Search "jerky"

Really? Like the multiple "thank you for the pizza" e-mails which the sender was censored, or the whole obsession they have around "jerky" and how to cook jerky, "walk the jerky", or when it was mentioned that Epstein would eat less jerky because he was having some intestinal issues? Even mentioning these things, it still is such a small portion of all the sick shit that is on the files, pictures with literal children, a video of Epstein using a magnifying glass to burn a woman, and you're literally calling it a nothingburger?

The definition of 'last-mile edits' is very subjective, though. If you're dealing with open systems, it's almost unthinkable to design something and not need to iterate on it until the desired outcome is achieved. In other domains, for example, playing an instrument, your skills need to have been honed previously: there's nothing that will make you sound better (without resorting to editing it electronically).

I wonder if she has such strong opinions on social media and short video content.

> I probably won’t find what I value in someone who thinks “productivity” means asking an app to summarize a movie plot so they don’t have to waste their time, you know, watching it.

Reasonable, but it would be very foolish to assume that everyone that uses LLMs uses it in such a stupid way. Everyone is free to have their own opinion, and my opinion is that the author didn't even try to go deep into the subject, just feeling the ick and reasoning it later.

It’s true that neuroplasticity tends to decline around this age, but there are several important caveats:

- Exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise, promotes the release of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which enhances neuroplasticity. Consistency matters, regular aerobic activity raises baseline BDNF levels, while sporadic exercise only causes short-term spikes. Studies even show that long-term cardiovascular exercise can alter brain structure.

- Belief in your ability to learn is associated with better learning outcomes and higher neuroplasticity markers. Whether this comes directly from belief or from the behaviors it encourages, it’s still practical advice. Don’t entertain thoughts that you can’t adapt or learn -- especially during exercise.

- Psychedelic experiences (with substances such as psilocybin, ketamine, or LSD) can open what’s called an “acute neuroplastic window”. During this time, brain network dynamics become more flexible and neuroplasticity increases. Surround yourself with the right people, ideas, books, during this period, and it can lead to dramatic positive change. But as this state can amplify both constructive and destructive influences, proceed with care and good research.

Humanity has produced a great deal of knowledge on how to live well. Modern society is just too distracted to learn about it.

Stoicism doesn’t tell you to repress feelings. It tells you to examine them, to look at the beliefs behind them. If the belief is false (“this event ruins my life”), you correct it; if it’s true, you accept the feeling without letting it take over.

The Stoics called destructive emotions “passions,” but they also recognized healthy ones, like rational joy, caution, and goodwill. The goal isn’t emotional numbness, it’s clarity and alignment with reason and nature.

So, far from emotional blindness, Stoicism actually inspired the same kind of introspection that modern psychology promotes, just with a different vocabulary.

I would encourage you to read about CBT’s history and it’s influence on more modern psychology techniques. It’s likely that you are representing the Stoicism you commonly read about these days, on reddit, youtube and even on some books that take some liberties on translating it or do a bad job of it (it’s hard…). Most modern sources absolutely suck. A good translation from the original greek sources of Epictetus is very hard to come by.

- My diet (Mediterranean), with absolutely zero processed foods.

- Sleep (red light on evenings, no screens 1 hour before sleep).

- Daily exercise (lifting and 30 minutes of zone 5 cardio weekly).

My appreciation for life has skyrocketed, I don't feel like I'm being oppressed by life, and my depression symptoms are gone. I used to think the root cause of it all was a pretty rough childhood. It turns out, it's just 'crap in, crap out.' It has been jarring to me that my inner experience and mental health could so drastically change in such a short amount of time.

So yeah, it's anecdotal, but I'm pretty inclined to agree with this article.