>"The simplicity of Lao Tzu's language can present an almost impenetrable density of meaning. The reversals and paradoxes in this great poem are the oppositions of the yin and yang — male/female, light/dark, glory/modesty — but the knowing and being of them, the balancing act, results in neither stasis nor synthesis ... reversal, recurrence, are the movement, and yet the movement is onward."
Thanks for your literal character interpretation / perspective.
Silver has far out-performed gold, going recently from 100:1+ ($gold:silver$) to 49:1
This is a big acceleration, perhaps even a return to normal (pre-1933, typically 22:1 — 1930s-1960s it was 50:1 — 1971 Nixon took us off gold-standard).
Does the book describes binary mathematics (via the ying and yang) and how it can be used to describe basically all complexity and complex interactions ? Have you read that bit? I heard Alan Watts mention it and I thought it was interesting.
I am author Unise's age, and also ran my own construction startup for about fifteen years. Covid, bitcoin, and spite helped me fire all but one of my clients.
In hindsight, I do wish my own venture had always remained "side work" — as it was during my IBEW apprenticeship. As a full-time endeavor, this article absolutely speaks Truth ["that manager is YOU — and they're a terrible boss"].
Entrepreneurship isn't for most people, and although I've made most of dollars on 1099... I wouldn't choose so again. I've taken several years "re-grouping" as I try to determine what next... and fortunately still have one client that pays my bills (and enough savings from decade-old investments) and am not too worried financially.
I haven't had health insurance since leaving the union (a decade ago), and am definitely not getting any younger. The things I have done to keep an ungrateful client happy... aren't worth discussing (but I have learned so much).
Hopeful that when this administration ends our economy can pick back up and I can find a decent master/employer. I will be more grateful than most.
I've taken a few days to think about this common response, to me (as a no-dependants forty-something with no need to meet exhorbitant US healthcare fees) — there's just no net benefit (v. e.g. paying cash to amenable providers).
Also, I no longer use email so... no effort there.
It does makes sense in terms of resulting damage. Make a bot that will post new discussion, it will instantly get flagged to oblivion. Make 10 bots that downvote something - it will take quite some time for the mods to find them.
It just seems to me that you ought'a be able to downvote before making posts (and also flagging). Perhaps good upvoted comment boughts ought be able to make submissions (eventually), too..?
Downvoting needs much more than that actually (is it 500+ these days?) Maybe you mean flagging? Which is similar enough to still make your argument work, but just saying.
Andés Hess (RIP) gave an examination, 2006, in his Organic Chemistry course... which ended up with 35% of the class being reported to Vanderbilt's Honor Council.
He brilliantly tested students using open-ended, single-sentence questions (with half of the page blank to show your work)... which tested foundational topics and oozed with partial-credit opportunities. You then had an option to submit "test corrections" to explain why you should gain more points for your efforts (typically considered, when reasonable).
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His first exam of the semester, there was a multi-step question which resulted in a single 1cm x 1cm box — worth 20% of the entire exam's scoring — for you to indicate whether that particular Grignard reaction resulted in a single-, double-, or triple- bond.
The majority of the class answered (incorrectly) that it would be a double-bond, by writing a `=` into the blank box. In fact, that reaction resulted in a triple-bond `≡`
35% of the class ended up just adding the third parallel line (i.e. changing what they had originally answered) when handing in their test corrections. Dr. Hess had made photocopies of all the penciled exams... and reported all the cheaters.
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I answered it correctly, originally, so was never tempted to fib a similar mistake — but this definitely opened my eyes in reinforcement of not cheating. I eventually got into medical school, and most of that 35% of branded "cheaters" did not. Ultimately I never became a physician, but remember the temptations to cheat like everybody else did. I am happier/poorer because...
A truth of human behavior: most employees will steal if they think they can get away with it. Most students will cheat if they think they can get away with it.
Religion, the concept of sin as evil, codes of behavior, moral principles of right and wrong are the systems we developed to combat these tendencies.
Nobody wants to judge people's behavior anymore, for fear of hurting feelings or anxiety about confrontation.
>40% of international students were cheaters. When some were caught they fell back on cultural norms as their defense. The university never balked because those students, or their institutions, paid tuition in cash.
Twenty years ago, at Vanderbilt, this would have been an understatement — particularly among non-citizen asians.
I remember in organic chemistry an instructor attempted to re-give the same examination ("because ya'll did so terrible") and it was struck down by a dean as not allowable simply because the Honor Code was to be invoked that nobody/groups would share answers (yeah sure okay).
The minority following the Honor Code ended up getting into lesser graduate schools (e.g. myself) — because most courses didn't curve and VU didn't give out A+ as a grade. I have specifically not mentioned the specific country which cheated most-blatantly... but everybody from back then knew/knows.
Some days it will feel "too simple" — others "too much."
Enjoy your bedtime Tao.
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