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George_E_Hale

insufferable blowhard

2 followers   follows 11 users  
joined 2022 September 04 19:24:43 UTC

The things you lean on / are things that don't last

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User ID: 107


				
				
				

			

		

	














	


		


			



	

		

			

			

				

					

						

							
						

						

							
							

								
George_E_Hale


								

								

								
								
								

								
							
					
 
				


				
insufferable blowhard

				
				
				

				

					2 followers  

					follows 11 users  

					joined 2022 September 04 19:24:43 UTC
				


				
					

					
The things you lean on / are things that don't last



				

				

				

				

				

					

					

					
					
					

					
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				Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'd go and I feel like it's weird not to go. Clearly I'm in the minority here.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 22, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
For ze record, I never accepted bought drinks at a bar, usually I was at someone's apartment, either before, during, or after some home party. I'm surprised mildly that you trust self-reported statistics of this sort; it seems to me that there would be a bunch of reasons to over- or under- report one's sexual stickers on the fuselage. But the alternative is believing my opinion based on what others have also self-reported to me, so you're probably fine.


You sort of lost me when you said straight male supermodel. I know of one, I think. But he's old now. Sorry about the LLM thing, but if you give the reply you wrote a while to get cold and go back and  read it, you might see what I mean. Maybe you will. Possibly you won't.


The gay male promiscuity thing may indeed have to do with just being male, but being male following an ethos that has to some degree thrown off social mores regarding sex. Very few men who are straight (exclusively straight) have done that, at least in my experience. Once all is permitted, if the whole of the law were Do what thou wilt sexually, and if the gates were open to us to almost any woman, well it's hard (cough) to say. But that's a hypothetical. It does seem to me that gay men get around a lot more than straight men, though it's true in the finger-pointing there is probably some hypocrisy.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 22, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Normality is busy tying laces.




I know you'll be annoyed to read this.


Back, say, as little as three years ago, I might have read this short, evocative metaphor placed among longer sentences and thought it was an interesting image. Now--and I am not entirely sure why--it reminds me of LLM output. Which is not to say I'm pointing a finger at you. Rather, this is what flags (to me) writing as LLM these days. Something about it. Like the calibration "write with style and a touch of wry humor." I think that perhaps for some of us, if we are to write in the age of LLMs but distinguish our own writing from output, we are going to have to purposely start not writing like they do. I'd feel happier if you said this actually was an LLM tweak to your own original passage.


To your point: For about a decade due to circumstances somewhat outside my control I hung out socially almost completely with either gay men or lesbians or what we used to call fag hags (as far as I know this is a term coined by gay men.) I saw all types, I was youngish and a pretty boy, and I was often plied with booze and told, as you say you've been told, that I was really a bit gay myself, wasn't I?


I wasn't. Nor was I ever curious enough to test the waters, as it were. But it was a gay gay gay gay world, and mostly not pretty. I'm not even going to go into it. You know what I'm talking about. I would take issue with your comment in another reply actually, that straight men don't engage constantly in illicit sex because they can't. Yes, some would, and I know them. I wouldn't, could have (perhaps even still could) and haven't, and even for those who might say "yes you have" I'd counter not nearly to the same degree as the gay dudes I've known who have had triple or more digit partners. There's something else going on. I could be wrong of course.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
MRIs and ultrasound are both imaging techniques that have pros and cons but don't use radiation (one of the pros). This reads as if it will have the functionality of a CT scan (3D, multiple images) without ionizing radiation. Pretty impressive if it works as described. Endoscopy is basically a "high tech camera" but is invasive and time-consuming. This sounds like getting in and out of water. Interested to see where this goes.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 15, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Times have changed. Growing up my dad did no work around the house on Sunday and forbade us from it, unless it was something dire requiring immediate address. Many stores were closed Sundays, and you certainly couldn't buy  alcohol (even in our college town). We did regularly go out for Sunday lunch to some restaurant or other, and oddly nothing was ever said about the workers who made our meals and fed us.


Today everything operates as usual on Sundays in the same town, my parents are dead, and I'm not sure what churchgoers do or where they eat. Timeline wise this would have been the 70s/80s.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for June 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Back in the day my main was a Night Elf Druid, and I can still hear in my head the ambient music, which was best for Night Elves out of all the factions. Shadowglen -> Teldrassil-> Darnassus -> Ashenvale. Who could forget Moonfall? I mean despite it being parodied in South Park. I was never one of those players who put on death metal or whatever as the music; I always kept the game music, which set the mood. Horde music sucked, except maybe the Undead, which was dark, but eventually repetitive. The music in Stormwind and surrounding was way over-the-top "We are the pure ones" herald horns and brass. I'm sure all of it was done by one guy on a synthesizer but it was all very impressive. Dun Morogh in particular I liked.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 15, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Don't forget rake in lots of cash.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 15, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Were these different than the juggies?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for June 17, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm going to approach your question with a hypothetical. Let's say you can increase your wrist size moderately, with minimal affect on the rest of your body (remember there is nothing you can eat regularly/consume/inject that has zero downstream effects beyond the one thing you want it to do). Then what?


In reading your post--and I may be wrong here--it seems you're Steve Rogers looking to be Captain America, and fast. Why the frantic urgency?


There's a reason you see warnings that you should only proceed with xyz under supervision of a doctor. The body is a set of interrelated systems. If you have, say, kidney issues, increasing protein is not a great idea. And you may need reminding that acromegaly is a pathology, not just an interesting condition.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 14, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Hang around a while, here I mean, and you could probably get loads of respondents.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for June 10, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I've made my share of foolish choices, but I like to think one reason was that there was no one waving a red flag at me telling me not to make them. Consider me your waving red flag.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for June 10, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I wonder if we are all really gluttons for our own doom. Or if it's just you.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for June 10, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
All maggots are technically flesh-eating. Just screw worms don't wait for the dying part. To answer, I'm living several thousand miles away.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				The Motte infidelity survey
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I see. Not how I had read your post. Thanks for the clarification.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 8, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


I can't imagine how people who actually bust their asses in physical labor and make less than me feel!




Here's how they feel: Integrity is its own reward, as is chastity. Hope those girls know how to save; their half-life is short. Also they better be exceptionally fine at fellating for those fees.


Someday this will all be written about. The courtesans of old Japan (花魁) had many ranks, all the way down to what today might be called lot lizards at truck stops. And all the way up to women rivalling (if perhaps not equalling) the geiko, who were technically not prostitutes but could play your emotions like a shamisen.


These gals in Silicon valley are carving out their own crass niche, if in what seems a disorganized fashion, which will ultimately probably be their undoing. Then again who knows. Anyway I feel like sausage and eggs for breakfast.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				The Motte infidelity survey
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
While these type of self-reported surveys may be reliable in the statistical sense (eg people will respond the same way no matter how many times they're asked) in validity terms I wouldn't expect much (eg I wouldn't expect to learn what it is you may be hoping to learn, whether and to what degree folks are cheating cheaters) even with the stated clause that responses are anonymized. For all the same reasons as Aella's "research."


I would be at least mildly surprised if we didn't have at least one or two trolls dropping giant infidelity bombs to set ripples going. People aren't honest or particularly good at self-reflection, and often even when they are, aren't truthful.


The above is my opinion of course so who cares, but decades of indecipherable noise in survey research suggests I am not simply cynical.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				The Motte infidelity survey
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I was of the mind top-level posts were solicited, that we wanted more top-level posts. I presume people don't do standalone posts because it puts you out there. Like standing up and dinging your fork on the wine glass, as opposed to just commenting at length on some esoteric point like Uncle Fred during the meal, which would be the comments in the usual Weekday Whatever threads. That the mods are "bemused" by top-level attempts is interesting to me. Why would that be?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 7, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
She is Exhibit A in how no one is safe in a purity spiral.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 1, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I find it this whole conversation interesting. It wasn't long ago that people online were linking Chris Rock's video How not to get your ass kicked by the police and sagely nodding that black men simply reacted foolishly to policemen, who were lawfully going about their jobs. Various examples were used as illustrations, including the notorious pepper spray incident. The lesson was, don't be an idiot and you have nothing to fear from law enforcement.


In this thread you have presumably right-leaning posters now suggesting that the police departments have some systemic bias against whites (due presumably to political pressure, a sea change in departmental ethos, or similar). I'm not commenting on this specific case or any of the ones mentioned, simply pointing out an odd irony.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 31, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Are we talking like Apu stereotyped or an educated Indian professor or a street vendor in New Delhi who speaks certain phrases?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for May 29, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
My decades collide. You're correct of course. Charles Dance always brings it. I do remember Last Action Hero but don't believe I ever saw it.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for May 29, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Since you started this, I'll suggest Nomads (1986). Same year as Well before Independence Day (which I've never seen but will now, thanks, @erwgv3g34 .


Roger Ebert, whose reviews I enjoyed reading usually, absolutely hated it. It has a poor rating on IMDB.


I thought it was fantastic. John McTiernan director, before Die Hard put him on the map. Pierce Brosnan, Lesley-Anne Down. I don't know why I like it so much. The soundtrack seems very dated (a lot of Ted Nugent guitar). And the plot at some point just becomes twisted into a confusing pretzel. I don't care. It was a great movie experience for my teenage self (though is saw it on television a year or two after it was released.) The most distracting thing was Brosnan putting on a French accent, but once you get passed that (if you can) it's a great weird ride.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for May 29, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Well, are you going to keep us in suspense which you ticked?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of May 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


using GPT to summarize




Do people here do this? That would be disappointing.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for May 27, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Run.