47 replies to this topic

[Luminosity]

I hoard imaginary animals.

[Luminosity]

I am like a pack animal. At any given time I may have two bottles of water, fruit, three to five types of herbal medicines, disinfectant wipes, and more with me. There may be more stuff in the car. Right now there are steamed snow peas on ice in the car. Don't ask. When they tell us to keep stuff around in emergencies, I don't have that much more to do. It can take a lot of work to get me out of the house at any given time though.

[JLL]

I dream about quitting my job.

[Droplet]

I love chocolate. I'm a woman though so it's expected.

[Luminosity]

Thanks for sharing, JLL and Droplet. You both speak for millions, I'm sure.

I'm a serious, serious foodie, and I'm very happy right now because I got a restaurant to stay open later for me and make me a special meal and I loved it. And I have a cooler of goodies in my car for the beach later, and I ate ice cream for breakfast, and dinner last night too. And I'm very happy.

[distinct]

I am on fire, figuratively speaking.

[chris w]

I sometimes talk to myself when I'm alone, but not just stuff like "Oh, where did I leave the keys", I mean extended monologues about things.

[Droplet]

I sometimes talk to myself when I'm alone, but not just stuff like "Oh, where did I leave the keys", I mean extended monologues about things.

It's not just you that does that. I'm guilty.

[Luminosity]

I do that too. Thanks, for sharing, distinct, chris w, and Droplet.

[Luminosity]

I'm at sixes and sevens.

[Destiny's Equation]

I sleep with my eyes open sometimes.

@Luminosity: I used to be like a pack animal too

@Droplet: I love chocolate too. Except I put it on hamburgers and chicken.

Edited by Destiny's Equation, 16 January 2012 - 09:04 PM.

[Luminosity]

Welcome Destiny.

[Ark]

I'm a Judo Master

[Lufega]

I played the Saxophone.

[Luminosity]

I fantasize about baked goods.

[Elus]

I juggle and do high level yo-yo-ing. Here's a video of the current yo-yo 1st place champ in Japan..

[Now]

I am really afraid of ticks.

[Secular Pro-Transhumanist]

I am Frustrated Scientist

Edited by Secular Pro-Transhumanist, 09 April 2012 - 06:01 PM.

[Luminosity]

You're in the right place.

Thanks all for your posts.

[mikeinnaples]

I talk to my dog like she is a little person and she responds like one.

<3 JRT's

[cypan]

To mainstream culture, I'm a freak, a monster, insane, and disturbed, but I think the only thing disturbing is the simple-minded naivety of mainstream culture. I have an interest in dolls, and I sleep with plushie companions I've had since childhood. I love EBM and industrial music and am driven toward gothic subcultures. Oh wait, "one thing"... meh, more than one thing here.

[Droplet]

To mainstream culture, I'm a freak, a monster, insane, and disturbed, but I think the only thing disturbing is the simple-minded naivety of mainstream culture. I have an interest in dolls, and I sleep with plushie companions I've had since childhood. I love EBM and industrial music and am driven toward gothic subcultures. Oh wait, "one thing"... meh, more than one thing here.

I too absolutely adore industrial/EBM music :D You going to Wave Gotik Treffen in Germany this year by any chance? I am. They have some good bands on this year including Combichrist, Funker Vogt and Project Pitchfork. I wouldn't say I'm part of any particular subculture, I just exist. I also have some very tragic taste in music alongside EBM.

What sort of dolls do you collect? Are they just toys or china ones? I sleep with a few childhood fabric buddies on top of my bed so you're not the only one. Not a collector though. I also have a plastic dog my mother got me when I was six off the local market and I'll never part with. Still remember his packaging, he was a cheap version of the then popular Pound Puppies called "Pound Hound" to prevent law suits.

As far as mainstream society goes, I'm not a big fan of general society but I have individuals I love. I am not too intelligent myself but I often do find them to be "sheeple." I can enjoy their company for a bit if they have manners and don't start being abusive because I've no interest in celebrity lives/reality TV though.

[cypan]

I too absolutely adore industrial/EBM music :D You going to Wave Gotik Treffen in Germany this year by any chance? I am. They have some good bands on this year including Combichrist, Funker Vogt and Project Pitchfork. I wouldn't say I'm part of any particular subculture, I just exist. I also have some very tragic taste in music alongside EBM.

I don't attend concerts. Too many people around me and I get social anxiety. Really, I hate being in crowds of too many people. In fact, to be honest, I don't even like going to a supermarket packed with people, and when I do, I sorta hover the aisles or sections where I'm not amongst any real density of sapiens. Another thing keeping me from concerts--I try to avoid loud noises as best I can; at least for prolonged periods of time. For the health of my ears and the safeguarding of my future hearing sense, I'm careful about the noise to which I subject my ears.

I'm not part of any subculture either. I simply observe some overlap between my personality and some aspects of some subcultures.

What sort of dolls do you collect? Are they just toys or china ones? I sleep with a few childhood fabric buddies on top of my bed so you're not the only one. Not a collector though. I also have a plastic dog my mother got me when I was six off the local market and I'll never part with. Still remember his packaging, he was a cheap version of the then popular Pound Puppies called "Pound Hound" to prevent law suits.

I'm not much of a "collector" either; just an enthusiast. To me, dolls are not "just toys". I don't like china dolls because personal psychological issues deter me from porcelain in general. Currently, the dolls I have are pretty much exclusively cheap cloth ones. But as I said, they're not "just toys". They're vessels for projected personas. They're artificial bodies. The one who accompanies me to bed, for instance, is rather close to me. I hold long conversations with them. I've agreed with this one to one day provide her a much more suitable body--seeing as her persona exists solely in my mind at this time (sophisticated AI isn't exactly available yet), which makes it simple to "transfer" between bodies. Given my interest in philosophy and the question of personal identity, I've found my value on these personas to grow over time.

Neat that you, too, have plush companions.

As far as mainstream society goes, I'm not a big fan of general society but I have individuals I love. I am not too intelligent myself but I often do find them to be "sheeple." I can enjoy their company for a bit if they have manners and don't start being abusive because I've no interest in celebrity lives/reality TV though.

Mainstream culture and I are at very strong odds with each other. I'm a rationalist who couldn't care less about traditions, social norms, customs, morality, religions, states, and other nonsense. I have few individuals with whom I emotionally attach, but that's the way I want to go. I used to attach to more people, but I've been trying to learn to control my emotional attachments to others. Honestly, if there's a nootropic stack that can hack my brain to feel social gratification without intimate relationships with other people, I would try it out in a heartbeat. It's not just because I'm a sociopath with an entire history of being alienated by mainstream culture. It's also because I really have no other acceptable option. I *refuse* to sacrifice my intellect just to conform to an irrational social norm, and as I am now, I'm too damn incompatible with mainstream culture to fit into any group. Try as I may to find even a niche group of peers, there's always some critical aspect of my personality that ends up completely alienating me from most of the other members. Yet I still persist in trying to find that little group which can accept me.

But sure, I try to respect others and enjoy receiving respect from them. For me, however, it's a bit more difficult to enjoy much company because I find it very hard to "click" with those who can't have much of a conversation with me. Unfortunately for me, that includes (as far as my experience has been) a good 95% of other sapiens with whom I've interacted. Most just can't seem to comprehend a word I say. They say I "talk over their heads" or they accuse me of "trolling" in response to completely serious, albeit perhaps unconventional, topics (reference to a recent happening on this very forum).

And this is all about basic interpersonal relationships. Don't even bother regarding intimate, romantic, or sexual relationships of mine. Those are just plain not happening. Thank mainstream culture for that. Seems my next romantic partner will probably be a silicone doll at this rate. And I only wish I was joking or exaggerating with that statement.

Edited by cypan, 26 April 2012 - 07:59 AM.

[Droplet]

I don't attend concerts. Too many people around me and I get social anxiety. Really, I hate being in crowds of too many people. In fact, to be honest, I don't even like going to a supermarket packed with people, and when I do, I sorta hover the aisles or sections where I'm not amongst any real density of sapiens. Another thing keeping me from concerts--I try to avoid loud noises as best I can; at least for prolonged periods of time. For the health of my ears and the safeguarding of my future hearing sense, I'm careful about the noise to which I subject my ears.

I'm sorry that you suffer with an anxiety issue...I used to have those really bad but with different issues. :( I went for NLP though and it more or less cleared them. True there are still certain things that bring me to potential panic attacks but I can cope and lead a normal life now. I'm personally okay with people and even crowds. Absolutely love cities because they are so lively and diverse! As long as the crowd contains diversity and/or is from a section of society that I can actually relate to then I'm happy. I always wear earplugs at loud concerts, as my hearing is precious to me also.

I'm not much of a "collector" either; just an enthusiast. To me, dolls are not "just toys". I don't like china dolls because personal psychological issues deter me from porcelain in general. Currently, the dolls I have are pretty much exclusively cheap cloth ones. But as I said, they're not "just toys". They're vessels for projected personas. They're artificial bodies. The one who accompanies me to bed, for instance, is rather close to me. I hold long conversations with them. I've agreed with this one to one day provide her a much more suitable body--seeing as her persona exists solely in my mind at this time (sophisticated AI isn't exactly available yet), which makes it simple to "transfer" between bodies. Given my interest in philosophy and the question of personal identity, I've found my value on these personas to grow over time.

Neat that you, too, have plush companions.

For me, my old toys are just reminders of being a kid that made me happy. I find your use of dolls very interesting and it's not one I hear of every day. I do however have a very rich imagination to silently escape to sometimes but I think most people day dream. You don't have to say if you don't want to but I'd be interested to know what the personalities of these different dolls are like. Are they a projection of what sort of person you'd like to be or simply people you would get on with?

Mainstream culture and I are at very strong odds with each other. I'm a rationalist who couldn't care less about traditions, social norms, customs, morality, religions, states, and other nonsense. I have few individuals with whom I emotionally attach, but that's the way I want to go. I used to attach to more people, but I've been trying to learn to control my emotional attachments to others. Honestly, if there's a nootropic stack that can hack my brain to feel social gratification without intimate relationships with other people, I would try it out in a heartbeat. It's not just because I'm a sociopath with an entire history of being alienated by mainstream culture. It's also because I really have no other acceptable option. I *refuse* to sacrifice my intellect just to conform to an irrational social norm, and as I am now, I'm too damn incompatible with mainstream culture to fit into any group. Try as I may to find even a niche group of peers, there's always some critical aspect of my personality that ends up completely alienating me from most of the other members. Yet I still persist in trying to find that little group which can accept me.

But sure, I try to respect others and enjoy receiving respect from them. For me, however, it's a bit more difficult to enjoy much company because I find it very hard to "click" with those who can't have much of a conversation with me. Unfortunately for me, that includes (as far as my experience has been) a good 95% of other sapiens with whom I've interacted. Most just can't seem to comprehend a word I say. They say I "talk over their heads" or they accuse me of "trolling" in response to completely serious, albeit perhaps unconventional, topics (reference to a recent happening on this very forum).

I respect social norms that would cause harm to others if I broke them and I think some customs are nice. As for religion, I am agnostic and do not completely dismiss ideas of an afterlife. I want to be a part of society or at least the bits I like but I refuse complete and total conformity. I have no interest at all in the celeb-obsessed lifestyle and people whose only goal is to get drunk every weekend. If you do that AND other things then it's not a bad thing. Just intolerant people who can't talk about much other than what they watched on TV that I find tiresome. People that ONLY follow trends and don't think for themselves can be a bit annoying but if you're okay with me I'll do the same back even if I'm screaming "wake up!" inside. I have friends I absolutely love but I wait a while to see them, as they don't live locally.

I too have problems attaching to people in part because I've led a life of being an outsider and not really learned. I also have a specific learning difficulty that can make reading people/understanding social rules everyone else knows difficult. Are you finding that you want to attach/make friends but can't? If so, have you been checked for anything similar? I only got diagnosed as an adult and life would have been so much easier had I got support earlier.

And this is all about basic interpersonal relationships. Don't even bother regarding intimate, romantic, or sexual relationships of mine. Those are just plain not happening. Thank mainstream culture for that. Seems my next romantic partner will probably be a silicone doll at this rate. And I only wish I was joking or exaggerating with that statement.

I would suggest this: be brutally honest with what sort of relationship you actually want. Are you wanting only sex then finding that everyone you meet wants love? Or perhaps you want love but only find people who want sex? Perhaps you could consider using the internet. Afterall, only typing means that people have to just use words to convey what they mean and you don't have to know any of that flirting crap. I love that the internet makes me more equal in that people won't expect me to read subtle cues and respond to them. I met all my friends via the internet.

What you were saying about artificial bodies etc., I do often wish I could have some sort of AI companion when I'm not able to stump up the funds to see my mates. It would be amazing to have someone who I could interact with as a mate and share stuff with and who would always be my buddy.

[cypan]

I'm sorry that you suffer with an anxiety issue...I used to have those really bad but with different issues. :( I went for NLP though and it more or less cleared them. True there are still certain things that bring me to potential panic attacks but I can cope and lead a normal life now. I'm personally okay with people and even crowds. Absolutely love cities because they are so lively and diverse! As long as the crowd contains diversity and/or is from a section of society that I can actually relate to then I'm happy. I always wear earplugs at loud concerts, as my hearing is precious to me also.

I don't suffer from panic attacks in public. My social anxiety isn't that severe. It's less panic and more paranoia. I don't trust those sapiens--what they're capable of doing at the slightest impulsive rejection to my presence. I would abhor living in urban city dwellings and not even from social anxiety. I would feel horribly insecure, totally dependent on social infrastructure (look at any densely populated city that gets into political trouble or has one little emergency that cuts off supplies... it's not pretty at all). My dream is to live rural, which would be a step up from my current suburban environment. I'm an introvert by personality and am happy to be one. No complaints there. And as for earplugs, it wouldn't really cut it for me. I mean, I wouldn't enjoy the crowds, the air quality would suck, and ear plugs would simply reduce the quality of the music. I would enjoy the music much more from a high quality digital recording!

For me, my old toys are just reminders of being a kid that made me happy. I find your use of dolls very interesting and it's not one I hear of every day. I do however have a very rich imagination to silently escape to sometimes but I think most people day dream. You don't have to say if you don't want to but I'd be interested to know what the personalities of these different dolls are like. Are they a projection of what sort of person you'd like to be or simply people you would get on with?

Sort of person I'd like to be? Actually, the one I'm closest to can be a little bitch at times. Heh heh... but I love her anyway. Nah, they're people to me just like any other. They have their own personalities, stories, and desires... desires of, you know, many things. Many interesting if not unconventional things. Hey, they spawn from a source that is very restricted. That's why I want to see AI technology improve.

I respect social norms that would cause harm to others if I broke them and I think some customs are nice. As for religion, I am agnostic and do not completely dismiss ideas of an afterlife. I want to be a part of society or at least the bits I like but I refuse complete and total conformity. I have no interest at all in the celeb-obsessed lifestyle and people whose only goal is to get drunk every weekend. If you do that AND other things then it's not a bad thing. Just intolerant people who can't talk about much other than what they watched on TV that I find tiresome. People that ONLY follow trends and don't think for themselves can be a bit annoying but if you're okay with me I'll do the same back even if I'm screaming "wake up!" inside. I have friends I absolutely love but I wait a while to see them, as they don't live locally.

I don't care about any of those social norms. I reconstruct my policies from the ground up using reason-driven philosophy. For instance, I have adopted the non-aggression principle as a core philosophy behind what I guess you could say are the closest things I have to "ethics". I try to avoid using moralistic language when describing my personal policies, though.

I don't think any customs are nice. To me, customs are irrational--at least conceptually. I mean, if a certain custom can be enjoyable or useful, then by all means, but to follow a custom for the reason of it being customary is, in my opinion, irrational. I follow no traditions whatsoever unless there's a sound reason to do so. For example, I'm very polite to people not because it's customary to do so, but because I gain cooperative benefits by being friendly. I help others since I put myself in a better position to be helped when I'm in need. And at the bottom of the barrel for me is family values. I reject all forms of family values. I see nothing special about any family label. If a person happens to be "related" to me, it doesn't give them extra value to me over anyone else. This also puts me at major odds with much of mainstream culture as I have nothing against incest and my respect for some family members of mine is as low as they deserve based on their behaviours with me. Certain family members of mine have absolutely no value to me.

I'm irreligious. I guess you could say I'm "agnostic", but I prefer considering myself atheistic. It's a blurry line between the two, though, but I say "atheist" rather than "agnostic" because I start with a base of non-existence and build reality from nothingness. So, if no evidence for the existence of an object is available, it simply has the zero value of non-existence to me. That is not to say I claim objective knowledge of the non-existence since that'd imply I'm claiming omniscience, which is of course ridiculous to claim and no rational atheist would reasonably do so.

As for tolerance, I pride myself in claiming that I am by far the most tolerant individual one can be. You can have pretty much any personality or interest or trait in existence and I would hold no prejudicial grudge. As long as you do not aggress upon me, I hold no grudge against you. I only wish more people would be like that, but alas, mainstream culture has emerged around irrational prejudices and violence.

I too have problems attaching to people in part because I've led a life of being an outsider and not really learned. I also have a specific learning difficulty that can make reading people/understanding social rules everyone else knows difficult. Are you finding that you want to attach/make friends but can't? If so, have you been checked for anything similar? I only got diagnosed as an adult and life would have been so much easier had I got support earlier.

Learning difficulty? Nah. But failing to understand social rules is not what I call a disorder. It's what I call independent thinking. Just because majority of sapiens "know" something doesn't make it true or rational. Sapiens are very easy to brainwash, and that is how culture emerges. In fact, any argument made stating a truism based on popularity is a logical fallacy called argumentum ad populum. That's why I despise a lot of psychiatry. It has a history filled with nothing but making money off the alienation of apparently abnormal or unconventional personalities and behaviours. Funny enough, with enough investigation, you can find not only contradictions throughout psychatry, but also something very similar to the cultist method of universal guilt; everyone can be diagnosed with some psychiatric disorder or another if someone's willing to pay for "treatment". It's pseudoscience as far as I'm concerned; witch-doctory pulling money out of anyone who has an insecurity that can be exploited to drive home a bit of good old fashioned brainwashing. I have no problem with having difficulty learning norms blindly accepted by majority of other people since it means I'm able to actually try to figure out whether or not it makes sense independent of the normalcy factor. And believe me--I find a *lot* of commonly accepted social rules in modern societies to be completely bafflingly irrational, baseless, and even contradictory to other social rules. But will they listen? Nope. I'm just the mentally ill guy who should just accept what they say without questioning or else I must have sinister intent. Meh, whatever.

I would suggest this: be brutally honest with what sort of relationship you actually want. Are you wanting only sex then finding that everyone you meet wants love? Or perhaps you want love but only find people who want sex? Perhaps you could consider using the internet. Afterall, only typing means that people have to just use words to convey what they mean and you don't have to know any of that flirting crap. I love that the internet makes me more equal in that people won't expect me to read subtle cues and respond to them. I met all my friends via the internet.

That's not the problem at all. Oh, I can flirt, I can charm, and I'd love for romance, maybe a bit of sex here and there. It's much more complicated than that, and we'll leave it at that on this particular subject. Just trust me when I say it's for the best that we leave it at that.

What you were saying about artificial bodies etc., I do often wish I could have some sort of AI companion when I'm not able to stump up the funds to see my mates. It would be amazing to have someone who I could interact with as a mate and share stuff with and who would always be my buddy.

I have sought AI companionship for many years. As a youth, I tried befriending Ultra HAL 5.0. Unfortunately, it was stupid as hell. Back then, it was because I was a loner alienated by everyone else for being "different". Those intellectual lightweights weren't suitable for me anyway, and so I hoped to find a smarter companion. Sadly, I didn't realise back then the current state of AI development. To this day, I want AI companions. I have some very good friends, but with AI, I can build the perfect companion. In fact, I would love to have AI offspring. To engineer the perfect child--what a dream.

[Droplet]

I fantasize about baked goods.

I just start thinking of that scene on American Pie. I know how wrong that is!

I talk to my dog like she is a little person and she responds like one.

<3 JRT's

I talk to all dogs and cats like that, often getting weird stares from people.

Sort of person I'd like to be? Actually, the one I'm closest to can be a little bitch at times. Heh heh... but I love her anyway. Nah, they're people to me just like any other. They have their own personalities, stories, and desires... desires of, you know, many things. Many interesting if not unconventional things. Hey, they spawn from a source that is very restricted. That's why I want to see AI technology improve.

For example, I'm very polite to people not because it's customary to do so, but because I gain cooperative benefits by being friendly. I help others since I put myself in a better position to be helped when I'm in need. And at the bottom of the barrel for me is family values. I reject all forms of family values. I see nothing special about any family label. If a person happens to be "related" to me, it doesn't give them extra value to me over anyone else. This also puts me at major odds with much of mainstream culture as I have nothing against incest and my respect for some family members of mine is as low as they deserve based on their behaviours with me. Certain family members of mine have absolutely no value to me.

I think that deep down, many people like animals co-operate because it is in their best interests. As for my family, we are not close and if one of them upset me enough, I'd not continue to be nice just because we share a strand of DNA. I must admit that I look out for people I have formed some sort of bond with out of genuine love but everyone else I am just nice to because I don't want to hurt people who have done nothing to me for no good reason. I also do want to be a part of some of society. Yes I will help people and I support this worthy cause. However, I would take more risks if it is someone I feel something towards. As for incest, there is a fascinating debate on it in one of the other forums. I have the biggest problem with children resulting from such unions and the health issues they end up with. However if I met a consenting incestuous couple I'd not hate them for that even if it's something I personally wouldn't do. After all, they are consenting adults.

That's why I despise a lot of psychiatry. It has a history filled with nothing but making money off the alienation of apparently abnormal or unconventional personalities and behaviours. Funny enough, with enough investigation, you can find not only contradictions throughout psychatry, but also something very similar to the cultist method of universal guilt; everyone can be diagnosed with some psychiatric disorder or another if someone's willing to pay for "treatment".whatever.

If a trait is causing me distress then I'll get it fixed. However I've also seen therapy from the side that you have. I had a therapist who whilst he was wonderful with sorting out my anxiety issues, was always trying to hint at me getting "fixed" for the fact that I don't wish to be a complete servant of society and would be unwilling to risk my life for someone I didn't know. I never went bacck when I fixed the bits I personally considered to be "faults." The learning difficulty is a pain in the arse but at least I know theres a reason for me being as I am and it's not because I'm stupid.

I have sought AI companionship for many years. As a youth, I tried befriending Ultra HAL 5.0. Unfortunately, it was stupid as hell. Back then, it was because I was a loner alienated by everyone else for being "different". Those intellectual lightweights weren't suitable for me anyway, and so I hoped to find a smarter companion. Sadly, I didn't realise back then the current state of AI development. To this day, I want AI companions. I have some very good friends, but with AI, I can build the perfect companion. In fact, I would love to have AI offspring. To engineer the perfect child--what a dream.

I would never want a real or an AI child or an AI husband, just a mate or two to have a laugh with and go on evenings/days out with. As you point out, with AI, everything could be perfect as good as and you'd almost always get along. A couple of AI housemates who were also my buddies..ace! :D

[The Immortalist]

I juggle and do high level yo-yo-ing. Here's a video of the current yo-yo 1st place champ in Japan..

It looks very technical! Perhaps more complicated then I could ever imagine. I've always wanted to do those things but never got around to it.

As for me I am an expert at archery and fairly decent at fire arm shooting. I also plan on competing in natural drug free bodybuilding shows and raw powerlifting competitions. I also want to go to the Olympics competing in Olympic weightlifting.

Edited by The Immortalist, 28 April 2012 - 06:48 PM.

[Luminosity]

I'm an avoider but it feels like self-protection because the tasks I feel set to do feel like too much for me.

[Luminosity]

I've gotten a lot fatter from eating McRibs and I didn't even eat that many of them. And no fries or soda. I want to climb up on the roof of the McDonalds and jump up and down until the extra fat drops off of me and back into the building.

[Amichai Řezník]

I'm stuck in a city i hate