Be More Reasonable In Arguments

7/5 update: Based on the “argument” I had with Mulan the other day about depression 202007031900 where I was indirectly trying to prove to Mulan that her point that she is mildly depressed is false, I clearly haven’t done much to progress towards this argument. This is why the weekly review is essential - so I can more regularly think about these things and get the change to reflect more frequently.

This doesn’t 100% apply, because this is about how to argue/reason with dumb/ignorant people, but:

1. Never argue. Don’t try to convince them with reason, logic, or facts. It just doesn’t work, wears everybody out, and can put a strain on your relationship.
2. Don’t appear smug, lecturing, or from a high horse. This makes them understandably more defensive and weakens your point.
3. Be patient, understanding, and a good listener. Getting them out of this is a process. If you rush, you will over-push and eventually be seen as a threat.
4. Try to find common ground and things on which you can agree with them. This will ease tensions and give you more credibility.
5. If you get attacked, simply ignore it. You can also share your feelings and let them know how this hurts you.
6. Don’t make every encounter about those topics in question. Having less controversial conversations about different things will help to slowly get back to a fruitful communication.

Created from: Goals For 2020 202006132045

uid: 202006132049 tags: #insights #howto

February 22, 2023

Arrays In Javascript

• Can convert an object to an array of pairs with Object.entries()
• Check if item is in array:

const sections = ['contact', 'shipping'];

function displayShipping(sections) {
    return sections.includes('shipping');
}

console.log(displayShipping(sections));

Spread Operator

• Remove item from array (not modifying the original array) with the spread operator:

function removeItem(items, removable) {
    const index = items.indexOf(removable);
    return [...items.slice(0, index), ...items.slice(index + 1)];
}

• Use a provided array in a function and use it, while keeping the function pure:

function addGift(cart) {
  if (cart.length > 2) {
    return [...cart, reward];
  }
  return cart;
}

• Instead of sorting an array and mutating it, sort a copy of the array:

Created from: Modern Javascript Course 202006070113

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uid: 202006091927 tags: #programming #javascript

February 22, 2023

Reflective Thoughts About My Time In Scotland

• Man, I wasted a shit ton of time, literally just sitting there, not eating, not doing anything, and not using as much time as I could (either doing cool, happy things with Mulan, or just exploring)
• I spent a lot of time masturbating, and from the journal entries, seems like I spent a lot of time thinking about masturbating
• Seems like disagreements with Mulan were somewhat regular - at the same time, it was the first time for both of us being pretty much alone with each other for an extended period of time, and there was definitely an adjustment period for us to deal with.
• Even compared to a couple months ago, I think I’ve grown a lot, in my ability to get tasks done that I initially didn’t want to do, and also a better understanding of what actually is important to get done, and what is just an illusion of progress that doesn’t actually accomplish anything.

uid: 202006090216 tags: #insights #edinburgh

February 22, 2023

Centrist Or Non-Liberal Viewpoints

Different perspectives I’m getting from conversations with and about people

I went on a walk with Rohan 202006062329, where he generally brought up some centrist ish viewpoints, like:

• Democrats are so corporate
• When Trump was elected, people needed someone who was going to address the issue of manufacturing jobs going away from America and America losing its sheen, which was something that Democrats didn’t mention at all. The only problem was, people thought that eventually, Trump would actually be able to deliver on his promises, but that turned out not to be the case.
• Democrats need someone who’s going to lift them out of the shadows so to speak, and Joe Biden is not that person (they need a new Obama)

Rohan’s centrist/conservative remarks are coming from a position of high privilege, since he isn’t really affected by anything that’s going on, so he can just say whatever he wants while the world passes him by.

Mulan’s dad, on the other hand, has a much more cynical perspective of the world, hardened by experience, and so he has slightly different points than Rohan does. His viewpoints are mentioned in his ideology note 202006080251

uid: 202006080227 tags: #politics

February 22, 2023

Reasons why Mulan shouldn’t move out

Just lifted straight from Mulan’s dad’s arguments 202006042233, but will add more as we discuss/think about more.

• Protests
• Schools might open in 3 months
• Maybe it’s because you’re stuck at home too much
• Asked around, and people are willing to let her stay at their places
  • COVID is a burden, wouldn’t want to add a burden on people
• You can stay here, and you don’t have to talk to her, you don’t have to apologize to her
  • It’ll be like now, you just focus on your work
    • Why do that, when I can do something better?
      • Might be a big mistake
  • You can just move out after a year
• You wanted to go to Berkeley anyways, you just used this huge fight as a tipping point
• Summary: A lot of stuff going on, food, etc, don’t have to cook, just focus on work
  • Mulan says she would rather have the stress of fending for myself, than dealing with this situation
    • What are the nuances of the situation

uid: 202006051006 tags: #relationships

February 22, 2023

Metropolis algorithm

sampling from a distribution when you don’t know exactly what the distribution is, and you’re working in a high dimensional space

The Metropolis–Hastings algorithm can draw samples from any probability distribution with probability density P(x), provided that we know a function f(x) proportional to the density P and the values of f(x) can be calculated. The requirement that f(x) must only be proportional to the density, rather than exactly equal to it, makes the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm particularly useful, because calculating the necessary normalization factor is often extremely difficult in practice.

The Metropolis–Hastings algorithm works by generating a sequence of sample values in such a way that, as more and more sample values are produced, the distribution of values more closely approximates the desired distribution. These sample values are produced iteratively, with the distribution of the next sample being dependent only on the current sample value (thus making the sequence of samples into a Markov chain). Specifically, at each iteration, the algorithm picks a candidate for the next sample value based on the current sample value. Then, with some probability, the candidate is either accepted (in which case the candidate value is used in the next iteration) or rejected (in which case the candidate value is discarded, and current value is reused in the next iteration)—the probability of acceptance is determined by comparing the values of the function f(x) of the current and candidate sample values with respect to the desired distribution.

uid: 202006050950 tags: #algorithms

February 22, 2023