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Grant_us_eyes


				

				

				

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joined 2022 September 12 12:05:58 UTC
				

				

				

				

				

				

					
				

				

				
				
				

				
User ID: 1156


				
				
				

			

		

	














	


		


			



	

		

			

			

				

					

						

							
						

						

							
							

								
Grant_us_eyes


								

								

								
								
								

								
							
					
 
				


				

				
				
				

				

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					joined 2022 September 12 12:05:58 UTC
				


				
					

					
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				Friday Fun Thread for July 10, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
The only real complaint I have with Rogue Trader is that if you have any idea of how the universe functions, you're basically going to be so goddamn hardline in worshipping the Emperor, purging the mutant and killing the heretic you will give your Inquisitor conniptions fits because you're more hardline than he is and it drives him nuts.


...which, admittedly, I take great delight in, so maybe I'm a little bit biased.  Xeno artifact whispering in my head?  Into the energy reactor it goes.  Demon-infestes super computer?  Arengta, be a dear and please bathe this foul artifice with plasma.  Chaos-corrupted nobles on my planet?  Fire.  All the fire.


I will never forgive Games Workshop for denying us a romance route with the Sisters of Battle, though.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for July 10, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Every single-person-owned diner/restraunt I've been too(and at one point, the area I was in had alot and they were all good) pretty much run on margins and prayers and potential free-labor from family members.


It's both sad and frustrating for someone who always enjoys those sorts of places.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 6, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Your comment kicked off a near day-long scrounging through my local files and online search in order to find the actual goddamn source of my mental recall.  This is coming in late, but as I have suffered, so you must suffer with me.


The core of 'The Dark Forest Theory' has been around much longer than Cixin Liu's Three Body Problem trilogy.  They just gave it a fancy name.


Charles Pelligrino in 'The Killing Star' was postulating such scenarios as far back as 1995, and I doubt he was the first;




The great silence (i.e. absence of SETI signals from alien civilizations) is perhaps the strongest indicator of all that high relativistic velocities are attainable and that everybody out there knows it.






The sobering truth is that relativistic civilizations are a potential nightmare to anyone living within range of them. The problem is that objects traveling at an appreciable fraction of light speed are never where you see them when you see them (i.e., light-speed lag). Relativistic rockets, if their owners turn out to be less than benevolent, are both totally unstoppable and totally destructive. A starship weighing in at 1,500 tons (approximately the weight of a fully fueled space shuttle sitting on the launchpad) impacting an earthlike planet at "only" 30 percent of lightspeed will release 1.5 million megatons of energy -- an explosive force equivalent to 150 times today's global nuclear arsenal...






I'm not going to talk about ideas. I'm going to talk about reality. It will probably not be good for us ever to build and fire up an antimatter engine. According to Powell, given the proper detecting devices, a Valkyrie engine burn could be seen out to a radius of several light-years and may draw us into a game we'd rather not play, a game in which, if we appear to be even the vaguest threat to another civilization and if the resources are available to eliminate us, then it is logical to do so.






The game plan is, in its simplest terms, the relativistic inverse to the golden rule: "Do unto the other fellow as he would do unto you and do it first."...




And, later on, as he puts it;




We ask that you try just one more thought experiment. Imagine yourself taking a stroll through Manhattan, somewhere north of 68th street, deep inside Central Park, late at night. It would be nice to meet someone friendly, but you know that the park is dangerous at night. That's when the monsters come out. There's always a strong undercurrent of drug dealings, muggings, and occasional homicides.






It is not easy to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys. They dress alike, and the weapons are concealed. The only difference is intent, and you can't read minds.






Stay in the dark long enough and you may hear an occasional distance shriek or blunder across a body.






How do you survive the night? The last thing you want to do is shout, "I'm here!" The next to last thing you want to do is reply to someone who shouts, "I'm a friend!"


What you would like to do is find a policeman, or get out of the park. But you don't want to make noise or move towards a light where you might be spotted, and it is difficult to find either a policeman or your way out without making yourself known. Your safest option is to hunker down and wait for daylight, then safely walk out.






There are, of course, a few obvious differences between Central Park and the universe.






There is no policeman.






There is no way out.






And the night never ends.




				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 6, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Likely because CS Lewis was an atheist and only converted back to Christianity later in life, partly due to one unremarkable fellow by the name of Tolkien.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 6, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I mean, they've kind of done just that at times.


Wether that's a case of actually producing something worthwhile or 'A fool and his money are soon parted' depends on which side of the debate you stand, I suppose.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 6, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


I read a short story a long time ago that imagined robotic AI consumers that are specifically programmed to consume the goods produced by the AI factories. As in, literally programmed to want to buy new clothes, they drive cars that they upgrade every few years, they 'watch' the latest movies and they work a 'job' that gives them the credits needed to 'purchase' all this stuff.




Isn't this basically the current big fear in regards to online advertising in a nutshell?  That it's all one massive economic bubble being driven by bots, as opposed to actual humans?


Life mimics fiction, indeed.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 6, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
The best comparison I've found for space development/settlement isn't settling Antarctica, but climbing Mount Everest.


You're spending a horrible amount of money and a good chunk of time simply to exist in a place that is trying it's damndest to kill you.  As in, there is a non-zero chance you will just keel over dead suddenly, without warning, even with all the precaution put in place to adapt you to the environment.


And yet, people still do it.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 6, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I don't see why.  I'm not sure if you could rate his shows as 'insanely popular', but No Reservations ran for 9 season and 147 episodes, and it's spiritual successor, Parts Unknown, ran for twelve seasons and 104 episodes.


I don't know how that compares in the great scheme of things, but when you consider the two combined ran almost solid from 2005 to 2018, that's probably a longer career than some talk show hosts, nevermind all the other stuff he did.  Hell, that's edging close to shows like Top Gear, and that show almost conquered the world.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 5, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I admit it's been a long time since I cracked open Valheim, but can't you just make a new world and move your existing character over to it?  I seem to recall doing that a number of times to help friends take down some of the bosses.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for June 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
A HK Mark 23.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for June 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I honestly wouldn't know.  I'm still stuck in the 'become Big Boss' stage of Bannerlord where I'm basically running around with a huge mercenary army, grinding up charm, stewardship, and trade so to support said army and clan.


This basically lets me wade into battles when my vassal-state goes to war, tearing through most groups without issue, unless the AI decides to do a fucky-whucky and all of a sudden I'm facing down a horde of 500+ NPCs swarming me out of the blue.  And even then...


The above lets me recoup any losses either from troops the enemy AI has captured, or the enemies I've captured and slowly converted over.  Donating over prisoners I don't want nets me influence that then turns into alot of cash via mercenary contract.


Once I get trade up to max for that lovely, lovely cap perk, I'll either vassalize and start buying up all the things or start my own kingdom and do the exact same thing.


...say what you want about Bannerlord, but good lord does it have alot of stuff to do.  One of the things I stumbled across in my research pointed out that you want to get your dynasty started early, cause your main guy can die of old age, and you want good offspring to take over when that happens.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 15, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, likely.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 15, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Israel didn't just pop out of the ether post-1945.  Zionism as a political movement was active and working as early as the late 19th century, and the Jewish presence in Israel was prevalent enough that they were calling for a national boycott of Germany in the 1930s.  So it's not as if they walked into all of this blind.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for June 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Playing way too much goddamn Bannerlord inbetween going through the latest version of Voices of the Void.


Bannerlord is annoying in that you can get 13 million denars in to your first playthrough only to realize that your character really isn't optimized to play the way you'd enjoy playing, so you go back and start over from scratch.


I do find it amusing that you can basically play a social monster in a game that is basically about people smacking each other in combat and it works.


Also, I find it hilarious that after pursuing the wife I targeted in-game(tracking down moving NPCs is a goddamn nightmare in this game) and successfully woo-ing her, that she's currently giving me lots and lots of kids to secure my future dynasty.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for June 12, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Fresh mint is amazing, especially if you're one for making drinks and/or tea.


Don't plant it in the ground, however, unless you've woken up that morning and choosen terrifying bio-warfare.


Fresh basil is incredible for cooking.  So are chives, for salad.


There are varieties of cherry tomatoes that are sweeter and more delicious than anything you can buy in-store.  Try and find sun sugar types.  You'll thank me later.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 8, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Perhaps I'm speaking from a personal bias, but when I think of 'geeky pursuits', I'm definitely including the woman who are passionate about obscure 1800s dress-making and skin/hair-care tips, for a low-hanging example.


I don't expect to ever find a woman to be interested in the same weird and whackass topics/hobbies I'm interested in, but I have no issues making room for someone in my life who's obsessed over obscure taxonomic apple varietals and goes out of her way to cultivate them, for example.


But, again.  Women like that are pretty thin on the ground, from my experience.  Then again, one could argue that people like that are pretty thin on the ground...


Edit:  Come to think, going by the comment below me, I wonder if that company is hiring...


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 8, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


I think geeky guys often make the mistake of looking for women who are essentially men




I disagree.  I think geeky guys would love women into geeky pursuits.  From your own personal antecedents, all I can say is I wish I went to your high school, as growing up, I can count the number of women who were interested in such things on one hand with fingers left over.


In modern times, things are different, but I can't help but look at the cultural landscape and note that the reason a number of women are into such things nowadays is due to it being the 'popular thing'.


Women who are into weird and geeky hobbies are pretty thin on the ground, and can be difficult to find depending on your overall location.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 8, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Going from a 15k$ car to a 30k$ car will be a whole different experience.




Given that the only way you're getting a 15K car in 2026 is by buying a used one, yes, I imagine it would be a whole difference experience.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 1, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
It might simply be a case of thinking they could get away with it in the UK, whereas in the US carries a much higher sort of risk.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 1, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
The problem the South had was one of manpower.  4.5 million(not counting slaves) versus 22 million can cause odd problems, so it was less a draft dodge and more not having enough men to go around.


If anything, the South had too much nobelisse oblige.  A number of military historians agree that the South had the better pick of generals, and a good chunk of them died fighting.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 31, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I have a horrible habit of reading a book 2/3rd of the way through and then setting it off to the side to read another, but I finally got around to finishing Laurence Gonzales's 'Deep Survival'(recommended to me by a fanfic, of all things).


It's certainly an easy read, and informative, with a wide plethora of examples.  I do find it interesting that amoung the 'ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' advice to stay out a situation where you need to survive can basically be boiled down to 1) Always assume ignorance, 2) Trust your gut, and 3) don't give in to peer pressure/mob rule.


I do recommend it, if people are curious about such things.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of May 25, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
While it's been a while since I did my business cources in college, not all Judges are idiots.


Just most of them.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 24, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Huh.  That would be a problem, yes.


Granted, I have a near pathological fear of purchasing clothing brand new, so I always tend to buy things either used or clearance.  Probably cuts down on buyers regret a good deal.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 24, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Works out how, exactly?  Are you talking overall comfortable fit, or just pure looks?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of May 18, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Ah.  I'm glad I'm not the only one who's come to the conclusion that millions(billions?) sunk into LLMs has basically just re-invented google search from 2015.