Here's the thing about DEI initiatives, that many people seem to forget -- it was never about merit (or the lack thereof), it was about competing against racial bias and unfair laws.
The old boys' clubs kept out anyone that didn't look like them. We can debate all day if this was an implicit bias, nepotism, cronyism, or whatever. Take a look at the numbers from the past, take a look at the laws from Jim Crow. People of color and women weren't even allowed to work in some areas or companies. DEI grew out of Affirmative Action to add checks and balances to the practice of only hiring straight white men.
Of course, with human nature at play, DEI has become a way to add a checkmark for a member of historically excluded group. This checkmark may come at the expense of a more qualified member of a majority group -- or it may not. I can tell you as a member of several minority groups, we often have to work twice as hard to get to any position of authority, and even then, people assume we are just a DEI hire.
Now we have immigrant minority groups riding the coat tails of the Civil Rights movement, acting against their own best interest... At any rate, I no longer live in the US, and sitting back with my popcorn. This is gonna be interesting in the long run.
Always been sensitive to sounds and have taken effort over my life to protect my hearing. It may look silly, but I still plug my ears when a large truck/train passes by.
Result is, even at my age, I can still hear those annoying high frequency teenage repellents (ubiquitous in Tokyo). Can also hear some of my electric devices charging.
I'm glad to see such steps being taken by Apple. I always bring my noise canceling buds (Sony, Apple) with me when I go see movies. It's literally painful to watch movies in modern theaters without them. Just too damned loud!
Apple's on the right track. Personalized health and more daily monitoring of said health is gonna be a sea change event.
Wait, those high frequency sounds in Tokyo are teenage repellents? I thought they are bird/insect repellants. I could hear the sounds and was literally getting mini headaches walking around.
They're extremely annoying, aren't they? I was the only one that could hear them out of 5 people in my group, all aged about 35, and they definitely caused me to avoid walking by that shop. Hell, I would have avoided ever buying anything there if I were a local.
Yes you can even adjust the frequency based on which demographics you want to keep from loitering. There is a predictable hearing loss curve for the highest frequencies. You could set it to 20kHz to keep little kids away, or even go as low as 16kHz if you want to keep everyone younger than about college age away. This also happens to be an easy way to test the degree of your own hearing loss compared to your age group.
> It's literally painful to watch movies in modern theaters without them.
> It may look silly, but I still plug my ears when a large truck/train passes by.
Do not be afraid, fellow high-sensitivity brother. As scientifically proven, the normies brains will literally melt when they become unable to follow conversations, excluding them from social life, while being too stubborn to wear hearing aids and suffer from tinitus. Meanwhile we will continue to hear.
> noise cancelling buds
Consider Moldex 780201 SPARK PLUGS, my go to earplugs for sleep and when I am sure I don't need to listen to anything. Deeply inserted they provide extreme noise cancelling and are even better than airpod prods in some frequencies (though worse in others).
Same here, right down to the experience in Tokyo. Both grandfathers had hearing loss and the impact it had on them socially was sad to see. Even with hearing aids. I hope to avoid that fate.
Maybe not as extreme but I also always took great care of my hearing, wearing protection whenever I went out dancing when I was younger and never turning up my music to be nice and loud like my friends did in high school. Now in my mid 30s I have stress-induced tinnitus. Oh well.
Yep, this is something my fiancé and I are actively planning for at the moment.
In her culture and language, having a native-sounding name provides an individual with all the societal advantages as a default. Conversely, possessing a non-native name, regardless of citizenship status, invariably leads to the perception of being a foreigner. This results in assumptions about language proficiency and a constant exceptionality.
So, we are deciding on names for our future children that would resonate as "native" in both English and her mother tongue.
This is exactly what it was. As more people have began to adapt to the Pakistan meta, they are not as dominant. It was just a new skilled style that no one outside of Pakistan was aware of.
You see similar things with Black players in the US. They are often isolated and hyper-competitive, and thus are over represented in the top tier based on population numbers.
Edit: Interesting. Why was this downvoted? Any competitive players here? I'm speaking from my own experience playing in US, South Korea, and Japan. Also, just take a look at the current rankings. For some reason, Tekken is huge in the Black American community.
Downvote all you'd like, but it doesn't change the facts: 3 of the top 6 professional Tekken players in the US are Black.
I cannot speak for anyone who downvoted you, but your second paragraph recapitulates the sort of 'just-so' stories made up to explain away the successes of black people in athletics and more generally, and similarly for people of the 'wrong' gender, nationality or social class (when the future Kaiser Wilhelm II started winning yacht races at the prestigious Cowes Week regatta in Britain, he was dismissed by some as "trying too hard.")
The frequency with which this sort of thing has happened suggests that, for some people, anything is preferable to the simple acceptance of the superior abilities of the people in question.
The fact you state in your final paragraph is consistent with a number of hypotheses, including simple chance.
>>The frequency with which this sort of thing has happened suggests that, for some people, anything is preferable to the simple acceptance of the superior abilities of the people in question.
American society has made a huge effort over the last 70 years insisting that deep down we are all the same and no group is inherently superior to any other. So when we see some group doing better than another group we need to explain it away as being due to some cultural phenomenon. Suggesting that a specific group of people does in fact have superior abilities is a very ugly thing.
For anyone not in the Tekken scene (the video explains better than I will) Pakistan came out of nowhere and took the world by storm. Usually, it was Korean and Japanese players that dominated, with a few Americans sprinkled here and there.
But little did we know, Pakistan was brewing up a new type of player that we had never seen before, and were completely defenseless against (regarding the meta at the time). Arslan was and is a force of nature. The funny part is that when he first began to get fame, he made it clear that he was in no way the best player in Pakistan.
Top level players in Japan and Korea now regularly fly out to Pakistan to practice.
Ask around. I'm sure there are some technical people in your extended circle that you may not have considered. Also, there are tons of tech job boards out there. Many many years ago, I was a contractor on upwork, but my last foray with them was as a client.
For the tasks I needed done, it worked well enough (translation mostly). However, I wouldn't dare to hire an engineer from the platform. Not because of skills, but because of what it has done to the market. Also, it's a race to the bottom.
Heh, when I first moved to Seoul, I noticed those big pots (onggi/옹기) everywhere. You might see 2 or 3, or 20 in front of a house, building, etc. I asked my friend what was the deal, and she goes, "Oh, they're making kimchi." Blew my mind how ubiquitous it was.
Love me some real homemade kimchi, especially when it has that slight fizzy bite from a good ferment.
The first time I had fizzy kimchi it blew my mind. Why does this feel like it's carbonated? Well, simple: it's carbonated. Then, I noticed that the container was gently bubbling. As an outsider to the culture who just loves spicy and/or fermented goodies, it was almost alarming, but it tasted fresh and delicious and I quickly convinced myself that it's entirely plausible for CO2 to dissolve into the water in cabbage just as easy as water that isn't in cabbage; that this is just advanced fermentation technology beyond my ken. But now I want carbonated dill pickles.
But fear not, dear reader: this delicacy isn't only available in Korea. My city has a sizeable population of Korean diaspora, and local grocers sell excellent kimchi (as well as a selection of kimchi refrigerators).
It’s also fairly easy to make your own. The wonderful thing about that is you can sample your kimchi periodically as it ferments to learn what stage of fermentation you enjoy most. As it gets really sour, it also becomes amazing as an ingredient or grilled on its own.
That’s right! Maangchi has a recipe and guide [0] which is really good. It’s how I learned, and the results are fantastic. Be warned though, she makes a lot of kimchi in one batch!
> I quickly convinced myself that it's entirely plausible for CO2 to dissolve into the water in cabbage just as easy as water that isn't in cabbage; that this is just advanced fermentation technology beyond my ken. But now I want carbonated dill pickles.
Carbonating fruit is pretty common: apple, banana, strawberry, …
This is usually done externally, by popping bits of fruit and some dry ice (not much) in a strong airtight container. You could probably do that with western (vinegar) pickles.
I've never had carbonated dill pickles. You might get a little fizz from the juice on the outside, but I've never found the inside to be fizzing. Maybe it's possible with the right temperature, but I'm unsure. It takes longer for the brine to penetrate the cucumber, so you'd have to start it at 70F to get it started for a day or two, then refrigerate to about 45F for a week to let it penetrate, then raise it back to 70F for the rapid carbonation to take place. Maybe.
I'm a daily faster for the past 20 years, so I can attest (anecdotally) to the benefits of working while hungry. Once you adapt, after a couple weeks, instead of being irritable when hungry, you mind feels clear and focused. After all, despite the trappings of modern society, we are a predator species. Hunger gets shit done.
When I was a kid, I recall the teachers always telling us to have a good meal before a test. Even then I felt that was silly, as a big lunch always gave me brain fog.
Anyway, I'm surprised this article (study?) didn't take into account "meeting fatigue". I know that for myself, after an hour in a meeting, I just want to get out so I can recharge. I know nothing productive will happen until I do so.
> instead of being irritable when hungry, you mind feels clear and focused.
From my experience, it's a delusion. The focus is there for some while, but the actual abilities decline very fast without you even realizing it because of this supposed clearness. It might be even that the clearness comes exactly because of your mind limiting itself to a shorter attention and horizon, removing all the complex and complicated things. It's basically being in the zone, but the zone itself is so limited that you might not do good work if you need to have a "big zone". Though, it depends on your type of work if this can be beneficial. But as a knowledge worker, I consider it harmful for my work.
> When I was a kid, I recall the teachers always telling us to have a good meal before a test. Even then I felt that was silly, as a big lunch always gave me brain fog.
Depend on the type of food, size of meal and how long before the test you were eating.
From my experience, I think clearest when my body is not busy digesting.
Just as you say my experience is a delusion I can suggest that perhaps your feeling of expanded attention and horizon could be a fallacy caused by your attention in fact becoming more limited as your body diverts blood (and so oxygen) from your brain to your stomach and gut for food processing (which takes hours, so if you eat 3 meals this is basically your entire day).
> From my experience, I think clearest when my body is not busy digesting.
Exactly. Digesting is also kind of a burden to your focus, which is why one should not work directly after eating, especially if it was a heavy meal. But digesting ends at some point, after which you do have excessive energy available. So the point is to know roughly how long each meal will burden your body, and plan accordingly when you will reach a performance-high.
One thing I found quite astounding while fasting is how keen my sense of smell is. I normally don't smell much at all, but while fasting I can smell every restaurant in a 2 mile radius.
I guess it's mostly my brain filtering out "irrelevant data" (the location of food becomes relevant when you're hungry!)
That made me wonder if my other senses might be sharper while hungry too. As hunters, I imagine our ability to plan might also benefit.
Has any research been done on the effects of hunger on cognitive performance?
Agreed. When I first started IF so many years ago, it was a shocker how much my sense of smell increased. In the sense of evolutionary biology, it makes sense. If you are hungry, you better be able to find your next food source and maximize every sense you have to get it done.
I can't agree with it being a delusion. Again, my personal experience is just that -- personal.
Ketones are associated with fasted states and/or restricted carbohydrates. The average person holds about 400-500g of glucose (1600-2000 calories) in their bodies. Once that is depleted, through fasting or carb restriction, you will switch to ketogenesis to provide fuel. There are numerous studies that show a positive correlation with ketone production and cognitive performance.
If I am doing serious deep work, I can go 8 to 10 or so hours without even thinking about food. However, once I do eat, I'm done with any serious work for a few hours. Keep in mind, I'm operating from a 20 year experience of intermittent fasting (before it was cool).
To reiterate, I don't think it's a delusion. We evolved in a feast or famine state. Dense carbohydrate sources and constant satiation were rare when our base metabolic pathways evolved.
> Castellano, C.A., Nugent, S., Paquet, N., Tremblay, S., Bocti, C., Lacombe, G., Imbeault, H., Turcotte, E., Fulop, T., & Cunnane, S.C. (2015). Lower brain 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake but normal 11C-acetoacetate metabolism in mild Alzheimer's disease dementia. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 43(4), 1343-1353. doi: 10.3233/JAD-141952
-- This study found that the brain's uptake of ketones was preserved in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, and that higher levels of ketone metabolism were associated with better cognitive performance.
> Krikorian, R., Shidler, M.D., Dangelo, K., Couch, S.C., Benoit, S.C., & Clegg, D.J. (2012). Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiology of Aging, 33(2), 425.e19-27. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.10.006
-- This study found that a ketogenic diet improved cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment.
> Taylor, M.K., Sullivan, D.K., Mahnken, J.D., Burns, J.M., & Swerdlow, R.H. (2018). Feasibility and efficacy data from a ketogenic diet intervention in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 4, 28-36. doi: 10.1016/j.trci.2017.11.002
-- This study found that a ketogenic diet was safe and feasible for patients with Alzheimer's disease, and that it improved cognitive function in some patients.
Granted, these are studies for people with existing cognitive impairments. However, given how new the science is, I can see why it hasn't been done with healthy individuals, yet.
I believe that pushing the body to limits such as fasting, hot/cold baths, intense workout can help us in the longterm. But for when we need our brains to work at its highest potential in the immediate such as software engineering all those things, how is having a hindrance such as hunger anything but a distraction?
Hunger could be a distraction perhaps but being fat adapted means your brain is primarily burning ketones for fuel instead of glucose. Ketones burn cleaner in the brain with less reactive byproducts than glucose. Dementia eases when patients are fasted or given exogenous ketones. Being metabolically healthy and in a fasted state also means you're not distracted from dopamine snack cravings which many confuse with real hunger and I think has a worse effect on mood and cognition. In addiction your frontal lobe fights for control over your lizard brain. Addiction means your lizard brain is winning over self control.
Another perspective would be that when your body switches to survival mode due to adverse circumstances (such as cold or hunger), it mobilizes all its physical and cognitive resources. When the body is fighting for survival, it's about everything. This is probably the reason why many people report that they are capable of peak performance in this state. The body usually doesn't give more when it has more, but does the opposite. It saves and conserves its resources for worse times.
With intermittent (as in "eat one meal a day") fasting you can set your intake to align for when you need most brain work done.
Also, at least from my own experience, after some time you just get used to that and are hungry later and not as hard. When I eat around noon I only start getting hungry in the evening
I feel lethargic after eating. I find it hard to concentrate when hungry. I'm only productive in those 1-2 hours between the brain fog wearing off and the next hunger wave coming on.
I tried the meat diet for a few days (yes, I know that's too short! I couldn't get through the "keto flu") and I was blown away by how stable my mood and energy level was after having steak for breakfast. I wouldn't get hungry at all for the next 8-10 hours.
I tried multiple times 1-4 days around 25 - 23 years ago and
1. I didn't feel hunger and I don't think everyone needs to feel it
2. I focused a lot better,
I would probably do it a lot of I lived alone.
In practice I often end up with some kind of intermittent fasting: skip meals between 1700 and 1200 (lunch next day) and even then I happily minimize my lunch.
Not my experience. I eat one meal a day and I don't really get work going before that meal (which is usually around noon).
It's not even that I feel particularly hungry (unless I ate less than usual yesterday), peak of hunger is usually somewhere before I go asleep, I just feel a bit lethargic.
I only get "brain fog" some time after eating a lot of sweet or otherwise easily accessible sugars
> Anyway, I'm surprised this article (study?) didn't take into account "meeting fatigue". I know that for myself, after an hour in a meeting, I just want to get out so I can recharge. I know nothing productive will happen until I do so.
I swear I feel way more drained after a day of meetings than a day of brain work...
> Not my experience. I eat one meal a day and I don't really get work going before that meal (which is usually around noon).
Of course, you do what is best for you. But I recommend you do some research in the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems and how these systems relate to fasting and energy expenditure/utilization based on the diurnal cycle.
For my IF schedule, I aim to maximize the efficiency of both. This results in my having only an evening meal. I.e. active and responsive during the day (fasting), relaxed and digesting during the evening (meal time) before sleep.
I did this in college, and I had super focus during my morning classes, but after my first meal of the day at 11:30 or noon, I needed something like a 2 hour nap, and I definitely didn't recover the initial fasted performance level until the following morning. I don't deny fasting works better for some or many, but it depends what you're optimizing for. I prefer the steady energy of 3 meals a day spaced out 5-7 hours, all 3 macronutrients in each. Also, in trying to put on muscle as a rail thin person, there's no way I can imagine doing any fewer meals per day.
> When I was a kid, I recall the teachers always telling us to have a good meal before a test. Even then I felt that was silly, as a big lunch always gave me brain fog.
Insufficient direction from the teachers there, I think. A good meal in this context doesn't mean a big meal, usually. You'd want to eat like you were planning to do some strenuous exercise shortly afterward. If you eat big and then go running, that's no good; if you have a roughly typical diet, you want a mix of carbs, fat, and protein, as those provide energy on different timescales. If you keep a diet which avoids one of those things, you do you, but you still want the same goal of energy available over time, not eating too much that digestion needs overwhelm everything else, nor not little that hunger distracts.
Hunger gets something done. Not necessarily the right thing. I see what you mean though
> always telling us to have a good meal before a test
I wonder how many of these are 'outdated memes' from times where kids were more neglected and/or didn't have supervision then went to school however and 'eat a good meal before a test' actually means 'try to eat something before coming to school one time this week'
The old boys' clubs kept out anyone that didn't look like them. We can debate all day if this was an implicit bias, nepotism, cronyism, or whatever. Take a look at the numbers from the past, take a look at the laws from Jim Crow. People of color and women weren't even allowed to work in some areas or companies. DEI grew out of Affirmative Action to add checks and balances to the practice of only hiring straight white men.
Of course, with human nature at play, DEI has become a way to add a checkmark for a member of historically excluded group. This checkmark may come at the expense of a more qualified member of a majority group -- or it may not. I can tell you as a member of several minority groups, we often have to work twice as hard to get to any position of authority, and even then, people assume we are just a DEI hire.
Now we have immigrant minority groups riding the coat tails of the Civil Rights movement, acting against their own best interest... At any rate, I no longer live in the US, and sitting back with my popcorn. This is gonna be interesting in the long run.