DataNinja's Scintillating Digital Random Banter #231

[DataNinja]

As I mentioned last time this topic came up: I wouldn't want immortality unless there was a way I could die. I certainly wouldn't want to outlive everyone I care about. Watch everything I care for become unrecognizable and crumble. While it may suck we don't have enough time to do everything that we want to... I wouldn't want it to be never-ending.

But on happier topics, a present arrived today. Nathaniel Garro, a Warhammer character I've wanted for a while but never pulled the trigger on purchasing.

Nice!

[Rater202]

Still applies. You are a human among ants. You yourself put it succinctly; your mind is godlike compared to everyone else. You still very much have the Dr. Manhattan problem, except you can't fly to Mars. You're just stuck in a land of idiots. It would be unbelievably isolating.

I did not consider that.

I'm not sure that would be as bad as you say though... Of course, I'm biased.

I am in the position where I know for a fact that my ability to acquire and retain information is much greater than those around me but at the same time when people acknowledge this, they tend to over-estimate my intelligence.

I've mentioned before that I allegedly have a 185 IQ but have never actually felt as smart as I'm supposed to be? What I haven't said was that back in high school whenever I told people this(it was literally the only thing I had going for me) they'd act like I was mentally handicapped. Or people would just assume I was handicapped in some capacity and would laugh it off when I told them the truth.

I may have mentioned this before but I once got detention when I stood up and said "excuse me" in response o a girl calling me "retarded."

Damn near developed a complex. After a bit I ended up just calling everyone who was mean to me a "goldfish" because obviously they were stupid if they were spending so much time focused on tearing down my own intelligence... Which, yes, I know, was not a healthy means of coping but it's not like I had any other options.

I guess I'd just rather go all the way and be the super genius I'm allegedly supposed to be than stay stuck in the middle or dumb myself down.

[enderlord99]

185? Isn't it capped at 170?

[Rater202]

185? Isn't it capped at 170?

It's capped at 200, but that's because it's based on percentiles and there are not enough humans on earth to accurately measure beyond that.

It's also recalibrated every couple of years to keep 100 the average and scores on these tests consistently go up over time so if I was tested now it'd probably be lower than when I was first tested.

[Peelee]

Today I learned that red dwarfs are by far the most common type of star in the galaxy. Superman got lucky.

[Rawhide]

185? Isn't it capped at 170?

It entirely depends on which test you're taking, some go to higher numbers than others (and obviously the numbers don't match between tests). Which is just one reason why IQ numbers are particularly worthless. You need to compare the percentile number, not the IQ number, to have any sort of meaningful comparison between tests. And even then, tests are highly biased.

[Lord Raziere]

I did not consider that.

I'm not sure that would be as bad as you say though... Of course, I'm biased.

I am in the position where I know for a fact that my ability to acquire and retain information is much greater than those around me but at the same time when people acknowledge this, they tend to over-estimate my intelligence.

I've mentioned before that I allegedly have a 185 IQ but have never actually felt as smart as I'm supposed to be? What I haven't said was that back in high school whenever I told people this(it was literally the only thing I had going for me) they'd act like I was mentally handicapped. Or people would just assume I was handicapped in some capacity and would laugh it off when I told them the truth.

I may have mentioned this before but I once got detention when I stood up and said "excuse me" in response o a girl calling me "retarded."

Damn near developed a complex. After a bit I ended up just calling everyone who was mean to me a "goldfish" because obviously they were stupid if they were spending so much time focused on tearing down my own intelligence... Which, yes, I know, was not a healthy means of coping but it's not like I had any other options.

I guess I'd just rather go all the way and be the super genius I'm allegedly supposed to be than stay stuck in the middle or dumb myself down.

.....I mean I don't share that sentiment, but I certainly understand it. At times I feel isolated from society and that I'll never understand the humans around me or be able to fit in enough to be successful or hold down a job, and thanks to this I procrastinate about doing anything about it a lot. the pandemic certainly didn't help with doing anything about interacting with people. last time and only time I tried a retail job on my mother's attempt to help find one, it only lasted a month or two before the manager was all politely asking me whether I was okay with it because he gotten vague concerns from other people over about me "angry" when I was trying to be as socially competent as possible and get through it, but it just didn't work, and I just wasn't happy with it so I quit. apparently my dislike of the job shown through.

So yeah, don't worry, your not the only one who looks at humanity and sees a bunch of people they have no idea how interact with or have patience for sometimes. can't say I remember for certain if I ever took an IQ test though, I think might've but it probably wasn't as high as yours, it might've been above average but I don't really care since they're apparently bull anyways.

mostly I just wish I could write a good story y'know? do something I love and am passionate for. or the drive to do so. doesn't help that I never finished past community college, I guess, but I was told in high school that any degree I'd get would be useless anyways so apart of me was like "why bother?" now I regret not getting more education so I could like I dunno, write better stories or learn some science. oh well. just know your not the only one with these kinds of social troubles.

[LaZodiac]

Today I learned that red dwarfs are by far the most common type of star in the galaxy. Superman got lucky.

This amusing for a couple reasons, because...;

1: It supposes this can be called a lucky result when it only happens because his entire planet was destroyed by the hubris of the ruling class
2: His parents explicitly aimed him towards a planet with a Yellow Sun for his protection.

[Lacco]

So yeah, don't worry, your not the only one who looks at humanity and sees a bunch of people they have no idea how interact with or have patience for sometimes.

This can be extended to the whole society. With all the progress in science and technology, we have not progressed on the whole 'interacting with each other' part as much as we could have.

Good news is there is some progress, especially in the field of communication. Patience can also be practiced.

But if the motivation is not there, no chance of improving that.

This amusing for a couple reasons, because...;

1: It supposes this can be called a lucky result when it only happens because his entire planet was destroyed by the hubris of the ruling class
2: His parents explicitly aimed him towards a planet with a Yellow Sun for his protection.

And now think of all the kryptonian babies that were sent to high-gravity homeworlds orbiting a red dwarf because their parents skipped class.

Education is important 😀

[Fyraltari]

This amusing for a couple reasons, because...;

1: It supposes this can be called a lucky result when it only happens because his entire planet was destroyed by the hubris of the ruling class
2: His parents explicitly aimed him towards a planet with a Yellow Sun for his protection.

Stupid parents should have aimed for a Blue Giant.

[Anonymouswizard]

Absolutely.

I know there are plenty of peopled who wouldn't of course, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I of course assume perfect immortality means "I can choose to end it at any time."

I mean, if we make it take a week to turn off sheet activation, just to excited the skydiving issue, togglable perfect Immortality sounds amazing.

Just straight up perfect Immortality? Either you basically have to make everybody infertile, in which case no thanks, or you have overpopulation issues, in which case no thanks. It might just be because I'm a hairless monkey instead of an intelligent and rational being, but despite likely being completely unsuited to parenthood I don't want to lose the option.

It entirely depends on which test you're taking, some go to higher numbers than others (and obviously the numbers don't match between tests). Which is just one reason why IQ numbers are particularly worthless. You need to compare the percentile number, not the IQ number, to have any sort of meaningful comparison between tests. And even then, tests are highly biased.

The only IQ test I've taken was massively it of date and thus required knowledge my generation tends to lack, but was still useful because it basically ruled out idiocy when I was getting tested for dyspraxia.

[Rater202]

I mean, if we make it take a week to turn off sheet activation, just to excited the skydiving issue, togglable perfect Immortality sounds amazing.

Just straight up perfect Immortality? Either you basically have to make everybody infertile, in which case no thanks, or you have overpopulation issues, in which case no thanks. It might just be because I'm a hairless monkey instead of an intelligent and rational being, but despite likely being completely unsuited to parenthood I don't want to lose the option.

In this case I was thinking more "secret cabal of immortals" than "make everyone who wants immortality immortal."

[Anonymouswizard]

In this case I was thinking more "secret cabal of immortals" than "make everyone who wants immortality immortal."

So basically a Howard Families situation, but with an actual secret? I'm sure that won't lead to problems.

[Rater202]

So basically a Howard Families situation, but with an actual secret? I'm sure that won't lead to problems.

I don't understand the reference.

[DavidSh]

I don't understand the reference.

They're a feature of Robert Heinlein's future history, first showing up in Methuselah's Children. Long-lived humans as a product of old-fashioned selective breeding, in the form of "The Howard Foundation will subsidize any children resulting from mating between chosen people with long-lived ancestry".

[Anonymouswizard]

I don't understand the reference.

Why does nobody get my classic SF references?

Heinlein, bunch of long lived families who gained longevity via carefully planned marriages. After a couple of hundred years it becomes harder for them to hide their longevity due to living about twice as long as a normal person, so they arrange to have a controlled reveal. Unfortunately the majority of humanity gets understandably jealous, decides they must be hiding stone kind of secret life extension technique, and they end up being tortured for the technique and on the road to worse fates until the main character manages to pull together a plan to steal a generation ship and leave Earth for unsettled space.

[Peelee]

And now think of all the kryptonian babies that were sent to high-gravity homeworlds orbiting a red dwarf because their parents skipped class.

Education is important 😀

I want a Silver Age-like story where just shooting babies into the galaxy is a Kryptonian pastime.

[Rater202]

I want a Silver Age-like story where just shooting babies into the galaxy is a Kryptonian pastime.

Considering how many Kryptonians there are in the universe despite Clark supposedly being the last of them, you might be on to something.

[Lacco]

I want a Silver Age-like story where just shooting babies into the galaxy is a Kryptonian pastime.

I remember seeing a comic with Kryptonian father talking to his wife. "Oh, it always cries! And the diapers! I can't stand it!".
"Well, what are we going to do?"
And then there was the shot of kid flying away in the ship and father recording "Our home planet has been destroyed" while his wife makes space martinis.

Or something like that.

[factotum]

I remember seeing a comic with Kryptonian father talking to his wife. "Oh, it always cries! And the diapers! I can't stand it!".
"Well, what are we going to do?"
And then there was the shot of kid flying away in the ship and father recording "Our home planet has been destroyed" while his wife makes space martinis.

There was a story in 2000AD once where the parents send their kid away from the planet's imminent destruction, only it turns out the father was actually wrong and the planet didn't blow up. Unfortunately, the ship went through a timewarp on the way to Earth and arrived sometime in the 80s, where it was mistaken for an incoming warhead and triggered World War 3...

[Rater202]

There are two kinds of "I'm fine."

"I'm fine" and "I'm not fine but I don't want to talk about it."

In my experience, someone who genuinely means "I'm fine" is more likely to be pressed for how they really feel than someone who is deflecting.

[LaZodiac]

There are two kinds of "I'm fine."

"I'm fine" and "I'm not fine but I don't want to talk about it."

In my experience, someone who genuinely means "I'm fine" is more likely to be pressed for how they really feel than someone who is deflecting.

It's a distinct and very... western expression of ideas? This idea of saying things positively as a way of noting how bad things are. "I'm fine" as code for "I feel like void, in limbo" is a lot, like asking someone "how is it going?" and them just saying "oh it's going."

Linguistically, there's so much going on here. It's fascinating.

[DataNinja]

Linguistically, there's so much going on here. It's fascinating.

So you'd say perhaps, that... it's going?
I'll see myself out.

[Fyraltari]

It's a distinct and very... western expression of ideas? This idea of saying things positively as a way of noting how bad things are. "I'm fine" as code for "I feel like void, in limbo" is a lot, like asking someone "how is it going?" and them just saying "oh it's going."

Linguistically, there's so much going on here. It's fascinating.

In my experience, it's not a code, it's a lie.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Is it a thing in any language other than English? English tends to be slapped together like a hash house dinner.

[Fyraltari]

Is it a thing in any language other than English? English tends to be slapped together like a hash house dinner.

"Comment ça va?
- Monotone with a soft voice looking in the distance Ça va..."
Is definitely a thing.

[Lacco]

Certain French gentleman - a well-travelled one - at my job once explained to me that he encountered two basic types of responses to traditional "How are you?".

First is the response favoured in UK, parts of France and parts of U.S., as well as some other countries I fail to recall - the "Fine." Regardless of the actual state of the asked person, they should just respond neutrally and keep the conversation civil. According to him, the person that was asking usually did not even care about the state, it was just a formal pleasantry - and if they did care, they asked again, this time sincerely.

The other was the German way - we were in Germany at that time. When you ask "How are you?" they actually give a detailed answer.

He told me it was source of never ending entertainment for him - to bring together people he knew were of the former kind and watch as they get wide-eyed based on the detailed response.

Of course, it was a personal anecdote, so no idea how correct he was. So far my observations confirm his statement, but I lack data.

[Rogar Demonblud]

We have enough people of German ancestry out here that I can confirm that result. And the inverse, where somebody asks expecting an actual answer and get a dismissive 'Fine' instead.

Yeah, it can be amusing.

[LaZodiac]

In my experience, it's not a code, it's a lie.

There's a fine line where they're the same thing.

Certain French gentleman - a well-travelled one - at my job once explained to me that he encountered two basic types of responses to traditional "How are you?".

First is the response favoured in UK, parts of France and parts of U.S., as well as some other countries I fail to recall - the "Fine." Regardless of the actual state of the asked person, they should just respond neutrally and keep the conversation civil. According to him, the person that was asking usually did not even care about the state, it was just a formal pleasantry - and if they did care, they asked again, this time sincerely.

The other was the German way - we were in Germany at that time. When you ask "How are you?" they actually give a detailed answer.

He told me it was source of never ending entertainment for him - to bring together people he knew were of the former kind and watch as they get wide-eyed based on the detailed response.

Of course, it was a personal anecdote, so no idea how correct he was. So far my observations confirm his statement, but I lack data.

This is generally how I answer, honestly. Especially when I was working in the grocery store. I'm not paid enough to be performatively happy.

[Qwertystop]

A lot of it is regional variation – "You alright?" is phatic in the UK and concern in the US.