Raistlin's recent activity
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Comment on For those involved / interested in Web3, what do you make of the near and long term future for it? in ~tech
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Comment on For those involved / interested in Web3, what do you make of the near and long term future for it? in ~tech
Raistlin Link ParentI'm not a coder, but could I ask what sort of situation would necessitate using machine code?I'm not a coder, but could I ask what sort of situation would necessitate using machine code?
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Comment on US House approves $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan (gifted link) in ~news
Raistlin LinkI legitimately didn't think they'd do it. Happy to be wrong, but I truly thought the pro-Putin half of the Republican party had won this fight.I legitimately didn't think they'd do it. Happy to be wrong, but I truly thought the pro-Putin half of the Republican party had won this fight.
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Comment on Two years to save the planet, says UN climate chief in ~enviro
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Comment on Two years to save the planet, says UN climate chief in ~enviro
Raistlin Link ParentBut they have a billion troops and we have 22. It doesn't matter how high quality our troops are, the Chinese have warships, nukes, aircraft carriers. They could outfit every soldier with a knife...But they have a billion troops and we have 22. It doesn't matter how high quality our troops are, the Chinese have warships, nukes, aircraft carriers. They could outfit every soldier with a knife and they'd still take over if they really wanted to.
Our security situation is dependent on the US not being a failed state.
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Comment on ‘It’s plain elitist’: anger at Greek plan for €5,000 private tours of Acropolis in ~travel
Raistlin Link ParentGreece gets hot in the summer. When I visited the Acropolis 6 years ago, it was almost unbearable. Being able to visit it when it's cooler would be huge, I'd be upset if I was a local.Greece gets hot in the summer. When I visited the Acropolis 6 years ago, it was almost unbearable. Being able to visit it when it's cooler would be huge, I'd be upset if I was a local.
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Comment on Two years to save the planet, says UN climate chief in ~enviro
Raistlin Link ParentI honestly have no idea. I'd have to assume that far enough from Auckland, Wellington and Chch that the masses don't eat them alive if everything goes tits up. I also don't know if they have any...I honestly have no idea. I'd have to assume that far enough from Auckland, Wellington and Chch that the masses don't eat them alive if everything goes tits up. I also don't know if they have any agreements with the local iwi either.
I almost wish for the collapse so that Musk and I are reduced to farmhands and maybe I get to shove him occasionally.
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Comment on Two years to save the planet, says UN climate chief in ~enviro
Raistlin Link ParentFuck em, I wish we banned rich foreigners that just want to come here to survive the apocalypse. They should spend their billions on preventing the destruction of the planet, and not in buying...Fuck em, I wish we banned rich foreigners that just want to come here to survive the apocalypse. They should spend their billions on preventing the destruction of the planet, and not in buying Twitter or whatever.
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Comment on Two years to save the planet, says UN climate chief in ~enviro
Raistlin Link ParentOh absolutely, their economy and nation will be wrecked, which is exactly what I'm worried about. Will their nation collapse faster than they become extremely desperate and have access to...Oh absolutely, their economy and nation will be wrecked, which is exactly what I'm worried about. Will their nation collapse faster than they become extremely desperate and have access to warships? I don't fucking know. I don't want to be near any densely populated country as things get worse and worse.
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Comment on Two years to save the planet, says UN climate chief in ~enviro
Raistlin Link ParentI live in NZ, and I don't think we'll be spared. There'll be massive refugees crises from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea which Australia will bear the brunt of. Australia itself will fare rather...I live in NZ, and I don't think we'll be spared. There'll be massive refugees crises from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea which Australia will bear the brunt of. Australia itself will fare rather poorly as well. We'd be next.
In the worst case scenario, the only hope (if you can call it that) is that countries start collapsing faster than they can mount invasions, and people just forget about us in the chaos. But our biodiversity is collapsing, we're extremely dependent on exports, and our military isn't world-class.
More realistically, as the US hyperfocuses on itself and retreats into its own collapsing society, we'd probably fall into China's bubble without that counterweight. If China is still able to project force and isn't bogged down by its own famines and droughts.
I dunno. New Zealand isn't far away enough from the rest of the world, as far as I'm concerned.
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Comment on AI and the end of writing in ~tech
Raistlin (edited )Link ParentI really dislike the term "hallucination". The thing is just wrong. Yeah it's wrong for very specific reasons, but so am I when I'm wrong. It sounds like corporate speak made by people trying to...I really dislike the term "hallucination". The thing is just wrong. Yeah it's wrong for very specific reasons, but so am I when I'm wrong. It sounds like corporate speak made by people trying to sell a product.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Raistlin LinkI "beat" Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology. And by beat, I mean I beat the base game and got the true ending. I'm now in the PC new dungeon, but I think I need better weapons and armor. I was...I "beat" Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology. And by beat, I mean I beat the base game and got the true ending. I'm now in the PC new dungeon, but I think I need better weapons and armor. I was one then away from losing against the base final boss, and I assume the boss for this dungeon will be harder.
What a ride! What a cast! I said in the last topic that Stocke has become probably my favourite JRPG protagonist. In so many game, the devs are reluctant to give the protagonist much of a personality or character, and the PC tends to be the most boring part of the party. Turns out all JRPgs need to do is stop having fresh boys waking up in bed before the village burns, and start having more slightly jaded veterans instead.
The battle system eventually started getting a bit old, but given that it's pretty easy to avoid enemies in the overworld, it's not the end of the world. But it's a bit of a shame, because I did like it starting out. By the end though, I found myself wishing it was just a normal turn based JRPG. There were also more "guide dang it" moments by the end, which made sense, since you have a truly massive amount of nodes you can time travel too, and some quests aren't obvious. Like, I'm not sure how I would've figured out how to start that quest where you're trying to cheer Raynie up.
The twist was predictable, to the extent that not even Stocke was surprised. But I still like how it was handled, and it was also carried massively by the excellent voice work.
What a fun game this has been.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
Raistlin Link ParentThanks very much for your in-depth reply. I usually don't do that reddit style of quoting parts of a post and then replying to them, since that can lead to a back and forth where parties tend to...Thanks very much for your in-depth reply. I usually don't do that reddit style of quoting parts of a post and then replying to them, since that can lead to a back and forth where parties tend to want to win. But I also don't want to leave things you've said unanswered if I'm going to reply. So I guess I'll do by best at steelmanning what you're saying!
Let's take a look at ourselves. I assume we both believe that we, humans, are conscious beings. We humans evidently create unconscious things, be they tools, machines, or even software. A spoon isn't conscious, yet it was created by humans, who are conscious beings. So the idea that God is a conscious being who created many unconscious beings is very much grounded in reality.
Mind, I am not saying unconscious things in the universe wouldn't be created by conscious creator. I am saying that unconscious things in the universe outnumber conscious things overwhelmingly. Indeed, the only example of conscious things we have encountered (some orders of life) are only possible because of complex chemistry. Carbon, oxygen, sodium, etc. Life (as far as we know) is only possible in a highly complex, and more importantly physically stable environment.
You can certainly imagine a universe where the laws of physics are different but consciousness exists. But it's just that, imagination. Our only example of consciousness isn't conducive to pre Big Bang life. This doesn't contract divinities, but divinities are certainly not the most likely thing to assume in an almost universally unconscious universe.
That's why I believe God always Was, is, and will Be. God was not created, He Was. Do you get it? me neither, since God is truly is beyond our understanding. My theology is centered around observing just how much God is infinitely beyond my understanding. Knowing just how inferior I am humbles me, and makes me a good person.
I've typed the below a few times, and am unsure how to word it. I want to respect your belief system, but I also want to push back on (what I think are) fallacies.
To you (and to theists), saying things like I Am That I Am, He Is, He Was, sounds like you're describing an incomprehensible being. To me, there's nothing to understand there, because it's not describing something that exists. It sounds important and mighty because it's describing something that humans can't understand. It's just that for an atheist, the reasons humans can't understand it is because it's not describing anything real, so there's nothing to understand.
So no, I don't get it, but I also wouldn't get it if you said Purple is Yellow. I would see it as just a wrong statement, playing with the English language in a way that sounds important. I grew up Catholic, and the Catholic Church has spent 2000 years mastering the art of playing with existing words, combining words, capitalising words, and so on. But (to me) it's wordplay, and doesn't represent our reality.
A tangent, "the more hostile the Universe is to being and existence" I disagree with this sentence :) From my PoV, the universe is very much accommodating to our existence. All the Supernovae, Gamma Ray Bursts, Blackhole mergers and start mergers, and all those spectacular spectacles, all of thsoe are merely a process by which we came to exists. Therefore, the Universe promotes existence in a limited way such that different Inter-galactic species won't attempt eradicate each other Stellaris-style :D
I understand what you're saying, but I'm referring to the universe more plainly. If you go to Mars, you're dead. If you go to the Moon, you're dead. Earth's core? Dead. The Sun? Super dead. A black hole? Hyper dead. Space, which takes up the vast majority of, uh, space? Dead.
God created a universe where 99.999999999999% percent of it kills his creations. This doesn't really contradict a divinity, I just think it's silly that omnipotent creator created a stupidly massive universe that is not only instantly lethal, but impossible to explore (because he also implemented the speed of light).
This is why Stellaris has hyperlanes, because the real universe isn't well suited to civilisation, culture, trade, contact, or life.
Now, who's to say that those messengers are sane? real? right? etc... Those messengers could Fictional, they could've been mad, they could've been lying, etc... Each of these is a rabbit hole all on its own, and I've explored each until I've believed that indeed they have existed, and their messages make too much sense to be false.
I mean, or just wrong. You don't have to be mad or lying to say you've talked to a divinity. Plenty of shamans on Central Asia received messages from Tengri. Plenty of Greek oracles correctly performed their divinations. Plenty of priests of Marduk exorcised demons in Babylon. They weren't mad or lying. They weren't dumb either, they were probably really intelligent individuals. They were just wrong. They came to the best conclusion that their knowledge (and really crucially here, cultural framework) would allow.
And I do want to emphasise that a lot of this knowledge rests on cultural framework. You rarely see Turkic peoples leaving Allah for Tengri, or Greeks leaving God for Zeus, or Norwegians leaving God for Odin. By the same token, you wouldn't have seen a Babylonian worshiping Ashur, or an Assyrian worshiping El. It is not a coincidence that Westerners, whatever spiritual framework they end with, stay with the word God. With a personal, omnipotent singular deity that loves them personally. Different from the Sumerian three-tier god system, where you have a contractual relationship with your personal and family god. Westerners tend to stay with the spiritual framework developed by the Roman empire, a framework they have because of the Roman military conquests of what would became the predecessors of the West.
Where you see spirituality, I see history. I see people broadly staying within the confines of their cultural gods. There's nothing wrong with this, either. This is how humanity has worshiped for over 10,000 years. I just don't think it represents things that exist.
So, why God? because the only logical safe choice is to believe in God. It's the only 0 risk action to take.
What if Allah was the correct one, specifically? Or what if the Greeks were right, and you haven't done your heroic quest? You won't be able to reach the Elysian Fields? Or what if the true God is one that hates worshipers, and specifically sends theists to hell and atheists to Heaven? Or what about Zoroastrianism, have you considered Ahura Mazda? Are you respecting the purity of fire and the land?
Pascal was thinking in a Christian framework. His wager completely collapses if you include the myriad of religions, hell, the myriad of Christian denominations. No one should believe out of insurance. I'm not saying you're saying this specifically, but I do want to counter Pascal's wager. It's only a good logical argument if there's only one religion.
Sorry for the long-winded response. This is a topic that fascinates me. I dip into many histories (Mesopotamian, Persian, Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, Turkish) and if there's one thing I've come to believe, it's that people don't change. If I talked to a random Sumerian in Nippur, he would be just as convinced that his belief system is the true lens of the world. He would also claim that belief system made him a better person. Indeed, there is plenty of Babylonian philosophy that reflects on this, that even if the gods didn't exist, it would be good to follow their laws just in case. I just think Enlil doesn't exist, or Marduk, or Yahweh, nor do I see a compelling reason that demands their existence.
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Comment on I’ve been at NPR for twenty-five years. Here’s how we lost America’s trust. in ~news
Raistlin Link ParentMy knowledge of Latin of confined entirely to Spanish words that didn't change very much. Like, imperium romanum to imperio romano, or sena to cena. But it can be hard to tell since Spanish has so...My knowledge of Latin of confined entirely to Spanish words that didn't change very much. Like, imperium romanum to imperio romano, or sena to cena. But it can be hard to tell since Spanish has so much Arabic in it, plus increasing anglisisation in the Puerto Rican variant.
I wish I liked dinosaurs more growing up!
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Comment on I’ve been at NPR for twenty-five years. Here’s how we lost America’s trust. in ~news
Raistlin Link ParentYeah, you can see the progression for sure. Latin American becomes Latino, which seems closer to their endonym. Gender neutrality in English starts taking off, Latin English speakers are part of...Yeah, you can see the progression for sure. Latin American becomes Latino, which seems closer to their endonym. Gender neutrality in English starts taking off, Latin English speakers are part of this culture and want to export it into their identity, but the language is hard coded into being gendered. Bam, latinx.
I grew up Catholic too, and I honestly don't remember much Latin growing up, even for choir! It was all in Spanish. I wonder if English speaking Catholics stuck to it longer. Given that Spanish comes from Latin, maybe we didn't see the point.
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Comment on Under development: WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria (not classic) in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentOh, like I said, I'm out of the game. I've been playing WoW since vanilla because I loved WC3 lore, and SLs absolutely destroyed my ties to the game. Dragonflight could be the best xpac ever...Oh, like I said, I'm out of the game. I've been playing WoW since vanilla because I loved WC3 lore, and SLs absolutely destroyed my ties to the game. Dragonflight could be the best xpac ever released, and I still wouldn't be interested.
But in terms of gameplay systems, yeah, it's much better. Borrowed power is gone, alts are possible again, the gameplay loop is back to normal. Still full of FOMO, but that's modern WoW.
I am interested in MoP Remix, but that's because I'm a F2P player and I wonder what the LVL 20 limits are for it.
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Comment on I’ve been at NPR for twenty-five years. Here’s how we lost America’s trust. in ~news
Raistlin (edited )Link ParentOh, I'd fully believe it was invented by Puerto Ricans. But it would've been either Puerto Ricans living in the US, or in one of the major University campuses, probably the former. It's a word...Oh, I'd fully believe it was invented by Puerto Ricans. But it would've been either Puerto Ricans living in the US, or in one of the major University campuses, probably the former. It's a word that can only be thought up by people who are codeswitching. Both possibilities (Nahuatl or English speaking feminist circles) should involve not being in the island. Nothing wrong with this, I just wanted to make my point that it's not as native as, say, pan sobao or vegigantes. I consider it an American word, not a Puerto Rican one. Which is fine, it's being used to describe Americans. But the status of Puerto Rico can confuse the origins of things.
I don't think I'd mind the term at all if someone picked it as their identity. People can take on whatever identities they want, I don't have to agree or understand it. I mind the term being applied on me. Latino, Hispanic and Latin are already compromises. for non-US Latin folk, no one's primary identity is any of these words. My primary identity is Puerto Rican, a Peruvian's primary identity is Peruvian. Now I'm being asked to compromise again, by foreigners, and this time the word's not even pronounceable? Blegh.
It's just what we're used to. Latino is just the Spanish word for Latin (when referring to the people, not the language). So if you read about the Social War in Spanish, you'll see that the latinos are fighting the romanos for further rights. And if you study the Fourth Crusade, you'll see the latinos again sacking Constantinopla. In English, both of these groups are referred to as the Latins. A proper English translation of "los latinos/las latinas" is "the Latins", just like "los romanos/las romanas" is "the Romans".
And you definitely have the adjective. When I talk about Latin music, do you think of Despactito or church choir? I don't see Latin American music or Latino music. The word is there, it's just not the one nbs went for.
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Comment on I’ve been at NPR for twenty-five years. Here’s how we lost America’s trust. in ~news
Raistlin Link ParentIt was used by Puerto Ricans, but I struggle to think that it was used in Puerto Rico, because again, the word isn't pronounceable. I can see it though, in an University campus, probably Rio...It was used by Puerto Ricans, but I struggle to think that it was used in Puerto Rico, because again, the word isn't pronounceable. I can see it though, in an University campus, probably Rio Piedras (my alma mater). But mate, people using English as a primary conversation language in Puerto Rico is a fraction of a fraction. And I should know, I was one of them. I'd talk about DBZ and Pokemon in English because English was cool. The word Latinx (with the x being pronounced as ecks) didn't exist, because Latin people don't pronounce x as ecks, they pronounce is as eh-khees. And also you don't pronounce consonants like that in the middle of words. The term could not have been thought up by Spanish speakers. The logic of the word only exists if you're already fluent in English, which most of Puerto Rico isn't.
The x has nothing to do with Nahuatl, and if it does, then I can categorically rule out Puerto Rico. We had our own indigenous people, the taínos. They had words like cacique, bohío, huracán, hamaca. I can't think of any taíno word that we latinise with an x. Mexicans have chicano/xicano, which makes sense because of their Mesoamerican origins and influence. We don't. We're boricuas (another taíno word).
I'm not trying to undermine your experiences, or the experiences of those in your care. Like I said, the term wasn't meant in bad faith. But it is a term that is broadly unrepresentative, and most Latin people hate it.
One thing that confuses me is the point that Latin isn't usually used in that context. Firstly, I mean it is sometimes. Latin food, Latin music, Latin America, etc. Second, I agree. But then why is the solution to use a term that's used even less?
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Comment on Under development: WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria (not classic) in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentDragonflight is a tourniquet. It's not the best expansion ever, but it stabilised the game. Modern WoW has completely lost me, but even I can tell things got better.Dragonflight is a tourniquet. It's not the best expansion ever, but it stabilised the game.
Modern WoW has completely lost me, but even I can tell things got better.
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Comment on I’ve been at NPR for twenty-five years. Here’s how we lost America’s trust. in ~news
Raistlin (edited )Link ParentTo be clear, the term doesn't make sense if you're an English speaker (you can just say Latin, Latin American, Hispanic) or if you're a Spanish speaker (consonants can't be pronounced that way);...To be clear, the term doesn't make sense if you're an English speaker (you can just say Latin, Latin American, Hispanic) or if you're a Spanish speaker (consonants can't be pronounced that way); the term is only useful if you're an English speaker that is Latin enough to want to use a Spanish word as part of your identity, but don't know enough Spanish to need to use basic articles like los and las, or common words like esos y estas. That community is a tiny fraction of the wider Latin community, and usually skews middle class, young and white.
It's not enough to switch my vote or anything because holy shit Trump is standing behind me with a knife, but I know it pisses my family off whenever they hear the term. Particularly Puerto Ricans have a bone when you anglicise our words, and now our identity is being anglisised, it feels like? Fuck, we almost went to war trying to get the US to stop referring to us officially as Porto Rico, because that wasn't our name. Our governor at to directly appeal to Congress in person to cut that shit out.
It's not meant that way by the LBGT+ community, but perhaps NPR should've talked to 10 random Latin Americans before changing the word for an identity of people. Yes, there's always backlash against new identity terms. But usually whole ethnic labels aren't being changed, is my understanding.
There is no other entity I would trust to arbiter ownership aside from the democratic state. With all its biases, abuses and imperfections, it is still the res publica, the public matter. The state is our collective property. It is the only entity to which we grant the monopoly of power, so therefore the only entity that can send men with guns if someone tries to live in your house.
What you're saying is true, but that's been true of all society. Things are only mine because society agrees they're like, and the enforcer of that is state violence. I'm not all that interested in changing that core concept.