New and Experienced Climbers Over 50 #28

Todd Berlier wrote:

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need a new food. if defecating that many times AND its not firm, your dog isnt absorbing the nutrients. 

She is a high energy pointer heeler mix that eats high quality food which results in solid dumps, I think she likes to spread it around as a weird way of marking territory? 

Idaho Bobwrote:

It would be OK with me if all social media disappeared.  The bad far outweighs the good IMHO.

This site IS social media…  

For the older folks, it’s not so bad. We can communicate, upvote, insult or otherwise abuse each other without too many issues.

Teens OTOH, we do need to be careful. They are very frail, but that’s why they still live at home under our protection at that age. 

Li Huwrote:

Bottom line, to run for office, there should be a minimum IQ of 135, pass psychological profile tests and an exhaustive background check.

Do you REALLY think that you should have an IQ almost three standard deviations from the mean to run for Congress, or is this like you not understanding what Fall Factor 2 means? 

I really would prefer to come here to have climbing and climbing related conversations.
As Guy says, 

Later folks, Phyl 

phylp phylpwrote:

Do you REALLY think that you should have an IQ almost three standard deviations from the mean to run for Congress, or is this like you not understanding what Fall Factor 2 means? 

I really would prefer to come here to have climbing and climbing related conversations.
As Guy says, 

Later folks, Phyl 

To run a country?

Absolutely. It's important for our leaders to be much smarter and capable than the average person, it makes us more confident of the direction we are headed.

EDIT:

Carl Schneiderwrote:

I completed a grade 21 route at the gym last night. I tried it on Saturday and came off twice but it seemed achievable. Got it first go last night. It’s actually ungraded but consensus is it’s a 21 (5.10d). Not very impressive but it’s a very nice route, overhanging with flat holds and sustained. You need to keep in close to the wall. I took a video with my GoPro but even with SuperView it cut the top off.

This is really cool! Our gym just adjusted the grades this past setting period (yesterday). The 10d feel like our old 11a or b, and I feel like we are on par with many of the east coast gyms now. A 21 is pretty stout, good job on sight or flashing it.   

I’ve been listening to interviews with Ayn Rand lately and I’m finding her philosophy interesting. She says we shouldn’t live others unconditionally, they should be deserving of our love.
Maybe if we all lived like that people would work harder at being loveable?

Agree, it's a difficult task, and many of us are working towards that. I found that being likeable is more important than being smart, which I definitely don't claim to be.

Being capable is the minimum requirement, but likeable or loveable is key to building relationships. Thanks for bringing this up.

My younger son (27) is now living with me and also my 16 year old grandson (my daughter’s son). Life changes constantly.

I think we are possibly the first generation to change things for the better. It's nice to hear about parents who care.

Yeah, life throws stuff at us.

I completed a grade 21 route at the gym last night. I tried it on Saturday and came off twice but it seemed achievable. Got it first go last night. It’s actually ungraded but consensus is it’s a 21 (5.10d). Not very impressive but it’s a very nice route, overhanging with flat holds and sustained. You need to keep in close to the wall. I took a video with my GoPro but even with SuperView it cut the top off.
I’ve been listening to interviews with Ayn Rand lately and I’m finding her philosophy interesting. She says we shouldn’t live others unconditionally, they should be deserving of our love.
Maybe if we all lived like that people would work harder at being loveable?
My younger son (27) is now living with me and also my 16 year old grandson (my daughter’s son). Life changes constantly.

phylp phylpwrote:

Do you REALLY think that you should have an IQ almost three standard deviations from the mean to run for Congress, or is this like you not understanding what Fall Factor 2 means? 

I really would prefer to come here to have climbing and climbing related conversations.
As Guy says, 

Later folks, Phyl 

I think IQ of 130 for all Federal elective offices is reasonable.  Same for Cabinet level appointees and judges at the appellate level or above.

Idaho Bobwrote:

I think IQ of 130 for all Federal elective offices is reasonable.  Same for Cabinet level appointees and judges at the appellate level or above.

That would mean choosing government officials from a pool of 2.3% of the population, and those geniuses would no longer be available to do the myriad other jobs we need intelligent people to be doing. Also, IQ probably isn't the best metric to choose government. There are many other qualities that make great leaders, and undoubtedly plenty of sociopaths in the top 2.3% of IQ. Ted Kaczynski had an IQ of 165.

Is it OK if we talk about Climbing for a minute?  

I had a lousy day on the rock today, and I would be feeling sorry for myself, but even the worst day climbing is still a great day. We went back to the Decompensator for a second day. My car was broken into this morning and all my stuff was stolen so I gathered up an old pair of shoes, hat, harness, etc. and went climbing.

I really thought I was there to learn a little more about crack and thin face climbing and then say goodbye to this beautiful rock that I have fallen in love with.  But I just couldn’t get anything right. I couldn’t hang onto the rock because my feet were slipping and sliding under me and I couldn’t figure out why. You have to stick to that upper third of the route!  My feet just rolled off. Could it actually be the old shoes?  

But how can you argue with the sky so blue and ravens circling overhead and chattering the whole time except I did  start to wonder if they were just waiting for their meal—me, or advising me to head over to the Blob and try more appropriate 5.6 crack.    

It feels SO good to sink a hand jam. It feels even better to get a little toe in  a crack and stand up in it. Also, there’s something to be said for being on top of a majestic spire that so few have ever touched. I didn’t want to come down. 

While up towards the top  with my reading glasses on   I was studying that upper face and saying “how DID those guys do this“. Seriously how did you ever do this? There are no holds.  And that first bolt is ridiculous. I would’ve died 100 times before I reached it.

I came down with tears in my eyes and ready to say goodbye when Chris said “well we still have Friday. You could come back with good shoes and try again.“ I’m exhausted, but ready to go.

I do. I feel this way about the world today.   

Sam Cieplywrote:

That would mean choosing government officials from a pool of 2.3% of the population, and those geniuses would no longer be available to do the myriad other jobs we need intelligent people to be doing. Also, IQ probably isn't the best metric to choose government. There are many other qualities that make great leaders, and undoubtedly plenty of sociopaths in the top 2.3% of IQ.

Agreed!!! Even putting aside the sociopaths in that 2.3, there are still plenty of other 'very smart' people who do very dumb things. Most of this demographic will recognize Robert McNamara as a prime example. He is far from an isolated example.

Lorie. So sorry you got robbed. Its sucks so bad that  I can sympathize with the old practice of cutting off a hand... Yes it could be the shoes. I have a pair that is resoled with 510 instead of my usual XS edge and my feet slip off completely unexpectedly with those shoes...  where was your car when it was violated??? 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Lorie. So sorry you got robbed. Its sucks so bad that i I can sympathize with the old practice of cutting off a hand... Yes it could be the shoes. I have a pair that is resoled with 510 instead of my usual XS edge and my feet slip off completely unexpectedly with those shoes...  where was your car when it was violated??? 

Oh Nick, that’s right! You got seriously robbed! Were you able to recover anything? You went through a hard time there!

My car was in my driveway and I must not have locked it although I thought I did.  I don’t know why I don’t get angrier, but I don’t.  I’ll file a claim today and see what will be covered.

The thing is… I was climbing and having a joyful day. I’m sure whoever made off with an armload of relatively worthless stuff is not having a joyful day. Even if they get some cash out of it, it’s tainted cash, bad karma. It will come to no good.

—-

With my Garmin InReach gone I will now do some research to see what the best device is for me here. I rely on this when I’m hiking or climbing remotely.  

so you were not home?  I did not recover anything.  cops don't solve property crimes they just write traffic tickets and shake us down for money..... 

wendy weisswrote:

Todd, I think the difference is that everyone's entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.

Facts are slippery things, and often today’s truth becomes tomorrow’s fallacy. My observation is that when something happens the first information to come out is low quality and unreliable. Speculation fills the need for information before much is really known. A lot has been written about how this early low-quality information remains imprinted on the public memory as “facts,” since the news cycle moves so fast and attention spans are so short.

As time goes by we see some clarity, and the quality of the information improves. Then, somewhere down the line, history gets written, often by people with agendas. And in the case of events with winners and losers, history is usually written by the winners. Facts become servants to narrative.

Several years ago, in a conversation with my late sister, she said to me “Kris, I cannot for the life of me understand how we can have such different opinions when we’re both looking at the same facts.” Now, she was an exceptionally intelligent and successful woman, so this remark really surprised me. Any complex event involves a large set of facts, some of which mean more to one person and some of which mean more to another. An undisciplined, agenda driven thinker will tend to cherry pick facts to support their position. We see this all the time. But even a genuinely thoughtful person will hold one fact to be of more import than another based on their values. I think this is just the way we are, and it’s why we have differing opinions even among smart people looking at the same set facts.

In this regard, we do  indeed each have our own facts. There are plenty to go around.

Todd Belier wrote: heres a hot topic we can argue over: whats the best dog food? i say 1 to 2 solid shits a day and an AAFCO statement is all you need. go...

Max, my 22 pound JRT, gets 3.5-4 oz of FreshPet Chicken Dinner + about 3 teaspoons of Newman's Own organic beef dinner twice a day. This he converts into 3 perfect poops the following morning. At 11, he's strong as can be, healthy, and endlessly curious...

 

 

It doesn't matter what I eat, it's always three perfect poops the next day. Speaking of which....later!

Todd…

Thanks for sharing that and the word of encouragement. The lupine is blooming there?  

Climbing is extraordinarily hard work and a lot of the time I feel alone. I guess I am a visual person because I learn from pictures and watching better climbers, and also from the climbing advice from others.  More and more lately I come home from Climbing and I’m just high—very much like coming down from an acid trip … my heart is still back on the rock, I’m fatigued, amazed, mind blown, and I really don’t have anyone to share that with. I appreciate being able to at least share some of it here. 

If I can use that forbidden word “tribe“… I feel this close to the climbing community.  When I got down from the Decompensator today, felt like I used to feel in the 60s – – I just wanted to hug everybody and hug the rock, crank up the music and stay outside. 

For that reason, I would not for the world insult anyone here by insisting they read my political views, I happen to know at least two or three on this thread who are not liberals, and who feel shouted over. Maybe 10 years ago I would have made it my business to school people who are not enlightened enough (in my view), but today it’s no longer important to me.  Maybe if the occasion is ever right to sit down with a friend over coffee and say “how did you get to this place“, but not here on this thread, and never out climbing.

Besides all the ravens yakking today we saw the first lizards out—in a few weeks the snakes will be out again and it will no longer be safe to just trudge through the tundra. The sky was a shocking blue. My artist friend is making a drawing of the bluebells for me.  You saw a fox?

Lori Milaswrote:

With my Garmin InReach gone I will now do some research to see what the best device is for me here. I rely on this when I’m hiking or climbing remotely.  

Can Garmin activate it to get a location?  Might be worth a try.

A few years ago, maybe 4, down the street from you at Castanedas there was a theft ring.   Basically, climbers would go in to eat, and scum would steal a pack or two out of their car/truck.  The climbers would come back out, either see their shit was gone or be told by a middle aged loser on a BMX bike that somebody might have taken something from their car.  The shocked climbers would be aghast, but the BMX guy would say he might know where they live, and for a few bucks can maybe get the gear back.  They would pay and sure as shit he would show up with their pack.  I think it ended when someone saw through the scam and thumped the piss out of the BMX guy after getting his pack returned.  They were operating right there behind Nomads in those run down houses in the alley.  

Kristian Solemwrote:

In this regard, we do  indeed each have our own facts. There are plenty to go around.

Kris, I know that we sometimes get better information and sometimes the collective knowledge turns out to have been flat out wrong -- happens fairly often in fact. My comment was in response to Todd's post, and I don't think there's any information at all that supports the opinions he was discussing.    

Li Huwrote:

....I had brought up the TikTok thing and side with the first amendment on that issue. I hear the arguments, but if you’re on TilTok expect some influence from the Chinese government whom are also protected by our first amendment. I believe that the act Congress just created is unconstitutional and the same precedent can apply to all social media including the likes of Truth Social.

The FTC is NOT going after only TikTok.

A recent newsletter by anti-trust advocate Matt Stoller titled "The TikTok Problem Is Not What You Think" describes the legislation to force the divestment of TikTok as part of “a broader movement for reform of social media and privacy”. He details how the FTC is making serious legal changes in enforcing privacy and lists "cases against Avast, GoodRx, PreMom, BetterHelp, and Flo Health." The FTC also has "consent decrees against YouTube, Twitter, and yes, TikTok", is suing Meta, and has two anti-trust lawsuits against Google. Stoller writes, "The sea change in privacy isn’t about one agency pulling one specific lever, but a whole set of agencies pulling lots of levers". Check out Stoller's article at
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/the-tiktok-problem-is-not-what-you

and "The FTC is rewriting the rules of the internet, just in time for the AI sea change"
https://gizmodo.com/ftc-complaint-ai-rewriting-privacy-rules-interview-1850545756

Lori climbing is always an emotional roller coaster for me, either I’m king of the world or a worthless piece of overthinking overly anxious shit.  My weakness is anxiety, but it’s also one of my super powers. Sometimes I TR a route I’ve led only recently and ask my self ‘how did I ever have the guts to LEAD this?’  The answer is generally ‘Your fear made you climb it and hang on for dear life because in your head any fall means absolute failure and death’. So sometimes I really really do climb like any fall means THE END which means I hang on TIGHT (and it also makes for interesting and astonishing power sounds).

Unfortunately I’m now at the stage of life where I use power sounds to assist in putting on my socks.

PS: Have I ever shared my power sounds spreadsheet? Just in case, here it is. Feel free to use some of the sounds. Let me know if they work for you.

Terry Ewrote:

The FTC is NOT going after only TikTok.

A recent newsletter by anti-trust advocate Matt Stoller titled "The TikTok Problem Is Not What You Think" describes the legislation to force the divestment of TikTok as part of “a broader movement for reform of social media and privacy”. He details how the FTC is making serious legal changes in enforcing privacy and lists "cases against Avast, GoodRx, PreMom, BetterHelp, and Flo Health." The FTC also has "consent decrees against YouTube, Twitter, and yes, TikTok", is suing Meta, and has two anti-trust lawsuits against Google. Stoller writes, "The sea change in privacy isn’t about one agency pulling one specific lever, but a whole set of agencies pulling lots of levers". Check out Stoller's article at
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/the-tiktok-problem-is-not-what-you

and "The FTC is rewriting the rules of the internet, just in time for the AI sea change"
https://gizmodo.com/ftc-complaint-ai-rewriting-privacy-rules-interview-1850545756

The First Amendment protects all forms of media.

I should start off with a statement that I’m neither for nor against any particular media even if I disagree with the content. What I’m against is regulating it. The law should regulate actions and not what people think or feel.

If the desire is to create a “safe” media, they can advertise it as “safer than TikTok” or any other social media. Let the market decide if it succeeds or not.

What Congress does and shouldn’t do is to restrict anything based upon the personal bias of its members, and should adhere to its own laws.

If precedent is set to allow government to regulate businesses and how they are run, it could lead to dramatic shifts in the market depending upon which parties take control of any or all branches of government.

Carl Schneiderwrote:

Lori climbing is always an emotional roller coaster for me, either I’m king of the world or a worthless piece of overthinking overly anxious shit.  My weakness is anxiety, but it’s also one of my super powers.

Sometimes we succeed, and mostly, for me, fail.

A staffer at my gym stated that the worst climbing day still helps you get better.

In golf, “The worst day of golf is still better than the best day at work.”