Arshan's recent activity
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Comment on The revolt of the Christian home-schoolers in ~life
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Comment on What is a highly regarded/critically acclaimed movie that you do not like/understand the appeal? in ~movies
Arshan LinkThe only movie I can think of that I loathed would be the original Avatar movie. Sure the story and characters are generic as fuck, but thats not that uncommon and can be fine. Its the feeling...The only movie I can think of that I loathed would be the original Avatar movie. Sure the story and characters are generic as fuck, but thats not that uncommon and can be fine. Its the feeling that James Cameroon is personally talking down to me and preening about how enlightened he is. And James Cameroon is a terrible billionare who has almost killed a not small number of people. That and I hate the main character with a passion; he's terrible at everything and an asshole, but somehow everyone thinks he's the bestest.
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Comment on The Satanic Temple to open free abortion clinic in New Mexico in ~health
Arshan Link ParentAs a satanist and a nominal member of TST, I would be somewhat happy to answer some of these questions. I say somewhat because I hear them all the time and I am tired of them. But I trust tildes...As a satanist and a nominal member of TST, I would be somewhat happy to answer some of these questions. I say somewhat because I hear them all the time and I am tired of them. But I trust tildes users to at least be respectful.
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Satanism is a religion. You don't decide what is and isn't someone else's religion.
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Ugh, Queer Satanic Memes (QSM). They are 4 members of the Washington chapter of TST that changed the passwords for that chapter's facebook page. For whatever reason, TST chapters mainly use Facebook for communication, so a bit more of a thing then for many organizations. They refused to return the page and have excused TST of a myriad of things; TST is suing them to get back access tobthe page. I honestly don't know all of them, but some of the big ones are one of the founder's stealing money, of TST being filled with secret nazis and TST silencing discourse on its supposed myriad of sins. None of those claims are backed up with evidence in QSM's own articles; they just throw in dozens of links that don't actually support their arguements, but few people have the time and energy to parse through all the links and their poor writing. I will also include that one of the 4 members is charged with repeated domestic violence; as the victim requested privacy, I will say no more on it, but only include my source. For those interested in a deeper dive, this comment thread, I know its an annoying format and is long but its the best response I've seen. Either way, I very much consider QSM an unreliable source. However, if I found out that TST was doing fucked up shit, I would leave it in a minute. My satanic beliefs are not perscribed by TST, but are held on their own merits.
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Yes, TST hasn't had a resounding legal victory. Many cases are on going, the last one I heard about was in Boston. There are a not small number of out of court victories, where governments ended forced christian prayers to avoid letting a satanist in. Personally, I think this proves the point of TST; minority religions are not beimg treated equally by the US government.
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As to the content of the article, I hope it succeeds; bodily autonomy is one of my most deeply held beliefs.
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Comment on Fast X | Official trailer in ~movies
Arshan LinkHonestly, F&F is one of my favorite current movie franchises. There so dumb, but it doesn't matter at all. I am totally here for Jason Mamoa's cleavage in every shot, and him being redeemed in the...Honestly, F&F is one of my favorite current movie franchises. There so dumb, but it doesn't matter at all. I am totally here for Jason Mamoa's cleavage in every shot, and him being redeemed in the next movie after fake killing a main character.
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Comment on Pope Francis calls for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide in ~lgbt
Arshan LinkThis quote reveals the actual importance of this issue to Pope Francis. "Oh, it just never came up in the last 10 years I've been pope." So it's really not important to you, huh? Yeah, LGBTQ+...As for why these statements are coming out now: According to the AP, Francis has simply never been asked in an interview before. “Francis willingly responded, citing even the statistics about the number of countries where homosexuality is criminalized,” the AP reported.
This quote reveals the actual importance of this issue to Pope Francis. "Oh, it just never came up in the last 10 years I've been pope." So it's really not important to you, huh? Yeah, LGBTQ+ rights never come up in relation to the Catholic Church...
Imagine this was anyone but a massive religious leader saying this, maybe a politician or a celebrity, how would it be viewed? Like yeah, being homosexual shouldn't be a crime, do you expect to be praised for this? And you still believe that if they ever act on their perfectly natural and god-created nature they will suffer eternal torment? Show me when he sends real resources to support changing these laws or providing real support to people imprisoned for it; if the Catholic Church does that, I'll applaud them then and only then.
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Comment on Docker rootless and Watchtower and some general questions about Docker in ~comp
Arshan LinkLike @vord I would recommend podman and linuxserver.io images, but with the warning that running either rootless and mounting directories can be a pain in the ass. I recommend podman because it...Like @vord I would recommend podman and linuxserver.io images, but with the warning that running either rootless and mounting directories can be a pain in the ass. I recommend podman because it can perform auto-updates for you, see article. As for general security concerns, I would focus more on the network-side. Make sure the firewall is setup properly and make sure your private services are actually private. I'd recommend looking at using a vpn for your private services, but that does depend if these are just used by you and/or people who are willing to use a vpn. I'd say Tailscale is by far the easiest and pretty much Just Works.
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Comment on Avatar 2 spoiler talk in ~movies
Arshan Link ParentHmm, I know it was in the opening narration that it stood out to me, which was definitely Jake Sully. I do distinctly remember a line about "wanting to keep him away from our children". Maybe it...Hmm, I know it was in the opening narration that it stood out to me, which was definitely Jake Sully. I do distinctly remember a line about "wanting to keep him away from our children". Maybe it was just the juxtaposition of the way they treated their adopted daughter and Spider. Like both of the parents are directly responsible for this baby being stuck on this planet, they can't treat him at all like family? Their kids clearly do. Its not at all central to the plot; it was just something that felt like an odd choice.
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Comment on Avatar 2 spoiler talk in ~movies
Arshan LinkTLDR: Its a pretty, generic sci-fi movie. If you can't stand plot holes and things not quite making sense, it might not be for you because there is A LOT of it. Things I Loved: Payakan, the...TLDR: Its a pretty, generic sci-fi movie. If you can't stand plot holes and things not quite making sense, it might not be for you because there is A LOT of it.
Things I Loved:
- Payakan, the outcast sentient whale
I don't know how they did it, but they made these whaley characters seem very cute and "human".
Honestly, the only character I really liked in the movie. - The aesthetic of the humans
I love the heavy industrial, cyberpunk look.
Things I Hated:
- Jake Sully, i.e. the original main character
I hate dads who make their kids call them Sir; I hate how much of a shitty dad and husband he is. At no point does he actually listen to anyone in his family, even his wife. He constantly acts like he knows better then everyone else, even though he is as dumb as a pile of rocks. The White Savior trope is gross, but especially gross when the supposed savior is a complete, bumbling idiot. This movie is a lot less focused on him then the original movie, which was an excellent choice. - Reusing the old villain
He was boring in the first movie, he is boring in this one. Given how generic the story is in these movies, I'd bet everything I have that by the end of the series he is going to repent from his evil ways and join the Na'vi.
Things that haunt me:
- Why does Jake Sully hate Spider so much?
At the very beginning of the movie in narration, right after he talks about adopting a virgin birth Na'vi, that 1000% wasn't conceived by the Gaia planet, he rips into the orphaned child of the villain, Spider. He refers to him like the kid is a stray animal. He talks about trying to keep his kids away from this lonely orphaned child who LITERALLY HAS NO ONE ELSE. Spider is the only human child on this planet. There is even this shot of both Jake and Neytiri looking with disgust as Spider plays with their kids. He also seems to hate Spider because he is human, but like Jake was human? To be clear, Spider never betrayed the Na'vi or anyone in this movie; he was tortured protecting them and risked his life on multiple occasions to save their children's lives. And at the finale, Neytiri holds Spider at knife point and seems completely okay killing an innocent child. Its so targeted and never really explained, I just makes me go "why include this subplot in an over 3 hour movie?"
- Payakan, the outcast sentient whale
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Avatar 2 spoiler talk
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Spoiler-Full Discussion on Avatar 2
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Comment on ’Avatar 2’ opens to $134M, behind expectations but still sizable in ~movies
Arshan LinkSaw it yesterday and there were 4 other people watching it, then 5 people came in like an hour late. So, I don't know about the $2 Billion target...Saw it yesterday and there were 4 other people watching it, then 5 people came in like an hour late. So, I don't know about the $2 Billion target...
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Comment on A vast majority of people in the US and Canada suspect their smart speakers can eavesdrop on their conversations, and just over two-thirds think they’ve gotten ads based on that snooping in ~tech
Arshan Link ParentThe relevent info is on page 5 of the slides. The part that gets me is the Special Requests line on a list that includes pretty much everything I can think of.The relevent info is on page 5 of the slides. The part that gets me is the Special Requests line on a list that includes pretty much everything I can think of.
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Comment on A vast majority of people in the US and Canada suspect their smart speakers can eavesdrop on their conversations, and just over two-thirds think they’ve gotten ads based on that snooping in ~tech
Arshan Link ParentI am a bit confused by your response. Sure, if the US government really wants to surveil me, they will succeed because I am 1 dude against 100s of experts with million dollar equipment. What I...I am a bit confused by your response. Sure, if the US government really wants to surveil me, they will succeed because I am 1 dude against 100s of experts with million dollar equipment. What I don't get is how that is relevant to my original point. My point was that the NSA has been concretely been proven to have access to all "private" data in Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc., so why would smart speakers be exempt? Their free real estate, why not have a few tens of million more data sources?
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Comment on A vast majority of people in the US and Canada suspect their smart speakers can eavesdrop on their conversations, and just over two-thirds think they’ve gotten ads based on that snooping in ~tech
Arshan LinkMy concern about smart speakers isn't that the companies are listening, but that its the NSA and their shit. For the device to work, the microphone is always on. What part of the technical design...My concern about smart speakers isn't that the companies are listening, but that its the NSA and their shit. For the device to work, the microphone is always on. What part of the technical design of these speakers prevents the NSA having wiretap access in "Cases of National Security"? PRISM already included the full contents of emails, voice and video calls, and pretty much everything on the platform.
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Comment on ‘Westworld’ canceled at HBO after four seasons in ~tv
Arshan LinkYeah that seems fair, as much as I hate to say it. I absolutely loved s1 and s2. I enjoyed s3, even with some of its flaws. But I couldn't even finish s4, I just didn't care about any of the...Yeah that seems fair, as much as I hate to say it. I absolutely loved s1 and s2. I enjoyed s3, even with some of its flaws. But I couldn't even finish s4, I just didn't care about any of the characters. I hope HBO finds a new sci-fi project to scratch that etch for me.
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Comment on What is one very interesting fact you know? in ~talk
Arshan LinkI am going to rebel against your rules and offer TWO facts that get me. In the United States, a Tomato is legally a vegetable, even though its biologically a fruit; this was important enough for...I am going to rebel against your rules and offer TWO facts that get me.
- In the United States, a Tomato is legally a vegetable, even though its biologically a fruit; this was important enough for the Supreme Court to rule on it.
- The "Patootie" in the term "Cutie Patootie" is most likely a bastardization of "Potato". So calling someone a cutie patootie is calling them a cute potato, which feels rather insulting in a weird way.
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Comment on What have you learned from losing someone? in ~talk
Arshan LinkA lot of things are just bad without anyone involved being to blame, especially when one or both of the people have very serious issues. People are often very different in not at all obvious ways,...- A lot of things are just bad without anyone involved being to blame, especially when one or both of the people have very serious issues.
- People are often very different in not at all obvious ways, which can cause very hard to solve, or even notice, problems.
- Be a bit more explicit/clear then you might feel comfortable with, because EVERYONE misunderstands/misreads/misinterprets/has hidden insecurities. As a personal example, I always used to self-deprecatingly laugh when people asked if I was in a serious relationship, because I had crippling insecurities around my romantic value and just generally hated myself. I learned earlier this year that a lot of people interpreted that as me being kind of a fuck boy and that I was laughing at the concept of a serious relationship.
- The absolute only thing you have any control over is yourself; you can hope/pray that someone will act a certain way, do a certain thing, but they will make that decision themselves.
- What people say they want is the wants they wish they wanted; what people do is what they actually want.
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Whats one thing you are optimistic about?
It can be big or small; personal or societal. Just something that you have some hope will make the world better.
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Comment on What have you learned from working in tech? in ~talk
Arshan Link ParentJust for easy googling, the term for that type of complex is cottage court. There's a fair amount of them around where I live, and they are really cute.Just for easy googling, the term for that type of complex is cottage court. There's a fair amount of them around where I live, and they are really cute.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (September 2022) in ~talk
Arshan LinkFor the first time in my life, I feel like I am at "my normal". Its still new enough that I haven't processed it yet, especially since I've thought I've reached this point many times before. So...For the first time in my life, I feel like I am at "my normal". Its still new enough that I haven't processed it yet, especially since I've thought I've reached this point many times before. So really good, but still a bit overwhelmed by it.
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Comment on The Biden-Harris administration's student debt relief plan in ~finance
Arshan LinkWell, this should cut my loans in over half, which is genuinely great! Its definitely one of the biggest benefits the government has provided everyone under ?30/35?. The part that covers interest...Well, this should cut my loans in over half, which is genuinely great! Its definitely one of the biggest benefits the government has provided everyone under ?30/35?. The part that covers interest if your making payments is also a really big benefit that can really reduce the risk of getting trapped.
A lot of this rings true for someone who was homeschooled from 4th grade through high school. I wasn't in as restrictive an environment as the couple in the articles, as well as being raised Catholic.
This is the part that resonated the most with me. I've talked about my personal issues on this site before, so I won't rehash them, but this is something I had kinda forgetten. Its such a hard thing to explain how total the control is. Even when you get glimpses of the happier outside world, the dogma that the World™ is evil and no one but them can be trusted is so aggresively pushed that your unlikely to seek help.