Virat

23 | Having philosophical arguments in my head.

[Virat @viraaatttt]

ask me before you assume my beliefs unless i have explicitly stated them and even then there's always a chance they might have changed, i am ever so fickle.

[Soleil @soleiljolina]

The sexual tension between me and constantly wanting to acquire more knowledge

[Taelin @VictorTaelin]

we had 30 rules. I asked Fable to STOP turning everything I say into rules. we have 31 rules

[Sikandar @VinamreKasanaa]

Drunk parking attendant in GK-2 M Block market tonight. As usual, refuses to furnish the parking receipt. Says I should pay him "jo maalik ki iccha."

I used to find this shit cute. Would pay extra as tribute to the spirit of jugaad. But I am sick of having to participate in this informal baksheesh economy just to park my car. And I am sick of being shamed by people from my class if I protest.

"Inn logon ke muh matt lago."
"You're doing this over 40 rupees?"
"Just give the guy what he wants."

And then the drunk attendant has already profiled me. He's seen the SUV. He's seen the clothes. He knows how to exploit the rich and the gullible with his Mughal-era sweetness.

He shames me when I ask for the real amount.
"aapki toh itni badi gadi hai"
"aap toh bade aadmi ho"
"sir night charge hai."

Most people just cough up the 100 instead of the 40 on the receipt. The process of getting the guy to follow the law is simply not worth their time.

But tonight I insist on the receipt. I don't budge. My companions look uncomfortable. To hell with them. I tell him I'll call the police.

A part of me revolts. I've spent my life paying bribes and paying extra to get shit done. I've done it so much I've stopped expecting to get anything done without money.

But I am also sick of paying more. Sick of providing fodder to this informal economy. Sick of being shamed for having money. Like it is my moral responsibility to pay for this guy's alcohol because I am wealthier. Upper-middle class or middle class India is not the benefactor of the poor.

It's our collective ignorance and apathy around this stuff that causes these parking guys to become drunk sycophantic Mughal courtiers than genuine professionals.

After I raise my voice, insist on the receipt amount, and dismiss his "aap toh de sakte ho sir," he relents.

He finally says with a smile, "aaj toh maalik gussa ho gaye."

Kaise na gussa hoon mai bsdk!

[Virat @viraaatttt]

gotta go sober

[Virat @viraaatttt]

@ssj_seunk @AK203312 😭

[Virat @viraaatttt]

it's in the constant decentralisation and consolidation where you will find the balance.

[Kelsey Piper @KelseyTuoc]

@hecubian_devil please, please, please do not use state power as a cathartic expression of equality, glory and the value of human life! please just use the state to create a free and prosperous society and then go start a band or something as a cathartic expression of equality, glory and life!

[Kelsey Piper @KelseyTuoc]

@hecubian_devil I think the fundamental disconnect here is that you wants politics to solve man's search for meaning and I want politics to deliver a prosperous, safe, free society in which everyone can go find meaning in something other than politics.

[Charlotte Lee @cljack]

Asked a nerd friend why he suddenly looked upset and he said, choking back tears, “we’ll never know what Von Neumann could have done with this level of compute”

[EsDeeKid @esdeekidd]

are you climbing this mountain for the world to see you or to see the world

[Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 @Noahpinion]

Overheard in SF: "Let's be real, no one knows any mathematicians except Terence Tao."

[roon @tszzl]

the best mechinterp and alignment researchers i know are operating like many armed deities making ten times the amount of progress they were two years ago. a era in which six months of alignment research at this level of capabilities would make for a vastly safer world

[Virat @viraaatttt]

@sickdarth all i see is foundational pieces for a future akin to ex machina being layed out.

[Virat @viraaatttt]

@rushkaliaaaa ye kab hua?

[Virat @viraaatttt]

@paper_equity @AK203312 i remember that pass and the player i describe above should be able to do the same (of course not to Kroos level) that threaded passing ability to split open midfield and defence in a moment all while keeping the ball better (something madrid midfield currently lacks)

[mensch @signoremosca]

Started drunk smoking again and there are actually zero negative effects on my life because the alcohol forms a protective layer around your lungs a lot of people don’t know this

[tomie @tomieinlove]

It’s all fun and games until Mythos 2 finds vulnerabilities in the human genome.

[Virat @viraaatttt]

@rushkaliaaaa It's meerut ke ladke and dilli bois, huge difference!!

[roon @tszzl]

effective altruism ended up being one of the most powerful political movements of the 21st century