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thepowerisyouth · 2 months

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MONEY / FINANCE STRESS CONTENT WARNING, this next line is unfortunately quite stressful about money so this was an important warning for me to add:

This is also less for the random strangers on the internet who have no reason to trust my advice but more for the 10-15 people I know personally who trust my money advice based on prior experience and Ive sent them my blog link in the last month or two

US stock market is about to tank. On a global perspective its stupidly overpriced because markets like China are hitting 5 year lows (as in we've increased our stock market over 2x since "COVID lows", but their market is even lower than it was then.

Timing is hard but it is entirely possible yesterday was the peak of the market. Might also not tank for 6 months.

Market psychology is fucking weird tho so please absolutely dont 'short' anything, which is basically the same as 'buying puts'. Michael Burry nearly bankrupted all his friends, family, and random investors by insisting on 'shorting' things based on knowledge of impending crisis.

Just sell everything. I mean literally everything. Bond etfs might go up but youd have to have eyes glued to the charts to sell in time. Gold wont do, neither will bitcoin. Their negative correlation to stocks isnt really a thing anymore.

Get every etf, stock, whatever into cash in the brokerage account, then move it out of the banks/brokerage firms and into something physically in front of you because we are, in fact, in another 'historical period of bank runs' its just not quite at the peak yet.

Not trying to increase anxiety beyond nessecary-- its just that any, single bank can immediately freeze your money-- leaving it up to the Federal Government to pay you back-- and it might possibly be the case that youd have to rely on whats called a "bank bail in" to see your savings again.

Not a fun situation to be in, even if it wont happen to most people its just safe practice to do this during a "historical period of bank runs"

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This blog is basically my diary of my thoughts (suprise suprise). But Im an open book, privileged (but poor) little white boy with complex societal/generational abuse and very little home problems so lets fucking go theres a whole mormon cargo van to unpack

Definitely recommend tags Im terrible at them.

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To those reading this, if you have ever met me in real-life or on the internet than you have taught me varying degrees of information which can be randomly retrieved by my brain at any time depending on current CPU performance. Thoughts of my loving husband have occupied my headspace probably 95% of my time since 14 so he has absolutely taught me at least 100x more than anyone else in the world.

When I say "I", oftentimes Im thinking about "me and my husband", or even sometimes "me and my friends/family", or even sometimes "me and society"--- but I am not always 100% aware of the current headspace environment and/or beliefs of the minds of those around me without feedback

---

There are currently over 8 billion individual varieties of the global human language spoken within the mind. Lets start translating them all. Misunderstood words become mean labels.

I fucking hate mean labels

"Math wiz" = racism and/or classism and/or gender shit. Fuck that shit

When a person is niched off into one part of an 8 billion population human society, it becomes impossible to not "live in a bubble". Bubbles change in size constantly even if not visibly observed. Bubbles can be different sizes depending on your current day-to-day thoughts of your own society. Bubbles must pop. Enlightenment implies life only gets better the more times ya pop and lock it

My path away from purely mathematics, logic, and scientific theory began when I met my husband, and for the first time in my life it became important to me not to be an asshole to everyone around me

Ive been told (only after I started dating my traumatized husband tho and helped him heal a lot) that I'm a natural communicator-- and all my life I found myself listening and learning to everything and everyone around me trying to understand both their and my own motivations-- then I like to garble them up and spit 'em out. My memory recall ability is wonky tho and fluctuates highly with nutrient intake-- I'll get into that later

I wish I could have a million years to read every blog on tumblr. I really do. Connecting & communating is extremely important for understanding one another but it takes time

I had an extremely unique childhood (who hasnt lol), enough so to isolate myself quite a lot through sheer dumb luck. My mom is also everyone's favorite school teacher so of course I was learning a lot from a young age. Luckily I glued myself to the first person who wanted to glue themselves to me equally & we grew exponentially closer to eternity

If its still not clear: my husband and I are bored and love chatting with people, but like most internet loving freaks my mouth don't work sometimes well but my fingies do. My ears got fluff a lot but I got eyes for LEDs like a hawk. Wish they werent LED tho

I also have a naturally short sleep cycle (i.e. extra time for this), and I really wont be offended or weirded out by someone reading through and liking 20+ or whatever of my posts at once randomly. Stories are supposed to be read in chunks, and I think of this blog as a story & also workspace for my thoughts that Id love to see which chapters everyone has read through. Also I love (and only respond positively to) positive feedback, yet also suggestions for ways to improve my "theorums". As in, good faith discussions are totally welcome on any post.

For my 50 year old parents reading my blog so lovingly in their limited evening time-- you can sort by tags to see what topics your familiar with, if you play around with the search function while on my page. Mom. Show dad how to do it

In the very, very bottom of my blog I dont even think I managed to tag shit properly-- but its the roughdraft workings of the philosophy, as well as my own logical framework for answering lifes questions. Its 2 months ago so I might not even be writing according to my own works down there anymore idk I change fast sometimes

Last thing for now here is that I was always criticized by teachers for not showing my work, and for not reviewing my tests before turning in, and I pushed back hard because nearly every time I went over and corrected a mistake-- I saw I most often got it right the first fucking time on a pure hunch. I act on impulse when I'm not meditating mostly for efficiency purposes because I believe I'm correct, but remain open to emotionally positive feedback so I can help remove all doubt.

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This might turn into my 'life story' post, as its already going there. Heres what I have so far in the way of my knowledge of my family before I was brought into existence, and my "earliest memories":

Family context:

I dont know jack shit. Nobody talks about it at all.

Here's my own observations Ive made using the framework and perceptive filters I was given--

My whole family is white Texans.

Ancestory is slaveowners of course, further back is a very likely direct parent-child descendent line from the most famous inbred british royalty of the 13th century i.e. King John, whose brother was the arab genociding Richard.

I would call my immediate family as upper poverty class. Its more like poverty with extra privileges cause mental health stigma was the only thing holding them back not other shit too.

As children we had a lot of very privileged opportunities because my parents made a lot of sacrifices to try and bring us back up the class ladder. Lets look into that generational trauma issue

My dads parents (born in the early 40s, dont know the year exactly. I think '43 or '44) were more upper middle class, pretty high income. Owned an insurance business that was very successful by the early 2000s at least. My grandpa is described to me as a "monster" and "violently abusive". I have a single memory of him screaming at me as a young child and I was cowering under a desk, so I really believe it. No other stories at all to provide context.

-- I gotta split this section off I realized I wrote the next thing about post-me context Ill need to move this part lower down later--

My grandpa got early onset dementia, my dad didnt notice in time, and my grandpa bankrupted his successful company and lost several million of dollars to "scammers and sexy ladies."

My dad found out around 2015-16 or so. He told me a little bit after telling me my grandparents were getting divorced. My dad managed to scrape together about $200,000 which is being sued for by the IRS actively.

(He split that money in two, and entrusted me tell him how to invest half in safe value stocks that I handpicked as well as a calculated risk allocation to bonds which we sold for 30% profit the second the market crashed. He gave the other half to a brokerage advisor. I never met the advisor but saw the results. Dont get me started on how the other dude did with that money-- we started this endeavor in January 2020.)

Personally I also dont believe that its possible to spend an entire fortune on scammers and strippers, so Id love to see his books and figure out what the hell went wrong with that asshole. I have a hunch I know something more than anyone else ("Enron", guys, we're talking about an insurance company in HOUSTON, in the 2000s) but I will never be sure without the books.

----

Back to other family--

I do not know a single thing about my grandma on my dads side. She raised me quite a lot, but yeah I literally have only heard her life described to me as "she was a housewife"

On my moms side, my Mimi (also born 1940s but slightly younger so I think 1946 or 1947) came from a divorced, upper middle class family. In 1964-65, She and her step mom both got knocked up the same year so she watched her divorced dad remarry to said step mom when she was 18-19 and getting a shotgun marriage herself, so you can imagine what that was like. The "biological" of the two moms was a very good mom and very queer from what I hear. She died when I was a baby, from lung cancer. Thats all I know. My mimi raised me quite a lot, nearly equally as much as my mom did

My mom's dad, my Papa, came from a rural farming family in East Texas. Dont know much else of anything, but he and his siblings were named "Billy, Bobby, and Betty". As in, they are what everyone likes to call "hicks"

Moving onto my direct parents now. I know a little more about them of course, but since we're getting closer in age to the present-- I think itll be easier to describe my understanding as common stereotypes. If its unclear what I mean definitely feel free to ask, but I'll probably say "I dont really know"

Not much else is relevant other than knowing that my moms family was the mormon one, but that as soon as my dad was love-bombed by the church he joined to. Mormons were also different in the 90s I'm told.

My dad struggled with being one of the "crazy schizos" of the 90s. As in, very traumatized, upset, and gaslit by the government and his parents. Must have done a damn good job dealing with it by the time he was in his late 20s and I popped out cause he was never a "bad dad" to me at all. Definitely yelled and was more angry at times, but less than any other friends parents Ive ever met, and from what I remember he came into my room at night and apologized to me literally every single time within like 5-10 minutes. I know pretty much nothing about him pre-me. He was a tradesman my whole life and specialized in remodeling kitchens & bathrooms (the 'dirty work of construction'). All his initial clientele were the rich people my grandma lived near and was friends with.

My mom would have been extremely queer-presenting and posting on tumblr if born in the year 2000, but was born in early 70s, and was a raegan teen in high-school in Texas during the satanic panic-- she presents completely cis, straight, but has body dysmorphia issues. Thats about you need to know about those issues I'm sure my tumblr folks can assume the rest and be perfectly correct. Cause thats about all I know too and I'm assuming the rest about my own mother

--- Earliest memories

I think a lot of people face doubt about their own earliest memories, maybe hearing the way I connect the images of these events in my head to my emotions I felt will help others do the same.

----

Two disclosers about me & my current healthcare discoveries before moving on

1) My only "major" childhood trauma is loneliness. I have a partner now (started dating early high school, nearing 10 years together now) who was just as lonely and we are glued to each others side constantly, and have made our life work great that way. So don't feel too bad reading this, I'm only able to write it down because Ive healed that trauma and can dig this stuff up with no issues to validate the emotions I felt even as a child

1) I believe I have a genetic trait that is only just getting discovered. There are something like 6 discovered mutations that hold this similar trait so far, and its just basically chronic insomia.

It being a genetic trait tracks with how my mom describes me as never settling into a normal sleep pattern at 6 months old, having absurd amounts of nightmares and death anxiety keeping me up at night as a child, and I still dont sleep at any given time. I average 2 hours less sleep than my husband, who averages 7-8 now that he isnt actively being abused at home.

Going to get sequenced but even if negative I'd probably just be a 7th mutation, as they only found the other 6 genes via case study.

The scientists whove discovered it call it "Familial Natural Short Sleeper", if you desire to look it up. They describe the trait like its the best possible thing in the world. Well... terminally chronic insomia is not the best thing in THIS world thats for sure.

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My "earliest memories"

These arent ranked by time accurately of course. Took enough effort digging through my brain to turn them up, not like Ive got a 2003 calendar stuffed in here as well.

I did do my best to sort by first memory but it also might be sorted by the order at which I recovered the memories as being one of my "earliest" when I was a child and asked such things

1. Pure emptiness. I can only describe it as dissociation. I can remember nothing about the environment around me, except feeling suddenly sucked out of it, seeing only darkness, feeling almost a ringing in my ears and the deepest dread possible. This same feeling followed me in life for a little while, but started to take more visual shape when I was an adolescent, until at some point I would see myself sitting in a chair alone in a room that is infinitely sized but that slowly gets darker the further out you go. I cant remember what exact "real-world" event caused this feeling to ever happen each time it did. I just can remember having it happen occasionally when I was awake and doing things. Definitely dissociation. (If you are willing to believe me further I think its just probably "lights out" and being scared of that)

1. Riding a mattress down the stairs. I kind of remember two images, one is the tunnel vision of going high speed down the stairs and the other would be from looking back up at the stairs when I was done going down. Totally fun, probably my first rollar coaster ride. I might remember my siblings laughing too but it wouldnt be because I can remember the actual laughing-- but I can remember feeling the joy of being in a group of people laughing. At the time, my parents were selling the house so thats why I also remember it being a completely empty carpeted room that we were riding down into

2. My brother smashing his head repeatedly into the refrigerator for 'fun' and someone saying "wow he has a hard head" or something along those lines. I was learning english I cant remember exactly what they said but that was definitely the meaning I took from their words. I think this memory is strong, because I was truly very curious as to why my brother was just running at full speed, head down, and headbutting a hard surface. The words someone said after that must have been one of my first 'answers'

3. Watching my siblings play in rare Houston snow. Not much remembering there actually. Probably just thought it was mezmorizing to watch as I just really remember a picture and feeling peace

4. Will add more later.

#mental health #trauma #early memories #life story #family #generational trauma #wealth disparity #memory #self healing #child psychology #diary #math #classism #privilege #cycle of abuse #behavioral economics #psychology #philosophy

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omegaphilosophia · 1 month

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Theories of the Philosophy of Microeconomics

The philosophy of microeconomics encompasses various theories and approaches that seek to understand the principles, assumptions, and implications of individual decision-making within the context of markets and economic systems. Some key theories in the philosophy of microeconomics include:

Rational Choice Theory: Rational choice theory posits that individuals make decisions by maximizing utility or satisfaction given their preferences, constraints, and available information. It assumes that individuals act in their self-interest and make choices that maximize their well-being.

Marginalism: Marginalism examines how individuals make decisions at the margin, weighing the benefits and costs of small changes or incremental units of goods and services. It emphasizes the importance of marginal analysis in determining optimal decision-making and resource allocation.

Utility Theory: Utility theory explores the concept of utility as a measure of satisfaction or happiness derived from consuming goods and services. It investigates how individuals allocate their limited resources to maximize utility, subject to budget constraints and preferences.

Consumer Choice Theory: Consumer choice theory analyzes how consumers make decisions about what goods and services to purchase based on their preferences, budget constraints, and the prices of goods in the market. It explores consumer behavior, demand curves, and the determinants of consumer choice.

Production Theory: Production theory examines the behavior of firms and producers in allocating resources to produce goods and services. It analyzes the relationship between inputs (such as labor and capital) and outputs, the concept of production functions, and the factors influencing production decisions.

Market Equilibrium: Market equilibrium theory explores the interaction of supply and demand in determining prices and quantities exchanged in markets. It examines how markets reach equilibrium through the adjustment of prices and quantities to balance supply and demand.

Game Theory: Game theory studies strategic interactions between rational decision-makers, such as individuals, firms, or governments, in competitive or cooperative settings. It analyzes the outcomes of strategic interactions, including the Nash equilibrium, cooperation, and competition.

Information Economics: Information economics investigates the role of information and uncertainty in economic decision-making. It examines how individuals gather, process, and act on information in markets, the impact of asymmetric information on market outcomes, and the role of signaling and screening mechanisms.

Behavioral Economics: Behavioral economics integrates insights from psychology and economics to study how cognitive biases, heuristics, and social factors influence economic behavior. It challenges the assumptions of rationality and explores deviations from standard economic models.

Welfare Economics: Welfare economics evaluates the efficiency and equity of resource allocation in economic systems. It assesses the welfare implications of market outcomes, including market failures, externalities, income distribution, and the role of government intervention.

These theories and approaches in the philosophy of microeconomics provide frameworks for understanding individual decision-making, market dynamics, and the allocation of resources in economic systems.

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thejakeformerlyknownasprince · 2 years

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I can't remember which installment of Eleutherophobia this was in, but one detail that's stuck with me since I read it: the story of the host who fought off her yeerk on live TV and warned the audience not to join the Sharing. And how ex-hosts resent her because she's become the post-mortem figurehead of how everyone *else* should have been able to fight off *their* yeerks. Damn, that has some real life parallels...

Yes, I'm evil like that. But that's what humans do: they take exactly one case study, ignore every single other instance, and say "why can't everyone be like this one person?"

One example I was reading about recently was the Miracle on the Hudson. A single pilot successfully landed a dead plane on a river with 0 fatalities, and other airline passengers' expectations about the success of water landings went way too high. Captain Sully was an extremely experienced pilot, the jet was in pristine condition before it got goosed to death, and the location over a large-but-smooth body of water was sheer luck. Sullenberger himself has said it was mostly luck and mostly teamwork — the plane only floated for about 3 minutes, meaning that the flight attendants' bonkers-fast evacuation and civilians' rescue boats were also crucial for the lack of fatalities. But because of that one incredibly famous case, surveys of passengers have found they overestimate the success of all water ditchings ever. Never mind that the most "successful" commercial jet water ditching before the Miracle (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961) had 49 survivors of 175 on board. Now we all assume commercial jets land on water as naturally as ducks do.

That example's pretty harmless — airline passengers have never understood how aircraft work, and false hope doesn't hurt scared people — but I'm obviously alluding to some less harmful examples as well. Because the question "Why didn't you fight off your attacker like that one case study I read about?" is never going to be harmless ever.

#animorphs #behavioral economics #humans are bad at statistics #victim blaming #miracle on the hudson #i really do talk about the most random crap on this blog don't i?

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as-told-by-sura · 8 months

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#Phdblr #studyblr #gradblr #behavioral economics #grad school

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tmarshconnors · 1 month

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Game Theory and Probability Theory

In mathematics and economics, there is a fascinating crossroads where strategic decision-making meets uncertainty. This intersection is where Game Theory and Probability Theory converge, offering insights into the dynamics of human interaction, strategic behaviour, and the unpredictability of outcomes. Join me as we delve into this captivating domain, exploring how these two fields intertwine and shape our understanding of complex systems.

Understanding Game Theory

At its core, Game Theory is the study of strategic decision-making among multiple interacting agents, aptly referred to as "players." Think of it as the science of strategy, where individuals or entities make choices with the aim of maximizing their own gains while considering the actions of others. Whether it's in economics, political science, biology, or beyond, Game Theory provides a framework for analyzing various scenarios of conflict, cooperation, and competition.

The Elements of Games

To grasp the essence of Game Theory, we need to understand its building blocks. Games are characterized by players, strategies, payoffs, information, and rationality. Each player has a set of strategies to choose from, leading to different outcomes with associated payoffs. Information asymmetry and rational decision-making further complicate the dynamics, making Game Theory a rich field for exploration.

Probability Theory's Role

Enter Probability Theory, the study of random phenomena and uncertainty. In the context of Game Theory, probability comes into play when outcomes are uncertain or stochastic. Whether it's the roll of a dice in a board game or the unpredictability of market fluctuations in economics, probability theory provides the tools to quantify and analyze uncertainty.

Where They Meet

So, how do Game Theory and Probability Theory intertwine? Consider a game like poker, where players must make decisions based on incomplete information and uncertain outcomes. Probability theory allows us to calculate the likelihood of different hands and anticipate opponents' actions, thereby informing strategic choices. In more complex games involving multiple players and intricate strategies, probability theory helps us model the uncertainty inherent in the decision-making process.

Applications and Insights

The applications of this marriage between Game Theory and Probability Theory are vast. From designing optimal auction mechanisms to analyzing voting behavior in elections, the insights gained from this interdisciplinary approach are invaluable. Moreover, in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning, understanding strategic interactions and uncertain environments is crucial for developing intelligent systems capable of making informed decisions.

Conclusion

In the landscape of mathematical sciences, the synergy between Game Theory and Probability Theory offers a lens through which we can understand and navigate the complexities of strategic decision-making and uncertainty. As we continue to explore this dynamic intersection, we unlock new perspectives and tools for addressing real-world challenges across various domains. So, the next time you find yourself pondering a strategic dilemma or contemplating uncertain outcomes, remember the profound insights that emerge when Game Theory meets Probability Theory.

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convivialdave · 3 months

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#behavioral economics #framing #psychology #marketing

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decisionsthatmatter · 2 years

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Can't decide? This will help you...

In today's fast-paced world, billions struggle to decide the simplest of things. You may have too many or too few options, too much or too little time. You're terrified of making the wrong decision wrong - a source of hidden mental anxiety.

When unsure, we delegate, delay, defer, or do nothing. But when we dont make the really important high-stakes decisions, this costs us - and others - financially, physically, and socially.

Anyone can conquer chronic indecision and become a decision ninja.

In my first TEDx talk, I use the science of human behavior to offer simple practical techniques. Many have found it useful. I hope you do too. Thank you for listening to it. Click below.

youtube

Simplify your life!

#TED #tedxtalks #behavioral science #empoweryourself #overcomeindecision #decisions that matter #leadership #behavioral economics #anxiety #speakup #Youtube

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fairweatherphd · 1 year

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#writing #nonfiction #game theory #economics #career advice #behavioral economics

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mostlysignssomeportents · 9 months

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The art of Daniel Danger

[Image ID: Daniel Danger's art print, 'To all who home to this happy place,' depicting a ruined Disneyland castle in a post-apocalyptic landscape with a statue of Walt and Mickey in the rubble.]

There’s this behavioral economics study that completely changed the way i thought about art, teaching, and critique: it’s a 1993 study called “Introspecting about Reasons can Reduce Post-Choice Satisfaction” by Timothy D Wilson, Douglas J Lisle, Jonathan Schooler, Sara Hodges, Kristen Klaaren and Suzanne LaFleur:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240281868_Introspecting_about_Reasons_can_Reduce_Post-Choice_Satisfaction

The experimenters asked subjects to preference-rank some art posters; half the posters were cute cartoony posters, and the other half were fine art posters. One group of subjects assigned a simple numeric rank to the posters, and the other had to rank them and explain their ranking. Once they were done, they got to keep their posters.

There was a stark difference in the two groups’ preferences: the group that had to explain their choices picked the cartoony images, while the group that basically got to point at their favorite and say, “Ooh, I like that!” chose the fine art posters.

Then, months later, the experimenters followed up and asked the subjects what they’d done with the poster they got to take home. The ones who’d had to explain their choices and had brought home cartoony images had thrown those posters away. The ones who didn’t have to explain what they liked about their choice, who’d chosen fine art, had hung them up at home and kept them there.

The implication is that it’s hard to explain what makes art good, and the better art is, the harder it is to put your finger on what makes it so good. More: the obvious, easy-to-articulate virtues of art are the less important virtues. Art’s virtues are easy to spot and hard to explain.

The reason this stuck with me is that I learned to be a writer through writing workshops where we would go around in a circle and explain what we liked and didn’t like about someone’s story, and suggest ways to make it better. I started as a teenager in workshops organized by Judith Merril in Toronto, then through my high-school workshop (which Judy had actually founded a decade-plus earlier through a writer in the schools grant), and then at the Clarion workshop in 1992. I went on to teach many of these workshops: Clarion, Clarion West and Viable Paradise.

So I’ve spent a lot of time trying to explain what was and wasn’t good about other peoples’ art (and my own!), and how to make it better. There’s a kind of checklist to help with this: when a story is falling short in some way, writers roll out these “rules” for what makes for good and bad prose. There are a bunch of these rulesets (think of Strunk & White’s Elements of Style), including some genre-specific ones like the Turkey City Lexicon:

https://www.sfwa.org/2009/06/18/turkey-city-lexicon-a-primer-for-sf-workshops/

A few years ago, I was teaching on the Writing Excuses cruise and a student said something like, “Hey, I know all these rules for writing good stories, but I keep reading these stories I really like and they break the rules. When can I break the rules?”

There’s a stock answer a writing teacher is supposed to give here: “Well, first you have to master the rules, then you can break them. You can’t improvise a jazz solo without first learning your scales.”

But in that moment, I thought back to the study with the posters and I had a revelation. These weren’t “rules” at all — they were just things that are hard and therefore easy to screw up. No one really knows why a story isn’t working, but they absolutely know when it doesn’t, and so, like the experimental subject called upon to explain their preferences, they reach for simple answers: “there’s too much exposition,” or “you don’t foreshadow the ending enough.”

There are lots of amazing stories that are full of exposition (readers of mine will not be shocked to learn I hold this view). There are lots of twist endings that are incredible — and not despite coming out of left field, but because of it.

The thing is, if you can’t say what’s wrong, but you know something is wrong, it’s perfectly reasonable to say, “Well, why don’t you try to replace or polish the things that are hardest to do right. Whatever it is that isn’t working here, chances are it’s the thing that’s hardest to make work”:

https://locusmag.com/2020/05/cory-doctorow-rules-for-writers/

But if I could change one thing about how we talk about writing and its “rules,” it would be to draw this distinction, characterizing certain literary feats as easier to screw up than others, having the humility to admit that we just don’t know what’s wrong with a story, and then helping the writer create probabilistically ranked lists of the things they could tinker with to try and improve their execution.

Which is all a very, very long-winded way to explain why I bought a giant, gorgeous art-print at Comic-Con this weekend, even though I have nowhere to hang it and had sworn I would absolutely not buy any art at the con.

I was walking the floor, peeking into booths, when I happened on Daniel Danger’s booth (#5034, if you’re at the con today), and I was just fuckin’ poleaxed by his work.

http://www.tinymediaempire.com/

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s ‘It stopped being about the panic,’ depicting a ruined mansion interwoven with the skeletal branches of a tree, with a weeping statue and two human figures]

Now, see above. I can’t tell you why I loved this work so much (and that’s OK!), but boy oh boy did it speak to me. I just kind of stood there with my mouth open, slowly moving from print to print, admiring works like “It stopped being about the panic.”

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/2022-sdcc-it-stopped-being-about-the-panic-v4

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s ‘headlight in the path of,’ depicting a ruined mall with a pair of stags standing at the top of the escalator.]

On the surface, this is moody, post-apocalyptic stuff, heavily influenced by classic monster/haunter tropes, but it’s shot through with hope and renewal and the sense of something beautiful growing out of the ashes of something that has toppled. There’s real “(Nothing But) Flowers” energy in “Headlight in the path of”:

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/sdcc2023-headlight-in-the-path-of-v2

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s ‘We are no longer able to protect you,’ depicting a ruined factory with a coming-apart sign reading ‘We can no longer protect you forever,’ and a statue of a sword-bearing angel.]

Danger isn’t just a

very

talented artist, he’s also an

extremely

talented craftsman. As a recovering pre-press geek, I was (nearly) as impressed by the wild use of spot color and foils as I was by the art, like in “We are no longer able to protect you”:

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/sdcc-2022-we-can-no-longer-protect-you-forever-v3

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s ‘made of smoke and chains,’ depicting a ruined landscape with a pair of derelict subway trains at the foot of a hill on whose peak is a rotting mansion. A pair of human figures, holding hands, are approaching the mansion.]

Danger himself calls this work “weird sad hyper-detailed artwork of dreamy buildings of ghosts and trees,” which is a very apt description of this work, as you can see in “Made of smoke and chains”:

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/made-of-smoke-and-chains-mist-preorder

So I looked at this stuff and sternly reminded myself that there was no way I was going to buy any art at the con. Then I walked away. I got about two aisles over when I realized I had to go back and ask permission to take some pictures so I could put a little link to Danger in my blog’s linkdump, which he graciously permitted:

https://www.flickr.com/search/?sort=interestingness-desc&safe_search=1&tags=danieldanger&min_taken_date=1687478400&max_taken_date=1690156799&view_all=1

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s art print, ‘To all who home to this happy place,’ depicting a ruined Disneyland castle in a post-apocalyptic landscape with a statue of Walt and Mickey in the rubble.]

But then I got all the way ass over to the other ass end of the convention center and I realized I had to go back and buy one of these prints. Which I did, “To all who come to this happy place,” because fuckin’ wow:

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/sdcc2023-this-happy-place-v6-foil

This was unequivocally the best thing I saw at this year’s SDCC, but I also got some very good news while there, namely, that Emil Ferris’s long, long-awaited My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Vol 2 is finally on the schedule from Fantagraphics:

https://www.fantagraphics.com/collections/emil-ferris/products/my-favorite-thing-is-monsters-book-two

It’s coming out in April, which gives you plenty of time to read volume one, which I called, “a haunting diary of a young girl as a dazzling graphic novel”:

https://memex.craphound.com/2017/06/20/my-favorite-thing-is-monsters-a-haunting-diary-of-a-young-girl-as-a-dazzling-graphic-novel/

If you are or were a monster kid or a haunter, this is your goddamned must-read of the summer. It’s a fully queered, stunning memoir for anyone whose erotic imagination intersected with Famous Monsters of Filmland.

(Also, if you’re that kind of person and you’re in the region, you should know about Midsummer Scream, a giant haunter show in Long Beach; I’ll be there on Sunday, July 30, for a panel about the Ghost Post, the legendary Haunted Mansion puzzle-boxes I helped make:

https://midsummerscream.org/

Now Favorite Thing book two was the best news, but the best experience was watching Felicia Day get her Inkpot Award and give a moving speech:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkpot_Award

And then learning that Raina Telgemeier also got an Inkpot; I love Raina’s work so much:

https://memex.craphound.com/2016/10/04/ghosts-raina-telgemeiers-upbeat-tale-of-death-assimilation-and-cystic-fibrosis/

[Image ID: A photo of me with Chuck Tingle, who wears a pink bag over his head on which he has written ‘Love is Real.’]

To cap yesterday off, I also ran into @ChuckTingle, which is as fine a capstone to a successful con as anyone could ask for:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/53065500076/in/dateposted/

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/23/but-i-know-what-i-like/#daniel-danger

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bwhitex · 13 days

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Human Sex Ratio Impact: Unraveling the Patterns of Behavior

Introduction

When social groups experience major gender imbalances causing two million more women than men societal consequences go beyond simple numbers; fundamental social institutions change forever; economic actions alter; mental wellness becomes affected too and even policies suffer adjustments. A surplus of girls over boys brings about distinctive conditions which might modify social expectations and interactions among members of a given society. These discrepancies also impact individual decisions and general norms through the lens of behavioral economics which helps in unveiling how personal choices are influenced by such imbalances as well as their wider implications within the context of marriage markets or employment relations vis-à-vis other spheres of human activity. Therefore, this synthesis views any gender imbalance from psychological angle intertwined with economic theory in order to elucidate various impacts ranging from labour dynamics through marriage market and much more even at personal level which could lead to significant changes both individually and collectively. By adopting behavioural economics approach one may comprehend macro-level social shifts resulting from micro-level choices arising due to male-female disparities that infects societies.

Marriage Market

The dating market also experiences complexities when there exists great differences between males and females population wise; females being more than twice men in numbers. In such a scenario, women tend to compete intensively for few available men who can be potential spouses. This means that they will have to work harder on their beauty or other qualities considered attractive traditionally thus altering normalities in going out together behaviors (Becker, 1981). Since these rare creatures called boys know very well that they are scarce; therefore may become choosier than before by raising bars high up besides revising criteria used during mate selection process. Consequently, many ladies will remain single because finding suitable partners becomes difficult while guys take longer getting married since they now have wider range from which to choose according to Guttentag & Secord (1983). Moreover, this kind of a situation forces people into rethinking about what matters most in relationships leading them into dissatisfaction with partners who fail to meet new standards set as per Guttentag and Secord (1983); hence not only does it change personal behavior but cultural expectations too regarding love affairs among others thus having far reaching implications on society as whole for instance modifying attitudes towards courtship period lengths etcetera.

Social Norms And Gender Roles

Another area where large imbalances between the sexes can cause seismic shifts is social norms setting sphere where men and women interact based on certain expectations about one another’s behavior patterns. When society has more females than males, what might be expected to happen next involves a power shift towards girls as they begin taking up male dominated positions thereby increasing their numbers in various professions or decision making levels (Buss, 1989). Conversely, scarcity of boys may lead to reinforcement traditional gender roles with attendant consequences like; higher socioeconomic status accorded to menfolk leading increased patriarchy within communities. These transformations affect intra household power relations; change family dynamics vis-à-vis who has say over what within marriages plus other partnerships alongside altering decision making processes relating to homes and care work allocations (Eagly & Wood, 1999). Such adjustments can shake foundations of society thereby affecting everything from laws governing marriage dissolution procedures across workplace policies concerning parental leave periods among others as highlighted by Eagly & Wood (1999) who investigated these issues in relation gender role changes due imbalanced sex ratios.But it is worth noting that if there are fewer options left for people looking for life partners because everyone else got married or decided cohabit without formal commitment then this creates excess savings among singles unable find mates which leads banks lowering interest rates on loans since less credit will be demanded by newly formed households influenced desire companionship arising limited choices spouses etcetera (Becker, 1981).

Economic Effects

The economic effects of gender imbalances are various. Labour markets might adjust themselves to respond to changes in the number of people caused by birth rates; this could affect jobs, wages and sectors dominated by men or women (Angrist, 2002). If women form the majority at work, they can change their spending habits which mean that different products and services will be demanded. Consequently, when people get married later on or remain single for longer periods because there are more singles than before due to imbalance ratios in marriageable persons; this may have an impact on housing markets as well retirement savings plans among other things since households change too(Becker ,1991). So businesses and policy makers must adapt their policies and strategies so as to meet changing needs of the population. Moreover, these demographic shifts could necessitate new ways for economic development or social welfare programs according Becker(1991)’s analysis.

The economic implications of a skewed sex ratio are profound. For instance, places with more women than men may experience an increase in female workforce participation rates as well as the proportion of women working in managerial positions (Buss, 1989). This is because women will feel empowered to take on traditionally male jobs and roles when there is a shortage of men. Consequently, they may gain more representation in higher-paying careers such as engineering or politics. On the other hand, if males become scarce relative to females, then their labor market value could rise significantly which might lead them into dominating lucrative industries like technology where they can earn higher salaries compared to other sectors like service industry jobs that attract lower wages due to being predominantly staffed by females (Eagly & Wood, 1999). Additionally, it has been found that imbalanced marriage markets can influence savings rates within societies. In particular, when there are fewer potential partners available for people to marry or enter long-term relationships with because they are already married or have chosen alternative lifestyles such as cohabitation without formal commitment etc., this creates an excess supply of savings among singles who cannot find suitable mates thereby driving down interest rates on loans and mortgages since banks would not need hefty returns from loanable funds given the reduced demand for credit facilities resulting from low levels of new home purchases caused by individuals failing to form couples due to unsatisfied desires for companionship arising from limited choices concerning potential spouses (Becker, 1981).

Effects On Mental Health

Gender imbalances also have deep psychological impacts on individuals. More competitiveness within dating pools leads to increased stress levels especially among ladies who feel compelled find partners (Festinger et al., 1954). Such pressures worsen mental health conditions thereby affecting overall quality of life even further. Apart from that when there is a numerical shortage; Social identity becomes affected where some groups might end up being isolated while others develop stronger in-group loyalties such as self-esteem based on relationship status(Tajfel & Turner ,1979). These dynamics require a more profound understanding as well comprehensive support system interventions targeting those most affected by them.The theories put forward by Festinger(1954)and Tajfel & Turner(1979) shows how social comparison processes alongside group identification processes would be challenged under such conditions hence resulting into significant psychological adjustments .

Policy Approaches

Governments and policymakers should recognize what they can do about this problem since it poses several difficulties for countries worldwide. One approach may involve introducing incentives which encourage people to have children equally among both sexes or shifting population balance through immigration policies change. This would mean that welfare programs are also equipped in terms of socializing individuals who face mental health challenges stemming from societal adjustments arising out gender imbalances. Additionally, ethical considerations need not be overlooked during policy making so as not violate peoples’ rights further widen already existing inequalities(Sen ,1990). Therefore, any intervention designed at addressing demographic imbalances must take cognizance of fairness across gender divides

Social and Sexual Behaviour

We can only understand human mating strategies if we look at them from an evolutionary perspective; this is because these patterns do not just come about due cultural factors but are deeply rooted within our biological history as well. Sexual Strategies Theory according to Buss & Schmitt indicates that males should be willing to engage in multiple short term relationships since minimum investment needed for men’s reproduction process involves production sperms only so they might try many women before settling down with one. In other words, their reproductive success will increase when they fertilize eggs belonging different partners thus spreading genes farther wide. The theory is consistent with Trivers’ concept of Parental Investment where he states that whichever sex invests less on offspring will be more promiscuous sexually and this case it applies to human beings too.

To make the conversation longer, Trivers’ theory explains why females are more selective in their choice of mates when they have greater biological investment through pregnancy and taking care of children. This preference makes males compete for mating opportunities with much aggression where they do things that may reduce the cost of sex. According to Gangestad and Simpson’s study on strategic pluralism in human mating, this means people do not have one strategy but rather use different ones depending on their situation including those related to ecology or weathering.

On the other hand, Baumeister and Vohs complicate matters even further by regarding sexual encounters as business transactions within a market system where traditionally women hold control over sex as a “commodity.” In light of this model, men may frequently try to minimize input unless it maximizes output in terms of reproductive achievements or social status. Also from an economic point of view, this approach demonstrates that social norms and economic conditions can affect personal relationships while emphasizing them as such.

All together these theories offer us a subtle understanding into human sexual behavior indicating that genetic predispositions along with socio-economic factors contribute towards our mating strategies. As pointed out by Gangestad & Simpson there is flexibility shown by these strategies which suggests adaptation to changes in environment including alterations brought about by population growth rates; variations across societies due to shifts caused by political systems etcetera.

In essence what these evolutionary hypotheses imply for us is that no matter how hard we might try there will always be some men who aggressively seek short term partners during times when they feel like doing so would give them more offspring. It can thus be seen why people act this way as maximizing number of babies born alive becomes important under certain conditions where getting married forever may seem dangerous or useless at least from male perspective given his limited time earth among other reasons too which cannot all fit into one sentence.

Moreover apart from just being purely academic exercises these explanations also find practical applications within various cultural contexts. For instance it helps explain why in some cultures men are expected to seek many wives while others view this as unacceptable probably due lack of resources. Hence according to these theories it is possible that what we take for granted about ourselves could shape our behaviors depending on where and when one was raised or lives through during their lifetime.

This has implications not only on individual level but even at societal level because they can influence fields like psychology, sociology and even public policy where understanding motives behind relationships between people may assist development programs aimed towards improving health standards within communities. Thus integration such complex provide wider view explaining all different behaviors seen across different global societies with respect to courtship rituals among other practices related marriage institution which serve reproductive functions primarily.

In concluding there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to studying human sexual behavior from an evolutionary perspective. It would therefore be wise if policy makers took into account these considerations while designing interventions aimed at enhancing social welfare through public health measures. Additionally interdisciplinary approach should also be embraced by economists, psychologists, sociologists and policymakers so as realize meaningful outcomes in addressing impacts caused by gender imbalances due demographic shifts especially those arising out rapid industrialization coupled with urbanization processes currently experienced in most parts of Africa including Nigeria

Buss, D. M. (1989). Sexual differences in the predilections of human mates: 37 cultures tested against evolutionary theories. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12(1), 1-49.

Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W. (1999). The origins of sex differences in human behavior: Evolved dispositions versus social roles. American Psychologist, 54(6), 408-423.

Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes.Human Relations, 7(2), pp.117-140.

Guttentage, M., & Secord, P.F.(1983).Too many women? The sex ratio question.Sage Publications.

Sen,A.(1990). Gender and cooperative conflicts.In Persistent inequalities: Women and world development(pp.123-149) by I.Tinker,Oxford University Press.

Tajfel,H.& Turner,J.C.(1979).An integrative theory of intergroup conflict.In The social psychology of intergroup relations(pp33-47) edited by W.G.Austin&S.Worchel.Brooks/Cole.

Angrist,J.D.(2002).How do sex ratios affect marriage and labor markets?Evidence from America’s second generation.The Quarterly Journal of Economics,117(3),997–1038

Buss,D.M.&Schmitt,D.P.(1993).Sexual Strategies Theory: An evolutionary perspective on human mating.Psychological Review,100(2),204–232

Trivers,R.L.(1972) Parental investment and sexual selection.In Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man 1871–1971(pp136–179) edited by B.Campbell.Aldine Transaction

Gangestad,S.W.&Simpson,J.A.(2000).The evolution of human mating: Trade-offs and strategic pluralism.Behavioral and Brain Sciences,23(4),573–644

Baumeister,R.F.&Vohs,K.D.(2004).Sexual economics: Sex as female resource for social exchange in heterosexual interactions.Personality and Social Psychology Review,8(4),339-363.

#sex ratio #behavioral economics #imbalance #power dynamics #social psychology #evolutionary psychology

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jcmarchi · 25 days

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Characterizing social networks

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/characterizing-social-networks/

Characterizing social networks

People tend to connect with others who are like them. Alumni from the same alma mater are more likely to collaborate over a research project together, or individuals with the same political beliefs are more likely to join the same political parties, attend rallies, and engage in online discussions. This sociology concept, called homophily, has been observed in many network science studies. But if like-minded individuals cluster in online and offline spaces to reinforce each other’s ideas and form synergies, what does that mean for society?

Researchers at MIT wanted to investigate homophily further to understand how groups of three or more interact in complex societal settings. Prior research on understanding homophily has studied relationships between pairs of people. For example, when two members of Congress co-sponsor a bill, they are likely to be from the same political party.

However, less is known about whether group interactions between three or more people are likely to occur between similar individuals. If three members of Congress co-sponsor a bill together, are all three likely to be members of the same party, or would we expect more bipartisanship? When the researchers tried to extend traditional methods to measure homophily in these larger group interactions, they found the results can be misleading.

“We found that homophily observed in pairs, or one-to-one interactions, can make it seem like there’s more homophily in larger groups than there really is,” says Arnab Sarker, graduate student in the Institute for Data, Systems and Society (IDSS) and lead author of the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “The previous measure didn’t account for the way in which two people already know each other in friendship settings,” he adds.

To address this issue, Sarker, along with co-authors Natalie Northrup ’22 and Ali Jadbabaie, the JR East Professor of Engineering, head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and core faculty member of IDSS, developed a new way of measuring homophily. Borrowing tools from algebraic topology, a subfield in mathematics typically applied in physics, they developed a new measure to understand whether homophily occurred in group interactions.

The new measure, called simplicial homophily, separates the homophily seen in one-on-one interactions from those in larger group interactions and is based on the mathematical concept of a simplicial complex. The researchers tested this new measure with real-world data from 16 different datasets and found that simplicial homophily provides more accurate insights into how similar things interact in larger groups. Interestingly, the new measure can better identify instances where there is a lack of similarity in larger group interactions, thus rectifying a weakness observed in the previous measure.

One such example of this instance was demonstrated in the dataset from the global hotel booking website, Trivago. They found that when travelers are looking at two hotels in one session, they often pick hotels that are close to one another geographically. But when they look at more than two hotels in one session, they are more likely to be searching for hotels that are farther apart from one another (for example, if they are taking a vacation with multiple stops). The new method showed “anti-homophily” — instead of similar hotels being chosen together, different hotels were chosen together.

“Our measure controls for pairwise connections and is suggesting that there’s more diversity in the hotels that people are looking for as group size increases, which is an interesting economic result,” says Sarker.

Additionally, they discovered that simplicial homophily can help identify when certain characteristics are important for predicting if groups will interact in the future. They found that when there’s a lot of similarity or a lot of difference between individuals who already interact in groups, then knowing individual characteristics can help predict their connection to each other in the future.

Northrup was an undergraduate researcher on the project and worked with Sarker and Jadbabaie over three semesters before she graduated. The project gave her an opportunity to take some of the concepts she learned in the classroom and apply them.

“Working on this project, I really dove into building out the higher-order network model, and understanding the network, the math, and being able to implement it at a large scale,” says Northrup, who was in the civil and environmental engineering systems track with a double major in economics.

The new measure opens up opportunities to study complex group interactions in a broad range of network applications, from ecology to traffic and socioeconomics. One of the areas Sarker has interest in exploring is the group dynamics of people finding jobs through social networks. “Does higher-order homophily affect how people get information about jobs?” he asks.

Northrup adds that it could also be used to evaluate interventions or specific policies to connect people with job opportunities outside of their network. “You can even use it as a measurement to evaluate how effective that might be.”

The research was supported through funding from a Vannevar Bush Fellowship from the Ofﬁce of the U.S. Secretary of Defense and from the U.S. Army Research Ofﬁce Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative.

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