Tarmor's Terribly Tantalizing Tarasque Terrrifying Random Banter #234

[TaiLiu]

The issue is, I'm at a point in my life where I'm in IT, but I'm still very much client-facing. If I were at a point in my career where that's not the case, or I could find a job I'd like where that's not the case, that would change.

Makes a lot of sense. I'm just imagining a five-year old saying "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" and it's both hilarious and also hard to imagine clients being like, yeah, okay, you're the expert.

I have a job where I have to talk to people who aren't co-workers, too. I guess I assume that I can't be worse at the social stuff than I already am. Overconfidence through extreme incompetence is the way to go.

If I had an arbitrary amount of money and didn't have to work to live? Sure, I'd take the deal. Especially if I was set to be like a 16 or 17 instead of 12 or younger.

Yeah, I've been seeing this, too! Learning that people would prefer basic adult respect over being allowed to pay kid's prices on movie tickets.

[Rater202]

In 2012, some resarchers at Stanford got 60 volunteers and ran them through VR simulations: There's been an earthquake in a major city and you've been tasked with rescueing a little boy who was left behnd in the devestation.

30 of the volunteers were given VR simulations of being a helicopter pilot, while 30 were given simulations of being a Superman-type "flying brick" superhero.

Unbeknownst to the volunteers, the simulations were rigged so that no matter what you'd find the boy and cusfessully rescue him at a certain point.

After the simulation, the volunteers were questioned, but the proctor would "accidentally" knock over a container of pens and, after a few seconds, start cleaning them up.

the 30 volunteers from the helicopter simulation would either do nothing or volunteer to help with cleanup after a few seconds.

The 30 who got the "superman" simulation, on the other hand, universally immediately started helping with the clean-up, even before the researcher started cleaning.

It's far from conclusive, but it seems to suggest that there's something about the way the human mind consciously or subconsciously perceives the "flying brick" type that makes the people who experienced it want to be more helpful...

Though admittedly, similar experiments and interviews have suggested that the visibility of being a flying brick has something to do with it. Less obviosly powers are more easily abusable.

[Fyraltari]

Went to give my blood this morning but I had too little hemoglobin for them to let me. Since I'm pretty much always barely above the safe minimum the doctor barred me from giving for six months and told me not to come back unless I had two set of analysis (six month apart) showing I was well above the safety limit.

Apparently my deciding to exercise regularly and eat less meat has some downsides.

Meanwhile my mom, who went with me could only give half the usual amount because she started to coagulate around the needle.

[Rater202]

Meanwhile my mom, who went with me could only give half the usual amount because she started to coagulate around the needle.

...I don't think that's normal.

That... Sounds like the kind of thing you talk to a doctor about now.

[Fyraltari]

...I don't think that's normal.

That... Sounds like the kind of thing you talk to a doctor about now.

She is a doctor. And blood donation are very doctor-regulated.

She just has an unusually (although not so unusual as to be dangerous) slow blood flow, it's been known since she was a child. Her blood donations usually take way longer than average, this is just the first time it was so slow that a clot started to form.

[Peelee]

In 2012, some resarchers at Stanford got 60 volunteers and ran them through VR simulations: There's been an earthquake in a major city and you've been tasked with rescueing a little boy who was left behnd in the devestation.

30 of the volunteers were given VR simulations of being a helicopter pilot, while 30 were given simulations of being a Superman-type "flying brick" superhero.

Unbeknownst to the volunteers, the simulations were rigged so that no matter what you'd find the boy and cusfessully rescue him at a certain point.

After the simulation, the volunteers were questioned, but the proctor would "accidentally" knock over a container of pens and, after a few seconds, start cleaning them up.

the 30 volunteers from the helicopter simulation would either do nothing or volunteer to help with cleanup after a few seconds.

The 30 who got the "superman" simulation, on the other hand, universally immediately started helping with the clean-up, even before the researcher started cleaning.

It's far from conclusive, but it seems to suggest that there's something about the way the human mind consciously or subconsciously perceives the "flying brick" type that makes the people who experienced it want to be more helpful...

Though admittedly, similar experiments and interviews have suggested that the visibility of being a flying brick has something to do with it. Less obviosly powers are more easily abusable.

I would think it's much more likely that the helicopter pilot is a person dog they job while the superhero is, well, a superhero. Appeal to ego is a heck of a thing.

And speaking of appeal to ego, if you want to get pissed off, check out the Monopoly experiment, if you don't know about it already.

[Anonymouswizard]

I would think it's much more likely that the helicopter pilot is a person dog they job while the superhero is, well, a superhero. Appeal to ego is a heck of a thing.

And speaking of appeal to ego, if you want to get pissed off, check out the Monopoly experiment, if you don't know about it already.

Well that's another reason for me to haute that poorly designed game. Yes, I do know how it originated and that it's badly designed for a purpose, but nobody uses it for that purpose.


On blood donations, I wish I had fewer problems with needles so that I'd actually manage to make it to the blood donation centre without fleeing.

[Peelee]

Well that's another reason for me to haute that poorly designed game.

Dont hate the game, hate the player.

ETA: Also, having now read up on the superpower experiment, Stanford is still making the same mistakes it made back in 1971. This is why I don't trust junior colleges.

[Anonymouswizard]

Dont hate the game, hate the player.

In this case. But most of the problems I have with Monopoly relate to the rules, not the player. Can't we just pay Power Grid instead?

ETA: Also, having now read up on the superpower experiment, Stanford is still making the same mistakes it made back in 1971. This is why I don't trust junior colleges.

Wait, is that the one which still gets used as an example of human nastiness desire being poorly run?

[Peelee]

Wait, is that the one which still gets used as an example of human nastiness desire being poorly run?

The infamous prison experiment, yep.

[Bartmanhomer]

Today I have to go to work because of my supervisor for the short notice. So much for my four-day weekend.

[Rater202]

The article I read about the Stanford experiment in also cited an incident wherein an number of american citizens were interviews about whether they would rather have the power of flight ot the power of invisibility, and what they'd do with it.

People who chose invisibility inevitably started thinking of less than moral actions they could use their powers for, to the point that one man changed his answer to flight after realizing that he was afraid of what he might do if invisible.

That would seem to suggest that it's not just being treated like a superhero, but the kind of powers one might have.

[Anonymouswizard]

The article I read about the Stanford experiment in also cited an incident wherein an number of american citizens were interviews about whether they would rather have the power of flight ot the power of invisibility, and what they'd do with it.

People who chose invisibility inevitably started thinking of less than moral actions they could use their powers for, to the point that one man changed his answer to flight after realizing that he was afraid of what he might do if invisible.

That would seem to suggest that it's not just being treated like a superhero, but the kind of powers one might have.

Of course, there's a lot more seemingly harmless but illegal and immoral things you can do with invisibility than with flight.

I'm no saint, I'll fully aware that if I got done kind of invisibility/x-ray vision/clairvoyance power the first things I'd think of would be very amoral. I like to think I wouldn't follow through on them, but without said powers I can't say for certain whether I would.


I get annoyed that RPGs tend to make spears a less potent weapon than swords. How am I supposed to live out my fantasies of being {scrubbed} workout a spear?

[Keltest]

Of course, there's a lot more seemingly harmless but illegal and immoral things you can do with invisibility than with flight.

I'm no saint, I'll fully aware that if I got done kind of invisibility/x-ray vision/clairvoyance power the first things I'd think of would be very amoral. I like to think I wouldn't follow through on them, but without said powers I can't say for certain whether I would.


I get annoyed that RPGs tend to make spears a less potent weapon than swords. How am I supposed to live out my fantasies of being {scrub the post, scrub the quote} workout a spear?

From my understanding, later styles of swords were genuinely better weapons in one on one fights or small skirmishes than a spear, but spears scaled substantially better with numbers, IE in an army. Hence knights with swords, men at arms with spears.

[Anonymouswizard]

From my understanding, later styles of swords were genuinely better weapons in one on one fights or small skirmishes than a spear, but spears scaled substantially better with numbers, IE in an army. Hence knights with swords, men at arms with spears.

{scrubbed}

If we're going for realism sure, I totally agree. But if we're going for heroic or mythic gangway than the spear certainly had as much of a place as the sword.

[Rater202]

Of course, there's a lot more seemingly harmless but illegal and immoral things you can do with invisibility than with flight.

I'm no saint, I'll fully aware that if I got done kind of invisibility/x-ray vision/clairvoyance power the first things I'd think of would be very amoral. I like to think I wouldn't follow through on them, but without said powers I can't say for certain whether I would.

That's the point that the article made.

Basically, superpowers that are visible seem to, in the hands of a normal person, encourage good behavior, while more subtle ones would encourage you to live out darker desires.

[Keltest]

Yes, but who is Setanta workout his iconic spear?

If we're going for realism sure, I totally agree. But if we're going for heroic or mythic gangway than the spear certainly had as much of a place as the sword.

Hard disagree. Swords are the coolest melee weapon. Thats why Star Wars has Lightsabers instead of Light-battleaxes.

[Anonymouswizard]

Hard disagree. Swords are the coolest melee weapon. Thats why Star Wars has Lightsabers instead of Light-battleaxes.

Objection: coolness is relative and subjective. Lightpikes are just as cool in my opinion.

[Keltest]

Objection: coolness is relative and subjective. Lightpikes are just as cool in my opinion.

I want to like them, but ive never, ever seen anybody fight with them that isnt choreographed in such a way that makes me think "man, with as fast as they are, they would be able to just crush the other guy if they just had a standard lightsaber without all that extra shaft getting in the way"

[Fyraltari]

{scrub the post, scrub the quote}

{scrubbed}

The article I read about the Stanford experiment in also cited an incident wherein an number of american citizens were interviews about whether they would rather have the power of flight ot the power of invisibility, and what they'd do with it.

People who chose invisibility inevitably started thinking of less than moral actions they could use their powers for, to the point that one man changed his answer to flight after realizing that he was afraid of what he might do if invisible.

That would seem to suggest that it's not just being treated like a superhero, but the kind of powers one might have.

Well, Plato and H. G. Wells kind of beat them to that conclusion.

[Anonymouswizard]

I want to like them, but ive never, ever seen anybody fight with them that isnt choreographed in such a way that makes me think "man, with as fast as they are, they would be able to just crush the other guy if they just had a standard lightsaber without all that extra shaft getting in the way"

Congratulations, you have formed an opinion. It doesn't mean that my opinion (spears are cool) is invalid.

{scrub the post, scrub the quote}

{scrubbed}

[Rater202]

{scrubbed}

I'm not sure we're allowed to discuss more than that. Where does mythology end and religion begin?

[Peelee]

Where does mythology end and religion begin?

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: The two are the same. The prohibition is against real-world religions. A real-world religion being older than some others does not make it any less a real-world religion.

[Rater202]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: The two are the same. The prohibition is against real-world religions. A real-world religion being older than some others does not ame it any less a real-world religion.

Fair enough, thank you for clarification.

[Peelee]

Fair enough, thank you for clarification.

Any time! I've had to answer that one a lot.

[Anonymouswizard]

Well that's most of my cool spear users disqualified. I'll just get back to my books.

[Keltest]

Congratulations, you have formed an opinion. It doesn't mean that my opinion (spears are cool) is invalid.

Nonsense. Obviously only one opinion is allowed to exist at any given time.

He said sarcastically, if that was not already clear.

[Anonymouswizard]

I get confused by black text.

[Cazero]

Nonsense. Obviously only one opinion is allowed to exist at any given time.

Preposterous. How do you mercilessly pit opinions against one another in arena fights to the death if only one is allowed to exist at any given time?

[Keltest]

I get confused by black text.

My general rule of thumb is that if something seems outrageous on the surface, i'll assume the other person is at least as smart as i am, and that theyre doing it on purpose for the sake of making a point or being humorous. It doesnt work all the time, but its been surprisingly successful.

Preposterous. How do you mercilessly pit opinions against one another in arena fights to the death if only one is allowed to exist at any given time?

Obviously the loser is the one that gets executed for failing to follow the rules.