gryfft's recent activity
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Comment on New hard / mil SciFi read recommendations requested - just finished a marathon series in ~books
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Comment on New hard / mil SciFi read recommendations requested - just finished a marathon series in ~books
gryfft LinkThe Vorkosigan Saga is really good, and I recommend the tweaked chronological reading order that starts with Shards of Honor and Barrayar. The Sten series is kind of pulpy but a lot of fun.The Vorkosigan Saga is really good, and I recommend the tweaked chronological reading order that starts with Shards of Honor and Barrayar.
The Sten series is kind of pulpy but a lot of fun.
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Comment on Well this terrifies me: Steve Bannon preparing for a third Donald Trump US presidency in ~society
gryfft Link ParentJust comes off to me as "we can't do things that work or else we might upset people :( :("Just comes off to me as "we can't do things that work or else we might upset people :( :("
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Comment on Well this terrifies me: Steve Bannon preparing for a third Donald Trump US presidency in ~society
gryfft Link ParentWhy do Democrat strategies always look like an 8th grade civics report paper from 1993? An actual winning strategy would look like-- nonstop Denial of Service attacks on ICE, DOGE and other...So we're talking 2026 then? That's the next chance to replace elected Democrats.
Why do Democrat strategies always look like an 8th grade civics report paper from 1993?
An actual winning strategy would look like-- nonstop Denial of Service attacks on ICE, DOGE and other hostile government "departments" by submitting every vaguely-plausible piece of paperwork in quadruplicate, overwhelm the jails and police with sit-ins, make up mean rhyming nicknames for every republican and start spreading them on TikTok with delicious rumors about their sexual proclivities, steal every Republican yard sign!!
Democrats are obsessed with coloring inside the lines while the house is on fire and their crayons are melting. They're like animatronics playing on a loop unable to put themselves out when they catch fire.
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Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books
gryfft LinkIf you're in the mood for something quite different, the Black Nerve universe has a great deal of elaborate worldbuilding, including detailed descriptions of the physics of its magic systems. (All...If you're in the mood for something quite different, the Black Nerve universe has a great deal of elaborate worldbuilding, including detailed descriptions of the physics of its magic systems.
(All the people and civilizations are bugs and bats and stuff but that's all actually covered in very, very exacting detail along the way, too. It's extremely good xenofiction.)
https://serpentsquiggles.neocities.org/black-nerve/
(Did I mention the demi-sentient superintelligent cryptofungus)
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Comment on Emmanuel Macron unveils new right-wing French government in ~society
gryfft Link ParentThe French government appears to be moving to the right regardless of the election's outcome.The long-awaited new line up, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, marks a decisive shift to the right, even though a left-wing alliance won most parliamentary seats. [...]
Just one left-wing politician was given a post in the cabinet, independent Didier Migaud, who was appointed as justice minister. [...]
On Saturday, before the cabinet announcement, thousands of left-wing supporters demonstrated in Paris against the incoming government, arguing that the left’s performance in the election was not taken into consideration. [...]
The alliance between centrist and conservative parties in the cabinet is not enough to pass legislation on its own. It will depend on others, such as Marine Le Pen's far right National Rally to stay in power and get bills into law.
The French government appears to be moving to the right regardless of the election's outcome.
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Comment on Emmanuel Macron unveils new right-wing French government in ~society
gryfft LinkThen what's the point of democratic elections?Then what's the point of democratic elections?
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Comment on US judge rules Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend caused her death, dismisses some charges against ex-officers in ~news
gryfft Link ParentThis ruling essentially comes down to the opposite of "Castle Law" interpretations of the second amendment, doesn't it? This ruling means that, per this judge's interpretation, there is no...This ruling essentially comes down to the opposite of "Castle Law" interpretations of the second amendment, doesn't it? This ruling means that, per this judge's interpretation, there is no constitutional right to self defense. If someone is breaking into your house, you must assume it might be the police and you must therefore submit to any intruders or they will execute your family with no consequences.
Is this what "land of the free" means?
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Comment on What have we liberals done to the US west coast? in ~society
gryfft LinkI can't help but read this as concern trolling. The bit about tampons in kindergarten boys' restroom is set up to be an eye roller, but researching the actual implementation, it's K-12 schools...- Exemplary
I can't help but read this as concern trolling. The bit about tampons in kindergarten boys' restroom is set up to be an eye roller, but researching the actual implementation, it's K-12 schools that have the requirement. In my opinion, this is hand-wringing that subtly others trans people while playing down their needs. Next.
In 2022, the Portland Freedom Fund helped a Black man named Mohamed Adan
Oooo, a BLACK man named MOHAMED? Stabbed someone with a BIG KNIFE? Near CHILDREN? Again, this seems like cherrypicking with ugly motivations, designed to make one think, "those wacko lefties will let any murderous thug walk the streets!" But Mohamed Adan hadn't been convicted at the time and the failures of the system here weren't Freedom Fund's. Next.
One of my school friends in my hometown, Yamhill, Ore., Stacy, struggled with alcoholism and mental illness. She became homeless and lived in a tent in a park, but it is almost impossible in such cases to move someone involuntarily into an institution. So she froze to death one winter night.
Wow, what a sad story.
I think of Stacy suffering and dying unnecessarily, and I believe that instead of protecting her, our liberalism failed her.
Uh, what? Gestures at entirety of politics around healthcare You think the problem is we went too far left?
I can't take this seriously.
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Comment on Do you have any game sub-genres that you have a name for, but aren't big enough to be "official" sub-genres? in ~games
gryfft Link ParentSpaceteam! It's a silly version of this for mobile, which lends itself to a group of people frantically shouting orders at each other while simultaneously trying to repair the ship and implement...Spaceteam! It's a silly version of this for mobile, which lends itself to a group of people frantically shouting orders at each other while simultaneously trying to repair the ship and implement the orders. If you've ever wanted to have your friends frantically shouting at you to INVERT THE FLUX POLARITY!! while you're pushing buttons and wiping sludge off the controls, Spaceteam is for you.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sleepingbeastgames.spaceteam
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~books
gryfft LinkThis is interesting timing for me, as I just finished reading it today. I'm pretty astonished by the book in a lot of ways. It tells precisely the story I thought it would, but the way the story...This is interesting timing for me, as I just finished reading it today.
I'm pretty astonished by the book in a lot of ways. It tells precisely the story I thought it would, but the way the story is told is truly something else. For a hundred and thirty chapters the tension just ramps up and up as Ishmael stubbornly veers off into literally any possible thing that can be said about whales.
It's a masterpiece of trolling, really. I was heavily reminded of the long scenes of sweeping the bar in Twin Peaks season 3. Moby Dick just isn't a book that would arise from any ordinary money-making kind of process. It's a labor of love that's thick with symbolism, scientific observations, and philosophy.
I really adore the story. It wasn't exactly easy to read, but it was really, really worth it.
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Comment on Have mass migrations ever happened for positive reasons instead of because hardship or lack of opportunity in their home countries? in ~talk
gryfft LinkTo some degree I think the answer is almost tautological-- people generally don't like uprooting their lives and casting their lot to fate if they have the option to be comfortable and safe where...To some degree I think the answer is almost tautological-- people generally don't like uprooting their lives and casting their lot to fate if they have the option to be comfortable and safe where they are.
That being said, I think a genuine answer to your question largely consists of gold rushes. Folks who see a shot at a MUCH better life-- the chance to literally strike pay dirt-- can go en masse to a place that gives them that opportunity.
From Wikipedia:
Gold rushes were typically marked by a general buoyant feeling of a "free-for-all" in income mobility, in which any single individual might become abundantly wealthy almost instantly, as expressed in the California Dream.
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Comment on Love songs about established, long term relationships in ~music
gryfft LinkHome by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~society
gryfft Link ParentHe played one on TV, and for America, that's enough.He played one on TV, and for America, that's enough.
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Comment on I’m a microbiologist and here is what (and where) I never eat in ~food
gryfft Link ParentI was confused too for a moment, for some reason I didn't connect the term "meal box." I kept thinking of styrofoam containers and being confused. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meal_kit With that...I was confused too for a moment, for some reason I didn't connect the term "meal box." I kept thinking of styrofoam containers and being confused.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meal_kit
With that context it all makes a bit more sense
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Greg Bear wrote Blood Music, one of my favorite novellas which he also expanded into a lovely and slightly different novel.