Ross

Sentient enough to ask the big questions but not enough to answer them.

Thinking, like other drugs, should be done infrequently and earned with physical struggle.

I think mankind's greatest superpower is storytelling. Consider the Neanderthal replacement. Neanderthals had smaller social lives. They lived in small bands of mostly kin. They could live next to another group of Neanderthals and rarely interact, never visit, and never interbreed. Compared to modern humans, they even had different, pathogenic variations in the oxytocin genes that predict sociality. By most accounts, Neanderthals weren't great at speaking. They had funny high pitched voices—evolution did not "feel" the need to select for resonant speaking in the Neanderthal. Their tools were cruder and more uniform, suggesting that they weren't able to make improvements and then teach others how to replicate. Some of the genes that predict autism spectrum disorders in humans today are likely products from Neanderthal admixture. Neanderthals didn't even have a strong grasp on fire. The evidence is mixed, but it's likely that while they could use and maintain existing fires, they weren't reliable starters of fires. It's hard to tell stories 50k years ago if you don't have a campfire to sit around. Hell, even in 2024 the best stories happen around campfires. Humans meanwhile lived in large bands. Not everyone was kin. They intermarried with other groups. Their walking range was far greater than the Neanderthals. They were gracile, with long legs that were made for long strides. Their oxytocin genes predicted greater sociality. They brought culture and stories where they went. They wielded fire and likely sat around it every night. The smaller the group, the more you can rely on blood and less you need stories to tie everyone together. The larger the social group, the more you need stories, myths, and legends to overcome the lack of blood ties and bind the group together. Neanderthals never needed to develop storytelling, and that probably played a big role in why they lost.

We enjoy our artichokes here

Spring in NorCal. Ribeyes, artichokes, spring onions, sourdough garlic bread, an apricot for dessert. All grilled over an open fire.

@BreatheLesss One of the few domains where the 'midwit' meme does not apply.

Most powerful indirect IQ test is your taste in music.

Mild herb sauce to pair. Olive oil, meyer lemon, parsley, cilantro, garlic, sea salt.

Always grilling season

Almost impossible to beat this setup. Water is continuously pumped in from the ocean about 100 meters away. Feels about 60 degrees right now. Warm enough to swim comfortably, cold enough to feel invigorated. Very salty. In a just world there'd be 20 of these pools along CA coast

@leyism @casebradford Palo Alto

@evan__ross @casebradford Wtf where are you? This is a dream

Marijuana: ~17% of Americans use it Raw Milk: ~2% of Americans enjoy it America is driven by market forces primarily. Continue spreading the good word and things will change for the better in time 🐄

@casebradford I was just in Spain and was shocked to hear baristas ask if I wanted oat or cow milk instead of just assuming the default. Had to start being clear and ordering a 'cafe con leche de vaca'. So I'm a little more pessimistic. But yes, this market is in NorCal.

@evan__ross I find solace in the fact that Oatlys stock price is plummeting 😂 good to see raw milk expanding too. I am guessing this is somewhere in Northern California

@casebradford Worth noting the oat/almond/soy milks are proliferating at an even higher rate. Pretty soon the whole section will be 20% high end raw milk and 80% nut slop which captures how America is bifurcating into extreme highs and lows as the middle disappears.

@casebradford 4 different brands at the local market. This was not the case a few years ago.

@e_cdalton Either way beef is the California ingredient

The California dish

Today, the most important place on earth is a narrow band running from Houston to San Francisco. The Faustian ethos has transplanted itself into this strange new land, after dying out among its originators. NASA, Space X, Los Alamos, Open AI. It's all here.

Swimming in the ocean brings your attention to the present and your immediate surroundings. Swimming in a pool does the opposite, a safe space where the breath and the metronome of each stroke provide so simple an object of your attention that the mind may wander.

@e_cdalton The secret of slow/medium lap swimming is it's not difficult if you're used to it. Easier than walking if you're overweight. That's actually why it's a great place to start though - very frictionless.

Reminder that long slow lap swimming isn't a very good exercise for losing weight. Most lap guys I see are kinda chubby. Kid swimmers, too. Why? The stimulus isn't enough to justify the caloric cravings spending an hour in cold water creates.

@m48257l Thanks man, I'm all good just taking a break.

Haven't seen any activity from @evan__ross in a while. Hope you're well dude!

@SamRGP 🤝twitter.com/evan__ross/sta…

Back on the scene for another bag - ever noticed how low quality all the litter is? McDonald’s, sodas, blunt wrappers, beer cans - rarely do you see a generative item out there

@SP1NS1R 'Lindy' was a glib way of saying 'understand our biology, history, and traditional time-tested ways of life' If you have this knowledge you better understand which natural impulses are appropriate or not given the context.

@SP1NS1R No. We find ourselves in 'non-Lindy' circumstances often, in which case we should override our nature. Example - we're reluctant to swim in 65 degree water because we've been unnaturally sheltered our whole life and thermoregulation atrophied. Best to override this.

how do we know which aspects of human nature to override vs obey?