Tell me about yourself...

[42PercentHealth]

Just out of friendly curiosity: What country do you live in? What do you do for a living? Is there anything you'd rather be doing for a living?

 

As for me, I live in the USA; I'm a computer engineer working for a company that makes supercomputers and large-scale servers. But my passion and calling is math. I'd like to get myself a Ph.D. and become a teacher of mathematics.

 

I'm also interested in music (I sing and play a little piano), but I don't think I'd be able to make a living at it.

 

Tell me about yourself! :-)

[SteelPH]

I draw, play video games, and yell a lot for the internet. Truly an idyllic life.

 

I reside in the US, am disabled, stream games on Twitch every now and then, and have a very broad vocal range actually. Maybe I'll get into voice acting, who knows?

[42PercentHealth]

4 minutes ago, SteelPH said:

I draw, play video games, and yell a lot for the internet. Truly an idyllic life.

 

I reside in the US, am disabled, stream games on Twitch every now and then, and have a very broad vocal range actually. Maybe I'll get into voice acting, who knows?

Maybe you should try singing. A limited vocal range is one of the obstacles I have to overcome...

[Battle_Korbi]

If anyone knows where Croatia is, I hope you had a nice holiday and that you come back :D

 

I draw and write just for the sake of

 art. My main superpower is the ability to over-glorify or over-demonize anything for hours at the time, and as a artist, that means I have plenty of power to draw from. My only disadvantage is time.

 

I have a pocketful of experience in every form of art, including acting, music, painting, sculpting, film and game design! But many compliment me on my writing, with drawing stuff just next to it. I wish I had a chance to properly exercise my writing skills by writing for a magazine or a script... Sadly, if I want something done, I have to do it myself. I also pretend to be a pianist at a local bar and just play soundtracks from videogames, and quite convincingly apparently.

 

Im a high school senior, working hard to enter a good college, wishing not to enter a engineering course like pretty much everyone else around me. Something tells me that irony is going to kick my butt and send me flying into a engineering college to punish me from running away :D

[42PercentHealth]

2 minutes ago, Battle_Kirby said:

If anyone knows where Croatia is, I hope you had a nice holiday and that you come back :D

I know where Croatia is! Never been there, though. :-\

 

3 minutes ago, Battle_Kirby said:

I draw and write just for the sake of

 art. My main superpower is the ability to over-glorify or over-demonize anything for hours at the time, and as a artist, that means I have plenty of power to draw from. My only disadvantage is time.

 

I have a pocketful of experience in every form of art, including acting, music, painting, sculpting, film and game design! But many compliment me on my writing, with drawing stuff just next to it. I wish I had a chance to properly exercise my writing skills by writing for a magazine or a script... Sadly, if I want something done, I have to do it myself. I also pretend to be a pianist at a local bar and just play soundtracks from videogames, and quite convincingly apparently.

Sounds like fun! I certainly hope you are able to find your dream! :-)

 

4 minutes ago, Battle_Kirby said:

Im a high school senior, working hard to enter a good college, wishing not to enter a engineering course like pretty much everyone else around me. Something tells me that irony is going to kick my butt and send me flying into a engineering college to punish me from running away :D

Is there some sort of cultural pressure to enter an engineering school where you live?

 

Work hard! It's really the only way to accomplish anything in life. It certainly sounds like you have a lot you'd like to accomplish. Very interesting, and I wish you the best!

[Battle_Korbi]

4 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

Sounds like fun! I certainly hope you are able to find your dream! :-)

 

Is there some sort of cultural pressure to enter an engineering school where you live?

 

Work hard! It's really the only way to accomplish anything in life. It certainly sounds like you have a lot you'd like to accomplish. Very interesting, and I wish you the best!

Yeah, because apparently being a engineer is on same level as being a doctor. You get to work in a big company afterwards, you don't have to worry about getting a job, and you don't have to worry about getting fired. Sounds like a dream job right?

 

Well, when you cannot really follow standards to the point and when you are struggling with memorizing basic physics formulas and applying them, that is just like a dream mansion waiting for you underneath the ground in a cold mountain surrounded by a constant electrical storm and there is a Archvile every 20 meters.

 

Hard, and not really enjoyable right?

 

I would like to pursue English language studies, while it wouldn't be much useful beyond translating and teaching in schools, I would just like some sort of a degree before applying to be a writer of any sort. Till then, practicing every day!

[Voros]

Currently in Bangladesh, born in the US, citizen of the US. 

 

I... Play Doom and mostly study. I freaking love computers, and hoping to get a career in that industry, such as programming. Pretty fucking interested in physics and chemistry too. I'm pretty good at biology, but I'm not a fan. 

 

Computers rule.

 

 

[42PercentHealth]

3 minutes ago, Battle_Kirby said:

Yeah, because apparently being a engineer is on same level as being a doctor. You get to work in a big company afterwards, you don't have to worry about getting a job, and you don't have to worry about getting fired. Sounds like a dream job right?

 

Well, when you cannot really follow standards to the point and when you are struggling with memorizing basic physics formulas and applying them, that is just like a dream mansion waiting for you underneath the ground in a cold mountain surrounded by a constant electrical storm and there is a Archvile every 20 meters.

 

Hard, and not really enjoyable right?

 

I would like to pursue English language studies, while it wouldn't be much useful beyond translating and teaching in schools, I would just like some sort of a degree before applying to be a writer of any sort. Till then, practicing every day!

Interesting. In the US, there's not so much pressure to pursue a particular career path. Sometimes I wish there was more, actually.

 

As an example, I was talking with an older gentleman one day a year or two back. He said the economy was so bad, his daughter just got her master's degree and still couldn't find work.

 

"What field did she get her degree in?" I asked.

 

"Sociology."

 

I said nothing... Seriously, who hires sociologists?? Your only hope in that field is to get a doctorate and become a professor.

 

But that's another topic.

[42PercentHealth]

2 minutes ago, Voros said:

Currently in Bangladesh, born in the US, citizen of the US. 

 

I... Play Doom and mostly study. I freaking love computers, and hoping to get a career in that industry, such as programming. Pretty fucking interested in physics and chemistry too. I'm pretty good at biology, but I'm not a fan. 

 

Computers rule.

 

 

Computers are pretty awesome! If I do get a Ph.D., it will probably be in a field such as computational number theory...

 

Go for it, man! It's a really easy field to get into if you have a bit of mental acumen, which it sounds like you do.

[Battle_Korbi]

6 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

Interesting. In the US, there's not so much pressure to pursue a particular career path. Sometimes I wish there was more, actually.

 

As an example, I was talking with an older gentleman one day a year or two back. He said the economy was so bad, his daughter just got her master's degree and still couldn't find work.

 

"What field did she get her degree in?" I asked.

 

"Sociology."

 

I said nothing... Seriously, who hires sociologists?? Your only hope in that field is to get a doctorate and become a professor.

 

But that's another topic.

I wont say much, I am going to have to go, but before I leave, heres a little explanation for anyone else aswell.

 

Apparently the entire country is dependant on tourism and touristic attractions, which is why I said that I hoped you had a nice holiday and yadda. I mean, it isn't that bad of a country. During the season the whole land lives up, money is flowing like water, and a lot of peers choose to work during summer, and some are even able to pay for their driver's license AND prom, like my best friend who worked on a ship for two and a half months, usually selling tickets and jumping in as a sailor on need. He came back stuffed and bragging.

 

Other part of the year, its dull and a bit sad, and the elders are concerned with the economic stability, like what if something bad interrupts the season, what are we going to do? So engineers are looked for, make a company, hire people, make machines and steel! Have computers buzzing everywhere, and buyers waiting in line! Have trucks from all over the world, and good promotional campaings! And every worker has to be Croatian!

 

And I feel kinda useless in all that. Except for promo-stuff and conceptualizing I guess.

 

That be all :D

[SteelPH]

57 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

Maybe you should try singing. A limited vocal range is one of the obstacles I have to overcome...

Nah, I'm tone deaf.

[42PercentHealth]

Just now, SteelPH said:

Nah, I'm tone deaf.

Aw, bummer!

[Nine Inch Heels]

Currently I "live" (as in: work) in germany. I really live on the island of Haiti. I chose to live there after travelling around a lot, much to my parent's dismay, but it's my life after all. ;-)

My actual job is that of a priestess, people refer to my religious "degree" as Mambo. Despite being very religious, I am open to anything, including other religions for that matter. The only thing I have a hard time wrapping my head around is what people these days call "politics".

I guess I am quite knowledgeable about the medical properties of anything that grows in the nature, and spend a considerable share of my time on learning more about plants, trees, their useful properties, and how to put them to good use. Good use meaning: Not just for getting high. A friend of mine likes to call me "herb witch". I love children and elderly people, and I have come to understand that both these groups require a lot more attention than they tend to get these days. I love to help others, and do my best to be a positive person in general.

I listen to all kinds of music, from J.S.Bach to industrial and noise, and I also have a lot of interest in philosophy. Rabindranath Tagore, for example once said something that really stuck:

'Nuff said... ;-)

[42PercentHealth]

5 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

Currently I "live" (as in: work) in germany. I really live on the island of Haiti. I chose to live there after travelling around a lot, much to my parent's dismay, but it's my life after all. ;-)

My actual job is that of a priestess, people refer to my religious "degree" as Mambo. Despite being very religious, I am open to anything, including other religions for that matter. The only thing I have a hard time wrapping my head around is what people these days call "politics".

Yeah, don't try... politics is a dirty business (at least in the U.S. and probably most other places). It's the means by which ambitious men seek to usurp and exercise illegitimate power over their fellow men. Someone once said (and I paraphrase), "Goverment is like clothing: no matter how embellished or elaborately decorated it may be, it is still just a badge of lost innocence." For the record, I'm not an anarchist.

 

11 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

I guess I am quite knowledgeable about the medical properties of anything that grows in the nature, and spend a considerable share of my time on learning more about plants, trees, their useful properties, and how to put them to good use. Good use meaning: Not just for getting high. A friend of mine likes to call me "herb witch". I love children and elderly people, and I have come to understand that both these groups require a lot more attention than they tend to get these days. I love to help others, and do my best to be a positive person in general.

Interesting... I have a sister who is interested in medicinal plants as well.

 

12 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

I listen to all kinds of music, from J.S.Bach to industrial and noise, and I also have a lot of interest in philosophy. Rabindranath Tagore, for example once said something that really stuck:

'Nuff said... ;-)

Very cool! Philosophy is one of my interests as well! We should discuss religion and philosophy sometime.

 

I don't know how I feel about the quote, though. I want to ask Mr. Tagore to support his claim with logic, but that might be counter-productive in his mind.

 

On the other hand, he has a very wise-looking beard, and not one to be argued with lightly. ;-)

[Voros]

25 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

*snip*

I didn't expect this from someone with a high heel fetish :P but then again, I didn't know what to expect.

[Nine Inch Heels]

10 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

I don't know how I feel about the quote, though. I want to ask Mr. Tagore to support his claim with logic, but that might be counter-productive in his mind.

There's more to life than just facts. There's emotions and more... All these things are part of how we perceive our reality. And if you grasp "reality" only by way of logic, you're missing out on a lot of fun. ;-)

 

 

9 minutes ago, Voros said:

I didn't expect this from someone with a high heel fetish :P but then again, I didn't know what to expect.

Religion is not to be confused with the absence of fun. ;-)

[42PercentHealth]

3 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

There's more to life than just facts.

Is that a fact? I define the word "fact" to mean "something which is universally true," and one certainly cannot say that there is more to the universe than the set of things which are true about the universe. That would be like saying "I am taller than myself." :-P

 

I'm not just being cynical. Well, ok -- maybe I'm a wee bit cynical.

 

10 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

There's emotions and more... All these things are part of how we perceive our reality. And if you grasp "reality" only by way of logic, you're missing out on a lot of fun. ;-)

Key word: "perceive." Is reality what we perceive, or does it exist independently of our consciousness? Is it "our reality," or does everybody share the same reality?

 

I propose that everybody shares the same reality, and I have two bits of evidence:

 

First, math and science would not make sense if one person's perceptions of reality had no bearing on those of another person. The fact that certain things are "universally true" is proof (in my mind) that Truth is objective.

 

Second, ethics would not make sense under the same circumstances. The fact that certain human rights are respected across all cultures is also proof that ethics are part of this objective Truth.

 

All that being said, I do realize that it can be a lot of fun to cast logic to the wind and indulge one's emotions. I do it when I can afford to, and find it very refreshing. But my worldview is built very firmly on logic. If I may be so bold, I might even venture to guess that your worldview is built on logic as well.

 

Some (most?) of what I said above is probably not relevant to what you actually believe. Please note that I do not take these sort of discussions personally, and I am not offended when anyone disagrees with me.

 

Here's one of my favorite quotes, to end with:

[Swine & Roses]

Evil German Nazi Übermensch here. From this week on I got a new job, building engines for all your fancy Mercedes.

Before that I built fancy, uh.. doors and windows.

I'm a depressive piece of shit with no real interests, so I just do whatever pays the bills. Not that I have much choice where I live.

[42PercentHealth]

5 minutes ago, Swine & Roses said:

Evil German Nazi Übermensch here. From this week on I got a new job, building engines for all your fancy Mercedes.

Before that I built fancy, uh.. doors and windows.

I'm a depressive piece of sh*t with no real interests, so I just do whatever pays the bills. Not that I have much choice where I live.

Hey, at least you can pay your bills. That's more than a lot of people can say...

[Nine Inch Heels]

19 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

Is that a fact? I define the word "fact" to mean "something which is universally true," and one certainly cannot say that there is more to the universe than the set of things which are true about the universe.

Yes, what I said is a fact. In fact, it is truth. ;-)

I'll illuminate: You and a friend of yours walk across the streets. You see "something" both of you have never seen before. One of you likes it, the other one does not.

 

The fact: Both of you have seen "something".

 

The truth: One of you saw "something" he/she likes, the other one did not.

Facts are many. Truth is one. ;-)

 

31 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

I propose that everybody shares the same reality, and I have two bits of evidence:

 

First, math and science would not make sense if one person's perceptions of reality had no bearing on those of another person. The fact that certain things are "universally true" is proof (in my mind) that Truth is objective.

 

Second, ethics would not make sense under the same circumstances. The fact that certain human rights are respected across all cultures is also proof that ethics are part of this objective Truth.

Facts are objective, truth is not. Truth also involves emotions. If you ever found yourself in a situation in which you had to deal with a misunderstanding you can probably relate.
 

 

38 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

All that being said, I do realize that it can be a lot of fun to cast logic to the wind and indulge one's emotions. I do it when I can afford to, and find it very refreshing. But my worldview is built very firmly on logic. If I may be so bold, I might even venture to guess that your worldview is built on logic as well

From first hand experience I can tell that emotions are not always fun to begin with.

Your worldview begs the question what is part of your worldview and what's not. There are things which are easy to grasp by way of logic: Math, physics, laws... So far I'm with you. But, what about love, dedication, passion? Can logic explain these? It can't, I'd argue.

You can boil emotions down to chemical reactions, you can argue that emotions merely serve the purpose of passing on one's genes, but the moment you try to explain, solely based on logic, why you love one particular person, and not all other similar ones you've met so far, you'll have difficulties. ;-)

Of course I understand many things by way of logic. I have to. But I also realize that logic and emotions are two different disciplines, which excel in certain situations, and fail horribly in others. The art of living a balanced life (as in: not using a knife all blade) lies in the ability to identify which of these disciplines is suited for any given situation. Of course, there's no black and white thinking here, compromises need to be made as well.
 

33 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

Please note that I do not take these sort of discussions personally, and I am not offended when anyone disagrees with me.

Same here.

[Remilia Scarlet]

I live in the US, in Colorado.  It's a beautiful state and I can't imagine very many other places I'd like to live.  I'm disabled now, but I was a system administrator (Winblows and Linux systems), and a programmer (Common Lisp and C# mainly).  Nothing cool or impressive, but it paid the bills.  The thing I'd rather be doing is either writing music for games, or teaching.

[42PercentHealth]

4 minutes ago, YukiRaven said:

I live in the US, in Colorado.  It's a beautiful state and I can't imagine very many other places I'd like to live.  I'm disabled now, but I was a system administrator (Winblows and Linux systems), and a programmer (Common Lisp and C# mainly).  Nothing cool or impressive, but it paid the bills.  The thing I'd rather be doing is either writing music for games, or teaching.

I've been to Colorado... I love all the mountain states! :-)

 

I assume by "Winblows" you mean to say that you prefer Linux? Same here... Linux rocks!

 

There's actually a good job market for programming / computer science teachers (at the college level -- I don't know about lower levels), and I'm sure that any reputable university would accommodate your disability.

[Remilia Scarlet]

@42PercentHealth damn right, Slackware Linux is my primary OS :D

[HorrorMovieRei]

I live in Brazil. I dropped out of nursing school and I'm unemployed. Help.

[42PercentHealth]

29 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

Yes, what I said is a fact. In fact, it is truth. ;-)

I'll illuminate: You and a friend of yours walk across the streets. You see "something" both of you have never seen before. One of you likes it, the other one does not.

 

The fact: Both of you have seen "something".

 

The truth: One of you saw "something" he/she likes, the other one did not.

Facts are many. Truth is one. ;-)

 

Facts are objective, truth is not.

It is obvious we simply have different ways of understanding the same terms, so I will try to choose my words carefully. I do not draw a distinction between facts and truth. I would say it is a fact that what I saw pleased me, and what my friend saw displeased him. However, I do draw a distinction between facts/truth and science. Science is a tool by which we attempt to learn facts, but 1) not everything "science" says is a true fact, and 2) some facts cannot be determined scientifically.

 

33 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

Truth also involves emotions. If you ever found yourself in a situation in which you had to deal with a misunderstanding you can probably relate.
 

From first hand experience I can tell that emotions are not always fun to begin with.

Your worldview begs the question what is part of your worldview and what's not. There are things which are easy to grasp by way of logic: Math, physics, laws... So far I'm with you. But, what about love, dedication, passion? Can logic explain these? It can't, I'd argue.

You can boil emotions down to chemical reactions, you can argue that emotions merely serve the purpose of passing on one's genes, but the moment you try to explain, solely based on logic, why you love one particular person, and not all other similar ones you've met so far, you'll have difficulties. ;-)

Of course I understand many things by way of logic. I have to. But I also realize that logic and emotions are two different disciplines, which excel in certain situations, and fail horribly in others. The art of living a balanced life (as in: not using a knife all blade) lies in the ability to identify which of these disciplines is suited for any given situation. Of course, there's no black and white thinking here, compromises need to be made as well.

You make good points, and I certainly respect your positions.

 

Actually, you've stated the reasons why I believe in a human soul -- there are some aspects of the human experience (such as love, dedication, passion) for which I doubt we will ever find a purely biological explanation. In my mind, this does not remove "logic" or "facts" from the table -- it just puts such aspects outside the realm of scientific investigation. To clarify: either it is a fact that we have a non-physical component to our existence, which we call a "soul" (you might have a different word, but it's likely the same thing); or else it is a fact that we are purely physical beings. Only one of them can be "true." I think we both agree on the former, so let's move on with the assumption that it is true, and the latter is false. This thing we call a "soul" is also subject to laws and facts, but the nature of these laws and facts is unknown to science. I believe that if we understood them logically, then logic and emotions would cease to be two different disciplines. We could easily predict which types of music someone will like or dislike, or which people will fall in love and which ones will just stay friends (or enemies, if they prefer). As it stands, however, we do not understand the human soul, so your worldview probably better equips you for interacting with people than mine does.

 

In short, nothing is outside the realm of fact/truth, but some things are outside the realm of science. Hopefully that makes at least a little sense.

 

[42PercentHealth]

37 minutes ago, YukiRaven said:

@42PercentHealth damn right, Slackware Linux is my primary OS :D

I use Fedora right now, but I'm tired of my OS becoming obsolete every 1.5 years. Thinking of changing to a Debian-based system... maybe Mint?

[42PercentHealth]

31 minutes ago, HorrorMovieGuy said:

I live in Brazil. I dropped out of nursing school and I'm unemployed. Help.

How's the job market in Brazil? Here in the U.S., almost anyone can get a job that keeps bread on the table, as long as they're not afraid of manual labor.

 

To quote a comedian whose name I don't know...

 

How to become a millionaire without paying taxes: Step 1, get a million dollars. Step 2, don't pay taxes.

 

:-P

[Liberation]

I live in the UK on the south coast, I'm an independent engineer, was a Honda car mechanic for 16 years but recently decided to move on and do something a bit different. 

 

My interests apart from Doom are, table top wargaming, computer programming (to a basic degree) , listening to music and I study modern history, wars mainly, colonial history is also an interest to me.

 

Every 12 - 18 months I get excited about politics, much to the annoyance of friends, family, better half..  then go back to sleep again. 

 

That's about it really... oh and I love doom 2016 :-)

[42PercentHealth]

Just now, Liberation said:

I live in the UK on the south coast, I'm an independent engineer, was a Honda car mechanic for 16 years but recently decided to move on and do something a bit different. 

 

My interests apart from Doom are, table top wargaming, computer programming (to a basic degree) , listening to music and I study modern history, wars mainly, colonial history is also an interest to me.

 

Every 12 - 18 months I get excited about politics, much to the annoyance of friends, family, better half..  then go back to sleep again. 

 

That's about it really... oh and I love doom 2016 :-)

Sounds like a good life! :-)

[Liberation]

No complaints sir, as long as there's food on the table and a bit of cash in my pocket, then I cant ask for much more really.