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PaperclipPerfector  10d ago (text post)   2321 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 21, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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I'm Starting To Worry About This Black Box Of Doom by Jason Pargin, after it got mentioned on ACX. This was just a delightfully fun book. I read the entire thing in one go on a flight. Would that every novel could strike the same balance of lighthearted adventure and philosophical dialogue. It gets pretty carried away by the end, but still good.

HMS Surprise by Patrick O'Brian (Aubrey-Maturin #3). I was all set to deride this as merely being a bunch of things that happen in sequence, but on reflection, there is a real tragic arc through it (for one character, at least), and a running theme of futility.

Pargin is hilarious. I didn't realize I was a fan of his until I connected him to some articles he had written for Cracked, originally under an Asian sounding pseudonym.

Favorite: 6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Person

I would love to send this link to mopey crybaby friends who complain about The System or society or whatever but I don't have the balls.

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