Like your own list says, buy low sell high is poor advice. Buy high and sell low, instead.

Recognize the importance of the improbable, i.e. 'fat tails' distribution.

You can go broke taking profits if occasional outsized returns are needed to make up for the many small losses. Let your winners run, cut your losses.

After system development is done, don't worry about what would have happened if you had done otherwise.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 11:00 PM on July 24, 2008

ROU_Xenophobe's answer is insightful. You are presupposing that these are all inherently pleasurable and so, external punishment is needed to discourage consumption. That isn't the case.

I've taken a good sized serving of vice. It isn't fear of judgment that has minimized my consumption. I think of intoxication in a broader, more figurative sense. Mindlessly indulging my passions takes me away from reality. It doesn't have to be clinical addiction requiring a 12... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 9:47 PM on July 24, 2008

As phrased, your question is more biological than philosophical.

Following are some reflections on what is entailed by the concept of free will (memory, responsibility and reason), and how self-consciousness of free will may have evolved. In this account, choice is not a luxury, but a product of sacrifice. Instead of choice being a burden, it is the mark of the sovereign individual. The fundamental development is not economic wealth but the ruthless development of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 5:40 AM on July 22, 2008

The Greeks by comparison had no concept of their own free will. They were bound and determined by fate, oracles, etc.

As Nietzsche points out, in the above quoted essay, imagining that the Gods have interest in human affairs presupposes that man has free will. There would be nothing interesting about a deterministic cosmos, certainly nothing could require intervention. If the Gods were all-seeing (a common epithet), then whatever was out of place... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 10:39 AM on July 22, 2008

Different standards for fiction and non-fiction.

I'm usually committed to a non-fiction book before starting. Typically, my motivation to read one comes from a very strong recommendation. It has to be a big disappointment for me to choose not to finish it. Most of the books that I disliked at the start but then came to love have been non-fiction, so I'm more likely to hear them out.

When fiction starts to rub me the wrong way, I put it down.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 1:13 PM on July 18, 2008

'Satan Wants Me' by Robert Irwin is pretty funny, especially if you have some familiarity with recent esoteric groups and movements (particularly Crowley). And, yeah, it's kind of dark.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 1:38 PM on July 17, 2008

My father died two years ago this October. I'm a bit prone to melancholy thoughts to begin with, but nothing really brings the intensity like that. When I was looking at my father's corpse, and still now, when I think of the wake, I keep hearing the words, "You will be me." It generates feelings of both futility and urgency.

I worry that life is passing me by.

This is really what it's all about isn't it? Mary... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 7:45 PM on July 15, 2008

Heroin will silence that 'inner critic' like nothing else. You'll probably be too content sitting there, rubbing your face and scratching your balls, to get much work done though.

Stimulants are OK. They don't shut it up completely but the surplus of energy can make you very task focused. Too much, if it moves towards anxiety, can be considerably worse than too little.

Modafinil is a good combination of steady and focused. It won't stop you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 2:22 PM on July 13, 2008

I suspect my saying this won't matter, but just in case I can save you some cash, classes are not necessary. You may wish to meditate with a group, or go on a retreat, but instruction isn't something you need to pay for.

Here's the 'instructions' from Charlotte Joko Beck who has been practicing Zen for forty years.

"It is very simple, when you sit, be aware of your thoughts, and be aware of your bodily sensations. That's it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 7:09 PM on July 7, 2008

Online poker is not officially illegal in the USA. However, transferring money to online poker sites is --- however... not for you... it's illegal for banks...

Basically, you can still get money into sites like Full Tilt (which, as mentioned above, is one of the only ones out there with a Mac client...)

Exactly.

As for learning, I recommend spending some cash.

2+2=4 was, at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 6:41 PM on June 23, 2008

How bad this is really depends on how the guns are carried. If the people carrying are licensed I wouldn't think twice about it. It appears you suspect they aren't and that's pretty bad. I can understand and have even tolerated it with a felon friend of mine but this is pushing the envelope pretty hard for me and it certainly goes in the 'rough crowd' category. However you should know that in states which allow concealed carry it isn't always clear where carrying is forbidden. A lot of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 3:09 AM on June 12, 2008

Focusing on the rank of the state public education is a red herring. If you are in a school district that draws from a wealthy neighborhood then your kid's school is likely quite good. You've only given a few details about the school but they are all positive. The only way you'll learn more is by being active in the school and the PTA. It's certainly possible that you could find it lacking in a number of way but I wouldn't consider moving solely on these grounds until you have first hand... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 12:13 PM on June 10, 2008

Another recommendation to check out SuperMemo. I don't think it's a perfect fit but it may be close enough.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 7:49 AM on June 6, 2008

For physiological benefit, Open Focus is the most effective type of meditation I've come across. I don't know about glowing on the outside, more like a consistent half smile. I slip easier into states of flow and they tend to last longer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 4:14 AM on June 6, 2008

This question has occupied me for a good bit as well. I don't think there's a pat answer. It's something to sit with, not so much to meditate on but to let it rest and to come back to over time.

Thinking about preferences might be helpful. We will almost always have a preference for one possibility over another. Take it to an extreme and this becomes more a matter of biology than conscious intention, e.g. preference for a moderate environment over an extreme one,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 7:23 AM on May 19, 2008

I'm not sure that the path of no-self works because if there was never a self, then you never suffered, so why are you here?

I don't know that the doctrine of no-self is a path. I think it is an answer to the common question about the nature of the self. It's an attempt to express what contemplative practice reveals about identity.

Briefly, the self is not the body, because we can stand in contrast to the body, e.g. "I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 12:29 PM on May 19, 2008

The key essence of suffering is aversion. Pain qualifies.

If you think that there's no useful distinction there, O.K., cool. But I do think it is implicit in Buddhism. The Third Noble Truth speaks of the end of suffering as a real possibility. I can not accept that about pain, perhaps some can, but I find it almost inconceivable. You won't find many Buddhists who have gone through significant hardships, e.g. war, death of a child, chemotherapy,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 11:36 AM on May 20, 2008

Plan out your time in Athens well. There are some excellent museums and not much else. If you're interested in antiquities or Byzantine art check them out and then move on. The Acropolis is pretty much a must see although I wonder if it's really all that significant to those without much interest in the classical world. The tour guides that hang around the site are generally pretty informed and, in my opinion, worth it. At the base of the hill is Old Athens which is a good place to take a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 1:25 PM on April 21, 2008

I left Houston a couple of years ago so I'm not up on the latest, but Houston had lost a number of its best used book stores before then. The Internet has made it tough for used booksellers to maintain a brick and mortar location. Kaboom Books is new to me.

Detering Books was the best Houston had to offer for many years and they closed in 04. There used to be two or three in the Shepherd and Alabama or Richmond area. One had a big sign 'Used and Rare'. I think at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 4:27 AM on April 18, 2008

I'm going to dissent as well.

Accept that it's over and that you didn't play a complementary role in her mind. End the friendship, and since you're doing that don't keep the feelings bottled up either. It doesn't have to be a last ditch manipulation, and that's certainly something to avoid. Tell her that you wish her the best and that this has given you a substantial emotional shock. You can also tell her that too much of the attention and energy you should have been... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 1:01 PM on April 17, 2008

Good lord, this drives me absolutely nuts. I probably handle it worse than you. For most of my life I've received compliments for being polite, but this situation will, from time to time, end with the other person feeling insulted and no remorse on my part.

It's a bit funny to read all the posts stating “This is a larger social interaction that you are failing to participate in. Do your part by paying attention.” What? When does the drone, performing in the theater... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 10:44 PM on April 16, 2008

Pay attention to Hogshead, his lighter recommendation is on the money.

If you're still going ahead then I recommend the English Ovals, flagship of the Phillip Morris (now the Altria Group) brand. Damn fine cigarette, so good that thinking about them makes me want to start up again. Very distinctive, a nice, smooth unfiltered cigarette. Don't buy Pall Malls, few people who are unaccustomed to the brand can actually smoke one.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 4:38 AM on April 15, 2008

Their view being that for there to be any morality, it must be derived from an ultimate authority. This makes no sense to me. Obviously our sense of morality has changed through out history, so what reason is there to believe that such a thing as absolute morality exists? Why can’t morality be based off of reason, human solidarity, and the desire to limit human suffering?

The mind longs for certainty. Most (all?) of us want to feel validated that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 5:54 PM on April 5, 2008 marked best answer

Except that the moral beliefs held by most theists in the modern world do not align very neatly with those espoused by scripture.

Except that the presupposed belief that each individual has an essential worth separate from their capabilities and status in society, comes to us from Plato's depiction of the soul as delivered through Christianity. Plato's Meno makes a compelling case for what one of my professors called 'ontological equality'. Without... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 6:21 PM on April 5, 2008

ludwig_van,

I brought it up because I think most atheists, sociopaths aside, given their moral similarity to theists, are shaped by fundamentally religious beliefs. That we largely ignore Leviticus isn't enough of an argument to show that atheists are not aligned with those espoused by the church (and yes, I am changing your words slightly from 'scripture' to 'church').

If morality is considered distinct from pragmatic concerns, stable society,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 8:07 PM on April 5, 2008

I came to recommend Machete Season which nooneyouknow already listed. It's pretty much a perfect match for what you're looking for.

Another good one is Bad by James Carr.

It isn't particularly introspective, but Twenty Years of an African Slaver by Theodore Canot, is a rare first hand view of the life of a slaver.

The Labyrinth by Walter... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 12:06 PM on April 1, 2008

I'm pretty sure that there was nothing meant on a deeper level by his dying words. He didn't know those would be his last words.

This argument assumes Plato is some sort of reporter. It's the same problem that all the attempts to reconstruct the worldview of Socrates have. In Plato's Dialogs Socrates is not so much the historical person as a literary character. The Dialogs are not philosophical propositions that just happen to be expressed in a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 8:45 AM on March 30, 2008

LobsterMitten, I agree that this reading of Plato is not universally embraced. Still, I feel there is significant evidence that suggests the entire corpus should be looked at as presenting one man's view instead of a mixture of reportage and opinion disguised as further reportage. Since "nothing in great literature is innocent" as one of my professors used to say, I'll give a bit more evidence for considering the dialogs as literature (self consciously crafted as such) instead of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 1:56 PM on March 30, 2008

This doesn't mean that it's completely wrong in every detail, and it doesn't mean that contemporary philosophers think that Plato's every word should be taken as a simple-minded literal report of what Socrates said. It isn't, and nobody understands Plato that way.

No argument. I don't want to create a caricature of the opposing side. Some years ago I read some of Vlastos' essays and there is this notion that Socrates' philosophy can be pulled out... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 3:17 PM on March 30, 2008

Agree with muzzlecough, immortality institute forums is the best information source.

Prescription drugs require a prescription. Check this out. You can get a U.S. script online. If you get one from an in person visit and you trust the quality of Indian pharmaceuticals, you might could save some cash.

Many nootropics do not require a script.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 9:05 PM on March 26, 2008

If the book will sell for $50 or less, few dealers will pay more than 30¢ on the dollar. The higher the value of the book, the greater the percentage of the estimated selling price. In my opinion EBay will give you the best estimate on selling price. The auction price is a little cheaper but it will get you a realistic sense of its worth.

I think your best option is to follow Horace Rumpole's advice, although I agree with mediareport that there is a fairly wide... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 8:56 PM on March 26, 2008

One of the most engrossing books I've read in the last few years is, 'Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees" by Lawrence Weschler. It come out of a series of interviews with the artist Robert Irwin. He's a rare bird, both a great artist and someone who can make penetrating, articulate observations on art, perception, psychology, etc. He also just comes across as a hell of a cool guy. After reading the book, I wanted to go get a Big Gulp and take a ride with him on the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 9:06 AM on March 25, 2008 marked best answer

damn dirty ape is referencing the Pali Canon. That isn't Zen, and I disagree with him on a more fundamental level as well. Zen Master (truly a ridiculous title if there ever was one) refers to someone who has received transmission from their lineage and has the go ahead to teach. There isn't much of a distinction between Zen Master and Zen Priest. Perhaps a layman who was recognized by a well respected transmission holder might be considered a Zen Master but not a Priest. These titles... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 8:34 AM on March 25, 2008

ndxcards

It's not an exact match with your description, but I think Connected Text is worth a look. I think it's excellent software for pretty cheap. There's a link on the website to an article from an academic describing how he uses CT to write his papers. A new update is about to come out and there will likely be a price increase when it does.

In depth discussion of this software genre is found at outliner software.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 11:26 PM on March 15, 2008

I don't think there is any technique to it beyond just being interested. Make yourself available to respond to what you notice. This is not the same as responding to everyone's last trifling desire. Find the healthy midpoint. Consider the possibility that some of the ways you spend your time are there primarily to function as excuses for not responding to what's going on around you. Take a look. If that turns out to be the case, you know enough to consciously make decisions that will take... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 7:16 AM on March 8, 2008

Someone cant use hypnosis on your without you playing along and knowing it.

Not so. Milton Erickson showed otherwise. There is no hard and fast line between hypnosis and persuasive rhetoric, nor one between trance and 'ordinary consciousness'. It's more a matter of the degree of dissociation.

However, no one has ever been induced into a deep trance and then persuaded to act in ways that were contrary to their own interest.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 11:00 AM on February 29, 2008

Have you seen ConnectedText? It's a commercial personal wiki. I don't think it's exactly what you're looking for but, since it can be extended with scripts, it can probably come pretty close.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 10:40 AM on February 28, 2008

Personally, I think gun rights are vital for a country to be considered "libertarian". Setting that aside, this website hasn't been updated in a year or so, but you may find it interesting. They say Estonia, followed by Ireland.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 4:01 AM on February 28, 2008

Get the cell phone out of your pocket. That will make the rest of it a lot easier. Use some sort of holster or clip on case. I have a Treo but I've seen very few cell phones that are thin enough to give up pocket space to. The All-Ett European goes in the front left along with a USB drive and when I remember, a pocket knife and spare house and car key. Right front gets my keys and cash, coins in the coin pocket. Left rear holds one folded sheet of paper that I use to jot down a note if... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 8:56 AM on February 22, 2008

I have nothing against getting high, but drugs won't get you where you want to go. DMT is outside of my experience but the other psychedelics create a weird distorted mental space. That can be fun, and sometimes even profound, but it also has a very different feel then hypnagogic imagery.

Your vision was a spontaneous image. It isn't something you can set out to do again. It's like asking how can you have the same dream. My understanding of dreams is that they are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 4:46 AM on February 21, 2008

Class Goat's link to Thomas Sowell is hard to beat. He is without a doubt one of America's top scholars and this has been one of his subjects of interest for a number of years. I think he's worth reading on any subject and he is just as penetrating in this book as the rest. Black Rednecks and White Liberals is an incredible essay, it manages to be startling while making a case you recognize as obvious at the same time. It's very well reasoned and he keeps an even handed tone while dealing... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 10:07 AM on February 15, 2008

You might find Feldenkrais to be worth looking into.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 6:57 PM on February 12, 2008

Are you outgoing with a lot of friends?

Willing to lose them?

Here's what you do. Get a couple of twenties. Trade them in at the bank for crisp bills. Start making bets where you'll give them the twenty if they can flip five heads in a row. If they can't do it they pay you a dollar. Three in a row for a five. Eight in a row for a hundred. Get your friends in a gambling mood before offering this bet. Since you probably don't have a lot of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 5:37 AM on February 12, 2008

Walking up to women in public is fine. It's not something, I, or most of my friends but do, but I've known a couple of guys who were very successful with women that did it all the time. When they saw an attractive girl they walked up to her and said something along the lines of "Hey. I know I want to meet you. Hi.". Take some of these condemnations of street introductions with a grain of salt. A number of times I have heard women say that it often isn't the behavior but the guy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 7:55 AM on December 19, 2007

One possibility is some probability package where you define two groups, X and Y, and then set up probabilities for them interacting with each other. Assign one person to be the carrier. Rate both groups at some value from prude to promiscuous (0 to 1) and then if there is sexual contact assign a rate of transmission. If you make the men completely promiscuous then for any given rate of transmission you will get an answer of time (number of cycles, where each cycle is an opportunity for sex)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 6:25 AM on December 13, 2007

I think you mean evolutionary psychology.

That too.

I copied the phrasing from here, where Steven Pinker is referred to as an 'evolutionary biologist'. I suspect there is some difference in the criticisms but I am grateful for your links and will give them a close read.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 12:43 PM on November 27, 2007

Thank you, LobsterMitten.

The livejournal entry was exactly what I was looking for. Evolutionary psychology is of some interest, but Bernard Williams was more the object of my curiosity. I'm thinking about rereading 'Shame and Necessity' in the near future and I suspect that some of these issues are lurking around in there even if they aren't being directly addressed. As you might know, the Sather lectures are a pretty big deal in the Classics world and I would expect... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 5:03 PM on November 27, 2007

Wow. And I thought this subject was too obscure for AskMe.

Heh.

I've only skimmed the seminar so far but this is great. It really gives a sense of his eloquence and how quick he was on his feet.

I thought Williams did pretty much reject any meta-ethical attempt to ground morality. Were there any candidates that he thought had a legitimate shot?

Again, thanks. I have more to bring to the text... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 11:04 PM on November 27, 2007

torticat's take is the closest to mine. I don't think you've been defensive in this thread at all. Arguing is not quite the same thing as being defensive. The idea is to be open enough to hear someone's take, not swallow any bullshit that comes down the pike.

As torticat mentioned, aggressiveness and sensitivity do not mix well. I'm not sure there's a simple solution for that. Being aware of it and avoiding situations you do poorly in is probably the best you can do.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 10:44 AM on October 31, 2007

Check out focusing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by BigSky at 12:42 PM on October 26, 2007