vlad from moscow

[BHX]

Yeah, unlike most of the programmers you meet I pay attention to what is said to me (so long as it isn't someone telling me I can do something).

I normally don't believe horoscopes, but this one was eerily accurate for me:
http://www.psychicguild.com/horoscopes_zodiac.php?sign=Scorpio

17 years of programming, 17 years worth of failures and successes, 17 years of advice received, and 17 years of meeting people in the industry. Sadly, I doubt myself and that will never change so I have reached the point where I have given up on being a professional game programmer, just a hobbyist now and even with that title I code less and less lately.

Though, I've said my age in numerous threads, even the age thread a few weeks back (maybe it was less than that).

[Manga]

Then I deduce, you have technical knowledge, but lack... I am gonna say it, inovation.

I myself am bursting with fresh ideas but, as of yet, am still missing the know how.

It is a shame you have given up. I might just have been the spark you needed to give you a push into success. As for me, I am pushing onward to learn this SHI!!!!!

[BHX]

@Manga
Yeah, others have said that too, but they were wrong. I've been evaluated by the IU CS department head and he has said that I have a great grasp on programming and material enough to work in the industry, but I don't believe in my abilities enough to make it. He simply told me, that it is an all mental industry and even the slightest doubt can ruin your career. Unfortunately, all I have is doubt. "It takes 1000 attaboys to counteract one put down" and I do about a million put downs a day to myself.

[N36fSL3A]

Not joking or anything, you should talk to a therapist.

Sounds like you're depressed.

[BHX]

Yeah the 20+ I've seen in 20 or so years all said I was depressed. I refuse to take anti-depressants though. Almost all of them cause you to gain weight when taking them and I'm already 300 lbs so I don't need more weight just to get over depression.

Though, like I said, the horoscope site for my sign was eerily accurate about how I have been. Think the way I am definitely fits this quote from it:

Most Scorpios are winners. The main thing they have to worry about is their attitudes, which make up their mind powers and can either make or break them. When they are negative about something or someone, or critical of themselves, they can tend to get in their own way.

What people don't understand is, you can't just up and change your attitude, like it is an on/off switch you can toggle. I've been told so many times that I need to have a positive attitude, but they don't understand that in reality that doesn't work for everyone and certainly doesn't work for me.

[devonrevenge]

I was gonna say "eat decent food and get cardiovascular exercise and you will get over it" but I realize thats a dickish thing to say.

[Manga]

Not entirely devon. I hear the paleo diet is a miracle worker.

[devonrevenge]

no the paleo diet is a lie presuming that there was some sweet spot in history where we ate all the right things and were happy, there was never a time when everything was good and everyone was happy this is an ancient myth, this is where the adam and eve myth comes from it is all a lie.

thats why everyone has a bad back, because its not so much something we do, its that backs are a bit crap because we evolved so fast.

Infact that is a very good argument against a christians inteligent design, that structures had they not evolved would be much more efficient.

take your lymph nodes, little pumps would be better but instead fluid is squadged around the body by popping a node in places where we move resulting in problems where the body doesnt move all that much...tho this ironically is an argument for some sweet spot in our ancient history :/

[o3hC5Di1]

This thread has terribly derailed, but I wanted to give my two cents on the paleo diet anyway.

I think the paleo diet has gone from a good concept to the next big fad relatively fast. The idea is that there are foods which promote our health and a way (as opposed to the way) to find out which those foods are, these particular scientists looked at the diets of hunter gatherer societies.

Weston Price has documented the detriment in health of peoples who ate their native diets, versus the same peoples eating more modern diets to great length. It is, in my humble opinion, unwise to ignore this.

I don't like to identify with any of the "Paleo" rubbish out there, but I got started on it because it just makes sense. It makes sense not to eat sugar or processed foods, you don't have to read a paleo book to understand that. What's more, I feel better than ever, so that's enough reason for me to keep at it.

I don't want to preach anything paleo. What I do want to preach is that your body is your most important tool, because you use it for anything that you do. Eat right and exercise, whatever that means to you and whichever way you feel best.

[/soapbox]

All the best,
NwN

[Manga]

Paleo makes since to me. Sugar is bad for us. Carbs are sugar. Modern diet is mostly carb based. Modern health is relatively poor. By going back to what our bodies were designed to consume, makes us healthy.

Scientists have also linked our poor diet to mind dissorders, like ADHD and depression.

[Disch]

It makes sense not to eat sugar or processed foods, you don't have to read a paleo book to understand that.

This.

The whole "paleo" thing is a little extreme. It's basically the next Atkins -- the latest "get thin quick" diet.

Paleo makes since to me. Sugar is bad for us. Carbs are sugar. Modern diet is mostly carb based. Modern health is relatively poor. By going back to what our bodies were designed to consume, makes us healthy.

Carbs are not bad for you. Humans have been eating carbs for millennia. We've been just fine up until arguably the last ~50 years.

Sugar isn't even really bad for you in moderation. The problem is, it's used in extreme excess. If you actually look at the label of packaged foods, it's terrifying how much sugar they dump into everything.

The recent obesity problem is much more likely due to lack of physical exercise and the amount of processed foods. It's gotten worse due to people simply not having the time (and/or money) to prepare proper meals.

I'm fortunate enough to have the income where I don't have to buy packaged foods. 90% of my grocery shopping comes from the deli, bakery, dairy and produce sections of the store. I hardly ever go down the aisles, and when I do it's typically just for seasonings and snacks.


EDIT:

Also... I can pretty much guarantee that humans know more about the nutritional value of food now than we did 250 million years ago (the Paleo era)


EDIT 2:

I've found the best way to tell whether or not you're eating well is to stop paying attention to how food tastes and start paying attention to how it makes you feel after eating it.

After eating a giant donut, you get all "bluuugh" / almost sick. You can physically feel the sugar crash. It's a pretty clear sign you probably shouldn't have eaten that.

After eating a carrot or two you feel fine, you maybe even perk up a bit. Pretty clear sign that what you ate was probably a good decision.


Foods that get you down and/or put you in a "food coma", I try to avoid.

[devonrevenge]

Is it easy to eat healthily in america, I mean like whole grain bread rice pasta rather than processed, can you get that easily in restaurants and shops? is it cheap? I suspect these things are cheaper over here, however they are getting less popular again!

remember that outcry when jamie oliver tried to promote healthier eating?

I always thought it would be a good idea to invest in an n insulin making company for an incoming diabetes epidemic in the west, especially fructos glucose syrup, that is a terrible thing, its not even officially food in america let alone all the countries that banned it.

[Computergeek01]

I personally don't think the "obesity epidemic" is due to diet. Sure we have more fatty and unhealthy foods available to us today then we did back when people were skinny but most healthy people should be able to eat whatever they want and maintain a normal weight. I recently started running not even more then twice a week and the difference in everything is insane, that small shift in physical activity has made a visible difference in my waistline and I still drink more then is considered "healthy".

People just need to be more active, the problem here is two fold. First it is a hell of a lot more entertaining indoors these days then it has EVER been in the past. Second, I actually think people are afraid to go outside, they feel safe indoors where they have full control over their environment. I remember when I was growing up I could see the gradual shift as I got older of people calling the police on us for playing football in the street, or being in the public park "after hours" (I grew up in the suburbs so the police actually showed up since they had nothing better to do). This habit of being forced indoors carries with you into adulthood and believe me it's a hard one to break.

[devonrevenge]

I guess people are more afraid of the outdoors than they have been, more Americans have been killed with guns in their own country than has ever died in a war (this has been true since WWII) and so a lot of Europeans are scared to visit for fear of being shot, so I guess some of it is true.
I see why people stay indoors.

[3qX21hU5]

Wow... Yup we just shoot every foreigner we see over here. Hate to turn this into a gun debate but just want to say guns don't shoot people. People shoot people. We don't so much have a gun problem, we have a culture problem where vilance is shown everywhere. So

[Disch]

People aren't afraid of guns so much as they're afraid of pedophiles and kidnappings.

When I was growing up in the late 80s it was perfectly fine for the kids to run around outside with your friends, unsupervised. Nowadays every parent feels they have to constantly monitor their kids because "you never know who's out there".

For [female] adults it's less about getting shot and more about getting raped.

[devonrevenge]

never said you have a gun problem I just said lots of people get shot :P

[Ispil]

Just out of curiosity, what is the timeframe of that statistic? Does it include that brief stint where the country was at war with itself. or no? Because if it does, that's a very lopsided statistic that has quite a bit of bias. I mean, I am not doubting that gun violence is a serious issue... but it really isn't as bad as it seems to be portrayed to be.

[Computergeek01]

The American Civil War was before WWII. So were the Utah war, the Toledo war between Ohio and Michigan and most other conflicts along that line.

I have a feeling it also includes "Officer Involved Shootings" and Home Defense. Also keep in mind that compared to most countries that were involved very few of our soldiers were killed in either World War. I know it gets blasted all over the news when it happens but that's BECAUSE it's still uncommon. The vast majority of Americans have never even had a gun pointed at them, very few can even say they know any people who have.

[Disch]

According to Wikipedia...

~10,000 US deaths by guns in 2004
6,717 US deaths in the 2nd Iraq war (2003-2011)


So yeah... more deaths by guns in 1 year than an 8 year war. We have a serious gun problem.

EDIT: and apparently that 10,000 number is only counting homocides. Not counting accidents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ushomicidesbyweapon.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war