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User talk:AD

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(Thanks, bye.: if one realizes that the pool is a cesspool,is it leaving in a "huff" to get up and walk away? enjoy your pool, it is as you make it.)
(Thanks, bye.: Comin for you)
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:*I've been thinking "like a rationalist" for well over fifty years, AD. I write experimentally, and review the results. I got the information I needed. I'm not "storming away in a huff," that's your own confirmation bias talking. I concluded that RatWiki is a stirred cesspool, and that site management likes it that way. I have far better things to do than read this wiki, much less help with it. See also [http://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Thread:User_talk:Blue/Thanks._bye./reply_%284%29&oldid=1103725 response to Blue].
 
:*I've been thinking "like a rationalist" for well over fifty years, AD. I write experimentally, and review the results. I got the information I needed. I'm not "storming away in a huff," that's your own confirmation bias talking. I concluded that RatWiki is a stirred cesspool, and that site management likes it that way. I have far better things to do than read this wiki, much less help with it. See also [http://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Thread:User_talk:Blue/Thanks._bye./reply_%284%29&oldid=1103725 response to Blue].
 
:*Freedom to speak is useless if there is no listening, and hostile response to the speaking. I've always been free to speak, and RatWiki site policy and my status here have not increased that freedom. Other than tests, I move my "speaking" to places where it's more useful. This was only a test. --[[User:Abd|Abd]] ([[User talk:Abd|talk]]) 15:06, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
 
:*Freedom to speak is useless if there is no listening, and hostile response to the speaking. I've always been free to speak, and RatWiki site policy and my status here have not increased that freedom. Other than tests, I move my "speaking" to places where it's more useful. This was only a test. --[[User:Abd|Abd]] ([[User talk:Abd|talk]]) 15:06, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
 +
::I wonder what name I'm trolling LessWrong as. Be careful, I'm coming for you there now, Abd. BOOOGABOOGABOOGA! [[User:Hipocrite|Hipocrite]] ([[User talk:Hipocrite|talk]])  15:53, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

Revision as of 15:53, 13 November 2012

Archives for this talk page: <1>, <2>, <3>, <4>, <5>, <6>, <7>, (new)

Contents

Booooooooooks!

A favorite blogger of mine has interesting post on "difficult books" that I thought you'd like. Star of David.png Radioactive Misanthrope 22:55, 7 August 2012 (UTC)

I read the Millions post on this same subject; I agree with the criticisms here. Thanks for the link!--ADtalkModerator 23:41, 7 August 2012 (UTC)
What, no Principia Mathematica? No Twilight? Weaksauce. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 11:32, 8 August 2012 (UTC)
I think it's assumed that it's not simple difficulty, which is an easy thing to take out of bounds (like by trying the Braille section). Principia is not really a "book" in the sense I'd mean - which is, I suppose, a text read for pleasure. I think, anyway.
Twilight is the most painful book to read!
For myself, I think that the first list just demonstrated a lack of depth from the writer - those aren't particularly representative of books that are worthwhile yet difficult. It looks likely that they just happen to be difficult books that the writer had read.
Any top ten list like this should just be Finnegan's Wake, ten times.--ADtalkModerator 13:01, 8 August 2012 (UTC)

Books redux

You said a while back that you were open to recommendations for books on the Israel-Palestine conflict, so here I am. I've finished reading The Accidental Empire, by Gershom Gorenberg, and The Bible Unearthed, by Israel Finkelstein. (Both are available for the Kindle as well as more traditional dead tree formats.)

I liked Accidental Empire. Really liked it. It was my first exposure to a history book outside of a textbook, and I was struck by just how good the writing is. Gorenberg also makes historical figures seem like flawed, living human beings, rather than carved chess pieces in a game we already know the outcome to. But it also made me uncomfortable. Even after years of being an atheist and hearing by brother's rants about Israel, the impression of Israel as the Holy Land was not completely killed until I was partway through this book. The Israeli settlements were born in a legal and moral gray area, a product of zealots, old men reliving past glories, misplaced priorities, political games, and calculated brutality. I actually had to take a break from reading it every few pages, I couldn't bear the destruction of so much of the Israel mythos I'd been raised with. I think that's what makes it a good book.

I enjoyed Bible Unearthed, though not without qualification. After the exhaustively sourced and carefully-thought-out Accidental Empire, it's a bit much for me to swallow Finkelstein's assertions that such-and-such Biblical story is a metaphor for the relationship between two specific ancient nations. There are moments where he comes across a touch breathless (though it's the breathlessness of an academic who's spent years building a body of evidence for his hypothesis, not twelve-year-old-who-just-met-their-favorite-band breathless — it's an amusing contrast to an interview I found of him where he sounds like a grumpy old man). The book's prose feels bland compared to Accidental Empire, and Finkelstein's recaps of sections from the Bible are the most skimmable paragraphs I've come across in a long time, but at its core, the book is a fascinating exploration of the archeological basis for an ancient Jewish kingdom. I appreciated how, in the process of discussing the development of Judea and Israel through history, Finkelstein utterly demolishes the historical argument for Israel's modern borders (an argument that unfortunately sees much more use than it deserves). But mostly, I enjoyed the book for how it echoes the more modern history in Accidental Empire — in both ancient and modern Israel, zealots with messianic delusions twisted history and politics to expand the borders of a nation, only to be stalled by war and foreign pressures.

I highly recommend The Accidental Empire, even if you're not especially interested in Israeli history. It's a discomforting exploration of the messy politics, strategic apathy, and acceptable brutality that defines so much of human affairs. I mediumly recommend The Bible Unearthed, as an interesting history of ancient Israel and the development of the Bible. Star of David.png Radioactive Misanthrope 09:51, 8 August 2012 (UTC)

P.S. Sorry for dumping this on your talk page, but I had no one else to share this with. I really need a blog... Star of David.png Radioactive Misanthrope 09:51, 8 August 2012 (UTC)

If we're doing book recommendations, I'd say: Zionist: Michael Oren's Six Days of War Anti-Zionist: Norman Finkelstein's Beyond Chutzpah. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 10:02, 8 August 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for the post, Stabby! I'll keep an eye out - right now my reading list is a mile long, but there's always room for something to slip in! I have gotten a little bit into some history of Israel, although mostly centered just around the 1967 war - mostly because that's the center of conflict. Weirdly, my interest in history usually ends just before WW2, perhaps as a function of my skepticism of anyone's ability to be even-handed with a more recent topic (unfair bias on my part, I admit).
Your comments are interesting and well-put. You should definitely get a blog if they're the kind of thing you frequently turn out. Just make sure you do it for yourself, otherwise it'll be hard to keep up. I get maybe 500 readers on a good week, so don't anticipate big numbers.--ADtalkModerator 11:03, 8 August 2012 (UTC)

Wow

A mod...moderated! Good werk! C®ackeЯ

How do you get that he "moderated". he looked at the page and redeleted it. we all have opinions, his no better than mine. yours no worse than mine. Green mowse.pngGodotRIP original "muahahahah". 1...2....3...4...muahahahahah 21:27, 25 August 2012 (UTC)
Godot is correct, as is usually the case.--ADtalkModerator 21:35, 25 August 2012 (UTC)
Jebus Godot, I was referring to his demoting Tisane to autopatrolled and unblocking him. But thanks for jumping the gun. C®ackeЯ 00:23, 26 August 2012 (UTC)

Moneyball

Let's just say that Lewis used a bit of poetic license in places. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 21:45, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Awww.... damn it. Way to burst my bubble.--ADtalkModerator 23:45, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

RW G+ page

So yeah, about that... ТyJFBAA 02:29, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Given that many (All?) users on G+ use their actual names, I can't say I'm surprised no one goes to the RW page. --TheLateGatsby (talk) 02:35, 4 September 2012 (UTC)
Nah, there's a pocket community there. The thing is that the page itself is as dead as a post. ТyJFBAA 02:37, 4 September 2012 (UTC)
The Facebook page is fairly active, so that's not the problem. Peter Rapidly running out of marmite 02:39, 4 September 2012 (UTC)
Gah, the FB page is practically too active to keep up with recently. Scarlet A.pnggnosticModerator 09:31, 4 September 2012 (UTC)
Adding you as a manager. They finally added that functionality.--ADtalkModerator 09:15, 4 September 2012 (UTC)
Cool. I've got a decentish idea on what to post (new articles that have lasted a day or two and gold/silver articles). ТyJFBAA 16:36, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Election hangout

Yes? No? Maybe? Cheesecake? ТyBother me 21:40, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

Very possibly. The hour when results start coming in, EST, is in the afternoon for me here. So the timing works.--ADtalkModerator 22:03, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
Alrighty then. ТyBother me 22:09, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
Do not think we will be doing this, now that it's apparent that the election will probably not be called on election day. Too many absentee ballots in swing states.--ADtalkModerator 21:04, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
alright then. Evil fascistoh noez 21:24, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
i'll put up a starbucks gift card (had to think of something internet possible) that it will be called on tuesday, and rather early all things considered. Green mowse.pngGodotCalibrated! let the voting begin! 21:33, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
Oooh.... damn, hmmm.... not sure I am willing to put up money, since I have low confidence in this prediction.
How about this? I'll wager you a $20 donation to the RWF that the election is not called on election day, but instead crosses over to at least the next day, by at least one of the following news organizations: NBC, CNN, FOX, ABC, or CBS. That way, no matter who loses, the RWF wins.--ADtalkModerator 21:38, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
You're on. And i must hold this position, if only cause of my sanity! i don't think i can survive another Bush v. Gore year.--Green mowse.pngGodotCalibrated! let the voting begin! 21:54, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
Course, that does not include the 8 million lawsuits (especially in Sandy hit areas) that we all know are going to be set by the loser. Colorado already has several legal teams in place to protect itself. not Rep or Dem, just "we did not lie and cheat, you idiots'.  ;-) Green mowse.pngGodotCalibrated! let the voting begin! 21:54, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
I don't think lawsuits over legitimacy would hold up the networks from calling it, don't worry.--ADtalkModerator 22:05, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
Looks like I'm going to be making a donation.--ADtalkModerator 03:10, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Fake computer stuff and politics

I know they're not the same thing, but I remember that fake program you made for Mitt Romney, and thought of you when I saw this. (Also, as a teacher, if you ever wanted to express your frustrations as an adventure text game...) Star of David.png Radioactive Misanthrope 08:35, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

Hahah thanks man! Reminds me of the little bit of Zork I once played.--ADtalkModerator 10:37, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

"You cannot edit a quote to make it say something different"

Really? Please point out the difference:

"published during ... [Shakespeare's] lifetime and attributed to 'William Shakespeare', yet nobody thinks that they belong in the [Shakespearean] canon..."

"published during ... Shakespeare of Stratford's lifetime and attributed to 'William Shakespeare', yet nobody thinks that they belong in the [Shakespearean] canon..."

There is no appreciable difference, and the use of a bracketed synthesis to shorten an unnecessarily lengthy sentence is a standard practice. I taught college English for a time, I’ve made my living by writing for the past 15 years, and I’ve been published in peer-reviewed literature journals, so I think I have some small expertise in this. I’m not going to revert because it’s too trivial a matter (my only purpose was to shorten the sentence, not "make it say something different"), but next time pause a moment before you accuse someone of trying to distort the meaning of a quotation. Cheers. My master (talk) 01:39, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

The original quote said "Shakespeare of Stratford, specifying "the Stratford man," as he is called in anti-Stratfordian circles. Your edit changed it to "[Shakespeare]", and I don't think that it is a suitably exact replacement. Nor is there any real reason to make the change - it does not improve the grammar or composition of the sentence, nor make it much more concise. All it does is change slightly the sense of her statement, which purposefully refers to "Shakespeare of Stratford." And finally, for some reason you remove a comma from her statement. Is there some sort of reason you felt the need to make these changes to a direct quote? Did the comma make it too long?
My edit summary was not meant to be disparaging, nor does it accuse you of distorting meaning, but rather more blandly states that you "cannot edit a quote to make it say something different." If you felt this was a personal attack, I apologize for any curtness.--ADtalkModerator 02:49, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

Crimes against art

Hey, remember that Mr. Bean movie you hate so much? Well, it happened in real life. Star of David.png Radioactive Misanthrope 07:55, 30 September 2012 (UTC)

Do try and keep up Stabby, that was over a month ago. Redchuck.gif ГенгисYou have the right to be offended; and I have the right to offend you.Moderator 08:29, 30 September 2012 (UTC)
It takes an extra month for non-political news to trickle out to me. Star of David.png Radioactive Misanthrope 08:38, 30 September 2012 (UTC)
I heard about this funny new trend where you send people to a Rick Astley video, unexpectedly. It is cutting edge.--ADtalkModerator 08:45, 30 September 2012 (UTC)
Astleybombing? Star of David.png Radioactive Misanthrope 08:59, 30 September 2012 (UTC)
Having been reminded of Mr. Bean, there will be no sleep for me tonight.--ADtalkModerator 09:13, 30 September 2012 (UTC)

Sockmaster

Apparently, reverting the same mess means that I am now your sockpuppet. It's impressive that you/us have managed to live simultaneously in Chicago and NZ, especially since you/we have managed to be successfully married in both jurisdictions. I'm going to assume that this means that you/we will take over the job hunt from me/us. Good luck. — Unsigned, by: ORavenhurst / talkDo You Believe That? 14:15, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

Blocking

Strictly speaking, PC's block of 1 day was the second term in the Fib sequence. Redchuck.gif ГенгисpillagingModerator 14:05, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Strictly speaking, yo' mama.--ADtalkModerator 02:58, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

I hope you're happy

Ace McWicked has removed your moderator rights. This must be how he spends his Saturdays.--"Shut up, Brx." 13:49, 20 October 2012 (UTC)

Hm. Just got back from a weekend away.--ADtalkModerator 04:27, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
There's a lot of cleaning up to do. Redchuck.gif ГенгисIs the Pope a Catholic?Moderator 04:31, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
Short version: I ran amok, abused mod rights and de-modded everyone after a protracted edit war. Acei9 04:32, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
Cool. Well, if you're stepping down, it's already mostly sorted, I'd imagine. Although apparently Abd was also being a twat?
Too many logs!--ADtalkModerator 04:43, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
Hm. Just got back from a weekend away. Next time you go away come to Wellington. We can run amok together. Acei9 04:38, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
That's the plan for January! Went to Riverton this weekend, but in December my wife and I are going to sell all our shit, fly to Wellington, rent a car, and see the north island.--ADtalkModerator 04:43, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
Riverton is an awful, horrible place filled with gypsies....or maybe that was somewhere else with a similar name...? Anyway, I am around in January so hit me up by email/facebook before hand. I can show you around the city and we can hit a few pubs. Yeah, I mentioned Abd on the ATIM page so no need to discuss it here. Acei9 04:46, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
Sounds like a plan.--ADtalkModerator 04:49, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
If you are going to come through Hamilton (and there really is no reason why you would see this shithole) drop me a line and I'll buy you a beer. --DamoHi 08:08, 8 November 2012 (UTC)
To clarify, this particular post to your talk page was an impromptu criticism of your leniency towards Ace McWicked, inspired by the events I was witnessing at the time. It wasn't a cry for help because by that point, I had figured you were away. The cry for help took the form of several emails, early on, to prominent, reasonable users I felt might have been capable of ending that goddamn edit war on my talk page while at the same time letting me conceal frot.jpg--"Shut up, Brx." 06:14, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
And if I had taken a minute to think it through, I wouldn't have made the post in the first place. --"Shut up, Brx." 06:15, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
Live and learn. -- Nx / talk 08:12, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

74k or am I reading that wrong?

You are one highrolling English teacher--"Shut up, Brx." 01:49, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

That's a decimal pt, not a comma. Even in this country a teacher will probably, in their lifetime, earn at least a little more than US$235. Peter Subsisting on honey 03:35, 8 November 2012 (UTC)
Jesus Christ that is some shitty pay. I am already above a teachers top pay and I am only 32. Acei9 03:40, 8 November 2012 (UTC)
Yeah... I actually don't have a teaching job here now that the semester is over, so I work with developmentally disabled kids instead, for even less pay. Hot tip: do not go into education expecting big bucks.--ADtalkModerator 07:48, 8 November 2012 (UTC)
Right. In some places, a decimal point fulfills a comma's function, and vice versa. In France, for example, 75.56 would be rendered 75,56. That was the source of my confusion.--"Shut up, Brx." 04:48, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

"Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." — Matthew 6:2. Mjollnir.svgListenerXTalkerX 04:59, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

I don't fault AD for putting his donation count up on the page. As I see it, he just put it there to encourage others, and perhaps to silence any doubts as to his commitment. Or he's a vain fucker. I prefer the latter former [ corrected text ]. Less cynical.--"Shut up, Brx." 05:02, 8 November 2012 (UTC)
The former. The former is less cynical. Peter Subsisting on honey 05:07, 8 November 2012 (UTC)
Brx is right, incidentally. I do want to demonstrate my commitment and encourage others to do so.--ADtalkModerator 07:48, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, bye.

JzG, Hipocrite, and David Gerard. I just needed to make sure that telling a user to "go back to raping your kids," and encouraging users to violate standards, and keeping the confusion of how to respond to talk page deletion, was acceptable here. Thanks for making it clear, it saves me a great deal of trouble, I'm glad I went to ATIM rather than the Coop. As to your time, AD, you are fully compensated by gaining JzG and maybe Hipocrite as users. Bye. --Abd (talk) 19:19, 12 November 2012 (UTC)

Think like a rationalist, now that you're a LW reader. We don't enforce a slavish obedience to the rules the same way jaywalking is seldom prosecuted: frequently, it's better for everyone to just roll our eyes and move on, rather than bog down in every dispute. This is particularly true for someone who so obviously enjoys these affairs like yourself - be it from a love of argument or (more likely) pride in idealism.
It is unfortunate that you feel that you have been ill-used, but considering how badly you irritate so very many people, I count it as a mark of pride that you are storming away in a huff of your own volition, little-harassed and free to speak.--ADtalkModerator 06:36, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
  • I've been thinking "like a rationalist" for well over fifty years, AD. I write experimentally, and review the results. I got the information I needed. I'm not "storming away in a huff," that's your own confirmation bias talking. I concluded that RatWiki is a stirred cesspool, and that site management likes it that way. I have far better things to do than read this wiki, much less help with it. See also response to Blue.
  • Freedom to speak is useless if there is no listening, and hostile response to the speaking. I've always been free to speak, and RatWiki site policy and my status here have not increased that freedom. Other than tests, I move my "speaking" to places where it's more useful. This was only a test. --Abd (talk) 15:06, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
I wonder what name I'm trolling LessWrong as. Be careful, I'm coming for you there now, Abd. BOOOGABOOGABOOGA! Hipocrite (talk) 15:53, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
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