2024-02-07 13:32
Crayon art by Jon Gronberg.I didn't know Jon Gronberg as well as I could have. We met online in 2021 when a mutual friend introduced us, and we started playing games, sometimes weekly, over… Read More
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Ericherboso.org Blog
ericherboso.blogspot.com
Personal weblog on philosophy, ethics, skepticism, vegetarianism, and nonprofit social media.
2024-02-04 21:34
Sammy & Shelby as kittens in 2011.I'm devastated, but also relieved. I'm heartbroken, but also feel that this is the best outcome.Last month, Katherine informed me that the inlaws of one… Read More
2024-01-10 14:13
By the time the alarm rings, I'm already up. Carefully, I pack a lunch for my partner. I always try to include something special that will help to slightly brighten her day when she opens it… Read More
2023-12-22 12:06
I have a daughter.It's such a benign statement, especially coming from someone my age. Typical of my peers in myriad categories. Yet, for me, on a personal level, this just feels different… Read More
2023-09-13 21:55
This week, we installed a ramp to the front door of the house. We purchased a wheelchair that was far more expensive than I thought wheelchairs would reasonably cost. And we've had multiple… Read More
2023-05-02 11:41
My partner is a high school art teacher. She’s very good at her job, having earned the state-wide Art Teacher of the Year award in Maryland. Unfortunately, she has a mobility disabilit… Read More
2023-03-09 13:31
Today is the funeral of Denise Saladyga. It is also what would have been her 71st birthday. Her loss is felt by many today, but I wanted to take a moment to share that particular slice… Read More
2023-01-13 12:08
I met Katherine ten years ago, on January 13, 2013.We met online. Before she'd sent her first message to me, she'd already learned quite a bit about me. Back then, OKCupid was not as worthle… Read More
2022-12-15 05:58
I live with a disabled partner. Sometimes, it's just…hard. Things that other people take for granted don't always apply in our family. Simple tasks sometimes take extra time. Moderate… Read More
2022-12-05 09:21
I do not feel well at all.I first encountered effective altruism in 2011. Since then, I've personally given nearly $100k (in both direct and in-kind donations) to what I've considered effect… Read More
2022-11-12 10:02
I feel dismayed. Shocked. I feel so stupid.I'm not sure why I trusted SBF. I guess you just naturally trust someone you've worked closely with. Someone who's donated significant funds that n… Read More
2022-10-31 19:13
Eric as Steve (Minecraft).Halloween has always been a stressful holiday for me. As a child, I was never particularly gregarious, so the dressing up and going from house-to-house thing never… Read More
2022-09-18 21:06
"Okay. I believe you. You clearly have access to far more advanced technology. Maybe you're not actually from the future, but you may as well have equivalent abilities from my perspective."… Read More
2022-08-20 17:23
A friend last night told me about a worrying conclusion to which they'd come: as they were watching old television shows from their childhood, they kept seeing the values that they still hol… Read More
2022-08-07 03:59
My view on my grandfather is rather warped. Around the time that I was born, Salvatore Louis "Ralph" Tomaso got into a rather serious car accident. Although he lived two additional decades… Read More
2022-07-01 12:04
By Katherine Hess.Today, I turn 41 years old, and I'm proud of the majority of my time on this planet.Today is the soft launch of Effective Giving Quest. Although the website is not live whe… Read More
2022-05-10 05:21
It took many, many years before I had an appreciable amount of epistemic humility. Throughout my childhood and well on into my twenties, I felt uniquely invincible. Even when bad things happ… Read More
2022-03-31 08:30
Twenty-four years ago, on March 31, 1998, StarCraft was first released. I didn't realize it at the time, but it would become an obsession for me that has remained constant for two and half d… Read More
2022-03-14 06:33
Giving What We CanI joined the effective altruism movement in 2011 after hearing Toby Ord make his pitch. At the time, the Giving What We Can pledge required you to pledge to give to global… Read More
2022-03-06 13:41
I've never stolen anything. I don't think I've even ever really come that close to doing so.Once, when I was homeless, broke, and had nothing but a laptop to my name, I would work online to… Read More
2022-03-02 21:18
It took me a very long time to understand love. So very many of my early romantic relationships were cursory, chosen not because I felt a certain way toward a person, but because, on balance… Read More
2022-02-24 15:57
I was told today that the number 45 was ruined by Trump. I found this difficult to parse at first — to me, a number is not ruined just because it has an association with something bad… Read More
2022-02-16 03:56
I no longer have any of the video games I grew up with. Some were gifted to others; some were lost as I moved from place to place. Still others may very well be hidden in an obscure box I ha… Read More
2022-02-14 20:29
Giving something meaningful each Valentine's Day has become a sort of tradition between Katherine and myself.This year, Katherine has truly outdone herself. Her handmade card quotes Carl Sag… Read More
2022-01-31 14:42
mad investor chaos and the woman of asmodeus by Eliezer Yudkowsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ambivalence gets a bum rap. Who would ever want to read a book that simultaneously delights and frus… Read More
2022-01-17 19:06
It can be difficult to talk openly about mental health. I’ve tried over the years to not shy away from talking about many of the issues in my life, many of which are quite serious. But… Read More
2022-01-13 05:37
Katherine's latest art project involves looking at the number of covid cases in our county every other day and making something that has to do with that number. On Monday of this week, there… Read More
2021-12-26 10:35
After staying up all night on Christmas eve, I visited my family on Christmas morning to share breakfast, gifts, and stories. By noon, I left to go home and promptly fell asleep, not waking… Read More
2021-12-23 14:21
Oesterheld on Multiverse-wide cooperationI’ve been thinking a lot lately about the various ways that we deal with others that have values not aligned with our own. When Aumann's agreem… Read More
2021-12-22 06:20
Vampire Flower Language by Angela Castir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The problem with most romance stories is that the plot tends to revolve around a conflict that the characters see as big, but… Read More
2021-12-20 06:11
A small selection of why I'm not depressed.I love life.Sometimes I read posts by people who are depressed. A common theme is that they feel that life is not worth living. At times, I have wo… Read More
2021-12-15 13:23
OCTO by Z. Albert Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While definitely not perfect, let me go ahead and recommend that you not google this story and just start reading blindly. Much of the value in… Read More
2021-11-19 21:16
There's a phenomenon that occurs only to the lazy, like myself. I'd like to share it here so that go-getter types could also know of the experience.Each room in my house has several lights… Read More
2021-11-09 01:30
When I was in grade school, I often had late evening talks with my friend, Peter. Topics of discussion varied wildly from day to day, sometimes about video games like Doom, sometimes about g… Read More
2021-09-26 15:38
Thirty-eight years ago, Stanislav Petrov disobeyed orders that may have caused a nuclear attack. I'll quote from Yudkowsky's retelling of Petrov's story:On September 26th, 1983, Lieutenant C… Read More
2021-08-30 19:53
Worth the Candle by cthulhuraejepsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Writing reviews can be quite difficult. I serve three masters: the friend or stranger looking up this review on GoodReads to see… Read More
2021-08-09 23:04
Katherine and Jasper.Using online profiles makes meeting people so much easier. By the time of our first conversation, I already knew she was smart and funny. But it wasn't until we actually… Read More
2021-07-18 19:53
Here's a pic of Jasperso that this discussion on racedoesn't bring you down too much.(I was going to put a pic ofRace Bannon, who myadopted grandfather voiced,but that seemed too flippant.)I… Read More
2021-07-01 17:37
July 1st, 1981. I am delivered slightly after midnight, at nearly the exact middle of the year, 183 days into a year of 365. The doctor delivers me via Caesarean section. Unbeknownst to my m… Read More
2021-06-27 16:57
I turn 40 in a few days.I'm proud of all that I've accomplished so far in life. I believe that I've done exceptionally well in terms of my career. I've achieved success in my hobbies. I've m… Read More
2021-04-23 10:55
Made by Katherine Hess.In May of 2018, Katherine sent me a photo of a piece she was working on. "It's a puzzle portrait," she explained. "Do you think you can solve it?"I was fascinated by t… Read More
2021-04-03 18:23
We should not fall prey to the typical mind fallacy. Our minds are not so similar as we at first think.Robin Raven trying to protect the innocent.My friend Robin became vegan very early on b… Read More
2021-04-01 16:38
Screen print by Katherine Hess.From Robert Frost's The Tuft of Flowers:I went to turn the grass once after oneWho mowed it in the dew before the sun.The dew was gone that made his blade so k… Read More
2021-03-25 10:12
Shawn at the Tikal Mayan ruins in Guatemala.This will be the fourth blog post in a row that I've written about death, euthanasia, and/or suicide. Maybe you, the reader, will think this is a… Read More
2021-03-17 10:19
Two Arms and a Head: The Death of a Newly Paraplegic Philosopher by Clayton Atreus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Two days ago, I held Jasper in my arms as he died. My grief at his sudden death has… Read More
2021-03-16 02:24
Twitter user @jimkwik asked the other day for the happiest 4 word story people could come up with. Before deleting his response in favor of AI alignment message marketing, Eliezer Yudkowsky… Read More
2021-03-14 18:45
Jasper occasionallyhas a drinking problem.When Jasper was young, his nickname was Saucer Eyes. Such huge eyes on such a tiny kitty! His human family at the time was normal, I suppose, but no… Read More
2021-02-10 20:29
Ibyabek by Hannah Blume
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There's a rich history of good science fiction that takes contemporary political issues and gives them the trappings of a science fiction sett… Read More
2021-01-26 15:23
The NAEA Awards are for every state in the US.Congratulations to Katherine Hess for earning the Maryland Art Educator of the Year award!It feels like déjà vu because… Read More
2021-01-23 00:56
Enough is enough. I am tired of seeing Blue team bias in official Liquid Bit posts on the Killer Queen Black discord. We finally get an excellent Gold team image on the KQB blog post for the… Read More
2021-01-02 05:36
[Note: This entry spoils plot points in Cobra Kai, The Sword of Good, and (maybe if you stretch it) My Little Pony. Please only read this entry if you don't mind casual discussion… Read More
2020-12-27 15:45
[Note: This entry spoils portions of the most recent season of The Mandalorian, as well as the excellent rational story Metropolitan Man. Please only read this entry if you don't mind casual… Read More
2020-12-14 13:50
"Eric, it's not that hard. You're mixed race. You can call yourself Latinx. Or native american, if you really wanted to. But you present as white and hispanic. Getting any more complicated t… Read More
2020-12-09 16:52
Epistemic status: highly uncertain.Recently, Spencer Greenberg posted three useful facts about mathematics:Here's the most useful mathematics I can fit in 3 short paragraphs (see image). pic… Read More
2020-12-06 23:14
The Rise and Fall of the Dark Lord Sassaflash by Dromicosuchus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In the world of My Little Pony, the Dark Lord Sassaflash is a necromancer with ambition. But to accompl… Read More
2020-11-12 12:36
Pierre Le Moyne D’IbervilleMy favorite place to be in Winter 1996 was wherever she was. Like most boys at that age, I was infatuated with someone I found impossible to stay away f… Read More
2020-11-11 12:24
4:12 a.m. ESTI'm a little late for my walk. It's much better to go at 3:30 or so; that way I don't run into anyone and I can keep my mask in my pocket. Starting this late means by the… Read More
2020-10-12 17:47
"Ew. Why are you celebrating thirteen years on Reddit? What a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Aren't they all chauvinistic red-pillers that post weird Pepe the Frogs?"Why, yes, Reddit is… Read More
2020-10-07 21:10
From the now defunct study-hack site.I've always highly valued sleep. On the EA Forum, I've argued that sleep should be prioritized. I've always enjoyed the dozen or so seconds after I… Read More
2020-09-25 19:45
Ace cake by MJ Buell.Today is my cake day. I joined reddit 13 years ago, only a few months after Conde Nast bought it from the original founders.At the time, I was a webmaster and I joined r… Read More
2020-09-21 10:49
My first KQB (casual) tournament win.Yesterday, my team, Eezy Beezy KG, won the Killer Queen Black weekend event. It was quite exciting -- although I can't help but to feel as though I was c… Read More
2020-09-17 17:54
I laughed and cried when I was young. I have no reason to think that I had any less emotion than other children at that age. But at some point in my young adult life, I got it into my head t… Read More
2020-09-09 10:01
When I go walking, I bring a mask with me, but I don't actually put it on. My walks generally take place around 3:30 a.m. and the only beings I tend to meet during these walks are the occasi… Read More
2020-09-01 04:48
It is perhaps the worst feeling I have ever felt. Constantly reviewing my own thoughts, balancing the requirements of those I call friends against the tenets of the enlightenment s… Read More
2020-06-30 04:26
From Anwinity.Sad realizations. When people talk about undressing with one's eyes, they actually mean it. When people suffer from ptsd, they actually see it. Having only just reali… Read More
2020-06-23 00:20
Recently, I learned that I have had a lifelong disability that I never previously realized that I had: aphantasia.
Aphantasia (meaning "without imagination") is a condition characteri… Read More
2020-06-15 19:10
After more than three months, my health ordeal may come to an end tomorrow. My final surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am, and it seems to all appearances that within a week I should be well eno… Read More
2020-06-10 15:41
Permutation City by Greg Egan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I see a lot of myself in this book.(Light spoilers follow; I think you can read this review and still enjoy the book, but if you want to… Read More
2020-06-05 10:54
The Erogamer by Groon the Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way.First, this is porn; if you aren't okay with reading porn, then you won't be able to enjoy… Read More
2020-06-01 05:18
Nyssa in the Realm of Possibility by Alicorn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
You might at first expect that a rational retelling of Norton Justen's The Phantom Tollbooth would require at least that… Read More
2020-05-11 09:01
It's been nearly two months since I checked into the hospital, and though I've thankfully been able to spend recuperation time at home for the last four weeks, it's been a constant stru… Read More
2020-04-07 03:09
Some of my favorite memories of my mother are of when we'd sit on the couch together watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. I don't generally have a good relationship with my mother… Read More
2020-03-29 15:47
I've been in the hospital now for nearly two weeks. I've had four surgeries, several operations, and way too much bedrest. I don't have COVID-19, but its existence affects me greatly; I'm no… Read More
2020-03-18 19:20
I'm probably not dying, but I feel horrible.
The COVID-19 quarantine has made the local clinics too iffy to go to. My condition would need to worsen first, I think, before I risked a vi… Read More
2020-02-27 15:50
Unsong by Scott Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Imagine that Judaism is actually true, and this becomes glaringly obvious when the Apollo mission bumps into the firmament and miracles st… Read More
2020-02-13 21:37
Mother of Learning by Nobody103
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Hard sci-fi pioneer Hal Clement once said that science fiction is all about the setting. Mother of Learning is fantasy, but it really… Read More
2020-01-26 02:16
The shower felt so good. Warmth running down my skin. Nasal passages clearing up. I rested, allowing my body to take it all in.
The coughs from my cold still came every minute or… Read More
2020-01-06 20:50
Reading an account of another's dream is uninteresting. On this basis alone, I recommend not reading this blog entry. But I cannot ignore the things I experience in the dream state; they are… Read More
2019-12-18 01:22
We all have things that we feel self-conscious about. But it can be difficult to talk openly about such things while being cognizant of our privilege.
I don't want to compare my feelings of… Read More
2019-11-14 07:53
When you don't have much money, sometimes you have to prioritize which bills you can pay first. Should you pay the electricity bill? Or water? Food? Or rent?
If you're really desperate… Read More
2019-11-04 21:10
Twenty-five years ago, I was twelve years old. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was my most prized possession, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was my favorite game on the… Read More
2019-11-03 01:23
It's important to never move the goalposts. If you have an expectation, write it down. Commit it to text, so that when the time comes, you don't inadvertently change the goalposts after th… Read More
2019-10-25 02:05
Watching Day[9]TV's 10 year anniversary broadcast, I can't help but feel sad. Don't get me wrong; I love learning about behind-the-scenes info on things that I remember enjoying over the yea… Read More
2019-10-15 19:59
I've spoken before about the dividing lines that make up my lives. Much of that introspective essay was about how the divisions mean something to me (and honestly it's a much more inter… Read More
2019-10-10 12:24
Yesterday, a friend came to me with a financial request. This isn't unusual for me. I've publicly posted about my 25% giving pledge in the past, and my donations are on record with various E… Read More
2019-08-11 23:49
Money is a good thing. We all are individually better off when trade is eased, even if it also causes inequality. I approve of money as a concept, despite its long-term drawbacks upon societ… Read More
2019-08-05 10:14
I wish I could have back the mother who read to me when I was young. I want the comfort of feeling loved, without the baggage of feeling attacked or judged. I would like to be cared for sole… Read More
2019-07-24 04:29
What really sucks about my experience of my grandmother's passing is that I have no one I can talk to about her. All I can do is think in my own head, or write on this blog, or speak with pe… Read More
2019-07-20 10:41
To some people, this post will seem like boasting. To others, it will seem that I am not doing quite enough. Either way, I want to be more open about these things which society has otherwise… Read More
2019-07-16 21:04
Greenville Advocate, January 2, 1941
Mattie & Margaret w/ perfect grades.
"Manual for Baptist Young People
on Organization, Programs, and Methods"Ercil's wife, Bertha Belle, is Mattie's… Read More
2019-07-13 09:34
My grandmother, Mattie Jo Tomaso.
My grandmother, Mattie Jo Tomaso, died a few moments ago. It was sudden. I was told yesterday afternoon that she might be put on hospice today; apparently s… Read More
2019-07-11 18:55
The end of an era.
Three years ago, I decided that it might be fun to attend a board game convention. I wasn't sure at first; in my limited experience, most conventions are about socializing… Read More
2019-07-01 12:49
Gently, I awake to the sound of my phone alarm. I'm still not used to it; it always feels like someone else's alarm, never mine, and yet I drift into consciousness slowly, integrating the ar… Read More
2019-06-17 03:30
All people are unique in their own way, but I've always had special admiration for my father.My father: Fernando Herboso.
Like many latino migrants of his generation, he had machismo issues… Read More
2019-05-07 04:07
I've been an oneironaut for as long as I can remember. At seven years of age, I learned to use tells that would let me know if I could affect this dream, rather than others. At first it was… Read More
2019-04-29 12:55
From December 2018 – March 2019, I participated in a rather involved hiring process as a research analyst for the Open Philanthropy Project. Although I was compensated well for my time… Read More
2019-04-29 09:50
Judge on a Boat by Alan Manuel K. Gloria
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Historically, science fiction has been big on setting. Characters and dialog are important, too — otherwi… Read More
2019-04-18 08:28
I've been thinking a lot recently about differences of kind versus differences of degree. Perhaps it has to do with a clicker game I've been playing recently, Mine Defense. In the gam… Read More
2019-04-15 11:40
(Required background knowledge on me: I tend toward the episodic side of the diachronic/episodic spectrum; I consider some of my past selves to be somewhat abhorrent; and I strongly bel… Read More
2019-03-24 02:54
I spent last week in Boston, accompanying Katherine while she attended the 2019 National Art Education Association convention. She serves as Vice President of Communications for the M… Read More
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