The Skeptics Guide #997 - Aug 17 2024 (Ad Free)
Added 2024-08-17 12:00:07 +0000 UTCElection Scams; News Items: Childhood Vaccines, Alien Solar Panels, Stuck in the ISS, Framing and Global Warming, Promoting Homeopathy; Who's That Noisy; Science or Fiction
Comments
funny thing... just with diet and exercise will result in weight loss without that program.
Phillip Williams
2024-08-21 18:41:34 +0000 UTCDid Steve really suggest that Jay give himself a left-handed yank 1:13? Or was it just auditory pareidolia of my dirty mind?
M
2024-08-19 18:45:37 +0000 UTCThere is currently a real commercial for a weight loss program that I saw on network TV. It ends with that the results are guaranteed when combined with diet and exercise.
Gail Knapp
2024-08-19 12:57:31 +0000 UTCI think there are a couple of factors (that I'll address) regarding AI. Nature has created a brain that has regions that are specialized for specific functions, like senses and identification, while also allowing them to integrate information and work together to analyze something new. The brain is balanced between specialization without too much division and too little which reduces efficiency and precludes expertise. The brain is evolved to combine all the signals to accurately interpret the world; it's primary task is survival. Also, AI lack curiosity. The closest it can get is brute force slam ideas together, which isn't curiosity. Nor is it creativity or imagination, and lacks discernment in what works. It's incredibly good at specialization and mimicking input, but unable to tell the difference between fabrication and reality.
Asymetra
2024-08-19 11:53:39 +0000 UTCAs a lefty, when i first took guitar lessons I was told to just learn it right-handed since I hadn't played before. It completely messed me up. It made no sense to me how to play righty. Tabs are entirely written for righties. I didn't do well and gave up frustrated. I picked it up much later, this time I got a lefty guitar. First was a Squire Stratocaster (used, from another lefty guitarist who was a budding luthier, so it was tricked out and is a marvelous guitar). I later got a Gretsch Electromatic and recently added a Yamaha Revstar Standard (all lefties, of course) after gifting a (righty) Revstar to my wife for Xmas. Awesome guitar. Lovely sound. Of course, the Revstar Professional doesn't come with a lefty option (but I'm not good enough to warrant such an upgrade). I also started printing all the tabs I could inverted for lefty but gave up on that because it's just too much work. So, I've had to adapt. I totally agree it sucks when it comes to anything in the world that is handed. I'm a scientist, and while lefties are way overrepresented in this area (25% I'd bet, most of the people in my company [small startup] are lefties), it's rare to find anything organized for us weirdos. We have to work extra hard to accommodate everything. Growing up, writing in pencil was the worst. If you're lefty, you know what I mean. I just forced myself to write mistake-free enough as to be able to use fast-dry pens. Thankfully computers have eliminated that issue, but then there's the problem with mice. Left-handed mice are just an after thought for every mouse maker. They'll make fifty variations that probably few are actually asking for. But, when it comes to the lefties, it's a big middle-finger.
Hunter Richards
2024-08-19 03:09:51 +0000 UTCI appreciate you sharing Mike!!! It's so important to hear from another perspective!
Derek
2024-08-18 05:10:46 +0000 UTCI've been wanting to say this for a long time, but the right moment never came up until now. As a lefty, I want to explain how being left-handed in a right-handed world has created long term, significant challenges—not in a minor way, but in a very real and impactful sense. Without being hyperbolic, I've truly felt "less-than" as a lefty throughout my life, particularly in the context I describe below. Many things just aren't as accessible to me, especially when it comes to my experience as a musician. I'm a left-handed guitarist, and that might sound trivial, but let me explain. Walk into any guitar shop, and you'll see walls lined with guitars. If you're lucky, you'll find one left-handed guitar—and it's usually a subpar, used, or overly expensive one. That's it. If you go to a jam session without your guitar, you can't just pick up someone else's and join in. And if you want to buy a left-handed guitar but don't live near a store that caters to lefties, you're stuck ordering online without trying it out or settling for whatever's in stock. This lack of accessibility has seriously impacted my musical journey. I haven't had the same access to guitars or the chance to play with other musicians that right-handed guitarists have. For example, if I wanted a lefty version of a Paul Reed Smith guitar in the past, I'd have to pay extra to get it custom-made. Even today, with all the advances in accessibility, left-handed guitarists often have to play upside down, restring their guitars with questionable intonation, or simply pay more. You can't just walk into a place and start playing unless you've got your guitar with you. The cost and lack of accessibility have been detrimental to my entire experience as a guitarist. If I could go back, knowing what I know now, I would never have become a left-handed guitarist, and I wouldn't advise anyone to learn to play lefty. Unfortunately, it was just how I picked up the guitar as a kid. I'm sure this isn't the only example of how challenging it can be to be left-handed, even in the modern world. Anyway, thanks for letting me finally get this off my chest. I understand markets, and I say all this with that full understanding. It's been bad. Next time you're near a Guitar Center or another shop, go inside and ask them to show you the lefty guitars they have. I encourage you all to do this so you can see for yourself. Thanks, everyone. Love you all.
Mike Hindes
2024-08-17 21:06:29 +0000 UTC
