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Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

gavinray97.github.io

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Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#361

Post by himata4113 »

incompatible wrote: post #196
himata4113 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see karma as form of a currency to afford getting downvoted. I actually don't mind the downvotes especially when it's followed by a comment on why. Helps me see parts I've missed.

I find the downvotes excessive for this kind of thing. They are basically a censorship mechanism, enough downvotes and a comment will basically disappear. I've used it about twice since I got the ability several years ago, and both times it was somebody promoting a Trump-related conspiracy theory.

bad takes usually cap at around ~2-3, horrible takes or spam go all the way to -5 and die.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#362

Post by stronglikedan »

mapassthebeans wrote: post #148

Had similarly unorthodox path to tech, albeit without the drug addiction or prison. 90s early internet/BBS punk rocker/computer nerd. Hated school angry. Dropped out to work as a bike messenger for 5 years before packing a bag and moving west randomly. Couldn't sit still. Rode freight trains around the country for a few months. Washed dishes and landscaped to cover my cheap rent till that fell thru. Discovered shop l…

Nitpick but,

> without the drug addiction

and

> beer stealing

doesn't compute.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#363

Post by stronglikedan »

SpecStudioHN wrote: post #251
mapassthebeans wrote: post #148

Had similarly unorthodox path to tech, albeit without the drug addiction or prison. 90s early internet/BBS punk rocker/computer nerd. Hated school angry. Dropped out to work as a bike messenger for 5 years before packing a bag and moving west randomly. Couldn't sit still. Rode freight trains around the country for a few months. Washed dishes and landscaped to cover my cheap rent till that fell thru. Discovered shop l…

i’ve been through all of this, and it turned out fine. seriously people don’t hold a drug bust against you, if you can do the job. i’ve lived on the road, camped in Golden Gate Park, attended several Rainbow Gatherings, etc. after spending years in India as a monk, i couldn’t find a place in american society. i bootstrapped a new identity that let me live as a teacher and developer; but i had to move to Śrī Laṅkā to…

> seriously people don’t hold a drug bust against you, if you can do the job.

Seriously, they seriously do. There's always someone as qualified as you applying for whatever job. Why would anyone choose someone with a record over someone without, all else being equal? It's a liability that can turn into a headache, so most employers will choose the person without the record.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#364

Post by sersi »

throwawaytea wrote: post #235
user_7832 wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And to whoever downvoted me, I've successfully "diagnosed" (read - identified) multiple friends already. NDs often have decent ND-radars.

I've had a few people tell me that I definitely have ADHD, even an internal medicine doctor and a neuro radiology friend. But I always change the subject. Let's say they are correct. What would the solution look like from there? As an example, and this is only 1% of it, but I have had my utilities turned off several times for not paying bills, while having $400k in the bank.

> Let's say they are correct. What would the solution look like from there? Personally after being diagnosed at 36, I started taking concerta occasionally. Mostly once a week to deal with all the things I have a tendency to not do otherwise. It's helped a lot.

And I'm saying this as someone who lost circa 120k in work I never invoiced because of ADHD

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#365

Post by throwaway87330 »

gavinray wrote: post #358
throwaway87330 wrote: post #354

I'm going to be a bit insensitive, sorry. I've read many similar stories, in nearly all of them a couple of helpful friends always show up to save the day. I find it absurd that some people consider this zero. I too was bullied during all my childhood, I haven't had a single friend in my life, I can barely imagine the possibility of being able to ask a favor from someone and even receive something. Having someone to…

> I haven't had a single friend in my life > I can barely imagine the possibility of being able to ask a favor from someone and even receive something > My life has been a series of rejections It's true, I had a lot of help, and that's not universal. I'm going to say this, and I mean it genuinely, so please do not find this insensitive: What if you went to lunch with someone, and the first things they said to you wer…

I appreciate your comment.

Again, I'm sorry for venting. I was triggered, but didn't mean to downplay your experience.

I found that opening up to people about deep personal issues makes them steer clear even faster.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#366

Post by embedding-shape »

qmr wrote: post #350
coldtea wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Accidents. Not everything is under the driver's control, nor does it happen due to their intention (or even necessarily due to their lack of attention or whatever). There's a reason the term accident is used (I know at least 10 countries where the meaning is the same).

Crash. Google crash not accident will give many resources. https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/travel/safety/road-users/crash... > there's a reason Yes, the auto lobby. Saying "accident" implies that the tens of thousands of road deaths every year are an unavoidable consequence of the convenience of driving. That's just not true.

> Saying "accident" implies that the tens of thousands of road deaths every year are an unavoidable consequence of the convenience of driving.

What? Where is that conclusion coming from? There can be thousands of "accidents" and they can all be preventable, calling it "crash" or "accident" doesn't imply if it's preventable or not.

Talk about arbitrary hill to die on, very inconsequential. Why is this somehow so important?

FWIW, countries like Sweden call them "accidents" yet treat them as preventable and something to aim to minimize, not sure why it'd matter so much if someone call it accident or not.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#367

Post by embedding-shape »

estearum wrote: post #192
embedding-shape wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I'm talking about motorcycles traveling ~50mph surrounded by other motorcycles, cars, trucks and whatever else goes on around and in metropolitan areas, even in countries in Europe.

The cities that Americans travel to in order to experience quaint and whimsical urban environments? I don't think any city in Europe is as anti-human as your standard American metro, suburb, or small town. Also: European metro areas are full of two-wheeled not-motorcycles, like the Honda above.

> I don't think any city in Europe is as anti-human as your standard American metro, suburb, or small town.

Agreed

> Also: European metro areas are full of two-wheeled not-motorcycles, like the Honda above.

Not the European metropolitan area I live right next to and travel to/from, they are proper motorcycles, who also travel on the highway, which isn't legal for the "two-wheeled not-motorcycles" you talk about.

It's OK to not be aware of how everything is everywhere in the world, no one thinks less of you for that. However, being so confident about something you obviously can't know, isn't as harmless and does indeed make you look slightly weird for being so combative about it.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#368

Post by stellamariesays »

mapassthebeans wrote: post #148

Had similarly unorthodox path to tech, albeit without the drug addiction or prison. 90s early internet/BBS punk rocker/computer nerd. Hated school angry. Dropped out to work as a bike messenger for 5 years before packing a bag and moving west randomly. Couldn't sit still. Rode freight trains around the country for a few months. Washed dishes and landscaped to cover my cheap rent till that fell thru. Discovered shop l…

[flagged]

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#369

Post by hnlmorg »

lelanthran wrote: post #357
hnlmorg wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What’s healthy isn’t complete abstinence, it’s moderation. This is true of coffee, sugar, alcohol, social gatherings, work, play, and everything else in life.

If alcohol was only discovered in 2026, there isn't a country in the world that would legalise it. It's legal only because it's been grandfathered in, from before legal systems were created.

That’s an impossible to prove opinion without changing the laws of physics. But there are some precedence we can refer to as a counterargument.

1. There have been plenty of other substances that have been banned which were legal and widely taken since before such laws existed. Demonstrating that governments are willing to control substances that were previously legal.

2. There have also been other drugs that have been legalized after they were previously banned. Proving that governments are willing to accept the risk of people taking drugs.

3. And your augment about alcohol specific actually did happen in some places. It is commonly referred to as "prohibition". And that decision never stuck.

The reality is drugs aren't legal nor illegal based on solely the harm they do. They are judged based on how easy they are to regulate (read: monetize and tax) and the subsections of society which enjoy them.

To expand on that last point: there's a reason cannabis was illegal in most countries while cigarettes weren't. And that reason wasn't because cannabis was considered more dangerous than tobacco. It's was because certain leaders wanted us to think that the people who smoked cannabis was more dangerous than the people that smoked cigarettes.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#370

Post by gavinray »

throwaway87330 wrote: post #365
gavinray wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I haven't had a single friend in my life > I can barely imagine the possibility of being able to ask a favor from someone and even receive something > My life has been a series of rejections It's true, I had a lot of help, and that's not universal. I'm going to say this, and I mean it genuinely, so please do not find this insensitive: What if you went to lunch with someone, and the first things they said to you wer…

I appreciate your comment. Again, I'm sorry for venting. I was triggered, but didn't mean to downplay your experience. I found that opening up to people about deep personal issues makes them steer clear even faster.

You don't have to apologize! Your feelings are yours, and if it's not hateful, no shame in expressing them

I really do think if you put your mind to shifting the framing/perspective of your feelings though, that you can have a much different future than past

Hoping things start to go your way, mate

(And yeah, definitely don't dump personal issues on new friends. I find that making friends is much easier if you ask thoughtful questions after listening to them and letting other people do most of the talking at first.)

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