kyon's recent activity
-
Comment on WWOOFING/workaway stories? in ~life
-
Comment on Right-wing skeptics and the new, new atheism in ~humanities
kyon LinkThis simply isn't my experience. When I think Christian, I think of No More Deaths and local charities for food-insecure people and undocumented immigrants in my area. I live in a very liberal...In 2023, "Christian" implies "conservative" more strongly than any period in my living memory.
This simply isn't my experience. When I think Christian, I think of No More Deaths and local charities for food-insecure people and undocumented immigrants in my area. I live in a very liberal area so I simply don't have any other reference point for Christianity, besides images that I see in national mass media, which I always take with a grain of salt.
I am not a Christian, but some years ago, an Eastern Orthodox friend invited me to his church and I went several times. It was staggering to me how different real Eastern Orthodox practitioners were from online reactionaries who would pretend to be Eastern Orthodox in order to post Crusader style memes. It drove home for me that Jordan Peterson type online atheists masquerading as Christians are very easy to spot. If that kind of person is your worst enemy, that's fine, it's possibly a good use of time to psychoanalyze them and figure out what makes them tick. But I don't see the point of confusing that with Christianity in practice.
-
Comment on UK government vows action after man dies in latest dog attack in ~life.pets
kyon Link ParentI clicked through those links to see if I could find a competing statistic of which breeds are most responsible for bites. I could not, but I did see Dogsbite.org being compared to Nazis, which is...I clicked through those links to see if I could find a competing statistic of which breeds are most responsible for bites. I could not, but I did see Dogsbite.org being compared to Nazis, which is pretty wild! I don't support people owning automatic weapons either, but that doesn't make me a "gun nazi"... I hope...
-
Comment on UK government vows action after man dies in latest dog attack in ~life.pets
kyon (edited )Link ParentThe answer is 66%. Together with rottweilers, 76%; that's more than three-quarters of all dog bite deaths. I recently read about a pitbull that tunneled underneath a fence in order to kill a baby....The answer is 66%. Together with rottweilers, 76%; that's more than three-quarters of all dog bite deaths.
I recently read about a pitbull that tunneled underneath a fence in order to kill a baby. Let me know if you ever read about a golden retriever doing something like that.
-
Comment on UK government vows action after man dies in latest dog attack in ~life.pets
kyon Link ParentWhat percentage of deadly dog bites in the US are caused by pit bulls?What percentage of deadly dog bites in the US are caused by pit bulls?
-
Comment on UK government vows action after man dies in latest dog attack in ~life.pets
kyon Link ParentI imagine the families of those who died are happy that the subject has been raised.I imagine the families of those who died are happy that the subject has been raised.
-
Comment on A literary history of fake texts in Apple’s marketing materials in ~tech
kyon LinkI need to know what is going on with Grant Jividen. Is the surprise party inappropriate? Drop the tea, GrantI need to know what is going on with Grant Jividen. Is the surprise party inappropriate? Drop the tea, Grant
-
Comment on Widening US highways doesn't fix traffic. So why do we keep doing it? in ~transport
kyon Link ParentI think you really have it, Americans are in a suicide pact with cars. Jakarta, Indonesia recently built a mass transit system from scratch with Japanese-style carefully designed infrastructure....I think you really have it, Americans are in a suicide pact with cars.
Jakarta, Indonesia recently built a mass transit system from scratch with Japanese-style carefully designed infrastructure. It has been running smoothly and tickets cost like $0.50. Indonesia has a GDP per capita of $4,000. What do they have that we don't? I think incentive is probably the biggest factor -- driving sucks in Indonesia and is very slow compared to motorbike. Cities in America have dug a hole that it's very hard to climb out of.
-
Comment on Japanese karaoke song recommendations in ~music
kyon (edited )LinkOh my goodness, I wish I wrote down all the songs I did back in the day. As someone else said, it's best to sing songs you love, but here are some ideas for learning new songs. Songs for beginning...Oh my goodness, I wish I wrote down all the songs I did back in the day. As someone else said, it's best to sing songs you love, but here are some ideas for learning new songs.
Songs for beginning learners, if there are students in your class who are not already down with anime: "Ue o muite arukō" (Sukiyaki); "Ningen tte ii na"; "Boku wa kuma" (Utada Hikaru)
Classic songs to belt out: Everything by THE BLUE HEARTS; "Tsugaru kaikyō fuyugeshiki"; "Ora Tōkyō sa Iguda"
Songs to mess with the minds of your students: ; "Jouousamamonogatari" (not in all machines); "Genso kikō" (not in all machines)
-
Comment on Why doesn’t the US have paid parental leave and do you think we ever will? in ~life
kyon LinkWe have a tangled web of incentives against doing so. Workers enjoy the freedom to switch jobs (at-will employment). Instead of pension funds, they save for retirement by becoming shareholders in...We have a tangled web of incentives against doing so.
Workers enjoy the freedom to switch jobs (at-will employment). Instead of pension funds, they save for retirement by becoming shareholders in the market using tax-deferred brokerage accounts. Shareholders want company profits to rise. Profits rise when companies strip benefits. Stripping benefits harms workers which encourages them to search for better jobs.
Compare to Europe or Japan, where workers are legally or socially tied to single employers. To ensure that these employers don't harm workers or strip their benefits, their activities are highly regulated. This system is much less stressful and probably leads to happier outcomes for everyone on average, but how to convince Americans of that when they have no familiarity with other systems at all?
-
Comment on What are you supposed to be doing right now that you're not doing? in ~talk
kyon Link ParentWasn't the prayer breakfast handed over to a bipartisan congressional group in February?Wasn't the prayer breakfast handed over to a bipartisan congressional group in February?
-
Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
kyon LinkLast weekend I joined a 5k race on a forest trail. The path was rocky and hilly and I became exhausted halfway through. I thought I would be at the bottom of the pack for sure, but I was surprised...Last weekend I joined a 5k race on a forest trail. The path was rocky and hilly and I became exhausted halfway through. I thought I would be at the bottom of the pack for sure, but I was surprised to end up in the middle. Strongly recommend outdoor 5ks to people who want cardio exercise. Even if you can't run the whole way it feels good just to complete the course.
-
Comment on Who are your favorite children's authors? in ~books
kyon Link ParentIt's not his fault really! I have no idea what possessed the New York school administrators to take a story that was purposefully written to confuse the reader, then modify it to make it even more...It's not his fault really! I have no idea what possessed the New York school administrators to take a story that was purposefully written to confuse the reader, then modify it to make it even more confusing and put it on a test which is used to evaluate school performance. Some seriously chaotic energy was possessing the bureaucrats that day.
-
Comment on Who are your favorite children's authors? in ~books
kyon LinkFor elementary school readers, I am a partisan of Daniel Pinkwater. His books have this dreamlike combination of wisdom and nonsense, so that you are always wondering whether they are concealing...For elementary school readers, I am a partisan of Daniel Pinkwater. His books have this dreamlike combination of wisdom and nonsense, so that you are always wondering whether they are concealing some deeper meaning or are simple meaningless silliness. This led to hilarious consequences when one of his anti-fables got put on a standardized test in New York State, confusing some students so much that they couldn't even finish the exam.
-
Comment on Heading to Japan next month - must sees? in ~travel
kyon Link ParentI think it's worth mentioning that there is currently a Suica card shortage in Tokyo due to supply chain issues, and foreigners are being asked to use a special tourist card instead. It is...I think it's worth mentioning that there is currently a Suica card shortage in Tokyo due to supply chain issues, and foreigners are being asked to use a special tourist card instead. It is basically the same as a Suica, except that it expires after 28 days. This is just good to know in case you are taking an extra long trip.
-
Comment on What is your favorite apologetic for theism? in ~humanities
kyon LinkSince no one has mentioned it, my favorite "argument" is Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton. (The writer is beloved by Scott Alexander, in case people vaguely recognize him.) It is not an attempt at...Since no one has mentioned it, my favorite "argument" is Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton. (The writer is beloved by Scott Alexander, in case people vaguely recognize him.) It is not an attempt at strict logical deduction, as the writer argues against the use of strict logic. It is somewhat like phenomenology, but is much more chatty and aimed towards the general public and not intellectuals.
-
Comment on What are you currently reading? in ~books
kyon LinkI picked up the book William Blake vs. The World because I was tickled by the fact that the cover looked like a YA novel. In fact, some of the libraries in my regional system shelve it as...I picked up the book William Blake vs. The World because I was tickled by the fact that the cover looked like a YA novel. In fact, some of the libraries in my regional system shelve it as "fiction" for this reason. But it is not fiction, it is a portrayal of William Blake's worldview as someone who constantly experienced visions and somehow still functioned and created art. The author is a close reader, but the writing style is too intimate for an academic publication; it is an emotional tribute to Blake. This kind of book is usually published by a vanity press, so I am really pleased that a major publisher picked it up and dressed it up as a YA novel.
-
Comment on Is anyone else just fed up with companies being greedy? in ~talk
kyon Link ParentIt sounds like your position is close to Matt Stoller: capitalism spurs innovation but we need regulation to stop monopolies, the way the trust busters did 110 years ago. My position used to be...It sounds like your position is close to Matt Stoller: capitalism spurs innovation but we need regulation to stop monopolies, the way the trust busters did 110 years ago.
My position used to be closer to Matt Bruenig: monopolies are no worse than any kind of capitalism and heavy regulation is needed regardless of how the market has shaped itself.
But these days I'm noticing how many of the problems in the OP are America-specific, and I'm feeling kind of fatalistic about it. The whole world has sent its weirdos to America for two centuries. And now the result of that is that Europe is full of conformists happily working their way towards a climate change regime of heavy regulation, whereas the United States cannot pass or execute any form of nationwide legislation anymore and we are getting increasingly angry at each other about it. It feels increasingly futile to me to try to imagine an ideal regulation regime when we have a national legislature and justice system which is designed to prevent it.
-
Comment on Today is my 11th Reddit Cakeday, and it is likely to be my last as an always-on user in ~talk
kyon Link ParentThis seems to be the case with all of the reddit alternatives right now. I clicked on one of them, I think Kbin, and it was totally devoted to grumbling about reddit. I like that the threads here...This seems to be the case with all of the reddit alternatives right now. I clicked on one of them, I think Kbin, and it was totally devoted to grumbling about reddit. I like that the threads here are all about text posts, and the algorithm seems to provide at least a little variety of subjects.
I WWOOF'd on the top of a mountain in Colorado. There was no farm there. It was a couple of conspiracy theorists who wanted us to build an outdoor pool for them. It was over two hours from the nearest small town and my friend and I didn't have a car, so we were stuck on the top of a mountain. After the pool was built, there was nothing to do so I spent several days reading all of Les Miserables, which was the only book on the mountain that wasn't about astrology or aliens (it was a really good book and I strongly recommend it). They also made us work at their janitorial job at a fracking plant elsewhere on the mountain, which was an interesting experience. On the third to last day I got a panic attack and, thankfully, they drove me down.
Read the reviews I guess!