- My Dinner with Andre (1981)February 5, 2025
The monologue at the beginning is a nice narrative device that should be used more often. The movie is about two men with wildly different worldviews talking with each other for nearly two hours about their different outlooks on life. Both agree that there is a problem of meaning in the world—one is a man of faith who tries to find meaning in mystical and fantastical experiences, while the other is a man of science who seeks meaning in the little things. I really need to rewatch it after reading more about Western philosophy, particularly Heidegger and Mystics such as Meister Eckhart. 8/10.
I just don’t think I accept the idea that there should be moments in which you’re not trying to do anything. I think, uh, it’s our nature, uh, to do things, I think we should do things, I think that, uh, purposefulness is part of our ineradicable basic human structure, and…and to say that we ought to be able to live without it is like saying that, uh, a tree ought to be able to live without branches or roots, but…but actually, without branches or roots, it wouldn’t be a tree, I mean, it would just be a log.
- TCP "Option Packet Mood"February 5, 2025
The RFC 5841 is a proposal to add an option in the TCP header to indicate the mood of packets.
Packets cannot feel. They are created for the purpose of moving data from one system to another. However, it is clear that in specific situations some measure of emotion can be inferred or added. For instance, a packet that is retransmitted to resend data for a packet for which no ACK was received could be described as an ‘angry‘ packet, or a ‘frustrated’ packet (if it is not the first retransmission for instance).
- Drive (2011)February 4, 2025
It has Ryan Gosling (oh my gosh, he’s literally me) and Bryan Cranston (the Breaking Bad guy, Waltuh), and both do a phenomenal job with their acting. I really like the character Ryan Gosling plays, stoic and autistic with a hint of sadness. The movie also features all the meme songs, which I enjoy. The movie itself isn’t particularly deep, but the action and characters are amazing. 8/10
- Epictetus: Discourses and Selected WritingsFebruary 3, 2025
The second book I finished reading in 2025. At first, I was a bit worried because, on /lit/, it has a reputation for being a self-help book for pretentious people. Which, I guess, it kind of is—but I really liked it.
If I were to sum up the book’s message in one sentence, it would be something like this:
‘The only thing you can control is virtue; as such, it is the only true good. Everything else—externals such as death, pain, wife, children, and illness—is indifferent. Therefore, your primary motivation in life should be to cultivate virtues such as courage, knowledge, and honesty. If you lose something external, such as your health, or even in the face of death, you shouldn’t grieve or mourn but rather embrace it as a challenge to improve your virtues.’ - On Self ControlFebruary 3, 2025
As with impressions generally, if you get an impression of something pleasurable, watch yourself so that you are not carried away by it. Take a minute and let the matter wait on you. Then reflect on both intervals of time: the time you will have to experience the pleasure and the time after its enjoyment that you will beat yourself up over it. Contrast that with how happy and pleased you’ll be if you abstain. If the chance to do the deed presents itself, take extra care that you are not overcome by its seductiveness, pleasure, and allure. Counter temptation by remembering how much better it will be to know that you resisted.
~ Epictetus, Fragments Chapter 34