The title of my talk is “Innovation as Rebellion against Complexity.”
I’ll start with my experience studying and teaching music history, and demonstrate how every major musical stylistic shift over the past 1500 years or so can be seen as a revolt against excessive complexity developing in the previous style. One example would be the shift from thick, complex polyphony that had become the norm in late Renaissance music, to the relatively simple and much-easier-on-the-ears style of early homophonic music. But I’d actually touch on all periods of music history.
I’d then challenge my audience to ask themselves and each other if this trend can be seen in other fields as well. Do we see such innovative rebellions in, say, art? Or literature? Architecture? The sciences? And what about technology…
…and are we on the cusp of a new rebellion against the massively complex technology that’s thrust upon us today? What does that look like? What innovations await us at the conclusion of that revolution?
I mean I’d be winging the fuck out of it with only a few seconds to prep but wouldn’t that be great to talk about?
You can see I’ve done a lot of thinking about this lol.
Do we see such innovative rebellions in, say, art? Or literature? Architecture? The sciences?
I never thought that music went through a similar rebellion. At least not in the matters of complexity. But it makes sense. I'm very familiar with the art & architecture one. Modernism is one of the most revolutionary movements in human history.
A pendulum is a good way of looking at it. What you see in the Medieval period is, as an example, musicians writing more and more challenging lines to sing. Wider leaps, rapid-fire phrases…and this is how they show off their skills. You see this more in the secular music of the day, as the church is constantly pushing for sacred music that doesn’t call attention to itself. But, the backlash happens because while those complex, jagged lines might be lots of fun for the singer, not so much for the listener. And so begins a movement toward vocal lines that are easier on the ears - smoother, more melodic, easier to sing, which also lines up nicely with developments in counterpoint and polyphony that allow major forms like the motet to come into being.
And of course musicians, not being able to help themselves, start competing with each other to write more and more complex motets, which sparks another aesthetic backlash, and it all starts again.
This is a gross simplification of course but just to give you an idea how this all works.
Modern pop - which I define as what you typically hear on commercial radio, but you could also define as the trending artists on digital platforms - is very safe, very conservative, and very listener friendly.
But…to use an example that’s relevant to your question, you can look at the rise of punk rock in the 70’s. Punk was a reaction to the growing popularity of Progressive Rock artists like King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Rush, and similar artists that dabbled in complex harmony, polyrhythm, mixed/odd meters, and so on. Punk artists felt that these were becoming too elitist and exclusive and said, hey, how about we just play three chords and say fuck a lot? Let’s make music anyone can pick up a cheap guitar and learn in five minutes!
In 2026 I’d be hard pressed to identify a popular musical style that’s pushing the boundaries of listenability to the point of sparking a backlash. And we just had a couple of these not that long ago anyway: Minimalism in the 60’s and my aforementioned Punk movement. I’d say we’re in kind of a lull at the moment, though it’s not hard to look at all the styles and genres that sprang out of Punk and see where they’re going. But these patterns span decades, sometimes centuries. It may not happen again in our lifetime.
Well said and a great point. I do feel, personally, I have already begun a small technological revolt. You should actually make a TED talk video or blog post about this if you have more to say.
Yeah my thought was "Hello I've been teleported here from my perspective so either that's now true and I need to go lay down or I'm having a psychotic break and need to go lay down. Goodbye!" then walk as quickly backstage as possible.
"Punishment is the wrong way: Why Rehabilitation will always win out, and how it ties in with poverty, crime and mental health"
I could easily talk half an hour about that thematic complex without getting boring and making a pretty good argument why throwing a substantial portion of your population in jail is just slavery in disguise.
My wife used to work in a nursing home. I've heard a lot about the slings and arrows of end-of-life care, and lifesaving techniques, and no thanks, I'll just die.
While dogs were domesticated by humans, there's a growing body of evidence that cats were actually domesticated...by cats. The lack of any archaeological evidence that they were ever subject to any intentional or large-scale selective breeding, the seeming change in feline vocalizations to more closely match those of human young, alongside cats' current "partially-domesticated" status and the rapid reemergence of wild behaviors in feral populations, all point to a one-sided decision by ancient felines to settle down around humans.
This has been your cat fact, and your subscription is therefore concluded. Thank you!
There is some speculation that, in addition to domesticating themselves, cats have also domesticated some humans.
The parasite toxoplasma gondii, which is carried by cats and can be contracted from dealing with their waste, causes a disease called toxoplasmosis, even in immunocompetent individuals. While not confirmed in any study, some researchers have suggested that the disease causes mental and social effects which incline the sufferer toward mild antisocial behavior, increasing their likelihood of adopting more cats, which increases their likelihood of being reinfected with toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma gondii can also be passed from (human) mother to child at birth, meaning that the feline-domesticated human is likely to give birth to a likewise domesticated child.
This speculation has led to some news outlets breathlessly reporting that toxoplasmosis "causes" people to get more cats (or even to like cats more), and led to the association of toxoplasma gondii with so-called "crazy cat lady syndrome."
I was reading a thread where people were talking about Japanese pronouns and remembered that this is my favorite icebreaker question.
My topic is Japanese pronouns. How they differ from English, a little bit of the history, and broadly why they should make us reinspect how we construct identity and how they complicate the idea of "individualism" vs "collectivism"
I could fill 25-30 minutes easily with no preparation.
I'd love to watch a Ted on that, sounds meta interesting. I tried searching for something on the subject on YT but only found grammar/language-oriented videos. The identity construction molding the culture due to their language structure sounds like an amazing rabbit hole to learn about.
In English, everybody uses the same personal pronouns (I, my, me). We do have unique pronouns that characterize people based on individual characteristics, but those are all 3rd-person pronouns (he, she, they). What this means is that in English, your pronouns are fundamentally decided by somebody else. Yes, you can still tell somebody your preferred pronouns and request that they use those 3rd-person pronouns to refer to you, but fundamentally it is a decision that is up to them; you cannot force somebody to refer to you in a certain way.
I bring that up because in Japanese it's actually the opposite. It is the 1st-person pronouns that are unique and characterize people. There are at least 5 personal pronouns that I would say are in common use today but historically there's a lot more, maybe dozens. Do you want to subversively use a more masculine pronoun as a woman? Do you want to use an antiquated formal pronoun at all times? Do you want to use a mildly formal basic pronoun that doesn't really reveal much about yourself? Literally nobody can stop you. Yeah they can judge you for it, but it's different from English in that the language is designed so that you have control over your pronouns.
This difference between the two languages led me to two conclusions.
The first is that: pronouns have become such a big "problem" in the Anglosphere. Imagine a conversation between two people where one introduces themselves with "My pronouns are she/they, what are yours?" and the other person responds "I don't really believe in having pronouns. I think it's kinda weird."
Don't you immediately get the impression that these people are on opposite sides? That there is some serious conflict in their points of view? It's easy to get caught up in that dichotomy, and yes there is a "right" side. It's good to respect people's preferred pronouns. But I want you to realize that this "problem" exists entirely in the language itself. If we had the power to declare our own pronouns without making a request, to "say and therefore be," the problem would largely disappear. People would still judge you. People will still disrespect you. But the English language gives people a tool to do so.
The second conclusion that I came to is that linguistically, English is actually pretty conformist/collectivist while Japanese is pretty individualistic. It's pretty common knowledge among people who make a distinction between "individualistic" and "collectivist" cultures that Anglosphere countries are considered to be more individual while Asian, particularly Sinosphere countries like Japan, are considered to be more collectivist. But if you told me to compare the pronouns in two languages: one of which has tools for you to put other people into simple boxes and no tools to express yourself, the other has tools to express yourself and you cannot put other people into boxes; I would definitely come to the non-obvious conclusion that Japan is a much more individualistic culture while Anglosphere countries are all collectivist. I could definitely go into more depth here, but I'm sure you already see the broad point: the collectivist/individualist dichotomy is a false one. Cultures all have elements that are one or the other. Everybody universally appreciates some things that are individualist, like art, and other things that are collectivist, like family and school.
As a last point, I want to address an obvious elephant-in-the-room for people who speak Japanese. You all know I've been ignoring a very important fact about Japanese that punches a big hole in the argument. Japanese already has the exact same 3rd-person gendered pronouns as English: 彼氏 (kareshi, he) and 彼女 (kanojo, she). I would like to counter that observation with two points: first, those words are used FAR less often than they are in English. When speaking in the 2nd- or 3rd-person in Japanese, it is very common to forego pronouns and just use somebody's name. In fact, if you use the 2nd-person pronouns in almost any context, it's a little weird; almost like you forgot their name and have to call them "hey you" instead. In 3rd-person, you also typically will refer to somebody by name as well, and would rarely use kareshi or kanojo.
A second point: kareshi and kanojo are literally English imports. In the Meiji era of Japan after their long isolationist period, there was a desire to find ways to translate the gendered pronouns in English and French literature, which is where kareshi and kanojo (the latter originally kano'onna) came from in the first place.
If I wanted to fill more time I would also talk about how honorifics can personalize 2nd- and 3rd-person communication, the implications of using specific Japanese 1st-person pronouns, and I could really go in depth speculating about how English could have a neopronoun revolution in the future not via ones like xe/xim but rather anon, oomfie, homie, bestie, my guy, my brother in christ, girlipop, etc. and that maybe we are seeing that revolution right now.
TL;DR: English pronouns create some problems because they let you put other people into gendered boxes while Japanese pronouns let you express yourself and your unique relationships with other people. This should make us skeptical any time we hear somebody say that a culture is entirely "individualistic" or "collectivist," and we should also recognize that the problem that some people have with respecting preferred pronouns is almost entirely a linguistic problem (sure, exacerbated by anti-trans outgroup politics) rather than an actual problem in people's viewpoints. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
I am not a native or regular speaker, so take my observations with a grain of salt. In this comment I will refer to people as "males" and "females" in order to not imply some characteristics of gender or a certain age.
There's probably 6 common first-person pronouns (I forgot about one): 私 (watashi), あたし (atashi), うち (uchi), 俺 (ore), 僕 (boku), and 自分 (jibun).
私 (watashi) is the most common and basic pronoun. This is the one that I meant when I mentioned a "mildly formal basic pronoun that doesn’t really reveal much about yourself." In formal speech, it's basically totally flavorless and generic; anybody can use it. In more casual speech, it's a little more feminine. Males are more likely to use 僕 (boku) or 俺 (ore) casually. This is my pronoun of choice when I speak Japanese.
あたし (atashi), sometimes also written as 私, is an alternate abbreviated form of 私 (watashi). I'm not very familiar with this one and I don't think I know anybody who uses it, but I've heard that it's more feminine and more casual than 私 (watashi). Males will rarely ever use あたし (atashi). I have also heard that it has a slight rebellious flavor to it.
うち (uchi) is where we start getting into the interesting ones. In a literal sense, うち (uchi) means house/family. This kind of synecdoche is not uncommon in Japanese, where you can refer to somebody by their house. This is actually where the word "otaku" comes from. In contemporary Japanese, otaku basically means "nerd" but it's originally a second-person pronoun that means "your house," and it was a common formal way for nerds to formally refer to each other. I don't really know much about うち (uchi) usage but it's definitely more feminine. Not quite sure about the level of formality. I quite like this pronoun and I would probably use it if it was a little more neutral.
俺 (ore) is very casual, very masculine, and I've even heard people call it a little bit aggressive or rude if it's used in the wrong circumstance. This is probably the most common male pronoun in casual settings, though it is not really used in younger speakers. This would be a pretty subversive pronoun to use as a female, but I do know at least one female speaker who uses 俺 (ore) as their primary first-person pronoun.
僕 (boku) is maybe the most interesting one. It's masculine, but can be quite polite. It's very common among young boys and my male Japanese friend told me he doesn't use it because it sounds childish (幼い). Despite that, it is still used in older male speakers in a professional setting. It's also worth mentioning that there's a falling-pitch 僕 (boku) which is more childish and a rising pitch 僕 (boku) which is more professional. Rising pitch 僕 (boku) personally gives me the vibe of a professor or researcher and it sounds a little more individual than 私 (watashi), though that's just my impression. 僕 (boku) is also commonly used in songs by female singers. Female usage of 僕 (boku) outside of music is, I've heard, very rare. But in fictional media there's definitely a trope that exists of the "boku girl" and it's really cool to hear. Off the top of my head, there's a vtuber Amane Kanata who speaks with 僕 (boku). My favorite fictional "boku girl" is Tsukimiya Ayu from Kanon. Hearing 僕 (boku) from a character who is otherwise not masculine gives off a really complicated vibe. It's a little naive, bold, boyish, cute, childish, etc. But you should probably not expect to hear it in real life.
自分 (jibun) means "oneself" and is not necessarily a first-person pronoun. You can easily use 自分 (jibun) to refer to "yourself" or "themself" etc. As a first-person pronoun, I think it can be very gender neutral. It also has the quality of slightly distancing yourself from what you say, or trying to imply that you are not imposing yourself on other people. In English, it would be like saying "well, personally" at the beginning of every sentence and "but that's just me" at the end. I do like 自分 (jibun) and it has its use cases. I would say I more often use it as a second- or third-person pronoun though.
Again, my knowledge of these pronouns is pretty superficial as a non-native non-regular speaker but even if I have some details wrong, the proof of concept is still there. Sometimes I wish that the English pronoun system was more robust and I hope for a distant future in which we abandon our silly he/she pronouns that imply nothing but gender and move towards using a variety of interesting second- and third-person pronouns like girlypop and anon.
At the beginning of my talk, I would have everyone turn off their phones and any other electronics. Then for the rest of the 15 minutes, I would have us all just sit around and veg out.
No talking, no distractions, no demands. Just day dream about whatever. You can take a nap if you like. You probably need one if you do.
And then my "talk" would end with "Let's try this every day."
I also add a walk into the mix. No phones, no TVs, no computers… nothing with a screen - I do this every day and it’s easy because I now live in Spain and that’s the life here after 7pm. But in the USA i was the weird one.
Speaking of, it’s 8am Saturday here. So I’m off to do nothing. See ya
If I got you interested you can check out Wikipedia on tatting. In the gallery they have couple of contemporary pieces.
And if I got you hooked, there are tons of resources on this topic. There is a tatting lemmy also (tho it is kinda dead)
You can look up what russian ladies invented Ankars a very heavily beaded tatted jewelry. Or you can take a look of the modern Japanese tatting with simplicity.
You can also use shuttles or a needle - personal preference, both techniques have ups and downs.
The biggest online community with a lot of links to free and paid patterns sources listed is called craftree.
The way our urban design influences society and community, and how the loss of third spaces and the dominance of cars in Western society has led to the loneliness epidemic and influence bubbles. I would talk about the movement to reclaim main street and encourage "traditional development", and how that leads to the micro-encounters that help people feel like they belong somewhere. How parks, plazas and pedestrian areas create third places where people can casually encounter diverse individuals and create friends and community connections. Also with a hearty side about public transportation and how efficient it is, and what a better neighbor a tram rail is than a road of similar passenger load. This speech is pretty much 30 seconds away from coming out of me during any conversation anyway and it's a conscious effort to stop myself. Would be nice to let it out.
I've seen the xTool MetalFab laser cutter/welder thingy pop up in some DIY and metalworking YouTube channels somewhat recently and it seems wild to me that you can reasonably just buy a machine like that for non-astronomical (for an individual) prices nowadays. I mean, it I assume it probably can't compete with actual industrial machines but still, the fact that this is even feasible for a home workshop... I have absolutely no use for it but I really want one anyway, these things are so cool >_<
I've seen those too and really wish I could try one. Maybe I will get to someday.
The machines I ran were cnc, most of them cut flat material but I did work at a place that had tube lasers, which could cut things like pipe and square tube and other structural sections like I-beam or angle.
To cut carbon steel, the machine heats up a small point about .3mm across to a yellow-hot glow before blowing oxygen at it, which burns all the way through the material. If you are cutting something like aluminum or stainless steel generally you use higher power and blow high-pressure nitrogen at the hot spot, which just forces the material out of the cut. The focal point for carbon steel is right on the surface of the plate, and for aluminum/stainless the focal point is 2/3 of the way through the material.
A 4kw CO2 laser can cut through carbon steel up to 19mm thick, and stainless/aluminum up to 13mm thick.
I used to repair/operate/program laser welders and cutters too. We mostly worked with titanium and either fiber or nd-yag lasers. Our cutter was 350w but 200psi of argon. My preferred cnc controllers were fanuc but they were so expensive(main controller not including servos or motors or anything else was 35k). Our cheaper machines were like 40k total but didn't have nearly the accuracy or control.
Interesting fact with fanuc is there controllers are full backwards compatible. And I mean fully. You can buy the most recent top end model and pull out some program on bubble tape and it will work. You got a program on punch cards? No problem. Also their service is top notch. You call them, a technician will show up in a day or two max with a box of every replacement board possible. They will replace the burned board then and there (no ordering and shipping) and bill you after it's fixed. Yes, it's expensive(most boards are several hundred dollars but the fee for the technician which is a few thousand) but if you make a tens of thousands in revenue per day it's worth the cost.
4kW CO2, Jesus xD. I don't know if that is a lot, but sure sounds like it ^^
I'm happy I even got to work with some CO2 lasers around the 100W mark at a rapid prototyping workshop for a few years. I loved working with those, even if it was just on wood and acrylic (and they constantly needed recalibration and tuning).
Now I just sit at a computer all the time... I honestly miss that even just slightly more hands-on work ^^
4kw is sort of a standard power output, although one place I worked at had a 7kw laser with a huge table, I think 20 feet by 40 feet.
That said, 4,000 watts of laser beam is not a plaything. I got burns from reflections off aluminum sheet, but my favorite was the guy trying to navigate a forklift arond the worst laid out shop I ever saw. He hit the resonator cabinet and knocked the first mirror and waveguide off while the laser was running, and a spot got burned in the side of a panel truck.
The importance of a social safety system and a good (non employer related) healthcare system in order to have a productive workforce and society, and why everyone should have access to good healthcare, food, and stable, clean, pest free housing, regardless of their physical or mental ability to work.
The way we treat our sick, injured, disabled and elderly is atrocious and we should all be ashamed that we let this happen.
I work in EMS and the amount of people I've seen living in the most horrific conditions simply because they got sick or injured and are now permanently disabled absolutely haunts me. I've gone into places that I wouldn't even let an animal exist in and there are people living in absolute squalor. They aren't "lazy" or "looking for handouts" or any other shitty thing that people like to call them to other them, many of them simply had the misfortune to get sick or injured and not have a safety net in place. If you get disabled and aren't lucky enough to have people around you to help support you or haven't been rich enough to be putting money away to live off of for the rest of your life, you are fucked. I have no one in my life and I live paycheck to paycheck on a strict budget, and I see these people and know their life will be my future if I get sick or injured.
Some of them were always going to be permanently disabled, and some of them could have recovered and lived productive lives except they couldn't access the care they needed because of cost and now they're living in shitty poverty situations, still unable to access what they need, and it's too late to recover.
I could go on for a long time about this, and I could add in many other subtopics.
On a slightly related note, I don't in any way shape or form believe that a person's life or value should be linked to the workforce or their ability to labor and I think that's a disgusting concept, but I could also frame a solid argument along those lines and maybe win over some hardcore capitalists who maybe wouldn't give a shit about people otherwise. "Hey those people you don't care about, if you invest some money to ensure they are as healthy as possible and are happy, they'll get back to work creating profit for the company and will be way more productive than if they are sick and unhealthy, which will be way better than spending money paying out disability for the rest of their life."
The worst part is that a rich person hears this and thinks about all they’d have to sacrifice to have empathy for these people. But then there’s the part you mentioned: “could have recovered and lived productive lives”. Many aren’t just going to flip burgers at Burger King, they’d be the one inventing a new burger that tastes better, wins the company tons of money, and makes people happy.
Productivity is the tide that lifts all ships, and we’re actively firing at the floor of the boat with a machine gun.
It's the concept that old mechanical things like typewriters and camera lenses (for example) all age individually. They develop their own quirks and foibles as they are used. They almost (as in Tsukomogami) develop a soul.
We are fundamentally losing that to a society that is about consumable mass-produced trash, and on a long enough timeline, it's going to mean losing a fundamental piece of who we are as a society.
It’d be a bit disorganised but I’d talk about how recipes are not standalone processes but transferable blueprints for how to cook certain ingredients.
Either I’ll demonstrate over and undertone Singing, or I‘ll talk about how easy it is to clone voices nowadays (3-5s audio is enough) and how many situations still rely on our voice for authentication.
An extended call for more people to follow women's sports. I'd mostly center it around bringing more queer people who otherwise don't follow sports into the fandom:
sports are really not that different from other serials you follow, fictional or otherwise
shows are better when the episodes are released week-to-week as appointment viewing
women's sports are pretty gay, so your blorbos will date and get married and you will squee
there are cute walk-up fits before the game
there's a big crafting subculture to make and trade custom apparel like friendship bracelets
sports fans are easy to socialize with because there's ongoing narratives that are well-described and well-defined
all the cool lesbians go to the games and the gay sports bars and meet each other
there is much less corruption and fewer shitty toxic people than men's sports
sports look simple but there are a lot of really smart people thinking really hard about tough problems and you can see what they think because they use their bodies to show you
Ok, done. I'm a modder for an old UE3 game and the SDK is only compatible with Windows. What are my options? I'd prefer not to have to fiddle with a VM, the SDK doesn’t always cooperate when it's run in a VM.
Climate change and migration. There really isn't such a thing as "illegal" migrants to begin with, let alone that most people don't want to leave their homes but for economic reasons. With climate change destroying the fertility and economic productivity of land, it prompts people to try their luck into more prosperous countries, and they are getting demonised for wanting to have better lives. Most people don't realise this and are distracted by 1% propaganda to blame helpless migrants.
I want that nobody can have a net worth of more than, say, 10 million dollars. After that, all income over that goes 100% to taxes until you're under it.
Imagine the same tax brackets that we now have, bit with much more brackets and the last one is 100%
This simple limit has a huge list of implications. Nobody can be extremely wealthy anymore, governments get so much tax income that they can implement all the socialist rights like free healthcare, free education, universal basic income, etc.
No more poverty
No more wealth inequality, meaning that everybody can live a good life
No more extremely large companies because upu need an incremental amount of shareholders to be able to increase its size..
Corruption? It's hard to buy someone when henl can't really give you much power and the buyer won't be able to offer that much and the risk of getting caught is still the same
You can work harder and earn more, but why would you if your life is good and happy? For those that need to innovate, there is still richdoms to get, but with reasonable limits
This of course needs to be implemented world wide to work well, and the exact limit is for others to function, but I believe this to be possible and extremely positive for humanity.
Needs a lot more work but for the 30 seconds given...
I’ve been reading Gerald Horne’s The Counter-Revolution of 1776, and honestly just summarizing the main points from that book would blow a lot of peoples’ minds.
How TED talks are stupid bullshit and the audience that consumes them are all vapid idiots.
the entire thing is a self-congratulatory circle jerk for rich douchebags to listen to pseudo experts, from which nothing of substance or merit comes other than everyone feeling very intelligent and that the answers to problems are So Simple.
I remember seeing my first one in like 2007 and thinking what is this crap. They are intellectual candy, the equivalent of pop science and pop psycho books that are NYT bestsellers that people read and think they are geniuses because the read it, when a lot of the information and arguments contained are massively simplified and generalized and to be at odds with the complex reality of the topic.
There are some good ones which I would say do not fit your description, but I have no idea how much percentage of the talks they are. I watched some very long ago. It seems plausible that it leaned more into and fell into what you describe. I feel like I've certainly peeked into those kinds too. I haven't watched any for a long time now.
I think you're right. Don't know if they were always this way but i was subbed to them for a while and seeing the kinds of crap meaningles talks they were pumping out made my blood boil.
many of the TED speakers are paid events, as in the speaker basically pays TED and gets to talk and promote their book or company. Another little secret they don't exact advertise.
About the similarities between origamists and musicians.
Folding a figure is like playing a tune, some are simple enough that anyone can hum it, others require years of practice to execute well. Like in music you are the interpreter of a piece, a piece that someone else has designed or maybe you designed yourself, in that case you're also like a composer.
I could go on but I would be jumping from one thing to another incoherently, I only had 30 seconds to prepare and that deserves a better planned essay.
Well it was the Beatles version of Led Zep 4 or Pink Floyd's Dark side. Quite the fine record indeed. Really encapsulated the late Beatles sound that started with Rubber Soul, but wasn't as pretentious as the White Album.
Is it because enforcement of systemic bureaucratic hierarchies leads to dehumanization, which creates friction & resentment that build over time until individuals inevitably lash out?
Or like, something close to that? I'd love to hear more.
I'd flex the confidence I've built as a social worker and without any preparation at all, ask the audience what they want to talk about. I would call upon audience members to set the subject matter content as needed and the discussion itself would be about how further incorporating mental health could help advance their industry.
I can tell you pretty much the entire history of the NBA and I can rank each player by tiers. I have included here a note that I have saved on my phone at all times.
You probably know way more basketball history than me so i may be risking ridicule by challenging a few things.
Explanation: Lebron's goat status is slightly over stated in a media desperation to keep the NBA hyped, IMO. Curry beat Lebron in 15 of their 22 games head to head in the finals. Lebron failed in championships way more often than not. Lebron never had that killer mentality of a tier 1. Opting to cry to refs and make any excuse for his failures. He still deserves top of tier 2, but that's all. Also Sam Jones and Scotty pippin were extremely good players overshadowed by the greats on their teams, they belong somwhere on this list. Curry is always slightly underrated. He is undoubtedly the greatest shooter of all time, and became a good defender with excellent ball awareness after weak defense early in his career (which, IMO, plagued perception of him long after his defense was solid).
Flame my choices, I played ball, but I'm no historian.
Being from Chicago, I do agree Scottie is historically underrated. But to make it to this tier list, you have to have been the best player on a championship team. If the Bulls had won the 94 Championship without Jordan, I would have no problem putting Scottie here. But that's not how things played out. I would put guys like Scottie, DWade, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, Willis Reed in a hypothetical Tier 5, which wouldn't require you to be the undisputed best player on a championship team.
As far as Lebrons Tier 1 status....
Lebron failed in championships way more often than not.
Yeah but basketball is a team sport. Most of Lebrons teams that lost in the finals, look that their rosters. Most of them wouldn't even sniff the second round without LeBron. The 2007 Cavs has guys like Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall, Boobie Gibson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas. And they lost to a hall of fame studded Spurs team. The fact that he lead a bunch of nobodies past a stacked Pistons team is crazy impressive.
LeBron deserves criticism for the 2011 Finals loss because they had a more talented team than the Mavs.
2014 Finals loss, this one is tough because you could make an argument that Heat should have won but I think that Spurs team is actually one of the greatest teams of all time. So to me, there's no shame in losing to them.
2015 Cavs didn't have Kyrie or Love. It was a bunch of guys like Dellevadova and JR Smith and Mozgov. And this Warriors team also proved to be historically great.
The 2017 Warriors are in my estimation the greatest NBA team of all time. So there's no shame in losing to them.
2018 Cavs didn't have Kyrie or the guy they traded him for Isaiah Thomas. And they went against basically the same 2017 Warriors team.
Here's the thing that I think puts LeBron in tier 1 status, the 2016 Cavs pulled off the single hardest thing anyone has ever done in the history of the NBA. Come back from down 3-1 against a historically great Warriors team. MJ never did that. Kareem never did that. Even the greatest winner of all time Bill Russell.
Lastly, while Steph has had more success head to head in the finals than LeBron, Steph pretty much had the better team except for once. And I love Steph, he changed the game. Steph is the greatest shooter ever. But on pretty much every other metric by which we compare players LeBron is just better. Taller, stronger, better passer, better rebounder, better defender and outside of shooting prowess, LeBron is probably an equal level scorer.
LeBron physically is probably the ideal specimen for basketball. And he pretty much had every single tool a basketball player could ever want to have and everything in his toolkit could be considered good to great.
Nit picks aside, I think LeBron is AT WORST, the 4th best player of all time and that has to land him as tier 1 player.
Here's the thing that I think puts LeBron in tier 1 status, the 2016 Cavs pulled off the single hardest thing anyone has ever done in the history of the NBA. Come back from down 3-1 against a historically great Warriors team. MJ never did that. Kareem never did that. Even the greatest winner of all time Bill Russell.
But I will respond to this. Jordan didn't need to come back 3-1 in the finals because he was never in that position in the finals. Russell come back down 3-1 against Wilt Chamberlain earlier in the playoffs, the first time it was ever done. Kareem only faced that situation when he was past his prime. Still damn impressive when lebron did it and I remember at the time thinking it was career defining. Lebron was definitely the most complete player in physicality and skillset, but he was the master of none.
The thing that always impressed me about Jordan and Curry was the sheer number of times they just completely took over a game and looked like an unstoppable force of nature. Too many times to count.
Strong opinions from uninformed people irritate me, so I'd talk about licensing, ownership, the pros and cons of digital vs physical copies of media, and how/whether different store fronts implement DRM so I don't have to listen to so many strong, uninformed opinions on these topics; they've gotten annoyingly common lately thanks to Sony.
I was fucking abducted and put on stage, I don't owe these people anything. But, I can talk for 30 minutes about myself, that's all they're getting from me. Also, they'd better shut the fuck up and listen, I don't want to be there, I'm doing them a favor.
I'll talk about how just purely spewing bullshit about big companies, taking them to court for no reason, wasting their time, filling their "unlimited plan" s with garbage, chaotic compliance - is one way to stick it.
there was a guy that kept sending a bill to some tech companies accounting office, for the service of sending them a bill. The company paid it for years, then when they caught on, and sued, the guy used the fact that they had paid it for years as evidence of a de facto contract and won.
I’ll start with a joke, “so this guy has been randomly teleported onto a TED talk stage in his underwear…” and then I’d probably talk about how the over prevalence of “easy” in our day to day life has allowed us to become complacent and encourages us to stop fighting the inevitable downfall of life as we see it. All so billionaires can keep existing and we can be doomscrolling without being worried about life outside around the world.
You gotta mention how purple is such a common color for twin characters. It's not just Clannad and Lucky Star, there's also Paniponi Dash, Houseki no Kuni, Fate/Grand Order, Iya na Kao sare nagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai 2, Subarashiki Hibi Furenzoku Sonzai, The Simpsons, etc...
Hey you there in the back! You are not allowed to leave!! What? Are they? Anyways, the P2P connection then shares data with ... bla bla bla...in return it's takedown safe ...
I have everyone's favorite thing; unsolicited advice! It'd be cool if it was easier to find the source code. I'm still waking up so maybe it's obvious, but I ended up looking at the manual installation steps to get the link to https://codeberg.org/Valmond/Tenfingers
I'd either extrapolate on the importance of self negativity and it's how it's been lost in modern culture, or the tragedy that is the loss of teaching civics in schools.
Or maybe I'd just geek out on Laplace transforms and how they allow you to solve complex non-linear systems as if they're DC circuits.
Or how recreational access to psychedelics are just as important as therapeutic use.
Firstly, minimum wages mean nothing without corresponding maximum ones.
Minimum wages are a dog chasing its own tail. A business owner will never give themselves a pay cut to give you a pay raise. They will increase prices and pass the cost on to the consumer, which is you and me. Ergo, the cost of living goes up and we're right back at the beginning in 15 months.
Constant "low inflation" is unsustainable because it fails the pragmatism test. In 100 years are our descendants going to find the fact we thought $100 was a substantial amount of money quaint? How about we actively dial this shit back so that our money actually has actual value again. Printing more money doesn't make more money, it just makes the already existing supply worth less.
Closing the "infinite money hacks" that the wealthy use to dodge taxes is related to the last point. If you have the assets to cover aloan, the Bank should legally be forced to tell you to kick rocks. Force these cheats to liquidize their assets and pay capital gains taxes like the rest of us.
Restructure how currency is backed so that it has multiple standards, even if those standards are as ethereal as debt. I personally think currency should be backed by labor-time. Your labor generates a set amount of real, tradeable value, and as this is taxed, it pays down the Debt backed securities, keeping this type of Federal Exchange derived funds in check. This gives companies an incentive to pay you a living wage, and one where you can actually generate savings. (see point one if you are about to complain that this would turn into a runaway inflation system. Maximum wage, Remember? ;) )
CEO's should be have their salaries tied to the lowest paid employees in their company. This should be expressed as a percentage. If the CEO wants to get a raise, they have to also have to float everyone else in the company first. Same with board members.
Overturn Citizens United. Over turn Dodge Brother vs Henry Ford. Give the Dodd/Frank act some actual teeth. White collar crimes get HARD jail time, not Fines that become Golden parachutes.
Probably slot machines and my system to win for a general audience.
For a technical audience I would have a field day with how I have been degoogeling (also other corps) myself for the past years and why you should too.
The career path of being an online guild leader to meat space manager.
I used to manage player orgs in EvE Online... Its basicly a second job and the paralells are real. One of my former space nerds got a job and IIRC is actually a rental car lot manager, we taught him how to use spreadsheets well over 10 years ago so they could figure out how the games industry mechanics.
I could think of a few subjects, but with such a short time to prepare I'd probably ramble on like a rabbit hole of connections to related stuff. It wouldn't be a great TED talk overall.
Probably best topic for me would probably be how to statistically model quality in manufacturing. Like what is hypothesis testing, what is a gage r&r, what is spc, how do you properly do those things, what are the footguns, how do you interpret the results, what's a spec limit vs a control limit vs action limit?
How can you manipulate the tests for your business case? To be clear on that last one I'm not saying manipulate to lie, but it depends on business. For example your control limits are typically +/- 3 standard deviations. If you run a dark business making plastic forks but to get a engineer to fly out and adjust the machine is a few thousand dollarsand no one will care if the tongs on the fork are 3 thou longer than normal. You may set your control limits at 5 times. If you make the steel beams which hold up bridges where hundreds of people die if they can't hold the forces and you're measuring width of the beams you may go down to 1 or 2 times standard deviation. Yeah you will waste engineer time which is money but it's hundred of people's lives if it fails. Those are different business cases and you shouldn't just default to the standard 3 st.dev in those cases.
I could talk for hours on how skateboarding has impacted my life, but Rodney Mullen already did the perfect TED talk on that, and how do you improve on the master?
Seriously, even if you aren't into skateboarding, watch that one.
I guess two topics I could easily spend a half hour off the cuff on could be "Video conference systems design and best practices for Zoom and Teams call", or "How to survive a permadeath vegetarian run in Subnatica".
Then let the audience decide which they'd rather be bored to sleep listening to.
Something on the subject of public transportation. Depending on the city and how much I spent in it before I was teleported (assuming the stage is in the same city), I could whip up a more or less localized talk.
Different types of climbing. Different styles, rules, goals, how they developed, how they evolve. It wouldn't be very interesting but I would have fun talking about it.
"What we own to each other", a talk based entirely on me using misrembering philosophy quotes from "The good place" to justify my personal beliefs.
Definitely not what I should pick, but the first thing I came up with within 30 seconds.
Follow up talk would be "platos lair", explaining how we're all delusional because we're so upset that "vimms lair" isn't what it use to be due to Nintendo being assholes.
I actually think the basics of clowning are good for anyone. The concept of holding space and attention while remaining present and engaging in two-way silent conversation and making everyone feel like they're part of the process.
The microplastics and nanoplastics that shed off of polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex, elastane clothing and bedding.
Stop wearing synthetic plastic fibres, they are inferior to natural fibres like cotton, wool, viscose, linen, hemp in almost every way. Such as for temperature regulation, or how synthetic fibres grow bacteria.
Every time you wash synthetic fibres you pollute water ways with billions or trillions of nanoplastcs. When you dry them you pollute the air and surfaces of your home with nanoplastics.
Your skin and body will be much happier and more comfortable in natural fibres.
197 Comments
cattywampas@lemmy.world · 63 pts · 27d
Optimal crop tables in Stardew Valley.
Lexam@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 27d
Do tell.
KombatWombat@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 27d
I just use Stardew Profits
Lexam@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 27d
Nice! I've been making most of my money from mushrooms.
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works · 51 pts · 27d
The title of my talk is “Innovation as Rebellion against Complexity.”
I’ll start with my experience studying and teaching music history, and demonstrate how every major musical stylistic shift over the past 1500 years or so can be seen as a revolt against excessive complexity developing in the previous style. One example would be the shift from thick, complex polyphony that had become the norm in late Renaissance music, to the relatively simple and much-easier-on-the-ears style of early homophonic music. But I’d actually touch on all periods of music history.
I’d then challenge my audience to ask themselves and each other if this trend can be seen in other fields as well. Do we see such innovative rebellions in, say, art? Or literature? Architecture? The sciences? And what about technology…
…and are we on the cusp of a new rebellion against the massively complex technology that’s thrust upon us today? What does that look like? What innovations await us at the conclusion of that revolution?
I mean I’d be winging the fuck out of it with only a few seconds to prep but wouldn’t that be great to talk about?
You can see I’ve done a lot of thinking about this lol.
flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz · 13 pts · 27d
Finally a worthy opponent!
I never thought that music went through a similar rebellion. At least not in the matters of complexity. But it makes sense. I'm very familiar with the art & architecture one. Modernism is one of the most revolutionary movements in human history.
Dookieman12@piefed.social · 9 pts · 27d
"A fool admires complexity. A genius admires simplicity."
-Terrence "Terry" Andrew Davis
thejml@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 27d
I would happily sit through this TED talk!
Echolynx@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 27d
So are Gregorian chants more musically complex than modern pop music? Or is it more of a pendulum?
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 27d
A pendulum is a good way of looking at it. What you see in the Medieval period is, as an example, musicians writing more and more challenging lines to sing. Wider leaps, rapid-fire phrases…and this is how they show off their skills. You see this more in the secular music of the day, as the church is constantly pushing for sacred music that doesn’t call attention to itself. But, the backlash happens because while those complex, jagged lines might be lots of fun for the singer, not so much for the listener. And so begins a movement toward vocal lines that are easier on the ears - smoother, more melodic, easier to sing, which also lines up nicely with developments in counterpoint and polyphony that allow major forms like the motet to come into being.
And of course musicians, not being able to help themselves, start competing with each other to write more and more complex motets, which sparks another aesthetic backlash, and it all starts again.
This is a gross simplification of course but just to give you an idea how this all works.
alternategait@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
Where would you say modern pop is on the swing?
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 26d
Modern pop - which I define as what you typically hear on commercial radio, but you could also define as the trending artists on digital platforms - is very safe, very conservative, and very listener friendly.
But…to use an example that’s relevant to your question, you can look at the rise of punk rock in the 70’s. Punk was a reaction to the growing popularity of Progressive Rock artists like King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Rush, and similar artists that dabbled in complex harmony, polyrhythm, mixed/odd meters, and so on. Punk artists felt that these were becoming too elitist and exclusive and said, hey, how about we just play three chords and say fuck a lot? Let’s make music anyone can pick up a cheap guitar and learn in five minutes!
In 2026 I’d be hard pressed to identify a popular musical style that’s pushing the boundaries of listenability to the point of sparking a backlash. And we just had a couple of these not that long ago anyway: Minimalism in the 60’s and my aforementioned Punk movement. I’d say we’re in kind of a lull at the moment, though it’s not hard to look at all the styles and genres that sprang out of Punk and see where they’re going. But these patterns span decades, sometimes centuries. It may not happen again in our lifetime.
Echolynx@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 26d
Thanks for the follow-up!
IronKrill@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 27d
Well said and a great point. I do feel, personally, I have already begun a small technological revolt. You should actually make a
TED talkvideo or blog post about this if you have more to say.anarchy79@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 26d
I'm not homophonic. Some of my best beats are homophones.
Kissaki@feddit.org · 2 pts · 27d
That's very interesting
poccalyps@sh.itjust.works · 36 pts · 27d
How insurance actually works, so dipshits can understand the real value of a single national health care plan.
finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world · 33 pts · 27d
"So you're probably wondering why I'm pissing on the floor".
persona_non_gravitas@piefed.social · 4 pts · 26d
I can do one better, "so you're probably wondering why I'm naked and pissing on the floor".
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 27d
Crash course on how to have a panic attack/nervous breakdown during a live broadcast
Edit: uh oh, my stalker null@piefed.nullspace.lol is back
RebekahWSD@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 27d
Yeah my thought was "Hello I've been teleported here from my perspective so either that's now true and I need to go lay down or I'm having a psychotic break and need to go lay down. Goodbye!" then walk as quickly backstage as possible.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 27d
Wow, you'd be able to get words out?
RebekahWSD@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 27d
Well either that or "Fuck this" would be said, but either way I'm hauling ass to backstage.
Wildmimic@anarchist.nexus · 28 pts · 27d
"Punishment is the wrong way: Why Rehabilitation will always win out, and how it ties in with poverty, crime and mental health"
I could easily talk half an hour about that thematic complex without getting boring and making a pretty good argument why throwing a substantial portion of your population in jail is just slavery in disguise.
lemmysmash@piefed.social · 28 pts · 27d
About https://keepandroidopen.org/
OS2Warp@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 26d
GFL
SelfHigh5@lemmy.world · 27 pts · 27d
The reality of life-saving measures in health care, and why a having a DNR (that isn’t a surprise to your loved ones) is so important.
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 27d
My wife used to work in a nursing home. I've heard a lot about the slings and arrows of end-of-life care, and lifesaving techniques, and no thanks, I'll just die.
Looking forward to your ted talk.
Echolynx@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 27d
We are so focused on not dying that we forget what it means to live well.
Avicenna@programming.dev · 25 pts · 27d
A year ago my cat was living on the street. Today she has enough passive income to hire her own chef and masseuse. Follow her for more advice.
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 26d
Subscribed to cat fact.
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
Thank you for subscribing to cat fact!
While dogs were domesticated by humans, there's a growing body of evidence that cats were actually domesticated...by cats. The lack of any archaeological evidence that they were ever subject to any intentional or large-scale selective breeding, the seeming change in feline vocalizations to more closely match those of human young, alongside cats' current "partially-domesticated" status and the rapid reemergence of wild behaviors in feral populations, all point to a one-sided decision by ancient felines to settle down around humans.
This has been your cat fact, and your subscription is therefore concluded. Thank you!
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
Ok ok. Bonus fact:
There is some speculation that, in addition to domesticating themselves, cats have also domesticated some humans.
The parasite toxoplasma gondii, which is carried by cats and can be contracted from dealing with their waste, causes a disease called toxoplasmosis, even in immunocompetent individuals. While not confirmed in any study, some researchers have suggested that the disease causes mental and social effects which incline the sufferer toward mild antisocial behavior, increasing their likelihood of adopting more cats, which increases their likelihood of being reinfected with toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma gondii can also be passed from (human) mother to child at birth, meaning that the feline-domesticated human is likely to give birth to a likewise domesticated child.
This speculation has led to some news outlets breathlessly reporting that toxoplasmosis "causes" people to get more cats (or even to like cats more), and led to the association of toxoplasma gondii with so-called "crazy cat lady syndrome."
isyasad@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 27d
I was reading a thread where people were talking about Japanese pronouns and remembered that this is my favorite icebreaker question.
My topic is Japanese pronouns. How they differ from English, a little bit of the history, and broadly why they should make us reinspect how we construct identity and how they complicate the idea of "individualism" vs "collectivism"
I could fill 25-30 minutes easily with no preparation.
MarieMarion@literature.cafe · 7 pts · 27d
I'm listening.
OddDeer@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 27d
I'd love to watch a Ted on that, sounds meta interesting. I tried searching for something on the subject on YT but only found grammar/language-oriented videos. The identity construction molding the culture due to their language structure sounds like an amazing rabbit hole to learn about.
isyasad@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 26d
@MarieMarion@literature.cafe @OddDeer@lemmy.dbzer0.com thanks for being my audience. Skip to the end for a TL;DR.
The abbreviated version of the speech follows:
In English, everybody uses the same personal pronouns (I, my, me). We do have unique pronouns that characterize people based on individual characteristics, but those are all 3rd-person pronouns (he, she, they). What this means is that in English, your pronouns are fundamentally decided by somebody else. Yes, you can still tell somebody your preferred pronouns and request that they use those 3rd-person pronouns to refer to you, but fundamentally it is a decision that is up to them; you cannot force somebody to refer to you in a certain way.
I bring that up because in Japanese it's actually the opposite. It is the 1st-person pronouns that are unique and characterize people. There are at least 5 personal pronouns that I would say are in common use today but historically there's a lot more, maybe dozens. Do you want to subversively use a more masculine pronoun as a woman? Do you want to use an antiquated formal pronoun at all times? Do you want to use a mildly formal basic pronoun that doesn't really reveal much about yourself? Literally nobody can stop you. Yeah they can judge you for it, but it's different from English in that the language is designed so that you have control over your pronouns.
This difference between the two languages led me to two conclusions.
The first is that: pronouns have become such a big "problem" in the Anglosphere. Imagine a conversation between two people where one introduces themselves with "My pronouns are she/they, what are yours?" and the other person responds "I don't really believe in having pronouns. I think it's kinda weird."
Don't you immediately get the impression that these people are on opposite sides? That there is some serious conflict in their points of view? It's easy to get caught up in that dichotomy, and yes there is a "right" side. It's good to respect people's preferred pronouns. But I want you to realize that this "problem" exists entirely in the language itself. If we had the power to declare our own pronouns without making a request, to "say and therefore be," the problem would largely disappear. People would still judge you. People will still disrespect you. But the English language gives people a tool to do so.
The second conclusion that I came to is that linguistically, English is actually pretty conformist/collectivist while Japanese is pretty individualistic. It's pretty common knowledge among people who make a distinction between "individualistic" and "collectivist" cultures that Anglosphere countries are considered to be more individual while Asian, particularly Sinosphere countries like Japan, are considered to be more collectivist. But if you told me to compare the pronouns in two languages: one of which has tools for you to put other people into simple boxes and no tools to express yourself, the other has tools to express yourself and you cannot put other people into boxes; I would definitely come to the non-obvious conclusion that Japan is a much more individualistic culture while Anglosphere countries are all collectivist. I could definitely go into more depth here, but I'm sure you already see the broad point: the collectivist/individualist dichotomy is a false one. Cultures all have elements that are one or the other. Everybody universally appreciates some things that are individualist, like art, and other things that are collectivist, like family and school.
As a last point, I want to address an obvious elephant-in-the-room for people who speak Japanese. You all know I've been ignoring a very important fact about Japanese that punches a big hole in the argument. Japanese already has the exact same 3rd-person gendered pronouns as English: 彼氏 (kareshi, he) and 彼女 (kanojo, she). I would like to counter that observation with two points: first, those words are used FAR less often than they are in English. When speaking in the 2nd- or 3rd-person in Japanese, it is very common to forego pronouns and just use somebody's name. In fact, if you use the 2nd-person pronouns in almost any context, it's a little weird; almost like you forgot their name and have to call them "hey you" instead. In 3rd-person, you also typically will refer to somebody by name as well, and would rarely use kareshi or kanojo.
A second point: kareshi and kanojo are literally English imports. In the Meiji era of Japan after their long isolationist period, there was a desire to find ways to translate the gendered pronouns in English and French literature, which is where kareshi and kanojo (the latter originally kano'onna) came from in the first place.
If I wanted to fill more time I would also talk about how honorifics can personalize 2nd- and 3rd-person communication, the implications of using specific Japanese 1st-person pronouns, and I could really go in depth speculating about how English could have a neopronoun revolution in the future not via ones like xe/xim but rather anon, oomfie, homie, bestie, my guy, my brother in christ, girlipop, etc. and that maybe we are seeing that revolution right now.
TL;DR: English pronouns create some problems because they let you put other people into gendered boxes while Japanese pronouns let you express yourself and your unique relationships with other people. This should make us skeptical any time we hear somebody say that a culture is entirely "individualistic" or "collectivist," and we should also recognize that the problem that some people have with respecting preferred pronouns is almost entirely a linguistic problem (sure, exacerbated by anti-trans outgroup politics) rather than an actual problem in people's viewpoints. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
MarieMarion@literature.cafe · 2 pts · 26d
Thanks for giving your Ted Talk! It was fascinating. If you waned to discuss the 5 common 1st-person pronouns in more details, I'd be thrilled.
isyasad@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 25d
I am not a native or regular speaker, so take my observations with a grain of salt. In this comment I will refer to people as "males" and "females" in order to not imply some characteristics of gender or a certain age.
There's probably 6 common first-person pronouns (I forgot about one): 私 (watashi), あたし (atashi), うち (uchi), 俺 (ore), 僕 (boku), and 自分 (jibun).
私 (watashi) is the most common and basic pronoun. This is the one that I meant when I mentioned a "mildly formal basic pronoun that doesn’t really reveal much about yourself." In formal speech, it's basically totally flavorless and generic; anybody can use it. In more casual speech, it's a little more feminine. Males are more likely to use 僕 (boku) or 俺 (ore) casually. This is my pronoun of choice when I speak Japanese.
あたし (atashi), sometimes also written as 私, is an alternate abbreviated form of 私 (watashi). I'm not very familiar with this one and I don't think I know anybody who uses it, but I've heard that it's more feminine and more casual than 私 (watashi). Males will rarely ever use あたし (atashi). I have also heard that it has a slight rebellious flavor to it.
うち (uchi) is where we start getting into the interesting ones. In a literal sense, うち (uchi) means house/family. This kind of synecdoche is not uncommon in Japanese, where you can refer to somebody by their house. This is actually where the word "otaku" comes from. In contemporary Japanese, otaku basically means "nerd" but it's originally a second-person pronoun that means "your house," and it was a common formal way for nerds to formally refer to each other. I don't really know much about うち (uchi) usage but it's definitely more feminine. Not quite sure about the level of formality. I quite like this pronoun and I would probably use it if it was a little more neutral.
俺 (ore) is very casual, very masculine, and I've even heard people call it a little bit aggressive or rude if it's used in the wrong circumstance. This is probably the most common male pronoun in casual settings, though it is not really used in younger speakers. This would be a pretty subversive pronoun to use as a female, but I do know at least one female speaker who uses 俺 (ore) as their primary first-person pronoun.
僕 (boku) is maybe the most interesting one. It's masculine, but can be quite polite. It's very common among young boys and my male Japanese friend told me he doesn't use it because it sounds childish (幼い). Despite that, it is still used in older male speakers in a professional setting. It's also worth mentioning that there's a falling-pitch 僕 (boku) which is more childish and a rising pitch 僕 (boku) which is more professional. Rising pitch 僕 (boku) personally gives me the vibe of a professor or researcher and it sounds a little more individual than 私 (watashi), though that's just my impression. 僕 (boku) is also commonly used in songs by female singers. Female usage of 僕 (boku) outside of music is, I've heard, very rare. But in fictional media there's definitely a trope that exists of the "boku girl" and it's really cool to hear. Off the top of my head, there's a vtuber Amane Kanata who speaks with 僕 (boku). My favorite fictional "boku girl" is Tsukimiya Ayu from Kanon. Hearing 僕 (boku) from a character who is otherwise not masculine gives off a really complicated vibe. It's a little naive, bold, boyish, cute, childish, etc. But you should probably not expect to hear it in real life.
自分 (jibun) means "oneself" and is not necessarily a first-person pronoun. You can easily use 自分 (jibun) to refer to "yourself" or "themself" etc. As a first-person pronoun, I think it can be very gender neutral. It also has the quality of slightly distancing yourself from what you say, or trying to imply that you are not imposing yourself on other people. In English, it would be like saying "well, personally" at the beginning of every sentence and "but that's just me" at the end. I do like 自分 (jibun) and it has its use cases. I would say I more often use it as a second- or third-person pronoun though.
Again, my knowledge of these pronouns is pretty superficial as a non-native non-regular speaker but even if I have some details wrong, the proof of concept is still there. Sometimes I wish that the English pronoun system was more robust and I hope for a distant future in which we abandon our silly he/she pronouns that imply nothing but gender and move towards using a variety of interesting second- and third-person pronouns like girlypop and anon.
MarieMarion@literature.cafe · 2 pts · 25d
Would you consider a marriage proposal by a language geek in her forties? By which I mean, thank you, that was really rabbit-hole-opening.
tunetardis@piefed.ca · 21 pts · 27d
At the beginning of my talk, I would have everyone turn off their phones and any other electronics. Then for the rest of the 15 minutes, I would have us all just sit around and veg out.
No talking, no distractions, no demands. Just day dream about whatever. You can take a nap if you like. You probably need one if you do.
And then my "talk" would end with "Let's try this every day."
Echolynx@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 27d
I love this.
Stupidmanager@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
I also add a walk into the mix. No phones, no TVs, no computers… nothing with a screen - I do this every day and it’s easy because I now live in Spain and that’s the life here after 7pm. But in the USA i was the weird one.
Speaking of, it’s 8am Saturday here. So I’m off to do nothing. See ya
neidu3@sh.itjust.works · 19 pts · 27d
"The art of improvising a seminar while nude"
Scrollone@feddit.it · 5 pts · 27d
"and with some poop still hanging"
blarghly@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 27d
Probably the experience and implications of non-consensual teleportation. It would definitely be the most notable thing I'd done in my life thusfar.
Melobol@lemmy.ml · 16 pts · 27d
Lost art of tatting (lace making) and why is there a space for it in our modern life
dharmacurious@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 27d
I would go to your Ted talk
Melobol@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 27d
If I got you interested you can check out Wikipedia on tatting. In the gallery they have couple of contemporary pieces.
And if I got you hooked, there are tons of resources on this topic. There is a tatting lemmy also (tho it is kinda dead)
dharmacurious@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 27d
I've been watching this tatting YouTuber for a bit now, and I'm loving it. I love fiber arts in general, and tatting seems super fun
Melobol@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 27d
You can look up what russian ladies invented Ankars a very heavily beaded tatted jewelry. Or you can take a look of the modern Japanese tatting with simplicity.
You can also use shuttles or a needle - personal preference, both techniques have ups and downs.
The biggest online community with a lot of links to free and paid patterns sources listed is called craftree.
dharmacurious@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 26d
That's awesome! Thank you for the links!
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
You'd ace this talk!
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
I'd watch this at 2 AM and be hooked start to finish.
MrQuallzin@pie.eyeofthestorm.place · 16 pts · 27d
The wonders of nudism.
I'm naked in my bathroom, so teleporting me right NOW leaves me with limited choices.
That or 3D printing
SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 27d
wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 27d
Why I'm Not Wearing Any Pants (the starter) followed by Furry BDSM: Roleplay Online and IRL, from Vanilla to CNC. I'm your host, Midnight Wolf.
(I'm in the bathroom and the title said "right now" so fuck it, I'll do it live!)
spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 27d
The fact I was aiming for a Waffle House.
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
"My Day", by @spaghettiwestern
spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 26d
In case you missed it: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/20/fema-gregg-phillips-waffle-house
Nefara@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 27d
The way our urban design influences society and community, and how the loss of third spaces and the dominance of cars in Western society has led to the loneliness epidemic and influence bubbles. I would talk about the movement to reclaim main street and encourage "traditional development", and how that leads to the micro-encounters that help people feel like they belong somewhere. How parks, plazas and pedestrian areas create third places where people can casually encounter diverse individuals and create friends and community connections. Also with a hearty side about public transportation and how efficient it is, and what a better neighbor a tram rail is than a road of similar passenger load. This speech is pretty much 30 seconds away from coming out of me during any conversation anyway and it's a conscious effort to stop myself. Would be nice to let it out.
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 27d
There are lasers that can cut metal. I used to operate, program, set up, and maintain such lasers.
I know enough about lasers to make them seem boring and pedestrian.
boring_bohr@feddit.org · 5 pts · 27d
I've seen the xTool MetalFab laser cutter/welder thingy pop up in some DIY and metalworking YouTube channels somewhat recently and it seems wild to me that you can reasonably just buy a machine like that for non-astronomical (for an individual) prices nowadays. I mean, it I assume it probably can't compete with actual industrial machines but still, the fact that this is even feasible for a home workshop... I have absolutely no use for it but I really want one anyway, these things are so cool >_<
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 27d
I've seen those too and really wish I could try one. Maybe I will get to someday.
The machines I ran were cnc, most of them cut flat material but I did work at a place that had tube lasers, which could cut things like pipe and square tube and other structural sections like I-beam or angle.
To cut carbon steel, the machine heats up a small point about .3mm across to a yellow-hot glow before blowing oxygen at it, which burns all the way through the material. If you are cutting something like aluminum or stainless steel generally you use higher power and blow high-pressure nitrogen at the hot spot, which just forces the material out of the cut. The focal point for carbon steel is right on the surface of the plate, and for aluminum/stainless the focal point is 2/3 of the way through the material.
A 4kw CO
2laser can cut through carbon steel up to 19mm thick, and stainless/aluminum up to 13mm thick.vrek@programming.dev · 3 pts · 27d
I used to repair/operate/program laser welders and cutters too. We mostly worked with titanium and either fiber or nd-yag lasers. Our cutter was 350w but 200psi of argon. My preferred cnc controllers were fanuc but they were so expensive(main controller not including servos or motors or anything else was 35k). Our cheaper machines were like 40k total but didn't have nearly the accuracy or control.
Interesting fact with fanuc is there controllers are full backwards compatible. And I mean fully. You can buy the most recent top end model and pull out some program on bubble tape and it will work. You got a program on punch cards? No problem. Also their service is top notch. You call them, a technician will show up in a day or two max with a box of every replacement board possible. They will replace the burned board then and there (no ordering and shipping) and bill you after it's fixed. Yes, it's expensive(most boards are several hundred dollars but the fee for the technician which is a few thousand) but if you make a tens of thousands in revenue per day it's worth the cost.
boring_bohr@feddit.org · 2 pts · 27d
4kW CO2, Jesus xD. I don't know if that is a lot, but sure sounds like it ^^
I'm happy I even got to work with some CO2 lasers around the 100W mark at a rapid prototyping workshop for a few years. I loved working with those, even if it was just on wood and acrylic (and they constantly needed recalibration and tuning).
Now I just sit at a computer all the time... I honestly miss that even just slightly more hands-on work ^^
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 27d
4kw is sort of a standard power output, although one place I worked at had a 7kw laser with a huge table, I think 20 feet by 40 feet.
That said, 4,000 watts of laser beam is not a plaything. I got burns from reflections off aluminum sheet, but my favorite was the guy trying to navigate a forklift arond the worst laid out shop I ever saw. He hit the resonator cabinet and knocked the first mirror and waveguide off while the laser was running, and a spot got burned in the side of a panel truck.
smeenz@lemmy.nz · 11 pts · 26d
So, it turns out teleportation is real ...
HubertManne@piefed.social · 10 pts · 27d
random unexplained teleportation of individuals.
lonefighter@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 27d
The importance of a social safety system and a good (non employer related) healthcare system in order to have a productive workforce and society, and why everyone should have access to good healthcare, food, and stable, clean, pest free housing, regardless of their physical or mental ability to work.
The way we treat our sick, injured, disabled and elderly is atrocious and we should all be ashamed that we let this happen.
I work in EMS and the amount of people I've seen living in the most horrific conditions simply because they got sick or injured and are now permanently disabled absolutely haunts me. I've gone into places that I wouldn't even let an animal exist in and there are people living in absolute squalor. They aren't "lazy" or "looking for handouts" or any other shitty thing that people like to call them to other them, many of them simply had the misfortune to get sick or injured and not have a safety net in place. If you get disabled and aren't lucky enough to have people around you to help support you or haven't been rich enough to be putting money away to live off of for the rest of your life, you are fucked. I have no one in my life and I live paycheck to paycheck on a strict budget, and I see these people and know their life will be my future if I get sick or injured.
Some of them were always going to be permanently disabled, and some of them could have recovered and lived productive lives except they couldn't access the care they needed because of cost and now they're living in shitty poverty situations, still unable to access what they need, and it's too late to recover.
I could go on for a long time about this, and I could add in many other subtopics.
On a slightly related note, I don't in any way shape or form believe that a person's life or value should be linked to the workforce or their ability to labor and I think that's a disgusting concept, but I could also frame a solid argument along those lines and maybe win over some hardcore capitalists who maybe wouldn't give a shit about people otherwise. "Hey those people you don't care about, if you invest some money to ensure they are as healthy as possible and are happy, they'll get back to work creating profit for the company and will be way more productive than if they are sick and unhealthy, which will be way better than spending money paying out disability for the rest of their life."
Katana314@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 27d
The worst part is that a rich person hears this and thinks about all they’d have to sacrifice to have empathy for these people. But then there’s the part you mentioned: “could have recovered and lived productive lives”. Many aren’t just going to flip burgers at Burger King, they’d be the one inventing a new burger that tastes better, wins the company tons of money, and makes people happy.
Productivity is the tide that lifts all ships, and we’re actively firing at the floor of the boat with a machine gun.
FollyDolly@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 27d
I would like to attend your Ted talk.
Tattorack@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 27d
Gathered friends. We come here once again to recite the tale of Bionicle.
And then I keep the audience busy for 12 hours.
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
...please let us leaveeeeee....
Adderbox76@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 27d
Tsukomogami and Patina: In Praise of Old Things
It's the concept that old mechanical things like typewriters and camera lenses (for example) all age individually. They develop their own quirks and foibles as they are used. They almost (as in Tsukomogami) develop a soul.
We are fundamentally losing that to a society that is about consumable mass-produced trash, and on a long enough timeline, it's going to mean losing a fundamental piece of who we are as a society.
SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 27d
Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk · 7 pts · 27d
It’d be a bit disorganised but I’d talk about how recipes are not standalone processes but transferable blueprints for how to cook certain ingredients.
dwt@feddit.org · 7 pts · 27d
Either I’ll demonstrate over and undertone Singing, or I‘ll talk about how easy it is to clone voices nowadays (3-5s audio is enough) and how many situations still rely on our voice for authentication.
toomanypancakes@crazypeople.online · 7 pts · 27d
Captive audience you say? Time to go over magic the gathering combos in detail.
CombatWombat@feddit.online · 7 pts · 27d
An extended call for more people to follow women's sports. I'd mostly center it around bringing more queer people who otherwise don't follow sports into the fandom:
flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 27d
As someone who got into women's sport for the football World Cup in 2023, it was every bit as World Cup-y as the current men's one. Fun fun fun.
Sorry for sharing ads but this one is great, and a justified use of AI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_wLVRYHIS4
CombatWombat@feddit.online · 2 pts · 27d
Next year in Brazil! We're currently in qualifying, so there's soccer to be watched! I'm very excited.
luciferofastora@feddit.org · 7 pts · 26d
The character of non-violent protests, why I think calling them "peaceful" does them a disservice and what actually separates them from violent ones
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 26d
Thanks for letting me come to your TED talk!
chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 27d
I rant about the grasshoppers eating the lettuce in my garden box
BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 7 pts · 26d
Nutrition supplementation for the poor via soylent green produced from the highest earners in the world.
homes@piefed.world · 6 pts · 27d
Uncluttering your life by switching all of your home computers to linux.
Dookieman12@piefed.social · 2 pts · 27d
Ok, done. I'm a modder for an old UE3 game and the SDK is only compatible with Windows. What are my options? I'd prefer not to have to fiddle with a VM, the SDK doesn’t always cooperate when it's run in a VM.
homes@piefed.world · 1 pts · 27d
Have you tried wine?
TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 26d
Climate change and migration. There really isn't such a thing as "illegal" migrants to begin with, let alone that most people don't want to leave their homes but for economic reasons. With climate change destroying the fertility and economic productivity of land, it prompts people to try their luck into more prosperous countries, and they are getting demonised for wanting to have better lives. Most people don't realise this and are distracted by 1% propaganda to blame helpless migrants.
Bluedragon012@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 26d
"How to survive in America with 7 mental health issues, 3 health issues, a bum leg, and being gay."
JRaccoon@discuss.tchncs.de · 6 pts · 27d
Probably the fact how I just freaking teleported and somehow I'm still alive
phoenixz@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 26d
I'll talk about world wide wealth caps!
I want that nobody can have a net worth of more than, say, 10 million dollars. After that, all income over that goes 100% to taxes until you're under it.
Imagine the same tax brackets that we now have, bit with much more brackets and the last one is 100%
This simple limit has a huge list of implications. Nobody can be extremely wealthy anymore, governments get so much tax income that they can implement all the socialist rights like free healthcare, free education, universal basic income, etc.
No more poverty
No more wealth inequality, meaning that everybody can live a good life
No more extremely large companies because upu need an incremental amount of shareholders to be able to increase its size..
Corruption? It's hard to buy someone when henl can't really give you much power and the buyer won't be able to offer that much and the risk of getting caught is still the same
You can work harder and earn more, but why would you if your life is good and happy? For those that need to innovate, there is still richdoms to get, but with reasonable limits
This of course needs to be implemented world wide to work well, and the exact limit is for others to function, but I believe this to be possible and extremely positive for humanity.
Needs a lot more work but for the 30 seconds given...
mapleseedfall@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
Okay seems like a good idea. whats the disadvantages of this?
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
Jefflon Zuckerthiel can only afford (1) yacht.
kescusay@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 27d
"Hi everyone, welcome to my talk on fainting from anxiety, as triggered by... this... this... uuuuuuuhhhgg..." [Thud]
deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz · 6 pts · 27d
How to write and test and deliver high quality software.
It's... It's what I do.
Echolynx@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 27d
No hobbies, interests, or other passions?
deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz · 1 pts · 27d
Yes, but nothing that wouldn't require some prep. E.g. New Zealand History.
My expertise is already fresh and regularly exercised.
Weydemeyer@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 26d
I’ve been reading Gerald Horne’s The Counter-Revolution of 1776, and honestly just summarizing the main points from that book would blow a lot of peoples’ minds.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 5 pts · 26d
makes farts with his armpits
TheStaffmaster@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
in the words of Johnny Bravo:
https://youtu.be/JUE_K23uvjU
alternategait@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 26d
The difference between activity groups and communities and how to nudge a group toward community (it’s hard).
How and why “no pain no gain” has caused lots of damage.
Could be a subtopic or its own talk how to reintroduce trust in your body for people who are very disconnected from it.
AskewLord@piefed.social · 5 pts · 27d
How TED talks are stupid bullshit and the audience that consumes them are all vapid idiots.
the entire thing is a self-congratulatory circle jerk for rich douchebags to listen to pseudo experts, from which nothing of substance or merit comes other than everyone feeling very intelligent and that the answers to problems are So Simple.
I remember seeing my first one in like 2007 and thinking what is this crap. They are intellectual candy, the equivalent of pop science and pop psycho books that are NYT bestsellers that people read and think they are geniuses because the read it, when a lot of the information and arguments contained are massively simplified and generalized and to be at odds with the complex reality of the topic.
Kissaki@feddit.org · 6 pts · 27d
There are some good ones which I would say do not fit your description, but I have no idea how much percentage of the talks they are. I watched some very long ago. It seems plausible that it leaned more into and fell into what you describe. I feel like I've certainly peeked into those kinds too. I haven't watched any for a long time now.
FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 27d
I think you're right. Don't know if they were always this way but i was subbed to them for a while and seeing the kinds of crap meaningles talks they were pumping out made my blood boil.
AskewLord@piefed.social · 4 pts · 27d
many of the TED speakers are paid events, as in the speaker basically pays TED and gets to talk and promote their book or company. Another little secret they don't exact advertise.
FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 27d
Do you have any idea why (seemingly) so many people turn up?
AskewLord@piefed.social · 2 pts · 25d
because other people are doing it and it makes them feel special and smarter than other people.
it's about purchasing the image of intellectualism, without doing the work, naturally.
quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 27d
Oh Shit! Ok ok. I've got it.
About the similarities between origamists and musicians.
Folding a figure is like playing a tune, some are simple enough that anyone can hum it, others require years of practice to execute well. Like in music you are the interpreter of a piece, a piece that someone else has designed or maybe you designed yourself, in that case you're also like a composer.
I could go on but I would be jumping from one thing to another incoherently, I only had 30 seconds to prepare and that deserves a better planned essay.
serpineslair@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 27d
Idk, extreme metal, its origins, differences between subgenres, and some essential listening.
autriyo@feddit.org · 8 pts · 27d
My engineering brainrot made me think you where talking about metal as a material at first glance
Lol
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
Like, Damascus steel? Uranium?
theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 27d
I immediately panic run off stage and cry to myself in embarrassment for hours.
mrmule@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 27d
How I sold everything and started traveling the world full time.
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
I'd listen to that!
bobzilla@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 26d
The Beatles' album, Revolver (unfortunately for my friends, I can talk about it for at least 30 minutes)
TheStaffmaster@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
Well it was the Beatles version of Led Zep 4 or Pink Floyd's Dark side. Quite the fine record indeed. Really encapsulated the late Beatles sound that started with Rubber Soul, but wasn't as pretentious as the White Album.
Malyca@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 26d
How to protect yourself from narcissistic abuse
genzboomer@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 26d
Reverse-engineering of locked-down chinese ARM-SoC game and tv hardware.
Apytele@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 26d
10 years of experiential observations on why people are violent in institutional environments.
kat_angstrom@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 26d
Is it because enforcement of systemic bureaucratic hierarchies leads to dehumanization, which creates friction & resentment that build over time until individuals inevitably lash out?
Or like, something close to that? I'd love to hear more.
Malyca@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 26d
That I'd want to hear
Apytele@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 26d
ruuster13@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 27d
I'd flex the confidence I've built as a social worker and without any preparation at all, ask the audience what they want to talk about. I would call upon audience members to set the subject matter content as needed and the discussion itself would be about how further incorporating mental health could help advance their industry.
Mediocre_Bard_Redeux@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 25d
Empathy and kindness in parenting.
thethrilloftime69@feddit.online · 4 pts · 26d
I can tell you pretty much the entire history of the NBA and I can rank each player by tiers. I have included here a note that I have saved on my phone at all times.
Tier 1- Jordan, LeBron, Kareem, Russell
Tier 2- Magic, Bird, Duncan, Wilt, Shaq, Kobe, Steph
Tier 3- Jokic, Moses, KD, Hakeem, Isiah
Tier 4- Dirk, Giannis, Kawhi, Walton
Note: To make it onto my list, you HAVE to have been the best player on a championship team at least once.
MonkRome@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 25d
You probably know way more basketball history than me so i may be risking ridicule by challenging a few things.
Explanation: Lebron's goat status is slightly over stated in a media desperation to keep the NBA hyped, IMO. Curry beat Lebron in 15 of their 22 games head to head in the finals. Lebron failed in championships way more often than not. Lebron never had that killer mentality of a tier 1. Opting to cry to refs and make any excuse for his failures. He still deserves top of tier 2, but that's all. Also Sam Jones and Scotty pippin were extremely good players overshadowed by the greats on their teams, they belong somwhere on this list. Curry is always slightly underrated. He is undoubtedly the greatest shooter of all time, and became a good defender with excellent ball awareness after weak defense early in his career (which, IMO, plagued perception of him long after his defense was solid).
Flame my choices, I played ball, but I'm no historian.
Tier 1 - Jordan, Kareem, Russell
Tier 2 - Lebron, Wilt, Curry, Magic, Bird, Shaq, Kobe
Tier 3 - Sam Jones ...
Tier 4 - ... Pippen
thethrilloftime69@feddit.online · 2 pts · 25d
Being from Chicago, I do agree Scottie is historically underrated. But to make it to this tier list, you have to have been the best player on a championship team. If the Bulls had won the 94 Championship without Jordan, I would have no problem putting Scottie here. But that's not how things played out. I would put guys like Scottie, DWade, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, Willis Reed in a hypothetical Tier 5, which wouldn't require you to be the undisputed best player on a championship team.
As far as Lebrons Tier 1 status....
Yeah but basketball is a team sport. Most of Lebrons teams that lost in the finals, look that their rosters. Most of them wouldn't even sniff the second round without LeBron. The 2007 Cavs has guys like Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall, Boobie Gibson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas. And they lost to a hall of fame studded Spurs team. The fact that he lead a bunch of nobodies past a stacked Pistons team is crazy impressive.
LeBron deserves criticism for the 2011 Finals loss because they had a more talented team than the Mavs.
2014 Finals loss, this one is tough because you could make an argument that Heat should have won but I think that Spurs team is actually one of the greatest teams of all time. So to me, there's no shame in losing to them.
2015 Cavs didn't have Kyrie or Love. It was a bunch of guys like Dellevadova and JR Smith and Mozgov. And this Warriors team also proved to be historically great.
The 2017 Warriors are in my estimation the greatest NBA team of all time. So there's no shame in losing to them.
2018 Cavs didn't have Kyrie or the guy they traded him for Isaiah Thomas. And they went against basically the same 2017 Warriors team.
Here's the thing that I think puts LeBron in tier 1 status, the 2016 Cavs pulled off the single hardest thing anyone has ever done in the history of the NBA. Come back from down 3-1 against a historically great Warriors team. MJ never did that. Kareem never did that. Even the greatest winner of all time Bill Russell.
Lastly, while Steph has had more success head to head in the finals than LeBron, Steph pretty much had the better team except for once. And I love Steph, he changed the game. Steph is the greatest shooter ever. But on pretty much every other metric by which we compare players LeBron is just better. Taller, stronger, better passer, better rebounder, better defender and outside of shooting prowess, LeBron is probably an equal level scorer.
LeBron physically is probably the ideal specimen for basketball. And he pretty much had every single tool a basketball player could ever want to have and everything in his toolkit could be considered good to great.
Nit picks aside, I think LeBron is AT WORST, the 4th best player of all time and that has to land him as tier 1 player.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk.
MonkRome@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 25d
I don't disagree with anything you're saying.
But I will respond to this. Jordan didn't need to come back 3-1 in the finals because he was never in that position in the finals. Russell come back down 3-1 against Wilt Chamberlain earlier in the playoffs, the first time it was ever done. Kareem only faced that situation when he was past his prime. Still damn impressive when lebron did it and I remember at the time thinking it was career defining. Lebron was definitely the most complete player in physicality and skillset, but he was the master of none.
The thing that always impressed me about Jordan and Curry was the sheer number of times they just completely took over a game and looked like an unstoppable force of nature. Too many times to count.
LaunchesKayaks@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
My horse. Sandy Lou.
Dookieman12@piefed.social · 4 pts · 27d
Strong opinions from uninformed people irritate me, so I'd talk about licensing, ownership, the pros and cons of digital vs physical copies of media, and how/whether different store fronts implement DRM so I don't have to listen to so many strong, uninformed opinions on these topics; they've gotten annoyingly common lately thanks to Sony.
fargeol@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 27d
The air speed velocity of an unladen swallow
thejml@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 27d
African or European?
Vex_Detrause@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 27d
I came for the air speed velocity of a laden swallow. /S
Aeao@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
Welcome to my Ted talk. Has anyone else noticed it’s always Venus? I bought the Star finder app but every time I scan a star it’s just Venus.
Why is every cool star Venus?
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
I have a few stories, don't we all?
I was fucking abducted and put on stage, I don't owe these people anything. But, I can talk for 30 minutes about myself, that's all they're getting from me. Also, they'd better shut the fuck up and listen, I don't want to be there, I'm doing them a favor.
seathru@quokk.au · 4 pts · 27d
Sit down, we're about to learn all about the black magic that is Carburetors
mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 27d
The reproductive rituals of bedbugs.
ItsMeForRealNow@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 27d
I'll talk about how just purely spewing bullshit about big companies, taking them to court for no reason, wasting their time, filling their "unlimited plan" s with garbage, chaotic compliance - is one way to stick it.
TheStaffmaster@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
there was a guy that kept sending a bill to some tech companies accounting office, for the service of sending them a bill. The company paid it for years, then when they caught on, and sued, the guy used the fact that they had paid it for years as evidence of a de facto contract and won.
ItsMeForRealNow@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
Awesome. I wanna send all ad companies a bill for seeing their ad. Just 0.5 Cents.
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
I'm taking notes.
slemptastrophe@piefed.social · 4 pts · 27d
"Does anyone have any questions?"
Phantaloons@piefed.zip · 4 pts · 27d
"Quit buying shit, take more walks in the woods, and read more."
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
mic drop
moondoggie@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
I can only talk for 30 minutes? Man, this gonna be rough.
GarboDog@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
We wouldn't need 30 seconds to think about and we would need more like 2+ hours for the talk
Were hyperfixating and info dumping about One Piece, thank you
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
This is a really fun question btw
Stupidmanager@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
I’ll start with a joke, “so this guy has been randomly teleported onto a TED talk stage in his underwear…” and then I’d probably talk about how the over prevalence of “easy” in our day to day life has allowed us to become complacent and encourages us to stop fighting the inevitable downfall of life as we see it. All so billionaires can keep existing and we can be doomscrolling without being worried about life outside around the world.
I’d fill the full 30 min.
Pollo_Jack@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
I'd like to thank you all for coming to my TedX on waifu hair color. To begin with we have the ever passionate purple hair...
isyasad@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 25d
You gotta mention how purple is such a common color for twin characters. It's not just Clannad and Lucky Star, there's also Paniponi Dash, Houseki no Kuni, Fate/Grand Order, Iya na Kao sare nagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai 2, Subarashiki Hibi Furenzoku Sonzai, The Simpsons, etc...
IamBlank@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 25d
Societal enshitification
Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 27d
My little project.
Hey you there in the back! You are not allowed to leave!! What? Are they? Anyways, the P2P connection then shares data with ... bla bla bla...in return it's takedown safe ...
Badabinski@kbin.earth · 3 pts · 27d
That's neat!
I have everyone's favorite thing; unsolicited advice! It'd be cool if it was easier to find the source code. I'm still waking up so maybe it's obvious, but I ended up looking at the manual installation steps to get the link to https://codeberg.org/Valmond/Tenfingers
Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 27d
Thanks!
There is a docker image and also a oneliner installer for the daring (or just download the source code, forward a port and run it)!
BodePlotHole@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 27d
I'd either extrapolate on the importance of self negativity and it's how it's been lost in modern culture, or the tragedy that is the loss of teaching civics in schools.
Or maybe I'd just geek out on Laplace transforms and how they allow you to solve complex non-linear systems as if they're DC circuits.
Or how recreational access to psychedelics are just as important as therapeutic use.
iceberg314@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 27d
Don't know nifty I'd be qualified, but the Fediverse and self hosting
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 26d
Nobody understands that shit. You can just wing it. Nobody will know.
iceberg314@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 25d
Hehe, all I know is that it is cool
actionjbone@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 27d
How to improvise, using this as an example.
Hairyfishnuts@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 27d
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 26d
My single-timeline theory, although it's really just a sci fi idea to eliminate paradoxes from time travel stories.
Quexotic@infosec.pub · 3 pts · 25d
Critical infrastructure vulnerability.
jobbies@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 27d
"...you see, he turned himself into a pickle..."
TheStaffmaster@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 26d
Minimum wage reform, and inflation reduction.
Firstly, minimum wages mean nothing without corresponding maximum ones.
Minimum wages are a dog chasing its own tail. A business owner will never give themselves a pay cut to give you a pay raise. They will increase prices and pass the cost on to the consumer, which is you and me. Ergo, the cost of living goes up and we're right back at the beginning in 15 months.
Constant "low inflation" is unsustainable because it fails the pragmatism test. In 100 years are our descendants going to find the fact we thought $100 was a substantial amount of money quaint? How about we actively dial this shit back so that our money actually has actual value again. Printing more money doesn't make more money, it just makes the already existing supply worth less.
Closing the "infinite money hacks" that the wealthy use to dodge taxes is related to the last point. If you have the assets to cover aloan, the Bank should legally be forced to tell you to kick rocks. Force these cheats to liquidize their assets and pay capital gains taxes like the rest of us.
Restructure how currency is backed so that it has multiple standards, even if those standards are as ethereal as debt. I personally think currency should be backed by labor-time. Your labor generates a set amount of real, tradeable value, and as this is taxed, it pays down the Debt backed securities, keeping this type of Federal Exchange derived funds in check. This gives companies an incentive to pay you a living wage, and one where you can actually generate savings. (see point one if you are about to complain that this would turn into a runaway inflation system. Maximum wage, Remember? ;) )
CEO's should be have their salaries tied to the lowest paid employees in their company. This should be expressed as a percentage. If the CEO wants to get a raise, they have to also have to float everyone else in the company first. Same with board members.
Overturn Citizens United. Over turn Dodge Brother vs Henry Ford. Give the Dodd/Frank act some actual teeth. White collar crimes get HARD jail time, not Fines that become Golden parachutes.
I think I could milk that for a good 20 minutes.
Echolynx@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 27d
Aphantasia, it blows someone's mind every time.
Smoogs@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 26d
i hate these kinds of dreams. and always in my underwear
RecursiveParadox@piefed.social · 3 pts · 27d
How the dark fleet works and why it is merely a symptom of a broken consumer system.
(I actually spoke on the first part of that last Tuesday.)
LordMayor@piefed.social · 3 pts · 27d
“Nobody here is as smart as they think they are.“
drops mic
walks off stage
shittydwarf@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 27d
Everybody is about to get a crash course in barbell programs
raldone01@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 27d
Probably slot machines and my system to win for a general audience.
For a technical audience I would have a field day with how I have been degoogeling (also other corps) myself for the past years and why you should too.
thisisbutaname@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 27d
Probably whiskey facts
Simon_Shitewood@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 27d
Why D&D 5e is a bad ttrpg and bad for other ttrpgs.
Bahnd@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 25d
The career path of being an online guild leader to meat space manager.
I used to manage player orgs in EvE Online... Its basicly a second job and the paralells are real. One of my former space nerds got a job and IIRC is actually a rental car lot manager, we taught him how to use spreadsheets well over 10 years ago so they could figure out how the games industry mechanics.
Sidyctism2@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 26d
Id talk about cranking my hog
AROOOOOO
UPGRAYEDD@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
Calm down Nixon.
kossa@feddit.org · 2 pts · 26d
I would probably start out by speculating about this teleportation stuff worked.
The rest of the time I would descend more and more into what's wrong with our current society from my view.
cepelinas@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 26d
Half-life 3 tomorrow.
Jankatarch@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 27d
See what makes this hard is that my speech would have to explain why I am giving it barefoot with shorts.
Rhaedas@fedia.io · 2 pts · 27d
I could think of a few subjects, but with such a short time to prepare I'd probably ramble on like a rabbit hole of connections to related stuff. It wouldn't be a great TED talk overall.
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
Slime molds.
Grass@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 27d
ask if anyone has an ibm 5100
fiendishplan@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
vrek@programming.dev · 2 pts · 27d
Probably best topic for me would probably be how to statistically model quality in manufacturing. Like what is hypothesis testing, what is a gage r&r, what is spc, how do you properly do those things, what are the footguns, how do you interpret the results, what's a spec limit vs a control limit vs action limit?
How can you manipulate the tests for your business case? To be clear on that last one I'm not saying manipulate to lie, but it depends on business. For example your control limits are typically +/- 3 standard deviations. If you run a dark business making plastic forks but to get a engineer to fly out and adjust the machine is a few thousand dollarsand no one will care if the tongs on the fork are 3 thou longer than normal. You may set your control limits at 5 times. If you make the steel beams which hold up bridges where hundreds of people die if they can't hold the forces and you're measuring width of the beams you may go down to 1 or 2 times standard deviation. Yeah you will waste engineer time which is money but it's hundred of people's lives if it fails. Those are different business cases and you shouldn't just default to the standard 3 st.dev in those cases.
Weirdfish@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 27d
I could talk for hours on how skateboarding has impacted my life, but Rodney Mullen already did the perfect TED talk on that, and how do you improve on the master?
Seriously, even if you aren't into skateboarding, watch that one.
I guess two topics I could easily spend a half hour off the cuff on could be "Video conference systems design and best practices for Zoom and Teams call", or "How to survive a permadeath vegetarian run in Subnatica".
Then let the audience decide which they'd rather be bored to sleep listening to.
flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 27d
Something on the subject of public transportation. Depending on the city and how much I spent in it before I was teleported (assuming the stage is in the same city), I could whip up a more or less localized talk.
bandanawearingbanana@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
Disco Elysium
Kowowow@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 27d
What it's like to 38 without getting to first base is the first thing that comes to mind
KingGimpicus@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 26d
As I am currently shitting, I will be having a discussion on the important of bringing me some pants and shit tickets as soon as possible.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 2 pts · 26d
Different types of climbing. Different styles, rules, goals, how they developed, how they evolve. It wouldn't be very interesting but I would have fun talking about it.
eyelevel@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 26d
greenbit@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 26d
Ted talks are fake
petrichornetrainfall@piefed.social · 2 pts · 27d
"What we own to each other", a talk based entirely on me using misrembering philosophy quotes from "The good place" to justify my personal beliefs.
Definitely not what I should pick, but the first thing I came up with within 30 seconds.
Follow up talk would be "platos lair", explaining how we're all delusional because we're so upset that "vimms lair" isn't what it use to be due to Nintendo being assholes.
alsimoneau@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 26d
Urban planning
TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
eestileib@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 26d
Tangent circle packing
Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 27d
I think I'd rather jump.
funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 25d
I actually think the basics of clowning are good for anyone. The concept of holding space and attention while remaining present and engaging in two-way silent conversation and making everyone feel like they're part of the process.
WanderWisley@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 25d
The importance of physical media.
GilfalasOrcbane@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
Residues of pharmacologically active substances in food of animal origin and the monitoring thereof in national food production.
ryannathans@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 26d
The microplastics and nanoplastics that shed off of polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex, elastane clothing and bedding.
Stop wearing synthetic plastic fibres, they are inferior to natural fibres like cotton, wool, viscose, linen, hemp in almost every way. Such as for temperature regulation, or how synthetic fibres grow bacteria.
Every time you wash synthetic fibres you pollute water ways with billions or trillions of nanoplastcs. When you dry them you pollute the air and surfaces of your home with nanoplastics.
Your skin and body will be much happier and more comfortable in natural fibres.