sunblasts's recent activity
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Comment on Some major cities in the US are getting rid of bus fares in ~transport
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Comment on Remote work to wipe out $800 billion from office values, McKinsey says in ~life
sunblasts Link ParentBelieve it or not, some people WANT to live in cities! I'm in NYC. I don't choose to live here because it's near work; I choose to live here because it's where the culture is. Spent half my life...Believe it or not, some people WANT to live in cities!
I'm in NYC. I don't choose to live here because it's near work; I choose to live here because it's where the culture is. Spent half my life in the suburbs and I'm not eager to go back.
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Comment on What's currently upsetting you? in ~talk
sunblasts Link ParentSometimes I get caught up in that worry, but other times... I dunno. Do I care? Does it matter if humanity ends? Everything ends. Every story, every song. Endings can be sad, but that's fine....Sometimes I get caught up in that worry, but other times... I dunno. Do I care?
Does it matter if humanity ends? Everything ends. Every story, every song. Endings can be sad, but that's fine. Afterwards new things will begin. We wouldn't be here had the dinosaurs not died, and our solar system only exists because of the death of some long-forgotten star. One wave must ebb before the next can rise.
If humanity lasted forever, would it even have a purpose? What is the point of a thing that lasts forever? We best find meaning in a piece of art once we see it complete and whole. You need to read the novel to its final word before you can draw from it its ultimate message. Humanity until now has been incomplete, and it will remain incomplete until its over. When its over, whoever comes next can look back upon us and know the answer to that question that has troubled us from the start: why are we here?
We have a future indeed, and amid all the rest, that future contains within it our ending. And that's fine.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes
sunblasts Link ParentForgive me, but I have to ask: are you a woman? Because this: seems incredibly naive. Either you are a particularly lucky woman, or you aren't speaking from experience. Feel free not to answer...Forgive me, but I have to ask: are you a woman? Because this:
I don't think that reddit as a whole (regardless of individual subreddits) is particularly anti-women ... I do not think there is any culture of harassment on reddit as a whole.
seems incredibly naive. Either you are a particularly lucky woman, or you aren't speaking from experience.
Feel free not to answer that question if you don't want to, but either way please consider that your experiences are not universal.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes
sunblasts Link ParentAnd as a woman, I will tell you that that supposition is ridiculous. Women are people, just like men, and they communicate in all sorts of varied methods on the internet, just like men. Some like...And as a woman, I will tell you that that supposition is ridiculous.
Women are people, just like men, and they communicate in all sorts of varied methods on the internet, just like men. Some like text-based forums, some like sharing photos, some like chatting with friends, some like drawing art or making videos, others like in-depth discussion and analysis. As with men, some women like all of these things at once. Because women are just ordinary people.
However, one big difference between men and women on the internet is that many women on the internet have been conditioned to never mention their gender in certain spaces, because if they do then they get harassed by men: unsolicited dick pics, "tits or gtfo", some dudes trying to date them, others immediately dismissing them for being female... all of this bad behavior is a huge pain in the ass to deal with and it means that the number of visible women in spaces like reddit is much smaller than the number of women actually present. One-third of reddit is female, but I bet you assume that 90%+ of the people you interact with there are male. The women are quiet about it because we don't want to be harassed.
Had reddit been more careful from the outset about making itself a more welcoming community for women, then women wouldn't feel the need to hide in order to use it. Tildes has the opportunity to avoid the mistakes that reddit made by deliberately being more inclusive when building its initial community. We need to be better.
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Comment on I'm so excited about the Singapore summit. I am really hoping for a productive deal to come out of it. in ~talk
sunblasts Link ParentThey are either painfully naive, or acting in bad faith themselves.They are either painfully naive, or acting in bad faith themselves.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes
sunblasts Link ParentWell, political beliefs do tend to fall along a spectrum. Perhaps you are just so far right that you think that viewpoints that OP considers conservative are actually liberal.Well, political beliefs do tend to fall along a spectrum. Perhaps you are just so far right that you think that viewpoints that OP considers conservative are actually liberal.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes
sunblasts Link ParentReddit is something like 33% female. Their gender representation is pitifully imbalanced, but they're still doing better than Tildes on that front.Reddit is something like 33% female. Their gender representation is pitifully imbalanced, but they're still doing better than Tildes on that front.
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Comment on Let's speak in foreign (non-English) languages! in ~talk
sunblasts Link ParentRydych chi'n gwybod eich bod chi wedi bod ar y rhyngrwyd yn ormod pan allwch chi adnabod copi-pasta wedi'i gyfieithu i iaith nad ydych chi'n ei ddeall mewn gwirionedd.Rydych chi'n gwybod eich bod chi wedi bod ar y rhyngrwyd yn ormod pan allwch chi adnabod copi-pasta wedi'i gyfieithu i iaith nad ydych chi'n ei ddeall mewn gwirionedd.
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Comment on Let's speak in foreign (non-English) languages! in ~talk
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Comment on Rudy Giuliani says US President probably can pardon himself in ~news
sunblasts Link ParentThanks for pointing that out. Probably best not to waste time on someone who communicates exclusively in bad faith arguments...Thanks for pointing that out. Probably best not to waste time on someone who communicates exclusively in bad faith arguments...
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Comment on US President Donald Trump says June 12th summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un is back on in ~news
sunblasts Link ParentI'm not. There was a brief period of time just after the election when I had hoped (really, sincerely hoped!) that he would surprise us, but at this point I've been well-inured to his uh......I'm not.
There was a brief period of time just after the election when I had hoped (really, sincerely hoped!) that he would surprise us, but at this point I've been well-inured to his uh... embarassing affect. He's a giant fucking baby.
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Comment on Are there any scientists on Tildes? in ~science
sunblasts LinkI have a bachelors in science (earth science!), but I never wanted a higher-level degree and I recently accepted a job in a decidedly non-science field so uh... maybe that ship has sailed. That...I have a bachelors in science (earth science!), but I never wanted a higher-level degree and I recently accepted a job in a decidedly non-science field so uh... maybe that ship has sailed.
That said, I do have the science background, and I have a great respect for scientists. :)
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Comment on What's a binge-worthy show? in ~tv
sunblasts Link ParentOh yes. I'd argue that this is one of those shows that consistently improves upon itself season after season. At the end of the first you get your first hint of what awaits; at the end of the...Oh yes. I'd argue that this is one of those shows that consistently improves upon itself season after season. At the end of the first you get your first hint of what awaits; at the end of the second you can see the shape of what it's becoming... and then by the time the third season is over suddenly you realize this show you are watching has completely shifted genres and entered some high-concept territory you never would have expected from it.
In truth, it really is just the first season that seems like a normal crime show. You do have to watch it because there is a ton of important character work/backstory strung all throughout, but rest assured that the first few episodes are the worst of the entire show. If you've already watched them, then it's only up from here. :)
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Comment on Hey tilders, how many of us are queer? in ~talk
sunblasts LinkHello, I'm pan! (or bi? either label is cool!) Totally in love with all sorts of people over here. :)Hello, I'm pan! (or bi? either label is cool!) Totally in love with all sorts of people over here. :)
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Comment on Hey tilders, how many of us are queer? in ~talk
sunblasts Link ParentPerhaps that is how they navigate all social situations. "Friend, I would like you to meet my grandmother." "Hello, acquaintance's grandmother! I absolutely do not want to have sex with you!"...Perhaps that is how they navigate all social situations.
"Friend, I would like you to meet my grandmother."
"Hello, acquaintance's grandmother! I absolutely do not want to have sex with you!"Seriously though, it's off-topic and rude.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes
sunblasts (edited )Link ParentIf you've reevaluated your opinion, you could explain that up to the person who is trying to use your former opinion like a cudgel. Keep the conversation going and everyone can learn from the...If you've reevaluated your opinion, you could explain that up to the person who is trying to use your former opinion like a cudgel. Keep the conversation going and everyone can learn from the experience. I think this would be a good thing.
Don't get me wrong, I do understand the concerns of the privacy-minded. But I've never understood the assumption of (or uh, desired entitlement to?) the privacy of one's comments on a public site. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I grew up on an internet where you only posted things if you were committed to them being copied and shared among strangers forever. The level of tracking that modern sites do is obviously several degrees beyond that, but I still maintain that if you are uncomfortable with your comments being seen, then perhaps you should reconsider posting them at all.
You mentioned the admins alone. Do you think moderators/high-trust users should be disallowed access to these hypothetical privacy-minded users' comment histories? How then would they be able to effectively moderate their communities?
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Comment on What's a binge-worthy show? in ~tv
sunblasts LinkSome of my favorites: Person of Interest – the first season makes it seem like the typical crime procedural, but it's not. I recently realized it's kind of like the paranoid love child of two of...Some of my favorites:
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Person of Interest – the first season makes it seem like the typical crime procedural, but it's not. I recently realized it's kind of like the paranoid love child of two of Jonathan Nolan's other works: Westworld and The Dark Knight.
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Hannibal – Whether or not you can actually binge this is entirely dependent on your tolerance for kinda super disturbing-artsy gore and psychological horror. I binged it just fine with minimal side effects; my dad, on the other hand, couldn't watch it. Still, if you can take it, it's one of the best dramas out there. Highkey pretentious.
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LOST – You've probably already watched this, but if you haven't: it makes a super binge. Really engaging with cliffhangers everywhere. If you watch it with a greater focus on the character development than on the mystery-solving, you won't be disappointed.
And a not-so-favorite...
- Prison Break – I can't with clear conscience recommend more than the first, maybe second season. Personally, I thought seasons 3 and 4 were okay, but a lot of people hate them so YMMV. That first season though... it was a treat.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes
sunblasts LinkThis sounds like it would just make it a lot harder for the admins/mods to hold users accountable. You'd be enabling trolls and bad-faith users. If, on the other hand, you allow mods to read the...This sounds like it would just make it a lot harder for the admins/mods to hold users accountable. You'd be enabling trolls and bad-faith users.
If, on the other hand, you allow mods to read the comment histories of users who have chosen to go private, then those users won't actually be "private" at all (especially because it looks like mod access will eventually be given automatically to high-trust users?). This just gives people a false sense of security regarding their own privacy.
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Comment on How can non-native speakers improve their english writing skills? in ~talk
sunblasts Link ParentHonestly, you're better than quite a few native speakers I know. The one major error I've seen in your posts in this thread is that sometimes you don't capitalize "I", but obviously that's not a...Honestly, you're better than quite a few native speakers I know. The one major error I've seen in your posts in this thread is that sometimes you don't capitalize "I", but obviously that's not a "major" error at all: it's inconsequential and has no bearing on how well your sentences flow.
Anyway, I think that browsing English social media and watching shows in English is doing you good. And don't delete comments you think are awkward! Practice is important, and if you add a note on "awkward" comments that says you're a non-native speaker and asks for advice, people will often be happy to help. Get that constructive feedback. :)
In NYC we have guaranteed housing for anyone who needs it. We have methadone clinics and safe injection sites. There are still people who refuse all services and instead opt to just move into the end of a train. If a person is so far gone that they refuse all housing and treatment, what can the rest of us do?
In the past this problem was dealt with using, like, vagrancy laws. Pretty sure in England they used to round up vagrants and ship them to the New World. We used to have workhouses where we would store people. Can't support yourself? Well, now you live in a workhouse. You can't leave. You get a bed and food and water, and in exchange you are going to do whatever menial tasks we have for you. No, you don't get a choice. This is what you get for being a pauper.
Our society is a lot nicer nowadays. We've decided that forcibly rounding up and transporting people against their will isn't a very nice thing to do. We've decided that imprisoning people without just cause is not a very nice thing to do either. We've decided that there shouldn't be laws that (explicitly) make it illegal to be poor. But like... we didn't find another solution. Because it's too hard or too expensive to find another way, we are allowing them to die on the streets by default, which isn't very nice at all.
And that's to say nothing of the OTHER big ethical dilemma, the one that has to do with respecting the agency of people struggling with mental illness. Some of the people on the streets are so far gone that they can't take care of themselves. We allow them to refuse medical care, even if they are incoherent and ill, even if they are found wandering the subway tracks or assaulting pedestrians. Fifty years ago they would have been institutionalized. The institutions were terrible for sure, but they should have been reformed, not closed, because some people really do need full-time support. Of course, it is cheaper to allow them to live and die in a gutter than it is to house them, so that is what our society has opted to do. Again: not very nice...