NoPants's recent activity
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Comment on What small questions do you have that aren’t worth a full topic on their own? in ~talk
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Comment on What small questions do you have that aren’t worth a full topic on their own? in ~talk
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Comment on What small questions do you have that aren’t worth a full topic on their own? in ~talk
NoPants Link ParentI’m not sure I can’t fully trust a cat with a hat on. I read those books. I know what happensI’m not sure I can’t fully trust a cat with a hat on. I read those books. I know what happens
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Comment on What small questions do you have that aren’t worth a full topic on their own? in ~talk
NoPants Link ParentRisky move, both highly combustible, but I would choose gasoline and 1970s MacCallans Whisky 30+ yo.Risky move, both highly combustible, but I would choose gasoline and 1970s MacCallans Whisky 30+ yo.
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Comment on United States postal service debuts long-awaited new mail truck in ~transport
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Comment on United States postal service debuts long-awaited new mail truck in ~transport
NoPants Link ParentIt's the side view mirrors that I am sad about. I get that they have 360-degree cameras, blind-spot monitoring, collision sensors and anti-lock brakes... but why make the side view mirrors so small?It's the side view mirrors that I am sad about.
I get that they have 360-degree cameras, blind-spot monitoring, collision sensors and anti-lock brakes... but why make the side view mirrors so small?
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 29 in ~news
NoPants Link‘Unnerved’ Donald Trump struggles to respond to Kamala Harris candidacy‘Unnerved’ Donald Trump struggles to respond to Kamala Harris candidacy
“He’s clearly unnerved. And when Trump is unnerved he becomes verbally undisciplined and hostile,” said Doug Schoen, a veteran political consultant, who was baffled by the former president’s decision to question Harris’ identity.
Part of the frustration among Republicans is that Harris, a former California attorney-general who has veered in and out of progressive politics, should be a ripe target for Trump — if only he could stick to the script.
Yet the Harrisburg rally was drowned out by the race controversy Trump whipped up earlier that day in Chicago. “If he steps on himself, as he does each day,” said Schoen, “then these messages aren’t going to get through.”
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Comment on This is how the world’s favorite scent [which comes from the vanilla bean] disappears in ~food
NoPants LinkSummary: Vanilla is ubiquitous in our daily lives, found in a wide range of products from food to cosmetics. Vanilla is the world's favorite scent, preferred across diverse cultures according to...Summary:
Vanilla is ubiquitous in our daily lives, found in a wide range of products from food to cosmetics.
Vanilla is the world's favorite scent, preferred across diverse cultures according to scientific studies.
Vanilla is under threat due to the delicate growing conditions required for the vanilla orchid, which is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Major vanilla-producing regions like Madagascar, Mexico, and Tahiti are being devastated by stronger cyclones and storms, damaging vanilla crops.
The price of vanilla has surged in recent years due to supply shortages, with a single pound of vanilla beans costing nearly $300.
The loss of real vanilla would be devastating, as vanilla substitutes cannot replicate the complex, nuanced flavor of the real thing.
The history of vanilla's rise as a global commodity is intertwined with the story of a 12-year-old enslaved boy named Edmond Albius, who discovered the technique to hand-pollinate vanilla orchids.
Vanilla's dependence on a narrow band of the tropics makes it highly susceptible to the effects of deforestation and climate change.
Vanilla farmers face a long wait of up to 4 years for a single vanilla orchid to blossom, exacerbating the crop's vulnerability.
The potential loss of real vanilla would deprive us of cherished memories and experiences, such as baking with vanilla alongside family. -
Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 29 in ~news
NoPants Link Parent"Pointing and laughing": Democrats leaned in on "weird" and experts say it's working"Pointing and laughing": Democrats leaned in on "weird" and experts say it's working
"... if you're not part of the Republican cinematic universe, none of it makes any sense," Karpf said. "When you take a step back, their policy proposals are serious and dangerous, but they're also just so off-putting and ridiculous."
Democrats' current rhetorical strategy works so well because it focuses on style, Karpf argued. It positions the current far-right platform as "out of character with normal Americana" and at odds with more traditional, Reagan-era conservatism. In doing so, it paints policy ideas now popular on the right as strange deviations from American values.
"So what 'weird' [by] focusing on style does is it allows the Democrats to talk about this in ways that are actually fun and shareable," Karpf said. "They are pointing and laughing at these people who want to do awful things and getting other people involved and saying, 'Yeah, that's off-putting. That doesn't sound like America at all.'"
"Republicans are still stumbling trying to find any sort of coherent response to it," he argued, noting that the back-and-forth, particularly between the presidential candidates, reminds him that Harris "is a prosecutor and Donald Trump doesn't do well with prosecutors." Democrats, he predicted, will continue to deploy the attack line until the GOP offers an "effective retort."
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 29 in ~news
NoPants LinkWhat does "weird" even mean? Why the vagueness works — and why it's driving MAGA nutsWhat does "weird" even mean? Why the vagueness works — and why it's driving MAGA nuts
"Weird" is a vague term, almost impossible to define.
Vague accusations or opaque language to draw people into a debate is a highly effective trolling technique
Trump is an ignoramus in most respects, but he's a proven master of this particular strategy. He regularly says things that could have multiple meanings, each with a different implied or possible level of harm, inciting lengthy disagreements about what he "really" meant.
Trump uses this technique to normalize previously off-limits ideas all the time. His infamous "very fine people" comment, in response to the 2017 white supremacist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, is a classic example. Seven years later, people are still arguing over whether he really meant to call violent neo-Nazis "fine people," as if it were a whole lot better if he was just talking about other racists who showed up.
But just because this kind of deliberate ambiguity can be used for evil doesn't mean it can't also be used for good.
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Comment on Do you like pooping? You might enjoy this article on fiber. in ~health
NoPants LinkAnecdotally, I choked a little on pills with psyllium inside. Follow the directions carefully. Drink lots of liquid. https://www.nmhealth.org/publication/view/newsletter/3990/Anecdotally, I choked a little on pills with psyllium inside.
Follow the directions carefully. Drink lots of liquid.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 29 in ~news
NoPants LinkDemocrats Have Finally Learned the Value of Shitposting I've been thinking about this a lot. For the longest time, political opinion was driven largely by old school media. Trump unleashed the...Democrats Have Finally Learned the Value of Shitposting
Pinning the Republicans as odd and weird has become the Democratic Party’s primary weapon this week. And they unsheathed it because the internet and the base was ready for it. Did I think that last week a joke about the possible VP having sex with a couch would land so hard? No, no I didn’t. But here we are, in a new era where Democrats are the ones doing the dunking.
“It is deeply important to Republican policy and ideology that they are not the weird ones, so they will never be able to let it go. It [sic] shows that Democrats are done playing nice with people who do not play nice with us,” said Emma Mont, Democratic creator and an admin for the @Organizermemes X account. “There are groups of people online who for years have been begging Democrats to lose the niceties, and now that they have, those online folks are excited to participate.”
I've been thinking about this a lot.
For the longest time, political opinion was driven largely by old school media.
Trump unleashed the power of twitter like nobody else. He would tweet something outrageous, and before traditional media had a chance to react, Trump distracted everyone with something else even more absurd. It kept everyones attention focused on Trump, which is probably right where he wanted it.
I think Kamala and her supporters have unleashed the power of the meme, and it is driving all the narratives and capturing all the headlines.
Trump is using his usual tricks of saying wildly inappropriate things. But instead of outrage, the meme machine immediately ridicules Trump & Vance.
And that is what my wife is reading. When she reads the news headlines. The headlines talk about yesterdays memes.
Ridicule of Sarah Palin felt like the nail in the coffin of John McCain's presidential run.
It reminds me of my favorite movie tag line... "In the court at Versailles, bullets can kill, but wit is deadly,"
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Comment on Why does "Everything Everywhere All at Once" repulse me so much? in ~movies
NoPants Link ParentNope, you are right, I disliked that movie for other reasons.Nope, you are right, I disliked that movie for other reasons.
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Comment on Why does "Everything Everywhere All at Once" repulse me so much? in ~movies
NoPants LinkDo you dislike other parallel universe movies? Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Doctor Strange Interstellar Do you dislike other post-modernist movies? The Grand Budapest Hotel Eternal Sunshine...Do you dislike other parallel universe movies?
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
- Doctor Strange
- Interstellar
Do you dislike other post-modernist movies?
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Dogville
Do you dislike other blended genre movies?
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Kung Fu Hustle
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
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Comment on Against the proliferation of sofa ownership and use in ~humanities
NoPants Link ParentI assume it is because of this political couch meme?I assume it is because of this political couch meme?
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 29 in ~news
NoPants LinkThe Trump Campaign Has Peaked Too Soon (This was written and published just before Biden stepped down, and Kamala stepped up, but I have been increasingly thinking about it over the last week.)The Trump Campaign Has Peaked Too Soon
Every battle has its culminating point—the perfect moment for a counterattack.
the culminating point is a paradox; it’s a moment of maximum vulnerability at a time when you believe you are at maximum strength.
The photo of Trump in the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt calls to mind the most memorable image of a hill-taking in American history
Following the attempt on his life, Trump posted on Truth Social about uniting the country.... But his selection of J. D. Vance as his running mate and his combative remarks when accepting his presidential nomination make clear that he will remain on the attack. This renders him vulnerable.
The Republicans may have peaked four months too soon. The Democrats’ best hope for victory is to regroup and vigorously exploit this vulnerability.
(This was written and published just before Biden stepped down, and Kamala stepped up, but I have been increasingly thinking about it over the last week.)
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 29 in ~news
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Comment on Has anyone worked at <20 person startup before? How was it? in ~tech
NoPants Link ParentFrustrating. Performance is key to retention and expansion. It's all I had my guys focus on for like a year or two, until I felt like we had it dialed in.Frustrating. Performance is key to retention and expansion. It's all I had my guys focus on for like a year or two, until I felt like we had it dialed in.
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Comment on Has anyone worked at <20 person startup before? How was it? in ~tech
NoPants Link ParentWhat constitutes a strategic deal for a startup with less than 20 people? I know 2000 people companies who would love anything above a five hundred seats at companies with about 5000 employees and...What constitutes a strategic deal for a startup with less than 20 people? I know 2000 people companies who would love anything above a five hundred seats at companies with about 5000 employees and 200 people SaaS B2B vendors that would love anything over 50 seats at companies 500 strong.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
NoPants Link ParentParticularly steep vehicles are fun. You yank the hand brake on hard, you release the foot brake, and you start rolling back as the hill gradually overpowers the handbrake. This is a unique...Particularly steep vehicles are fun. You yank the hand brake on hard, you release the foot brake, and you start rolling back as the hill gradually overpowers the handbrake.
This is a unique experience in the US, but is not unique to the rest of the world. Wellington in New Zealand is famously hilly, and stick shifts/ manual cars are very common there.
I’ve been known to forget left from right during life or death moments.