Trigger warning: spousal addiction, depression, and anger
I’m struggling. I’m a (F)30’s married to a M(30’s). We’ve been married for four years and we have a 3 year old daughter and are thinking about having another one.
The only problem is that I’m completely checked out of our marriage because of my husband’s addiction, depression, and anger issues. All of these issues surfaced after we got married and he lost his mom. Let me tell you, it is WEARING on me. I’ve been in therapy every week for almost 2 years, we’ve been seeing a marital counselor once a month for over 2 years, he’s been actively in therapy for over 2 years, and he has been participating in OA for 6 months. The only thing I’ve seen an improvement in is his anger… and even that is questionable.
His main addiction is food, he has been diagnosed with a binge eating disorder on top of it. It became apparent that he was an addict about 6 months ago when I caught him lying about drinking 2 days in a row. He was obviously drunk after being home alone for a few hours and lied about it. Turns out he drank a fifth two days in a row within a few hours. I brought it up in therapy and we came to the realization that he was an addict and had a history with cocaine, alcohol, weed and food.
I question if he’s even going to OA meetings because he will not admit that he is an addict. The first step to working the program is admitting you are an addict and the addiction controls you. He only admits he has a problem with food and says he’s “kicked” other addictions. Side note: he lied about alcohol use 2 weekends ago and recently admitted that when we met he was binging on adderall and has been lying about that for 6 years. He told me he didn’t tell me because he knew I would break up with him. I feel duped, I would’ve never married an addict if I had known.
I don’t enjoy spending time with him because he is chronically negative and complains about everything. Last weekend we got into a huge argument because of his negativity. I straight up asked him if he was ever happy and he said “no, not most of the time.” Since he was diagnosed with depression a few years ago and still has that feeling I told him he needed to go on depression meds for his daughter and I. He told me no and “that’s just the way I am, you knew this when you married me.” Note- I did not.
As I mentioned before, he also has anger issues. He often flies off the handle over small things. Luckily, he no longer gets loud and scary, but he still cannot accept any sort of criticisms or requests to do anything. If I even so much as ask him to clean up his beard hair in the sink he says I’m “coming at him.” To help the situation, I’ve been working on my tone in therapy. My tone is a trigger for him. The other day I asked him to help me clean and he told me my tone for the request was good, but I was still coming at him. I can’t win.
We do not get along, we are probably only happy 5% of the time. We don’t have sex. Honestly, I dread spending any time with him because we are constantly fighting. I told my therapist I was fantasizing about divorcing him and she said I have every right to. She wants me to talk to him during our next therapy appointment about the toll everything has taken on me and my considerations for divorce, but I feel like this conversation has been a broken record with him. We constantly talk about this in marital therapy. Things are good for a few weeks after, then they go to shit again.
Despite all of these issues we are dealing with, he’s great dad and we are VERY financially stable. I’d like to give my daughter a sibling… he’s a vet so any kids I have with him will have free college and free healthcare until they’re 26. But again, the issues above have me COMPLETELY checked out of our marriage.
Even if we don’t have another kid, I’m concerned about the long term implications for my daughter. We both are clearly not in love and I’m afraid that’s going to negatively impact her. At the same time, I’m worried that if I divorce him I won’t be able to keep tabs on his addictive behaviors around her. He’s very good at lying and often throws the “I’m a disabled veteran” at people to gain sympathy. If any active addiction concerns ever came up in custody or care discussions I know he’d lie about it.
I’ve asked him to participate in a marriage intensive but he refuses. He says he needs to work on his own crap in therapy and that our monthly marriage therapy is enough. I’ve also communicated that if he does not get help and does not actively seek addiction treatment I’m out, but I never put a date on it. I’m so close to filing for divorce. What would you do in this situation?

Hey FFRK-ers! Welcome to the new monthly Help Megathread where you can post all your standard FFRK-related questions!
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Hi. I would like to organize my backup of pictures and videos of my iPhone. I've been importing the pictures and videos on my iPhones to my PC for the last decade. Sometimes the import function didn't work as expected and I had to import everything all over again. Long story short, I now have 3 folders:
Folder 1: Old pictures that are in DICM folders. It branches out quite a bit and their names are IMG_0001. Folder 2: A folder with pictures and videos split into two folders. Folder 3: Main folder that I want everything to be in. Most of it is right, but I'm sure it is missing the older pictures and videos in Folder 1.
What I'm looking for: - I want the pictures and videos to be chronologically placed so I can go through them without interruption. - Preferably a program that would look at the 3 folders and create a new folder with all the files organized like 2024-05-28_IMG_0001. - Remove duplicates so they don't occupy space unnecessarily. It could check if the file was created at the same time, instead of comparing the files one by one.
What I've done so far: - Tried using AntiDupl.NET but it would take too long to sort them one by one. - Tried using dupeGuru but I can't verify the files actually being duplicates.
A slight problem could be that some images are in .HEIC and some videos are in .HEVC format. I don't mind them being in that format as I use ImageGlass to view the pictures and VLC to view the videos.
Extra: I'd appreciate if anybody have a good method of backing up their pictures and videos on their iPhone.

I’ve tried a lot of fragrance oils thus far, and thought it might be helpful to provide a list with an overview of the companies I’ve used. Please remember that scents are subjective, and this is simply my opinion. I mean absolutely no harm but would like to provide honest feedback as tactfully as I can. Hopefully it can help you with your purchasing decisions.

1. SIMBI- Located in Idaho. Higher-priced and high-quality oils with a focus on destination/hotel scents. Very helpful and kind owner. I ordered 12 samples and loved all of them!
   
2. Scent Memory-I am a bit biased as they’re my favorite; I’ve tried around 60 scents by now. Located in Minnesota. Offers free shipping over a certain amount and a generous rewards program. Wonderful customer service! High-quality, complex scents that are more perfume like in my opinion.
   
3. Lark-Located in Canada on the West Coast. Jesse, the owner, is helpful and kind, and also ships very quickly; however, shipping takes forever as I’m on the east coast. Loved all of their oils I’ve used (30 or so). Complex and perfumey scents. Also had a rewards program and free shipping over (I think) 250 CAD.
   
4. Little Bee Scents- Another fantastic owner who is a chandler located in Kansas. Lots of unique, single note scents that I think would be wonderful for making custom blends. They have scents I haven’t seen elsewhere, like bee balm, heather, and bell pepper. Offers sniffers for orders over a certain amount. Prices similar to companies mentioned above. Unfortunately, I haven’t liked any of the oils I’ve tried. They have more of a potpourri scent that I think suits more mature noses. Just my opinion!
   
5. Candle Science- Located in NC. Very fast shipping but also very expensive shipping. Large variety of oils that throw well. Super reliable company that, in my opinion, offers more resources for chandlers than any other in terms of education and resources. They started me on my journey. Their oils are also very affordable.
   
6. Candle Cocoon-Located in Wisconsin. Another chandler owned company with custom created scents. Very affordable but has a small selection. Please, for the love of God though, someone help her re-design the website. It looks like it’s from 1995 and I find it difficult to navigate.
   
7. Flaming Candle- Located in Georgia. Oils are priced similarly to CS and similar quality. Takes a while to ship.
   
8. Wholesale Supplies Plus- I can’t remember where they’re located. HUGE selection of oils and really anything you’d ever need for candles and body products. Free shipping over $25 and free 4 oz oil over $49. Takes a while to ship your order.
   
9. Virginia Candle Supply- Located in TN. Good customer service. Has candle supplies plus oils. Very affordable and ships quickly.
   
10. Aztec- Also located in TN. Didn’t have great customer service experience. Many of their oils didn’t throw for me and I felt many oils were lower quality compared to companies above. Super affordable, and they have a $10 for 10 deal each month allowing you to sample 1oz oils. Would be a great starter company to dip your toes in.
    
11. Stock Fragrance- Owned by former perfumers. Can’t remember location. High-quality oils but very expensive. Most 2 oz oils are over $9. They do offer a large sample of sniffers for $50 but it’s pre-selected. Their packaging for oils is the best and 100% leakproof when shipped.
    
12. Shay and Company- Located in Oregon. High-quality oils but also more expensive. Another excellent owner with great customer service. I really enjoy their oils.
    
13. Nature’s Garden- Affordable oils. VERY fast shipping. An overwhelming selection though. I didn’t care for their dupes, but they have so many oils that there’s something for all tastes.
    
14. Stone Candle- Very high-quality but also very expensive. Located in CA. Their dupes were spot on.
    
15. Hive and Honey- Another chandler owned company located in Michigan. Wonderful customer service and lovely owner. Really liked their oils. They have oils previously from 16/17. Ships quickly and has free shipping over a certain amount.
    
16. Makesy- Not a good customer service experience. Bought oils during a sale. IMO, incredibly overpriced when you can get the same oils at SIMBI, Lark, or Scent Memory. I’m sorry, I don’t think they’re worth it.
    
17. Doop- Disclaimer, I’ve never actually smelled their oils and have decided not to give them a try. Twice now they’ve been out of 90% of the samples I wanted. Last time I want to purchase around 10, and they only had 1 available in a 2oz. Emailed twice asking about restocks and never heard back. They do have VERY unique scents, however, and scents I haven’t seen anywhere else.
    

Duper who actually dupes with the display name 2k12 just hacked my og torp, without me putting it in, readying up and everything.
Me and my mate were in trading then this kid started duping kids items so my friend got him to dupe tiny toy and he did, then he duped him a beam.
Then, the guy comes over to me and sends me a trade request, I decline, but somehow It accepts and my og torp is up for trade without me touching a button, then his aperture, volt and idk what it was but some shit car i dont car abt, so then I try backing out it doesn't let me, then without me clicking he ready's up, I try decline again and nothing happens, so then I leave the game, oh, there's no menu button, so then I try to swipe up the program from my ipad, but as I swipe it up I see the confetti on the screen and I know I'm stuffed, still swipe it up to try prevent datastore from syncing. I'm on a vc with my friend and he says " there's no fucking he's just accepted." Then I head back in, it's gone.
The kid has 7b cash too, I've messaged asimo about it. He was also in a celsior which wasn't in his inventory (yes he was driving it)
Look out for 2k12

Helloooo, my friends!
I'm finally tackling my data.
As an ADHDer with many creative hobbies, this is a daunting task. I'm hoping someone can set me on the right path with a solid plan. Any advice or shared experiences are welcome!
I think I have all the pieces in front of me, but I don't want to lose or corrupt any data along the way.
Right now, my data is somewhat scattered between 3 smaller drives, plus my computer hard drive, with incomplete (and unknown) contents backed up to a 12TB external HDD, which is "backed up" to an expiring trial of Backblaze.

Goals

• Use 12 TB external HDD for main storage
  • Back up to a cloud service cheaply and easily
• Free up smaller drives and make them more functional by removing "general long-term storage" from their duties
  • It would be nice to use the small drives on a per-project basis; pull down a day's worth of RAW photos or 4K video files, edit, export the final thing, then delete copied RAWs from the small drive without worry
• Cleanse my Macbook Pro's files by grabbing all nostalgia and necessary program data (EG Ableton Instrument Racks, Lightroom Presets), then performing a factory delete + fresh OS install

Here's what I'm working with:
Macbook Pro, 2021, 14", M1 Pro Chip, 512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM

• Sandisk Extreme SSD 1
  • Type: SSD
  • Capacity: 1 TB
  • Used on Disk: 999.95 GB
  • Available: 0.05 GB
  • File System: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
• Sandisk Extreme SSD 2
  • Type: SSD
  • Capacity: 1 TB
  • Used on Disk: 30.01 GB
  • Available: 969.99 GB
  • File System: (Not specified)
• My Passport
  • Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 2 TB
  • Used on Disk: 1470 GB
  • Available: 530 GB
  • File System: ExFat
• Desktop Drive
  • Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 12 TB
  • Used on Disk: 2230 GB
  • Available: 9770 GB
  • File System: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
• MacBook Pro HD
  • Type: SSD
  • Capacity: 512 GB
  • Used on Disk: 484.78 GB
  • Available: 9.6 GB

I started by asking ChatGPT for a process, since I didn't even really have a starting point. Here's the response — can someone look this over and tell me if this seems legit or not? I'm not super comfortable with coding, so I'm hoping nothing that the GPT recommended would require that.
Response:

1. Analyze Data and Drives: Assess the data on each external drive for size, type, and duplicates.
2. Software Selection: Identify free software for data deduplication, transfer, backup, and partitioning.
3. Data Consolidation: Move and deduplicate data from external drives to the 12TB drive.
4. Drive Partitioning: Partition the 12TB drive for data storage and Time Machine backup.
5. Cloud Backup: Set up a reliable and cost-effective cloud backup solution.
6. Workflow Implementation: Detail step-by-step processes for each phase using selected software.

1. Analyze Data and Drives

• Connect all external drives to your MacBook Pro.
• Use the Finder to check the contents and size of each drive.
• Make a list of the types of files (photos, videos, audio) and their approximate sizes.

2. Software Selection

• Data Deduplication:
  • dupeGuru: A free, open-source tool for finding duplicate files.
  • Cisdem Duplicate Finder: Another option with a trial version that may be sufficient for your needs.
• Data Transfer:
  • FreeFileSync: Free, open-source tool for file synchronization and backup.
• Drive Partitioning:
  • Disk Utility: Built-in macOS tool for partitioning drives.
• Cloud Backup:
  • Backblaze: Offers a 15-day free trial and low-cost unlimited storage.
  • Google Drive: Offers 15GB free, expandable with paid plans.

3. Data Consolidation

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Install Software:
   • Download and install dupeGuru from its official site.
   • Download and install FreeFileSync from its official site.
2. Deduplicate Data:
   • Open dupeGuru.
   • Select the external drives and scan for duplicates.
   • Review and delete duplicate files.
3. Transfer Data to 12TB Drive:
   • Open FreeFileSync.
   • Create a new synchronization configuration.
   • Set source folders as your external drives.
   • Set the target folder as a new folder on the 12TB drive.
   • Run the sync to transfer all data.

4. Drive Partitioning

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Open Disk Utility:
   • Connect the 12TB drive to your MacBook Pro.
   • Open Disk Utility (found in Applications > Utilities).
2. Partition the Drive:
   • Select the 12TB drive in Disk Utility.
   • Click on the "Partition" button.
   • Create two partitions:
     • One for data storage (size depending on your data needs).
     • One for Time Machine (remaining space).
3. Format Partitions:
   • Format the data storage partition as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".
   • Format the Time Machine partition as "APFS".
4. Set Up Time Machine:
   • Open Time Machine preferences (found in System Preferences).
   • Select the new partition as the backup disk.

5. Cloud Backup

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Sign Up for Cloud Service:
   • Choose Backblaze for comprehensive backup or Google Drive for more control over specific files.
   • Create an account and set up the software.
2. Configure Backup:
   • Install the cloud backup software on your MacBook Pro.
   • Select the data storage partition on the 12TB drive as the source for backup.
   • Set up regular backup schedules.

Summary of Recommended Free Software

• dupeGuru: For deduplication.
• FreeFileSync: For data transfer.
• Disk Utility: For partitioning.
• Backblaze or Google Drive: For cloud backup.

Final Workflow

1. Analyze and list data on external drives.
2. Deduplicate using dupeGuru.
3. Transfer deduplicated data to the 12TB drive using FreeFileSync.
4. Partition the 12TB drive using Disk Utility.
5. Set up Time Machine backup.
6. Configure cloud backup with Backblaze or Google Drive.

//
Thank you so much again for any and all help. Just need a hand getting started, feel like I'm underwater with making decisions and could use a nudge down the right path. I really appreciate it!

What do you call it when after 27 years with them on the same card, ezpass attempts a charge, SAYS it's declined for insufficient funds and proceeds to charge $50 for every toll passed. The expass account t has been in good standing since the inception of the program and been on the same American Express credit card that I've had for 35 years. Amex said they never even attempted to bill the account. All that was needed was a phone call - it was obviously a glitch - but no supervisor was willing to do that. My husband has logged hours and hours and the phone on hold with them. They have turned my account over to a collection agency for 3000.00. I retained an attorney to send a letter for $300. Today I received another letter from a collection agency.
I contend that the Turnpike Authority is knowingly and willingly duping the citizens of NJ.
They are very aware of how broken their phone, IT and admin are but why fix it when you're raking in millions and millions in admin fees. Why would you fix a very profitable faulty system?
Because it's against the law. If there is an ezpass account in existence they must bill that account without fees. This was signed I believe two years ago by Gov Murphy.
So I'm looking at a minimum of another $300 to pay an attorney to move forward.
It's been a YEAR.
Anyone have any ideas?

Directed to actors/creatives active in NYC:
Hi, I have never acted seriously (outside of <5 productions in high school/college). Honestly, I don't think I have the potential (or really the ambition) to be a great dramatic actor or anything, although I enjoy the experience of performing. I am a competent / confident enough public speaker.
I'm 24 and have spent my life doing non-showbiz things. I am trying to reorient my life and pursue standup, write, and create comedic content. I have started on the open mic treadmill but it's early days.
These disclaimers notwithstanding, I think I could benefit from an acting class---just to gain more confidence, learn to express my emotions more authentically, and meet/learn other creative types. Again, even if I'm not trying to be a pro actor, I would like to take the class extemely seriously.
I am in NYC and have a few months before my job starts.
Many of the more well-known academies seem to have summer intensive programs that I have been exploring:

• Lee Strasberg Institute: 12-Week Program, 22 hours/week $7320, 16 hours/week $5,455, 8 hours/week $2,830
• Stella Adler Institute: 9-Week Program, 24 hours/week $4150
• Esper Studio: 6.5-Week Program: 16 hours/week $2600

Additionally, if you look online, there are countless other coaches/classes (who might be just as good---I have no clue) which show up, and I am sure they do versions of such programs, and likely cheaper. Some examples are T. Schreiber, HB Studio, Barrow Group, etc.
I wanted to ask if people have any strong recommendations for programs that they think are good AND programs or classes to avoid. Or maybe at my level they are all equal and I should just go to the cheapest one?
I understand that people like me are likely the suckers (inexperienced, untalented, hopeful) who fuel a lot of the so-called money mills.
Of course, I don't want to waste my money, but I'm happy to pay more if it means getting to go to a program where the teachers are serious and meaningfully invested in your progress / other students are relatively high-caliber, versus places which are just giving participation certificates to people with hopeless acting fantasies.
I know people talk a lot about the different methods, I don't really know or care about which one to prefer, I suppose I should try them and see, but not sure how to go about that either; but more than the specific method, I do care about the quality or seriousness of the program.
In general, I do well in high-pressure, intense settings, so I am more worried about receiving insufficient attention than I am about being overwhelmed or stressed. At the same time I recognize I am probably going to suck so a good teacher would probably be unwilling to waste their time with a student like me.
Sorry---this got too long---but any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Any info you could share about your own background would also be useful, just so I know I'm not being duped by a proxy for one of these places.

Hi, I have never acted seriously (outside of <5 productions in high school/college).
Honestly, I don't think I have the potential (or really the ambition) to be a great dramatic actor or anything, although I enjoy the experience of performing. I am a competent / confident enough public speaker.
I am 24 and have spent my life doing non-showbiz things. I am trying to reorient my life and pursue standup, write, and create comedic content. I have started on the open mic treadmill but it's early days.
These disclaimers notwithstanding, I think I could benefit from an acting class---just to gain more confidence, learn to express my emotions more authentically, and meet/learn other creative types. Again, even if I don't think I'm interested in being a pro actor, I would like to take the class very seriously.
I am in NYC and have a few months before my job starts.
Many of the more well-known academies seem to have summer intensive programs that I have been exploring:

• Lee Strasberg Institute: 12-Week Program, 22 hours/week $7320, 16 hours/week $5,455, 8 hours/week $2,830
• Stella Adler Institute: 9-Week Program, 24 hours/week $4150
• Esper Studio: 6.5-Week Program: 16 hours/week $2600

Additionally, if you look online, there are countless other coaches/classes (who might be just as good---I have no clue) which show up, and I am sure they do versions of such programs, and likely cheaper. Some examples are T. Schreiber, HB Studio, Barrow Group, etc.
I wanted to ask if people have any strong recommendations for programs that they think are good AND programs or classes to avoid. Or maybe at my level they are all equal and I should just go to the cheapest one?
I understand that people like me are likely the suckers (inexperienced, untalented, hopeful) who fuel a lot of the so-called money mills.
Of course, I don't want to waste my money, but I'm happy to pay more if it means getting to go to a program where the teachers are serious and meaningfully invested in your progress / other students are relatively high-caliber, versus places which are just giving participation certificates to people with hopeless acting fantasies.
I know people talk a lot about the different methods, I don't really know or care about which one to prefer, I suppose I should try them and see, but not sure how to go about that either; but more than the specific method, I do care about the quality or seriousness of the program.
In general, I do well in high-pressure, intense settings, so I am more worried about receiving insufficient attention than I am about being overwhelmed or stressed. At the same time I recognize I am probably going to suck so a good teacher would probably be unwilling to waste their time with a student like me.
Sorry---this got too long---but any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Any info you could share about your own background would also be useful, just so I know I'm not being duped by a proxy for one of these places.

I thought I'd try to jot down some thoughts on the Pegasus Project, now that we've had all some time to dig into it a bit. Would love to hear what you all thought of the new album.
Overall I felt like it's a little flabby, like this post :) But it has some great music and some of SM's best vocals in years. If we removed the duds, the dupe tracks, the segues, and separated off the orchestral versions of old songs from previous albums into its own thing, it starts to resemble a really tight album.
Going through the tracks:

1. Pegasus Presents - segue, ignore
2. The Birthday Song! - honestly, this one is a dud for me lyrically. I love the guitar and vocals, I feel there might be a great song there potentially with a change of lyrics and theme. pass.
3. Mr. Magoo - another dud, bit too silly but it's beautifully produced. also a little tired of the mythology stuff tbh. pass.
4. I Will Wait - it's a grower, would love to hear it with less "wet" vocals. okay
5. Pretty Baby Prelude - segue, ignore
6. Pretty Baby - I loved this on Angels & Vampires, really great song so delighted to hear this new version with live strings. I think I like it more than the original! love it.
7. Ben Dover - segue, ignore
8. Ben Downs - it's okay but the chorus grates on my ears a bit. okay
9. The Things U Like - such a cool song, best single so far imho. love it
10. Life Will Go On - really infectious, catchy, fun, i love the harmonies on the chorus, and the synths w/ acoustic guitar. so unusual, love it!
11. Pegasus & the Swan - feels a bit like a demo, but I like the main vocal hook and the guitar arpeggios, it builds nicely with the flute sounds etc. it's growing on me!
12. New World Forming - not one of my favourites from Prometheus & Pandora, but the orchestral version is interesting. okay
13. Bondage - not good imho
14. BDSM - segue, ignore
15. Nice Things - I didn't really understand this one. Maybe need to give it another chance, but it just seems a bit silly and throwaway. I kinda dislike faux reggae.
16. Camden Town - it's likeable and fun, growing on me.
17. Selfish - worst thing on the album imho, along with Birthday Song
18. Being Watched - sexy, weird, experimental demo thingl! could live without it.
19. Waiting 4 the Light 2 Change - always great to hear SM singing a capella, and glad to hear one or two flat notes left unfixed too. i love it.
20. Let's Come Together - one of the better segues, but I tend to ignore these anyway
21. A Horse that Flies - segue, ignore
    
22. Love is Blind - I love this, very funky and poppy! one of my faves on the album, the strings add so much as well! love it!!
    
23. Walk On - another very funky number, why save all the great stuff for part 2? Madness. This has Jellybean from The Time as well, love it.
    
24. I Have a Dream - pretty good, great lead vocals and guitar! I'm into it
    
25. The Last Word - has some heavy guitar, some nice synthy parts and drum programming, really cool, builds nicely.
    
26. New World Forming - kinds annoying to hear this song from Prometheus & Pandora a second time on the same album, with a different lead vocalist. She's fantastic but it feels like filler.
    
27. Hiawatha - another revisited old track from Prometheus & Pandora, this time an orchestral version with a different lead vocalist, Luisa is a great singer but I think I prefer the original version. I tend to skip this one.
    
28. Her Kiss - orchestral version of the song on Pandora's Playhouse. Still a great song.
    
29. Time Takes A Timeout - segue, but one of the nicer ones with church organ.
    
30. Time Takes Time - of course, another revisited song from Angels & Vampires. still fantastic, the strings make it seem a bit overblown maybe? I still love it despite the schmaltz.
    
31. She's Sad - string quartet version of the original on The Sphinx, really lovely. I think I prefer these rather than the big orchestral things.
    
32. Share Your Pain - another one from Angels & Vampires, this string quartet version is really fantastic
    
33. Madame Swan - another highlight of the album for me, works very well in sequence after the previous few songs. Did SM re-record his vocals on this? Sounds so great.
    
34. Pegasus & the Swan Serenade - I much prefer this version with strings, over the earlier version. so great.
    
35. Nice Things (the Echo's Edge Mix) - it wasn't great the first time, so this second version with a different lead vocalist is just yuck. Beatrice is fantastic but the lyrics are so silly, and not easy for a non-native English-speaker to sing well. I tend to skip this.
    
36. Coda - the Sluggish Thugs vs the Thuggish Slugs - segue, ignore
    
37. The Birthday Song (Gluten Free Mix) - still a dud for me, maybe I like this version slightly better than the previous version.
    
38. Ben Dover Again - segue, ignore
    
39. Paradise Postponed Sonata - lovely instrumental piano track, nice to include this imho
    
40. The Final Word - segue, pretty funny, reminds me of the segue near the end of Neither Fish Nor Flesh.
    
41. & a Swan that Never Dies - segue
    

Phew! Final verdict - I don't think it works as a coherent studio album, but there are some great songs in there if you care to dig in deep. I'm doing a resequenced playlist, will post it soon :)

This has been mentioned here a number of times, but I wanted to remind the community that you should probably be periodically checking how much space Nix is taking on your hard drive. I have a 500G drive and I was surprised I ran out of space which made my system rebuild fail.

nix-collect-garbage

This command finds any objects in your Nix store that do not have any inbound connections to any active profiles. This is a safe operation, and you can run it occassionally to delete objects that are currently unused. Note that in future profiles/generations you may need to re-build these nodes if they are needed, so future builds may be slower.

Delete old profiles

nix-collect-garbage does maintain all your profiles or previous generations. If you have old profiles you definitely don't need to hang around, you can also delete these entry points to let nix-collect-garbage delete more assets. These options are --delete-old and --delete-older-than (I reccomend the latter so you don't delete every old profile)

nix store optimise

Nix objects are inherently de-duped, since the objects themselves are content-addressed. Remember that nix objects are hashed with nix-hash to generate a hash of all the contents of the object (the definition of "contents" varies, but that's not important here). The thing that can still have duplicates are the files themselves.
For example, two objects that represent the derivations of two similar versions of the "same" library may have many of the same files, with only a few changes between versions.
This command creates hard-links between identical files in the nix store. I've found that this command can be extremely effective at limiting disk usage.
This operation can take a long time since all files in the store are scanned

Automating disk optimization

You can set auto-optimise-store to true in nix.conf. This means every time you add a path to the store, this optimisation happens automatically (at a cost -- Nix will keep a content-addressed mapping of all files as they are added to the store.
Using this can avoid situations where you don't run optimise for a while and running it can potentially take a long time since all files in the store need to be scanned.
Beware that there is a non-zero cost to enabling it, but for most end users doing personal computing I think this is an okay tradeoff.

Conclusion

Don't forget to tweak your Nix meta-parameters to make it more enjoyable to use day-today! If you do a lot of programming or tinkering like me, these things add up quick.

Ive been testing folder comparison software and dupe check apps. but, what i really want to do is compare two very large folders that have been changed and have different folder tree structures and files moved around within them... and I want to find only the files that are different. I dont want to dupe check because 95% of the large folders are the same files. Some of these folders are from data recovery dumps and I just want to find anything that isn't already in my organized folder. So basically the opposite of a dupe check. And as far as I can tell merge programs like Beyond Compare and WinMerge will show me everything that doesnt have the same folder structure or folder name. Is there another software, or a setting I havent found to do this?

It’s starting to look like the Chief Priest of SGIWhistleblowers is actually nostalgic for the old days of SGI-USA (nee NSA). Which makes sense, because it appears many of the things she’s nostalgic for are things originating from her beloved Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, but that are no longer part of SGI culture.
Well, that’s another story.
Her latest Time Travel adventure starts with a title insinuating that SGI-USA hasn’t changed since 1975 (the last year covered by her obscure source material).
She goes on to say that “then as now” SGI members approach “random people in the street to invite them to an immediately commencing meeting. Those people, her source says, learned little about Buddhist principles.
Oh dear. Today, of course, propagation involves friendship (to at least some degree) and dialogue. No one can join until they have attended a few meetings and have experienced some notion of why we chant daimoku. There are at least two books they are encouraged to read, and are immediately encouraged to study for an exam on Buddhist concepts. And every meeting centers around discussion of a Nichiren Buddhis topic.
So when she says “now as then”, she is trying to dupe her readers into believing something that isn’t remotely true. (There’s a word for that…hmmmm?)
And oh yeah – she maintains that SGI-USA isn’t growing as fast as it once was, and that means its days are numbered. Another fun contradiction: SGI used to rush people, any people to join, and that was awful. Now it nurtures people’s faith before allowing them to join – and that is awful.
When you’re consumed with hate, I guess, whatever feeds the hatred can be true, no matter how contradictory from one moment to the next.
Then we read: “The highest-caste members (then as now) due to their being Japanese-from-Japan, the Soka Gakkai believing that the Japanese were THE superior humans”.
Oh dear, again.
SGI-USA has a board of directors wherein one (1) out of 14 has a Japanese name. I believe the General Director is an American of Jewish heritage. The national young women’s leader is, I believe, American of Hispanic heritage; her predecessor was African-American. The national women’s leader is Japanese, but I think her two predecessors were Americans of European or African descent. Three of the four leaders in my chapter are Americans of European descent, and the Japanese young man is leaving the area and my money is on huis successor being of Indian descent. My district has about one-fifth Japanese membership; the men’s and women’s leaders are both of European descent. A neighboring, bigger district, has zero Japanese members that I can think of.
Boy, whoever designed this “caste system” sure didn’t know what they were doing!
She closes this clown post saying the SGI “has been withering on the vine for decades”.
Oh (to reiterate) dear! For one thing, oh Great Almighty Guru, SGI stopped that street shakubuku and focusing meetings on conversion that you hated so much. Remember? Membership reports that carried names no one had seen for years or even knew – cleaned up.
What else? At least two universities that I know if, in two very different nations, have programs to study the SGI president. The school system he founded has gone international. The SGI has established think tanks, research centers. The Florida Nature and Culture Center has opened, as have major institutions in Malaysia and Guam. Ikeda Sensei’s passing drew international coverage and messages of condolence from world and religious leaders around the world.
And we poor dwindling members are getting benefits undreamed of by someone so far out of touch with what’s really going on.

I grew up during the war on terror, and when it was my turn to enlist, I saw the US staying in a certain country after the guy they were going after was already dead, yet the government decided we should stay there to "nation build" . After an extensive US history class where I realized this wasn't the first time the US invaded a nation and stayed, despite nobody wanting them there, both the occupied countries populace, and the common American, I thought the people who joined to support that were either desperate or murders. Every redneck in my school who wanted to enlist in the ground forces would talk about how they wanted to go kill some "sand (n-words)" . Everyone else who enlisted in the other forces were both desperate and of average to below average intelligence. Every sporting event I have to stand up and salute these literal t*rrorists who go across the world just to secure petroleum and other...things. I think they're disgusting. I'm not even a pacifist. I understand the need for a military for defense. The U.S. military however, are fucking evil. They dropped agent orange on civilians that were their own allies and then lied about it which still effects infants today. They bomb the middle east constantly, killing kids and it has nothing to do with actual defense of the country, just its "interests". They want to justify it, or act like these poor soldiers were duped into it ohhh the baby birds were so poor. No I saw them cheer it on with vigor then talk down to "civilians" when they were in and our. I think the entire thing is disgusting and a farce.l and I don't respect them at all. I didn't even want to join to fix computers for these assholes. I'd be contributing to the murder machine. People are going to say "ohh but what about ISIS or whatever" or "op is a soyboy" some horse shit ad homenim attack because their argunents are state talking points or flimsy. I say bring it on.
Bill Hicks said exactly how I've felt for years
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YplZIZt9Ptc&pp=ygUUYkknbGwgaG9ja3MgbWlsaXRhcnk%3D
Edit:Ha your flimsy arguments are amusing. All you programmed military people. You just spit fire at anyone who has the slightest criticism about you and your little cult yet you tarnish and trash civilians,the ones your supposed to "protect". Little programmed robots you are. You and your holier than thou attitudes and calling people "nasty civilians".
Edit 2: "Hurr durr you use products that were developed by people who support the Military, so that's clearly the same as joining hurr durr!" . Lol fuck off. Buying a GE dryer from Home Depot is not even remotely related to actively seeking out and willingly joining the Military. For you to conflate the two is some of the dumbest shit and I feel dumber for having even debated it.
Edit 3: To the people calling me a bot or an agent of Russia or China: is this where you work?
https://www.reddit.com/Blackout2015/comments/4ylml3/reddit_has_removed_their_blog_post_identifying/

I’ve been on Google Workspace for a few years, so it’s been a while since I started with a completely clean inbox, blank personal file organization, and standard settings.
What are your best tips for setting up a foundation to stay organized, or things that you wish you had started doing day 1? Do you use Tasks? Are you a One Note pro? I’d love to hear how you make it work for yourself.
One of the first things I looked to do was set up an outlook quickstep for turning emails into calendar appointments (as in, at 8:30 tomorrow AM I’m going to dig in and address this email in a dedicated time block), getting the email out of my inbox.
—
Candidly- I’m a bit overwhelmed by what enterprise Teams has become with app integrations. I had to disconnect calendar app since I was getting dupe notifications in my Outlook inbox.
I also don’t have a ton of experience with shared OneDrive access. When I asked a peer about departmental file storage he pointed me to Teams, so I feel reallllly behind in how much that program is powering these days.

6-minute read.

political consultations were held between foreign ministries of Armenia and Georgia about "adherence to European values" and regional issues

It was the first bilateral consultation after the recent signing of the AM-GE Strategic Partnership agreement. Economy, trade, transport, energy, tourism, culture, and education were noted as the main pillars of this cooperation.
The demarcation of the AM-GE border will remain a priority on the agenda.
Regional developments were also discussed. The parties reiterated univocal support to each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The discussion also included the role of Armenia and Georgia in supporting peace and regional development, as well as adherence to European values.
In other news. Armenia's foreign ministry says they held discussions with Georgian colleagues regarding the recent decision by Tbilisi to require all tourists visiting Georgia to have health insurance. Armenia says the June 1 deadline reported earlier has been postponed.
source, source,

EU reportedly plans to freeze Georgia's membership bid to EU if "foreign agent" bill becomes law

Financial Times, citing a person briefed on the discussions between Georgian and EU officials in recent days

source, source,

EBRD's international forum was held in Yerevan: Day 2

TLDR video, full video in English, other video, Pashinyan's speech in English, sanctions compliance by banks,

EBRD bank funds its largest-ever road project in Armenia

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is lending €236 million to Armenia to build the southern section of the Sisian-Kajaran road. Details and how much faster the road will get in May 8 news digest.
The loan agreement was signed today between the Finance Ministry and EBRD during the latter's annual business forum held in Yerevan.

This important infrastructure project, part of Armenia's international North-South, is aligned with EU flagship initiatives for improved land transport connectivity and building resilience in the southern regions of Armenia.

EBRD: We appreciate Armenia’s aspiration to develop a transport and logistics infrastructure that will enhance its regional connectivity and integration with external markets. We support this project because it meets our strategic objectives in Armenia and the region.
source,

EBRD and InecoBank will co-finance the development of a new TUMO Convergence Centre for Engineering and Applied Science in Yerevan

See the architectural design and details about the new TUMO tech/science/innovation/education center here: TUMO.

is a unique STEM hub in Yerevan, focused on sparking innovation. It is where academia and industry come together and where Armenia connects to the world. Designed by the world-renowned Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, the Convergence Center’s flagship building will be an innovative horizontal skyscraper. Only six stories tall but stretched over 200 meters at the edge of the Hrazdan Gorge, the building occupies 17,000 square meters. It is made up of 300 modular spaces arranged inside a giant hall that creates a unique interior ecosystem.
The goal of the Convergence Center project is to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that will accelerate the growth of high tech, engineering and applied sciences in Armenia.

EBRD and InecoBank will chip in €7.25 million each. The EU Delegation to Armenia will also contribute.
source,

EBRD plans to invest €500 million in Armenia this year

EBRD: This is a historic figure and it shows that we are working closely with public and private sectors. We have already invested €640 million over the past 5 years, half of which is in the private sector.
The events in Ukraine have increased the need for stable connectivity between Europe and Asia, making the South Caucasus region and Armenia in particular an attractive area for international trade and investment. //
source,

Day 7 of anti-Pashinyan protests organized by pro-Russian opposition forces

CHAPTER 1
Yesterday the co-organizer Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan invited everyone to join a "big rally" near the opera building on Wednesday, the area where the EBRD is holding the international business forum attended by over 3,000 international and local officials. The police brought a large number of forces to protect the area.
GALSTANYAN (yesterday): At 5 pm on Wednesday there will be an international forum in our opera hall. Numerous international economic organizations will be present, and the leader of this government will give a speech there. Each one of you has the opportunity to be there and express your disagreement towards this illegal demarcation of our border. Come in big numbers. Tomorrow we must express our peaceful but strong dissent. //
The aerial view of Galstanyan's rally near the opera building on Wednesday: video
Galstanyan's followers attempted to block the movement of buses serving the EBRD economic forum attendees. video
CHAPTER 2
5 protesters + 4 trash cans = 9 video,
CHAPTER 3
A group of low-income residents from Vanadzor, who were registered with humanitarian organizations as aid recipients, reported to police that someone bribed and duped them to join the ongoing protests.
AUTHORITIES: On April 24, the suspect used vehicles to transport 7 people to join the protests in Voskepar, Tavush, in exchange for cash. The residents joined the protests and shut down roads until late evening. Upon return, the participants received the promised ֏3,000 ($8).
On May 9, the same suspect organized the transfer of several low-income food bank recipients to Yerevan's Republic Square to take part in "Տավուշը հանուն հայրենիքի" protest. They received ֏3,000 ($8) on the spot and were taken home to Vanadzor in late evening. //
Authorities published the audio of testimony by participants. Some of them were duped; they were told it was going to be a simple "road trip". One witness said there were 3 GAZelle vans transporting several participants. audio
CHAPTER 4
The protest organizers are in touch with former Ambassador-At-Large Edmon Marukyan's party LHK, Ruben Vardanyan's party Aprelu Yerkir, and "Hayaqve". These parties joined the Archbishop/ARF-led protest on May 9 and held political discussions with Galstanyan on Wednesday morning. Galstanyan urged his followers to ramp up the strikes and road closures starting tomorrow.
source, source, source, source, source, video, source,

Russia's foreign ministry responds to speculations and conspiracy theories that began after Pashinyan's recent meeting with Putin

Backstory: Former Ambassador-At-Large Edmon Marukyan has strained relations with several pro-West figures. The pro-West figures had accused Marukyan of serving the interests of Russia by providing pro-Russian advisory to Pashinyan. In turn, Marukyan accused the pro-West figures of unprofessionalism.
Pashinyan recently asked Putin to withdraw Russian agents from the Zvartnots airport and the AM-AZ border. After that meeting, Russia released a statement that included a phrase stating that Pashinyan asked Putin to preserve the troops along the border with Turkey and Iran.
Edmon Marukyan released a video in which he was simply "asking questions" to the pro-West figures. He wanted them to explain what exactly happened that Pashinyan "asked" Russia to preserve its forces on the borders with Turkey and Iran. Marukyan's video could be perceived as an attempt to incite a conflict between Pashinyan and pro-West figures by presenting Pashinyan as a "pro-Russian" figure who was supposedly given an opportunity to withdraw ALL Russian forces but "asked" them to stay.
Russia's foreign ministry was asked to comment on Wednesday.
REPORTER: The official statement reads that the Armenian side asked for the Russian guards to remain on the TR and IR borders. At the same time, we know that the Russian guards on TR and IR borders were installed under a different - bilateral state agreement. Does this mean that during the Pashinyan-Putin meeting, Putin offered to withdraw forces from TR and IR borders as well and that Pashinyan asked them to stay?
RUSSIAN MFA: No, Russia did not offer a complete withdrawal of all border guards from Armenia. Some other outlets claimed that the withdrawal is a result of an AM-AZ agreement not to deploy 3rd party forces on the border; these are all false. In reality, the Armenian side wanted to discuss the withdrawal of Russian border guards from several regions near the AM-AZ border as a result of the completion of their duties.
source, source,

Armenia and French Development Agency will expand cooperation

PM Pashinyan hosted Bertrand Walckenaer, the representative of the French Development Agency.
PASHINYAN: We highly appreciate the cooperation with the FDA and we hope to expand it to new areas. Armenia is interested in expanding cooperation with France in all fields.
WALCKENAER: We plan to expand the directions of cooperation and the scope of programs for the development of various infrastructures in Armenia. //
They discussed the ongoing construction of the large Vedi reservoir.
source,

Armenia and France expand partnership in civil aviation

The countries signed a technical agreement this week to exchange knowledge and experience.
source,

Armenia's Economy Minister and U.S. Department of Agriculture discussed the possibility of increasing agricultural exports to U.S.

Minister Papoyan's U.S. trip continues. They also discussed providing technical assistance in the field of agriculture.
source,

second round of major army leadership appointments and rotation in Armenia

Seven new appointments to various army departments, including Territorial Defense Forces.
DEFENSE MINISTRY: This is within the framework of ongoing army reforms in connection with the approval of the new statutes and structure of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Armenia.
source, source, source, source, source, source, source,

the ceremony of the withdrawal of Russian soldiers from Nagorno-Karabakh was marked in Ivanyan on Wednesday

Ranking army officials from Russia and Azerbaijan participated in the ceremony. The decision to withdraw without waiting for the 5-year term to end was made on April 17.
source,

Armenia and Slovakia discuss expansion of defense cooperation

Deputy MOD Brutyan visited the IDEB-2024 defense exhibition in Bratislava where he met Slovak MOD Kaliňák and representatives of their military industry. The talks touched upon defense and technical cooperation between Armenia and Slovakia and resulted in a number of agreements.
In other news. The pro-Azerbaijan Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico was shot by a left-wing activist and is in a life-threatening condition. The assailant was detained by police. A crowd was waiting outside a cultural centre when one of them started shooting. He was reportedly shot in the arm and abdomen.
source, source, source, video,

... or is everything just "obstacle, fence, door, loot, loot, obstacle, zombie, loot, door, fence"?
I always appreciate the moments I take to stop and look at the world and try and build a narrative. Sam, here, is my most recent--and final--recruit, brought on board specifically to upgrade my command centre with her computer knowledge. She had no stats whatsoever (except programming) and I had no pending missions so I sent her on a run to go cash in my bounties, specifically a Trunbull Valley 4x4. That dumbass didnt realise it would be automatically delivered so she didn't actually have to run the whole way there, but that's how you get hazed into a new community, I guess.
So she threw on a t-shirt and cap, loaded her up with an Echo X-3, and filled her pockets with bolts, firecrackers, and amphetamines. Off she went, sprinting the whole way, slowing only to kill one or two athletic zombies. On the way there, she advanced six cardio levels two shooting levels. When she got there, she found out she'd been duped and was like "Fuck! I don't want to run all the way back!" So she scanned her map for a car. Lo and behold when Metalworker-guy got himself ganked by a feral horde over by a Valu-Wagon on the wast side of the map, he left a gassed-up Road Racer behind. So she popped another blue one and started running, picking up "Marathon" along the way. Once she got there, decided to have a look up in the hills where a horde was lurking. Pierced their heads and then stopped to look at this playground and remember: kids.

From how the gacha is programmed you're never guaranteed to get a SS item which means you can go through hundreds of esoteric/moonlight scrolls and get nothing and if they are planning to put SS+ items into the game they better gives us a good pity system.
Suggestion 1 Duplicates trading:
Nobody likes getting dupes so put them to use and let us trade them.
Suggestion 2 TenTen tickets:
I still think 4500 is to much but besides that why can't we buy the items from the rotations.
Suggestion 3 Ten eso=guaranteed SS
Really simple but it's not just guaranteed SS it's guaranteed new SS so in 50 to 60 eso you can get everything in a rotation, you can get lucky and get all the stuff you wanted in the first 10 eso or waste 60 for 1 item you really want.
That's it give shuriken to all types and give D7meRusher paper bomb kunai

I was advised to make a whole separate post on leaving at 18, so I will because I'm lost in that area.
Let's start with the vehicle stuff, since that's very important. I bought a car! I through a ton of shenanigans (not listing them for length's sake, but lets say for short that I have friends in a car trade program) got a 96 Chevy blazer for 1000 plus me fixing his PC. My title and everything, and I've duped and thoroughly hidden the keys. Fortunately the car I upgraded and had revoked just so happens to be mostly compatible with this one, so a lot of the mods are now on it. The back is definitely large enough to lay down and sleep flat in, but it's definitely not very comfortable. How do I ready myself on this front? Should I prepare the car for sleeping in at a moments notice? Or do I leave it empty until needed? What do I keep in it?
How do I ready myself to actually leave? Right now I found a new job and am making about 250 a week (bored out of my mind there but that's how "the grind" works so whatever). I know to save / hide this, but should I also invest it into other things too? Or just what I can take with when I have to speed leave? It also will in a year get me enough to pay my college off in cash, so that's nice too.
How do I pick housing? While I don't normally trust her she drops hints for housing that I'm not sure are fully true but sound accurate enough like "avoid crime filled areas" or "avoid areas with tons of drug abuse" all the time. Others are obvious bullshit, like her idea of "never live in Hispanic areas" and "never live in an apartment", but is the more "sounds right" advice actually good?
And also, how do I live alone? She's never taught me to use a dishwasher or laundry machine (she's threatened my life when I try, still remember when she said she'd stab me in my sleep over running the washer) let alone how to cook or clean or do anything. Everything I know that I excel at is on paper valuable skills but in the real world useless. The only appliances I understand is the fridge and the microwave.
Also she's bought me stuff before I got a job and claims it isn't mine, does that change when I turn 18? Does it become mine (since it was bought for me and given to me) or is it still hers (her money)?
And finally, how do I make the actual plan? Do i like memorize it or elaborately ocean's 11 it out in detail? How should I draft it? Test it for holes? Revise it? Should I run my plan past here for advice, or is that yet another risk?
Help. Thank you.

Welcome to our second discussion of Thinking, Fast and Slow! The Marginalia post is here. You can find the Schedule here.
This week, we will discuss Chapters 5-10. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed or frustrated by the content, just hold a pencil in your mouth pointing left to right and you'll be primed to feel better in no time! You can also read through the chapter summaries below for a refresher.
This is a nonfiction text so it's obviously not plot-driven, but we still want to be respectful of the experiences of other readers. So, if you've read ahead or made connections between the concepts in this book and other media, please mark spoilers using the format > ! Spoiler text here ! < (without any spaces between the characters themselves or between the characters and the first and last words).
Chapter Summaries:
CHAPTER 5 - Cognitive Ease: Kahneman shows us how System 1 and System 2 work together to create states of cognitive ease or cognitive strain when we are presented with information or other stimuli. Cognitive ease is a state of comfort where things are going well, while cognitive strain is the opposite end of the spectrum where there is a problem which causes discomfort.
Our brains constantly assess how things are going, using automatic System 1 processes, and monitoring whether the extra effort of lazy System 2 is needed. When experiencing familiar inputs and in a good mood, our brains are in a state of cognitive ease, which leads to positive feelings and trust of the situation or information. When System 2 needs to get involved, we experience cognitive strain and can develop negative feelings and skepticism. Kahneman asserts that these states can be “both a cause and a consequence” of how we feel about things and relate to them.
On the “cause” side, cognitive ease can make you notice and believe things more readily because your brain is already used to them. (Cognitive strain can make you reject unfamiliar messages.)

• An illusion of memory is caused by more easily noticing things that we have recently been exposed to. An example would be picking out a few names as minor celebrities from a long list just because you recently saw those names in a different context.
• Similarly, an illusion of truth is experienced as more readily believing something just because you've heard a certain phrase or sentence often. System 2 will sometimes slow this down a bit to comb through relevant background information that could verify or refute the statement, but cognitive ease will result in belief if it can't be quickly confirmed. (Remember, System 2 is lazy AF.)
• Our brains default to the good vibes of cognitive ease, and Kahneman points to the career of Robert Zajonc whose research on the mere exposure effect drives this point home. Zajonc proved that just by exposing people repeatedly to a word or object, they would develop a more positive association with it. The more exposure, the more likely people are to favor something. This is true of a random word on a newspaper cover, a pronounceable stock market symbol, or even stimuli provided unconsciously. It is also true for nonhumans, as tones played for chicken embryos will get a more positive response from the chicks after they hatch. This is because, evolutionarily speaking, it is safer for animals to be initially skeptical of novel stimuli, and also to learn to trust repeated stimuli as safe. Darwin would be proud!

On the “consequence” side, cognitive ease can be induced if we are presented with things that feel easy and familiar, or if we are put into a good mood first. (Cognitive strain can be induced in the opposite ways.)

• When psychologists ask their subjects to think of happy or sad experiences first, it affects how intuitive they are and whether they experience cognitive ease or strain in the tasks that follow.
• Experiments have also shown that no matter the content of a message, people will intuit it as more or less believable depending on how much cognitive ease or strain results from the presentation of said information.
• Kahneman points out that the effects of cognitive ease on people's beliefs might have been proven by psychologists, but authoritarian regimes have always known it works. (Gulp!) Let's assume you are not a dictator and you have a truthful, impactful message that you want people to pay attention to. If you keep in mind that System 2 is lazy and people will avoid things that cause cognitive strain, you can bolster the efficacy of your message with the following tips: use an easy-to-read font, high-quality paper, simple phrasing, bright colors, and sources with easily pronounceable names. Yes, System 2 will balk at your report if your sentences are too fancy and your font is too small or squiggly. You can also add rhymes. Apparently it is proven true if rhyming's what you choose to do! (Please enjoy this relevant sitcom clip.)

Now here's where things get surprising. Cognitive ease and strain are not binary good/bad things. Sure, cognitive ease makes you feel happier and more confident, but you're also more likely to be duped and rely on your automatic System 1 impressions. Cognitive strain feels uncomfortable and makes you work harder, but it also boosts your creativity and gets you to think more analytically, so it can lead to better decisions and outcomes. You would probably do better on a test printed in a challenging font because your brain would be forced to pay more attention! Maybe I should've written this summary in a smaller font…
CHAPTER 6 - Norms, Surprises, and Causes: System 1 is compared to a powerful computer in this section, because it can quickly make links between networks of ideas. System 2 is our ability to set search parameters and program the computer to detect certain bits of data more easily. Let’s check out how awesome - and limited - System 1 is!
Surprise is the spice of life, and System 1 works with surprising events to help explain what we observe and decide if it is “normal”. Surprises come in two kinds: consciously expected events that will surprise you if they don’t happen (eg, your kid coming home from school), and passively expected events that are normal in a given scenario but it won’t surprise us if they don’t happen (eg, when I give my students a test someone will probably groan). System 1 helps us adjust our expectations: an event may seem normal if we’ve been exposed to it before (such as bumping into the same friend unexpectedly on two vacations) or become an expected occurrence (such as looking for an accident in the same stretch of road where you saw a big one earlier). Linking up events is another talent of System 1. Kahneman and his colleague Dale Miller worked on norm theory together: when observing two events, the first may be surprising but when a second event occurs your System 1 thinking will work out a connection between the two, making a narrative of sorts that diminishes how surprising the second event seems. This also makes it hard to pick out small errors, but easy to pick out glaring ones, such as the difference between reading “Moses put animals on the ark” and “George Bush put animals on the ark”.
System 1 likes to create narratives with these linked events. It helps us understand stories in a common way across the culture, and it allows us to make sense of the events in our daily lives and in the world.

1. Associative coherence creates links between events to help make an understandable story about what is going on. If a friend tells you they had fun sightseeing in a crowded city but later discovered their wallet was missing, you would probably jump to a conclusion about pickpockets (rather than assuming your friend absent-mindedly left it at a restaurant) because of the associations between crowds, cities, and crime.
2. The illusion of causality occurs when we “see” physical causation in scenarios even if there isn’t an actual cause-and-effect relationship. Having seen that an object will move when something bumps into it, psychologist Albert Michotte explains that we will transfer this assumption even to pictures of objects. We know there was no real physical contact, but if picture A moves immediately after picture B “touches” it, our System 1 thinking still explains picture B as causing the movement.
3. We assume intentional causality because humans are excellent at personifying nonhuman subjects. Heider and Simmel demonstrated that people do this by assigning things feelings and personality traits, forming a narrative around what might be happening. Here is a video of their animation of the bullying triangle. Considering it is a bunch of shapes, I think it is quite harrowing!
4. We separate physical and intentional causality, and this may be an explanation for how humans are wired to easily accept religious beliefs. According to Paul Bloom in The Atlantic, we are born with the capacity to conceive of “soulless bodies and bodiless souls” which allows us to accept religious explanations of God and the immortal soul. Religious belief may be baked into System 1 thinking!

Unfortunately, relying on causal intuitions like these can cause misconceptions, especially where statistical thinking is necessary to draw appropriate conclusions. Guess who we need for statistical thinking? System 2! Too bad for us that it’s easier and more pleasant to just go with the narrative of System 1.
CHAPTER 7 - A Machine for Jumping to Conclusions: System 1 is that machine, and it does this without our awareness. This works out just fine when making a mistake wouldn’t be a big deal and our assumptions are probably going to be correct (such as hearing “Anne approached the bank” and thinking of an institution of finance rather than a river’s edge). It gets more serious - and needs the help of System 2’s analysis - if it would be risky to make a mistake and the situation is unfamiliar or vague. We rely on System 1 to draw conclusions about ambiguous information without ever having to ponder the uncertainties, and most of the time this works out just fine! But it can also lead to biases.
Confirmation bias occurs when we fall back on our associative memories to evaluate information. System 1 likes to confirm things and will rely on examples related to the wording of a statement or question. It is gullible and will try to believe things if it can. Fortunately, System 2 is deliberate and skeptical; it can step in to help us interpret things more correctly or “unbelieve” things that are false. The bad news is that, if System 2 is already busy or feeling lazy (eg, if you are experiencing cognitive strain) then System 2 might not kick in and you might be duped. Don’t watch those influencer marketing posts while exhausted, kids!
Even when not under strain, System 2 will still default to searching for evidence that proves a statement or question rather than seeing if it can be disproved. This is contrary to the science and philosophy rules for testing hypotheses, but hey, Systems 1 and 2 are gonna do what they’re gonna do. If someone asks if a person is friendly, you’re going to think of times they did nice things; but if someone asks if they're unfriendly, all their jerky behaviors will come to mind.
The Halo Effect is another bias to watch out for. We are prone to make assumptions based on our initial experiences and observations. For instance, a fun conversation at a party might lead you to assume your new friend is generous, even though you have no knowledge of their charitable behaviors (or lack thereof), and in turn their assumed generosity will make you like them even more! This is the halo effect, where we generalize about something based on initial impressions: if you like a person, you tend to like everything about them (and vice versa). Your mom was right: first impressions are important!
You can avoid the halo effect by decorrelating errors. This essentially means you should crowdsource information and opinions from a lot of independent sources who aren’t allowed to collaborate before sharing their thinking, and the average of this information will provide a clear understanding. It is the reason police don’t allow multiple witnesses to “get their stories straight” and why Kahneman believes everyone should write a short summary of their opinions before engaging in open discussion at a meeting. It is also a great way to cheat at those guessing jar challenges: just wait for everyone else to write down a number, then sneak a peek at the guesses and take the average as your own guess! (You can also use math if you’re a goody-two-shoes.) You’re welcome!
The principle of “What You See Is All There Is” (WYSIATI) leads to many other biases. Sure, it’s beneficial to think quickly and make sense out of complex situations using System 1 and the evidence at hand. It’s not always prudent or possible to stop and mull over whether we have all the information, so usually we rely on WYSIATI. The downside to this is that, when System 1 jumps to conclusions, it doesn’t care about the quantity or quality of the information it has to go on; it simply wants a coherent narrative. Since we almost always have incomplete information when making decisions or judgements, we rely on System 1 to put together the best possible conclusion based on what we see. We never stop to ask what we don’t know. This creates biases that can lead to incorrect assumptions. These include:

• overconfidence: we love a good story and will stand by it even if we don’t know very much at all
• framing effects: we will feel different ways about the same scenario based on how it is presented to us
• base-rate neglect: we disregard statistical facts that can’t be readily brought to mind in favor of vivid details we already know

Detecting errors like these is the job of System 2, but you may have heard that it is LAZY! This means that even System 2 is often relying on the evidence at hand without considering what else we don’t yet know. This reminds me of a silly-sounding statement by a certain American politician from the early 2000s.
CHAPTER 8 - How Judgments Happen: Like a curious toddler, there is no limit to the number of questions System 2 can ask. And like a teenager, there is a good chance that System 1 will make a snap judgment in place of the real question being asked. System 2 is good at both generating questions and searching memory to answer them, while System 1 is good at continuously and effortlessly making quick decisions, literally without giving it another thought. System 1 has features that support these basic assessments of intuitive decision-making, and they lead us to substitute one judgment for another.
Basic assessments are the immediate judgments that human brains have evolved to make constantly to ensure safety. Whether you are dodging taxis while crossing a city street or avoiding lions while trekking through the savannah, your brain can immediately judge a situation as threat (to avoid) or opportunity (to approach). We do the same with other people’s faces, immediately deciding whether they are friend or foe based on face shape and facial expression. While this can be great for deciding whether to talk to that intimidating guy on the subway, it’s not so great that voters tend to fall back on these System 1 assessments when picking a candidate. Basic assessments of candidates’ photos showed that politicians with faces rated more competent than their opponent (strong jaw + pleasant smile) were likely to be the winner of their elections. Apparently we could save a lot of time and money with campaigning and just hand out headshots. Yuck.
Here are some other examples of basic assessments that System 1 uses to answer an easier question in place of System 2’s more complex query:

• Sum-like variables: finding the total (sum) of a set is a slow process, so System 1 will use the average or think of a prototype (representative image) to get an immediate idea
• Intensity matching: System 1 is great at matching where things fall on different scales such as describing how smart someone is by relating it to a person’s height (reading at 4 years old would be like an impressive but not outrageous 6’7” man while reading at 15 months old would be like an extraordinary 7’8” man). In an experiment straight out of Dante’s Inferno, participants match the loudness of tones to a crime or its punishment and increase them based on severity (murder is louder than unpaid parking tickets), and they report feeling a sense of injustice when the tones for a crime and its punishment do not match in volume!
• The mental shotgun: Just as you can’t aim at a single target with a shotgun because of the spray of pellets, so your System 1 is constantly making basic assessments that it wasn’t asked to and should probably have minded its own beeswax about. It’ll slow you down when identifying rhyming words that are spelled differently (vote/goat) and it’ll make you pause in looking for true sentences when a false statement could have a metaphorical meaning. You weren’t asked to think about spelling the rhyming words or making metaphors out of comparative statements, but System 1 just can’t help itself! Thinking about one aspect of the question triggers System 1 to think about a bunch of other connected associations.

CHAPTER 9 - Answering an Easier Question: You are almost always right, and you know it. Admit it, your System 1 keeps you pretty sure that you know what to think about most people and situations. Kahneman points out that we rarely experience moments when we are completely stumped and can’t come up with an answer or a judgment. You know which people to trust, which colleagues are most likable, and which initiatives are likely to succeed or fail. You haven’t collected detailed research and statistics or swiped anyone’s diary; your System 1 just knows. That’s because it answered an easier question!
Let’s talk heuristics. According to George Pólya, a heuristic is a simpler problem that can be solved as a strategy for tackling a more difficult problem. Kahneman borrows the term to describe the substitutions made by System 1 instead of answering a tricky System 2 question. If you don’t get an answer to a question pretty quickly, System 1 will make some associations and use those to come up with a related and easier question. You won’t even notice that your brain has pulled a switcheroo, and you’ll feel confident in your answer to that tricky question (even though you did not in fact answer it). Here’s how System 1 pulls it off:
Brain: Hmm, I don’t know the answer to this complex question. It requires some deep analysis!
System 2: Hard pass. You may have heard I’m hella lazy.
System 1: I got you, bro! That deep question reminds me of this super fun fact I know, so I’ll throw this out there instead. Does your fancy schmancy query make sense now?
System 2: Umm, probably? It’s good enough for me. I’m gonna go back to my nap.
System 1: Eureka! We’ve got an answer!
Brain: I am so smart! I totally answered this really complex question thoughtfully and reasonably.
Here are some example heuristics:

• 3-D Heuristic: This is an optical illusion. When you are shown a drawing that appears to give a three dimensional perspective, your brain will automatically interpret it as if you were looking at objects in a 3-D setting. You didn’t forget that the paper and drawing are 2-D and you aren’t confused about the questions asked. You just automatically substitute 3-D interpretations because that is how your brain is used to seeing the world and it’s easier to continue that way.
• Mood Heuristic: It would take a lot of consideration to give an accurate answer to how happy you have been feeling lately, because there are so many factors to evaluate. When asked about happiness and then about dating, there is no correlation between the two answers: overall happiness is not really influenced by how many dates people have recently had. However, if someone primes you by asking about your dating life first, your answer about happiness will be very strongly correlated to your love life because System 1 is actually using the easy dating question to easily answer the more complex happiness question. This also works with other topics like family relationships and finances.
• Affect Heuristic: Your opinions or feelings about a certain topic will affect how you judge its strengths and positives as well as its weaknesses and negatives. Things you view favorably will seem to have many benefits and few risks, while things you are averse to will appear riskier and less beneficial. Your political preferences will influence your attitude towards policies and other countries even if there is evidence to the contrary. This doesn’t mean that we can’t learn or be convinced by new information, and that we will never change our minds. It’s just that lazy System 2 is also not very demanding; it tends to apologize for System 1’s snap judgments and emphasize the information that backs it up, rather than seeking out and examining the evidence to the contrary.

We end Part I with a chart listing the characteristics of System 1. This is a good review of how System 1 tends to operate. Then, we embark on Part II: Heuristics and Biases.
CHAPTER 10 - The Law of Small Numbers: People are bad at statistics - we struggle to draw intuitive conclusions based on a statistical fact. Even statisticians are bad at intuitive interpretations of statistics! This is because of the law of large numbers. Keep in mind that large samples are more precise than small samples. When randomly sampling a group, a large sample will yield more predictable results (less extremes) than a small sample would. Kahneman gives us two examples: rates of kidney cancer could seem unusually high or low if the populations of the counties sampled are small, and getting all of the same color marble instead of half and half will occur more often if you’re pulling just a few marbles from an equally mixed jar instead of pulling a big handful. (Your System 2 is really working hard right now, isn’t it? I had to bite a pencil just to make myself feel better in the statistics section. I’m not crazy; please refer to Chapter 4!)
The law of small numbers is the belief that the law of large numbers applies to small numbers, too. (It doesn’t.) Not only do average people fall for the law of small numbers, so do researchers and statisticians. There is a mathematical way to compute the number of participants that researchers need to sample in order to avoid statistical anomalies and ruin their results. Instead, researchers trust their intuition and go with traditional sample sizes, never stopping to calculate the number of participants actually needed for a safe sample size. Even authors of statistical textbooks couldn’t manage to avoid falling for the law of small numbers. This explains why my math-teacher-husband always pops a blood vessel when I quote him statistics from a newspaper article.
We are biased towards confidence rather than doubt. System 1 is not wired for doubt because it looks for coherent messaging. System 2 is wired for doubt, but not very good at it because it’s hard work. When we analyze and draw conclusions, we tend to put too much emphasis on coherent explanations. We are “not adequately sensitive to sample size” and end up believing that even a very small group matches up with the truth about the entire population. Essentially, it’s us saying “Kids these days…” because one random toddler was being obnoxious at the grocery store.
Statistics do not indicate the cause of an event; they only describe it in relation to what could have happened instead. But people are predisposed to make associations and creative coherent narratives, so we look for patterns and assume causality where none exist. Many events in life are random chance and this is true whether you consider the sequence of the sex of babies born in a single day, the bombing locations in a city or fatality rates of air squadrons during war, or the “hot hands” of a basketball player who appears to have a streak of success. The problem is that we fall for the law of small numbers in our small samples, we create associative narratives to explain what we see, and we are biased towards believing our own conclusions because they ring true. Even really smart and successful people like Bill Gates make these mistakes, and sometimes this results in millions or billions of dollars wasted and national educational policies shifted on the basis of random chance. Oops! WYSIATI, even in statistics!