Isn't it funny how cats know how to call dibs on the real estate in the very center of the bed just before you get in it? My cat, Alex, is just the same. lol

Warning. Don't use Intuit's TurboTax online to file your tax returns. Here's what I just encountered:

TurboTax was creepy in the way it tried to sneak in lots of tax return data harvesting for Intuit's own purposes and companies, including, but not limited to, their company Credit Karma.

1) Throughout the return creation process, many questions and prompts seemed like they were for the tax return, itself, but we're actually lead-ins to consenting to give your personal return data to Intuit and their affiliated companies.

2) In tandem with point 1, often they did not make opt-outs obvious, taking many secondary clicks before finding that "No Thanks" or "Skip" prompts were even available, leaving you wondering if the return process could move forward without being forced to consent.

3) Some of the consent attempts even used tricky "Review and Sign" language on buttons, similar to what you might see when at the point of reviewing and signing your return, as confusing clickbait.

These deceptive practices happened at many points of interaction throughout the return, from the very beginning to the very end.

Just a warning for anyone else who will be filing taxes. I definitely won't be using or recommending this service again.

Please repost if you feel this would be important for anyone who follows you to know.

#nostr #grownostr #bitcoin #taxes #plebchain #plebs #privacy #truth or lack thereof #don'ttrustverify

What a brilliant Emerson quote, and what an apt metaphor. I'd not read or heard this one before.

Lately, I've been internally referring to 95-97% of all media content as the "seed oils" of communication.

If you value your powers of observation and logical thought, it's simply best not ingest it.

#nostr #grownostr #seedoils #observation #mentalhealth #rationalthinking

Not yet, but I just checked out your link. Thanks!

#SilentSunday #trees #flowers #nature #photography

I love this shot. And the way the man and the child are serenely holding hands and gazing in different directions makes it interesting.

I appreciate this answer. Residing primarily in the US (for now), I have been on a solid ketogenic diet for the past year. In the last 6 months, I've been following research on how the body and brain process seed oils, beyond just the issues of seed oil industrial production. It seems there's an issue with quantity (our early ancestors would never have ingested the amounts of oil from seeds, even in one sitting, that we currently commonly consume) and an issue with the type of long chain fatty acid that makes up seed oils (it takes a lot of inefficient work for cells to break it down for energy, particularly in the brain, and leaving the high amounts of oxidative stress.) But I'm not sure if tahini strictly falls into this category. For myself, I'll look into it.

Here's an interesting interview that includes a discussion on this research by Dr. Georgia Ede. Seed oil discussion begins at 10:05, and the specifics on oxidative stress begin at 12:45. I think the entire segment on seed oils is 5 minutes in total:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=koh9WpXZNOg

Found this in a cool local kitty-cat shop today, and I'm pretty darn sure I have to get it.

Rosie the Riveter has met her match.

#catstr #cats #animals #artstr #art #grownostr

You really understood the essence of my question. I appreciate that. I, too, believe linguistic integrity to be very important, although, as you allude to, it is often difficult to achieve.

I like your point about trying to maintain integrity while also not entirely abandoning aspirational terminology because it's not perfect. This is something I hadn't considered, and your reply clearly articulates the reasons why this might be so. I will keep this in mind.

Further, you mentioned "all linguistic models reduce complexity—the art is to do so without self-deception." I absolutely agree. And, for me, it is an art that takes lots of conscious practice.

Again, thank you for your ideas.

Lastly, as a writer, I greatly appreciate your awareness and use of the M-dash (—). 🤓😉

Indeed. Possibly, this began as vernacular used by the AI scientists, engineers, and devs as a shorthand within their community to refer to certain complex AI response issues. Then, the term became used in the public space without the public having the insight as to what it is actually referring to.

Not sure if it is the "exact opposite", but it is my additional understanding from other resources I've looked at as well as my personal experience, which is why I said "adding to" his definition. I guess it would agree with the Merriam-Webster definition (shown below) in the sense of no qualitatively important action taking place.

Merriam-Webster:

"the act or practice of conspicuously displaying one's awareness of and attentiveness to political issues, matters of social and racial justice, etc., especially instead of taking effective action"

So I guess the cow is the only one who doesn't win in this free market transaction. 😉

I say this as a person who regularly eats grass-fed beef.

Also, you mentioned nostr:npub1yvgrrzf4dnmu30qfhw95x87ruu0g2kpv3a64h8hpvqsre8qeuspsgd6pv9 left a reply. I'm not seeing it in the Primal app, and Amethyst won't open for me since I recently updated. Would love to know what he said.

I appreciate your time and your thorough reply. It sounds like, as an inventor, you've created a way for people to access MRSA treatment that saves them both their time and monetary resources. It must feel good putting an invention like that out into the universe.

Thank you for this answer and for the deep dive link. I'm going to check that out.

I sensed that the original use of the term "value for value", at least within the Bitcoin community, was about eliminating advertisers and corporations from the equation. But what I didn't know, that you made me aware of, was this idea of time, talent, or treasure as various alternatives for exchanging value. I like that idea.

Adding to the definition and resource that nostr:npub1cxp3l03x20mkzezzr4takm8w8zuva7xwvacmcewp97z58hjt8xls3mexlq provided, my personal understanding has been it can be a repeated phrase or "slogan" that makes it sound like something of virtue is taking place when nothing particularly substantive or qualitatively different is actually happening.

Adding to the definition and resource nostr:npub1cxp3l03x20mkzezzr4takm8w8zuva7xwvacmcewp97z58hjt8xls3mexlq provided, my personal understanding has been it can be a repeated phrase or "slogan" that makes it sound like something of virtue is taking place when nothing particularly substantive or qualitatively different is actually happening.

And I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Dear Nostr,

I ask this question not as a judge of people who embrace the term "value for value" exchange—no chosen turns of phrase will ever perfectly represent reality. I ask because I often observe how the shorthand we use in language, even if created to express shared ideas more concisely, can come also, in time, to represent moral posturing. Also, the question is not intended as a denigration of the idea of profiting.

My experience in many domains is that people and groups are rarely, if ever, trying to execute value for value (or win-win) exchanges. If you're trying to "profit", you're explicitly trying to gain more in energy and resources than you give away in energy and resources, even if this difference is come by indirectly (i.e. costs experienced by "someones" or "somethings" unknown to you in the entire chain of resources.)

This idea of "profit" seems similar to how wild animals and organisms use some kind of advantage they have over other animals and organisms, which, in turn, leads to their ongoing survival in the wild.

If the above are accurate, are terms like "value-for-value" and "win-win" closer to virtue signaling than accurate descriptions for what is taking place? Would a terms like "direct exchange" or "straight trade" be more honest and correct?

All thoughtful responses are appreciated, regardless of length.

Sincerely,

Alison

#bitcoin #nostr #asknostr #grownostr #plebchain #v4v #btc #bitcoiners #psychology #nosterplebs #finance