Aspiring to be an historian and a professional story teller. Huge nerd. Loves history, idea sharing, creativity, and TRAINS. Here will be the postings of his feelings and thoughts that spring from his mind. Everything is always well-meaning and well-intended.
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!!!
As a neurologist, Iâll give you the pretty name for it: cognitive reserve.
The way I explain it to my patients is that our neurons donât regenerate. They make connections with each other and thatâs it. If you donât use your brain, they make fewer connections and, if one of them dies, youâre 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 wonât 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 itâs gonna take decades and itâll be too late. So, for the love of your brain, pretend that itâs a muscle and make it work. People complain about âwhen am I ever gonna use this maths formula in my life?â Youâre not. Youâre teaching your brain to think logically. Those sinapses will be there for when you need to figure out your weekâs schedule. English classes taught me how to interpret data and how to convey it in this text so itâs clear and you understand what Iâm 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 churchâs 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 bodyâs energy â do you really think itâs going to maintain connexions that arenât in use?
Most cases of Alzheimerâs are sporadic, meaning no family history. Family history of a first-degree relative with Alzheimerâs 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.
REBLOG RIGHT NOW. As someone who has been in a rough patch for a while, I can deeply understand the severity of this!! Please reblog, it only takes a second. You can save someone's life. You can be a hero, bring the change that the world needs to see!
This has been something I've struggled with for a while now. If enough people had shown me that they actually cared if I lived or died, maybe my state of mind would be different. Maybe I wouldn't have done some of the things I did to myself, that I deeply regret now. Everyone matters, no matter how insignificant you may think you are, don't pick up that blade. Please. It will ruin you. This is important. Please reblog. This can save lives. This can help so many people. This isn't a joke. This is a serious issue that people need to be more aware of.
Had multiple situations involving friends almost committing, as well as one that mentions it a lot. So I donât take this stuff lightly. Please re-blog if you see this, thank you.
Look I love unconditional devotion love stories as much as the next person, but there's really something so deliciously raw about conditional devotion.
I have served you and I have loved you for decades, but I will not give up my principles for you. You cut out part of my heart and took it with you down that path that you insist on walking, but you walk it alone. Even when the bleeding, gaping hole you left in my chest kills me, I will not follow you.
People in a fandom who donât post art/fics, but who reblog/like/follow/otherwise support artists and creators, my beloveds
If artists are the backbone of a fandom, then you all are the muscles. Connecting everyone and everything. Spreading fun and whimsy. Thatâs real neat, I think
So I just simultaneously did, and possibly didn't lose my job today :)
Very much did in the sense that I literally do not know where my job is at the moment. But, for the time being I haven't been let go because nobody else including the store owner knows where it is either.
So, I don't wanna risk doxxing myself by posting pictures but goddamn am I tempted because this is not a believable event. This is a cartoon problem. For looneytoons.
But yeah, so, I work(ed?) at a kiosk selling boba tea, right? Freestanding kiosk in the mall with full water and electrical hookups and multiple fridges and sinks and a mini kitchen and the works. Fully functional tea shop. Very important to note that it was there last night, The work chat was discussing another issue last night at closing time. I'll get back to this.
It's been showing signs of being on the way out with how business is being handled lately and I've been considering other options, which is probably why I'm not as torn up about this as I should be, but maybe it just hasn't set in yet, but that's not the point. The point is there's been a lot of shit breaking and not being replaced and nobody mentioning anything about it until I walk into work in the morning and have to figure out why shit like the fucking cash register isn't there today. So I'm kinda used to having to ask questions about big things that nobody bothered to update me on. I was out for two weeks recovering from a surgery, so I came to work this morning assuming there'd be some kind of bullshit, yeah?
So, the question I had to ask the chat this morning was:
Not a text I ever thought I'd have to send in sincerity, but there it is. Because what I found instead was a fenced off patch of discolored tiles and a few holes in the floor where my entire place of employment used to be.
And the answer? Nobody knows! It was there last night when the mall closed, and every single trace of the structure and all its contents including drink making supplies and our safe and cashbox was gone when it opened again. And when I say nobody knows, I mean everyone from last night's closers to the actual (former?) owner of the store jad no fucking clue about this until getting that text from me this morning. For once I am actually the first to know. đ.
So. I guess I didn't so much lose my job as had it stolen. Not by AI, but good old fashioned hands-on human beings picking it up and carrying it away somehow. All mall security would tell me was that they were instructed not to tell me anything and have us contact our management. Who also don't know anything. And later on I came across some construction workers around the gravesite of the kiosk discussing filling in the holes, asked them about it, and was told that they "weren't at liberty to say".
So, not only is my job gone in the most literal physical sense of the word, but it was taken in some kind of super secret kiosk extraction in the dead of night without any warning or witnesses and nobody is allowed to speak of it. The store owner said she was gonna figure it out 10 hours ago and still no word back.
I don't know what else to say aside from I've been laughing all day and I'm gonna have a hell of a time explaining Schrodinger's Unemployment to the benefits office.
Update that is not an update because I'm basically certain this isn't what actually happened:
My mother in law thinks the FBI took it.
Not any of the other stores around the state. Just the one little kiosk.
Why? Because she loves a conspiracy and is just a little bit extra.
Also because she was around for the massive crackdown on Yakuza-owned businesses in Waikiki (in her homestate) that did actually involve the FBI seizing stores (no confirmation of making kiosks cleanly disappear in the middle of the night though).
Still no word from my job on what's actually going on, but the most likely theory so far is that maybe the kiosk was on lease and got repossessed? The mystery continues
(also shout out to the person who proposed Carmen Sandiego)
According to the owner, based on what she's been able to find out, the kiosk was not removed legally and they're starting a potentially long process of legal action. I hope she gets to sue the shit out of whoever did it but for now at least I know for sure I'm unemployed.
Really hoping for more details in terms of who/why/how, so I'll keep updating if I learn anything.
For now the summary is: An unnamed entity that is most likely mall management (on account of mall security cooperating with them) stole an entire kiosk and all the contents including money and machinery with barely a trace in the middle of the night grinch-style, with zero warning or explanation, and ensured the silence of both security and the construction crew, in an action that was definitely preplanned and illegal, and as far as I know nobody knows its whereabouts.
So now I'm officially out of a job. Because my workplace was literally stolen in the night.
Actually fuck it let's share some photos cause I wouldn't be inclined to believe this myself. It's not like anyone can stalk me at my job now and I'm not gonna have to see any coworkers that might find my tumblr.
Enjoy the unintentionally funniest text I've ever sent in my life
Aaand a close-up:
The last remains of a once Very Much Solid And Immobile Workplace
crazy how quickly dust accumulates. i should be allowed to put my trinkets on a shelf and not touch them and they remain in perfect condition forever. dont even get me STARTED on the inside of a computer. why do i have to brush your teeth. youre technology.
Many people in the comments are saying âtraumaâ, but this is actually a very normal occurrence. Itâs called Childhood Amnesia, and itâs a process which, as the brain reorganizes itself for cognitive thought that is developed in late childhood, it changes the Accessibility of those memories during recall. Many childhood memories are available to the person, but they will not be remembered during regular recall activity, you have to âtrickâ your brain into remembering with different tactics.
This is because there are two parts to memories - their encoding and their recall. The encoding determines their availability, their recall determines their accessibility. The reason why trauma memory and childhood amnesia are different is in this distinction. Trauma memory is often encoded differently, bypassing to the limbic system where it is stored as intrinsic memory. It canât be recalled because it was never encoded. Childhood amnesia, however, seems to indicate that the memories are encoded, but we lose access to them as we age. This is most likely due to the development of brain structures that fundamentally change our encoding and recall of memory as we get older.
This is an important distinction, because trauma memory is âstored in the bodyâ, i.e. you get triggers that send your body into a cascade of uncontrollable feelings, sensations and reactions. Whereas childhood memories wonât generally do that, they are just recalled at odd times with odd associations.
reblogging this because Iâve legit seen people freaking out when they realised they canât remember some of their childhood, thinking they might have some repressed trauma.
It has been literal years since I wrote any kind of fanfic. But after scrolling Pinterest and seeing a gorgeous fanart of Syaoran with glasses⊠I couldnât get this out of my head.
Apologies to my boss, this is definitely what I spent the majority of my shift on today. Hyperfixations and such.
SyaoSaku, post Clear Card.
Syaoran had been looking at himself in the mirror for longer than was entirely necessary. The problem was that the person looking back at him seemed somewhat unfamiliar. Like someone had drawn him but made a deliberate mistake.
And he knew exactly why that was.
It was his first day wearing his new glasses. He had tried for weeks to put this moment off. It had started with the occasional squint at the board in class. But it had progressed. He was regularly straining his eyes to read the class notes now. Some kanji blurred together into frustrating smudges, making them even more difficult to differentiate from the Chinese characters he was more familiar with. Eventually the teachers had noticed. One teacher had even approached him to check in and make sure he was okay, aware that he was living alone.
But then Sakura had started to comment also. She would look at him with that worried expression that made his heart hurt when he would rub his eyes mid study session. She would ask him softly if everything was okay and look unconvinced when he would reply with a nonchalant âItâs fineâ.
Eventually, he began to realise that the issue wasnât going away. He could no longer pass it off as being tired. So he had reluctantly booked the appointment with an optometrist.
And sure enough, he had walked away from the appointment with a pair of glasses that made his stomach sink for reasons he couldnât really pinpoint. It wasnât like they didnât help. When he had put them on for the first time the world had suddenly felt sharp again. Street signs came into focus, his eyes were able to relax and the tension he was holding in his jaw melted away. He even noticed a subtle layer of fine dust settling itself on his drawers that he hadnât noticed before (Wei would be shocked, he inwardly thought).
But to be reliant on something was not in Syaoranâs nature. He prided himself on his independence. He had been raised to be strong. Needing to rely on glasses to be able to function daily felt wrong. It wasnât that he was worried about being weak exactly. Millions of people wore glasses daily. Even Eriol, and to that point Clow Reed, wore glasses, some of the strongest sorcerers in history.
And then there was Sakura. He knew in his heart that this would make her think no less of him. Yet his stomach twisted unpleasantly when he thought about what she might think when she saw them.
Giving his head a light shake, he steadied himself for the day before grabbing his school bag and walking out the door. He had stared at his reflection for long enough. The glasses werenât going away. Delaying the inevitable wouldnât change that.
While walking to school he sent his usual good morning message to Sakura. He felt a lightness in his chest as he typed the words with an ease that reminded him of the benefits of the glasses. He could read the characters more easily today.
- Good morning, Sakura.
He hesitated. Usually, the words came easy. But his stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies today. He continued to type, feeling that uneasy feeling return. He decided not to mention anything yet.
- I hope you slept well. Iâll meet you at the gates before school.
His thumb hovered momentarily before pressing send.
Sighing, he continued to walk, feeling the spring breeze as it rustled the cherry blossom flowers in the trees. Flowers that just yesterday looked like white and pink blobs, now appearing in high definition.
â
As he stood and waited at the school gates, Syaoranâs stomach continued to twist and turn. He felt it leap into his throat every time another student turned the corner, settling itself a little more unsteadily each time he realised it wasnât Sakura.
After what felt like an eternity, a figure appeared that he hadnât been anticipating, though internally he cursed himself for not preparing for this moment earlier.
Tomoyo waved gently as she saw him from a distance. He ducked his head slightly and returned the wave hesitantly.
âGood morning, Li-kun,â Tomoyo chirped brightly in her usual soft tone.
And then it happened. As she walked ever closer to him, he saw her expression change from her usual, friendly smile, to one of⊠He considered her expression frantically⊠was it shock? Bewilderment? Fear?
Tomoyo stopped directly in front of him, considering him for a moment before speaking.
âOh my!â She gasped softly.
He wanted the ground to open and swallow him completely.
Then Tomoyo did something completely unexpected. She clapped her hands together in front of her, and her mouth broke into a wide grin.
âWhat a wonderful opportunity so early in the morning! A chance to record Sakura-chanâs reaction to Li-kun looking extra handsome in his new glasses.â
She was already rummaging in her bag, for her phone, or video camera, Syaoran wasnât quite sure. He hesitated again.
âExtra handsome?â Syaoran echoed.
âWhy yes, of course!â Tomoyo quipped as if she had merely remarked on the dayâs weather.
Syaoran felt the heat rise in his face. His stomach was now twisting more than ever. Oh no.
âNow, where is Sakura-chan?â Tomoyo questioned, turning the phone in her hands to video mode and pointing it squarely in the direction that Sakura would arrive from. âI expect sheâll be here any moment.â
He had not been prepared for this. He had not thought that there might be compliments. He was briefly visited by the urge to run. But he wasnât that young schoolboy trying to escape his feelings anymore. No. He had trained himself to be able to control his emotions when they spiralled. He took a deep breath before re-centring himself, his face a deep shade of red, he was sure.
And then she was there. Walking directly towards him. Her face glowing with a brilliant smile, she raised her hand high above her head to wave to the two of them.
âTomoyo-chan! Syaoran-kun! Good morning!â
She bounded towards them, every step closer bringing an unpleasant lurch in Syaoranâs stomach.
As she drew closer, her face still gleaming like sunlight, he saw the falter. He saw the change of her expression to one of consideration. Her eyes widened slightly before she let out a noise like a hiccup, drawing one clenched fist to her mouth.
âI-I got glasses,â the words had left his mouth before he could stop them. He continued, speaking much quicker than necessary, âIâve been having trouble seeing for a while now, and the teachers started asking if everything was okay, and I didnât tell you because I didnât want to worry you⊠andâŠâ
He trailed off, not exactly sure what he was trying to say.
âAndâŠâ He repeated, slightly dazed now.
Silence. Syaoran felt the heaviness of the silence sink through his body. Sakura was still looking at him, a little pink in the cheeks now, he noticed. He felt his own face burn again.
Tomoyo was the one to break the silence.
âSakura-chan?â She prompted gently. âWhat do you think?â
Sakura looked at Tomoyo as if she was surprised to see her standing there. Tomoyo smiled gently and let out a soft giggle.
âWhat do I thinkâŠ?â Sakura repeated in such a small voice he had to strain to hear it. âOh!â
From the distant school, Syaoran heard the bell chime gently through the air.
Grateful for the distraction, Syaoran blurted out, âWeâd better get to class or weâll be late!â Before hurrying off towards his class, head hung low again and avoiding eye contact with any peers he came across.
â
From the moment he stepped into homeroom, he wanted the day to be over. People stared at him. They pointed at him and whispered behind their hands. Some people were less subtle and would comment directly to his face. No one seemed to think the glasses were bad. On the contrary many people complimented him. But he could feel all eyes were on him, and the attention was deeply unsettling.
And apart from all the unwanted attention, Sakura had seemed so flustered that she had barely spoken a word to him. His heart sank at the thought.
Looks came from every direction in the halls as well. Moving between classes everyone seemed to be discussing his new glasses. He had heard the word âcuteâ muttered from quite a few girls now too.
Reaching his next class, he quickly sat in his usual seat, resting his forehead on one hand and muttering to himself in Cantonese.
He didnât look up as his classmates filed into the classroom. A gentle tap on his shoulder broke him out of his daze, and he was shocked to see Sakura standing behind him.
âSakura!? But, youâre not in this class!â
She looked at him guiltily and spoke quickly.
âI know, I have to get to my class, but I just wanted to ask if you could meet me at lunchtime?â
âO-of course,â he stuttered out.
She smiled at him as she started to reverse back out of the classroom.
âGreat. Then, Iâll see you at lunch.â
As quickly as she had appeared, she ran out of the classroom. Syaoran wasnât sure whether to feel relieved or terrified, but one thing was for sure. The smile she had given him had filled his whole body with warmth, and his tension eased just slightly.
â
It felt like an eternity until the lunch bell chimed.
By lunch the comments from passersby had eased. He no longer felt like he was being watched everywhere he went. The relief he felt was immense and instant. But despite that, his stomach was still knotting itself together, because now it was time to see Sakura properly. No distractions, no classmates watching, and no Tomoyo filming, or so he hoped.
He found her waiting under a tree in their usual spot. The air was warm against his skin as he walked over to her. While she was still smiling at him, he could feel that sense of dread returning.
âHi!â She said happily as he reached her.
Syaoranâs voice caught in his throat.
âHi.â He replied, mentally kicking himself.
But then she did something he had not expected. She reached out and gently took his hand.
âIâm sorry about this morning.â
âSorryâŠ? Oh, itâs fine.â He tried to sound casual, but his voice kept coming out a bit raspier than normal. âItâs nothing, really.â
She squeezed his hand. The small movement felt surprisingly reassuring.
âIt must have been hard coming to school today. You must have felt worried.â
He had. He really had. He had so much trouble finding the right word for his emotions, and here she was voicing it like it was the easiest thing in the world.
He looked away. Not in the complete opposite direction, but just over her shoulder.
âI didnât realise it would bother me. I know itâs silly.â
She shook her head in response.
âNo, itâs not silly.â Her grip on his hand tightened, grounding him. âItâs okay to be worried sometimes, Syaoran.â
He looked back at her.
âItâs not even about the glasses. Most of allâŠâ he swallowed. âI was worried about you. And I donât even know why.â
âYou were worried about how I would react?â
âI guess so,â he sighed.
Sakura stepped closer to him now. He felt his face burning red again as she looked directly into his eyes and took his other hand. A pink flush was slowly creeping up her cheeks again, though she smiled at him just as brilliantly as any other time.
âSyaoran, I donât care whether you wear glasses or not.â
Her voice was soft and gentle, but there was certainty in her words.
âAll I care about is you. Youâre my number one person, remember?â
His breath caught. The words were spoken so simply, as though they explained everything. And maybe they did.
For the first time that day, he smiled. A truly genuine smile.
âI know,â was all he managed as he took her other hand, mirroring her and squeezing it gently.
âAnd Iâm sorry again that I worried you more this morning.â
âSakura, you donât have to apologiseâŠâ
âI do.â
It was Sakuraâs turn to look away as her cheeks flushed a red deeper than he had seen since they were young, flustered teenagers.
âI couldnât think straight becauseâŠâ
She shifted her feet nervously.
âWell because they really suit you.â
Syaoran froze again.
âThey make you look more mature, and really handsome.â
Neither of them knew where to look as Syaoran stuttered out, âO-oh. Th-thank you.â
Syaoran reached up and touched the frame of his glasses, adjusting them almost by second nature. For the first time since leaving the optometrist, they didnât feel quite so strange.
Sakura smiled at him, watching him fondly.
âWhat is it?â he asked gently.
âNothing.â She said, though her smile lingered a little longer than normal. She began to steer him back towards the school.
âI made extra sweets with Kero-chan last night and brought you some to have with lunch. Will you join me?â
âIâd love to.â
He smiled as they walked together. Her hand felt like such a grounding force in his. He felt his stomach settle as the nervous energy he had been carrying around all day left him.
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