ToaKraka
Dislikes you
User ID: 108
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
19hr ago
we should not be scratching
He specifically said that he touched the other car without scratching it.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
2d ago
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
3d ago
I didn't put too much thought into the specific material. My cursory opinion was based largely on this Home Depot webpage:
Vinyl flooring is extremely durable and cost-effective. It’s made from plastic, usually consisting of acrylic, PVC and similar polymers. It's a budget-friendly option for homeowners who want luxurious style and commercial-grade durability. Vinyl flooring is available in planks, sheets or tiles. Since it is scratch- and stain-resistant and waterproof, vinyl flooring is both functional and stylish.
Accordingly, my email to the contractor on this topic included the following passage:
To memorialize what was discussed [on the telephone]:
- Finishes are low-end—e. g., vinyl flooring, vinyl siding, and MDF(?) cabinets
On that basis, the contractor picked "vinyl composition tile".
I see that the manufacturer's maintenance instructions mention "floor polish" and "floor cleaner", which I certainly have no plans to use. And this other webpage says:
[VCT] was the first widely popular form of vinyl flooring, but it is now much less popular than sheet vinyl or luxury vinyl. VCT generally requires surface polishing to protect its porous surface, and thus it is not as low-maintenance as sheet vinyl, which requires only routine sweeping and mopping.
The prevalence of many seams between tiles means this floor will not be as moisture-resistant as sheet vinyl. Water seeping through the seams can cause the base layer to loosen. High maintenance costs can cause the lifetime cost of a VCT installation to exceed that of other forms of vinyl flooring.
So this may have been a mistake on my part. Time will tell.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
3d ago
In Markdown, you have to add two space characters at the end of a line in order to create a line break.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
3d ago
I have started yet another playthrough of Dark Souls 2. The impetus for this playthrough is stumbling across two mildly entertaining videos, one for the Heide Spear (my favorite weapon) and one for the Blue Knight's Halberd. I probably will just use spears again, but I may try out halberds.
I guess Dark Souls 2 officially should be counted as my favorite video game. I'm reluctant to say so, since even in the same genre Nioh obviously has cooler combat mechanics. But Nioh isn't very relaxing. In contrast, farming enemies in Heide's Tower of Flame, and wandering through other areas, are quite relaxing to do.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
4d ago
Are there any novels with economics appendices?
ACKS (the Adventurer Conqueror King System) has a 12-page economics appendix, but it's a tabletop RPG, not a novel.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
5d ago
The city closest to the construction site is Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
It's not like a diplomat (or his child) can commit a homicide and the US will just ignore it and not prosecute.
A law-review article provides several counterexamples.
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1987: A Papua New Guinea diplomat, driving drunk, crashes into several parked cars, injuring one person severely and another minorly.
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1984: Libyans shoot at a protest in front of their embassy in Britain, killing a police officer and injuring 11 other people.
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1984: British customs officials discover a crate that contains Israeli mercenaries and a Nigerian emigré whom the mercenaries have kidnapped and are trying to smuggle out, accompanied by a Nigerian diplomat.
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1981: Strong evidence indicates that the son of a Ghanaian diplomat has raped several women in the USA.
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1982: The son of a Brazilian diplomat shoots a bouncer in the USA.
None of these incidents resulted in prosecution of the person covered by diplomatic immunity.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
5d ago
Ugly custom house update
| Date | Invoice | Payment (k$) | (% of contract price) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-05 | Design commitment | 2 | — |
| 2025-07-24 | Contract signing | 22 | 10 |
| 2026-03-02 | Commencement of work | 33 | 15 |
| 2026-03-18 | Completion of groundwork and foundation | 33 | 15 |
| 2026-04-01 | Completion of framing, roofing, windows, and doors | 44 | 20 |
| 2026-04-08 | Completion of rough plumbing, electrical, and HVAC | 44 | 20 |
| 2026-04-24 | Change order for replacement of torn-up govt. sidewalk | 2 | — |
| 2026-06-23 | Completion of interior finishes | 33 | 15 |
| 2026-07-06? | Final completion and walkthrough | 11 | 5 |
Photographs:
In theory, under the draft zoning code that I mentioned two weeks ago, I could add a 428-ft2, 0-bedroom ADU (accessory dwelling unit) in the backyard of the 858-ft2, two-bedroom primary house. But in practice (1) renting out a property to someone sounds like a major hassle, and (2) I don't have the money.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
5d ago
In Markdown, you have to add two space characters at the end of a line in order to create a line break.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
6d ago
Blueprint for building a friendship:
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Sit in your dining room with the prospective friend.
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Pick a topic. After discussing it in whatever detail seems necessary, cross it off the list and take a shot (1 2) of distilled liquor.
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Continue until one of you vomits or passes out.
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Repeat as necessary (on different days) until you judge that friendship either has been achieved or will not be achieved.
(This is a joke.)
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
6d ago
the details don't look particularly bad
In addition to the encrypted messaging group chats, Song, Arnold, Morris, and others met in person on July 3 at a "gear check" at Morris and Arnold's residence. There, Arnold asked Song whether they would be bringing guns to the July 4 action. Song replied that they would because he would not be going to jail. Song repeated words to this effect multiple times throughout the evening, putting everyone there on notice of his intent to shoot at police rather than be arrested.
(Caveat: The jury did not necessarily decide the truth of this specific paragraph, as opposed to the overall charges on which it convicted.)
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
6d ago
The number one purpose of punishment is punishment?
Sorry, I should have said "sentencing".
The issue isn't with criminal punishment as a deterrence—it's with with judicial discretion regarding deterrence.
The judge's discretion is limited by the minimums and maximums prescribed by Congress. For example, the sentence for rioting can be anything from five years to just a fine with no prison.
What's the alternative? Congress isn't interested in prescribing a zillion specific degrees of rioting that all have different, narrower sentencing ranges.
According to the final indictment and the jury verdict:
(1) "Setting off fireworks, making noise, and vandalizing stuff" still counts as "rioting" and "using and carrying an explosive to commit a felony". Eight of the nine defendants were convicted on those charges. (The ninth defendant is the one who just hid some papers.)
(2) The prosecutor is in possession of "several group chats on an encrypted messaging app" showing that four defendants definitely were explicitly planning to bring guns, even if others were not made aware of the true plan and thought that only fireworks would be used.
The members of the Core Chat [defendants Evetts, Song, Morris, and Rueda, plus two other people not charged] planned what materials to bring to the riot and attack, including firearms, medical kits, and fireworks. For example: Evetts asked the Core Chat group whether they would be "doing black bloc and rifles". Gibson [not charged] stated that they would be wearing "bloc" and keeping "kit" on hand, "bringing a wagon to hold armor and rifles". When Rueda suggested that "rifles might make the situation more hot", Song replied that rifles would be used to intimidate law enforcement, stating: "Cops are not trained or equipped for more than one rifle, so it tends to make them back off."
Song also advertised the July 4 riot on a larger chat (the "Large Chat") but left out certain details in an effort to avoid being identified as one of the organizers.…
The Large Chat included [defendants Song, Arnold, Evetts, Morris, Rueda, and Ines Soto, plus] dozens of "trusted" individuals. Song circulated a flyer for the Prarieland riot in the Large Chat, stating: "Share with trusted folks only. Do not Post. Mask up! Be loud!" Members of the Large Chat discussed the event as a "noise demonstration" involving fireworks.
The prosecutor also alleges in-person coordination among the eight main defendants (again, not including the paper pusher) prior to the riot.
In addition to the encrypted messaging group chats, Song, Arnold, Morris, and others met in person on July 3 at a "gear check" at Morris and Arnold's residence. There, Arnold asked Song whether they would be bringing guns to the July 4 action. Song replied that they would because he would not be going to jail. Song repeated words to this effect multiple times throughout the evening, putting everyone there on notice of his intent to shoot at police rather than be arrested.
[Defendants Song, Arnold, Evetts, Morris, and Rueda, plus the uncharged Gibson,] staged at Morris and Arnold's house on the evening of July 4 and carpooled to Prairieland. [Defendants] Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto, and Batten drove together and arrived at Prairieland a little later than Song and the others.… The Antifa Cell [of at least 11 people] brought a total of 11 firearms, four of which had been purchased by Song.
Fun analogy:
Harming another person: Battery
Touching another person in a threatening manner: Assault
Touching another person in a nonthreatening but offensive manner: Harassment
Touching another person in a nonthreatening but offensive manner in a place where such touching is effectively unavoidable (e. g., in a crowded subway car): No crime(?)
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