Topics

46

Health & Fitness / Adequate Sleep, Water, and Exercise

« on: November 05, 2019, 09:19:50 AM »

I think we all know that getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, and getting regular exercise is very important for our health and daily function.  BUT, I seem to not be able to achieve all of the mentioned things on a daily basis!  AAAHHH!  Sometimes I don't even accomplish any of those things in a day, in a week, etc.

I haven't been able to exercise lately but I'll consider housework to be exercise.    But yesterday I managed to get 6.5 hours of sleep and I was mindful about drinking plenty of water and this morning I feel this surge of energy.  I feel so refreshed!  Yay!  My mind and body feel good and my thoughts seem to be clearer.  I wish I can accomplish this every day!

For those of you who are parents of young kids that have a system that works that allows you to obtain enough sleep every night, and manage to get in regular exercise, could you share some of your strategies?

For example, when it comes to sleep... I have a million worries so my mind keeps me awake at night.  How do you turn off your brain and make it fall asleep?  Thanks!   

47

The Single & Dating Scenes / Topics To Avoid On A First Date

« on: October 30, 2019, 05:44:35 PM »

Recently, on several occasions, I heard this talking point on the radio: Topics To Avoid On A First Date.

Based on this article https://www.elitedaily.com/dating/conversation-avoid-successful-first-date/1833702, topics to avoid on a first date are:

1. Your Ex
Never ever talk about how awful your ex was.

This makes you look bad, and you could come across as looking bitter.

2. Money
Never discuss finances. Don't talk about how much or how little you earn.

Talking about money can sound like you're either bragging or stressed. Just don't.

3. Politics
This is too heavy a topic for a first date, and could get very intense.

You don't want to lose a second date due to difference in political opinion.

Just because you feel strongly about certain things, it doesn't mean your date needs to hear about it.

4. Religion
This can be a very personal thing, and could get too heated.

5. Family Background
You may have had a terrible family upbringing. Maybe you had an abusive dad or an alcoholic mom.

Whatever the case, this is simply too much to bring up on a first date. It might end up sounding more like a therapy session.

6. Sexual Experience
Don't talk about how many sexual encounters you've had, or how much you date.

You don't know this person yet, and this is a very personal and private topic.

7. Marriage
Don't talk about how you're ready to have kids and get married. This will scare your date away.

This is something you can talk about only after a significant amount of time has passed.

8. Sex
Don't talk about how the person turns you on, or how much you want to take him or her back home in order to have sex.

It's a turn off, and it just makes you look creepy.

9. Secrets
Don't share your deepest, darkest secrets with someone you've just met: He or she simply hasn't earned your trust yet.

Moreover, this is extremely inappropriate, and will probably not be received well.

10. Work Drama
Gossip is exhausting, and you aren't in high school anymore.

Instead of talking about water cooler gossip or how much you hate your job, talk about your passions and ambitions.

48

General Discussion / Who should be the 2020 Democratic Presidential Nominee?

« on: October 30, 2019, 04:53:54 PM »

So many 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates.  Crazy!

Here is Rolling Stone's ranking of the candidates: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/2020-democrat-candidates-771735/

1. Do you agree or disagree with the ranking? 
2. Who do you want to see as the 2020 Democratic Presidential nominee?

49

General Discussion / Outrageous Baby Names (Don't Do It!)

« on: October 30, 2019, 04:21:07 PM »

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-outrageous-baby-names-parents-picked-in-2017_n_5b4eb4e5e4b0de86f487f824

SMH at the parents that named their kids these names (imagine introducing yourself to others as these names--"Hi, my name is __"):
Amen
Lucifer
Pharaoh
Milady
General
Lemon
Vanity
Havoc
Furious
Slayer
Isis
I-am
Boy
Son
Girl
Babyboy
Babygirl


These names are ridiculous!  How do you think they are pronounced?   
Abcde
L-a
Sssst
Jkmn

50

General Discussion / Business Ideas

« on: October 30, 2019, 02:34:47 PM »

1.  Mobile/Traveling Massage Therapist

What do you guys think of traveling massage therapists?

I think I would gladly pay someone to come to my house to give me a massage but I worry about the safety/security side of it.

Here's an idea for someone looking to start a business: Start a traveling massage therapy company; charge a reasonable travel rate and massage rate. 

You'll definitely get a repeat customer in me if you:
- Are a Hmong woman and
- You charge $.55 per mile for travel fee (or whatever the federal mileage travel rate is) and
- You charge $1 per minute for massage

PLEASE, SOMEONE START THIS BUSINESS--make sure there is a female and a male massage therapist in your company!  Your female clients will likely want a female massage therapist for safety reasons.  Thank you!

51

General Discussion / Weird names for places and things

« on: October 25, 2019, 04:16:23 PM »

Have you ever wondered why some places are named the way they are named?  For example, Liverpool.  Why is it called Liverpool?  Was the main attraction of that city a pool that was filled with livers?    Or, was the city named after a man/woman whose last name was Liverpool?  And if that man/woman's last name was Liverpool, why was his/her last name Liverpool?  Did one of his/her forefathers own a pool that was filled with livers?   

Anyway, list the "weird names" of places and things that you've come across so that we can all be puzzled with you. 

52

General Discussion / Pics of your kids

« on: October 25, 2019, 10:08:54 AM »

Help brighten up all of our days and share pics of your kids. 

53

General Discussion / Have you reached your full potential?

« on: October 21, 2019, 04:35:50 PM »

1. Have you reached your full potential?
2. Are you the person that you wished to be?
3. How has life shaped you into or not into the best person that you could be?

54

General Discussion / What should be the range for minimum and maximum wages

« on: August 13, 2019, 08:06:10 PM »

What are your thoughts on the pay range for the minimum wage and maximum wage?

55

General Discussion / Granite Countertops

« on: August 12, 2019, 12:36:29 AM »

Let me know if you know a good place in MN that sells and installs kitchen granite countertops for a good price.  Thank you!

56

General Discussion / The flaw in "Nobody can make you happy but yourself"

« on: August 11, 2019, 01:37:28 PM »

"Nobody can make you happy until you're happy with yourself first."

I understand what this quote is saying because, ultimately, it is our own hearts and minds and bodies that determine our own emotional, mental, and psychological states of being.  However, the states of our hearts, minds, and bodies are often influenced by external sources: other people, the weather, bad/good things happening to us, bad/good things happening in the world, etc.  In the face of a horrible experience, we can try really hard to manually shift our brains to see the good in the horrible situation but it is easier said than done. More often, the way we feel is an automatic response to what is happening to us or around us, where the happenings are often caused by other people and things.

So, while I agree with this quote to a certain extent, I recognize that a person's state of happiness is not only influenced by their own mind and thoughts but by external influences as well.

57

General Discussion / Thoughts On AI (Artificial Intelligence)

« on: August 11, 2019, 01:28:26 PM »

Will we ever have robotic automobiles that drive themselves (and us) around town with a 100% certainty that nothing will go wrong 100% of the time?  Unlikely.

Will machines replace human beings?  Will AI spell the end of the human race as predicted by Stephen Hawkins?  I don't think so; not any time in the short term but possibly in the very far off future, and that's only if something goes wrong in the codes and all interconnected computers/robotics create a blaze big enough that blows the world up.

When it comes to human thoughts and the human mind, I don't think we can ever create such an AI that is the equivalent of a human being.  I don't think AI's will ever be as intelligent as humans.  AI's capacity is in the assembly-line production and algorithm and pattern recognitions, not when it comes to reasoning or making complex decisions.  But man, Westworld really does make it seem like AI's that are incredibly close to exact replicas of human beings would be possible, right?  Thank goodness that's only a film!

There is something that I don't think AI's could ever do.  That is, translate the Hmong language from Hmong to English and vice versa.  We don't have enough vocabularies in our language and it's impossible to accurately translate our language with Google translate or the like, now or in the future.  I just don't have faith that we could ever develop a computer program that could transcribe thoughts or translate the nuances of certain languages.

Will AI replace human workers?  Yes, some workers but not all.  AI definitely has improved productivity.  Saw this with my own eyes.  Developed automatic reports and work flows that eliminated two positions at our agency.  Don't worry, the two people received other positions within the agency.  It's just that some manual things that used to be done by humans can now be done by AI and electronic processes.

In conclusion, I don't think that AI's will ever replace human beings but they will continue to change the dynamics of the workforce and the roles that humans play in the workforce.

Furthermore, to add on to my earlier point, I don't think AI's could ever match humans in intelligence (I hope not!) because I don't think AI's could ever have consciousness or thoughts or feelings.  They are computer programmings.  What I fear is the people behind the programming. They could make mistakes in their codes or intentionally create programs or machines that cause unimaginable harm.

But never say never, right?  We don't know what the future holds.  With that said, if it were possible that AI's with consciousness and feelings were possible, then I'd  question the ethics of the creation of such AI's and I would definitely be against that.

58

Movies / Favorite Movies

« on: August 06, 2019, 12:24:43 AM »

Last Knights

59

General Discussion / Desensitized

« on: August 06, 2019, 12:18:34 AM »

I don't know but I feel that in general, a lot of Americans have become desensitized to gun violence in America.  It's like a normal thing now.  We have so many mass shootings it's hard to keep count and keep track anymore.  I guess to many people, there are big money in guns even at the loss of lives.  We have two sides when it comes to gun control.  One side is irrational.  That's all I'm going to say about that. Because of the irrational side, positive changes to gun laws will be slow to happen.  Which means more lives will be lost first before anything major happens to prevent frequent/easy mass shootings.  Such a shame.

Also, crazy is the new normal these days. You've got an inexperienced reality TV star and racist acting as POTUS, making the US lose major respect from other nations.  He is a President straight out of the twilight zone.  The current POTUS is a joke.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

To stay sane, I can't help but to feel desensitized.  Internally I'm outraged but I feel so powerless when the people that we give the power to to make the right decisions don't make the right decisions.  They make decisions based on money and re-elections and not lives.  It's so discouraging!  I don't vote for politicians that don't value all human lives but other people vote for these politicians, so, what can one do?

60

Movies / Last Knights

« on: August 05, 2019, 10:58:01 PM »

Took a break from house projects to watch Last Knights for the 3rd time.  Love this movie so much.  Not only does it have a diverse cast, which is incredibly awesome, but the storyline is intelligent and the acting is amazing.  One of my favorites.