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miapcain

"Toasty" Vesna: Dogs to Watch Out For - 13/08/26

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gizmoody

rosalesbeausderholle

One thing that worries me about the use of AI is whether or not it can worsen people's dementia and alzheimer's in the future. When my grandmother was first diagnosed, we got her math activity books. Now, my grandmother never had a formal education, but we did our best to keep her sharp, get her to do math and writing activity books, sudokus, playing board games that required some level of strategizing with her. Her family is prone to alzheimer's and dementia (both her siblings had it and deteriorated very very very quickly, which yeah, scares the shit out of me being her granddaughter) but she was the one whose mind lasted the longest, she only passed away two years ago, at 88, ten whole years after her initial diagnosis and sure, she had forgotten things, recipes and where she put her glasses and appointments, but she never forgot any of us, ten whole years in, she still remembered us. Now, this may have been luck, but doctors always said the constant mental work + companionship + medicine helped her a lot. So I'm thinking, these people who are now relying on AI for everything, from email-writing to thinking what's for dinner to casual conversations, I've even seen people rely on it to calculate what time they should leave their house if they need to be at a place at a specific time and their commute lasts X number of minutes. As if that's not... the simplest math operation possible? You shouldn't even need a calculator for that!!! Idk I don't know how long it'll take us to see the effects of this + exposure to brain-rotting short form content that is completely meaningless + people addicted to right-wing conspiracy style media. Idk I'm very worried. Please, read, read complicated books! Take up a book on philosophy and try to decipher it and make your own opinions on it, please buy a maths activity book and relearn how to do math, please get a hobby that involves lots of thinking and concentrating. PLEASE!!!

notalotgoingonatthisinstant

As a neurologist, I’ll give you the pretty name for it: cognitive reserve.

The way I explain it to my patients is that our neurons don’t regenerate. They make connections with each other and that’s it. If you don’t use your brain, they make fewer connections and, if one of them dies, you’re gonna miss it, because that was the only one that knew how to do X. Now, if each one of them has many, many connections, you won’t notice the difference when one of them dies. The others pick up the slack.

As of 2024, 45% of dementia risk factors are modifiable. Relevant to this conversation, 5% for less education and 5% for social isolation.

We absolutely are going to see the reflection of this, but it’s gonna take decades and it’ll be too late. So, for the love of your brain, pretend that it’s a muscle and make it work. People complain about “when am I ever gonna use this maths formula in my life?” You’re not. You’re teaching your brain to think logically. Those sinapses will be there for when you need to figure out your week’s schedule. English classes taught me how to interpret data and how to convey it in this text so it’s clear and you understand what I’m saying, not because I needed to justify why the curtain is blue.

Make your brain know how to do different things. Logic games, puzzles, taking care of a garden even if small, planning a church’s event or birthday, learn a new instrument, learn a few words in another language, look at a calendar every day, do some manual labor if possible. Do not, I repeat, do not let your brain get rid of sinapses by letting AI do everything. Your brain uses 20% of your body’s energy — do you really think it’s going to maintain connexions that aren’t in use?

Most cases of Alzheimer’s are sporadic, meaning no family history. Family history of a first-degree relative with Alzheimer’s starting before they were 80yo increases your risk in 2-3x on average.

TLDR: Yes. From the knowledge we have today, AI will increase the number and severity of dementia cases.

goodchild

sero-toni

For the same reasons that white people have to sit down and nod along to POC saying they hate white people, and straight people when queer people say it, or men when non-men do, allos need to sit down and nod along when aroace spec ppl joke and vent about living in an amatonormative society.

insertdisc5

Any tips for panel layout for pacing? I feel like yours really lends itself to the stories u tell.

thank u. its random comic tips which may or may not answer your question time, cookie edition

did that help

unheardoracle

Your dialogue is stiff because everyone is being too honest

Great dialogue can come from radical emotional honesty. But in most real conversations, people

dodge questions

answer indirectly

lie (badly)

change the subject

crack jokes to avoid serious answers

lie (convincingly)

say half of what they mean

tell the truth but get so anxious/angry/defensive others now think they're lying

If your dialogue feels unnatural, it might be because everyone is saying exactly what they think, or articulating their thoughts too well. Try letting characters hide things instead.

Subtext is where tension lives.

dopedyk

more so,

people don’t always speak in full sentences,

slang can change depending on age range, demographic, etc. &

don’t be scared of vocal pauses (uhm, uh, err)

dimetrodone

Mesmerized by the aba aba knifefish right now

saszor

[ID in alt text]

"Tutorial" on how to draw an OC with dwarfism (well, some of it).

Boring tired disclaimer: Keep in mind that this is an introductory "drawing" "tutorial" and has some generalizations in it, so not every “X is Z” statement will be true for Actual People. Which happens to be true for everything in general.

You are heavily encouraged to do your own research because this does not contain everything you should know before making a character with any type of dwarfism.

Consider supporting me on ko-fi if you find this to be helpful.

If (when) you repost this on pinterest at least put a link to the original post somewhere..

chaumas-deactivated20240115

the other thing about Internet dogpiling is that it is just not possible to think clearly during the acute stages. it’s so easy to criticize people for responding defensively or tactlessly to mass criticism but I cannot overstate the degree to which your brain becomes a rat in a trap. I think we do have to temporarily recalibrate our expectations in these circumstances and accept that they do not necessarily represent how that person responds to criticism. the skills for self-regulating and reacting to normal interpersonal criticism are not the same skills needed to respond to viral callouts.

possessable

aspec identities aren't identities i guess. a lack of attraction isn't an identity in itself, it's an absence that can be filled, i guess. aspec identities and interpretations are the lowest tier of importance, like a blank canvas that can be painted over with something more valuable: romance and sex. did you know that you can complain about anyone who thinks of characters as "just" friends and it's well within your right, to say that platonic interpretations are boring, but if you complain about the way that shipping is frequently posited as the only valuable lens through which to interpret a relationship because "just" friendship isn't enough, or if you complain about how romantic/sexual relationships are considered automatically more deep and meaningful than "mere" friendship, then that's annoying. did you know that several times i've tried to propose aspec headcanons and i've been dismissed because there's no such thing as "proof" that a character is aspec because an absence doesn't count as an identity. but here's proof that they're in love: they looked at each other once. an absence can be filled. did you know every conversation is about romance and sex and i can never participate. did you know romance and sex are the heart of the human experience. did you know it's all just for fun, why are you complaining? did you know it's just for fun, but not for you, because you don't count, because you aren't anything, because what you propose is a blank canvas that can be painted over, an absence that can be filled

laserwalnut

Ditto Humor

luna-azzurra

Things to consider when Writing about Gods & Religion!!

⊹ Are the gods actually real and active or is it all faith-based. because "god shows up physically to yell at people" is a very different vibe from "we haven't heard from them in 500 years but we still pray"

⊹ What do they want from their followers. worship, sacrifices, good deeds, chaos, entertainment. are they benevolent or kind of jerks about it. Ancient mythology gods were mostly jerks tbh

⊹ How many gods are there and do they get along. monotheism is simple but a messy pantheon where the gods have drama with each other?? so much more fun to write. they can have feuds. forbidden relationships. family issues

⊹ What happens when you die in this religion. reincarnation? specific afterlife? different afterlives based on how you lived? just nothing? this affects how people behave SO much

⊹ Who are the priests/priestesses and what's their role. are they magical conduits, political power players, just regular people leading prayers.

⊹ Are there religious laws and how strict are they. what are the sins/taboos. what happens if you break them.

⊹ What are the religious practices. daily prayers, annual festivals, pilgrimages, ritual sacrifices (of what though). the specific details make it feel real

⊹ Is there religious persecution. multiple religions that hate each other? one state religion and everything else is banned? forced conversions? people hiding their faith?

⊹ Do the gods play favorites or can anyone worship them. are there gods for specific groups (god of soldiers, god of thieves)

⊹ What proof is there that any of this is real. miracles? prophecies that came true? divine artifacts? or is it all just faith and tradition and nobody actually knows

⊹ How has the religion changed over time. do they have like reformation drama, lost texts?

⊹ What's the church's relationship with magic if magic exists. is magic a gift from the gods, heresy, completely separate, or did magic exist first and gods came later