Let's hear it!

[Joe]

Got a perfect score on the written motorcycle exam... it'll be a miracle if I get a perfect score on the behind the handlebars exam this weekend.  I'm excited though.

Woah, already? I got -3 on the written, I think. Got my bike though - 1983 Honda Nighthawk 550.

[CrAz3D]

The woman invited me to a dept banquet tonight. A few days ago, she said she's going to the banquet, but I'm not invited because she isnt ready to "open that can of worms" (she was engaged to a dept prof, then ditched him 2 weeks prior...dept faculty were obviously friends with him, and have taken his side). Anywho, she's kept "us" hidden around folks that she aint close to/are faculty for understandable reasons (doesnt want to create more shit for herself in the small dept). However, after telling me I'm not invited (for obvious reasons), she invited me...so I'm going. It's strange, but meeting dept faculty as "being with her" is more "telling"/whatever than meeting her parents (which I'll be doing in a couple weeks).

I guess meeting faculty as being "with her" is a pretty legit step considering she's saying "fuck it" in light of some of them disliking her for calling of prior wedding. I dunno...it's all weird. This is the least conventional relationship I could ever imagine (and I'm sure my grandmother would never approve...maybe, but I guess my folks are OK with it).


/sidenotes: (1) yes, I am an idiot for getting involved with a woman that has a whorish history, was recently engaged, is crazy generally, and doesnt clean*

*I make gender jokes, but perform all the "woman gender" tasks at the house...she still gets upset when I make gender jokes, even though she does at times.

On that note, what's the rush to get engaged to her?  You're still very young, haven't been dating that long, have plenty of time to continue being boyfriend/girlfriend, and it seems like a huge risk.  If you're not sure you'd even still be going out in a year from now (if things continue as they are), why get married?

The other thread was about shopping-->not buying. It wont be for a while out.

[CrAz3D]

First final. 4 hours. Property. I feel decent about everything. Nervous (as usual). 2 essays, a few short answers, and 40 multiple choice questions.

Starts in 18 minutes.

[while1]

Got a perfect score on the written motorcycle exam... it'll be a miracle if I get a perfect score on the behind the handlebars exam this weekend.  I'm excited though.

Woah, already? I got -3 on the written, I think. Got my bike though - 1983 Honda Nighthawk 550.

Cool, our behind the handlebars exam had us riding Nighthawks, of course they were newer models.

Ugh, I made a noob mistake on my behind the handlebars exam the first time around- got a perfect score on the first three parts and then on the last part I accidentally put the bike into neutral right before cornering and that just caused me to get flustered and I ended up getting penalties left and right (i.e. not looking through the turn far enough ahead, etc.)  Basically you can't get more than 9 penalty points on any one of the 4 parts... the last part I got 10 penalty points... doh.  I'm a noob.

However, I retook it today and got almost a perfect score (1 penalty point on the 3rd part, the Quick Stop), but everything else perfect score.  Going to go to the DMV (MD is retarded and calls it the MVA) tomorrow to get my updated license.  Now I need to figure out what my price limit is going to be and start seriously looking around to buy a bike.

[CrAz3D]

AC problems. Ick. Coils froze, so it aint cooling. AC techs cant properly diagnose until it thaws. They're scheduled to come back on WEDNESDAY morning. I will be praying for cool days in LBK.

[Armin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbfudnfqD78

[Sidoh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbfudnfqD78

*like*

[while1]

What does he say at the end?

I can't tell if he's saying "I was a born a no good nigga..." or not.  Hahaha.

[iago]

What does he say at the end?

I can't tell if he's saying "I was a born a no good nigga..." or not.  Hahaha.

Nogoodnick. :P

[Armin]

I'll agree with your last claim, although I think one should qualify "should", because it seems to imply an existing moral standard when, on some level, you're trying to define one.

I agree.

I'm not sure there's such a thing as altruistic hedonism -- at least not with the way I'm meaning to use the word hedonism.  A hedonist does what maximizes his happiness.  A purely altruistic action doesn't take into account the happiness of the doer.
...
Yeah -- although I don't really know what you mean by altruistic hedonism.  Maybe you could clarify?

I prefer the term altruistic hedonism because, as well as helping others directly, it implies cultivating personal happiness in order to maximize the sum total of happiness. I propose that effectively helping others is rather difficult without first effectively helping oneself, and I follow by proposing that the highest quality of happiness arises independently from the external environment, e.g. being content. This is crucial if you take into consideration Hedonic Calculus, and is even more-so relevant considering that you are external to every sentient being, with yourself as the only exception. I also find this analogy relevant:

Developing the mind depends upon a great many internal causes and conditions, much like a space station depends on the work of generations of scientists who have analyzed and tested even its smallest components. Neither a space station nor an enlightened mind can be realized in a single day. [...] However, unlike the space station, which is constructed by many people working together, the mind must be developed by you alone. There is no way for others to do the work and for you to reap the results. Reading someone else's blueprint of mental progress will not transfer its realizations to you. You have to develop them yourself.

Labels aside, I hope the concept has been sufficiently articulated.

TL;DR: What about intentions?  They probably matter too.

The first two of Mill's examples seem to be extreme examples of practical occurrences. Intention and consequence go hand in hand with moral planning and moral judgement respectively; it is the same phenomena in different tenses of time. All one can do while attempting to accurately anticipate the consequences of one's actions is to infuse right intention with right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration, and then hope for the best. I propose wrong intention to be immoral planning, and any beneficial consequence to be irrelevant.

Mill's third example seems more realistic. I feel it's wrong to kill the one patient without his consent. It is his choice to live or not to live an altruistic life. No matter how selfless the intention, imposing our will upon others is rather arrogant and leaves plenty of room for moral confusion. I prefer the saying: "If possible, you should help others. If that is not possible, at least you should do no harm."

[Sidoh]

Mill explicitly rejects that utilitarianism is a form of hedonism.  Because it posits that the happiness of any person is exactly as important as the happiness of any other person, it is very different from hedonism, which posits that one should only be concerned with their own happiness.

Utilitarianism is a sort of extension of hedonism.  Hedonism is "do whatever makes you happy".  Very roughly, utilitarianism replaces "you" with "everyone".

I think that I've come to the opposite conclusion -- intentions matter, but not as much as consequences.  I'm definitely not a pure consequentialist, though.

[Armin]

Mill explicitly rejects that utilitarianism is a form of hedonism.  Because it posits that the happiness of any person is exactly as important as the happiness of any other person, it is very different from hedonism, which posits that one should only be concerned with their own happiness.

Utilitarianism is a sort of extension of hedonism.  Hedonism is "do whatever makes you happy".  Very roughly, utilitarianism replaces "you" with "everyone".

I think that I've come to the opposite conclusion -- intentions matter, but not as much as consequences.  I'm definitely not a pure consequentialist, though.

I don't know if we disagree so much; the phrasing of my [since edited] last post was unclear.

[Hitmen]

I just installed new video card drivers on windows, and didn't have to uninstall the old ones and then reboot into some shitty resolution to install the new ones. What is this madness?! Also the fact that I'm just realizing this is possible means I probably haven't updated the drivers for on a video card in like 5 years.

[Armin]

Buck ass naked after a shower, bout to throw on some clothes when a dark figure between the slivers of my window's blinds caught my eye. The dark figure moved closer, then bolted off after realizing his cover was blown. I quickly threw on some clothes and ran out after him, but he was long gone. Probably some sick fuck caught a glimpse of my luscious locks and thought it was his lucky night. I hope he was chokin' the chicken when he realized I have a dick! bawk bawk bawk!

[Blaze]

You should write short stories (or long ones, but short is more fun.)