Hyperreality

IMHO reddit's been declining for quite a while. The only reason it was less noticeable was repost/comment bots.

I mean, a subreddit like /r/videos which claimed to have 30 millions subscribers, but the top post would often have no more than 200 upvotes.

Very little original content either. Askreddit is mostly reposts, elsewhere it's reposts from facebook, twitter and snapchat. You notice the decline less when you're on reddit daily. Take a longer break, and it becomes more noticeable.

Sure there are less people here, but at least you know you're likely interacting with a human. On reddit I'd often see people interacting with comment bots who'd copy pasted the top comment.

Pretty depressing if interacting with a bot is what you do to fulfill the human need for social connection and validation.

Something something bendy bananas.

I worked as a customs expeditor for a while. The utter stupidity of the brexit debate and many an ardent brexiteer came close to giving me an aneurysm on a weekly basis. I mean, we all know people are pretty dumb. I'm really dumb too when it comes to plenty of subjects.

But to hear politicians coming out with some of the stuff they came out with. A country run by crayon eaters. And not just stupid, but agressively stupid. Really putting the effort into becoming dumber by the day. "We've had enough of experts!"

I suppose the silver lining was that I was entirely undissapointed when covid hit and similarly high level geniuses came out of the woodwork.

Honestly, some people deserve applause even if they fail to wash their hands after taking a shit. At least they're not licking them clean like an inbred poodle. I mean, they should wash their hands, but my expectations have been lowered by hard won experience.

One thing you also need to remember, is that the smaller car has a far smaller braking distance and is more maneuverable, so is less likely to get in a crash. The lower centre of gravity also decreases the likelihood of a roll-over.

Read a book about it if you have time or a few articles.

I read the big one (Pollock, Van Reken) and it was honestly scary how well it described some parts of my personality, and the challenges I was dealing with in my life.

(Language) courses are also great for this. If you make friends, that's a bonus. Whatever happens you'll have learnt a skill.

It happens in kbin a lot, but IME if you go back your comment is invariably still there in the text box ready for you to post it.

I hope we get to see more of Darth Emilia.

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Cast iron works great on induction. Arguably works better than on gas. Faster and more even.

What I find fascinating about this episode, is that it illustrates how cultural misunderstanding is a huge driver for continued tensions between the Empire and Federation.

The Federation and humans especially try to be pacifists and explorers and are ashamed of their ability to be fearsome warriors. Ashamed of the barbarity they are capable of. The Klingons misunderstand this, and think the federation are either weak or duplicitous. That the federation is pretending to be peace loving so they can stab the Empire in the back, or wants to avoid war because it is weak.

Meanwhile, humans think diplomacy is always the answer. When dealing with Klingons, being honest about humanity and the federation's capacity towards violence would go a long way to easing tensions. If the doctor was known as the butcher of J'Gal, this would have helped the federation seem more like a worthy opponent and therefore potential ally. Instead he allows a Klingon to take the credit, and the federation ends up being represented by the worst kind of Klingon, a coward who ran from battle. What the doctor did was arguably very honourable in Klingon eyes. He killed a coward, who killed children, but ran when faced with a real warrior.

It's also politically relevant today, where pacifism is seen as a weakness, while others underestimate how strength and the threat of violence often prevents wars or the fact that sometimes extreme violence ends wars and potentially prevents further suffering.

Yeah. It's a bit overwhelming. For a long time there was nothing, now there's so many.

There are actually two animated shows. Both are good, but Lower Decks is the one you want to watch first. Short funny episodes, for adults with fond memories of classic Trek. Ideal for casual viewing. Inside jokes, etc. ST Prodigy is the other show. That's aimed more at young adults with a hint of a Star Wars Clone Wars / Rebels vibe.

Strange New Worlds is more serious, with more arcs, but also really great. Probably the best in a long while. TV that'll give you a warm glow. Great stand-alone episodes too. Like a TOS combined with TNG at its best. They also recently did a cross-over episode with Lower Decks, to give you an idea.

Both made by true Trekkies, who loved the series. Jonathon Frakes/Riker has directed plenty of episodes, IRC.

There's also Picard. The first two seasons were a bit rough, and quite dark. The third season is much better, like a TNG movie combined with Voyager, but still more adult and also with a season long arc. That does have a lot of cameos from old regulars though. Riker, Beverly, Warf, Deanna, Data, Seven, etc.

You are lucky to have a company that supports you.

When I was honest about mental health issues and took doctor mandated mental health leave, I was fired for unrelated reasons, but told to my face that it was because I had been to honest. This was at a fortune 500 company.

Now imagine what it's like for someone working construction or a low level job. This is the reality for many many people. Hell, people were fired for not turning up to work with covid. There are literal laws in the US which prohibit companies firing people with cancer. They'd do that too if they could get away with it.

Be glad that it isn't your reality, be angry that it still happens and act/vote accordingly, but do not discount the very real experiences of those less fortunate. Reflect on your privileged position and realise your experience is not universal.

Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds are Trek like you're used to. Arguably some of the best Trek even.

Discovery is more like the recent movies, and not necessarily for everyone.

Just saying so you don't get discouraged if Discovery turns out not to be to your liking.