McBeer

There is a radiolab podcast explaining the science of how it is calculated. Skin- 14 days Gut lining- 5 days Intestine Muscles- 15.9 years Fat Cells - 10 years Hippocampus - 20-30 years Brain Cortex - As old as you are. http://www.radiolab.org/story/carbon/

I have been struggling the past week with a decision that I had made. I am feeling a little better about it now, but could use some help achieving some clarity with this issue. For the past year I have been in the process of getting hired into a job that pays very well. It is a union job, so right from the beginning I had mixed feelings about it. As part of the hiring process there is a test which is divided into two sections. The first part of the test is math and blueprint reading. No problem there, it was super easy. The problem was with the second part of the test. Before the test it was repeated several times that they were just looking for consistency with the answers, so please just answer honestly. The test was (with the clarity of hindsight), to determine whether or not I am a socialist. I am not a socialist, but I knew the kind of answers they were looking for. Instead of lying and telling them what they wanted to hear, I answered honestly. After the test, I asked my friend who also took the test how he answered the questions. He said he lied and gave them the answers they wanted. The job would provide great financial security for his family, so I don't hold it against him for answering the way they wanted. The test scores determine the order in which new people will be hired. My friend who answered the way they wanted is at the top of the list, and I am at the bottom. This job would have been life changing for me. I was looking forward to being able to get out of debt and move out of my small starter house that I bought 15 years ago. I have a wife and two kids to take care of. There was never a question of whether or not I could do the job well. It would have been easy for me. I am extremely skilled at my profession of design, manufacturing, and automation, but even a management position does not come close to the pay and benefits that the union job would have provided. Sorry if this post jumps around and is confusing, that's how it is running though my head. Here is the question. Was it the right decision for me to sacrifice the union job to maintain my integrity as an honest person?

I just listened to Joe Rogan interview him. Pretty interesting stuff.

What it the cost/benefit ratio of going to Mars? I cannot see any way that Mars is a good investment. You can only consider this as a possibility is you do not consider the tremendous cost. That is the problem with any government program. Theft=free? Penal colony on Mars? I will give you a bullet to save myself years of my stolen wages.

I am successful. I have a great wife and two awesome kids. I work enough to provide a stable life for myself and my family. Beyond that, I have little interest in wasting my life providing the tremendous amount of value I have to offer to a world which does not acknowledge property rights. The more value I produce, the more the world claims a right to seize my property. Also, wouldn't it be immoral to provide resources to a system which initiates the use of force? In a free market my skills could change the world, but in our current system I will build my skills and continue my research for my own enjoyment. I would like to thank Ayn Rand and her John Galt for this perspective. I have never been happier in my life.

Is this list to be read with the assumption that shaming is always bad no matter what? People should be ashamed of themselves when exhibiting shameful behavior. ...or they are ashamed of themselves already, but want us to let them ignore their well deserved shame.

I wonder what superior foreign competition is? Is the entire foreign country better at everything? Its really all about specialization and distribution of labor. It may not be profitable to compete in a specific field that a specific country specializes in, but there are infinite possibilities for economic growth in a free market situation. Can a country which is restricted by taxes and regulations compete with a country that isn't? I say no, it can't.

It would be much easier to save money if I wasn't being robbed every week.

I don't understand what you are saying. If most of your teachers were pretty good teachers, then how was school a waste of time? Personally, I can only think of two, maybe three teachers I have ever had that were any good at all. There was a physics teacher in high school that actually treated students like human beings, and a college calculus teacher that worked hard to actually teach calculus and make it interesting. The rest of my time in school was a waste. The "no child left behind" mentality of schools means that no child is allowed to get ahead. I always felt that the purpose of school was hold everybody down to the level of the slowest students. If everybody progressed at their own speed then it would make the slower kids feel bad. 99% of school is just waiting for everybody else to catch up. I never struggled to pass their stupid tests, so no attention was ever given to me. In public school it was as if I didn't even exist. I cannot have sympathy for teachers, because they did not have sympathy for me.

I've been thinking that some catchy tunes with controversial lyrics might spread though the internet pretty quickly. Stefan already has the lyrics in his podcasts. Anyone up for making an FDR album?

I would be curious to see what a Rand Paul presidency would look like. He will most likely be out of the race before he makes it to the Michigan primary, so voting for him won't be an option for me. When I ask around, the average person hasn't even heard of Rand Paul.

This is why I donate to FDR. The larger this group becomes, the more the ideas here will spread.

The democracy IS functioning. Do you not like how it is functioning? Too bad, that's democracy.

Live your life and enjoy it. Don't waste your time on things and people that are not important to you. Be an example for others to follow.

Isn't "neurotypical" itself a mental disorder?