In terms of actual "EDC" I don't carry a backpack. I mean, yeah, I have a backpack I sometimes carry, but I think of it mainly as my "laptop bag" and I don't always go out carrying it.

EDC stuff I carry in my pockets or on my belt or whatever. Briefly, the list is:

1. Keychain with my car / home keys

2. Wallet

3. A small LED flashlight

4. A carbide tipped glass breaker

5. a Leatherman tool

6. A folding pocket knife

7. A USB thumb drive

8. My phone (Moto G7)

On a selective basis, add:

9. A Keltec PF-9 9mm pistol

10. A Gerber fixed blade knife

On a seasonal basis I also add

11. A ferro rod

12. A small block of magnesium

When it's cold enough to wear my heavy winter coat (which it rarely is) I have a few things tucked in my inside pockets:

- an Altoids tin filled with cotton balls dipped in Vaseline

- a box of waterproof matches

- a couple of "space blankets"

- an Altoids tin filled with small chunks of fatwood

- probably a couple of other things I don't remember offhand

As far as my backpack: there's so much random shit in there I couldn't even begin to list it all. Besides the actual laptop and charger, there's a USB hard drive, a yellow rubber duck, a pencil roll, a plush stuffed white rabbit, all sorts of USB cables, an extension cord, an RTL-SDR dongle and accessories, a couple of notebooks, a TI-89 calculator, a Bluetooth trackball, reading glasses, headphones, a couple of bottles of Coke Zero (usually), etc., etc., etc.

Two big reasons: 1. It’s a distraction from developing a solid IDE. I’m already displeased with their obvious VSCode envy and the new UI, so focusing on shiny features makes me unhappy as a customer.

2. I don’t want AI assist, let alone “deeply integrated” AI assist. It is a security and privacy nightmare. As the article notes about the privacy policy, “Neither the user nor JetBrains has control over this third-party data processing.”

Perhaps I’m a Luddite, but I think tools like this and copilot are terrible, and I don’t want to be forced into them.

Warning: Do not read this translation!

OK, that may be a bit harsh. But the danger is that a translation that is out-of-date or badly done will turn you off the book. Many classic books whose translations are now beyond copyright are available for free. But these translations are, generally speaking, poor. To really appreciate these books, find a translation that is up-to-date and that suits your reading style.

I don’t know if this has changed for younger generations, but a lot of people, particularly those in intellectual pursuits, suffer to one degree or another from thinking of themselves as a brain being carried around as a meat sack.

We are learning more about mind body connections and this is very not true (the ways the vagus nerve can totally fuck with your mental state is terrifying, and there are people with dysfunctions that are five times worse).

Any exercise where you think about your body as “you” helps with the dysphoria, and being integrated helps with a whole lot of other things.

Especially for men, who are conditioned to not give themselves permission to have feelings and sensations affect their behavior (and then surprise! Are affected anyway, with zero attempts at healthy coping skills).