Generated people are convinced that everything around them is fake, and that they themselves are made from prompts, yet they do not believe it.
It turned out dystopian.
It would be funny, if we also didn’t believe that we live in a simulation.
Or is it not funny?
Clete Kushida has books on Amazon like “Sleep” for $1,895 and “Sleep for Dummies” for $22.99. Seems like it should be the other way around. He also has “Encyclopedia of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms” for $2,247.
If you search all books on Amazon and sort them from the most expensive to the cheapest, the top will feature books around $200. But if you hack the system a bit and adjust the URL with &low-price=…&high-price=…, then sorting by descending price reveals much more.
I decided to see what goes for big money on Amazon. For example, Topps has a listing for a 1952 baseball card set “1952 Topps Baseball Almost Complete Set – Premier (Baseball Set) EX+” priced at $354,530. The only comment says “Damn I could take a picture and print those for free”.
Mostly, items like diamonds, Hermes bags, and pre-fabricated houses are going for such high prices. Curiously, I looked into what’s in books. Naturally, the top consists of antiques, some mistakenly placed prices, and jokes.
But among these are real books for some unreasonable prices. For example, Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research By Filomena Maggino is sold at Harvard Book Store for $5,999. Or here’s Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance 2nd ed. 2022 Edition by Ali Farazmand for $7,999.99. Makes you wonder, does pricing it a cent below $8K justify itself? On Springer’s website, the electronic version of this book is sold for $3,500. Or you could rent it on Kindle for a couple of months for $2,000.
Or there’s also the Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics in 14 volumes. On Amazon, this encyclopedia is priced at just under $100K, but it’s very easy to find other sites on the net that sell its electronic versions. What do you think an electronic version of this encyclopedia might cost? Prices are generally around $11,000 everywhere.
Among the rare books is RECOVERY: THE HOSPITAL DRAWINGS OF ALFONSO OSSORIO. Interestingly, this is just a book printed relatively recently, in 1995, in an edition of 100 copies, each individually numbered. And now these books are being sold for $4-5 thousand dollars. Well, that’s understandable, it’s collectible.
On Amazon, Clete Kushida offers books like “Sleep” for $1,895 and “Sleep for Dummies” for $22.99. It seems to me that it should be the other way around. He also has “Encyclopedia of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms” for $2,247.
If you search for all the books on Amazon and sort them from the most expensive to the cheapest, the top entries are books around $200. However, if you slightly hack the system by appending &low-price=…&high-price=… to the URL, sorting by descending price can reveal much more.
I decided to see what else is sold for big money on Amazon. For example, in the listing, Topps has a set of 1952 baseball cards “1952 Topps Baseball Almost Complete Set – Premier (Baseball Set) EX+” priced at $354,530. The single comment says “Damn I could take a picture and print those for free”.
Typically, such prices are seen for diamonds, Hermes bags, and pre-fabricated houses. It’s interesting to look into what’s in the books. Naturally, the top includes antiques, various mistakenly set prices, and jokes.
But among these, there are real books for some unreasonable money. For instance, the Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research by Filomena Maggino is sold at Harvard Book Store for $5,999. Or the Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance 2nd ed. 2022 Edition by Ali Farazmand for $7,999.99. It’s interesting whether selling for just under $8K is justifiable? On the Springer website, the electronic version of this book sells for $3500. And you can even rent it on Kindle for a couple of months for $2000.
Or there is also the Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics in 14 volumes. On Amazon, this encyclopedia is priced just under $100K, yet it’s quite easy to find other sites online selling its electronic versions. What do you think, how much could the electronic version of this encyclopedia cost? The price is around $11,000 everywhere.
Among the rarities is RECOVERY: THE HOSPITAL DRAWINGS OF ALFONSO OSSORIO. Interestingly, this is just a book printed relatively recently, in 1995, in a limited run of 100 copies, each individually numbered. Now these books are selling for $4-5 thousand dollars. Well, that makes sense, it’s collectible.
Clete Kushida has books on Amazon like “Sleep” for $1,895 and “Sleep for Dummies” for $22.99. It seems to me it should be the other way around. He also has “Encyclopedia of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms” for $2,247.
Moreover, if you search for all books on Amazon and sort them from the most expensive to the least expensive, the top spots are occupied by books priced around $200. However, if you slightly hack the system and add to the URL &low-price=…&high-price=…., sorting by descending price, you can see quite a lot.
I decided to see what actually sells for significant amounts on Amazon. For example, Topps in the listing has a set of 1952 baseball cards “1952 Topps Baseball Almost Complete Set – Premier (Baseball Set) EX+” for $354,530. The only comment says, “Damn I could take a picture and print those for free”.
Items like diamonds, Hermes bags, and pre-fabricated houses often go for such amounts. It’s interesting to look at what books are going for. Naturally, the top includes antiques, wrongly set prices, and jokes.
But among these are real books priced unreasonably. For instance, Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research By Filomena Maggino is sold in the Harvard Book Store for $5,999. Or look at Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance 2nd ed. 2022 Edition by Ali Farazmand for $7,999.99. Interesting, does selling for just under $8K justify itself? On the site Springer, the electronic edition of this book is sold for $3,500. And it can also be rented on Kindle for a few months for $2,000.
Or there’s also the Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics in 14 volumes. On Amazon, this encyclopedia is priced just under $100K, but it’s quite easy to find other sites online selling its electronic versions. What do you think, how much could the electronic version of this encyclopedia cost? The price is generally around $11,000.
Among rare books, there’s RECOVERY: THE HOSPITAL DRAWINGS OF ALFONSO OSSORIO. Interestingly, this is just a book, printed relatively recently in 1995, in a limited edition of 100 copies, each individually numbered. And now these books sell for $4-5 thousand dollars. Well, that’s understandable, as it’s collectible.
Clete Kushida has books on Amazon like “Sleep” for $1,895 and “Sleep for Dummies” for $22.99. Seems like it should be the other way around. He also has “Encyclopedia of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms” for $2,247.
If you search all books on Amazon and sort them from the most expensive to the cheapest, the top will feature books around $200. But if you hack the system a bit and adjust the URL with &low-price=…&high-price=…, then sorting by descending price reveals much more.
I decided to see what goes for big money on Amazon. For example, Topps has a listing for a 1952 baseball card set “1952 Topps Baseball Almost Complete Set – Premier (Baseball Set) EX+” priced at $354,530. The only comment says “Damn I could take a picture and print those for free”.
Mostly, items like diamonds, Hermes bags, and pre-fabricated houses are going for such high prices. Curiously, I looked into what’s in books. Naturally, the top consists of antiques, some mistakenly placed prices, and jokes.
But among these are real books for some unreasonable prices. For example, Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research By Filomena Maggino is sold at Harvard Book Store for $5,999. Or here’s Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance 2nd ed. 2022 Edition by Ali Farazmand for $7,999.99. Makes you wonder, does pricing it a cent below $8K justify itself? On Springer’s website, the electronic version of this book is sold for $3,500. Or you could rent it on Kindle for a couple of months for $2,000.
Or there’s also the Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics in 14 volumes. On Amazon, this encyclopedia is priced at just under $100K, but it’s very easy to find other sites on the net that sell its electronic versions. What do you think an electronic version of this encyclopedia might cost? Prices are generally around $11,000 everywhere.
Among the rare books is RECOVERY: THE HOSPITAL DRAWINGS OF ALFONSO OSSORIO. Interestingly, this is just a book printed relatively recently, in 1995, in an edition of 100 copies, each individually numbered. And now these books are being sold for $4-5 thousand dollars. Well, that’s understandable, it’s collectible.
Interestingly, it turns out there’s a species of mouse called the edible dormouse. The second word, edible, indicates that they were commonly eaten for a long time and were considered a delicacy, and they are still consumed today — in Slovenia and Croatia, though mainly during festivals. For example, in the suburbs of Rijeka (mostly in Kastav) as well as on the islands of Brač and Hvar.
Poor little mice.
Yesterday, we arrived to refuel at the Tesla supercharger v4 325kW, which is the fastest one. We plugged the hose into the car, and a loud gurgling sound began to come from the stand. “The current is flowing,” says Nadya. It seems to be some sort of liquid cooling. Inside the car, the battery is also intensely cooling during charging, because 48 amps is quite a lot.
But while we were charging, we saw a very strange scene. Next to us, there was a Tesla being charged from an outdoor outlet of a nearby building with a very long cable. I mean, it’s certainly possible, but it takes an hour to charge the battery by 1% (which is about 5km). Well, at least it’s free. People do the oddest things;-) and the funny thing is, they could have parked right next to the outlet, but no, they park at the supercharger and charge from an outlet across the street;)
I stumbled upon 15 examples where evidence-based medicine has shifted its stance over time. Truly intriguing; there was a lot I didn’t know.
1. Cholesterol: “bad vs “good
Originally, total cholesterol was considered the main risk. Nowadays, it’s more important to look at LDL (“bad) and HDL (“good) in the context of inflammation and overall metabolic state. High levels of LDL (“bad)—a confirmed risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, especially when HDL (“good cholesterol) levels are low.
2. Saturated Fats
Long considered a cause of cardiovascular diseases. Modern studies have proven: trans fats are indeed harmful, but natural saturated fats in moderate amounts are permissible. In the USA, as I understand, there has been a complete ban on adding artificial trans fats to food products since 2021, while in Russia, as I found, there is a limit of 2% trans fat content in certain products, but no total ban and less stringent control measures are in place.
3. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
HRT was long believed to protect against cardiovascular diseases in women. The WHI study (2002) showed an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and breast cancer with combined therapy.
4. Vioxx (rofecoxib)
This drug was heavily advertised as safe for joints. In 2004, it was withdrawn from the market due to an increased risk of heart attacks. It was found that the manufacturer had hidden side effects.
5. Antiarrhythmics Post-Heart Attack
Drugs like flecainide were used post-heart attack. The CAST study (1989) showed: such drugs increased mortality.
6. Low-Fat Diets
Fats were once considered the main culprits of obesity. Today, it’s clear that replacing fats with sugar and fast carbohydrates only intensified the epidemic of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
7. Infant Weaning
Solid foods used to be introduced at 2–3 months. Today, WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months.
8. Stomach Ulcer and Helicobacter pylori
Ulcers were once linked to stress and diet. Now, it’s known that the main cause is H. pylori infection. Treatment involves antibiotics. Upon my arrival in the US, it was immediately detected and treated.
9. Antidepressants and the “Serotonin Theory
Depression was formerly explained by a lack of serotonin. Nowadays, this theory is not supported, and the effectiveness of antidepressants is critically assessed.
10. Omega-3
Omega-3 supplements were once regarded as a panacea for the heart. Major studies (e.g., VITAL, 2018) found no benefits in healthy individuals. Eating fish continues to be considered beneficial.
11. Vitamin D
Its deficiency was associated with many diseases. However, meta-analyses have shown: vitamin D supplements do not prevent cancer, diabetes, and heart attacks unless there is a deficiency.
12. Aspirin for Prevention
Aspirin used to be prescribed to many healthy individuals. Today, its use is limited to high cardiovascular risk due to the risk of bleeding.
13. Statins
Previously prescribed widely, including for moderately elevated cholesterol. Now prescribed selectively, based on overall risk assessment.
14. “Safe Opioids
In the 1990s, it was claimed that OxyContin did not cause addiction. This triggered the opioid crisis in the USA—one of the biggest challenges to the healthcare system.
15. PSA Testing for Prostate Cancer
Mass PSA screening led to overdiagnosis and unnecessary surgeries. Nowadays, its use is individualized, after discussion with the patient.
Walking around the house with Yuka, it’s like a whole zoo here. But nature is treacherous indeed. Just the other day, one trail with ticks resulted in a vet visit, and now I’m off to the emergency room. We both got bitten, only Nadya got off lightly. One lesson shines through: in tick-infested places, you should march like she did with bare legs, so all those parasites are in plain sight during the assault on the fortress. I was in jeans, and they took full advantage of that.
How intriguing. These are all shark eggs. They are also called “Mermaid’s Purses”—tough leather-like capsules that protect the embryo and often have tendrils for clinging to seaweed or rocks. The horny shells of shark eggs are made up of roughly the same materials as our nails and hair. Their sizes vary from a few centimeters to about the size of a palm, and the development of the embryo takes months. After hatching, the empty capsules can be found on beaches. At the moment the egg emerges into the world, it has enough food supplies for the upcoming period. How they hatch: as soon as the right time comes, the shark egg slightly opens at the bottom, and the young shark slowly acclimates to the conditions in which it will live. After acclimation, it breaks through the egg’s shell and enters the open world.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 