chocobean's recent activity
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Comment on What are the simple things in your life that you are thankful for? in ~life
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Comment on What are the simple things in your life that you are thankful for? in ~life
chocobean Link ParentThat's always a wonderful simple miracle, every day. "A healthy man has many wishes, a sick man only one" is exponentially true for parents of sick kids.That's always a wonderful simple miracle, every day. "A healthy man has many wishes, a sick man only one" is exponentially true for parents of sick kids.
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Comment on What are the simple things in your life that you are thankful for? in ~life
chocobean Link ParentThat's a great talent, want to share some of your favourite tactics? I'm thinking something like, if forces into a detour, look for small enjoyable things that you wouldn't otherwise have seen....That's a great talent, want to share some of your favourite tactics?
I'm thinking something like, if forces into a detour, look for small enjoyable things that you wouldn't otherwise have seen. Or, if flight is delayed, enjoy the travel accommodations and treat it as a mini bonus vacation. Or, if people, related, imagine how perhaps they're having the worst day of their life and momentarily felt better having vented and I'm unlikely to ever see them again anyway. That kinda thing?
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Comment on What are the simple things in your life that you are thankful for? in ~life
chocobean Link ParentAs @patience_limited spied, it's a Terry Pratchett reference, which is a reference to the Conan quote you identified :D Cohen the Barbarian, of the Silver Hoard, The Light Fantastic (1986)As @patience_limited spied, it's a Terry Pratchett reference, which is a reference to the Conan quote you identified :D
What is it that a man may call the greatest things in life?”
“Hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper.”
Cohen the Barbarian, of the Silver Hoard, The Light Fantastic (1986)
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Comment on What are the simple things in your life that you are thankful for? in ~life
chocobean LinkWhat is best in life? Soft bathroom tissues, good dental care, and running water. We live better than most kings, and I have seen more exotic animals (! Alive! Happy!) than emperorsWhat is best in life? Soft bathroom tissues, good dental care, and running water. We live better than most kings, and I have seen more exotic animals (! Alive! Happy!) than emperors
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Comment on Hong Kong buildings blaze kills at least thirty-six people, hundreds missing in ~news
chocobean Link ParentI kept thinking about your comment all day yesterday and today. It is a small fortune out of ten thousand misfortunes indeed. Shudder to think if it had been in the dead of night. I heard on...I kept thinking about your comment all day yesterday and today. It is a small fortune out of ten thousand misfortunes indeed. Shudder to think if it had been in the dead of night.
Local media reports also quote some residents who say the fire alarms in the building did not go off. (BBC)
I heard on Threads the fire alarms in at least one of the buildings did not go off. Also worth noting that these are 31 storey buildings, which make escape for the elderly challenging even if they had been altered to leave on time.....
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Comment on Hong Kong buildings blaze kills at least thirty-six people, hundreds missing in ~news
chocobean Link ParentIt's not been good. There were sweeping protests in 2014, then even more in 2019. Many of our democratically elected Legislative Council representatives are/were in prison; Jimmy Lai who owned...It's not been good. There were sweeping protests in 2014, then even more in 2019. Many of our democratically elected Legislative Council representatives are/were in prison; Jimmy Lai who owned Apple Daily news is still in prison. Joshua Wong of Teenager Vs Superpower (2017) is still in prison. His other teen buddy Agnes Chow was in prison, made bail, and is now in exile in Canada. Nathan Law escaped before the national security law crackdown and lives in the UK now with an active $1million HKD bounty. Many, many, many good people in prison.
I'll give two other pieces of trivia related to the fire to stop myself from rambling and bringing it back to this topic:
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The chief exec (eg, "mayor" of Hong Kong), in his first official address of the disaster, thanked Xi Jinping and the Beijing liaison office before firefighters, paramedics, or community emergency responders (cn - mingpao). One firefighter (38) has perished.
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They're taking the chance to halt their little patriots only (literally, this is their terminology) election, because of the disaster, they said. (en, HKFP). If you have a minute to skim the headlines of this sham it'll give you an idea of the absurd pantomime. Eg, they're sending out "thank you cards" to people who have voted, and spending an insane amount of money for perks and advertising and free admission activities etc to promote this. TV ads were every other ad all day every day. To promote "democracy" to a city that previously stood in line for hours in pouring rain for a self organized ballot they know the government will 100% ignore.
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Comment on Hong Kong buildings blaze kills at least thirty-six people, hundreds missing in ~news
chocobean Link ParentSome context. The buildings are a type of subsidized housing where they're bought and sold, but at very controlled and reduced rates; they are also quite old, built in 1983. Tai Po is also an area...- Exemplary
Some context.
The buildings are a type of subsidized housing where they're bought and sold, but at very controlled and reduced rates; they are also quite old, built in 1983. Tai Po is also an area that was considered very far North of city centre in the 80s when the mass network wasnt as well developed. There are a lot of seniors and less well to do families in these towers.
Seven of the eight high-rise residential blocks at Wang Fuk Court were engulfed in flames. The housing estate, home to approximately 4,000 people, had been undergoing major repair works since mid-2024. All of the estate’s eight buildings were covered in bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh when the fire struck.
Police arrested three men, aged 52 to 68, in the early hours of Thursday on suspicion of manslaughter. The trio are reportedly an engineering consultant and two directors of a construction company. [...] firefighters suspected that the netting, mesh, canvas and plastic sheeting installed on the buildings did not meet fire safety requirements. (HKFP)
The hypothesis under investigation right now is that instead of expensive single-use materials which meet fire safety standards, the company had chosen to use regular big standard styrofoam which are reusable.
But don't praise swift action by these [redacted] "police" too quickly; it's normal for [redacted] Chinese authorities to roll random heads swiftly in order to avoid public backlash. Unrelated to the fire they are still putting people in jail for thought crime and free speech. Presumably found cannabis, but the charges are for National Security along with other insane crackdown
Hong Kong national security police have arrested two people on suspicion of publishing seditious posts on the social media account of their pancake shop.
According to the shop’s Instagram account, it regularly hired former inmates who served time for offences linked to the 2019 protests and unrest. (HKFP)
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Comment on Hong Kong buildings blaze kills at least thirty-six people, hundreds missing in ~news
chocobean LinkMy dad and I are just staring at the footage in shock. That was near my neighbourhood, one train station overMy dad and I are just staring at the footage in shock. That was near my neighbourhood, one train station over
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Comment on Why humanity needs a Lunar seed vault in ~space
chocobean Link ParentI see what you're trying to say, but space travel is getting cheaper all the time, esp with moon base coming up as @Aerrol observed. Chernobyl was a big deal, but at the end of the. century it's...I see what you're trying to say, but space travel is getting cheaper all the time, esp with moon base coming up as @Aerrol observed.
Chernobyl was a big deal, but at the end of the. century it's actually a small area affected; even Nagasaki and Hiroshima and Fukuoka are mostly perfectly fine. I don't see a scenario where all of human is wiped out in war, that we'd still need seed vault for, agreed. But we could see one region wiped out immediately:
In 2015, the civil war in Syria destroyed the ICARDA seed bank near Aleppo — one of the world’s last repositories of drought-resistant wheat and barley for the Middle East. For the first time in history, a withdrawal was made from the Svalbard Vault so that scientists could re-establish these crops elsewhere.
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We've already had to use Svalbard
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We're going to the moon anyway
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we're losing Svalbard now
Troubling scenes from an Arctic in full-tilt crisis: The heat that hit Svalbard in February was so intense that scientists could dig into the ground with spoons, "like it was soft ice cream."
Again, most humans will still be around after a disastrous area-wide wipe out, and we're already going to the moon, and maybe soon, remotely piloted semi autonomous drone tech gets good enough to deposit /retrieve at a fraction of the price.
As for long shot alien tombstone, we can encase some seeds in a bakelite/crystal/something and put it on the door. They'll recognize life.
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Comment on Why humanity needs a Lunar seed vault in ~space
chocobean Link ParentThe ocean isn't cold enough plus heating, is FULL of "nasty" viruses and bacteria, and we don't have the tech to make things waterproof nearly forever. They'd also be under insane pressures up to...The ocean isn't cold enough plus heating, is FULL of "nasty" viruses and bacteria, and we don't have the tech to make things waterproof nearly forever. They'd also be under insane pressures up to 600 atmospheres vs, as Professor Farnsworth observe, "anywhere between 0 and 1" for space. I can't think of a worse place than the ocean
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Comment on Why humanity needs a Lunar seed vault in ~space
chocobean Link ParentThe moon might be our only shot in a nuclear apocalypse. We might not get it back, but we could leave it for others, whether alien or remnant. It being a moonshot is true, but there are no corners...These extreme conditions could naturally support cryogenic storage of seeds, spores and even animal gametes for thousands of years. Additionally, the moon’s lava tubes — vast underground chambers — provide natural radiation shielding and stable environments, almost perfectly suited for long-term preservation.
The moon might be our only shot in a nuclear apocalypse. We might not get it back, but we could leave it for others, whether alien or remnant. It being a moonshot is true, but there are no corners on earth that's safe from geopolitics: targeting the moon will be too pointlessly expensive for war time wanton destruction when people are always much closer targets for hate.
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Comment on Against 'Metroidbrania': a landscape of knowledge games in ~games
chocobean LinkLawnmowering is one of the terms I've not heard of before, and perfectly describes my least favourite type of puzzle game. On the other hand, Database Thriller sounds right up my alley. A few of...Lawnmowering is one of the terms I've not heard of before, and perfectly describes my least favourite type of puzzle game.
On the other hand, Database Thriller sounds right up my alley. A few of the titles mentioned are horror, unfortunately, but Immortality has been wishlisted.
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Comment on Views on over-posting? in ~tildes
chocobean Link ParentNo worries, we have an extremely high percentage of people here who cant do regular commitments, only sporadic bursts. You'll fit right inNo worries, we have an extremely high percentage of people here who cant do regular commitments, only sporadic bursts. You'll fit right in
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Comment on Views on over-posting? in ~tildes
chocobean LinkSpace!! Try a Cool Aerrol Weekly Space (CAWS) thread ? Then you can spam top level comments on as many as you want for each cool thing you want to share. Weekly is most definitely NOT too many,...Space!!
Try a Cool Aerrol Weekly Space (CAWS) thread ? Then you can spam top level comments on as many as you want for each cool thing you want to share. Weekly is most definitely NOT too many, and it'll be extremely easy for the odd space hating person to hit Ignore once a week.
I'd like to submit my subscription application for your space newsletter
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Comment on US President Donald Trump was going to roll out a health care plan. Then Republicans weighed in. in ~society
chocobean Link Parent"Concepts of a plan" is what an unqualified intern faking their way says at daily stand-ups."Concepts of a plan" is what an unqualified intern faking their way says at daily stand-ups.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump was going to roll out a health care plan. Then Republicans weighed in. in ~society
chocobean Link ParentIt would be fantastic for everyone if we somehow end up with Opposite World Grima Wormtongue in Trump's ear. (I don't know enough about Mamdani specially, but I just mean a fictitious morally...It would be fantastic for everyone if we somehow end up with Opposite World Grima Wormtongue in Trump's ear. (I don't know enough about Mamdani specially, but I just mean a fictitious morally upright person.) Somehow Angel Donald becomes magically attached to listening to voice of reason, enacting compassion and equitable policies, and somehow placating the alt right personality cult into self hypnotizing themselves, who then trip over themselves into upholding those values in sincerity. That would be a way of healing the divide that no one could have seen coming.
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Comment on How to Make a Killing | Official trailer in ~movies
chocobean LinkThis looks fun. Calling it now, the lady is hired by one of the other heirs to socially engineer the protagonist into doing their dirty work for them, and the lady will make sure he land in...This looks fun. Calling it now, the lady is hired by one of the other heirs to socially engineer the protagonist into doing their dirty work for them, and the lady will make sure he land in prisons and die there in the last arc.
Saltburn meets Talented Mr Ripley
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Comment on How to Make a Killing | Official trailer in ~movies
chocobean Link ParentIt got stuck in the sewing machine when she tried to make a new suit the night before. </Simpsons> My kid recently walked past a Guess jeans window and said a dress looks beyond Distressed, into...It got stuck in the sewing machine when she tried to make a new suit the night before. </Simpsons>
My kid recently walked past a Guess jeans window and said a dress looks beyond Distressed, into Traumatized territory. Must be a rich person thing to try to flaunt an intentionally poor look. "My rags were designed to look rattier than your rags" kind of sick twist.
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Comment on Peter Watts on Margaret Atwood and the hierarchy of contempt (2003) in ~books
chocobean (edited )LinkHarsh. So Watts is accusing her of cultural misappropriation I take it? No citations, so let's see how she defines spec fic: From Atwood's writer's masterclass intro: What do other "real...Harsh. So Watts is accusing her of cultural misappropriation I take it? No citations, so let's see how she defines spec fic:
From Atwood's writer's masterclass intro:
So there's speculative fiction and there's science fiction. And there's science fiction fantasy and there's fantasy. And you might put them all under a big umbrella called wonder tales. So wonder tales are not naturalist. They're not the world that we find ourselves in here and now today.
Speculative fiction is a way of dealing with possibilities that are inherent in our society now, but which have not yet been fully enacted. You can look at books like "Brave New World," Zamyatin's "We," and "1984," things for which we've got the technology more or less, and arranged in a space on the planet we happen to be living on. Science fiction, usually we think of other galaxies, other planets, other sorts of things entirely. And I write speculative fiction not because I don't like the other kind, but because I can't write it. It's not within my skill set.
What do other "real geographers" of scifi think about her work?
Is Arthur C Clark Science fiction enough? Handmaid's Tale won the first Arthur C Clark award in 1985; they awarded Atwood with the award for Imagination In Service To Society (2015) after she wrote The Heart Goes Last. Here is her acceptance speech -- does she sound dismissive or contemptuous of the audience, fellow winners, or the genre.
Handmaid's Tale was nominated but didn't win the Nebula, and nominated but didnt win the Prometheus in the 80s. The sequel, The Testaments, was only a finalist for the Prometheus 30 some years later again. Watts hasn't won one either to date, but maybe the criteria for them are different form Watt's works.
Neither Atwood nor Watts has won a Locus yet, but Atwood has her own Locus April Fools in 2012.
Here's an additional 2013 WIRED article on Atwood and SciFi vs SpecFic.
Anyway. Point being. In this short rant, I didn't see evidence that literature runs counter to SF (hierarchy), and I don't see evidence that Atwood feels contempt for SF. Additionally, Atwood's had a very successful career as a poet and novelist writing conventional non spec fic for thirty some years after her highly successful Handmaid's Tale (1985). If she was the sort of person who "has to write science fiction" because they desperately need to "stay relevant", we wouldn't have had:
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Cat's Eye (1988) -- teen girl bullying set in the 50s Canada
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The Robber Bride (1993) -- three Frienemies attend the funeral of a forth to make sure she's really dead
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Alias Grace (1996) -- Pioneer times Celebrated Murderess
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Blind Assassin (2000) is part lizards-on-alien-planet science fiction book within a book, and part regular "respectable" fiction set in 1930-40s. It won the Booker Prize. Watt's point about how science means relevance does not apply
It wasn't until 2003 that we have her next Spec Fic in Oryx and Crake.
Anyway, 2003 is a very long time ago. I wonder how he feels about this piece and Atwood today.
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For some, that kind of family is unimaginable: people who don't take away from your mental health but build it up; people who can actually be relied upon in times of need because they have a track record of being there all the time; people who can express love and tenderness and taking healthy pride in one another without strings attached or a precursor for darker moods or used as weapons to "show off" to others or the scape goat child. People who actually enjoy spending time with you, and who are curious about your likes and dislikes and remember them, and who are willing to prioritize that weekly scheduled call.
:) congratulations on your lottery, and I'm sure your family has also greatly blessed all the other kids and strays they've come across over the years, and were instrumental in them breaking free and breaking the cycle.