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jleopold  ·  3438 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Do you think what is happening to reddit could happen to other major social media?

I wasn't active online for the end of MySpace or Digg, but just given their nature and a general idea of how things went, it seems pretty different from reddit. For reddit, there hasn't been a better option come forward, like happened with Facebook. A main component of reddit is the sheer number of users, which means that places like us here or voat will need to really swell in ranks before they offer a real alternative.

Reddit's uniqueness, I think, also means what it's going through is unlikely to happen to Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter. Those all, like Hubski, rely largely pans direct consumer interaction, through focusing on individuals and rely mainly on sharing on an individual level to 'move' content. Reddit, on the other hand, is grouped up by common interests, and has relatively limited social interaction due to it's voting process. One can vote on a reddit post without commenting, without sharing that you did, and without any interaction with the poster. If we take Hubski for example, since I'm most familiar with it, 'voting' for a post actually shares it (like Facebook or Tumblr), meaning it is visible to your followers and potential followers. When compared to other social media sites, reddit is built in just such a way that a sudden mass exodus is possible, just as a user protest against the administration is also possible.

Also, I doubt it would happen because reddit serves a very different function than Facebook or Twitter. Not only is it anonymous, but it also isn't focused on direct social interaction with real world friends. The focus is so much more on the content, it is, after all, 'the front page of the internet,' that people can leave and find other sources quite easily, while places like Hubski can provide a similar interaction for those who desire that, though generally on a smaller scale.

Finally, I hope the Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, &c... execs are watching Pap and what is going on for a good idea of what not to do.

jleopold  ·  3426 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: 5 Hubski funding ideas that don't involve bitcoin

I think number one is a really bad idea. There are too many free alternatives, and Hubski, for all its wonder, is not unique enough to warrant paying. Honestly, I wouldn't bother to get a one-time use number for that, especially if it was a nominal fee. I imagine I'm not the only user who would end up leaving. And unless those 30 days were especially magical, I doubt Hubski would continue to grow. I see it becoming the online equivalent of a stagnant gated community.

jleopold  ·  3353 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I need classical music recommendations

You should look up a brief history of 'classical' music, because what is colloquially termed 'classical' includes a broad range of eras and styles. Mozart is true classical music (later, as opposed to Bach who pretty much started classical music, as opposed to early and Renaissance music, although it is really more of gradual shift). Beethoven on the other hand, the latest of the big three, is a Romantic composer. I think the best way to describe the difference is that Romantic pieces are 'showier.' Romanticism developed into various styles and substyles, which has continued to today.

If you want a good guide to the technical aspects, Aaron Copeland wrote a book titled How to Listen to Music. Included is one of the best guides to the essential pieces.

Here's a list of my personal recommendations as they come to mind:

1. Aaron Copeland -Appalachian Spring

2. Aaron Copeland- Lincoln Portrait

3. Dvorak-Symphony From the New World

4. Leonard Bernstein-Candid (whole opera, hilarious. On a side note, watch him conduct it. He doesn't really conduct, he just stands on the podium and dances. He's a genius.)

5. Shostakovich-Leningrad Symphony

6. Stravinsky- Firebird

7. Stravinsky-Rite of Spring

8. Mussorgsky-Pictures at an Exhibition

9. Handel-Water Music

10. Holst-The Planets

11. Vivaldi-The Seasons

12. Mussorgsky-Night on Bald Mountain

13. Gershwin-Symphony in Blue

14. Beethoven-Moonlight Sonata

15. Ives-Variations on America

16. Grieg-Peer Gynt

17. Sibelius-Finlandia

18. Tchaikovsky-1812 Overture (preferably with cannons)

19. Tchaikovsky-Swan Lake

20. Tchaikovsky-Sleeping Beauty

21. Tchaikovsky-The Nutcracker

22. Tchaikovsky-Symphony No. 6

23. Wagner- Entire Ring Cycle

24. Wagner-Siegfried Idyll

25. Schubert-Unfinished Symphony

26. Handel-Messiah

27. Stravinsky-Mass

28. Mozart-Requiem

29. Haydn-Symphony No. 94 (not a typo, he wrote a ton)

30. Debussy-Syrinx

31. Debussy-Claire de Lund

32. Debussy-La Mer

33. William Schuman-New England Triptych

34. All of Sousa's marches

35. Dukas-The Sorcerer's Apprentice

36. Strauss-Waltz Danube

37. Strauss-Also Sprach Zarathustra

I run out of steam there. The problem with remembering the amazing pieces is that they may have number names, and then it's just not going to happen for me. Obviously, I have a bias. Syrinx is only on there because I play flute. Russians are e extremely over-represented. I don't love the Big Three, and I detest Chopin, so they're pretty absent. But, hopefully based on some of these, you can find what you like. Given more time, I could triple this list pretty easily, but it's late, and bed is calling. Enjoy!

jleopold  ·  3434 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What are you reading this week?

Catch-22. It is hilarious superficially, and terrifying on a deeper level.

jleopold  ·  3241 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Make up a quote and attribute it to someone.

"Sometimes, I'll sit at night and stare into the woods, watching for the drifters, hobos, poachers, wanderers, restless, fed-up, tired, disgraced, and lonely. I watch but I never see them, because you only notice them looking down from society. The lonely can never see the lonely."

--Jack Kerouac

Also, any idea why this isn't showing up on my global? Chatter yeah, but global no.

jleopold  ·  3272 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Admit it: you know nothing about economics.

Ready? I know very little about economics. But I know enough to say this article has some major problems. Enough problems in fact, I even listed them as I read so I wouldn't forget.

1. Medicine affects just the people with a specific set of circumstances. One may still know very little, but have a perfectly valid opinion because it actually effects them. Economics affect every damn person on the planet. Every single one—youngest to oldest, richest to poorest. So, everyone should have an opinion, even a poorly formed or supported one.

2. Mr. Glover fell for the jargon kleinbl00 pointed out. It's all fancy words for stuff that is a simple concept, but harder to phrase and fully understand the effects of. Like debt and deficit.

3. Economists don't really know what they are doing either, especially when it comes to manipulating the economy. The economy kinda just does what it wants. Even the Fed just responds to how it thinks the economy is doing. There is no majical formula we know to fix the economy.

4. Mr. Glover points out correctly that voters are often responding to economic cues. But see, that doesn't really matter, because politicians have a miniscule effect on the economy, if at all. Especially the President. And if even a Fed chairperson, appointed for 16 years, mostly just responds, how is a 2-year term Representative supposed to do anything? I don't know the UK situation closely, but it seems like since the Bank is independent, it'd be similar.

5. How come we can discuss values even if we aren't philosophers but not economics if we aren't economists?

6.

    Could we not create similar things for the budget or other economic policies?

Nope. That conflates fiscal and monetary policy, which are different. Fiscal is much more debated and ideological (see point 7). With monetary at least, basically everyone agrees we should try to keep inflation low, but present. So, it's easy to put just a small group of economists in charge of it.

7.

    Ideology has been injected into economic debate where it is not necessary or helpful.

What about supply-side vs Keynesian economics? Each has pretty big ramifications on how the government is run, and are therefore political/ideological. That's one of the big differences between the left and right: fiscal policy. Ideology has been born partly from economics, while Mr. Glover seems to suggest they come from two distinct spheres of the world. Honestly, I think Mr. Glover falls into the same trap as his audience; he doesn't know enough about economics to actually write this article.

jleopold  ·  3343 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: How would you stop mass shootings?

In places like the UK though there have been increases in stabbings, which has lead to tightening of knife laws. That's unfortunate because knives are are extremely useful tools. I agree that there likely won't be an increase in bombings, but there will likely be an increase in stabbings. So, like you said we won't stop violence, it will just start looking different. Less deadly maybe, but knives inflict a different kind of damage that is still extremely traumatic. It is hard to commit mass murder with a knife though.

jleopold  ·  3398 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What are the topics you wish were discussed more on Hubski?

Fitness. I'm loving your recent posts, and I think you can tell I'm more than a little excited to share my experiences. Reddit had such an active fitness community—I especially liked the bodyweightfitness sub—and I've really missed those interactions. Fitness shouldn't be a solitary journey, and online communities have a lot to add to it. I think that some of the more scientific articles from /r/AdvancedFitness would fit in well here.

What are you doing talking about summer like it's almost over? Do you want to scare it off? It's a fickle creature, this summer. But in it, I still have a notebook business to start, and writing to submit (and finish, should probably do that first). Got people to meet, parties to learn about, a century to ride, and tons to lift. God, I love being a student, so I can actually get stuff done during the summer.

jleopold  ·  3225 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Do you always like being yourself? When do you not like being yourself?

That might be the most teenage thing ever written.

jleopold  ·  3293 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: November 25, 2015

Yesterday, Jeffry, my ganglion cyst, went to cyst hell. After 18 months, I'm excited to finally not have to deal with the, "jleopold, what's that bump on your wrist?" questions, and the ache. Plus, my self-enforced week of complete sobriety (no caffeine or anything) is now over. Of course, instead, I have to go two weeks without lifting or riding, which sucks. Come Saturday, I'll be looking for any excuse to get outside and do something. Probably gonna put in a couple dozen miles on the trainer, get ready for keeping fit over the winter season.

Also passing the time by taking my current rigid bike down as close to a trials bike as I can. It's already like a 15" frame, so that shouldn't be too hard. Take off all the extra weight, cut down the seat, maybe replace tires and wheels, and it should work okay for a beginners trails. I'm hoping to pick up a frame for my winter build this week. Since full-suspension frames are pretty rare used, and more expensive, it looks like I may go with a hardtail 29er (or 26 if that's truly all I can find). That way, I can use the saved money to put towards disc brakes instead. If I find a soft-tail frame though, that could change. Coming from a rigid, I'm sure any suspension will feel great, and boost my confidence on jumps and technical stuff.

Over Thanksgiving break though, I need to just blast through as much school work as I can. Planning to finish up college application essays, finish up my term paper book, and start in on more research for that and another paper. Plus, personal writing projects. At least I should have time for all that, since I won't be doing much physical activity.

jleopold  ·  3372 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Let's create a list of essential scifi books

1. Dune—Herbert

2. Foundation—Asimov

3. The Moon is A Harsh Mistress-Heinlein

4. Rendezvous With Rama—Clarke

5. 2001: A Space Odyssey—Clarke

6. Ender's Game-Card

7. Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd Century America—Wilson

8. The Illuminatus! Trilogy—Wilson and Shea

9. Time Enough for Love—Heinlein

10. I, Robot—Asimov

These aren't really ordered, though Dune is definitely the first on my opinion. Julian Comstock is more of a fun read than essential sci-fi, but I found the style and subject to be similar to Dune. The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a conspiracy thriller, but as very strong sci-fi elements, quite obviously referencing Verne constantly.

jleopold  ·  3385 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The ‘flipped classroom’ is professional suicide

    Instantly suspicious of flipping my classroom, I wondered how my students would find time to do their assigned reading if they were watching class videos in their dorm rooms three times a week? I also wondered what the rest of my class would be doing while I personally interacted with other students, one by one. I am yet to get satisfactory responses to either of these concerns.

I'm not sure how deep the author went into flipped classrooms, but I don't find those to be especially valid concerns. The point of a flipped classroom is that the homework and lecture are flipped, so even assigned reading would be done in class, where peers can help and discuss and the teacher or professor can answer questions. It can affect the the timing of the class though. Nor does it necessitate one-on-one interaction. The point is to have the teacher and peers avalible for questions and discussion. One-on-one meetings are far from required, though there are other activities that students can do alone or in groups while these meetings occur.

There is also an aspect of the author having overlooked several technologies which have allowed teachers to post lectures, notes, and other papers. Sites like Moodle and Blackboard allow direct interaction through the internet, and give the teachers a password-protected area to post their content. Nor is the in-class interaction something that can easily be lead by non-expert. The most important learning still happens in the classroom, it is just, flipped classroom advocates think the most important learning happens in a different place and manner.

Most importantly, flipped classrooms tend to really benefit students. I had a teacher try it out this year, and there were some complaints about the lectures (Khan academy) but not the system. I hope that the author simply wasn't aware of the effects on students. I can understand that author, as a professor, would be worried about his career, and those of his pers, but as a student, I believe the teacher should always put the learning and well-being of the students first. If flipped classrooms have the potential to really benefit students, teachers and professors should look really hard to find a way to make them work, even at some potential risk to themselves.

jleopold  ·  3178 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Rise of American Authoritarianism

I used to tell people American politics couldn't be that dismal and appealing since we didn't have anything equivalent to UKIP. I've had to stop saying that since this election cycle started, because now we do.

What I think is interesting about Trump's base is that it's shifting what political axis we talk about. Thinking about the Political Compass and two scales for politicos—one authoritarian-libertarian, the other the classical left-right—we've moved in America from two parties who only differed on the second axis to actually having to have a major discussion about where we want to be on the first one. It should be absolutely terrifying for us as a society, and it seems to already be. We aren't just talking more taxes or not anymore. I think it's a shift a lot of the rest of the developed world has already seen to an extent ( see UKIP or Le Penne and the National Front) and which is the only discussion in the developing world.

So, at least, for all it's insanity, this election will be interesting. It's gonna change American politics, but we could probably use a change.

jleopold  ·  3436 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What will you miss most from Reddit?

I liked the smaller communities, where you basically posted what ever and just talked about common interests. In a way, yeah, Hubski basically is a large one of those magical subreddits, but with the way tags work, I miss a really cohesive and defined group of people who are interested in the same fields. Hubski is a bit more holistic, and I like that, but I feel that maybe some of the anonymous intimacy those subs offered is gone.

jleopold  ·  3394 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: How do I deal with my parents' possessive control of me?

Financial independence is definitely going to be big here. As long as they are paying for you, you are going to feel beholden to them. So, you need financial independence as quickly as possible. I'd say take their advice on where to live, as they will know way more about finding a home at this point. Make sure though that they see it just as advice, it may help to just refuse to rent their favorite place, even if you like it, so that they can see that you want to be making this decision.

Financially, I'm not sure how it is in Russia, but in the US, writing books isn't generally something you can count on for a steady income unless you are an experienced and rather well known writer. Once you finish the books, you'll be lucky to find an agent within the first 50 tries. They then have to try to find a publisher, which could take another long while. The advances for new authors will be small, if any, and most of the hard work (like promotion, getting reviews, sometimes even stocking it in bookstores) will fall on you. The royalties will be miniscule once they start to come in. kleinbl00 and _refugee_ are two people here who are active in the American writing community that can hopefully correct any mistakes I made here.

If you are looking at doing translating though, freelancing is always an option. There are plenty of sites online want to facilitate working freelance, like Fivver, and you can always set up your own website with a portfolio and contact info. I can speak for the financial implications really, but because it is freelance work, you can accept the gigs you can manage. There is also a smaller need for credentials, being a linguistics student will be plenty for most the people who need a freelancer. Plus, it seems like you have a very solid grasp of English; I didn't realize you were Russian untill you started #russiabynatives. Beyond that, you'll likely be looking at teenager jobs, but they may be necessary to make your way. I think you'd find your independence worth it.

jleopold  ·  3420 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The future isn't robots replacing waiters, it's me replacing waiters

If you don't mind me asking, was there any price difference from the automation? Were you able to save some money because nothing was going to a waiter?

jleopold  ·  3433 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: July 8, 2015

If you really want those pushups to do some good, once you can do 20 pretty easily, you should make them more challenging. Bring you hands closer together, put your feet up on something, or come down on one arm more than the other.

jleopold  ·  3436 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski, what are your hobbies, and how did you discover them?

I do bookbinding, so far limited to just blank notebooks. I started about a year ago to make a a birthday present for a friend who is an artist. I started making pocket notebooks for myself, and a couple for school. I also write, so it's cool for me to make the notebook, and then fill it with my own stuff.

jleopold  ·  3452 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Dr. Hubski or: How I Quit Worrying and Learned to Love Zen Mode

I don't know that Zen mode is the best idea for new users, especially from the reddit exodus (reddexodus? rexodus?) such as myself. I figure that Hubski is a unique enough community that having a feedback loop for your posts and comments in the beginning would be a good thing. That way, new users will now if they are consistently crossing the line, or how well they will fit in with the community.

jleopold  ·  3186 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: 'Body Hacking' Movement Rises Ahead Of Moral Answers : All Tech Considered : NPR

It's this implant shit that gets me too. I'd love to call myself a transhumanist, but I have no hope or desire for immortality, no urge to put stuff in my body, or a sense of myself as beyond human. But I do want to experience more than my current body can. I mean, why turn down a chance to see in infrared or to feel magnetic fields or to hear colors? But not if it means putting shit that doesn't belong there in my body.

I wish transhumanists would take a key from contacts. Contacts are pretty freaking amazing. But you take them out at the end of the day. I actually made a ring a while back with a magnet in it, and if I wear it right, I can feel magnetic fields too, without the need for an implant. I like that kind of augmentation. For that matter, just being fit is a vital 'augmentation.' When I see transhumanists who don't take good care of their bodies, I'm immediately skeptical. Can't live forever if you did cause your body is a sack of shit. So, I think you're right about the attention. It's just too obvious and too extreme of methods to not be about attention in the end.

jleopold  ·  3206 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Umberto Eco dies at age 84

    this article is an insult.

Holy shit you are right. I thought from your edit it was just going to maybe not fully recognize his accomplishments, but this is just terrible writing. Was it written by a five-year old from Wikipedia? One of the greatest writers of the 20th Century, and he gets this crap. Utterly unbelievable. Hopefully some more heartfelt and proper tributes will come out over the weekend.

jleopold  ·  3282 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What is the story behind your username?

Oh, I had to start a blog for a class a while back, but I didn't want to use my real name. John Muir and Aldo Leopold are two of my heroes, so I went by John Leopold. The e-mail for that was jleopold. Eventually, it was my reddit user name too, and so when I moved over here, just kept it. Thanks for asking, and answering.

jleopold  ·  3397 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Web-Comic Recommendations?

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Comics everyday, somewhere between xkcd and Non Sequitur.

jleopold  ·  3425 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Why I Bought My Wife's Inhaler on the Dark Web

    Because of this fascination, I knew that there were vendors who offered prescription drugs that don’t get you high. Drugs such as antibiotics, allergy pills, and most importantly, asthma inhalers.

Really, illicit antibiotics are dangerous because overuse can lead to increased resistance in the bacteria. Also, antihistamines, such as Benadryl can get you high in large enough doses, but are deliriants, which few people enjoy the high from.

Overall, a great article, though the idea that the dark web markets do a net good is less certain than he made it seem. I gives him props though for being open about it though.

jleopold  ·  3435 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Can We Add the Option to Add a Comment When You Follow Someone?

I'm thinking that if the norm becomes writing a comment, not doing so would be even more awkward. Kinda admitting that you don't know why you are following. If others are down for the change, and it happens, I'll come up with something, but I have some reservations.

jleopold  ·  3435 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Can We Add the Option to Add a Comment When You Follow Someone?

I'd feel really awkward having to do that when I follow someone. Especially if I just happen to see them a lot on similar posts, without any real concrete reason.

jleopold  ·  3198 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Facebook’s new ‘like’ buttons have a hidden agenda

You hear FB is losing younger users plenty, but as a young r user, from what I have seen, hemoraging maybe isn't the best word. It's more just being used in ways different than originally intended. For people my age (high schoolers and younger college folk), the focus has shifted, I think, from the "media" part of social media to the "social" part. We use it more for the ease of communicating with large groups of people quickly and in one place more than most of us are actually creating real content for the site. Pretty much everyone still has a FB, but mostly, it's for groups and Messenger chats. So, I can see the buttons as being an attempt to help pull some of these types of users back in a bit by allowing for a just slightly deeper level of interaction than just "likes." But at the same time, I doubt it is the right move to achieve that.

jleopold  ·  3216 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: February 10, 2016

Holy shit this past week has been weird.

To start, got accepted to a college. It's not my first choice, but it's pretty far up there, especially given how much they are giving me in scholarships.

At the same time (early last week) I was rushing to finish a school newspaper article I got suddenly assigned at the start of the week. I'm not even in the group that normally writes/publishes it, but got assigned through another club I'm in to do a feature on one of my club's projects. The vote of confidence from the people who run the newspaper and my club felt good though, and I think the article turned out well.

Then on my weekend, things got weirder. Tried to go to a party, but ended up driving around with a group of people who I've mostly never talked to before. It was better than nothing, but still a really weird night.

Did shrooms for the first time the next day. That was weird of course. Also just been hearing from really random people throughout the week, who I haven't talked to in months. Then my friends have Valentine's day issues, which I love to give unwarranted advixe for.

So far though, this week's been shit. So have a triple for me, and I hope y'all have better ones.

jleopold  ·  3239 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Advanced Search

Maybe a way to search just titles/original posts and then a way to search just comments. I think that could be useful. Otherwise, great, thanks for adding it.