Next-level metacognitive control

~ ABN ~ Leave a comment

Experienced FIML practitioners enjoy levels of metacognitive control ordinary humans cannot even dream of.

This control comes after years of diligent FIML practice. It happens because the skills acquired through FIML combined with its metacognitive results allow practitioners to practice FIML on themselves.

FIML practice gradually removes virtually all communication error between partners. This error-removal process is ongoing because all living systems must continually remove waste and error to function optimally.

Successful FIML results in two major achievements:

  • very clear, optimally functioning cognition and metacognition
  • the skill-set needed to attain the above

When these achievements have been realized, FIML practitioners will find they are able to rather easily apply them to their own introspection, their own subjective states while alone.

Ordinary people cannot do this because they have not experienced the metacognitive states brought about by FIML nor have they acquired the skills to quickly remove error from their thoughts.

The FIML skills of quickly removing error from our thoughts cannot be acquired overnight. It must be built upon diligent practice and experience. You cannot imagine it into being.

Once these skills and experiences have become established in the mind as reliable functions, they can be applied to mental states while alone.

An overview of what Israelis are thinking about the war

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I have talked to some Israeli officials and read a good deal of Israeli media. Here is how the war in Iran is perceived there so far:

1) On a tactical level, they believe it has gone very well and Israel has destroyed more of the Iranian military capability than expected.
2) They are disappointed that the regime has not been weakened as much as expected and that they remain in firm control. In particular the lack of a “rise up” among the population is a cause of concern.
3) They are finding Trump to be unreliable. While Israel favors a prolonged campaign to ensure total dismantlement of threats, Trump has signaled a desire to end the war “soon,” creating a potential rift in war aims.
4) Hezbollah is stronger than expected. It has hit Israel with drones and missiles and killed soldiers. They have recovered better than expected.
5) The inability of Ben-Gurion airport to withstand closing and chaos has shown fragility in Israeli social cohesion.
6) They are disappointed in the lack of support from Gulf States who want an end to the war rather than the escalation Israel wants.
7) Israel accepts that the regime in Tehran will survive and just hopes that this weakens them in preparation for the next round.
8) There is a growing fear among Israeli strategists that they are winning the war but losing the region. While military targets are being obliterated, the civilian infrastructure damage is causing a backlash.
9) The war is proving very expensive. The need to divert NIS 28 billion ($9 billion) to the military has forced the government to freeze social projects, leading to the first significant anti-government protests since the war began, specifically from the middle class bearing the tax burden.
10) They are aware that the war is very unpopular in the US and that Israel is being blamed. They are concerned about the ramifications for the alliance.

While Netanyahu is painting this as a huge success, it really doesn’t look like one to Israeli strategic planners. The public knows it as well.

link

Motorcycle fatalities analyzed by state — 2025 study

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Key Takeaways

  • Motorcyclists face the highest risk of fatal crashes in Florida, Texas, and Colorado, respectively.
  • Motorcycle fatalities are up 11% in the last 3 years.
  • In 2022, there were 6,219 motorcycle fatalities in the U.S. due to crashes.
  • Texas had the highest average annual motorcycle fatality rate at 13.69 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles. This is followed by Arkansas (12.79) and Missouri (11.51).
  • South Dakota experienced a 45% reduction in motorcycle crash fatalities between 2020-2022, the largest decrease of all U.S. states.
  • Harley-Davidson riders were the least likely to wear a helmet across different motorcycle makes, with 48% of those in fatal crashes not wearing one. But, their drivers were least likely to be speeding or racing, with only 9% doing so.

Link

Reasonable and informative overview, unfortunately lacking per capita breakdown. Harley riders are least likely to wear a helmet due to the dumbass culture surrounding Harley. They are also the least likely to die while speeding or racing, due to the slowness of the bikes. I actually own a Harley Pan America (which is not slow) and enjoy it very much. Motorcycles in general define a subculture, and within that subculture there are many sub-subcultures. The Harley subculture is an example of how intransigent cultures can be. It has remained largely the same for many decades. The weird part of that is the Harley brand is the hardass maverick rider who does his own thing, while in reality it’s nothing more than a highly conformist style, which includes not wearing helmets. Still, I like Harley guys and all motorcycles. Besides helmets, very good body armor and airbag vests are available for all riders. ABN

Scientists stunned as 500-year-old ‘miracle’ image of Virgin Mary reveals impossible microscopic reflection

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A mysterious detail hidden inside one of the world’s most famous religious images may defy conventional explanation, proving it might just be a miracle. 

Scientists analyzing the Tilma of Guadalupe, a cactus-fiber cloak that Christians believe bears a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, claimed they discovered at least 13 tiny human figures embedded within the eye.

The reflections are so small they can only be seen through digital enlargement, yet researchers said they resemble witnesses present when the artifact was first revealed in the 16th century.

After digitally processing high-resolution images, investigators also reported that sections of the face, hands, robe and mantle appear to have been applied in a single step, with no sketches, corrections or visible brush strokes.

‘The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been the subject of numerous technical studies since 1751,’ researchers wrote, adding that despite extensive investigation, ‘none of the results offered any sound scientific explanation, which up to this very day defies science and all human reasoning.’

Scientists have analyzed the Tilma of Guadalupe, a cactus-fiber cloak that Christians believe bears a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, for decades, uncovering hidden details in her eye

The reflections are so small they can only be seen through digital enlargement, yet researchers said they resemble witnesses present when the artifact was first revealed in the 16th century. Further analysis suggested the reflections contain multiple figures, including witnesses who were allegedly present when the tilma was first displayed in 1531

link

Metacognition improves memory retrieval

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In this post I am going to argue that strong metacognitive awareness of one’s own intentionality in real-time translates into better and more accurate memory retrieval.

More specifically, I mean that the strong metacognitive awareness of one’s own intentionality that results from FIML practice is a skill that transfers to memory retrieval.

FIML partners spend a good deal of time asking and answering questions about each others’ intentionality in real-time.

The metacognitive skills that develop out of that practice streamline communication between partners, while also streamlining communication within the brains of each partner.

Each partner benefits psychologically as a standalone individual from the practice of FIML because FIML skills can also be applied to individual, subjective brain functions.

One of the psychological benefits of FIML practice is greatly enhanced awareness of the difference between truth and lies during interpersonal communication with the FIML partner.

This awareness beneficially affects memory retrieval.

It does so by increasing the individual’s capacity to better know when memories are reliable and when they are dubious if not outright false.

Advanced FIML practitioners will have less need for egotistical interpretations of their pasts (or anything else), and thus have minds and memories that are more streamlined and efficient.

This happens because FIML practice gradually shifts brain organization away from the heuristics of a static ego to operations that can be described as “metacognitive.”

Metacognitive operations of this caliber are a great improvement on static beliefs in a self or an egocentric narrative.

Additionally, since psychology is based on memory, fine metacognitive awareness of memory retrieval will also improve psychological functioning in other areas.

For example, emotions based on memory (all of them really) will be less likely to negatively influence intentionality if fine metacognitive awareness of memory retrieval is functioning in the individual.

The same can be said of psychological schemas, framing, values, beliefs, instinct and its interpretations, and so on. All aspects of human psychology can enjoy improvements (more truthful, less stupid) through the metacognitive skills that result from FIML practice.