Cosmos upstaged! » « Do you have to shove your awful little holy book in everything?

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Cosmos upstaged! » « Do you have to shove your awful little holy book in everything?

Comments

  1. Minnie The Finn, Fluffy Pink Bearer of Loose Morals says

    Lynna: sure, I’d absolutely love to do that! Mail on!

  2. Minnie The Finn, Fluffy Pink Bearer of Loose Morals says

    I believe I just lost my portcullis virginity.

  3. says

    rq has a shortened blurb on the back cover of my new book. Now I’m working with the publisher to develop some resources for press releases, industry magazines, etc. Anyone who wants to bother to read the book and provide a comment, let me know. It’s 144 pages with 107 photographs — it’s very light on text, so it is a fast read. Thanks.

  4. says

    Thanks, Minnie! I’m having trouble accessing your profile. I just keep getting the “link to this comment” result instead. You can visit my website artmeetsadventure.com to get my contact info, or you can give me your email here, in disguised form. Here’s mine, just in case: lynna[at]artmeetsadventure[dot]com

    Thanks bunches.

  5. rq says

    It’s a great book, too – the photographs are absolutely stunning, and Lynna’s text is beautiful. I recommend!

    blf
    We have lots of garlic around… Maybe it has zombie-inhibiting properties too? I haven’t researched this, though. :/ But all signs point to…

    Hello, Alice! Welcome in? back? :)

    Welcome back, Minnie, and good luck with the counsellor (sp?) position!

  8. Minnie The Finn, Fluffy Pink Bearer of Loose Morals says

    Hi rq! Hi Dalillama!

    Lynna: mine is tiina dot ripatti at gmaildotcom.

    Or I can mail you first thing in the morning. I just noticed it’s well past midnight here… how time flies when one’s having etc. etc. I have a horrid working day waiting for me in the morning so I better hit the hay in a minute or five.

  11. says

    Thanks, Dalillama. I used to have your email addy. Don’t know where I put that — or perhaps deranged penguins, horses, or peas destroyed it.

  12. says

    More news from the mormon General Conference that was held this weekend. Seems some atheists got together and peacefully marched around Temple Square.

    The sky grew angry over some 75 atheists as they assembled to march around downtown Salt Lake City’s Temple Square during the LDS Church’s General Conference.

    But the gathering storm had nothing to do with the wrath of Almighty, according to the nonbelievers, because there is no God.

    Despite the raindrops, the crowd, led by Dan Ellis, president of Atheists of Utah, remained in high spirits.

    Most of the marchers were former Mormons and many mailed resignations to the LDS Church at the end of the short trek around the square. Ellis dubbed it “the Mormon exodus and mass resignation event. “[…]

    The American Atheists’ national convention will be at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, 255 S. West Temple, from April 17 to 20. Day passes are available at http://www.atheists.org. […]

    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57781931-78/atheists-church-lds-american.html.csp

  13. says

    Minnie:

    Oh, and before I forget – if Caine is around and has any spare time, could you drop me a line at the email addy that should be visible on my profile? I just have a short question that I think you’d be best qualified to answer… but no pressure if your busy, it can wait.

    Hi Minnie, I can’t get your e-address, but you can grab mine from my zenfolio.

  15. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    …moving….

    :(

    x.x

    ….

    I believe I just lost my portcullis virginity.

    ….okay, you may actually be sorer than me. O.O

  16. cicely says

    The Husband and I have planted a very small garden plot. Can it prosper in my presence? Let us find out…..
    –
    blf, you and I know that radon is a gas—heck he even knows that it’s a gas!—but he somehow has got the idea that “only lead can stop radon”, and that his only option for “radon-proofing” is a coating of lead. Which, as we all know, is completely Harmless to Children and Other Living Things.
    *eyeroll*
     
    (Later)
     
    If UFOs are being endangered by ballistic breads, perhaps they need to adjust their altitude.
    –
    FossilFishy, my high comes during performance, with several-to-many other musicians. And the buzz lasts a good couple of hours after the fact.
    If it’s just me, solo, or with only one or two others, the nervousness eats it all up. No high, no buzz, lotsa shakes.
    Concert in concert, if ya know what I mean.
     
    I’ve only done instrumental composition; lyrics escape me….
     
    “I wanta write a song, but I just don’t know what to write about.
    The rights among the wrongs are few and tricky to discern.”
     
    …which is as far as I get.
    –
    Hi, Alice Wilde, Re-Welcome In!
    –
    Minnie!!!
    *pouncehug-with-accumulated-interest*
    –
    Azkyroth:

    …moving….
     
    :(

    Infelicity???
    –

  17. Portia says

    *backs up the hugtruck for Azkyroth to empty of hugs and fill with packing boxes*

    Wait…you’re moving within the building. Just the hugs for you then :)

  20. chigau (違う) says

    I didn’t recall which bit of mathematics is calculus.
    So I went to Pffft.
    Dalillama, may I recommend getting drunk?

  23. cicely says

    Dalillama, calculus kicked my ass, too. Oh, I passed it—but I have no idea how, and couldn’t do it today if my life depended on it.
    –

  24. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    *backs up the hugtruck for Azkyroth to empty of hugs and fill with packing boxes*

    Wait…you’re moving within the building. Just the hugs for you then :)

    Well, within the complex. What’s left is really more efficient to put in my Prius and take over that way. Am most of the way through loading the second carload of boxes of the day; fortunately, these are mostly stuff that’s already in boxes. I have about 4 carloads left after, cleaning, two pieces of furniture that aren’t making the trip to supervise the removal of, and actually cleaning as a bonus round; and until Wednesday morning to return the keys. >.>

  25. gobi's sockpuppet's meatpuppet says

    Hello Lounge,
    an update to my family members travels at the Commission into Child Abuse…

    The lawyer is stripping the Salvos bare. Already got an admission that no formal written apology was given – they just played semantic games.

    The Commission itself has shown they didn’t follow thier own internal procedures for compensation.

    This is good progress.

  26. says

    Rob Grigjanis
    find lim x→2 cos(pi/2(x-[x]), where [x] is the greatest integer function [x]=n where n is the unique integer such that n ≤ X ≤ N+1. I don’t even fully understand [x], let alone how to put it into the other function.

  29. says

    Alice:
    Welcome in!
    I agree with Nerd; you stated publicly that you have changed nyms. You should be fine.

    ****

    Minnie:
    Long time no see. I hope all is well.

    ****

    Dalillama:
    Do you have a friend that can assist you with Calculus? I remember taking Cal I in college and it was haaaaaaaard. If its more advanced than algebra, I suck.

  30. chigau (違う) says

    I, for one, am happy that I calculate the hypotenuse of a 2×3.
    calculus
    *shudder*

  31. says

    @526
    Dalillama, Schmott Guy

    from google, I can see what the “greatest integer function” looks like.

    Disclaimer, I don’t think I’ve ever used that [x] thing before, but I’m pretty sure I get how it works by looking at it…

    From the visual, it looks like you just use [x] = 1 for this problem. Can you see that? I assume the limit of x is approaching 2 from the left, so the [x] function will still be outputting 1. If it approaches from the right, the output of [x] will be 2.

    Does that make sense?

    From there, it’s just: find lim x→2 cos(pi/2(x-1)

    Does that help? I might be able to help more.

  34. Rob Grigjanis says

    Dalillama: Do you mean the limit as x->2 of cos(π/2(x-[x]))?

    If the limit is approached from above (x>2), then [x] would be 2. In this case, the argument in the cosine blows up when the limit is taken, and there is no sensible answer. If approached from below (x<2), [x] would be 1, and the limit would be cos(π/2), which is 0.

    Or maybe I'm misunderstanding the problem…

  35. says

    brianpansky, Rob Grigjanis
    Thank you both, that does help. The book’s explication of the greatest integer function was extremely unclear, which was the major source of my problem.

  36. says

    I think… possibly I’m misunderstanding what Rob said, or miscommunicated the question, but I’m anyway able to at least make sense of it, and that’s ahead of where I was before.

  37. Rob Grigjanis says

    Dalillama

    I’m assuming the function you’re taking the limit in is cos(π/2(x-[x])). Because the limit is x goes to 2, let x=2±ε, where ε is a small positive (<<1) number, and consider the two cases (+ and -) separately. Then the limit is as ε goes to 0.

    For x=2+ε, the largest integer less than or equal to x is [2+ε]=2, so the function's value is

    cos(π/2(2+ε-2)) = cos(π/2ε)

    As ε goes to zero, the thing in brackets goes to infinity, and the cosine isn't defined.

    For x=2-ε, the largest integer less than or equal to x is [2-ε]=1, so the value of the function is

    cos(π/2(2+ε-1)) = cos(π/2(1+ε))

    In this case, the limit as ε goes to 0 makes sense, and gives cos(π/2).

    Is that an accurate statement of the problem, or is there some misplaced bracket nonsense going on? :)

  38. says

    Rob Grigjanis
    That is my understanding of the function as well, but I’m not sure about the outputs. I think I’m doing the maths wrong at some point, but I’m not sure where. There’s some amount of free tutoring available, I’ll go there tomorrow before class and see what I’m doing wrong. Thank you for your help.

  39. rq says

    Calculus! It’s like a weird foreign language that looks vaguely similar to something I once heard on a talked-over foreign TV show with bad subtitles.
    How I have (not really) missed you! But the vestiges of understanding remain…
    I actually had a lot of fun in advanced calculus in first year, but I haven’t taken any hard math courses since then, sadly. Good luck, Dalillama!

    gobi
    That’s good news, regarding the Commission! I hope progress is maintained, good luck to your family – still keeping those thumbs in hold for them/you! *hugs*

  41. Crudely Wrott says

    On a brighter note:

    Thanks to Weed(less)Monkey and dalillama for the Linux advice. Added to existing database.

    Bravo, FossilFishy!! I’d love it if you could post a video of you perfoming. =)

    Welcome to Alice. Sit deeply and often. See Tony! for choice refreshment. Er, got any bacon?

    Really nice to see Minnie gracing the Lounge again.
    ____________

    Off to bed with me, now. I’ve been rubbing and buffing and polishing my latest picture frame most all day. Whew! My arm’s gotten numb but oh, how that old pine do shine now!
    ‘Night all.

  43. rq says

    Azkyroth
    Aww, *hugs* I hope the transfer of possessions has gone / is still going well! (Besides the foot, and all…)

    +++

    I’m determined to do all my emailing today. Maybe it’ll happen faster/easier if I pretend I’m prank-emailing all these bus charter companies. And the embassy. Both embassies, actually. And several different organizers in Canada. Just have to remember NOT to copy-paste the bus-charter email into the organizer email, otherwise they’ll be a bit confused. *sigh* Anyway, I got a few done. Now to finish.

  44. opposablethumbs says

    Azkyroth, my good wishes to your feet. Hope the last (?) bits of the move go well!

  46. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    Go Alice, go!

    Wait. Um not in the sense that we don’t want you here.

    Let’s try again: I meant Come Alice, Come!

    Er… okay, possibly inappropriate connotations there.

    Perhaps instead of sloganeering, I should just say that I am always happy to hear when someone takes a step in learning to know hirself better. I’m always happy to hear that someone is becoming (more) comfortable with a new community. I’m always happy to find new folk on Pharyngula. I assume the first 2 are happening, and if you comment more consistently as Alice, then I get the last one two.

    Thanks for the morning trifecta. I look forward to listening to you in the future.

  47. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    On more general notes:

    I agree with the “nice to see you agains” for Minnie.

    I am happy to read of the progress Gobi’s SP’s MP reports (though of course frustrated that such is still fucking necessary).

    I am feeling very sympathetic toward Azzy’s foots.

    I miss speaking fluent calculus with folks in the same way I miss having fluent conversations in French. Part of that was that for a long time the people around me weren’t fluent in either, but now my own disuse gets in the way. Sadz :(

  48. rq says

    Let’s talk Eurovision for a moment.
    This gem here, on baking a cake, is Latvia’s entry. (Some happy inspiration for FossilFishy?)
    This gem here is the meat-eating parody. I almost like it better (musically).
    They’re both ridiculous.
    (They’re both in English.)

  49. rq says

    Oh, the biggest travesty of all in these songs?
    Not one of them mentions potatoes.
    Or bread.
    :(
    Not fit to represent, I say.

  50. rq says

    I love it when I put Youngest’s socks on my ears, he looks at me not with amusement or any other form of humour, but a certain supercilious disgust. “What the HELL, mother!”

  51. birgerjohansson says

    William Gibson wrote about this book: “The best B-film I have read in the last 20 years”

    Devil Said Bang: A Sandman Slim Novel http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Said-Bang-Sandman-Novel/dp/0062197606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396877618&sr=1-1&keywords=devil+said+bang+by+richard+kadrey

    The film reference is obvious: In this urban gothic the protagonist deals with demons, angels and all critters in between with the same soft touch and diplomacy you associate with Riddick, Mad Max or The Man Without a Name.

  53. Sarahface, who is trying to break the lurking habit says

    Let’s talk Eurovision for a moment.
    This gem here, on baking a cake, is Latvia’s entry. (Some happy inspiration for FossilFishy?)
    This gem here is the meat-eating parody. I almost like it better (musically).
    They’re both ridiculous.

    I never normally pay attention to Eurovision, but I might have to this year just to see how Latvia does with that song :P
    I actually really like it in the verses, and then it hits the chorus and I think, “who thought this was a good idea?” because they just don’t match up very well IMO.
    But the parody is brilliant.

  55. Rob Grigjanis says

    @537: Oops. Botched the case x=2-ε. Missing minus sign. Instead of

    cos(π/2(2+ε-1)) = cos(π/2(1+ε))

    should be

    cos(π/2(2-ε-1)) = cos(π/2(1-ε))

    Doesn’t affect the result, but marks off for sloppiness.

  56. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    I need some help.

    I am so out of spoons this morning, but there’s a new racism thread up. I can’t bear to look without a little gentle preparation.

    What’s going on in there? Should I be in and commenting?

    Thanks for the help, all. Love to any feeling sandblasted by whatever’s got the posts flying so quickly in there.

  57. chigau (違う) says

    CD #556
    The Colbert thread is getting very meta.
    It’s an interesting discussion but I’m finding it hard to follow.

  58. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @rq, 548:

    I am so teaching that cake song to my musical friends. I don’t have a capo, but I’ll just transpose it up the neck. He’s using fingerings for C, Am, G & D. I didn’t notice what fret the capo was on, but it will be easy enough on 2nd watching to figure that out. Is there a place where the lyrics are listed?

    The parody was awesomely over the top. I choose to interpret the “shut up and ask your father, he will know more than your mother,” as an implicit criticism of the default sexism of asking your mother about baking a cake rather than retrenchment. Other than that, the whole thing is wonderful. “kill a cow, slice somehow…”

    Just a metric Ft of win.

  59. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    On the eurovision songs:

    Please violate the first rule of the internets and read the youtube comments. Some are meaningless, but none are horrible and along the way you get gems like this:

    This makes me to think that Latvia is hemp nation!

    What ze said.

  60. Sarahface, who is trying to break the lurking habit says

    @Crip Dyke
    Most of the comments fall into one of the following categories (*not* organised by approx no. of comments):
    -People who are pointing out that all this discussion is kind of missing or eliding the original point that the satire was trying to make, i.e. that ‘R-dskins*’ is horribly offensive and shouldn’t be used in the name of an American Football team *or* a charitable organisation set up to say ‘I’m totes not racist, you guys!’, and that this should get more air-time in the discussion.
    -People who are arguing that the people who say Suey Park didn’t get the context are missing the context in which her tweet was made.
    -Some people arguing that the joke doesn’t work without using a racial slur that is roughly equivalent to ‘r-dskins’, but that either (a)the tweet shouldn’t have been made/the context should have been made clearer, or (b) the comparison needed to be made because lots of people don’t get how offensive the word is.

    And there are others, but I think these are the main ones. If you don’t have the spoons to step in, then I don’t think anyone will begrudge you that. *hugs*

  61. says

    Thanks again for all the lovely greetings everyone. I’ll try to be a bit more present in the comments but I’ll admit that I’m easily overwhelmed trying to keep up them most days so I don’t want to promise anything.

    I actually just came out to family and friends recently. Well, to be truthful I’ve been coming out to friends one at a time for the past few months. Everything went “okay” I suppose. Obviously, there have been issues. My wife and I actually have a young transgender daughter. It was actually when she started telling us she wasn’t her assigned gender that I came out to my wife in full disclosure I suppose. I guess it’s actually kind of funny that while she is so insistent and so easily expresses herself in this regard I continued to hide and wrestle with my own gender (as I have my entire life) for many many months even after I told my wife.

    I did actually have a bit of a question for the people here. I am the sole income in my family. I make okay money I suppose but certainly below the average income for two parent families but still well above the poverty line. My wife suffered from severe anxiety and depression and hasn’t been able to work is many years. We live in British Columbia, Canada where S.R.S. is “covered” though you have to pay for a flight to not nearby Montreal and accommodations at a post-surgery care facility. That’s a while down the road for me however. My HRT is fortunately being covered by my insurance.

    It’s kind of embarrassing but one of the things that was stopping me from coming out in general since I told my wife has been the money situation. We just don’t have it for me at the end of the month so to speak. My daughter grows like a weed and needs new clothes constantly it seems (we shop at thrift stores mostly). The cupboards grow bare before payday and we do end up with ramen noodle and peanut butter weeks though I always try to ensure my daughter has some healthy food kicking around.

    I have no idea how to afford all this. For example I have extremely thick facial hair covering a lot of my face and neck. I literally have stubble within an hour. I try to cover it. It doesn’t work out so well. I really I need hair removal but I don’t feel it’s a financial option. I’m better off than so many people but I can’t justify to myself dishing out hundreds or thousands of dollars we don’t have when my daughter needs pants, our pets are way overdue to go the vet and the muffler is falling off the car (we live out major city center areas so life would be very hard without a vehicle).

    I’ll stop explaining and get to my point. I asked for help. I did up a fundraising page to help me with my transition on gofundme and posted it to my facebook and my wife did on her’s as well since she literally has five times as many friends and most know me as well. I didn’t think it would work but I felt desperate and my wife encouraged me to do it.

    I left it there for a day-and-a-half but nobody donated a cent to it. A few people offered to send me some old clothes which I was very grateful for. I hate asking for help to begin with and I felt embarrassed about doing it and how it went. I figure that others may have found it inappropriate to ask for help this way so I took it down.

    I’m feeling pretty gross about it right now. I know that others are worse off than my family and some of my facebook friends are those people. I really feel for the people who can’t get any sort of coverage for their transition. I really respect people’s opinions here and I guess my question is do you think that it’s inappropriate to ask for money that way? I didn’t think it was but the response I got makes me wonder.

  62. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Dalillama,

    I’m late, but what Rob Grigjanis said looks good to me.

  63. says

    Rightwing dunderheads continue to hate women, and to redefine hating women as love — a summary:

    […] The month just past was a heckuva month for know-nothingness and woman-bashing. In mid-March, responding to news of a projected National Women’s History museum, the always instructive Rush Limbaugh auto-blurted: “We already have, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know how many museums for women all over the country. They are called malls.” Pregnant pause. “Hey, I could have said brothel.” […]

    “I’ve seen the women in my family and how well they’re doing,” he [Senator Rand Paul] explained. “My niece is in Cornell Vet School, and 85 percent of the people in vet school right now are women. Over half the young people in medical school and dental school are women. Law school, the same way. I think women are doing very well, and I’m proud of how well we’ve come and how far we’ve come, and I think that some of the victimology and all this other stuff is trumped up.” Nothing to worry about, ye women seeking an equal place in society. He’s got anecdotal evidence. So stop complaining.

    […] He [born-again Christian and author Joel Rosenberg] assured sympathetic host Pat Robertson that God will punish America when it reaches 60 million abortions–which, he hastened to compare, would mean six times the number of Jews murdered by the Nazis. He also likened those Christians who refuse to actively oppose abortion to the German Protestants who collaborated with Hitler’s bible-burning regime.

    Then, on March 28, radio talk show host Bryan Fischer, the director of “Issues Analysis” for the American Family Association, said he only hires women as secretaries because of “God’s basic design,” which necessitates gender discrimination; a woman’s “primary outlet” was at home. The same sentiment was expressed by New Mexico Republican Steve Pearce in his new book: “The wife is to voluntarily submit, just as the husband is to lovingly lead and sacrifice.” By his logic, her submission to him is equally rooted in submission before God and love for a husband. Pearce, a Baptist, places on the man the biblically inspired requirement that he “take the leadership role” in all principal issues, “and be accountable for the outcome.” […]

    […] ask Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn why he covered up Nevada Senator John Ensign’s sordid, payoff-laced affair with his campaign director’s wife, when Ensign used their ultra-Christian bachelor pad in D.C. to stage his trysts. There are enough Republican libertines to go around–and generally speaking, they are the same men who attack women for using birth control.

    Salon link.

  64. blf says

    [x] is the greatest integer function [x]=n where n is the unique integer such that n ≤ X ≤ N+1.

    Ignoring the obvious typos (N is presumably n and X is presumably x), that definition looks wrong: The greatest integer (also known as the floor) of an integer is the integer itself. However, with the above, the relation is satisfied for both n and n+1, suggesting the floor of every integer is not unique. Which is rubbish.

    The usual definition is [x] = max{ integer n s.t. n ≤ x }, i.e., the largest integer n which is not larger than x. That could be written in the above style as n ≤ x < n+1, suggesting the final "≤" is itself a typo.

  65. says

    All the telling details you could want, and then some. The photos are great, in a heartrending way. Journalist Eric Wuestewald interviews author Thomas A. Nazario about the book “Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor,” (photography by Renée C. Byer) in a Mother Jones article. Excerpt below.

    She gets constantly evicted from one place or another because she can’t find enough recycling to pay the rent. When we left her—we gave everybody a gift of at least some kind for giving us their time and telling us their story—we gave her $80, which is about as much money as she makes in two months. She fell to her knees and started crying. Not only did I learn that 25 percent of garbage produced in developing countries is picked up by individuals like her, but that one of the biggest drivers of global poverty is domestic violence, and how women and children are thrown into poverty largely for that reason.

  66. rq says

    Crip Dyke
    Lyrics!
    And considering we put cannabis in our butter, we really are a hemp nation. ;)
    I also liked the parody’s calling out of the sexism, the two songs really complement each other perfectly. They should both be entered. ;)
    Bonus trivia: the background vocals on the chorus are actually “cep cep, cep cep to kūku“, which means “bake-bake, bake-bake that cake”, with the parody subbing cūku (pig) for the cake.

    I’ve found a few extra spoons behind the couch, so here’s a couple via USB. *hugs*!!!

    Sarahface
    For what it’s worth, Latvia has been doing rather poorly in Eurovision the past few years, but maybe this year they’ll luck out!

    Alice
    All I can offer you are some internet *hugs* at the moment, if you accept them from relative strangers. :( I hope finances come together for you in a way that lets you be yourself to the fullest. And ♥ for you and your family.

  67. says

    The U.S. House of Representatives plans to carry on as before, that is, they are not really working for you. You U.S. taxpayers are paying them, but they are mostly in recess, mostly not showing up for work.

    Once the House adjourns on Thursday, it’s in recess until April 28, giving members time back home to run for reelection. House GOP leaders have scheduled only 55 more days of legislating (less than two full months in session) for the year prior to Election Day, according to the House calendar issued by Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s office.

    Election day is November 4, which is 212 days from now. Congress Critters plan to work 55 of those days, and many of those 55 days are partial, they end the work day early.
    Daily Kos link.

  69. says

    Alice Wilde #561

    I really respect people’s opinions here and I guess my question is do you think that it’s inappropriate to ask for money that way? I didn’t think it was but the response I got makes me wonder.

    For what it’s worth, here’s my 2 cents:
    Just because the answer to a question is “no”, doesn’t necessarily mean the question was inappropriate. The only problem I see is if gofundme has some local subculture norms that discourage funding for this purpose; I don’t know enough about that to judge. Asking people to fund something like this isn’t necessarily problematic, as long as you accept that people might decide not to.

    I know of other cases were people have asked for money to resolve a tricky situation (whether medical treatments, paying rent or whatever) and I never found it to be inherently problematic. It’s not like you’re trying to trick people.

    Anyway, I hope you find some way to work it all out. Sure makes my problems seem like peanuts.

  70. says

    Ugh. I’m sorry for my last ramblings. I’d delete it if I could. I think coming out has left me emotionally exhausted and I should probably take an internet break and come back when I’m not so stuck in my own head. But again, thanks for the welcomes everyone.

  72. rq says

    Alice
    And don’t worry about writing long comments, as long as you’re comfortable – the Lounge is for these kinds of things, though you can’t always expect an immediate response (time zones, etc.). But there’s always someone to read/listen! :)

  74. says

    Thanks rq. I I knew not to expect any immediate responses. It wasn’t so much my long comment rather it just felt like that I just did the internet equivalent of verbal diarrhea. Keyboard diarrhea? Like when you are having a really bad day and some poor smiling soul politely asks you how your day is and then you unleash all your deepest fears and frustrations on them.

  75. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    rq,

    DON’T DO THAT TO ME IN THE EVENING!

    Um, sorry about that. But I’ve been putting some work off and now it’s almost 22h, I’m tired, I have an early day tomorrow and there’s that game. Addiction. Game. Whatever.

  76. rq says

    Alice
    It happens, don’t worry about it. :) Thank you for sharing, by the way. Sadly (because it’s the world and all), it’s a very brave thing you’re doing for yourself and your family, and that takes a lot of guts and a lot of spoons, and you have my admiration, for what it’s worth. :)

    Beatrice
    Neener, neener, SUFFER WITH ME!!!

  77. David Marjanović says

    Nuuuuuuuuh, I only got to 256!!! I’ll review a manuscript now. *sulk*

    Just so I can close a lot of tabs:

    “Tell McDonald’s: Stop Stealing from Workers’ Paychecks”

    How to be properly afraid of Yellowstone

    “15 things everyone would know if there were a [argh!] liberal media”

    Short summary, with quotes, of a NYT article by Krugman who says “health reform has won” and “Rube Goldberg survives”. There are three links to the original article.

    Kossack says “I Think My Cat is a Republican.” Commenters provide photos of good Democats. Make sure to look at all the pictures in the comments, all the way down.

  78. ajb47 says

    Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought @575:

    The addiction is not so bad once you’ve solved it. The only strategy I’ve seen for it (yes, I looked) is to keep your highest tile in a corner as much as possible. Keep the sides adjacent to the chosen corner full of tiles as much as possible so the highest tile doesn’t move. Then just hope that on those rare times you do have to move the tile, the game doesn’t spawn the new tile in your corner.

  79. David Marjanović says

    “What Obama Secretly Did in Newtown” – one might say he’s a compassionate conservative :-)

    Paper: financing science, including basic research, pays off immediately because it creates jobs. Summary in German.

    “The initiation of plate tectonics on Earth is a critical event in our planet’s history. The time lag between the first proto-subduction (about 4 billion years ago) and global tectonics (approximately 3 billion years ago) suggests that plates and plate boundaries became widespread over a period of 1 billion years. The reason for this time lag is unknown but fundamental to understanding the origin of plate tectonics. Here we suggest that when sufficient lithospheric damage (which promotes shear localization and long-lived weak zones) combines with transient mantle flow and migrating proto-subduction, it leads to the accumulation of weak plate boundaries and eventually to fully formed tectonic plates driven by subduction alone. We simulate this process using a grain evolution and damage mechanism with a composite rheology (which is compatible with field and laboratory observations of polycrystalline rocks1, 2), coupled to an idealized model of pressure-driven lithospheric flow in which a low-pressure zone is equivalent to the suction of convective downwellings. In the simplest case, for Earth-like conditions, a few successive rotations of the driving pressure field yield relic damaged weak zones that are inherited by the lithospheric flow to form a nearly perfect plate, with passive spreading and strike-slip margins that persist and localize further, even though flow is driven only by subduction. But for hotter surface conditions, such as those on Venus, accumulation and inheritance of damage is negligible; hence only subduction zones survive and plate tectonics does not spread, which corresponds to observations. After plates have developed, continued changes in driving forces, combined with inherited damage and weak zones, promote increased tectonic complexity, such as oblique subduction, strike-slip boundaries that are subparallel to plate motion, and spalling of minor plates.”

    First paragraph after the abstract: “The emergence of plate tectonics is arguably Earth’s defining moment. How our planet, alone amongst known terrestrial bodies, evolved the unique plate-tectonic form of mantle convection remains enigmatic3. Although geochemical and petrological evidence for tectonic activity in Earth’s deepest past is difficult to interpret4, analysis of zircons implies the existence of continental crust and formation of granites more than 4 billion years (4 Gyr) ago5, 6, possibly related to subduction zone melting. Similar evidence suggests that subduction-related crustal production existed 3.6 Gyr ago or earlier7, 8. However, geochemical and petrologic observations imply that tectonics was not widespread until 3.0–2.7 Gyr ago9, 10. Whether plate tectonics spread globally over the intervening 1-Gyr interval is of fundamental importance in understanding the emergence of plate tectonics. Moreover, whether the continued accumulation of plate boundaries increased tectonic complexity through geological time remains an open question. Here we propose a plate generation model to argue that transient proto-subduction and accumulated lithospheric damage allowed for the unique emergence and evolution of plate tectonics on Earth.”

    Later it gets into details. Fascinating details.

    “The experiment is an abstraction of the change in motion of the Pacific plate associated with the 47-Myr-ago Emperor-Hawaiian bend2, 29. […] Although highly idealized, the experiment yields several features suggestive of present-day Pacific plate motion (Fig. 3 third column). First, the passive divergent zones inherit the older plate geometry and form two ridges wrapping around the southeast corner of the plate, similar to the East Pacific Rise and the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. The new vorticity field inherits all four of the pre-rotation weak zones, and continues to grow in magnitude; the resulting strike-slip motion is non-orthogonal to the new subduction zone, leading to oblique convergence along the northern boundary, similar to the Aleutian trench, strike-slip motion on the eastern boundary similar to the San Andreas system, and oblique spreading as on the southern Pacific plate. The northern junction between the old and new subduction zones is suggestive of the sharp Aleutian-Kurile arc corner, and the truncated convergent corner of the prior plate is reminiscent of the Philippine plate (see Fig. 3 second column, viscosity field at bottom). In the end, the inheritance of damaged zones by lithospheric flow after a simple change in the slab-pull force leads to several basic features suggestive of Earth’s actual Pacific plate.”

    “In summary, we posit that the emergence and evolution of plate tectonics arise by the interaction of a realistic polycrystalline grain-damage mechanism1, 2 and time-dependent subduction, which together allow plate boundary localization and longevity.”

  80. David Marjanović says

    The only strategy I’ve seen for it (yes, I looked) is to keep your highest tile in a corner as much as possible. Keep the sides adjacent to the chosen corner full of tiles as much as possible so the highest tile doesn’t move. Then just hope that on those rare times you do have to move the tile, the game doesn’t spawn the new tile in your corner.

    Experiment scheduled for right now.

  82. rq says

    ajb47
    You looked for the solution?? Cheater.
    My brother’s wife recently achieved 4096, and it was in the bottom row, middle-left. So there!!!

  83. rq says

    David @577
    Well, I officially own a republicat, too. Should I be ashamed?
    (Except he does hang out with the local strays, watching them both sashay around the yard like two teenagers playing hooky is hilarious – attitude n all. So probably failed-libertarian-cat, to be more accurate.)

  84. ajb47 says

    rq

    No, I looked for a *strategy*. Because I had played for 3 days and not gotten better than one game with a 1024 and a scattering of 32s. I’ve only solved it twice.

    And the 4096 requires a hack to the original game. Although you can get multiple 2048s in one game. I’m told.

  86. David Marjanović says

    1 x 256, 2 x 128, 3 x 32. Keeping the highest in a corner is surprisingly hard.

  87. rq says

    ajb47
    Dunno, my brother’s wife did it somehow without the hack, because she doesn’t hack.
    Sorry if the snark came off as too serious.
    512 is still my record.

  88. chigau (違う) says

    I got a 1024 and a 256 and a bunch of little shit.
    grumble
    stoopid game
    grumble

  89. Sarahface, who is trying to break the lurking habit says

    rqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq….
    I was planning to use this evening for revision! But yeah, I can reliably get to 128/256ish, with the occasional foray into 512, and I may have got a 1024, but I’m not sure because I’ve played so many games and they all blend into one.
    –
    My brother *will* insist on watching criminal minds at 10 o clock at night, even though everyone else in the room doesn’t want to have to watch/listen to it, and he should be in bed. Apparently watching the recording is not an option? Idk.

  90. David Marjanović says

    1 x 512, 1 x 256. The trick seems to be the opposite: if anything gets stuck in a corner, make sure it’s the highest value you have.

  91. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    I0m not stopping until I get 1024.

  92. ajb47 says

    In order to annoy you all, I just solved it again. 2048, 1024, 256, and a 128 with the rest scattered. My high score is now 32332.

    This is the guide I used, and there is a link at the bottom of the article that goes to a page with three ways to keep playing. It claims that 4096 requires an edit to the 2048 code. I guess it’s possible someone did the edit and put the game somewhere else? Or could she just have gotten two 2048s next to each other?

  93. ajb47 says

    Oh, and no, rq, I wasn’t bothered. The Game was mentioned again, so I had to try playing it again. I had my game face on.

  94. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    *shakes fist at rq and ajb47 and everyone*
    *wanders off to bed*

  95. says

    ::peeks into the Lounge, sees math, runs away horrified::

    ****

    Alice:
    I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with asking for money, whether by GoFundMe, or any other source. Financial assistance is something many people have needed/wanted at some point(s) in their life, and some get it, while others don’t. I think the “problem” with asking for money is cultural. There are those people who are opposed to helping people financially, for “reasons” (the Bootstrap Fallacy springs to mind immediately).

    ****

    Dave Nappi does not believe in institutionalized racism. Nor does he believe in white privilege.

    Some people find it easy to agree that institutional racism still exists in American culture. Or that white privilege exists. Others, such as myself, say that it simply isn’t there.

    Events such as the Civil Rights Movement, laws such as the 14th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act, and legal cases such as Brown v. Board of Education were brought into existence to ensure equal treatment of all races within America. They have helped to end most forms of racial inequality and thus to end institutional racism.

    However, many still contend that institutional racism, as well as white privilege, are real. To understand the subject better, it’s best to look at most arguments made about institutionalized racism and white privilege and dissect them.

    He really, really doesn’t get either subject.

    http://thoughtcatalog.com/dave-nappi/2014/04/a-logical-case-for-the-non-existence-of-white-privilege-and-institutional-racism/

    Here he tries to talk about white privilege and race, again, and he fails miserably:

    I sat down behind my laptop and went through my Facebook feed to see what people had been up to. As I opened my beer, I saw an article pop up from an acquaintance of mine. An article on Slate about a woman whom recently moved with her family from Brooklyn, to a predominately white neighborhood. Granted, this woman is white herself, but was concerned about how her children might react with PoC (People of Color) in the future now that they are no longer around so many PoC.

    Her research lead to to many prominent black researchers, and academic literature by PoC on the issue of race. According to the article, while many PoC are openly discussing race with each other, it seems that white people don’t talk about it all that much anymore. What’s more, it’s suggested that in order to have a better conversation on race, people of all colors must be willing to openly talk about it. But whites need to recognize the privilege they have while they partake in the conversation.

    But what if it’s not that easy? What if whites aren’t exactly the ones with a problem anymore?

    Let me start off with something personal. I am no longer going to be using the term “PoC” or “People of Color”. Instead, I’m white, and some of the readers here will be Black, Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, or of a different race. I’ll keep this easier for some by saying “white” and “non-white”. Does this bother you? That I as a white person, do not want to use the term “PoC” anymore? If it does, not only is it idiotic to claim that white isn’t a color, but it also shows that some people still don’t want to talk about race in the terms of logic and reasoning.

    Many non-white people are more than happy to point out racism, like with the Tumblr ‘This is White Privilege‘, but I rarely see a serious discussion about race there. Why? Because it’s not a site to discuss race, it’s a site dedicated to pointing out white privilege. Go ahead into the FAQ section. The site’s very existence is to only point out white privilege. And according to the creator, “race is a social construct”. Ask any biologist worth their weight in salt, and they will tell you that race is biological. So, I’m pretty sure we’re not gonna get a serious discussion from any non-white on that site.


    This site is doing is nothing different than what people at (white pride website) Stormfront.org do when they make fun of black, latino, asian and other non-white people. Whether it be from a white person or a black person, bigotry is bigotry. From a modern societal standpoint, people at Stormfront are viewed as the scum of society, while any non-white over at TIWP is viewed as “brave”. However, both are completely illogical. Pointing out racism does nothing to solve race relations and only adds fuel to the fire of racial separatism.

    He rejects attempts to understand the underpinnings of racism, as well as the myriad examples of benefits white people have by virtue of their privilege. Reading this article was infuriating!

  96. says

    I’m proud of myself I just got a 1024! my first ever! since the last hour i’ve been playing it!

    also, stuff looks weird now that i’ce been staring at it for so long. My keyboard looks less smooth, everythign seems really small…

  97. rq says

    Well, I went to bed, because I’m a Responsible Adult™.
    Today, however, is a new day…

  98. dongiovanni (Now onto Wagner) says

    The presence of the mindvirus here is… worrying. I thought I would be safe once people stopped playing it in lectures.

  99. rq says

    dongiovanni
    Sorry, I only discovered it yesterday, and had to share. It’s the virus action, you know – IT MUST SPREAD!

  100. Pteryxx says

    Just so I can close a lot of tabs:

    <_<

    Marcotte on contraceptive-shaming:

    It’s clear this is what the right is trying to do with contraception, and they have a potent weapon to do it: sexual shame. That’s why Mike Huckabee connected using contraception with being unable to control “libidos.” That’s why Sean Hannity is so insistent on talking about “free” condoms as an alternative to getting birth control from your doctor. He knows that few, if any, women are going to divulge the personal details of their sex lives that make relying on condoms (or only condoms) less than ideal for them. He also emphasizes getting condoms in bars—again, to separate contraception from mainstream health care and relocate it to a place where people go to drink alcohol. The implication is that non-procreative sex is like drinking, a fun but unhealthy behavior that shouldn’t be covered by health insurance. But sex really should be understood as something closer to eating, a natural part of everyday life that can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on how you do it. And in order to make it healthy, it needs to be considered an important part of health care.

    ACLU: Property managers change policies after denying rental to a domestic violence survivor

    A Florida apartment complex and property management company agreed today to adopt protections for survivors of domestic violence in line with federal law after a woman was refused housing for failing to provide information that would have endangered her family.

    The American Civil Liberties Union filed a Fair Housing Act complaint on behalf of survivor “Hope” with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2011. Hope was told she was required to provide the Valencia Forest Apartments rental office in Orlando with her children’s Social Security numbers, an act that could reveal their location to their abuser.

    “I’m glad that steps are being taken to ensure that no family ever has to go through what my family went through,” said Hope, who has since found housing elsewhere. “No parent should have to choose between having a place to live or keeping her family safe.”

    Jonny Scaramanga on ACE in British kindergartens:

    Like everything in ACE, the school day is completely micro-managed, so supervisors don’t have to make many decisions. There are lesson plans for every day which detail what the children and supervisors do, and supervisors follow this by the book. Every day, the children begin by pledging allegiance to the Christian Flag and to the Bible. And for those of you who think that British schools wouldn’t go in for such chest-beating nonsense, here’s a video of the Branch Chistian School, Dewsbury, doing just that:

    You’ll notice they pledge allegiance to “the kingdom of Jesus Christ” rather than the Christian flag, because pledging allegiance to a flag is an alien concept in Britain, but otherwise the wording is exactly as it appears in the ACE manual:

    I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and the Saviour for whose Kingdom it stands. One saviour, crucified, risen, and coming again as King, with life and liberty for all.

    I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I will hide its words in my heart, that I might not sin against God.

    Libby Anne on teaching consent to small children:

    A friend and I were out with our kids when another family’s two-year-old came up. She began hugging my friend’s 18-month-old, following her around and smiling at her. My friend’s little girl looked like she wasn’t so sure she liked this, and at that moment the other little girl’s mom came up and got down on her little girl’s level to talk to her.

    “Honey, can you listen to me for a moment? I’m glad you’ve found a new friend, but you need to make sure to look at her face to see if she likes it when you hug her. And if she doesn’t like it, you need to give her space. Okay?”

    Two years old, and already her mother was teaching her about consent.

    and Cracked interviews Linda Almonte: Terrible things I learned as a corporate whistleblower

    At one point we wound up renting a house in Florida with an abandoned home right across the street (pretty normal in Florida, considering the number of foreclosures, alligator riots, and bath-salt zombies). The day after we moved in, some guy came to rent the empty house. He never moved any furniture, but suddenly a small forest of new antennas sprouted on the roof of the house. Isn’t it good to know that, while your bank can’t put you on the phone with a human being in under an hour, they can have PIs watching your house in less than a day?

  101. Pteryxx says

    and in scientific awesomeness, Seven interstellar dust particles

    Once the sample panel was back on Earth, the problem quickly became finding any collected particles embedded in the aerogel. Out of desperation, Stardust team members called on 30,714 members of the general public. “We really did not know how else to find” the embedded particles, says Stardust team member Andrew Westphal of the University of California, Berkeley. The “dusters” of the Stardust@home project—who as a group were listed as authors of the talk—volunteered to examine microscopic images taken down through the aerogel. They used the world’s best pattern-recognition system—the human eye and brain—to pick out the telltale tracks left by speeding particles.

    One hundred million searches later, Stardust team members had seven “probable” dust impacts on the collector.

  102. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @Sarahface:

    No!

    I meant read the comments on the Eurovision contest videos. Not Colbert.

    I apologize for any confusion.

  103. rq says

    carlie @554
    That song is totally about a cake out in the rain. That’s completely different (though quite touchingly sentimental… *tear*). ;)

  104. Sarahface, who is trying to break the lurking habit says

    @Crip Dyke:
    Sorry, that post was me being slow to respond to your #556 about being out of spoons, even though it got posted directly after your Eurovision post.

  105. rq says

    Crip Dyke
    My favourite comment:

    It’s Eurovision Song Contest, not Eurovision Adult Music Only Contest

  106. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @Sarahface:

    Now I understand. Apparently I wasn’t unforgivably unclear. That’s a relief.

    @rq:

    I’m still going with the pothead comment.

  109. The Mellow Monkey: Non-Hypothetical says

    Last night I had a dream that Inaji had written a book about the history of toasters and Crip Dyke was writing a literary analysis of it. Also a white rat buck wearing a fuzzy baby blue vest had taken up residence in the Lounge and I had to protect him from a terrier.

    Now I need to go wallow about in useless pain for the rest of the day. There are about a million things I need to do that I hurt too damn much to accomplish, and “breathing” is just about on that list. Sigh.

  111. says

    Helloooooooo
    I’m not going to find out what game yerall talking about…

    Alice
    I think that just as long as you’re not engaging in fraud there’s nothing wrong with asking. People then decide for themselves whether they can/want to donate or not.

    +++
    Apart from that i have nothing new or interesting to contribute atm.

  112. birgerjohansson says

    All cats flirt with libertarianism-just see Bucky Katt’s reaction to the election of Obama. But in the end they are too lazy to do things for themselves.
    .
    Wallaby returns home after Sweden walkabout http://www.thelocal.se/20140406/wallaby-returns-home-after-swedish-walkabout
    .
    Sweden cares more for [Romanian] beggars than Romania’ http://www.thelocal.se/20140408/we-have-more-empathy-for-beggars-than-romania
    .
    “Time flies when you are having funds” http://www.dilbert.com/2014-04-08/

  113. says

    So I’ve been playing some fun games recently:

    Hearthstone – better known as the World of Warcraft CCG, which they made an online version of. It’s seriously fun, incredibly addictive, and extremely frustrating all at the same time.

    Tomb Raider – the remake. It’s fun, and tough, and OMG I love the bow ♥

  114. rq says

    But in the end they are too lazy to do things for themselves.

    Yup, libertarians, all of them.

  115. rq says

    Slow day at the post office today, I guess.
    Went to mail [delicious item]*, and got packaging advice from three different (unbusy) ladies, who all put on little huffs when I said no, my envelope will do just fine, since it has done so previously. But I think, secretly, the one stamping my envelope pulled out the super-secret “Crush this!” stamp.
    So Portia, if you get chocolate chips and/or shavings instead of a nice, single bar, it’s all their fault!!! And if so, then I promise, next time I’ll choose the bubble-wrap envelope. :)

    * Even though you all know it’s chocolate, I choose to hide its true identity, because if y’all knew exactly what was in it, you’d want some, too.

  116. Sarahface, who is trying to break the lurking habit says

    [anecdote time!]
    I went to the shop just now to get a couple of food things, and as I was walking out, there was a small boy and his mother.
    Small Boy: [talking about maybe a kinder egg or an easter egg or something?] “Boys don’t have princesses.”
    Mum: “Yes.”
    SB: “Boys have spiderman.”
    Mum: “Yep.”

    This could just be mum not wanting to have that discussion at that exact moment, but the kid didn’t look any older than 4, and may have been as young as 2&1/2ish, and he’s already picked up this gender norm. Sadface.

  117. says

    The joy of explaining to your children why it is totally justified that you just called (yelled at, actually) somebody a “complete idiot” because the complete idiot ignored the fact that there is a fucking “YIELD” sign on his side of the road and almost crashed into our (and by our I mean my inlaw’s) car.

  118. opposablethumbs says

    Sarahface, it really makes me want to say something when I hear that kind of stuff. But you can’t, of course … yeah, sadface/angryface/wtf-face

  119. The Mellow Monkey: Non-Hypothetical says

    The Bad Advisor took on this letter on Jezebel:

    I just don’t seem to get along with girls very well. It’s never been a conscious choice on my part. I just find most women to be boring. I know that sounds really bad! I just don’t want to talk about babies or clothes or makeup or dating or diets or weddings. I want to talk about business and gaming and sports and stuff like that. I have a few close girl friends, but they are often characterized as being “like a dude in a dress” (and yes, I cringe when I hear that). I hate it when my boyfriend goes off with his guy friends at a dinner party and I’m stuck with the ladies. What do I do?

    The response is great:

    It goes without saying that since gender is a universal, ever-static experience for all people with the unique exception of you, the magicalest lady snowflake, there’s no reason to expect any diversity either in gender identity or presentation from other humans, and it’s safe to assume that your read of “man” and “woman” is the only one ever of all time.

  120. ajb47 says

    Giliell, professional cynic -Ilk- @ 617:

    From the time my children started talking, I told them never to repeat anything I said while I was driving. I really don’t trust other drivers.

    I’ve never wished death on someone, but this Louis CK clip On Driving does a good job of summing up my dichotomy about driving. I have mellowed significantly as I’ve gotten older, but there are still some people that I wish I had a device I could use to make them pull off the road until I am nowhere near them any longer.

  121. says

    David M. @577, loved the Yellowstone link. Thanks for posting that. Informative and fun to read. Nice accompanying graphic as well.

  122. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @The Mellow Monkey:

    It’s interesting that you bring that up. Inaji, while openly challenging traditional narratives of toaster passivity & objectivity with human activity & subjectivity, in fact defaulted to that narrative text with phrases such as “put the bread in the toaster”*. Why not describe the toaster enveloping the bread instead? This illuminates the classic dilemma of rendering fabula in text to produce an unbiased syuzhet (or for English language narrativists, story). We must be careful to problematize this framing, however, as Inaji – like others whose family background may include history of non-linear storytelling – may employ this language in ways that those entrenched in mainstream cultural elements in industrialized North America and Europe will misunderstand as a chronological cause-and-effect statement.

    *somewhere, somewhen.

  123. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend, Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    Wait – Kevin (613) is doing something unrelated to planning a wedding?

    Is that allowed?

    :-P

  124. The Mellow Monkey: Non-Hypothetical says

    CD: ♥ You are literally a dream come true.

    —
    Another interesting link I’ve found while laying about in pain today:
    Confirmation bias, epic fantasy, and you.

    So if you catch yourself getting upset when someone puts something in a fantasy that “doesn’t belong” — women in positions of power who aren’t sexualized, for example, or people of color in a part of the world where you think they never “existed”*, or a trans woman in a patriarchal society, or an important disabled person in (this! is!) Sparta, or whatever… Take a breath. Calm down. Do some research. Don’t immediately reject the contradictory information, and don’t assume that the person giving it to you is trying to hurt you. Ask yourself why you feel hurt, if you do. Why is this making you so mad? Why is it so important to you that Things Were Just Like That Back Then? Why does it bother you so much to realize things weren’t like that? We can’t always control our reactions to psychological threats, but sometimes understanding why those reactions happen can help us at least short-circuit them before they really blow up. It takes work, but you can shake it off.

  125. rq says

    But Crip Dyke!
    I don’t think she approached the problem of North American vs. European toasters, and their integration into the global household stereotype, with quite the right tone – too much focus on the aspect of convenience and crusty bread, while completely omitting the artistic angle (that European toasters are, for the most part, more aesthetically pleasing than North American toasters).

  128. rq says

    chigau
    I can’t figure out if you want rum to celebrate now, or if that’s a solicitation for daily rum offerings for the next year…

    (Happy birthday to you!)

  130. cicely says

    *gentle, fluffy hugs* for Mellow Monkey.
    –
    *applause* for Crip Dyke and rq.
    –
    Happy 60th birthday one year from today, chigau!
    :) :)
    –

  131. says

    Ohh fuck this. I got myself a fancy Bluetooth mouse, which randomly dies until I restart it. I could just shrug it off if it happened every few days, but we’re talking several times an hour here. I’ve browsed every bit of information Google could find, and it seems it’s a) not uncommon and b) got something to do with Windows 8.1:s power saving features. After switching off every bit of power saving even remotely related to Bluetooth or mice it’s still doing it.

    Seems like I’ve got a € 40 doorstop that’s too brittle and slippery to function as a doorstop, until Microsoft fixes whatever it is they did.

    (Not to mention all this 8.1 touchscreen bullshit on a machine that isn’t equipped with one. Oh my non existent dog is that annoying. And apps? I DON’T WANT ANY FREAKING APPS!)

  132. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @chigau & rq:

    I can’t figure out if you want rum to celebrate now, or if that’s a solicitation for daily rum offerings for the next year…

    I believe that chigau would respond, “Yes.”

    @weed(less) monkey:
    frownies.

    @Kevin:
    don’t tempt me.

  133. blf says

    I’m a Responsible Adult™.

    Not Recommended. Known to cause pea eating, and also leads to ignoring crops of zombies behind trees and sheds, and in the closets.

  134. says

    Hello all!

    Is anyone looking for something to mock mercilessly?
    I give you Grounding:

    Do you recall walking barefoot along wet sand at the beach or on a field of dew-moistened grass? Do you recall feeling some tingling in your feet or legs, or a sense of warmth or well-being rising up into your body? That sensation is the result of direct barefoot contact with the surface of the Earth, which brims with natural, subtle energy.

    The Earth, you see, is an electrical planet, and you are a bioelectrical being living on an electrical planet. Your body functions electrically. Your heart and nervous system are prime examples.

    Emerging science reveals that direct contact with the ground allows you to receive an energy infusion, compliments of Mother Earth. Think of it as “vitamin G” – G for ground. Just as the sun above creates vitamin D in your body, the ground below provides you with vitamin G, a kind of “electrical nutrition.”

    This energy infusion is powerful stuff. It restores and stabilizes the bioelectrical circuitry that governs your physiology and organs, harmonizes your basic biological rhythms, boosts self-healing mechanisms, reduces inflammation and pain, and improves your sleep and feeling of calmness. When these things happen, you are going to feel better in a big way.

    The discovery of these benefits, and the dynamics behind them, is the subject of a 2010 book I am proud to have co-authored − Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? (Basic Health Publications) and which has now been published in more than 10 languages. The research and the personal experiences of thousands of individuals all over the world, including doctors, suggest that we humans live on a global treatment table…but don’t know it.

  135. says

    Kevin:

    @CD:

    I’ll bite you

    We have an Odaxelagnia room in the Lounge?
    Odaxelagnia is a paraphilia concerning sexual arousal through biting, or being bitten. Odaxelagnia is considered a mild form of sadism.[1][2][3] Alfred Kinsey studied Odaxelagnia, reporting that roughly half of all people surveyed had experienced sexual arousal from biting.[4] Odaxelagnia has associations with vampire lifestyles, but does not necessarily involve bloodletting.

  138. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @Tony!, #635:

    I’m not sure. I never seem to get away from the spanking couch.

  142. blf says

    I never seem to get away from the spanking couch.

    Oh, that’s easy: Just imagine the whole thing is filled with peas, snarling nasty peas, snarling nasty peas with flamethrowers and horses, about to burn their way out and launch a calvary charge…

    Handcuffs are not recommended. (Besides, they don’t work on peas.)

  143. says

    Happy Birthday, chigau!

    I will be 60 in December of this year. I’m trying to think of something frivolous I could do to mark the occasion, but I don’t know how I could top what I did for my 50th – I had purple streaks put into my hair. I’ll think of something, I’m sure.

    *offers hugs to all and sundry, help yourselves as needed*

  144. blf says

    Emerging science reveals that direct contact with the ground allows you to receive an energy infusion, compliments of Mother Earth.

    Witchcraft! Witchy, witchy, witchcraft! (Apologies to Doctor Who, who is far more believable than that tosh.)

    As I recall, a common belief in Medieval Europe was that witches drew their power from the ground. Hence, various confinements and torture devices tried to keep the alleged witches, or at least their feet, from touching the ground.

  145. blf says

    I had purple streaks put into my hair.

    I read that as “I had purple steaks put into my hair”, which brought up all sorts of questions and somewhat bizarre mental images.

  146. says

    blf: No, not quite. I did not have cheese or mushrooms put in my hair either, so the MDP can calm down now.

  147. rq says

    Emerging science reveals that direct contact with the ground allows you to receive an energy infusion, compliments of Mother Earth.

    Go ahead and try that in the upper northern hemisphere in mid-January. Energy infusion, indeed. From you to Mother Earth!

  149. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @blf, #645:

    I read that as “I had purple steaks put into my hair”, which brought up all sorts of questions and somewhat bizarre mental images.

    You mean like [how to join/joining] the second band?

    rq, #647

    Go ahead and try that in the upper northern hemisphere in mid-January.

    While coastal Canada is no Latvia, I can tell you that you’ll feel it if you’re barefoot in the snow scraping ice off your car for 15 minutes before getting in.

    Although to be fair that was mid/late December, not January.

  150. blf says

    I did not have cheese or mushrooms put in my hair either…

    Ah, that explains the purple, then. Normally it goes all fuzzy green after a while, and eventually walks off.

    (Unless, of course, the mildly deranged penguin notices, albeit I’m told by reliable sources that haircut-by-penguin-bite is only marginally preferable to a pea-filled spanking couch.)

  151. rq says

    you’ll feel it if you’re barefoot in the snow scraping ice off your car for 15 minutes before getting in

    Had an energy transfusion there, didja? ;)

    WMDKitty
    It’s mostly harmless in the developed world, while peddling the same sort of woo in many third world countries will get people parasites like hookworm. Because hygiene and all that kind of stuff.
    It’s a nice thought, but it’s overloaded with privilege.

  152. rq says

    Oh and regarding this:

    coastal Canada is no Latvia

    The latitudes lie: we’re actually extremely temperate (oh hello, Baltic Sea!), but different hours of day/nightlight at the extremes of the seasons. It’s actually more similar to (say) Toronto than Ottawa (same dampness in winter, though less humid in summer).
    And the winter is longer (usually) because latitude, but it’s not as harshly cold as it could be. At least the summer is long enough to grow some potatoes.

  153. blf says

    At least the summer is long enough to grow some potatoes.

    And the rest of the year Latvians huddle around their potato-burning stove, cooking potatoes, and wondering “Bloody hades, this will use up some of the potatoes, but what are we going to the with all those frozen mounds of moar potatoes behind the shed? At least they are hiding the bodies and keeping the zombies buried.”

  154. says

    Happy Birthday chigau

    +++
    abj47
    I stopped my excessive cursing while driving once I noticed that somebody was listening. But this was really like me hitting the brakes hard, me avoiding a crashe by 10 inches and him acting as if I was wrong.

    +++
    How rumors happen:
    As mentioned before, I currently have my in-laws’ automatic car. A colleague of my dad in law who lives in the same building as me asked him why he was spending the nights at his daughter in law’s place…

  155. says

    Re: potatoes

    I recall an ancient joke (not that it’s actually funny) about some national stereotypes concerning a Finnish businessman, who hosted a dinner for his Russian and American partners. They had a nice meal, with roast meat, boiled potatoes, vegetables and gravy. The Finn was wondering why the Russian was so clumsy peeling his potatoes, while the Russian thought it was uncivilized to even serve boiled potatoes unpeeled, and the American simply ate them with the peel on and thought it’s a bland way to serve a potato. Ha ha.

    But seriously, peeling a potato is one of the skills a child is supposed to know by the time they go to school.

  159. says

    Oh for fucks sake. Republican legislators want to enshrine “dynamic scoring” in law so that their wishful thinking can be applied to all budget proposals.

    Maddow blog link.

    There aren’t many differences between this year’s House Republican budget plan from Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and his blueprints from recent years. Medicare would still be privatized; the Affordable Care Act would still be repealed and replaced with nothing; aid to the poor would still be gutted; the rich would still get a massive tax break; etc.

    But this year, Ryan embraced “dynamic scoring” as a way to help finance his far-right agenda. In other words, Ryan believes he can pay for his wish list by implementing it, which he’s certain would make the economy soar, which means he’s comfortable counting predicted revenue from the super-charged economy he thinks he’ll create as actual revenue.

    In fact, GOP lawmakers like this approach so much, they want it to be required.

    The House approved a bill Friday that would require “dynamic” scoring of major legislation before it comes up for a vote.[…]

  160. says

    This is a follow up to my comment #659.

    the Republicans’ “Pro-Growth Budgeting Act” would not apply “dynamic” scoring to appropriations bills. In other words, the number-counters would be required to project a super-charged economy following tax breaks, but not investments in areas like education or infrastructure.

    ‘Dynamic’ scoring is a way to manipulate the budget process and it’s wholly unnecessary. As the CBPP’s Paul Van de Water explained a couple of years ago, the CBO already includes “a wide range of behavioral responses” in its revenue estimates.[…]

    http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3598

  161. says

    Tony, the ‘nym change is no big deal. I’m still proudly advertising the song my ‘nym links to, I just haven’t smoked in a while.

    Homemade wine… at best it’s like a cheap store bought wine, at worst it’s kilju. Alcohol is pretty expensive here, you know. ;)

  164. says

    Lawrence Krauss is truly pissed off. A dunderheaded catholic creationist who is also a geocentrist produced a film, “The Principle.” In this piece of dreck Robert Sungenis (who is also a Holocaust denier) used clips of lots of scientists, without their permission of course.

    Krauss is not sure how the deceptively edited clips came into Sungenis’s possession, but he is sure that he did not at any time promote geocentrism.

    Other scientists involved include Michio Kaku and Max Tegmart (not a complete list — haven’t watched the film, only the trailer).
    I Have No Idea How I Ended Up in That Stupid Geocentrism Documentary

    ‘Star Trek’ actress lends her gravitas to film promoting idea that sun revolves around Earth

  165. A. Noyd says

    Another way cats are libertarians: They are really bad at understanding consent when it doesn’t involve something unpleasant being done to them.

    “I wish to drape myself across your neck and wipe my cold, most nose all over your chin. Oh, you’re pushing me away? I must try harder.”

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    Miri just linked this study about gaming and aggression on her Brute Reason Tumblr.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    WMDKitty (#648)

    I see it more as a guided imagery type of psychological exercise. Perfectly harmless.

    Oh, no, people are quite literal about it. I first came across grounding/earthing a few years ago on a Q&A forum where someone was asking about where to get shoes with rubberless soles so their footwear wouldn’t block any of the earth’s precious energy. And, this being woo, there are expensive products to help you do it “right.”

  168. The Mellow Monkey: Non-Hypothetical says

    A. Noyd

    Another way cats are libertarians: They are really bad at understanding consent when it doesn’t involve something unpleasant being done to them.

    “I wish to drape myself across your neck and wipe my cold, most nose all over your chin. Oh, you’re pushing me away? I must try harder.”

    But try to push the cat off of you and it may well attack your hands. Because FREEDOM.

  169. morgan ?! epitheting a metaphor says

    Speaking of potatoes and spuds and such, did you know there is a breed called Norwegian Spudhounds?

    I own one of these.

    spudhound.com

    grins

  170. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    A guest brought a bunch of bananas as a gift. The Redhead and I only eat a banana once in a blue moon, and they were getting that certain dark brown overly ripe color. The Redhead dug out her banana bread recipe and said “make some”. My feeble attempt is in the oven.

  172. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    The joy of explaining to your children why it is totally justified that you just called (yelled at, actually) somebody a “complete idiot” because the complete idiot ignored the fact that there is a fucking “YIELD” sign on his side of the road and almost crashed into our (and by our I mean my inlaw’s) car.

    “Well, it isn’t justified, but if we were allowed to do what he actually deserves to him, people like him would find ways to use those laws as a weapon against good people, and it would be a much more powerful weapon than the laws they use as weapons against good people now.”

  173. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    Latvian feels sad, so Latvian puts on happy music and goes out to potato field; alas! acquired potato refuses to be eaten. Enters song contest instead.

    (There’s a band called Destiny Potato??? Why are they not Latvian?)

    …so if we made one of these out of potatoes, would it be Alotvian?

  174. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Evidently the banana bread is a success. The Redhead is relishing her warm buttered piece. Not bad for a first attempt.

  176. says

    11th Commandment: “Whosoever consumes banana bread shall spend a very long time living out one of the worst nightmares imaginable: giving a school presentation…nude!”

    ****

    Lynna @664:
    Have you read Kate Mulgrew’s Facebook statement clarification of her views on geocentrism?

    “I understand there has been some controversy about my participation in a documentary called THE PRINCIPLE. Let me assure everyone that I completely agree with the eminent physicist Lawrence Krauss, who was himself misrepresented in the film, and who has written a succinct rebuttal in SLATE. I am not a geocentrist, nor am I in any way a proponent of geocentrism. More importantly, I do not subscribe to anything Robert Sungenis has written regarding science and history and, had I known of his involvement, would most certainly have avoided this documentary. I was a voice for hire, and a misinformed one, at that. I apologize for any confusion that my voice on this trailer may have caused. Kate Mulgrew”
    […]
    I have no recollection of being interviewed for such a film, and of course had I known of its premise I would have refused. So, either the producers used clips of me that were in the public domain, or they bought them from other production companies that I may have given some rights to distribute my interviews to, or they may have interviewed me under false pretenses, in which case I probably signed some release. I simply don’t know.

    Whew. I was worried for a second.

    ****

    Severing ties to Russia:

    On 1 April, NATO suspended all civilian and military cooperation with Russia. This affects scientific collaboration under the organization’s Science for Peace and Security Programme, which underpins counterterrorism and disaster-relief work, including work on technology that can detect hidden bombs at crowded public-transport locations. NATO is looking for other partners to continue these projects.

    And on 2 April, the US government suspended all contact between NASA and Russian space agencies and government representatives — including visits, meetings and even e-mails. Only activities involving the International Space Station are permitted to continue. The space station has both Russian and US crewmembers on board, and has relied on Russian Soyuz craft for transport since the United States retired its shuttle fleet in 2011.

    ****
    More gender-flipping:

    Last month, Jennifer Lopez’s video for the single I Luh Ya Papi, began with one of her female dancers asking: “Why do men always objectify the women in every single video?” and proceeded to show Lopez, fully dressed, surrounded by half-naked men in a bed, a pool and sponging down a car. This followed the viral hit , Oppressed Majority, released by French filmmaker Eléonore Pourriat in 2010, which depicts a man struggling with routine chores and childcare, before being attacked by a group of women in the street and poorly treated at a female-dominated police station. The video became a sensation when Pourriat added English subtitles in February this year, and has now been viewed almost 9m times.

    I’m aware of a few gender-flips, but I didn’t know it was a meme. I almost want to go watch Lopez’ video.

    ****

    Interview with Barbara Ehrenreich, atheist author of Living With A Wild God:

    Ehrenreich revisits and explores a period in her teens when she experienced a series of inexplicable “encounters” that shook her faith in the reality of the world. Culminating in a kind of epiphany in the California desert, these mystical experiences both disturbed and intrigued the young Ehrenreich, who was already questioning the purpose and meaning of life.

    Raised as an atheist and trained as a scientist, Ehrenreich had no language or framework to understand these encounters, except as the frightening onset of mental illness. The book is the story of the adult writer’s attempt to describe and understand what happened to her — and what it might mean for the rest of us.

  177. A. Noyd says

    chigau (#675)

    Have some rum potatoes.

    Split the difference and have some vodka? (Oh, and happy birthday!)

  178. says

    I can’t wrap my head around $2.1 trillion:

    Foreign profits held overseas by U.S. corporations to avoid taxes at home nearly doubled from 2008 to 2013 to top $2.1 trillion, said a private research firm’s report, prompting a call for reform by the Senate’s top tax law writer.

    “The new numbers … certainly highlight what is one of the key challenges for tax reform. I do think there need to be some reforms in this area,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden told reporters on Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

    Under U.S. law, corporations do not have to pay income tax on most of their overseas profits until they are brought into the United States. These earnings can be held offshore for years if they are classified as indefinitely invested abroad.

    Research firm Audit Analytics said in a report issued last week that the total of such earnings was up 93 percent from 2008 to 2013, citing federal financial filings for companies listed in the Russell 1000 index of U.S. corporations.

    ****
    A timepiece for the visually impaired:

    Just how does the Bradley Timepiece actually work? For starters, this timepiece would arrive with a stark, circular titanium face, and there are no hands whatsoever for you to view. Numbers too, are unsurprisingly, missing from the face of the timepiece. What it does have, however, would be a groove that is located in the center where a ball-bearing rotates in order to mark the exact minute. Around the edge of the watch would be another ball bearing that will rotate so that you know what hour it is.

    ****

    The winners of the eVolvo 2014 skyscraper competition have designed some amazing buildings.

    ****

    Turning the tables on everyday sexism. A video by Guardian writer, Leah Green.
    The scenes are based on real encounters as documented by women on Everyday Sexism.

  179. says

    Good morning
    Yes, it’s morning
    And my kids have some weird humor.
    This morning, I have to start at 9:30 as opposed to 7:45, so we could have taken a bit of time this morning.
    Usually mornings are an affair of lots of wailing and whining and gnashing of teeth and physically hauling children out of bed and always being almost late.
    This morning I had two kids in a good mood, who got up 15 minutes early without being woken upby me and who were ready to go at 7:10…

  180. rq says

    Alotvian

    Why, yes! ♥ :)

    Giliell
    It’s a kid-conspiracy against parents, that one, too. Ugh. Just thinking the words “We can sleep in tomorrow!” resets their internal clocks to Extra Early Bird.

    Nerd
    Congratulations on a first successful banana bread! Now share. :)

    Tony
    I heard about the Bradley Timepiece a while ago, apparently it looks pretty spiffy, too.

  183. rq says

    Those are amazing buildings. Though I wonder how technologically feasible most of them are – ah well, architects have dreams, too!
    Maybe next time, my brother should enter.

  184. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    Finished. Moving.

    Azzy. Foots. Discovering new levels of hurt. :(

    Even got the apartment cleaned. Literally; I asked my girlfriend to help me a little with the last of stuff-moving and the cleaning and she elbowed me aside on the latter. I feel awkward about that, but it looks amazing. x.x

    Also, I had three bookcases that weren’t in that great shape that I didn’t want to move, so I put them up on Craigslist in the free stuff section with explicit instructions to txt me rather than emailing because I would be moving stuff. Having received 0 messages about them at the end of the night, we moved them out to the space next to the dumpsters, which people at my complex use for a sort of informal freecycling zone. I then got on my computer after everything was moved and the apartment was locked and found no less than seven people had emailed me asking about the bookcases. I responded to the one person who even *acknowledged* my “txt don’t email” instructions (she said she felt she should email rather than calling, since it was so late; I assume this means she has a landline), and told her the situation and that I could help load them tomorrow.

    People. Y they no listen?

  186. carlie says

    Azkyroth – I missed what happened to your foot. :(

    On the texting – I can’t text, so I would have emailed too. (!) (as in, I don’t have a cell phone with texting capability on my plan). And as for the timing, I am in my 40s, and I have it firmly engrained in my head that YOU DO NOT CALL PEOPLE BEFORE 9AM (10 ON WEEKENDS) OR AFTER 9 AT NIGHT. This is what my mother taught me, and I think it is now a permanent epigenetic stamp on my DNA. And I would easily translate that to texting too – my husband has texting on his phone, and the thing makes a beep when someone sends him one. So, I would count time restrictions to the texting too, so as not to accidentally wake up someone who forgot and left their phone on and then I texted them super late and it beeped. [/oldfogey]

  187. rq says

    carlie
    re: calling after 9PM
    It’s weird, in high school, I let things like that slide, because DUDE Friday night barely STARTED at 10PM!!! But how that changed when we had kids… Friends would call just to chat at 9.30 or so, and Husband and I would first exchange that grumpy “who the hell calls so late” look, before putting on our tired voices (no effort) to answer. But now our friends have kids too, so if anyone calls at 10PM we know there’s a pressing reason. :D
    And 9AM? Not anymore – we know anyone with kids has been up since 6, especially on Saturdays. ;)

  188. opposablethumbs says

    Hey Azy, congrats on the successful move!

    I would hesitate to text late at night too – my phone makes one hell of a noise when I receive a text (otherwise I’d never know about it) so I’d probably assume someone else’s might at least beep and unless it was super urgent I wouldn’t want to risk waking someone up I suppose. Mind you, considering your explicit info, if I thought it was too late in the evening I’d probably email AND then ALSO text the next morning.

    Here’s to the new flat!

  189. rq says

    Our book-stocked national library (photo by Sergejs Babikovs).
    The image is an excellent reference to a Latvian folk (fairy?) tale about a princess on a glass/ice mountain, guarded by seven ravens (the library was designed in reference to this tale, something about reaching the heights of education and knowledge, yada yada).
    Though I doubt those are ravens, considering the library’s location – probably seagulls. Acting. ;)

    One more thing I learned today.
    Via which this book looks like something acquisition-worthy.

    And here’s a rough guide to spotting bad science. I think it’s a time-consuming process for most people, but if they at least think about these things while reading the latest super-discovery in woo, that would be a great start.

  190. Portia says

    Azky

    People. Y they no listen?

    If you ever figure it out, let me know : /

    Good job getting everything done! Woo!

    –

    rq; Booooooks:)

    –

    Today will be a long day.

  192. rq says

    Laundry sorting day is like a little piece of heaven for Cat (he has a thing for Husband’s dirty shirts).