Brandon Iron

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I use this account in an attempt to connect with others, find inspiring & informative content. I live & was born in Texas. 37M, single, cat person, night owl, INFP, 9w1, ND, ♐️🐲. I like nature, art, beauty, construction, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, rain/ thunderstorms, spring and fall, phenomenology, health, literature, contemplating life and sleeping.

Sorry for the rough pic, that’s what being up for 18+hours after a fishing trip looks like. Lol.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

Literacy is a Technology, artificial, not natural fyi. lol.

Speech is biological; almost every human acquires it. Writing is invented, tool-dependent, and must be taught. It externalizes language into fixed marks that can be inspected later, shared across distance, and held to account.

That artificial fixity is powerful: once words are written, both parties can see exactly what was said. Ambiguity shrinks, memory is no longer required to carry the full burden, and agreements, laws, science, and history become possible at scale. Thought can be refined across generations instead of constantly reshaped to fit the present.

The same artificiality carries trade-offs. Memory skills atrophy. Text cannot answer back or adapt. Oral traditions and more holistic, situational ways of thinking recede. Fixed records also enable bureaucracy, orthodoxy, and control.

We treat these effects as normal. They are the results of a Technology that restructured consciousness in many ways, one we still take largely for granted, or not even known at all.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

Anytime the exchange passes through a third wall….recorded video, text, or any fixed or replayable medium, you are inside the same phenomenon, with the benefits and the drift that come with it. Only live, in-person or real-time interaction keeps the spoken word tied to observable action in the shared moment.

Even then, differences of view can appear, but they usually concern what is abstract or remembered or “believed” rather than what both parties can see happening in front of them. Once the medium removes that shared present moment, interpretation fills more of the gap, and the distance becomes easier to miss. I have to remind myself that I don’t know anyone online. I really don’t. I think I do, but I don’t. lol. I have ideas, but nothing is certain until I shake your hand and we build something together.

Perhaps for other people that can easily escape this phenomenon? I don’t believe so. But perhaps it’s possible with two very likeminded people that have experienced similar life experiences. They could probably get a good read on a situation without needing tons of shared data together.

What’s worse, is that i actually scored a college level grade on reading comprehension when I was in middle school. My theory is, some people are better able to imagine and look for meaning anywhere possible. Perhaps a hyper vigilance or even a mild schizophrenia of sorts? Reading into shit that’s not irl comes/came easy to me. lol. But I’m trying to ground myself more and not do this as much. Because I created many monsters that never existed. Perhaps I had valid reasons to do so intentionally. I wonder.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I used to scare myself listening to this cassette 📼📻 when I was a little kid. I also had the book. But the cassette freaked me out. I’m thinking I was probably 6-8 or so? I don’t remember tbh. But I think we had other books and I remember liking them. https://t.co/cDWfle3it0

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

@teachrobotslove I like Twinkies for this. But unfortunately I eat them while fully contemplating that I’m ingesting some sort of toxic sludge that’s 💯 not good for me in any conceivable way. But I still do it, because I like living on the edge, the texture, flavor and consistency of them. YOLO!

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I forgot to mention. I’ve had a new revelation to the concept of Free Will. Although I’m not a believer in it fully, i believe it’s possible to enact certain things that could be called free will in many respects. I don’t believe it doesn’t exist. I simply believe it’s limited In many ways. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and everything is determined. That mindset is probably more problematic imo. My new counter to anyone that claims we have total free will would be as follows.

Full free will, meaning conscious choice of every action, cannot work. The effort of monitoring and deciding everything consumes the capacity needed to act, so the arrangement collapses under its own overhead. What remains is partial choice inside limits set by habit, bodily states, prior commitments, and other people. That narrower freedom is real; it depends on an automatic, shared layer to keep from turning into constant self-management. Aka loss of freedom.

Basically, being a little bit NPC gives you the ability to actually make decisions that I’d call free will. Ideally you trust and have other people to help you out and do things they are good at while you can do what you’re good at. But this requires letting some unconscious activity.

Does that make sense? It does to me. And I think all humans should be allowed to be dumb and do the stupid things every now and again. It’s a part of living that we should embrace. lol. Just don’t make a habit out of it. Or constantly require others to fix problems you make. That’s a problem imo. lol. Let me be stupid please. But if you see a pattern tell me as much. All let you know if it’s intentional or not after you point it out.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I bought a few pens a few years ago for work. And happened to see one I couldn’t live without. lol. Something about it was so alluring. The color and artwork. I never use it. But I had to have it. Check it out. It reminded me of a childhood memory that I couldn’t fully remember?

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I’ve never been a big fan of watching scary movies during October or specifically for Halloween 👻 I can appreciate scary movies, but not for any particular occasion, or just because. It’s kinda too much at that point imo. Like, it adds unnecessary drama to the situation. It’s over the top. And honestly, I kinda appreciate scary movies when they are least expected to be scary. It’s fairly easy for me to get my hopes up and be disappointed. I’d rather be drawn in to a good movie that happens to be scary. Or at least unpredictable. But not long and drawn out suspenses. Some is ok. But i prefer some calm moments mixed in ideally.

Anyway, some of the most memorable scary movies I watched were at my cousins house on summer break when we were kids. Like 10 years old or around that age. They lived 2.5 hours away so I’d spend a week or two there with them. One cousin was a few years younger, one was my age. And two were like 7 years older.

So we ended up watching stuff we had no business watching. But the older ones could watch and didn’t see any issues letting us join. They actually enjoyed trying to scare us with it. But us 3 younger kids were kinda a team. So we were not that worried. And honestly we wanted to watch it, because it was something our parents probably wouldn’t have let us do? Lol.

The movies I remember watching were as follows.

Tales from the Hood (1995)
Leprechaun (1993)
Leprechaun 2 (1994)
Leprechaun 3 (1995)
Child’s Play (1988)
Child’s Play 2 (1990)
Child’s Play 3 (1991)

These were ok. I actually liked Tales from the Hood because it was so unique. Id recommend that if you like scary movies and haven’t seen it. But I was never a massive fan or anything tbh.

If you were to ask me today, to give out a list of (My (13) top spooky scary movies list) it would be as follows in no particular order.

Misery (1990)
The Skeleton Key (2005)
Krampus (2015)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Zombieland (2009)
Stir of Echoes (1999)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Poltergeist (1982)
Pet Sematary (1989)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

I think I have more, but I simply can’t remember. As I’ve already said, I’m not really a scary movie or really any movie buff. I like certain movies for certain reasons. I have to be in the mood and in the right mindset to get hooked/captivated. Some movies have that magic and others do not. I’m not a fan of gore for the sake of it. Like, I need a story or a reason for it. But even so, it has to make sense. And be filmed in a certain way. I think I like slower paced films. Less cuts the better. Unless they make sense.

I’ve also never understood the scare factory events. Like, you know it’s fake, and you are in no real danger, idk how people still get scared by it? I think I’m too headstrong or something. I think it takes someone that’s easily influenced mentally. It’s kinda why scary movies don’t normally do anything for me. Once i expect it, it’s lost its magic for me. I like novelty. But so much is predictable and already been done, that it loses its hold on my attention.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

Canary in the coal mine for sensitive intellectual types.

Not so much for people less aware imo. lol. The less aware are actually the (toxic gas) flooding into every country. But they will care when enough Canary’s die and what’s left is only toxic waste, death and destruction.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

My (working) thoughts on neurodivergence/rise of diagnosis.

ASD and ADHD related traits are largely genetic. They include real limits and real advantages, and they are not new. My claim does not cover high-support individuals. It covers broadly functional people who struggle enough to seek a diagnosis or therapy.

Modernity is the catalyst for the increase in diagnosis, not the origin of the traits. People are inherently built for acute, local pressures and for small, familiar groups with concrete roles. A few generations ago, closer kin and tribal settings could absorb more of the same variation: a fixed role, known people, repetitive work. Chronic, diffuse demands—constant evaluation, abstract rules, unstable schedules, information load, thinner everyday support, and stress about the wider world, fit those traits poorly.

Now the same variation more often becomes impairing.

Because it is genetic, the mismatch runs through parents as well. Parents carrying similar traits struggle under modern conditions too. But they were already adults when rapid changes occurred. Roles and norms were already in place, so the new stress did not unmake them the way it lands on children. It still shows up at home as neglect. Mostly absence: attention, consistency, and any tools for managing demands that only make sense if you already know what these traits cost.

You do not get that understanding from someone who never had to see through that lens. It is often invisible, and surviving family frequently treats it as normal.

So the hardship passes across generations, mixes with the child’s own liability, and adds trauma-like symptoms: guardedness, state-dependent reactivity, coping that tightens under stress. The child carries both the inherited traits and a thin foundation. That combination is what makes ordinary life hard enough to need an explanation/diagnosis.

Because so much neglect is what did not happen, current records under-count it. Those records point first to wider criteria, screening, and adult assessment, including among people who describe childhood as adequate. Lack of data does not disprove the pathway I think is happening.

My claim is that stressed-parent neglect under modern pressure is the main environmental driver of the rise in need, and then in diagnosis, once genetics are held constant.

Environment, not the people, is the problem.

Seeking a diagnosis follows the struggle. It does not happen merely because the category exists or because people are more aware of the differences.

What concerns me is that the diagnosis marks the person as the broken piece. That is built into it. You do not get a diagnosis without a lack. The label increases distance from ordinary groups until they find others with the same label, where the traits are normal again, like a neurodivergent community, or simply fitting in with like-minded people.

Which is ok, but even in these groups people still filter themselves and might find struggle to connect or fit in. Because it’s hard to fit in truly when all the pieces are the same shape/size. Or when childhood neglect or trauma make it impossible. Ultimately you really need mix of different ages and perspectives imo. But not so much that nobody sees themselves in others.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

And this one. I think about this all the time.

People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. We can only see what we are, and if we misbehave we suspect others.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I like this guy and a lot of what he had to say.

Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. This is an error of the intellect as inevitable as that error of the eye which lets us fancy that on the horizon heaven and earth meet. This explains many things, and among them the fact that everyone measures us with his own standard—generally about as long as a tailor’s tape, and we have to put up with it: as also that no one will allow us to be taller than himself—a supposition which is once for all taken for granted.
— Arthur Schopenhauer

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

Me as Edward Scissorhands if you were even interested. (I know you’re not) lol. But idc. This was/is also one of my favorite movies that lives rent free in my head.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I think I would have made a decent Goblin King. The labyrinth was/ is one of my favorite movies. lol.😂 if only you knew how we ended up with this photo.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

Chat, what do we think about my new yard sign? I know I’m late to the party, but it’s still important and worthwhile to virtue signal imo. Also, feel free to copy mine and get one for yourself, so we know we’re on the same team 😜 Also, does anyone have an economical supplier for cat litter? I prefer the unscented myself.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I saw on the timeline a few weeks ago someone talking about a tongue scraper and how amazing it was. So, I picked one up because they are fairly cheap and I’m sold. They’re actually amazing. lol. I got one from this place https://t.co/eArsUcyEoD they have so many on Amazon I wasn’t sure what to get, but this company looked legitimate. I’m not sure how late I am to this party lol. But I was never invited, so maybe anyone that sees this post wasn’t either.

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

This is my other hook up for sheets/ blankets and socks/ underwear. I’ve been very pleased with everything I’ve bought from this place. https://t.co/GuRkkeetjy

[Brandon Iron @BrandonIron44]

I’m always torn between utilitarian and artistic design. (Form/ function) I want both! I want it to look and work perfectly. But many times it’s not possible and one has to prioritize one over the other.

I’ve been looking to buy a night stand for years. And I’ve never been satisfied with what’s available.

Everything seems very expensive for what it’s made of/ quality you get. And to buy a premium product comes with a premium price.

I’ve also went through the design process of what I’d make if I were to build one. Which I could, but again, the cost/ time doesn’t justify it. Especially if I build something I’d appreciate. I have the capability, but it’s not in my interest at the moment.

That’s when I was inspired to do something never done before! lol. Maybe.

I bought a toolbox! lol.

Why? Because it was priced reasonably well compared to the particleboard junk that’s everywhere. It’s lockable/ extremely overbuilt. Has nice ball barring slides. And will last a lifetime.

Also, nowadays you can get these tool boxes in many colors. So I was able to put some artistic flair into it.

I did mod the box some. I didn’t use the wheels to get it lower/ nicer looking. And i bought a wood top. And de-badged it.

Granted it’s still too big for my small bed/ room. I’m willing to deal with the odd proportions. With a full size bed/ large room, I think it would look more appropriate. But I’m fine with it.

I’ve lived with my old crap setup for 10 plus years. And man, has this upgrade been amazing to use/ look at compared to what I had going on.

Get the tool box on sale if you do something like this. And the wood top was actually a husky product that fit perfectly. Kobalt didn’t have that option in this small box. But I wanted a white box, and kobalt had a good price and smallest one.

I bought a cheap towel rack for the wall. And was really pleased with it.

I think I will pick up a bigger (matching) box in a few months to replace my dresser. Again, if you price a new solid wood piece of furniture, and compare it to these steel boxes, it’s not even in the same universe.

Sure, it’s not exactly posh, but I’m willing to give that up for something that’s built like a tank in the realm of furniture.

Just an idea for anyone that’s furniture shopping. If you are brave/ creative enough. They are heavy though. It wasn’t an issue for me. But I’d imagine for some people it could be. If you keep the wheels it would be very easy to move without damaging the floor. But I don’t think it would look as appealing.