Some people have a tendency to think about how people will feel in the future about current events, and I think it's a little far-reaching to believe that you can control how future people will think of anything.  Let future people decide for themselves.  Live now. #psychology

The average of two opposing viewpoints isn't a compromise, it's a misuse of statistics.

I don't like when people give the appearance of open-mindedness while in fact having no intention of changing their mind.  A simple example is when people ask something like, "Who created the universe?"  Right from the get-go, that question is making at least two assumptions:  (1) The universe was created, and (2) someone created it.  When a conversation starts with a question like that, it has the appearance of inquisitiveness, but really the outcomes are decided already.  Confirmation bias essentially ensures that the questioner will find the answer they were looking for. 

I find that these types of questions show up on social media a lot, and I've learned from past experience to just not engage.  People aren't "just asking questions" (side note:  if you ask questions, be prepared to accept the answer).  They're looking for a fight, or an argument, or a chance to criticize the other side.  No good will come from engaging with these people, as much as they believe things like "we need to learn to come together and discuss things".  No we don't.  The compromise between a crazy idea and a sane one isn't somewhere in the middle. #psychology

I'm no expert (I should probably just start every sentence with that), but there are pretty much three main types of diets: 

1. Calorie shift - cutting or increasing calories from any source
2. Nutrient shift - decreasing carbs and increasing protein while maintaining calories, etc.
3. Source shift - replacing meat with vegetables while maintaining calories, etc.

#lifestyle

I feel I should be exempt from advertising for products and services of which I'm already a customer.  I should be able to skip commercials for my cell service provider, my cable provider, etc.  Seeing more ads won't make me more of a customer. 

I also think I should be exempt if there's essentially no way for me to be a customer.  I recently saw a commercial for a fast food place that's not in my area.  I'm used to seeing commercials from the nearby metro area which don't exactly apply to me, but there's absolutely no way I'm driving 200 miles for some greasy chicken. #business

It's more than a little misleading when law enforcement and reporters say things like "[x value] of drugs was seized" in a sting operation or whatnot.  That's the value of the drugs if they were sold.  But since they're seized, they'll likely be destroyed, and so they're worth nothing.  Actually, since it took personnel and resources to seize the drugs, they're really worth less than nothing.  That's a net negative.  If the law got out of the way, those drugs could be sold for a profit, which would then stimulate the economy instead of being a drain on it. #money

From 52 things I learned in 2020:

報復性熬夜 is a Chinese term that roughly means 'Revenge bedtime procrastination' -- when "people who don't have much control over their daytime life refuse to sleep early in order to regain some sense of freedom during late night hours". [Lu-Hai Liang]

Oh, I do that. #psychology

I remember thinking (and maybe saying) this after Trump got elected in 2016, but it's even more true now:  The one good thing Trump has done is to increase people's interest in politics, both local and national, and for both political parties.  This can be clearly seen in voter turnout percentages, which have been in the 50s and low 60s for the past hundred years or so.  The 2020 election saw a 66-72% eligible voter turnout, which is the highest its been since the 1800s.  Say what you want about him and his presidency, but a healthy functioning representative democracy requires the interest and involvement of the voting populace.  Mission accomplished. #politics

I really enjoy (subtext: sarcasm) how, during the time of coronavirus, every little ailment you get, from a runny nose to sinus congestion to a cough to a fever, could potentially be serious.  I sort of miss the good old days when people got sick and continued on with their normal lives. #health

I meant to write this like 7 months ago, but oh well:  I like how people talk and write about the coronavirus with superfluous names, as if we didn't know what they were talking about.  "The novel coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19..."  Like, yeah we get it.  The virus. #health