namaemuta

Something really difficult to do nowadays with the COVID lockdowns...

Thanks, I didn't know it was called that. And yes, I had the same impression about spelling contests

That happens with Spanish. Most of the time is WYSIWYS (What you see is what you say).

What a short-sighted attitude. Colonizing Mars opens the door to a lot of advances in many, many fields. At first it will be difficult and expensive as it has happened with every new advance in the past. Precisely because of it, people will think of ideas to improve all the process and related problems. And presenting those new problems that we aren't facing now can lead to solutions that could be used in other common areas that we are used to and are kind of stuck.

I wonder if this could be use on RPG games in which there are so many texts and dialogs that having a recorded voice for all of them is impracticable.

Your reference is outdated :P https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7E-ttJpJ7Q

Nunberg can see how scrolling through AITA might be a “stupendous timewaster,” but he believes the sub has the potential to do some good in the world

I hardly believe so. Reddit is an echo chamber by itself and people's judgment there is way far from perfect. In this subreddit you can see a similar effect than the "fake news" one: present an emotional scenario in which you look like the victim, no matter what you do, and the majority will get on your side. That's why you need to hear all the parties involved in a conflict resolution, otherwise you can be easily manipulated.

I totally agree and I would love to see this idea implemented in many other places but sadly not all the countries share the same mentality that Japan has about social duties.

I really like this idea. You have your personal space (I saw a video in which you even have a small kitchen and bathroom in your room) and then the rest are shared areas. I don't believe it could work in many other countries but in Japan, where people are more concious of colaborating to keep everything clean AFAIK, it could be a great way to fight the feeling of loneliness that is spreading around the world.

You can tell them "A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to."

Make some groups, teach them an easy method to encrypt messages (like Vigenère cipher) and let them play writing encrypted messages between groups or think about a game in which they need to decipher a secret code. It worked quite well for some adults I taught few years ago.

Well, if a swallow can carry a coconut, it can also carry a flightless bird :p

Exactly what is happening with planes. I'm still astonished every time I get into one and see the missing row 13. It's so ridiculous...

The reader must have equal opportunity with the detective for solving the mystery. All clues must be plainly stated and described.

Many TV shows fail on this point trying to surprise the viewer with an unexpected result which ironically becomes so common that ends up being predictable from the first few minutes of the show.

Edit: they also fail in number 2 and 5.

That can be an issue too when they use that knowledge to brush off the trouble as not a big deal.

There are some online services like 7cups in which people talk with strangers about their problems just to vent, allowing them to talk freely without being judged. For example, many teenagers don't want to talk to their parents because they feel they won't be taken seriously or they will be dismissed with a simple "that's because you are young". Another example could be when people don't want to worry their close ones (a thing that many depressed people do, to avoid being a burden).

First, it was never stated to do that from a balcony so how would have known that the person to whom it was suggested? But leaving that aside, can you grant me for sure that there won't be any problem? for every place in Barcelona? what about if they people making noise aren't Barcelonian? what if they are too drunk and make even more noise? what if they recognize the balcony from where you screamed at them and start to throw you things as retribution? or ringing at your door? The possible developments of that situation are so many that you can't lightly ignore them, specially when it's another person the one who is going to be in that situation.

You shouldn't recommend people to scream to a group of people "Shut the fuck up" because it's not only unpolite but it can be the source of a lot of problems for that person. Be considerate with your recommendations and aware that you could cause problems to others with them.

Well, when you type "If, for, foreach, switch, GoTo, Resume, Continue, Break..." you are already using English so I would say that if you are able to code, then you are capable of at least, understand a basic level of English (which translates into English being a requirement to even start to code).

If you want to help him, there's something you can do: Try to practice with him those situations in which he struggles. Start with simple scenarios where you pretend to be someone else and give him feedback about what was weird, when you realized he was blocked, etc. All of this without criticizing or judging him. This way you create a safe environment for him to practice without feeling the pressure of a real conversation and with enough time to understand his own interactions and assimilate them.

The only problem was that my writing was miles ahead of my speaking

That surprises me because Spanish is one of the few languages that what you read is pretty much what you have to say. Each letter has its unique sound and in very few cases the combination of them forces you to make an unexpected sound (for example "que" that would be expected to sound k-u-e but actually sounds like k-e). The entonation is another story but despite of it, your pronunciation should be clear enough to understand you.

I would say that it makes total sense not to be able to identify oneself in those categories, because they are white-black options and we are influenced by many variables to be absolutely certain about them. For example, you could be a morning person but there are weeks in which you don't sleep well for whatever reason, so your mornings are a mess. The same happens with being introvert/extrovert. What if, when you feel confident because things are going well, you are more extrovert than usual? what if you have a period of time doing public speeches, getting used to them and you get less exhausted than usual when dealing with people? What about enjoying traveling but not alone? or traveling with a purpose and not just for tourism?

“Do you understand what I'm saying?" shouted Moist. "You can't just go around killing people!"

"Why Not? You Do." The golem lowered his arm.

"What?" snapped Moist. "I do not! Who told you that?"

"I Worked It Out. You Have Killed Two Point Three Three Eight People," said the golem calmly.

"I have never laid a finger on anyone in my life, Mr Pump. I may be–– all the things you know I am, but I am not a killer! I have never so much as drawn a sword!"

"No, You Have Not. But You Have Stolen, Embezzled, Defrauded And Swindled Without Discrimination, Mr Lipvig. You Have Ruined Businesses And Destroyed Jobs. When Banks Fail, It Is Seldom Bankers Who Starve. Your Actions Have Taken Money From Those Who Had Little Enough To Begin With. In A Myriad Small Ways You Have Hastened The Deaths Of Many. You Do Not Know Them. You Did Not See Them Bleed. But You Snatched Bread From Their Mouths And Tore Clothes From Their Backs. For Sport, Mr Lipvig. For Sport. For The Joy Of The Game.”

― Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Today, Windows is for miserable people who can't afford anything better.

So do you consider "miserable people who can't afford anything better" all those gamers with Ultra PCs?

I would consider that an addiction as much as I would consider a carpenter to be addicted to a hammer. At least for the scenarios you have described. If you can't stop using those tools for no other reason that you don't feel capable of stopping using them, then yes, you are addicted. But if you need them (because there aren't other alternatives available like an in-person course) or it's more comfortable using them (for example, avoiding the annoyance to go the cinema to watch a movie with the queues and all that), then it's not an addiction.

Record yourself and see how people see you from outside. Since you have analyzed yourself that well (from your inside perspective) you'll catch a lot of details from seeing what you do, how do you express yourself, your pauses, your tone... then compare it with other people you admire and see what's different.

Also for the impostor syndrome, do this once in a while and compare old videos with the new ones; you'll be surprised with the result ;)

I'm terrible at taking care of plants but the last one I got was growing leafs until the last leaf stalk was completely dry.

which means I can actually kill my desk lamp by not caring enough

But now you have a nice reminder for watering your "lamp" when it isn't glowing as usual.

Except if she wasn’t sure she didn’t want to settle down

As you have said, she had a void that needed to fill and a very difficult past to deal with. Being sure about what ones want is not that easy in that scenario. She probably got engaged with you hoping that you could fill that gap or simply because it could bring some stability to her life.

I don't blame you for having tough thoughts about her. You'll need a thick skin to get out of that relationship but it's not as simple as saying "if she wasn’t sure she didn’t want to settle down...she shouldn’t have".

Many of the communities nowadays use Slack or any other team collaboration tool to keep in touch and communicate quickly with each other, so it's not difficult to join them. Emberjs for example, has a very friendly community, if you are interested on it.

Go step by step to avoid feeling overwhelmed by all the things you have to learn. Be also aware of the "imposter syndrome"[1] which many people feel despite of being great professionals. Try not to compare yourself with others too much and congratulate yourself when you achieve something important for you, even if it looks like something small.

A big part of the job will be to keep a good state of mind and leave aside any negative thought like "this is too difficult", "I can't do this", "I'm too old for this", etc.

Good luck!

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome