self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
I'm a transhumanist doctor. In a better world, I wouldn't need to add that as a qualifier to plain old "doctor". It would be taken as granted for someone in the profession of saving lives.
At any rate, I intend to live forever or die trying. See you at Heat Death!
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A friend to everyone is a friend to no one.
User ID: 454
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
It well might be, but I don't look rich/distinguished enough to know for a fact. I will keep an eye open for Latin chanting or naked women with knives.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I'm a simple man, and this doesn't change my usual strategy, which is to copy-all and paste directly into an LLM when I need them to opine on something. It's not pretty but it works.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
You're in luck, I'd probably do that anyway. I'm not sure I'll get to see the cages or nuns, I'm afraid, since that is very much invitation-only. Even my uncle has only been down there the once.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
In all fairness, neither do I. I would have expected a pig and/or a Prime Minister too.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I think a reasonable reader will interpret my statement as a claim that I'm making it in good faith.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
Neural Viz makes some great stuff: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL14oiCokyIUWhPgCJej67myAN1n8umIap
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
Scott is affiliated with Inkhaven, but he's one of the Big Name attendees/mentors, I don't believe he's responsible for the day to day management or organization, which is run by Lighthaven staff (most of them are LessWrong mods or in that circle). I left a message in the Slack too, so if Scott sees it and feels like offering help, I'd be touched, I just don't feel right in bothering him about it.
A drink tomorrow afternoon sounds great! Same place as before, or different?
Can't go wrong with a Spoons, I'll send you a text, let's say we meet anywhere between 2-5? I will likely be attending a speed dating event later for the hell of it, and you could come along if you have £22 to burn!
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
As someone who hasn't watched SpongeBob, that just looks like what I'd imagine a normal episode would be!
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I believe I have mentioned, at some point, an uncle of mine who is far more accomplished as a psychiatrist. For more context, I didn't even know I had a psychiatrist relative in the UK (there's nothing new under the sun) and he suspects it's because my parents didn't want me to be influenced and turn away from the noble profession of gynecological surgery. Jokes on them, it happened anyway.
Very nice guy, but he's getting on in years and is still single. He was a ladykiller in his 20s and 30s, but after a messy divorce from a BPD ex (he's just like me fr fr), he never settled down due to enjoying the bachelor life.
This won't do. I, a humble guest in his palatial house, have already had both of his parents attempt to enlist me in their crusade to have him marry and produce bouncable babies before they depart this mortal coil. I'd say that's none of my business, but he seems to genuinely regret not settling down earlier and is attempting to make amends.
Well, and here's the pickle. He's roped me into attending a single's event at some exclusive London club. He told me they put stickers on phone cameras and keep naked women in cages downstairs plus bona fide BDSM nuns of uncertain denomination(this is not a joke). The whole place isn't quite Eyes Wide Shut, I believe there is a perfectly normal dance floor, albeit with expensive drinks. We have both agreed that the judicious thing to do is to pre-game with copious amounts of liquor before making our presence felt, as we need liquid courage to talk to strange women in loud places. Also, we're cheapskates.
And our presence will be felt. He's not a fan of understated fashion, some of his suits are so loud that they attract noise complaints. He's kindly lent me one that is reasonable tasteful, on the grounds that my perfectly nice bomber jacket won't stand out.
So uh.. Advice? Suggestions? I've ticked off the "drink till I'm uninhibited enough to dance" option. I am mostly dedicating myself to being a good wingman, because I could do with attending a wedding at some point and because it will much easier to lean on him for job recommendations if I'm responsible for his newfound happy matrimony.
It is worth noting that he is also rather successfully convincing me to attend a speed dating event the next day. It's a heartening sign that all the ladies' tickets are sold out, even if the demographics are slightly older than me. But I have never been one to turn down a lady in distress due to something as paltry as an age gap. Any advice for that occasion? I'm mostly going out of sheer curiosity, I don't live in London, and I'm not likely to anytime soon. But it might be fun!
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
You had me sold at no rain. The winter here is bad enough without the constant drizzle that can't quite be arsed to turn into snow.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I'd feel bad asking Scott for something like that, while I idolize him, I can't really expect him to be more than dimly aware of my existence at best. Just as importantly, I doubt that he would be able to arrange something like that, unless maybe Vance is following him on Twitter. I've yet to hear back from Lighthaven given the awkward hours, but if they suggest some kind of solution themselves, I have little to lose by trying.
I did tell them that next time, it might be worth sending a formal looking letter of invitation as opposed to an email. That's all I really had to hand the visa officials :(
(Thank you, I'm still in town, so let me know if you'd like a drink Saturday afternoon or later on Sunday)
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
3d ago
She's the world's most renowned/infamous sex researcher! I had to see how she did the data collection on important metrics like "came in fluffer", ideally via a practical demonstration.
Joking aside, I'm sorry dude, that's a nuisance.
Thank you. I'm trying to look at the bright side, which is fucking off for a vacation somewhere nice and warm. I knew the visa approval wasn't guaranteed, but I still thought it was more likely to go through than not. I'm as squeaky clean as it gets, but alas, not clean enough.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
3d ago
Thank you. In hindsight, I should have prioritized the wedding, and probably avoided describing Inkhaven as a "residential" writing workshop. Apparently, a first time (at least in several decades) visitor visa has the standard where you have to convince the officers that you won't abscond, with the presumption you will by default.
Coming down to London is indeed a massive pain, as is the rather severe chest infection I seem to have caught from an hour of exposure to the elements. Next time, which might well be in the dead of winter as opposed to an abysmally rainy day, I'm going to put on my best Eskimo cosplay.
My visitor visa to the States was denied. After an hour spent queueing out in the rain in London and several more queuing inside. Fuck me.
I don't think there's any hope for attending Inkhaven this time, and I was really looking forward to that. I would have met Scott, Gwern, and even Aella (academic curiosity only). I'd have gotten so much done. On the plus side, I guess I can publish the essays I was holding out on.
Despite advice given to me here to the contrary, it turns out that American visa officers are bemused by claims to be attending an unpaid writing retreat. I was asked why I hadn't applied for a J1 (uh.. because it's not applicable here?), and other nonsense that showed a questionable grasp on the situation. They didn't ask for the documents I had brought as supporting evidence, and I was handed the denial before I could even proffer them myself. Is a single, young Indian male a flight risk? Probably. But I haven't heard of many doctors jumping fences. Absolute misery.
I am considering going through this ballache again, as I said, it won't suffice for Inkhaven, but I do want to make a wedding in Texas. I might even try and hit up a few Mottizens and other people I know in the country, it's not like I have a shortage of annual leave now. Or I might give up and apply for a Schengen instead, Spain and Greece seem awfully inviting when I know what the Scottish winter entails. We'll see.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
5d ago
Hmm.. I appreciate the context, but it seems somewhat orthogonal to the concerns I'd raised earlier. It is nigh universal (across professions to boot) for doctors to want to live in urban environments as opposed to some sleepy Appalachian town. You can increase the number of rural doctors by either increasing salaries (as you've mentioned as untenable) or by having so many doctors that market forces... force some of them to go to less desirable locales.
Now, I'm not advocating for the latter, I would like to live in a proper city myself. But I think it's obvious that that approach works.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
5d ago
Thank you for taking the time to explain! I'll commit this to memory, whatever is left in it that's not receptor binding variances.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
5d ago
Hmm? Doesn't the AMA limiting seats lead to increased wages for physicians plus a relative lack of doctors everywhere, which makes it easier for them to only work in preferred locations (cities)?
I'm not sure which rant in question says otherwise!
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
6d ago
Uh.. Depends? The workload can vary, and you're often under a lot of stress because dedicated specialists are far away.
My contention is that the British government has, in fact, figured out the means to trap doctors in undesirable localities, including past residency in many cases. Of course, our residencies are almost twice as long as the global average, so we're effectively indentured for that duration.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
6d ago
My parents are gynecologists, and I don't think I've suffered in the least from having my mom be a working doctor.
I believe that it is nigh universal for female doctors to work fewer hours/in less hectic specialties than their male peers, on average. That is not necessarily a bad thing, the concerns @Throwaway05 raises below have far more to do with the AMA limiting medical seats and residencies than it has to do with a universal requirement for all doctors to be Type A workaholics. Yes, if there is a severe paucity of doctors, you want doctors who work longer and harder. Yet the option to have more doctors who don't work brutal hours exists.
because stress before and during pregnancy increases the risk of all sorts of impairments in children, and a stressful occupation prevents the kind of loving mother-child bond that is essential during the first three years of life. Your milk will be filled with stress hormones, and your mood will be too stressed for your child to feel safe in the world, and your child will forever have a slightly autistic unease because they did not sustain sufficient skin contact to modulate oxytocin, like the wire monkeys. We have screwed up an entire generation of intelligent adolescents this way, though the effects are almost impossible to study (who is willing to do this to a twin?). And I think a lot of modern ills (overuse of smart phones, parasocial relationships, etc) are consequences of an impoverished bond to the mother during early life.
These specific claims are dubious to say the least. The amount of maternal cortisol in breast milk is tiny, and the effects on nursing infants negligible. I think there is a rather significant difference, both quantitative and qualitative, between a "wire mother" and a mother who works full-time.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
6d ago
The local government can do nothing because most doctors want to work and live in the larger cities and they currently have no way of forcing doctors to work there beyond residency.
Cries in British physician
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
7d ago
I had the misfortune of seeing it yesterday. I went in largely blind, after my cousin's fiancée got us free tickets.
It was so bad I'd have paid money not to watch it. I settled for using my phone through most of the movie, and taking a long toilet break.
It was creatively bankrupt, further reinforced that Keanu has the emotional range of the plank from Ed, Edd and Eddie, and that I was right not to watch anything else with Ansari in it. The movie is best summarized as distilled cringe, and the anti-capitalist message is laid on so thick you don't need any toast.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
8d ago
Medicine is becoming increasingly feminine, with majority female doctors and med students. This is a global phenomenon, and I lived through it in med school myself. Well, I wasn't really complaining about all the women, as potential dating options, but I imagine India lagged behind in that regard. This didn't have any obvious impact I could see, since senior doctors were still mostly male, and even our women are far less Woke than the West.
In the UK? It's more obvious. I am loathe to make strong statements, since I don't know how much of the cultural differences in the workplace at our hospitals is due to the women, and how much of it is general zeitgeist bleeding through.
I can still say that the men are on tenterhooks, it takes a single complaint to absolutely screw us over. I've seen male consultants treat female trainees with kids gloves solely because of such fears (which are entirely justified), even if the trainee in question hasn't shown any such tendency. I'm talking avoiding being in the same room, for fear that a lack of witnesses will make a potential defense untenable.
Hell, I recall that when I'd circulated a request for feedback to other doctors I worked with (it's mandatory for my portfolio), the only person who left a written comment was an older female trainee who made a pointed comment about a joke I had made (and had even confronted me right after I made it).
This has a chilling effect. I can hardly say that it's killed medicine, which would be hyperbolic, but I am sympathetic to the general thesis.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
8d ago
I had that issue and spoke to Zorba (on Chrome for Android). Logging in and out with cookies cleared fixed it for me.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
12d ago
I haven't run into an any Anki decks specifically designed for this till date. I've made a few of my own, and I intend to go through them eventually.
Spoilsport, he's the one who's convinced me to carry a discreet plastic bottle full ot South African wine. In all fairness, it was his idea.
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