspectives, treating disagreement as an opportunity or competitive edge.
- The only person one can change is oneself; focusing on self-improvement shifts one's experience of the world and brings peace.
- Self-improvement comes from seeking feedback and listening humbly, as ego prevents learning and growth.
Maybe you should learn something
22 days ago
- Learning new skills like pixel art, typing, music, etc., is practical and enriches life in unexpected ways.
- It requires consistent time, ideally 30-45 minutes daily, but is manageable if you reduce screen time.
- Numerous free resources exist online; start simply to avoid information overload and pace yourself.
- Initial practice can be frustrating and tiring, but improvements come after sleep and repeated sessions.
- Expect plateaus after basic proficiency; use skills practically to continue progress without grinding.
- Focus on fundamentals, avoid advanced topics prematurely, and stop practice when making many mistakes.
- Learning is a long-term project that fosters a sense of control and meaningful change over time.
Self-testing AI harness finds its own bugs
10 days ago
- Every morning at 9 AM, Omnideck stress-tests its browser tools on 50 real websites across categories like e-commerce and news.
- When tools fail, Omnideck uses diagnostic tools to identify root causes, such as DOM issues or race conditions, and validates them against its own source code.
- Over a week, this routine found 14 bugs across 35 sites, with examples including content selection logic and modal handling errors.
- Bugs are filed as GitHub issues with proposed fixes, creating a self-improvement loop that enhances tool reliability for future tasks.
- The process leverages existing capabilities like browser tools and code analysis to systematically reduce web chaos and improve performance.
Can You Just Do Things?
6 days ago
- Agency is defined as the capacity to notice and act on the degrees of freedom life offers, requiring both awareness and action.
- Agency can be cultivated through three main pathways: psychedelic experiences, desperation (e.g., addiction recovery), and exposure to high-agency people.
- There is a key distinction between agency (personal freedom) and ambition (external achievement); toxic agency often correlates with dark triad traits and transactional worldviews.
- The book 'You Can Just Do Things' aims to provide a deliberate, accessible method for cultivating agency, as an alternative to luck or extreme circumstances.
- Romantic partnerships can enhance agency by enabling mutual support, allowing each partner to take risks and explore freedom.
- The phrase 'you can just do things' has mixed connotations—it can be empowering but also used to justify antisocial behavior, and the Bay Area's high-agency culture is prone to groupthink.
The Gospel of Gains: How Fitness Culture Went Mainstream
3 days ago
- Pre-2000s, fitness-minded people were a minority with limited monetization options like personal training, security, or acting.
- Social media in the mid-2000s began breaking the barrier between fitness culture and mainstream.
- COVID lockdowns gave the fitness influencer industry a second wind, eroding public trust in experts and increasing online content consumption.
- Post-2022, fitness culture became inescapable, with widespread public interest in weight loss, obesity, and related topics.
- Two main content types (bodybuilding/powerlifting vs. cardio/nutrition) thrive despite apparent differences, sharing a valuation of peak performance.
- The current fitness craze resembles organized religion: routine, moralism, perpetual improvement, and echo-chamber advice.
- Downsides include never feeling good enough, comparison to genetic outliers, and distorted perception of reality via social media.
What is agency – and how can you get more of it?
17 hours ago
- Agency is defined as the capacity to see and act on degrees of freedom that others overlook, combining observational ability with courage.
- Agency is a learnable skill, not an innate trait, and can be developed through practices like explicit communication and embracing failure.
- Addiction is described as the opposite of agency, stripping away degrees of freedom and leading to compulsive behavior.
- Explicit communication, even about uncomfortable dynamics, can improve relationships and avoid resentment accumulation.
- AI and technology may enhance agency for some but risk reducing it for others by eliminating beneficial friction and promoting addictive patterns.
- Practical tips for increasing agency include using anonymous feedback boxes, acting your way into new thinking, and avoiding over-identification with fixed identities.

self-improvement

Most arguments are about ego, not ideas

Maybe you should learn something

Self-testing AI harness finds its own bugs

Can You Just Do Things?

The Gospel of Gains: How Fitness Culture Went Mainstream

What is agency – and how can you get more of it?