being from the gaming world, there's a word that i've been coming back to time and time again. it's 'tryhard'. in the gaming world, it's a derogatory term for someone who puts excessive effort, intensity, or emotional investment into an activity solely at the expense of others.

tryhard is copium's maladaptive cousin.

a psychological phenomenon that i've always found fascinating is the dunning-kruger effect. essentially, it's a cognitive bias where a person of low ability in a domain tends to overestimate their own ability, while those with high competence tend to underestimate theirs.

low-skill individuals lack the metacognitive ability to recognize their own incompetence, leading them to rate themselves as above average.

high-skill individuals, on the other hand, assume tasks that are easy for them are easy for everyone, leading them to underrate their relative competence.

fascinating indeed.

a cat purring in my lap 'cause it loves me

i saw this t-shirt recently, and i love it. it's pretty funny. you can purchase it here. it comes in sizes for whatever stage of life you may be in currently.

i recently rediscovered james needham -- a photographer that i've seen in the past that i really like. i find his visual aesthetic to be calm and pleasing. there are a lot of contemporary artists doing amazing work today that i have a lot of respect for.