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Comment by raydora on The Best Tacit Knowledge Videos on Every Subject · 2024-04-02T15:26:23.858Z · LW · GW

Domain: Combat Sports

Link: Muay Thai Library

Person: Sylvie Von Duuglas-Ittu

Background: Muay Thai fighter with over 200 fights.

Why: Sylvie shows herself learning with her 'Muay Thai Library' videos. She narrates how she explores learning someone's technique or strategy.

More than any particular technique, these videos show someone's learning process. This is applicable to all combat sports.

Comment by raydora on Is nuking women and children cheaper than firebombing them? · 2021-10-14T15:58:14.505Z · LW · GW

Games with non-real-world rules are how everyone who fights wars prepares for wars.

Comment by raydora on Polling Thread January 2016 · 2016-01-10T17:54:34.185Z · LW · GW

16 minutes here. Also guessed frequently.

Comment by raydora on Sports · 2016-01-10T17:02:26.719Z · LW · GW

We have mandatory 'fun days' where we grill hot dogs and play ultimate football.

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely attempting to implement some of the lessons from it to my draft next year. Incidentally, drafting is where I've always failed- I kind of just picked players without any knowledge or analysis, and then figured out what I could do with them during the season. The waiver wire helped, of course. Mine is an extremely blue collar league, so there's not much in the way of strategy besides 'I follow my gut'.

Comment by raydora on Open Thread, Dec. 28 - Jan. 3, 2016 · 2015-12-28T13:45:16.429Z · LW · GW

I'm deeply interested in this problem.

I've got to ask, though.

Isn't this a niche filled by 'business intelligence' and 'data science'? They call it a lot of different things, sure, but they seem to be operating in the same space- at least, they may seem to, to a non-technical executive. An exception is mid-to-small business - I don't think there's a lot of penetration there.

Comment by raydora on Sports · 2015-12-28T13:37:48.569Z · LW · GW

I no longer play sports (unless it's mandated by work), unless you count grappling on occasion.

Yes, I maintain a fantasy football team to practice statistical thinking (as opposed to actual statistics, at the moment) and because I found it ingratiates me with my colleagues. My workplace went from a den of geeks to regular Monday night football types in the space of months, so I switched from D&D to fantasy football.

It's safe to say I don't really have teams I root for (once upon a time it was Newcastle United, because I liked zebras as a kid) or sports I watch more than a few minutes of. Yet I'm interested in sports- now more than ever.

It's in the details. How does a tennis player improve his reaction time? How does handball transfer to boxing? How does the conditioning a football wide receiver employs differ from a midfielder's training in football? What are the steps coaches take to improve performance? When performance is at a peak, what's the best method for getting a group of people with adrenaline driving them to incorporate tactics into their play? Are tactics something you need to pay attention to? Sports provide a simple world with well-defined rules to explore the effect of competition on innovation.

If a team isn't maximizing play within those rules, that team should lose over time. There's a consequence for not paying attention to reality- especially in professional sports. If passing the ball in a particular way is bad form but it works and isn't against the rules, surely teams will eventually start doing it, and the game will have to be re-examined.

You can find a lot of these aspects in multiplayer virtual games, but the physical skills required for sports introduce a whole new element that's extremely interesting. Sure, Counter-Strike might raise your reaction time, but that's just your eyes and your hands. A squash player, now, she'll need to move her whole body.

I see the value in sports. I just don't find it fun to, actually, you know, play, due to skill mismatch. People are either way better or much worse. Unless it's capture the flag, paintball, or some other 'new' sport. The sports I do enjoy are one-on-one, but they carry a high risk of injury or are a heavy time sink.

I do wonder why people haven't come up with a better game- one that maximizes suspense and use of complex tactics.

But which sport has had the most rules changes over time? A cursory glance suggests the NFL, but I suppose I should make a note to crunch those numbers when I'm inclined.

One last thing. I think there might be a better way to structure professional teams to encourage drama. As the saying goes, you're just rooting for a jersey. Perhaps some sort of player buy-in to a team might change that. After all, city leagues, high school games, national, and even college sports make for more compelling stories.

Comment by raydora on Stupid Questions, 2nd half of December · 2015-12-24T16:48:33.918Z · LW · GW

Measuring RMR could reveal snowflake likelihood.

If ego depletion turns out to be real, choosing not to limit yourself in order to focus on something you find important might be a choice you make. Different people really do carry their fat differently, too, so there's that. Not everyone who runs marathons is slender, especially as they age.

And then there's injuries, but that brings up another subject.

I'm not sure how expensive whole body air displacement is in the civilian world, but it seems like a decent way to measure lean mass.

Comment by raydora on Open thread, Nov. 16 - Nov. 22, 2015 · 2015-11-18T11:57:57.726Z · LW · GW

Have you talked to her about it? What does she say?

Comment by raydora on Rationality Merchandise - First Set · 2015-11-15T16:55:50.444Z · LW · GW

I'm a little surprised you hired someone for those designs. May I ask how much you paid? Quite honestly, you could've gotten the same design from a middle school student taking a graphic design class. This is fine if you're doing it yourself, but if you're paying for it, well, I think I could do better for free, and I've got absolutely no qualifications in the field.

I know what kind of designs appeal to a subset of society, but I guess we'd have to figure out who your target audience for those t-shirts are. It might not be anyone here, or anyone with the privilege of appreciating art, though the fact that you're publishing in sites like LifeHacker suggests otherwise.

It's the old argument with car dealership and personal injury/family/divorce law ads. Yes, they're not pleasing to you and me, but they may work for their intended audience.

However, I think there's something to be said for aesthetically pleasing designs, especially those that are universal enough to carry across a large number of cultures.

You can take a look at the general designer zeitgeist at portfolio websites like Behance and Dribble.

In addition to Fiverr, there's also 99designs and others. Plenty of t-shirt websites now use the contest format, as well, and you can look at submissions to see the kinds of designs that are given a chance.

Comment by raydora on Open thread, Nov. 09 - Nov. 15, 2015 · 2015-11-13T22:58:35.188Z · LW · GW

I'm talking about pleasure in general. Not just sexual.

Comment by raydora on Open thread, Nov. 09 - Nov. 15, 2015 · 2015-11-09T20:38:02.239Z · LW · GW

I'm not sure the potential risk of side effects of the drugs in question are worth such a change. I don't know how old you are, but your libido might also diminish over time.

I used to have similar thoughts as a teenager, so I understand the sentiment, but like everything else at that age, those concerns seem minute in hindsight.

How much fun do you have? Increasing hedons might yield a more efficient balance.

Comment by raydora on Open thread, Oct. 19 - Oct. 25, 2015 · 2015-11-08T03:29:06.026Z · LW · GW

Late reply, I know!

Standardizing decisions through checklists and decision trees has, in general, shown to be useful if the principles behind those algorithms are based on a reliable map. In medical practice, that's probably the evidence-based medicine approach to screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

In addition, all this assumes that patient management skills are not a concern, since it's not something I personally consider important (from the point of view of a patient) when considering a provider of any medical or technical service. If you typically require more from your physician (and many people do see physicians as societal pillars and someone to talk to their non-medical problems about) than medical evaluation and treatment, then it is something to keep in mind.

Anecdotally, every medical provider I've encountered who was a vocal opponent of clinical decision support systems had a tendency to jump to dramatic conclusions that were later proven wrong.

This is one of the few studies on the subject that isn't behind a paywall.

Comment by raydora on Sidekick Matchmaking - How to tackle the problem? · 2015-10-26T23:16:16.632Z · LW · GW

I think becoming a sidekick would be an interesting experience.

I don't really have (this is not false humility- I think my most advanced skill is cooking, and I've never cooked for a living) any strong suits, and am mostly concerned with mundane instrumental rationality at the moment.

I'm a liberal arts dropout who joined the military a few years ago. My immediate goal is learning basic math and programming.

I suspect an outside interest (i.e, a 'hero') might help lend some focus.

Comment by raydora on Nature publishes an article about alternative therapy · 2015-10-20T00:35:54.651Z · LW · GW

Am I alone in thinking this should be in the Open Thread? /meta

Comment by raydora on Open thread, Oct. 19 - Oct. 25, 2015 · 2015-10-20T00:21:01.991Z · LW · GW

I don't have any surefire methods that don't require a very basic working knowledge of medicine, but a general rule of thumb is the physician's opinion of the algorithmic approach to medical decision making. If it is clearly negative, I'd be willing to bet that the physician is bad. Not quite the same as finding a good one, but decent for narrowing your search.

Along with this, look for someone who thinks in terms of possibilities rather than certainties in diagnoses.

All assuming you're looking for a general practitioner, of course. I wouldn't select surgeons based on this rule of thumb, for instance.

If you're looking for someone who simply has good tableside manner, then reviews and word of mouth do work.

Comment by raydora on Ultimatums in the Territory · 2015-09-30T23:26:22.458Z · LW · GW

That's a good question. I don't really know. I think I've been equating 'persuasion' with 'dark art'. I need to figure out what separates effective persuasive techniques from dark arts, if anything, and if the label 'dark art' has any use.

Comment by raydora on Rationality Quotes Thread September 2015 · 2015-09-29T22:14:47.678Z · LW · GW

Yes, it does, though those answers lead to further questions.

How can you gain information from a prediction you cannot test, until you die? Is there some way to test it? Or have you encountered personal evidence of an afterlife already?

Why does free will or an afterlife require a God?

It's hard to convey tone in text, but these are honest questions. If they make you uncomfortable, it's fine if you ignore them.

Regarding the sequences, you may find it easier to derive the same information from books popularizing a lot of the source material it is based on, if the sequences themselves turn you off.

Comment by raydora on Rationality Quotes Thread September 2015 · 2015-09-29T16:14:47.511Z · LW · GW

What can you predict with the existence of your God that you can't predict without?

And what makes your God more likely than any other God or Gods?

I suppose it's a question of granularity. While there have been a number of sound arguments for 16/64 equalling 1/4, there are hitherto no arguments of equal strength for the existence of any particular deity.

16/64 being equal to 1/4 allows people to predict what will happen when they scale objects.

Comment by raydora on Open thread, Sep. 28 - Oct. 4, 2015 · 2015-09-29T16:06:24.569Z · LW · GW

Perhaps a rating system based on proportions, symmetry, and skin health. However, I'm not convinced this is that (it is a large factor in decisions, yes, but it's not one you can change much beyond style and hygiene, unless you're willing to undergo plastic surgery) important, except in the realm of Tinder-esque situations.

If you happen to live somewhere where random people will complement you or flirt with you, I suppose number of incidents/number of people exposed to over a large span of time could be a metric.

Comment by raydora on Open thread, Sep. 28 - Oct. 4, 2015 · 2015-09-29T14:40:57.308Z · LW · GW

How is a sexbot different from a sexdoll or a fleshlight and pornography?

I don't think it would create any problems in a mentally healthy individual, though it might exacerbate those suffering from pre-existing issues surrounding sex.

Comment by raydora on Open thread, Sep. 28 - Oct. 4, 2015 · 2015-09-29T14:30:09.956Z · LW · GW

A large portion of my coworkers (due to the nature of the job, they're probably in that weird space between family, friend, and acquaintance) fiercely endorse beliefs that I am at odds with (against gay marriage, strong religiosity, complete climate change denial, etc) but we can discuss our beliefs (for the most part; one of them insisted he would have his daughter flogged if she 'turned gay', and then kidnapped and sent to some less accepting society to 'chase it out of her') without any heated arguments. Even if we do, we still have no problems buying each other lunch the next day.

This is a wholly personal experience, since I'm used to holding contrarian views. I think it still bothers my System 1, but not enough for me to devote System 2 time to it.

What about the world at large, though?

Would an online interaction promote calm discussion, or in-person interaction?

While that dichotomy might differ in the LessWrong community due to cultural factors, I think it's safe to say that people think the opposite is usually true for most internet interactions.

A few possibilities come to mind, in regards to possible trends. I realize that it's a mixture. Help me out if I've missed something.

  • A) People are more belligerent online, less belligerent in person.
  • B) People are less belligerent online, more belligerent in person.
  • C) People are the same online and in the real world.
  • D) Online vs. real world belligerence determined strongly by culture.

Public opinion seems to favor A.

I'm having trouble finding relevant studies, because I'm not sure if data collected from the context of online sexual/nonsexual harassment is useful, here.

Comment by raydora on Examples of growth mindset or practice in fiction · 2015-09-29T14:05:33.275Z · LW · GW

The scifi action flick Edge of Tomorrow might be a close-but-not-perfect example. Most of the movie is an extended training montage, with one (more or less the same as Groundhog Day) unique conceit.

The coming of age movie I Not Stupid is essentially about the distinction between a growth and fixed mindset, as played out against a backdrop of the highly competitive Singaporean education system.

Arguably Batman, when taken at face value. Due in part to sheer volume, there are probably a few story arcs from both Batman and Spider-Man comics that have elements of this. Not even mentioning the countless lesser known entities of super-hero comics that embody it, especially those with Charles Atlas superpowers.

A lot of fight sport fiction might get close, too.

I have an inkling that fiction in the near future featuring The Unchosen One will at least attempt more of this, or at least a Hollywood/Anime version of it.

Comment by raydora on Ultimatums in the Territory · 2015-09-29T13:48:11.093Z · LW · GW

I agree, though that particular technique (in and of itself, without context) is also used as a Dark Art.

Comment by raydora on Stupid Questions August 2015 · 2015-08-09T03:01:24.411Z · LW · GW

Speaking only from personal experience, it reduces akrasia rather than eliminates it.

An odd factor is an inability to engage in pure entertainment, but I wonder if this is merely a latent psychological issue specific to me that only surfaces when taking modafinil. This seems like it's a benefit, but it can be an annoyance in regards to social interaction, almost like a classic djinn wish. Since it only lasts half a day (for me) after the first week, this isn't really a problem, though.

I recommend never taking anything with caffeine in it while on modafinil, but you might not respond as strongly to it as I do.

The most easily observed benefit for me has been not falling asleep while driving, watching movies, sitting, standing idly, etc.

Comment by raydora on Peer-to-peer "knowledge exchanges" · 2015-08-08T20:21:35.198Z · LW · GW

Are you thinking of Cognito?

Could it be a more targeted additional function of the lw study hall?

I do think that it's an idea that warrants further exploration.

Comment by raydora on Forecasting health gaps · 2015-08-07T20:26:52.346Z · LW · GW

Yesterday, I was surprised when I treated a patient (for a heart attack) to find that he later ended up in the ER. I've only treated a handful (exactly five!) with MI-like symptoms, and none of them had his low heart rate or controlled breathing. Surprise meant my model needed to be updated, and a quick look at this showed me that I really only needed two symptoms to be wary.

Physicians and other healthcare providers in the 'algorithmic' camp (vs 'clinical') essentially forecast diagnosis through probability-based predictions. Algorithms are also referred to simply as 'flowcharts' and as part of standard operating procedure. Medical algorithms incorporate a large number of established heuristics in a standardized manner, and have been shown to dramatically increase diagnostic accuracy. The medical branch of the military has access to a wealth of patient data, and they create algorithms based on that data.

In the private sector, there's Medal, Apervita, Syapse and others. There's a few private companies 'democratizing healthcare data' for a price. There's even more information from health insurance providers, which tend to have their own healthcare data companies, which organizations can also access for a price.

DXplain uses Bayesian logic for diagnostics, and is open to physicians. TXdent does the same for dental care. Adjuvant! is publicly available to healthcare providers and exists for cancer patients. eMedicine is pretty great, but nigh useless to the layperson, other than a better version of WebMD, even though it's a service offered by the same company. If you wanted to improve self-care, you might be able to get some mileage out of CATmaker, but it assumes you're a provider, and I doubt a layperson would get use out of it. Tripdatabase is a curated database, mostly with links to studies from NIH, so you'll encounter the paywall either way.

There's also CDSS, which, while acknowledged as effective, is having problems with implementation due to the state of IT in healthcare.

Disease models exist primarily to forecast infection rates and risks. In addition to census data, there are publicly available datasets for infectious diseases.

All this to say that I suspect the specialists in your post are obfuscating the problem.

  • Medical datasets are not freely available to every medical institution.
  • Not every provider employs information gleaned from this data.
  • Algorithmic, probability based care is essentially controlled by a few companies.

Solve the problem, and you close part of the gap in English speaking countries. If you can read Dutch or Russian, you might be able to get access to all of the above (albeit with more geographically limited datasets) for free, but I don't really know.

If you want to identify health risks for yourself, cross reference the probability of infection in your meatspace community with your own demographic (parents, habits, location, age, general health, medical history) information and take appropriate preventive measures.

Comment by raydora on Open Thread, Jul. 27 - Aug 02, 2015 · 2015-07-31T18:12:26.246Z · LW · GW

Has anyone read anything about Applied Information Economics?

Comment by raydora on July 2015 Media Thread · 2015-07-02T01:15:11.988Z · LW · GW

Within the fantasy genre, he seems well known as the current authority on the (seriously labeled, humorously adopted by him) 'grimdark' genre.

If you like that, you'll probably loveBest Served Cold and The Heroes. He's got the trappings of a debutante in The First Law, but those two books show an experienced designer at work.

There's something Tarantino-like about him, as applied to fantasy fiction. An ability to confer personality through changes in writing style is probably what truly sets him apart from other fantasy authors, though. Above all, he is able to tell when a character has no stories left to tell, and usually sets them aside in favor of a minor character from a previous fiction.

When Steven Erikson and George Martin do it, it sometimes seems arbitrary, a reminder to the reader that it's a shitty world where shitty things happen, and they are often taken out of the plot by death or worse.

It feels more (I'm not sure if the denouement of the First Law might allow this to make more sense, or reveal it to be an old impression that does not match reality- it's definitely the case in his more recent adult books) natural in Abercrombie's books, and I don't doubt that feeling is entirely deliberate. I have an impression that he's a writer that doesn't leave much to chance, artistic whim, or fits of inspiration.

Comment by raydora on Open Thread, Jun. 15 - Jun. 21, 2015 · 2015-06-16T23:45:56.406Z · LW · GW

My math skills are probably extremely poor, so it's been easier for me to to make large gains. Most often, this is manifest in three digit multiplication or division, in situations that don't allow for calculators. Small scale logistics (how much fuel do we need for x days in x area? How much food?) and other stuff a middle schooler wouldn't have trouble with. The difference between three minutes and thirty seconds usually doesn't matter, but I'm preparing for worst case scenarios anyway.

Currently, I have memorized nonsense paragraphs for work and basic medical diagnostic algorithms, as well as the pharmacology of drugs I administer most often. Memorizing faces, names, and minor facts concerning people at work is uncommonly useful in getting the job done. Following proper channels is usually nigh impossible, so we rely on a system of favors.

Basic python functions. Any factoid that may inspire fiction.

I am sometimes (about once a month) in situations where I am given a short amount of time to take in specific information, often digits, and there are dozens of checklists. This is where I've seen the most dramatic improvement.

Hrm. I think I've figured it out, purely from writing this reply. I'll just focus on biases, python functions, and mathematical formulas I encounter until I'm ready to take on another major subject.

Comment by raydora on Open Thread, Jun. 15 - Jun. 21, 2015 · 2015-06-15T13:10:57.931Z · LW · GW

I can honestly say that utilizing a memory palace and linking was a significant jump in my life. I started training myself in their use about a year ago, but never had to put them into action in a constrained time frame until recently. It felt wonderful. Currently working on incorporating spaced repetition into my routine. My chief problem is prioritizing lists. Figuring out what needs to be memorized in a subject requires some understanding, and I usually lack that in subjects I'm deeply interested in.

A combination of mnemonic techniques and mental math methods that I'd never encountered in childhood make a huge difference. I wonder why they are not taught in schools.

CARVER encourages tertiary recon to validate whatever data was initially gathered. I'm sure this wouldn't be a problem for a neo-rationalist civilian or SOCOM, but when it's applied in regular Army, the element that's engaged in tertiary recon has incentive to simply agree with the initial report, especially if that's the sort of thing command encourages.

That's about all the topics I have serious familiarity with on that thread. Will check out the rest.

Comment by raydora on Lesswrong, Effective Altruism Forum and Slate Star Codex: Harm Reduction · 2015-06-13T03:04:31.374Z · LW · GW

This is not a well thought out post, in keeping with the nature of the subject matter. Less Wrong does seem to encourage solidified thoughts rather than subconscious reactions. A good thing, I think, but difficult all the same. Ideas follow.

  • An IRC-style (not necessarily chat) section which has neither votes nor a delineation between post and comment. An area for LWers to post thoughts as they occur. Restrict formatting of these posts to plain text. Not a design choice, so much as to encourage train-of-thought style conversation.
  • Why upvotes at all? Why not a well defined rating scheme, in addition to use of belief tags in standalone Main and Discussion posts?
Comment by raydora on Stupid Questions June 2015 · 2015-06-06T17:19:46.362Z · LW · GW

I suppose the problem with that statement was 'good' and 'working'. It is far easier to simply memorize the symptoms and general knowledge, see what it looks like on assorted Youtube videos and browsing Figure 1, which is free and accessible to the public, than it is to acquire experience with it. This is the cheapest route, and getting that initial knowledge uses the same study techniques you would use to learn, say, microeconomics.

You don't need too much (EMT and CPR) to be certified to become an Emergency Room Technician, solely to volunteer (as opposed to looking for employment) at an emergency room on weekends. The job mostly involves taking vitals, cleaning, and being ready to assist medical staff with menial labor. It's probably the cheapest way to do it that I can think of. Close observation of what the doctors and nurses are doing would yield enough experience to recognize frequent issues surrounding diabetic and cardiac emergencies. EMT and CPR would incur the most costs, besides time on weekends.

Comment by raydora on Confession Thread: Mistakes as an aspiring rationalist · 2015-06-04T00:27:35.875Z · LW · GW

Dying in Warframe? What a casual!

Your explanation seems like it might be true. I know usually encounter that problem, on the other side. Incorporating failure as an opportunity to improve is how I've dealt with it in the past, but that may be akin to someone telling a depressed person "just be happy."

A friend who's willing to explain how you could improve, and be extremely polite about it might help.

Comment by raydora on Confession Thread: Mistakes as an aspiring rationalist · 2015-06-04T00:23:33.781Z · LW · GW

Does frequency of socialization change your feelings about it? I know, personally, that my ideal amount of socialization is about once a week with people I am close to, and once a month with strangers. There are others who need it every day, but still like a weekend away from people every now and then.

In addition, forced socialization (if your work or school requires a lot of communication, poor or otherwise) can be especially draining.

Comment by raydora on Stupid Questions June 2015 · 2015-05-31T14:34:39.930Z · LW · GW

I don't believe I've ever seen them in regular over-the-counter emergency kits, but making sure you have a tourniquet within (and know it's use) reach can't hurt. A pocket mask is great, too. An AED would probably be amazing if you have over a thousand US (or it's equivalent) dollars to spend. Emergency treatments in general change pretty drastically every few years, so it would be an ongoing investment.

Have a good, working knowledge of what diabetes looks like, and various cardiac issues. While it may never happen to you, recognizing it and calling for help might save someone.

The training, naturally, is probably the hardest part to acquire, but I don't think anyone who maximizes learning efficiency would have any trouble. The main issue is finding the right teachers.

While I could come up with a curriculum (I teach very basic survival/emergency treatment regularly) and put it in a nice app or something, the nature of those treatments are constantly changing, and I wouldn't in good conscience disseminate that information without knowing that students would be able to stay up to date.

Until then, an EMT course can't hurt. If you have stable employment and decent hours, you might be able to take advantage of night classes.

Comment by raydora on Open Thread, May 18 - May 24, 2015 · 2015-05-22T00:19:47.777Z · LW · GW

This sounds like a larger implementation of the models pathologists use to try and predict the infection rate of a disease. Considering the amount of computing power needed for that, such a service might be prohibitively expensive- at least in the near future.

I'm wondering if there would be a way for participants to place some skin in the game, besides a connection to prediction markets.

Comment by raydora on Open Thread, May 18 - May 24, 2015 · 2015-05-18T03:38:44.582Z · LW · GW

I recently joined this site after lurking for awhile. Are blog contributions of that sort are the primary purpose of Less Wrong?

It seems like it fulfills a niche that the avenues you listed do not: specifically, in the capacity of a community rather than an individual, academic, or professional endeavor.

There are applications of rational thought present in these threads that I don't see gathered anywhere else. I'm sure I'm missing something here, but could viewing Less Wrong as a potential breeding ground for contributors of that kind be useful?

I realize it's a difficult line to follow without facing the problems inherent to any community, especially one that preaches a Way.

I haven't encountered the rationalist tumblr scene. Is such a community there?

Comment by raydora on LessWrong experience on Alcohol · 2015-04-18T16:09:27.588Z · LW · GW

I've liked beer since adulthood, chiefly because I love coarse, bitter breads and beer (I tend to stay away from the blander productions mass marketed by the largest brewing companies) has always seemed like a wonderful liquid take on bread.

Food is my primary source of hedons, and my beverage consumption developed as an extension of that. I have a love affair with mead, a recurring fling with whiskey, and an occasional one night stand with liquors at large. I appreciate cocktails, but I've found my tastes to require seeking bartenders that are near impossible to find in smaller towns.

I do not wish to spend the money (on liquor alone) required to learn the skills required to rival them, though I will mix a few drinks on very special (Thanksgiving, etc) occasions.

I spend about 5.5% of my income on alcohol.

I never drank exclusively for the purpose of getting drunk until I joined the military, but it's still a rare occurrence.

The sensation itself is akin to a combination of runner's high, fatigue, and, well, being a teenager again. It usually puts me in a good mood and makes it easier for me to enjoy social interactions, and essentially dulls any input my System 2 might have on System 1.

I drink every weekend, at an average of about six bottles of beer or a bottle of wine. Once every three months or so, I will drink more. I know that the equivalent of about 11 bottles of beer begins to stress my digestive system to unpleasant levels, so that's where I usually stop. I have gone over this limit less than a handful of times.

I know that I will not drink if the only thing available to me, was, say, Budweiser or a Cabernet. Even if I have been gifted with something like Mike's Hard Lemonade or Redd's cider, well, I won't really drink anything of that sort, either.

I will not sacrifice expenditures on living expenses, books, or luxury foods for most types of alcohol. While I'm not an alcoholic, I'm probably close to it.

There is ignorance in the bottle, and in that ignorance is a kind of peace.

That, coupled, with a strong appreciation of flavor and texture from anything I ingest is probably why I consume alcohol.

It is one more pit stop in the race against Akrasia.