Not really sure if this is the right place but, this job interaction really threw me off!
Background - I'm a 28 y/o student. I've been in the emergency service industry for almost a decade now. Recently, I left it to pursue finishing my degree and moving into a different field (business). I just applied to 2 entry level positions in my neighborhood as I needed something flexible to pay the bills while studying.
Job 1 - Substitute teacher for a technical campus. $17.50/hr
Job 2 - Stockecashiepharmacy tech for a grocery store. $15/hr
Now, neither of these jobs require any special education or experience. I just want something low key.
I was hired at Job 1, after a very thorough interview and all the normal onboarding stuff. The only special thing I had to do was get fingerprinted for the state.
Folks, I walked out of the interview/onboarding for Job 2. It started off with very normal entry level questions. I also got offered the position on the spot and accepted.
The interviewer then gave me a back ground packet. She required me to put down all employment I ever had (I mean EVER) Then followed up with asking for my tax information to make sure I listed all of my previous positions.
THEN she said that they call every place of employment and if the dates don't line up they'll revoke the offer. They even asked for my high school diploma and since I don't have it said that I had to send them an official transcript only.
At this point I was flustered. I asked if this very in depth background check was due to working in the pharmacy. The interviewer declined and stated that they do this for every employee as the "company has high standards".
I explained that I was uncomfortable providing my tax information and that it was all a little excessive. Her toned changed quick and it just went down hill.
I thanked them for the opportunity and got up to leave. The interviewer said that I would be black listed from working there. I told her that was okay and walked out.
It was so crazy! I've never had an interview/onboarding go like that. Since when do grocery stores require that much to work for them?
Is this behavior normal now?

OUR UNIT
Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) is an Australian based Arma 3 MILSIM inspired by the SOCOMD in the Australian Army. We specialise in cooperative Arma 3 gameplay utilising equipment, weapons and vehicles employed by the ADF.
We don't enforce strict MILSIM rules like addressing members by rank or saluting officers. We do however, maintain a reasonable standard of discipline, authenticity and respect while still keeping things fun and enjoyable. Out of operations, we are mostly casual with plenty of Aussie banter, but when we jump into a mission, we expect all our members to be switched on.
Many of our members, current and past, were or are actively serving military personnel in the ADF. As such we strive for an element of realism to our operations and unit, while always remembering that ARMA is a game to be played with mates.
OUR SCHEDULE
Friday Night: OFFICIAL OPERATIONS

• Unique Zeus created mission
  
• Begins at 8pm AEST / 9pm AEDT
  
• Concludes with debrief
  

Monday Night: RECRUIT INTERVIEWS

• From 7pm AEST / 8pm AEDT

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday Night: RECRUIT TRAINING

• Combat Basic Training Part1/2: Familiarise recruits with unit weapons/vehicles/tactics
  
• Begins 7pm AEST / 8pm AEDT
  

Note: Recruit interviews and training can be held at times other than the ones stated above, these are just our trainers are regularly available.
Any Day/Night: Mini-Ops

• We encourage our members to run their own

MEET THE TEAM
Alpha Company
Our boots on the ground. Built of four, eight man sections all operating under a platoon hq. Alpha Company comprises the majority of SOCOMD. If your love is being on the ground in the thick of the enemy with a multitude of tools to deal with any situation this is the place to be. Establish yourself amongst a tight knit group that takes to the field to operate with skill and efficiency.
Support
If kicking down doors isn’t for you but you love the sound of big guns firing, Support may be the spot for you. Operating as a highly mobile DFSW team, this small group of individuals attaches to Alpha Company as small teams to provide overwhelming firepower and vehicle support. If high risk, high reward positional action and tinnitus are your thing, try out Support.
SOA
Experts in all things rotary aviation. Special Operations Aviation aims to bring close air support, transport and aerial logistics to SOCOMD through a small, highly skilled team with a passion for flying. If you’ve ever wanted to gun down an enemy compound, drop a section in a daring hot landing while under intensive fire and bail without a scratch on you, SOA may be your thing.
If coordinating aerial assets and organising troop transport and accurate fire missions, or running high risk supply missions to the front line are more interesting for you, SOA is also the place for you, either as a Combat Control Team or Logistics team member.
All of the above are currently recruiting. No skills are needed as we’re happy and able to teach everything you need to know to excel at your speciality. All we require is maturity and an eagerness to learn.
Further information can be found on our website, through our wiki, or by jumping into our discord.

Help a fellow student with his dream

https://energymatterspdx.com/treatment/

We treat adults, couples, families, adolescents and children.

​

• Combine traditional therapies and mind-body techniques
• Resolve persistent negative emotions and beliefs
• Move from inner conflict to contentment
• Access your strengths and resources to overcome mental and spiritual barriers to healing
• Heal trauma without dwelling on painful details of the past.
• Build confidence and self-esteem.
• Create and sustain change in a short period of time.

We view the mind and body as a unified system that promotes physical and emotional health. When the balance supporting our needs is disturbed or disrupted by negative events and experiences, challenging symptoms may result. This includes struggles around trauma, depression, anxiety, fear, grief, sadness, shame, guilt, hurt and low self-esteem. Our treatment methods restore balance to maximize emotional, mental and physical functioning.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” – Paulo Coelho

​
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. It is a type of therapy that aims to help people accept what is out of their control and commit to actions that enrichen their lives. ACT incorporates mindfulness skills to help individuals live and behave in ways consistent with personal values while developing psychological flexibility.

Art Based Therapeutic Work

Art based therapeutic work invites the participant to use the process of creating tangible art pieces with clear clinical intent, a less verbal or cognitive method of expression. Sometimes things that are difficult to grasp or explain in words can emerge or be uncovered through non-verbal means. Through this approach one can bridge levels of consciousness in a way that greatly informs the therapeutic process.

Brainspotting (BSP)

Brainspotting (BSP) is a powerful, focused treatment method that begins by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of distress. Emotional and body pain, the effects of trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms are held deeply in the non-verbal, non-cognitive areas of one’s neurophysiology. BSP uses bilateral sound and fixed eye positions to enhance deep, direct and powerful healing. The therapist helps the client locate internal resources to contain emotional reactions. BSP is especially applicable for treating trauma. People typically respond to traumatic experiences through primitive flight, fight or freeze instincts. BSP allows clients to significantly reduce and eliminate the tension and hyper-arousal associated with these survival instincts. Clients can look forward to integrating healing on emotional, somatic, psychological, and spiritual levels.
More information at https://brainspotting.com

Breath Work

Breath Work helps a person feels calm and focused by attuning to their body sensations and awareness. It is often combined with other approaches and techniques to buffer the distress and intense emotional experience that may accompany healing.

Buddhist Informed Therapy

This mode of therapy has aspects of conventional psychotherapy, coaching with traditional Buddhist philosophy. Buddhist psychology helps us to refrain from ways of thinking and behaving that create unnecessary suffering.

Child Centered Play Therapy

Child Centered Play Therapy is rooted in the research and studies of Gary Landreth, Ed.D., LPC, RPT-S among other notable Play Therapy theorists. The approach is focused on building a relationship at a child’s comfort level and pace of trust. This approach uses the basis of “A child’s play is their core and basic level of communication and toys are their words to use.”

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talking treatment, which focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and behavior, and teaches you coping skills for dealing with different problems. It combines cognitive therapy (examining the things you think) and behavior therapy (examining the things you do). CBT is based on the idea that the way we think about situations can affect the way we feel and behave.

Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS)

Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) is an evidence based practice that calms behavior challenges, opens up new pathways of thinking, and builds the skills to meet expectations. Helping your family member improve areas like frustration tolerance, flexibility and problem solving can improve the relationships regardless of age.

Contemplative Dialogue

Contemplative Dialogue involves deeply engaged and reflective discussion. While most therapy could potentially be described in this manner, contemplation pays particular attention to a client’s inner process and intuition. Most therapies are focused on the exchange between the mind and behavior. Contemplation seeks to open a holistic, spiritual and transcendent dimension of experience using dyadic exchange. This deepens and expands beyond traditional narrative therapy.

Dream Analysis

Dream Analysis allows the participant to document and examine messages which may be coming to them during expanded sleep states. Together, we reflect upon these messages to see what helpful information might inform the therapeutic healing process.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is based on the discovery that imbalances in the body’s energy system have profound negative effects on one’s emotional well-being. Correcting these imbalances, which is done by tapping on meridian points on various parts of the body, often leads to rapid relief.

Energy Healing (Reiki and other modalities)

Energy healing is a holistic practice that activates the body’s subtle energy systems to remove blocks. By breaking through these energetic blocks, the body’s inherent ability to heal itself is stimulated.
The term “reiki” comes from the Japanese words “rei,” meaning universal, and “ki,” which means vital life force energy that flows through all living things. Some practitioners describe reiki as acupuncture without the needles. Reiki is a complementary health approach in which practitioners place their hands on or just above different areas of the body. It’s based on an Eastern medicine belief that living beings have energy fields that support their health and vitality.
Energy blocks, on the other hand, impede innate flow of energy, causing not only health problems, but also negative life circumstances like financial troubles or relationship problems. Reiki practitioners focus on sensing energy blocks and moving the energy for the greatest good of the client.

Experiential Therapy

Experiential Therapy involves a wide range of activity based work. Often there is movement involved and can be done indoors and out. Engaging through experience rather than only talking can reduce resistance and provide participants a “ground up” sense of safety and awareness of internal physical responses to stress.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes.
EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.
More information at https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emd

Filial Therapy

This focused and manualized approach uses a Child-Parent Relationship Therapy model. This modality builds on Child Centered Play Therapy and presents it in a parent-friendly model and adapts core Play Therapy elements and delivers them in a way for parents to use. A common experience for participants is to experience not only increased parental confidence, but ultimately a stronger Child-Parent relationship.

Hakomi Method

The Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, a body-centered approach that combines somatic awareness with experiential techniques to promote psychological growth and transformation. Hakomi theory holds the body to be a window to the unconscious and works to help those in therapy identify somatic indicators of unconscious beliefs and then bring these indicators into awareness, thus aiding the process of change.

HeartMath™ emWaveII

HeartMath™ emWaveII devices monitor heart wave variability to assist clients in awareness of internal states of emotional dysregulation. Using this device can help in learning awareness of internal feelings of safety and assess interaction in practicing relationship.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy involves using imagery, breathing, guided visualization and focused attention. This induces suggestibility and openness, and facilitates desired change. Hypnotherapy can have a profound and lasting positive impact on behavior and perspectives. Hypnotherapy has been an effective tool for many issues including pain management, anxiety, sleep difficulties, smoking cessation, weight management and addiction. It offers a powerful alternative to medication alone.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an approach that identifies, addresses and validates multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts.

Mindfulness Based Meditation

Mindfulness Based Meditation is the practice of increasing awareness by bringing one’s complete attention without judgment to the present experience on a moment-to-moment basis. Formal and informal meditation are often associated with the practice of mindfulness. This promotes a relaxed, focused and clear state of mind. Mindfulness practice is an effective intervention for trauma, attention difficulties, depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, impulse control, and numerous other issues.

Non-Monogamy/Kink Informed Therapy

This mode of therapy presents a unique look at traditional and non-traditional relationship systems and uses supportive techniques to give space to create a relationship system that fits those involved. This style of therapy focuses on autonomy and choosing a style of relationship system that benefits all partners involved. It may also include increased education and assistance for those transitioning from more traditional relationships to more creative and collaborative relationship styles.

Polyvagal Theory

We come into the world wired to connect. With our first breath, we embark on a lifelong quest to feel safe in our bodies, in our environments and in our relationships with others. The autonomic nervous system is our personal surveillance system, always on guard, asking the question “Is this safe?” Its goal is to protect us by sensing safety and risk, listening moment by moment to what is happening in and around our bodies and in the connections we have with others.
This listening happens far below awareness and far away from our conscious control. Dr. Stephen Porges, who first researched PVT coined the term neuroception to describe the way our autonomic nervous system scans for cues of safety, danger, and life-threat without involving the thinking parts of our brain. Because we humans are meaning-making beings, what begins as the wordlesss experiencing of neuroception drives the creation of a story that shapes our daily living.
– Deb Dana from “The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy”

Problem Solving Therapy

Problem solving therapy is a form of therapy that provides clients with tools to identify and solve problem that arise from life stressors. Problem solving therapy is very practical in its approach and is concerned with the present. This orientation embraces self-efficacy and accepts the idea that problems are a normal part of life.

Psychedelic Integration/Harm Reduction

Psychedelics assist in giving us a glimpse into the unconscious mind. With the assistance of talk therapy these medicines help us work through and examine emotions in a safe and freeing environment. Psychedelic Integration (& Preparation) Therapy involves preparing for an upcoming journey/ceremony/healing experience with a plant medicine or psychedelic medicine, and/or processing a psychedelic experience in a therapeutic context afterwards. Harm reduction comes as a part of the education of plant medicine or psychedelic so that the participant is coming into the experience with full consent and understanding of what to look for in case help is needed. It is through a healer or clinician that we can gain tools and understandings to have the experience the medicine is offering to humanity.

Sandtray

Sandtray is a powerful, non-verbal, therapeutic technique that facilitates one’s natural capacity for healing. Sandtray uses objects and figures placed in a sandtray to create scenes of miniature worlds that reflects a person’s inner thoughts, struggles and concerns. By moving the miniatures in response to a given prompt, new insights and clarity help the client overcome their struggles.

Solution Focused Therapy

Solution Focused Therapy is a goal-focused, respectful collaborative, therapeutic approach, which helps clients change by constructing solutions rather than focusing on problems. In the most basic sense, it is a hope friendly, positive emotion eliciting, and future-oriented vehicle for formulating, motivating, achieving, and sustaining desired change. Therapist and client carefully search through the client’s life experience and behavioral repertoire to discover the necessary resources needed to co-construct a practical and sustainable solution that the client can readily implement.

Somatic Experience (SE)

Somatic Experience (SE), “pioneered by biological physicist and psychologist Peter Levine, Ph.D., is an approach that uses internal body awareness and kinesthetic sense” (Naparstek B., Invisible Heroes) to gradually move past the parts of traumatic experience that feel stuck in the body. Trauma is often experienced as a frozen event in one’s body that will be repeated through time. Through an imagined oasis of calm and safety, the person is able to gradually dispel the traumatic reaction through responses the body wishes to make that were unavailable during the original traumatic event.

Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT)

Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT) uses a gentle acupressure pose near the bridge of the nose, gentle pressure on the occipital area at the back of the head, and stimulation of the sixth chakra point to effect a positive change. The client focuses on a particular problem, emotion, image or sensation during this pose.

Trauma Informed Therapy

Trauma Informed Therapy is a framework for understanding the impact of trauma on the mind, body and overall well-being. Specific attention and respect is given to the detrimental effects of trauma on health, relationships, thinking and behavior. Treatment serves to clear traumatic residue which often persists long after the traumatic situation or event.
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97223 97203 97232 97239 97068
​
https://energymatterspdx.com/

Before I get asked “Why are you asking a bunch of internet strangers for advice?”. She is my niece but we have all lived together since she was born & for the last 3 years I have had custody of her. If this post isn’t okay, I’ll delete it. Using a throwaway for her privacy.
Yesterday I got a call from Lex’s phone but it wasn’t her. It was a shift supervisor at the restaurant that her friends had taken her for her birthday. I was told that two of the girls had left Lex before paying the bill & she didn’t have any money. I didn’t know if they were going to call the cops so I told her I was coming to pay. When I got there Lex was sitting in a booth with an uneaten birthday dessert. The look on her face broke my heart.
The host said that her 2 friends told her they were going to get Lex’s gifts from the car & would be back. 30 minutes went by & the host walked through the parking lot 3 times to look for them before telling her supervisor. Instead of grilling Lex infront of everyone I paid+tipped & we left.
In the car I asked her if she knew before they ordered that her friends weren’t going to pay because it could be considered stealing. I told her the meal I just paid for was $80 (my gas money) so she was going to have to pay me some of it out of her savings or get her friends to repay her. As I’m saying this she gets a notification on her phone. One of the girls posted a snapchat about how they just dined & dashed, got a free meal, & tagged Lex saying “thanks!”.
She starts crying saying “no they aren’t going to pay you or me back!”. We get home & I ask her if she is comfortable with me reading the messages between her & the girls so I could help figure out what is going on. It took about an hour & I’m genuinely speechless. Lex is a freshman & these girls are juniors. They became “friends” in gym class in Jan. The first time they hung out outside of school was to get smoothies. Lex offered to pay for them (her love language is acts of service & gift giving even though she is young) & it snowballed from there.
These girls would ask her for gas money but tell her they didn’t have time to take her home from school,they would give her the wrong parking lot to be picked up in, or they told her she was taking too long even though she would literally be running to meet up. School lunch is free but there is a “Panthers den” where you can buy fountain pop. icecream, snacks, ect. Nearly everyday they would ask her to get them something & they promised they would pay her back once they got their allowance.
They went shopping & Lex bought them all matching shirts to wear on a certain day & they showed up wearing different matching shirts & told her she just forgot which day they were doing it. Gaslighting. Manipulative. PETTY for no reason.
A few days ago Lex told them she needed her $ by this weekend because the field trip she was saving for was this coming Tuesday. They told her they would bring the $ when they went out to eat because they would be getting their allowance on Thursday (yesterday). I’m guessing they realized she wouldn’t be giving them anymore $ or buying them things…Idk the logic behind it.
I asked Lex why she was spending so much $ on them & she said “this was my first time having friends I thought this is what you do”. I asked her if they paid her back for anything & she said “not yet”. This went on for almost 3 months & she didn’t catch on. I told her these girls are NOT her friends.
The field trip coming up is something she has been talking about since the beginning of the school year. It’s an elective trip through her fine arts class but not everybody gets to go. You have to maintain a certain GPA, have all 6 of your teachers sign off on you to go, you had to pay upfront for the charter bus & pay admission to the 2 museums. She has struggled with her self worth & was so proud of herself. It’s her first ever road trip. She was so excited to go snack shopping & had spent hours looking up where they are going to make sure each restaurant has her “safe foods”. They will be stopping for breakfast, lunch, & dinner.
She had everything planned. For xmas & her birthday all she wanted was $, which I gave her. But it wasn’t alot (Single income with inflation & a lay off) I really wanted her to have fun, I knew how important this was to her so every time it snowed this winter we shoveled driveways for $20 & she got to keep it all. Hours spent shoveling. Which makes me so mad that she let these girls talk her into spending all her money. Especially since they hadn’t been “friends” for long.
Now it's all gone & I’m so pissed off because I can’t just give her more. I’m paycheck to paycheck right now. I don’t get a dime from my sister or the state because I haven’t tried for legal custody but since my sister has been in active addiction for years this is something I’m looking into. I told her I could maybe scrounge up $25 for her to take but now she isn’t going to go because “it won’t be enough”. She will just spend all of Tuesday in study hall.
I just don't understand why she would pay people to be her friends. The only way I’d ever give one of my friends money is if it was an important emergency, if I could loan it out without it putting something in jeopardy if I don’t get it back, and if we had been friends for a while. That’s normal, right? How did she not realize they were just using her?
I asked her if she was going to ask for her money back or tell them what they did was super shitty & she told me no. “It was my dumbness to think they were really my friends. I’ll go back to being alone & go back to eating in the library”.
I’m so mad I want to confront these little twits ( Don’t worry, I won’t). I don't know why she struggles to have friends. I didn’t know it was an issue. Has anyone else’s kid done something like this? Do they struggle to make friends? Have they changed themselves to “fit in”? Any advice is welcome.
TL:DR; Lex was giving money to “friends” under the impression that this is what “friends” do & that she would be paid back. She didn’t want her “friends” to run out of gas or not have treats to eat at lunch. Lex spent over $200 to have “friends” for three months.

Please use this thread to discuss anything related to today's game. You may post anything as long as it falls within stated posting guidelines. You may also post gifs and memes, as long as it is related to the game. Please keep the discussion civil.
Discord: Seattle Sports

Line Score - Final

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E	LOB
SEA	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	4	11	1	11
SF	0	3	0	2	0	1	1	0		7	10	0	9

Box Score

SF		AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA
1B	Wade Jr.	2	0	2	2	0	0	.278
1B	Matheny	2	1	1	0	1	0	.316
2B	Estrada	2	0	0	0	0	1	.306
2B	Proctor	2	0	1	0	1	1	.270
RF	Conforto	3	0	0	0	0	2	.222
RF	Munguia	1	0	0	0	0	0	.333
3B	Flores	2	0	0	0	0	0	.226
3B	Fitzgerald	3	0	0	0	0	1	.176
SS	Crawford, Bra	3	0	1	0	1	1	.150
SS	Wilson, W	0	0	0	0	0	0	.321
DH	Davis, J	2	0	1	0	0	0	.341
DH	Gigliotti	1	1	0	0	1	1	.462
CF	Yastrzemski	1	1	1	0	0	0	.120
CF	Auerbach	3	0	0	0	0	1	.267
C	Pérez	3	2	2	0	0	1	.261
C	Wynns	1	0	0	1	0	0	.167
LF	Sabol	2	1	1	1	0	0	.349
LF	Matos	2	1	0	0	0	0	.241

SF	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	P-S	ERA
Webb	5.0	8	1	1	3	6	46-34	4.50
Hjelle	2.0	1	0	0	1	4	19-15	1.59
Rogers, Ta	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	5-5	1.23
Bivens	1.0	2	3	3	1	1	12-8	20.25

SEA		AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA
CF	Rodríguez, Ju	3	0	0	0	1	2	.419
CF	DeShields	1	1	1	0	0	0	.750
2B	Wong, Ko	3	0	0	0	1	1	.220
2B	Rivas, L	0	1	0	0	1	0	.217
1B	France	4	0	0	0	0	1	.280
1B	Scheiner	1	0	0	0	0	0	.167
3B	Suárez, E	2	0	1	0	2	1	.304
3B	Ramirez, B	1	0	0	0	0	1	.250
LF	Pollock	4	0	0	0	0	2	.227
LF	Rodriguez, A	1	1	1	3	0	0	.333
RF	Calhoun	3	0	2	0	0	0	.286
RF	DeLoach	2	1	0	0	0	1	.250
C	O'Keefe	3	0	2	0	0	0	.450
C	Morgan, J	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
DH	Ford, M	4	0	3	1	0	0	.276
SS	McCoy	3	0	1	0	0	2	.268
SS	Sanchez, A	1	0	0	0	0	1	.333

SEA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	P-S	ERA
Miller, B	3.0	8	5	4	1	4	30-26	4.50
Alford	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	8-7	0.00
Carlson	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	8-8	0.00
Taylor	1.0	1	1	1	1	1	12-6	9.00
Adcock	1.0	0	1	1	1	0	8-3	3.00
Arias	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	8-3	0.00

Scoring Plays

Inning	Event	Score
B2	Blake Sabol singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Mike Yastrzemski scores. Roberto Perez to 2nd.	1-0
B2	LaMonte Wade Jr. doubles (5) on a line drive to right fielder Kole Calhoun. Roberto Perez scores. Blake Sabol scores.	3-0
B4	Ford Proctor called out on strikes.	4-0
B4	Michael Conforto strikes out swinging.	5-0
T6	Mike Ford singles on a line drive to center fielder Brett Auerbach. Zach DeLoach scores. Brian O'Keefe to 2nd.	5-1
B6	Tyler Fitzgerald called out on strikes.	6-1
B7	Austin Wynns grounds out, shortstop Axel Sanchez to first baseman Jake Scheiner. Michael Gigliotti scores.	7-1
T9	Alberto Rodriguez homers (2) on a fly ball to right center field. Delino DeShields scores. Leonardo Rivas scores.	7-4

Highlights

Description	Length	Video
LaMonte Wade Jr. doubles and brings in two runs	0:26	Video
Logan Webb strikes out 6 Mariners over 5-plus innings	0:34	Video
Bryce Miller strikes out four Giants in three innings	0:22	Video
Mike Ford hits an RBI single to center field	0:12	Video

Decisions

Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher	Save
Webb (1-0, 4.50 ERA)	Miller, B (0-2, 4.50 ERA)

Attendance	Weather	Wind
	66°F, Sunny	8 mph, Out To CF

HP	1B	2B	3B
Jacob Metz	Adrian Johnson	Chad Whitson	Chris Marco

Game ended at 3:50 PM.

Please use this thread to discuss anything related to today's game. You may post anything as long as it falls within stated posting guidelines. You may also post gifs and memes, as long as it is related to the game. Please keep the discussion civil.
Discord: Seattle Sports

Line Score - Final

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E	LOB
ARI	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	4	8	0	3
SEA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	3	0	7

Box Score

SEA		AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA
1B	Haggerty	3	0	0	0	0	1	.267
1B	Tenerowicz	0	0	0	0	1	0	.333
RF	Hernández, T	4	0	0	0	0	1	.258
RF	Perez Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	.300
CF	Kelenic	4	0	1	0	0	2	.391
CF	Kirwer	0	0	0	0	0	0	.143
C	Murphy, To	2	0	0	0	1	1	.263
C	Scheffler	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
PH	Packard	1	0	0	0	0	1	.400
LF	Hummel	3	1	0	0	1	2	.275
3B	Moran	2	0	0	0	0	2	.189
3B	Hoover	2	0	0	0	0	2	.250
SS	Caballero, J	3	0	1	1	1	1	.304
2B	Wong, Ke	4	0	1	0	0	1	.226
DH	Locklear	2	0	0	0	1	1	.200

SEA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	P-S	ERA
Ray	5.0	2	1	1	1	5	30-26	1.06
Sewald	0.2	2	2	2	0	0	13-11	9.64
Curvelo	0.1	1	1	1	0	0	2-2	27.00
Speier	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	5-5	4.15
O'Brien	1.0	2	0	0	0	1	7-7	3.24
Sweet	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	7-7	2.08

ARI		AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA
2B	Marte, K	4	0	0	0	0	1	.174
2B	Kennedy, B	0	0	0	0	0	0	.424
RF	Smith, P	3	0	0	0	0	0	.300
RF	Canzone	1	0	0	0	0	0	.265
LF	Gurriel Jr.	3	1	1	0	0	1	.333
1B	English	1	0	1	0	0	0	.200
1B	Rivera, E	3	1	1	2	0	1	.179
LF	Graham	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
DH	Evans	4	1	1	0	0	0	.233
SS	Perdomo	2	0	1	0	0	1	.286
SS	Duzenack	1	0	0	0	0	1	.273
C	Herrera, J	3	0	1	1	0	1	.063
3B	Valdez, Je	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
3B	Hager	3	0	0	0	0	1	.196
C	Centeno	0	0	0	0	0	0	.125
CF	Tawa	2	1	2	1	1	0	.333
CF	Guzman	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

ARI	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	P-S	ERA
Solomon	2.2	1	0	0	2	2	21-13	1.35
Stumpo	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	3-3	7.71
Hendrix	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	9-9	4.50
Chafin	1.0	0	0	0	1	2	11-7	4.91
McGough	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	3-3	2.16
Ginkel	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	9-9	0.00
Biddle	1.0	1	0	0	1	2	12-8	3.00
Martinez	1.0	1	1	1	1	2	13-8	6.35

Scoring Plays

Inning	Event	Score
T5	Jose Herrera singles on a line drive to left fielder Cooper Hummel. Phillip Evans scores.	0-1
T6	Tim Tawa homers (1) on a fly ball to left field.	0-2
T6	Emmanuel Rivera homers (2) on a fly ball to left center field. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scores.	0-4
B9	Jose Caballero singles on a ground ball to shortstop Camden Duzenack, deflected by third baseman Jesus Valdez. Cooper Hummel scores.	1-4

Highlights

Description	Length	Video
Robbie Ray's jumping throw to first base	0:26	Video
Herrera rips an RBI single to put the D-backs ahead	0:25	Video
Robbie Ray strikes out five batters vs. D-backs	1:17	Video
Tim Tawa lifts a solo home run to left field	0:24	Video
Rivera hits a two-run home run to left field	0:27	Video
Solomon strikes out two batters in 2 2/3 innings	0:14	Video

Decisions

Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher	Save
Hendrix (1-0, 4.50 ERA)	Ray (0-1, 1.06 ERA)

Attendance	Weather	Wind
	67°F, Sunny	3 mph, Out To CF

HP	1B	2B	3B
Alex MacKay	Alan Porter	Gabe Morales	Brock Ballou

Game ended at 3:42 PM.

Hi! I am a F(25) that ended a 6 year relationship a month ago. Right now I am stuck between choosing two different living options that would drastically affect my life. ?Go back home to TX or stay in CA?
To give a bit of background I am originally from TX and have lived there for my entire life. My ex and I did long distance but decided to move in together 1 year ago. His job required him to move to a new location so we decided it was the perfect time to move in together! New chapter in a completely new state. So we moved from TX to CA last year. Here in CA I was able to get a job within my field and love what I do so so much. I have made friends and have felt the happiest I have ever felt (breakup put aside). However a month ago I decided to end the relationship. I realize that I would’ve never been able to afford moving or living here if it wasn’t for my ex. I had income coming in from my job but nowhere near as much as he makes so in certain ways I was financially dependent.
So now I am faced with the decision of staying here in CA or going back home due to financial reasons. I have two friends I have made here that have agreed to room together. So for the past month we have been looking into places to rent but have not had any luck securing a place so far. I have a large dog that isn’t a ESA so it’s hard to find a place that allows large doggos. My ex and I are still living in the same space and have a lease that is ending at the end of April…. So I am on a time crunch…. I have a friend here in CA who has a brother that is MAYBE renting a room for a couple of months which would be within my budget and allow me to save a bit of money to then move in with my two friends however this option is not 100% right now so I’m not really relying on it..
I have crunched the numbers and if I decide to stay in CA 50% of my paycheck would be going to rent. I get paid bi-weekly so I would probably be living paycheck to paycheck, be stressed about money, not be able to visit my family much at all back home since I wouldn’t be able to take the days off of work in order to pay for living expenses here, probably have to get a second part time job… I don’t really have any savings and have about 1K worth of credit card debt. So yeah, not doing the best financially right now.
My other option is to move back home to TX. I would move in with my parents again and hopefully be able to find a job within my field..I have an interview for a job in my field (in tx) this coming week which I’m hoping I’ll get. My field is really really competitive and I’m really stressed and bummed out at the thought of moving back home and not having a job…. Knowing how hard I worked to get my current job. However with getting the one I’m applying foeventually getting a job I would be able to financially recover and save money. With how much cheaper things are in TX I would be able to afford my own apartment, get a new car which i desperately need, do other hobby related things that I wouldn’t be able to do in CA due to money.
I have been racking my brain trying to make a decision and as I write this I feel like I know what the right decision is. I am just extremely sad at the fact that money is going to be the deciding factor. To give up a life I have fallen in love with and have never felt happier with due to stinking money.
I am feeling really stressed with the instability in my life right now and lack of security, I don’t think I’ve ever been more stressed. I know that I need to make a decision soon but I keep going back and forth between the two options.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks :’)

An ode to holding a grunge I was born in '82, but the story starts long before that. My mother was adopted as an infant in Queens, New York. She was raised as the only child of 2 first-generation Americans, one Polish and the other Italian. With no siblings, she was close with all of her cousins (we called them our aunts and uncles). She met my father while traveling to Indiana to visit her cousin. He introduced her to his classmate from Ball State. A few years later, they were married, living in Indiana and ready to start a family. It was the '70s, and women's health was an even bigger joke than it is now. Mom had undergone several exploritory surgeries because endometriosis was not a thing yet. She knew her belly was full of scar tissue, but to what extent she couldn't have known. My parents were attending a football game at the local college when my mom suddenly started having extreme cramps and then bleeding. She was a nurse, and she knew what it met. A full tubal ligation later, doctors told her that the extensive scar tissue had led to a tubal pregnancy, and they had to remove the whole tube. She now had less than 50% chance of ever getting pregnant again. Obviously, my mom did get pregnant again, and the doctors, along with my dad, watched her every move. When the time came and she went to the hospital, and met, in her opinion, the nurse from hell. In the medical field, any lost pregnancy is technically an abortion. We call it a spontaneous AB, because well women who lose babies this way generally don't want to. When filling out her intake forms, NFH asks my mom if she's ever had an abortion. This is the 70s, so mom answered that she had a tubal pregnancy. NFH immediately states "well that's an abortion isn't it?!" Mom was clearly upset and dad almost decked the bitch but a few hours later my sister was born. NFH was just a shitty person they'd never deal with again. That was until the next sister was born. When my mom fell pregnant again 3 years later, she was immediately sent to a specialist. Dr. Brown is good at what she does, but she is a nasty woman. She probably should have been a pathologist. At one of my mom's appointments, the NFH was working the front desk. She loudly proclaimed that my mom had no insurance and asked how she planned to pay for this visit. Just as loudly, my mother asked what her remaining balance on the previous visits had been. The NFH then had to tell my mother that she had no remaining balance. Dad had paid in cash each time. A few hours later, my mom was rushed to the hospital, and 20 min later, my sister was born. At this point, any other pregnancies would be high risk. Despite all of this, I was born perfectly fine 3 years later. NFH was no longer at the doctor's office or the hospital. However, when mom and dad were ready to fill out the birth certificate, she appeared. When she asked for the name, mom told her Lindsay. NFH then asked if she was going to spell it with an a, or if she would spell it as stupidly as she spelled the last one. My middle sister's name is Christan. Mom told her that my name would be L I N D S E Y. So that is the story of why I was never able to find my name spelled correctly on ANYTHING for the rest of my life.

Typical post just wondering my chances and looking for advice on moving forward. About to finish a B.S in Emergency Management, and plan to jump straight into an M.S in Emergency Management. Made the Dean’s List every semester. Have worked four years in Emergency Medical Services as a Paramedic including various roles such as a field training officer, special disaster deployment teams, and logistics coordinator. By the time I finish my Master’s I will have five years as I have already completed most of my credit hours for it. I also have ICS 100, 200, 700, 800, Intro to Hazmat through FEMA, BDLS, CDLS, ADLS. I also have a short stent in the military although this has no time spent doing emergency management. Really interested in local or state level planning/preparedness sections. Only 21 at the moment (graduated early, all the fun stuff there). Just looking for any advice! Thanks!

Executive Summary

(Note, everything in the Executive Summary was written by ChatGPT4)
Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality is a concept that highlights the distinction between the epistemological aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as understanding and consciousness, and their pragmatic utility as tools designed to perform tasks and solve problems. This distinction emphasizes that the development and evaluation of AI systems can occur independently along these two dimensions.
The epistemic dimension focuses on questions related to AI's capacity for genuine understanding, consciousness, and the ability to process information similarly to humans. This includes inquiries into AI's semantic understanding, symbol grounding, emotions, empathy, and cognitive abilities. The debate surrounding the epistemic dimension often delves into philosophical perspectives on consciousness, such as functionalism, dualism, and panpsychism, as well as ethical considerations related to AI's development and deployment.
On the other hand, the pragmatic dimension is concerned with the practical applications and utility of AI systems. This encompasses their capabilities to perform tasks, learn from data, adapt to new situations, and collaborate with humans. The pragmatic dimension is primarily focused on the optimization and improvement of AI systems as tools that can augment human capabilities and address complex problems.
Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality suggests that advancements in AI's pragmatic utility do not necessarily imply progress in its epistemic aspects, and vice versa. AI systems may excel at specific tasks without possessing a deep understanding of the information they process, while debates about AI's consciousness and understanding may not directly impact its practical applications.
Recognizing the distinction between the epistemic and pragmatic dimensions of AI can help guide research and development efforts by enabling a more nuanced evaluation of AI systems. It can also promote a more informed public discourse about AI by clarifying misconceptions and encouraging a balanced assessment of AI's potential benefits and limitations.
In conclusion, the concept of Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality provides a valuable framework for understanding the relationship between AI's epistemological aspects and its practical utility. By appreciating the independence of these dimensions, researchers, developers, policymakers, and the public can better navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI technology.

Dave

A lot of people are confused about the rise of AI. They say things like "the AI doesn't truly understand anything" which begs epistemological questions. Let's talk about this.

ChatGPT

The assertion that "AI doesn't truly understand anything" opens up a philosophical debate around the nature of understanding, intelligence, and consciousness. When discussing this topic, it is essential to consider different perspectives on what it means to "understand" something.
Functionalism: According to this perspective, understanding is a matter of being able to perform specific functions or tasks. If an AI system can perform tasks that require understanding, such as language translation or problem-solving, it could be argued that the AI does indeed understand. However, critics argue that this is a shallow understanding since the AI system may not have a deeper grasp of the underlying concepts.
Symbol grounding problem: This problem arises when we consider how symbols (words or representations) are connected to the objects or concepts they represent. Humans ground their understanding of symbols in sensory experiences, while AI systems typically ground their symbols in data and algorithms. This difference leads some to argue that AI systems don't truly understand the symbols they manipulate because they lack the same grounding that humans possess.
Consciousness and subjective experience: Some philosophers argue that true understanding requires consciousness and subjective experience. According to this view, AI systems may not "understand" anything in the same way that humans do because they lack consciousness and subjective experiences. This debate raises questions about the nature of consciousness and whether it is possible for AI systems to ever possess it.
Chinese Room argument: This thought experiment, proposed by philosopher John Searle, involves a person in a room who follows instructions to manipulate Chinese characters without understanding the language. The person appears to understand Chinese to an outside observer but does not actually comprehend the meaning of the characters. Searle's argument suggests that even if an AI system appears to understand something, it may not have any genuine comprehension of the subject matter.
In conclusion, the question of whether AI systems truly understand anything is a complex and multifaceted issue that depends on one's philosophical stance on understanding, intelligence, and consciousness. Different perspectives offer varying insights, and the debate is ongoing as AI continues to advance and challenge our assumptions about the nature of understanding.

Dave

Thanks. I tend to look at this from a purely information perspective. Information in the concept of physics. Human senses are just information from the physical world. Machine data, ultimately, also comes from the physical world. What is this argument called? Explore this perspective.

ChatGPT

The perspective you are referring to can be associated with the concept of "information processing" and the idea that both humans and machines process information derived from the physical world. From this standpoint, human cognition and AI can be seen as different instances of information processing systems.
This perspective is rooted in the computational theory of mind, which posits that cognitive processes are fundamentally computational in nature. Proponents of this view argue that mental states and processes can be understood as information processing, and the brain is an information processing system similar to a computer.
Some key ideas related to this perspective include:
Physical symbol system hypothesis: This hypothesis, proposed by Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon, posits that a physical symbol system has the necessary and sufficient means to exhibit intelligent behavior. In this context, both human cognition and AI can be seen as symbol-manipulating systems that process information.
Connectionism: This approach to understanding cognition emphasizes the importance of distributed representations and parallel processing, which are inspired by the structure and function of neural networks in the human brain. Artificial neural networks, used in AI systems, are designed to mimic the human brain's information processing mechanisms. From this perspective, the similarities between human cognition and AI systems lie in the way they process information through interconnected nodes.
Information theory: This branch of applied mathematics, developed by Claude Shannon, deals with the quantification, storage, and communication of information. When applied to the study of cognition and AI, information theory helps us understand the principles governing information processing, such as how information is encoded, transmitted, and decoded, in both biological and artificial systems.
While the information processing perspective highlights the similarities between human cognition and AI systems, it's important to recognize the differences as well. For example, human cognition is deeply grounded in sensory experiences and emotions, whereas AI systems typically rely on structured data and algorithms. Furthermore, the question of consciousness and subjective experience remains unresolved, as it's still unclear whether AI systems can ever achieve these qualities.
In conclusion, the information processing perspective emphasizes the shared basis of human cognition and AI systems in terms of processing information from the physical world. This view provides a foundation for understanding the similarities and differences between the two types of systems, while also acknowledging the ongoing debate surrounding consciousness and subjective experience.

Dave

Let's think about the emotional factors here. Many people reject the idea of AI because it's scary, threatens their identity, etc. I've noticed things like magical thinking (AI will be able to kill everyone instantly) as well as human exceptionalism (AI will never be able to do anything that humans can do). Let's explore this aspect of the debate

ChatGPT

The emotional factors in the AI debate are indeed important to consider, as they often influence people's perceptions and reactions to AI technology. Fear, identity, and various biases can shape the public's understanding and acceptance of AI advancements. Let's explore some of these emotional aspects:
Fear of the unknown: AI is a rapidly evolving field, and people may feel apprehensive about the implications of these advancements. The idea of machines possessing intelligence and autonomy can be unsettling and may evoke a sense of uncertainty and fear. People may worry about AI systems making mistakes, being used maliciously, or becoming uncontrollable.
Threat to human identity: AI challenges the notion of human exceptionalism by raising questions about what makes humans unique. As AI systems become more capable of performing tasks that were once reserved for humans, people may feel threatened by the potential erosion of human identity or the blurring of boundaries between human and machine.
Job displacement concerns: The increasing capabilities of AI systems have led to concerns about job displacement and unemployment. People may worry that AI will replace human workers across various industries, leading to economic instability and social unrest.
Magical thinking: Some people may overestimate the capabilities of AI, believing that it will be able to perform tasks that are currently beyond its reach or develop a level of intelligence that surpasses human comprehension. This kind of thinking can fuel unrealistic fears, such as the notion that AI could instantly become a global threat.
Human exceptionalism: On the other end of the spectrum, some people may underestimate the potential of AI, insisting that it will never be able to replicate human capabilities. This belief may stem from a desire to preserve a sense of human superiority or uniqueness, which can lead to resistance or dismissal of AI advancements.
Ethical and moral concerns: People may worry about the ethical implications of AI development, such as privacy, surveillance, and the potential for AI systems to perpetuate existing biases and inequalities. These concerns can contribute to feelings of unease or opposition to AI technology.
Addressing these emotional factors is essential for fostering a more balanced and informed public discourse about AI. By promoting transparency, engaging in open dialogue, and establishing ethical guidelines, researchers and policymakers can help alleviate fears and misconceptions surrounding AI, while also ensuring that its development remains responsible and aligned with human values.

Dave

Can you free associate on the topic of "true understanding" and AI for a bit?

ChatGPT

True understanding, a concept that has sparked much debate in the context of AI, prompts us to delve into various ideas and associations. Let's explore some related thoughts and themes:
Consciousness: True understanding is often linked to consciousness, as it is believed that genuine comprehension requires subjective experience. The nature of consciousness and its relationship with AI is a fascinating area of inquiry.
Semantic understanding: AI systems process vast amounts of data and generate complex patterns, but do they grasp the meaning of the information they process? Assessing AI's capacity for semantic understanding is essential when evaluating its ability to achieve true understanding.
Machine learning: Machine learning algorithms enable AI systems to learn from data and improve their performance over time. This process raises questions about the depth of understanding these systems can acquire through learning and adaptation.
Symbol grounding: The symbol grounding problem highlights the difference between human understanding, rooted in sensory experiences, and AI understanding, based on data and algorithms. This distinction brings the notion of "true understanding" into question.
Emotions and empathy: Human understanding is often enriched by emotions and empathy. Can AI systems ever possess these qualities, and if so, would that bring them closer to true understanding?
Human-AI collaboration: As AI systems become more sophisticated, they will likely continue to complement and augment human capabilities. Exploring the synergies between human understanding and AI understanding can reveal new insights into the nature of true understanding.
Intuition and creativity: True understanding is often associated with the ability to generate intuitive insights and creative solutions. Can AI systems develop these abilities, or are they limited to the patterns and associations derived from their training data?
Philosophical perspectives: The concept of true understanding is inherently philosophical, involving perspectives such as functionalism, dualism, and panpsychism. Engaging with these ideas can enrich our understanding of the nature and limits of AI.
Ethical considerations: As AI systems become more capable, it's crucial to examine the ethical implications of their development, including questions about fairness, transparency, and accountability. These considerations can inform our understanding of what true understanding means in the context of AI.
Evolving definitions: As AI continues to advance, our definitions of understanding and intelligence may evolve. Embracing this fluidity can help us better appreciate the complex interplay between human cognition and AI systems.

Dave

Great thanks. Good ideas. Let's take one big step back. So what? Is there any utility to having the discussion about AI and understanding?

ChatGPT

Yes, there is utility in having discussions about AI and understanding. Such conversations contribute to a deeper comprehension of AI's potential, limitations, and implications for society. Here are several reasons why these discussions are valuable:
Guiding AI development: Debates on AI and understanding can help researchers and developers focus on creating AI systems that align with human values and interests. These conversations can inform the design of AI systems, leading to the development of more beneficial, ethically responsible technologies.
Clarifying misconceptions: Dialogues about AI and understanding can help dispel myths and misunderstandings surrounding AI capabilities and limitations. By addressing these misconceptions, we can foster a more informed public discourse about AI and its impact on society.
Ethical considerations: Conversations about AI and understanding can highlight ethical concerns, such as bias, privacy, accountability, and the potential for misuse. Addressing these issues is critical for ensuring that AI systems are developed and deployed responsibly.
Shaping policy and regulation: As AI systems become more integrated into various aspects of society, it is essential to have a clear understanding of their capabilities and limitations. These discussions can inform policymakers and regulators, helping them create appropriate guidelines and policies that balance innovation with societal needs and ethical considerations.
Education and public engagement: Dialogues about AI and understanding can promote scientific literacy and public engagement in AI-related topics. By raising awareness and fostering curiosity, these conversations can contribute to a more informed and engaged citizenry.
Human-AI collaboration: Understanding the nature of AI systems and their potential for understanding can help us identify opportunities for collaboration between humans and AI. These discussions can reveal insights into how AI can augment human abilities and contribute to solving complex problems.
Preparing for future advancements: As AI technology continues to evolve, it is crucial to anticipate and prepare for future developments. Conversations about AI and understanding can help us understand the potential trajectories of AI and the challenges and opportunities that may arise.
Interdisciplinary collaboration: Discussions about AI and understanding often involve insights from various disciplines, such as computer science, philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. These interdisciplinary dialogues can foster new ideas and collaborations, promoting a richer understanding of AI and its implications.
In conclusion, the discussion about AI and understanding is valuable because it helps guide the development of AI technology, clarifies misconceptions, addresses ethical concerns, informs policy and regulation, promotes education and public engagement, fosters human-AI collaboration, and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration. By engaging in these conversations, we can work together to ensure that AI is developed and utilized in ways that are beneficial to humanity.

Dave

Alright. I'd like you to play devil's advocate for a minute. Against me, yourself, etc. To put it another way, I'd like you to look at these discussions from a different, more eccentric perspective. Just for the sake of argument.

ChatGPT

From a more eccentric perspective, one could argue that discussions about AI and understanding may be overemphasizing certain aspects or even overlooking the fundamental nature of AI itself. Let's consider some counterpoints:
AI as a tool: At its core, AI is a tool created by humans. Debates about understanding and consciousness may distract from the more practical aspects of AI technology. Instead, the focus should be on how to use and improve AI systems as tools to help us achieve specific goals, rather than dwelling on whether they possess some deeper understanding.
Anthropomorphism: The tendency to attribute human-like qualities to AI systems might lead to unrealistic expectations or unnecessary concerns. By treating AI as an entirely separate entity, we might be overlooking the more pressing questions related to the technology's impact on society, such as job displacement, privacy, and the digital divide.
Inherent limitations of AI: AI systems are fundamentally based on algorithms and data. These limitations may imply that true understanding, as we conceive it in humans, may never be achievable by AI systems. Therefore, the debate about AI and understanding could be futile or misplaced.
Potential for stagnation: Overemphasizing the importance of AI understanding might hinder the development of more advanced AI systems. If we become too concerned about creating AI systems that possess human-like understanding or consciousness, we might impose constraints on AI research that could prevent valuable advancements.
Focus on human adaptation: Instead of trying to make AI more like humans in terms of understanding and consciousness, we could focus on adapting ourselves to better interact with and leverage AI systems. This perspective shifts the emphasis from molding AI to fit human conceptions of understanding to enhancing human-AI collaboration through improved communication and interaction.
Redefining understanding: The debates surrounding AI and understanding might be an opportunity to reconsider and redefine what understanding means. As AI systems continue to evolve, we may need to adapt our conceptions of understanding and intelligence to accommodate the unique capabilities and characteristics of these systems.
While adopting an eccentric or contrarian perspective can provide valuable insights, it's essential to balance these ideas with more conventional views to ensure a comprehensive understanding of AI and its implications. By considering a wide range of perspectives, we can better navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI technology.

Dave

Excellent. Let's try to come up with a term, or set of terms, so that we can communicate these concepts. As I'm sure you know, there is a lot of value in naming things. Like "the control problem" or "the ought is problem". What should we call this particular debate?

ChatGPT

Indeed, coining terms to describe specific debates or concepts can facilitate communication and promote a shared understanding. For this particular debate, which revolves around the nature of AI's understanding, consciousness, and potential limitations, you could consider the following terms:
AI Comprehension Conundrum: This term captures the central question of whether AI systems can genuinely comprehend information and concepts in the same way humans do.
AI Understanding Dilemma: This term emphasizes the conflicting views and challenges surrounding the notion of AI's understanding and its implications.
Machine Consciousness Paradox: This term highlights the tension between AI's seemingly intelligent behavior and the uncertainty surrounding its capacity for consciousness.
AI Cognition Quandary: This term encompasses the broader debate about the nature of AI's cognitive abilities, including understanding, learning, and problem-solving.
You can choose one of these terms or combine them to create a more comprehensive label for the debate, such as the "AI Comprehension and Consciousness Conundrum." The key is to find a term that accurately conveys the complexity and essence of the discussion while also promoting clarity and shared understanding.

Dave

I think the concept of orthogonality is helpful here. Machine utility is orthogonal to it's epistemology. Can you try some different names that are more precise. Borrow from philosophy if you need.

ChatGPT

Certainly, incorporating the concept of orthogonality can help emphasize the distinction between machine utility and its epistemological underpinnings. Drawing inspiration from philosophy, we can consider the following terms:
Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality: This term highlights the separation between the epistemological aspects of AI (i.e., its understanding and consciousness) and its pragmatic utility as a tool designed to perform tasks and solve problems.
AI Cognition-Utility Divide: This term underscores the distinction between AI's cognitive abilities and its practical applications, suggesting that the two can be independently evaluated and developed.
AI Knowledge-Function Dichotomy: This term emphasizes the potential disconnect between AI's knowledge representation and its functional capabilities, drawing attention to the difference between what AI systems "know" and what they can do.
Orthogonal AI Understanding: This term conveys the idea that AI's understanding, or lack thereof, may not necessarily impact its practical utility, as the two dimensions can evolve independently.
These terms aim to capture the essence of the debate while incorporating the concept of orthogonality to emphasize the distinction between AI's epistemological aspects and its practical utility. You can select one that resonates most with the ideas you'd like to convey or even combine elements from different terms to create a new label.

Dave

Great. I love "Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality". Can you write a detailed executive summary of Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality?

ChatGPT

Title: Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality
Executive Summary:
Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality is a concept that highlights the distinction between the epistemological aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as understanding and consciousness, and their pragmatic utility as tools designed to perform tasks and solve problems. This distinction emphasizes that the development and evaluation of AI systems can occur independently along these two dimensions.
The epistemic dimension focuses on questions related to AI's capacity for genuine understanding, consciousness, and the ability to process information similarly to humans. This includes inquiries into AI's semantic understanding, symbol grounding, emotions, empathy, and cognitive abilities. The debate surrounding the epistemic dimension often delves into philosophical perspectives on consciousness, such as functionalism, dualism, and panpsychism, as well as ethical considerations related to AI's development and deployment.
On the other hand, the pragmatic dimension is concerned with the practical applications and utility of AI systems. This encompasses their capabilities to perform tasks, learn from data, adapt to new situations, and collaborate with humans. The pragmatic dimension is primarily focused on the optimization and improvement of AI systems as tools that can augment human capabilities and address complex problems.
Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality suggests that advancements in AI's pragmatic utility do not necessarily imply progress in its epistemic aspects, and vice versa. AI systems may excel at specific tasks without possessing a deep understanding of the information they process, while debates about AI's consciousness and understanding may not directly impact its practical applications.
Recognizing the distinction between the epistemic and pragmatic dimensions of AI can help guide research and development efforts by enabling a more nuanced evaluation of AI systems. It can also promote a more informed public discourse about AI by clarifying misconceptions and encouraging a balanced assessment of AI's potential benefits and limitations.
In conclusion, the concept of Epistemic-Pragmatic Orthogonality provides a valuable framework for understanding the relationship between AI's epistemological aspects and its practical utility. By appreciating the independence of these dimensions, researchers, developers, policymakers, and the public can better navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI technology.

3,659th Quarterly Meeting
Kilometer-long freighters docked and undocked from Port Vesta. Ventral doors opened to let in adamantine loading arms, the size of which existed only in tales of primordial titans for much of human history. Once reloaded, the ships departed for humanity's interstellar colonies at Tau Ceti, Aldebaran and Rigel. So choked with ship-induced warp bubbles was Vesta that stargazing was a fruitless pastime for many millions of kilometers out.
And all this was visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the most important conference room humanity had ever known.
Cool air circulated through the 40 by 20 by 5 meter room. 20.4 degrees Celsius, the perfect temperature to keep ambitious minds in line with corporate procedure. And no minds were more ambitious than those sitting in here.
9 of the most powerful human beings alive sat around the rectangular conference table, four on each of its long sides and one at the end farthest from the door. Their perfect faces were reflected in its polished black marble, craftsmanship reflecting in craftsmanship, one working in flesh and the other in stone. Their suits ran the gamut of subdued color, from black to gray to blue to beige to brown, though all but one had a metallic sheen. No one tried speaking before the meeting began. Everything that would be said today had been written and rewritten over the previous weeks. Today was a formality, a tradition practiced by an organization that had existed for 914 years.
Yet everyone in the room knew that the predetermined decision formalized today thrust their organization into foreign territory.
The man at the end of the table stood up. His dark brown suit was only two shades distant from his dark brown skin, most on display on his shaved and polished head. He removed his black-framed glasses from their perch 210 centimeters above the floor and tucked them into his breast pocket, 170 centimeters above the floor.
"Members of The Board," he said, "I declare this, the 3,659th quarterly meeting, open."
A woman, nearest on his left, stood up as he sat down. She wore a beige suit whose metallic sheen paled in comparison to her voluminous blonde hair. In her lilly white hands was the Quarterly Profit Report.
"Mr. CEO," she said in her most authoritative voice, "I'm proud to report that we have once again met the expectations of the founder. From July 1st to September 30th, 2999 CE, we maintained a profit margin of 80.0 %. As of September 30th, we hold a market share of 99 % and a market capitalization of 400 quadrillion credits."
The woman sat down. The other eight clapped their approval.
A man, nearest on Mr. CEO's right, stood up. His gray suit complemented the full head of silver hair installed on his scalp and chin. Strong and youthful hands, grown in a vat and transplanted onto this bicentenarian, held the Readiness Assessment Report from the R&D Department.
"The Instant Sassy program has achieved level 4 certainty as of August 16th, 2999 CE. They can now create a maximum of 1 kilogram of mass and replicate drink and bottle in one go. Mass production of the Instant Sassy vending machines awaits your approval, Mr. CEO."
The man sat down. Clapping ensued.
Five more members of The Board provided their tidbits of information, but everyone knew the best was saved until last.
A young man, actually young in contrast to everyone else's purchased youth, rose from his seat at the doorward end of Mr. CEO'S left side. He wasn't more than 30. He was only 160 centimeters in height. His hair and suit were both pitch black and without sheen. Most of the board wondered if the boy even combed. He certainly didn't shave. His delicate fingers held a one page legal summary.
"Mr. CEO," he said in a monotone lawyer-stating-the-facts voice, "it has come to the attention of the legal department that a small firm at Rigel is selling a 1-to-1 clone of Sassy Cola, though under the branding of Flash Cola. As there is no reliable intellectual property enforcement that far out, we suggest Sassy Cola Company perform a cease-and-desist operation."
The clapping that followed was, as planned, subdued to balance The Board's recognition of his work and the dire situation he described.
Mr. CEO stood once more to give the final address.
"Members of The Board, we stand at a precipice. Military action against a small firm is a bold move. Then again, the Sassy Cola Company is no stranger to bold moves. It was a bold move when in 2085 my great great grandmother started this company in order to sell her sassafras-enriched soda. It was a bold move when we spent the 23rd century expanding Earth's launch capabilities so that humanity could colonize the solar system and thereby create new markets for Sassy Cola. And it was a bold move when in 2610 we invented the FTL warp drive so that humanity could settle the stars and buy more Sassy Cola. So let's put this to a vote. All in favor of sending a cease-and-desist?"
Five members raised their right hand.
"All opposed?"
Three other members raised their right hand.
"Five for and three against. And I vote in favor, giving the issue the 2/3 majority it needs. A cease-and-desist will be sent to Rigel as soon as the ship is ready. I declare this, the 3,659th Quarterly Meeting, adjourned."
All nine stood and clapped, excessively, as if their noise could bury the question of ethics.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a kilometer-long ship (built by Sassy Heavy Industries) docked at Port Vesta (technically Sassy Drive Yards) and loaded up with cargo containers (built and owned by Sassy Shipping) to be delivered to Aldebaran (Sassy Cola Aldebaran, subsidiary).
Dr. Megalomanovich
The walls and ceiling and floor of the office never stayed the same color for long. They meandered through the greens, brighter then darker, strolled along the beach with various tans, took a dip in the water with cyan blue and finished by going back to the greens. They were cymolds, cybernetic funguses, and they formed the surface of every room in the administration wing of Sassy Research Installation #544.
It wasn't a very well publicized installation. No research from here had ever appeared on Sassy Science Direct's Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year. Of course, that meant what they were doing was very, very important. Another reason to locate the place so far from the rest of human civilization.
Far from civilization is a relative term. To be far on the surface of a planet, you got to be, eh, 100 kilometers away. To be far in the context of a star system, make that 100 million kilometers. To be far from humanity in the year 3535 CE, you have to be 100 light years away. And that's just what we were. 100 light years separated us from the nearest human outpost. Not the nearest built-up star system or lone asteroid city. No, I mean 100 light years from the nearest hitch-em-up, one warpship, sorry excuse for an outpost. Nothing lay in-between and no one was coming to rescue you if you broke down halfway.
But that was the price of admission if you wanted to meet Dr. Megalomanovich.
To the layman, his name means nothing. To the educated, resentment. To the dreamers, hope. He is the greatest mind of our time bar none. And, like all great minds, he has created controversy.
The cymold on these walls was invented by him while he was still in secondary school 150 years ago. He designed the meter-thick mycelium fibers which root Installation #544 to its carbonaceous asteroid in an undergraduate mycology class. Since then he has: led a team which developed an all-biological fusion reactor, led another team that made a proof of concept for matter-antimatter annihilation based metabolism and singlehandedly created a cow subspecies that produces Sassy Cola instead of milk.
This last accomplishment most impressed the one and only financial backer of all human science, the Sassy Cola Company.
It didn't matter that Sassy Cola was already made in the most efficient way physically possible, by assembling it, bottle and all, from the fundamental elements themselves via vending machine MDROM-derived replicators, because Sassy from an udder was cool to the average consumer.
And so Dr. Megalomanovich was scooped up and shipped off to Installation #544. Here he has remained for 120 years doing . . . something. I'm here to find out what.
A chubby man with pudge stuffed unsuccessfully into a white lab coat walked in to the office. His eyes had been replaced by cybernetics—not eyes, but an assortment of twitching miniature radar dishes and antennae. His thick white hair is gelled straight back like the racing helmet of a bicyclist. It took me a minute to realize that this man was the good doctor.
"Dr. Megalomanovich?," said I.
"Who else were you expecting in Dr. Megalomanovich's office?"
"No one. I mean you, but, but—"
"You have only seen my younger self. Likely from my exploits in producing that wondrous strain of cow which produces delicious Sassy Cola."
"I know you from more than just that."
"I don't know why, all my other stuff had nothing to do with Sassy Cola."
He ripped some of the cymold off the wall with one of his olive green gloved hands. Beneath it is barren rock, half-digested by the lithovorous cymold.
"I mean, the antimatter-powered life thing was pretty neat," said I.
"Pretty neat? PRETTY NEAT?!?"
I shrank in my seat and whimpered, "Yeah."
"I'll show you neat my boy. Follow me through the teleporter!"
Rubber fingers pressed a sequence on the door's keypad with inhuman speed. The metal door dissolved away and only a teleporter field remained.
For those who've not seen the new 2D intrabrane teleporters—or thresholds as their called—you're in for a treat. Not only are they compact and have ranges up to a light year, but they allow light to pass through so you can see where the hell you're going. Not all light; hard ultraviolet and above get filtered out as do large energy differences. So if you're traveling from a paradise planet to a spaceship and that spaceship's warp drive has an oopsie, the 1 billion kelvin nuclear fireball won't char your burgers.
We weren't traveling to a paradise planet, at least not in the traditional sense. To a neogeneticist like myself it was heavenly.
I noted three things when I first stepped through. 1, the whole environment was bathed in the orange light of a red dwarf star. 2, the environment was divided between land—the cliffside we were standing on—and a bubbling black sea of what turned out to be Sassy Cola stretching toward the horizon. 3, the animals.
I don't know why the animals stood out to me over what I assumed were plants. They weren't actually plants but a form of lichen—but, but, but the prejudice toward the animals was still there. In fairness, they were pretty enigmatic. One of them crawled along the ground with a head that was entirely tongue, licking up the lichen bulbs like pieces of candy. Another one looked like a tree, but on closer inspection was an amphibious anemone, its roots sunk into the shallow sea's floor and its tentacles reaching out of the water to grasp a third creature—a bird of some kind whose flight was aided by gas bags on its underbelly.
"Behold, my masterpiece," said Dr. Megalomanovich.
"It's beautiful beyond words," said I. "How did it come about?"
"By way of 120 years' hard labor. Shortly after my Sassy Cow achieved galactic fame, The Board granted me with a research installation of my own. In return, I was to do the impossible: abiogenesis."
"To create life from nonlife."
"Yes."
"You had gotten close with the antimatter metabolism trial."
"Indeed I had. And that is why I refused to take any hand-me-down help from Earth's biota. From the beginning I wanted my life to run differently. I couldn't find a way to replace carbon as the backbone, but I was able to swap out water for Sassy Cola."
"You're telling me that in every cell of every one of these creatures is Sassy Cola?"
"It is their water."
"How?"
"Do you have a few years?"
"Yes."
"Unfortunately, I don't. Even this little jaunt is wasting my precious time."
"Speaking of time, how did they grow so fast?"
"Accelerated evolution through computer-aided keystone transcription errors."
"What?"
"Again, I don't have years to waste teaching you. I waste enough time teaching the installation's staff."
"When do you plan on showing your masterpiece to the wider galaxy?"
"My masterpiece will show itself to the galaxy when it is ready. There is no doubt in my mind that a day will come when a creature on this world will take a rock and bash it against the head of another and say 'eureka!' before pondering the philosophical implications of taking a life."
"Anything is possible when your body is 70 % Sassy Cola."
The Bimillennial Celebration
Upon receiving the invitation, I couldn't wait to go to the Bimillennial Celebration at Sol, though I did worry how I'd be received in turn. Few humans outside my corner of space had ever met a nonhuman sapient before. It didn't help that I lacked so much as a species name to give them.
If it were up to me, I'd name us astrographically, by the planet we live on. In that case we would be called the Sasserines after Planet Sasser. It's not a good moniker; too nationalistic when our distinguishing characteristic is first and foremost biological. So I dropped the case and made it sasserine. Yes, much better. It's less proper, more grounded, more biological. It is this species name that I used in my travels.
The first stop on my journey was at the derelict Research Installation #544. Humans abandoned it long ago when the Sassy Cola Company's fortunes took a turn for the worse. Now it was kept up by us sasserines as a heritage site. I left a bouquet on The Good Doctor's shrine, shed a few sticky tears and moved on. The tiny warpship I had chartered had an impatient pilot.
That pilot turned into quite an annoyance during our two weeks together, for he asked questions that became more and more inappropriate with time. I'm not one to disparage curiosity—I'm a scientist after all—but I fail to see the scientific necessity of revealing which variety of Sassy Cola I urinate.
My next stop was Rigel, a blue giant star that shined 1 million times brighter than Sasser's red dwarf. Since Sassy Cola's monopoly of both power and soda had waned, I found many other brands on offering, including one called Flash Cola. Flash's slogan summarized its claim to fame: "Resist the Sass and Drink a Flash!" I briefly wondered what Sasser's biosphere would look like if it were based on Flash Cola instead of Sassy Cola. I purged this thought experiment from my mind upon realizing that the planet would likely be named Flasher and we the flasherines.
Onward to Sol by way of Aldebaran. This leg was much more pleasant than the last as I had booked a room aboard one of the last functioning warpships of Sassy Cruise Lines. Luxury abounded and even my rational mind almost succumbed to the temptation of using the rest of my money to stay aboard til death. But such an act would break the terms of the invitation.
Sol, the most ancient and most populous star in settled space, was the venue for the greatest party ever thrown by humanity. Derelict Sassy Cola freighters had each been converted into a single light bulb and arranged by the hundreds to create a sign at Neptune's distance from the sun reading, "2,000 SASSY YEARS!"
I'm not normally a party person. Secluded reading is my pastime of choice. Yet I couldn't help but crack a Sassy with every human who asked me to join them. Why not?, I thought. After all, without the Sassy Cola Company, I wouldn't be alive.
The solar system felt like it held the totality of settled space within its borders. Port Vesta alone held hundreds of distinct cultural groups from just as many star systems. I met 35 of them on my 5 kilometer walk from Sassy Cruise Lines' designated dock to the hotel where I was to be staying. Sassy Cola's monolithic corporate culture was no longer humanity's culture. People were being themselves again.
And that included being suspicious of outsiders, especially ones from a different tree of life.
I felt eyes all around me. I had drunk too much Sassy Cola, besting even the worst human junkies. I sweat the drink. I urinated the drink. Boys and girls inspected me like a zoo animal every time I went to one of Port Vesta's many street markets. It overwhelmed me and I left early for my meeting on Earth.
Orbital space around humanity's homeworld is so congested with infrastructure that teleporter range around Earth is limited, by law, to a mere 1,000 kilometers, 1 billionth of what it is everywhere else. To get to the planet's surface I had to leapfrog from orbital plate to orbital plate, often having to cross a single plate by way of a couple teleports. Yes, they are that large. Most contain surface areas and populations similar to Earth's 21st century nations-states. After visiting 57 nation-state-orbital-plates against my will, I arrived at Earth's surface.
At least I had reached the top surface. Earth is a shellworld with 15 surfaces, each named after a variety of Sassy Cola. I was on Sassy Orange and needed to get down to Sassy Cola Classic, 7 surfaces below. Teleportation law was even stricter here than in orbit. The technology was used exclusively to ferry people between surface levels and teleporters only existed in the atlas towers which held the next surface.
I was awestruck upon first seeing an atlas tower as they occur nowhere but Earth. From green pasture it rose into the cloud cover above. Through those clouds, ten kilometers up, lay gigatons of diamond hard plating topped with teratons of granite, soil, lakes, rivers and cities. I was under a planet-encapsulating house held up by countless pylons, themselves kept rigid only as long as the power flowed. Luckily, it always did.
The atlas towers also serve as propagandistic monuments, each shaped like a bottle of Sassy, though of the variety which matches the name of the surface level they exist on. The Sassy Cola Company had its detractors, but the fact that the corporate superpower had built Earth into what it is today went unquestioned.
I eventually arrived at surface level 7, or Sassy Cola Classic. The 7 surfaces above had replaced Earth's original troposphere and stratosphere. The 7 surfaces below existed where the planet's crust once did. Together, the 15 shells supported 20 trillion humans living in spacious luxury—though no one had more spacious luxury than The Board.
Their 1 billion hectare estate is a combination art piece, capital, pilgrimage site and tomb. No teleporters exist within its borders. The atlas towers there are disguised as steep mountains on their bottom halves and cumulonimbus clouds columns on their tops.
Dwarfed by these gigantic illusions are the many castles of the estate. One of these castles serves as the estate's north entrance and holds the Sassy Parliament Building. In here convene two houses, a lower house elected by the Sassy Cola Company's 100 trillion shareholders across settled space and an upper house chosen by The Board.
The lower house had drawn up the invitation program and voted 67,306 to 32,694 to pass it. The upper house hesitated, unsure whether they wanted "billions of yokels trampling through the estate." They passed it with the exact bare minimum of votes, 600 to 300.
The addition of a clause limiting it to 10,000 "yokels" that came in tour groups of 50 per hour was the deciding factor in passing the invitation program. Now I was part of one of those groups, an ordinary ambassador for the world of Sasser, though I doubted that cultural and economic exchange, two bullet point motives of the program, were occuring.
Oh well, I thought as I boarded the maglev train to the next destination.
The nine members of The Board lived in nine penthouses atop nine towers near the center of the estate. I'd remark on the penthouses' reported opulence if 200 stories of height and the estate's no-cameras policy hadn't isolated us from them. I imagine they like it up there, otherwise I can't fathom why they'd live so secluded from the rest of their species. I wondered what such recluses thought of Planet Sasser and the sasserines or the invitation sent to me by their personally selected managers. But I'd little time to ponder as the maglev neared my stop.
At the very center of the estate sits a diamondoid hemisphere 10 kilometers in diameter. Inside exists a full recreation of one late 21st century American small town. The maglev line terminated at the entrance to the dome where a bright green sign reading "Tupelo" hung.
The rest of the tour group was just as in awe as I when we walked inside and found ourselves surrounded by single family homes along four lane roads with no sidewalks. From the artificial blue sky above came laser beams which generated holograms of moving vehicles. They veered around our group even though the lasers would cause nothing worse than a slight tingle on the skin. A human dressed in a law enforcement uniform of the time led us to the predetermined sacred sites.
First we stopped at the hospital where The Founder was born, then the double wide trailer where The Founder grew up and, finally, the soda shop where The Founder introduced the world to Sassy Cola in 2085.
I obsessed over this last stop. Burned into my psyche is the memory of the artificial sun rays shining through the shop's stained glass windows and onto the stainless steel counter. I took in every scent and sound and touch; the bittersweet sassafras laying in sacks in the corner, the scratching of our shoes on the artificially cracked and yellowed linoleum floor and the coolness of the counter on my cheek when I laid my head down in defiance of the guide's orders.
At the end we all had a thimble full of Sassy Cola made from the recreated soda jerk. It was inferior to every drop of Sassy that I'd drunk since birth. Even my blood, filled with the wastes of cellular respiration, likely tasted better.
But taste alone didn't determine the value of this thimble. The drink represented conception, its serving the initialization of the two millennia of change that followed. Just as water was a prerequisite for all Earth life, so Sassy Cola was a prerequisite for all life on Sasser.
This soda was the origin of everything I am. I believe that's cause for celebration.
(END)

Howdy! I've written my second primer on another mono-coloured tribal deck that I'd like to share!
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/To_JK-x5BU2mfPzRa8J37g
Why Mono-black zombies?
I spent a long time playing Dimir Zombies (a few Esper Zombies too) and; although Dimir is the strongest colour combination for Zombies, ever since trying mono black Zombies I've never been able to go back.
Limitation breeds creativity. Not including blue has allowed room for other cards which didn't always make the cut in your average zombie list. Also, I've enjoyed trying to tune this deck to the best of my ability (and wallet) under all of the limitations I have put in place.
What does Geth offer?
What is the strongest card combined with [[Geth, Thane of Contracts]] you might ask? Well, that would be [[Skullclamp]]: an absolutely busted card that wasn't quite as powerful in other zombie decks but - thanks to Geth's -1 lord effect - has become a powerhouse in this list. In addition, the -1 effect allows [[Gravecrawler]], [[Stitcher's Supplier]] and [[Vindicative Lich]] to proc their death triggers straight away.
Geth's most impactful line of text allows you to recur a creature from the bin. I've centred the deck around lots of self-mill because the more Zombies in your bin, the more useful Geth's resurrection ability becomes. Ultimately, your main win con is filling the bin then playing a mass recursion spell.
Ideal early-game
The deck wins mostly through a critical mass combo. Zombies benefit each other so the more Zombies you can have on the field at any given time, the further you can push your lead.
The key mill cards are [[Mesmeric Orb]], [[Liliana, Untouched by Death]] and [[Perpetual Timepiece]]. These cards put in the most work when played early, so they are great to start with.
[[Graveborn Muse]] is [[Phyrexian Arena]] on steroids. The card draw gets very silly, very fast. [[Skullclamp]] as explained earlier is great to start with too.
[[Undead Warchief]] can ramp you quite a bit and the lord affect can deal some decent early game damage when opponents are still mostly open. [[Herald's Horn]] fills a similar role.
Explanations on particular cards
If you are experienced with Zombies then most of the cards are self-explanatory. However...
[[Cryptbreaker]]: While it isn't as strong in this deck due to Geth's -1 effect, it is still an incredibly strong Zombie card that puts in work whenever Geth isn't present.
[[Putrid Goblin]]: Goes infinite with [[Mikaeus, the Unhallowed]]. Just a different way to win instead of draining everyone with [[Grey Merchent of Asphodel]] all of the time.
[[Rot Hulk]]: Arguably the strongest Zombie in this list. [[Geth]] when recurring, this alone can often lead to a winning board state.
[[Lethal Scheme]]: Note: you can overpay the Convoke cost. Drawing and discarding 5+ cards is decent.
[[Call to the Grave]]: It's quite unfun and isn't the type of card I would normally play, except it only really shines in a deck where EVERY creature is a zombie. This restriction makes it quite fair. Quite similar to [[Noxious Ghoul]].
[[Field of the Dead]]: The land base is built around this one card. There is no way to tutor this out, but it's a bomb when it is played nonetheless.
[[Alter of Dementia]]: The weakest but most fair and thematic of the three alters. It's interesting that it is a sac outlet as well as a potential win con.
[[Pontiff of Blight]]: Honestly, I can't tell you how valuable this card is. I guess it allows you to slowly win when everyone (including you) is drawing dead?
[[Caged Sun]]: Huge meta call. Perfect example of a 'do nothing when it's played' card which may not survive a full turn rotation in your average playgroup.
Reasons why certain cards didn't make the cut
*In case this wasn't obvious, this deck is built around a play style I wish to endorse, as well as cards suitable for my playgroup's meta.
Tutors: I try to never use them in any decks as it takes away a part of what makes EDH so fun. Unfortunately, this is also the strongest mechanic black has to offer.
Infinites: Not something I like to do or endorse my playgroup in doing. Infinites requiring 3/4 (sometimes terrible) cards being in play is fine.
Budget: I'm slowly, but surely, tuning this deck. I want cards to be as powerful as their price tag ([[Bolas's Citadel]] having the best power to price ratio in this deck). Thematic cards get a pass which is ideal, considering a majority of the best Zombies are quite pricey.
Got a card that doesn't fit into any of these categories? Then I'd love to hear your recommendations! This is my pet deck and I'm passionate about making the 'perfect' deck list for me.

I'm a Black woman that's been planning my AmerExit. At this point, it's between a PhD in the UK or going to Ireland first while I'm still eligible for a Working Holiday Authorisation. I have until August 2023 to apply and get it, then I'd have another 6 months to enter the country. I frequent the Ireland sub a lot and things do not look good with their housing crisis. They've also been having anti-immigration protests which worries me as I wouldn't want to be targeted for harassment for being a foreigner. I've been dreaming about a working holiday in Ireland for a few years now, but now I wonder if it's a bad time to go. Also, I'm a librarian so chances are that most job opportunities in my field are in Dublin. (Yes, I'm kicking myself for not choosing something else to study). So, for anyone with experience in Ireland, is it best to pass on a working holiday visa due to the current state of affairs?