Notes on technology in the 2020s
I vacillate wildly between "electric cars sound awesome lemme have one" and "should I only drive manual transmission vehicles built in the 70s so the robots can't find me". - C
Guest contribution: 40s happiness
Brian's Note: a while back we had a theme about the crisis hitting middle aged men post-pandemic. That's not to say there isn't a problem in other groups (etc etc) but that a specific ennui and pain is roiling through my peer group these days. It's a complicated issue and I don't want to go too deep into it here. But after we started that conversation a very dear friend of mine sent me a text that I find heart rending yet interesting. I've lightly edited it here and present it anonymously.
Thinking about what you were talking about the other night about concerning happiness in 40’s. I remember seeing a research study that showed a dip in happiness when parents were raising teenage children because that is a particularly difficult time. I also heard something that struck a chord with me in terms of happiness. The speaker said “your brain is not made to make you happy, it is made to keep you alive”. For me personally I used to draw happiness from work success, how much money I made, or what gun I was going to buy next. This was because everything at home was miserable and I would do anything to distract me from it.
I see that a lot in my coworkers. 90% of my coworkers are 40-60 year old married white males. They make statements that all fall in the “happy wife, happy life” category about what they do in the interest of keeping the peace at home at the expense of their own dreams. Or they say “I have a great wife, sometimes on Sunday nights she lets me have the guys over to watch the game in our bonus room”. They also buy guns and ammo in huge amounts. My theory is that one, they have managed to convince themselves that they are happy despite having lost a lot of freedom, and second buying F350 trucks and guns is, subconsciously, a replacement for lost masculinity they experienced from entering their wife’s frame as opposed to leading the relationship. I would assume that it is better to be supplicating and say “yes dear” than to be divorced.
I say this because I felt that way and after leaving my (extremely unhappy) marriage my drive to purchase things (guessing the dopamine hit from online shopping) dropped completely. Now I believe that my happiness has a lot more to do with the absence of stressors verses the addition of doing what I love. Behavioral psychology talks about removing negative reinforcement being a reward. I feel that daily. Now I measure my happiness/success by my mental health and how I have learned to protect that with better decisions. And that influences my approach to healthier relationships with women.
South America's Lithium Fields Reveal the Dark Side of Our Electric Future
Pulling one string in a ball of yarn can have the opposite effect of what you intend. In my head I have this labeled the "Backfire" concept. - B
How Generation Z became obsessed with subtitles
I can't read this article because it's paywalled for me but maybe not for you. Just wanted to say I, Millenial, am also obsessed with subtitles and my wife is obsessed with turning them off. - C
Israeli alt-meat developer MeaTech prints 3.67 oz steak
Semi-related to my feelings mentioned above, I am decidedly close-minded on the "cultivated" meat thing. - C
That's all for this issue. Have a wonderful day!
History of a "ROC" - Clemson Universty Disc Golf Club
Just a lil historical summary of one of me and B's fav flying plastic circles. - C
I have a tattoo referencing this disc. Just throwing that out there. -B
For 40 Years, Crashing Trains Was One of America’s Favorite Pastimes
"It's like watching a train wreck" is something people say, but it used to be a thing people did. - C
The Biggest NFT Video Game's Economy Is Collapsing Because NFT Games Don't Work
I tried to play Axie Infinity one time but realized it was going to be a complete waste of time before I spent a single dollar. - C
Until next time, we forever remain your humble servants,