Quote of the Day that I don't understand:

"I think computer science, by and large, is still stuck in the Modern age. "

Larry Wall

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/computer_science_2.html

Why do people hate cheap things?

I find a lot of people hating cheap things. Maybe the economy is doing too well and those who are employees forget what it's like to be laid off.

So much so, that when I eat out as part of a group, I fear for my social life when I suggest we go for, Sushi Express instead of Genki Sushi, the humble McDonald's instead of Burger King, or the friendly neighborhood noodle place instead of Big and Shiny Tsui Wah.

So. Why?

People have this massive misconception about the relationship between quality and price. Most people believe that quality is proportional price. Fair enough, what's wrong here?

Well, firstly - what people call quality is not really quality. They mean grade. Grade would be the difference between a Nexus 5X and 6P - the Nexus 5X is not of lower quality, it just has a lower performance grade.

But back to the dining example. Herein lies a problem. If they provide the same stuff, why should I go for the more expensive one?

I dislike working harder than I need to to pay for a premium for things I don't need, especially with my own money.

I believe that being efficient means that the optimum grade is not necessarily the highest grade, it just has to be adequate.

But not everybody thinks the same... It doesn't answer the question at the social level. Why does this "hate of cheap things" exist?

It's very simple. People do things for a reason (which is usually a kind of incentive). So what's the incentive here? Well, for one, this trait allows one to feel superior. Or try this - it filters out people who aren't willing to spend as much, or don't work as hard, or don't make as much (and are therefore tighter on their disposable income), or have less disposable income. So a classical case here is if you are a young female looking for a mate (or mates). Biologically, you're looking for guys with lots of resources that you can tap into for nesting. So having "high standards" helps you filter out the cheapskates, exponentially speeding up your selection process and potentially allowing you to turn more resources into more descendants. Multiply this by tens of thousands of generations and you end up with a lot of people who hate cheap things.

Suddenly, it all made sense to me, why that fear for my social life arose out of my subconscious.

They say in evolutionary psychology that you can basically boil down everything to reproduction. And I think at the end of the day, that is the natural meaning of life, and incidentally, why people hate cheap things.

End

A View on the American Dream

People with similar viewpoints are often far closer than one (I) thinks.

So a while back, I was having lunch with some colleagues. And then we talked about outlooks on life. Big topics, like "Do you think intelligence matters?" and "What do you think about work?"

A: "I don't think we should work so hard. It's important to enjoy your work."

E: "What about the American Dream? What about all those trendy cliches like "Work Hard, Play Hard"?"

A: "It doesn't exist. And I don't think they are healthy. I mean, I think it's good for the companies, investors and corporations, but it makes people work harder than they need to, to buy things they don't need."

E: "Wow, my thoughts exactly."

Now, this person A is no slacker, but still surprising to hear that.

Totally made my day. 

You have to be a bit crazy to be free.

I find that stresses and pressures are fundamentally my own. Sure there is competition everywhere, but at the end of the day, I can choose how I feel in the long run.

Beliefs are powerful, precisely because they are not grounded in reality, as we perceive it. And the less one is able to perceive about the full reality for what one wants to do, the more one needs dogmatic beliefs.

Take, for example, a humble spam filter. Now, suppose it always predicts non-spam. Since most emails coming into most accounts will not be spam, our naive spam filter will actually be 90+% accurate. Beliefs, rational or irrational, play a role in maintaining a person's psychological integrity and consistency.

Or maybe it's just that whatever seems irrational is actually the optimum and necessary for existence. Viewed in this way, I can appreciate why humans have built all sorts of cultures to hold societies together.

When horse nudges you, is it trying to show dominance?

That's one thing I've wondered about for as long as I have ridden.

I don't know. Deep down, I feel it sometimes has to do with dominance, but I like to see it as a kind of connection, a connection that attempts to equalize the power dynamics between horse and rider. After all, the horse is, for the most part, submitting to the will of the rider. What can the horse really do to bend the rider to its will?

Allowing the horse to initiate bodily contact for a while is but a small token. I'm happy to be your grooming partner/scratching post for the minute.

Of course, I have had a few horses nudge too hard, but I always push back, and being aware of body language, I pet it accordingly. This ensures that the interaction is mutual and reciprocal, and you're not just a push-over.

Speaking of pushing, I actually invented an exercise designed to make people more confident with horses. It's just a shame it isn't adopted by any formal trainer.

Stand beside the horse. With control of the horse's head, slowly and firmly push the horse sideways across the yard. Horse, like humans, do wonder what you are doing. Depending on your strength of will, the horse can be trained to be totally obedient.

Speaking from a decade of basic experience, I guess interacting with animals is all about a sense - a primitive, basic feeling. After all, they cannot talk to us and tell us in words how they feel. I can only know what I feel about the situation, without clarification. And yet, I have a silent expectation that they would do so. Maybe I'm treating them too much like humans. Maybe I see things this way because I am somewhat egalitarian at heart. I treat people like people indiscriminately. I want others to treat me the best they can, too.

So, I'll ignore this part of animal nature and transcend this dominance, pecking-order hierarchy when I'm riding, as I do in every other area of life.

A Guide to maintaining a healthy weight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXTiiz99p9o

OK, so we all have a bit of a tummy now. Here's some helpful info with that.

The way to lose weight is just to 

SLEEP ENOUGH/SLIGHTLY MORE and EAT HEALTHIER AND LESS.

Exercise is only a supplement.

Exercise is only a small percentage of our energy expenditure. If I spend 10 hours sitting and 1 hour running, the running is just 10%.

Eating a slice of pizza will totally erase a full hour of hard running.

If you do more exercise, you may compensate elsewhere by slowing down.

Quote of the Day - "What You Want are Feelings"

What do you want in your life?

Whatever it is, it is the feelings you are after, the product/service/action is merely the process by which you obtain it.