eplanit

As a US citizen, I've been wondering for almost 10 years now if we're edging towards a new civil war. In the past 5 or so, I've been worrying almost equally about the state of global affairs setting the stage for potential world war.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, we have been in a relatively stable world (9/11, Iraq, and Afghanistan notwithstanding -- none of them world war scale), but it now feels ever less so all the time.

If one has to have either a civil war or a world war (bizarre choice), a world war would actually serve to unite us, although our existing division is a weak starting place. A civil war destroys us from within, full stop.

My favorite conspiracy theory is that the CCP is sowing the division within us to drive us to civil war, whereby they win WWIII without ever firing a shot.

Actually, it is true: "When Bill Clinton gave the country “safe, legal, and rare” in 1992...They translated into language the inchoate sentiments of millions of Americans so exactly that they had to hear it only once for it to become their firmly held position on abortion....Now, after a quarter century of mighty service...the phrase is being vigorously expunged from the pro-abortion-rights conversation, including from the plank of the Democratic Party (in 2012) and the official position of Planned Parenthood. "

[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/12/the-brilli...

What about if their tattoos are swastikas or nooses, and the "non-conformist" views are antithetical with the ideals of "wokeness"? They're "doing as they like", so let them express and find themselves, right?

How can people trust a company with a product like this, and a product history like it has, with their code on Github, or with their personal/career info on LinkedIn?

I've always considered Microsoft as the "McDonalds of Software" -- they sell billions of copies, but the product isn't of quality or healthy.

Exactly. Stop calling criminal activity "crimes", and then the stats look great. And, the local SF media participates and pushes the "crime is actually down" narrative: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco/stats-sh...

I predict that mRNA is going to be an obnoxious fad, where every marketer on the planet tries to leverage the concept/acronym/terminology into their product packaging (regardless of whether it's a medicine, a car part, a floor polish, ...) -- like how Blockchain became such a darling for several years.

Twain's observation is timeless: Lies, damn lies, and statistics.

It's not conjecture[1] -- what is misinformation is the assertion "...has been categorically shown to be untrue". Citation?

I find that when people use "categorically" in an assertion (denial), then there's good reason for doubt.

1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/25/vaccine-p...

Both of those countries disarmed their citizens relatively recently -- and now, neither is an example of liberty.

Australia and Venezuela are the 2 best most recent examples of why the 2nd Amendment is so unique and important.

That's not a slope, but a cliff -- and they've gone over it.

What has amazed me is how there are many Aussie's who agree with the rules and are happy to comply. It's amazing.

Leveraging the old model to add momentum to the new model is not sad, at all.

His hairstyle is annoying, and that's a fact. /s

I'm glad you're opposed to the bill, but what you describe sounds to me like a mindset of "I'm free because the government (via restrictions on people) helps me feel safe". To me, that's not freedom, but dependency.

Australia's penal colony origins are beyond ironic anymore.

People seemed to have forgotten the Diebold voting machines, and their provably insecure implementation... and the conspiracy theories about Bush benefiting from it. Odd how that was a liberal position at the time, and nobody called them names.

That's quite an odd humblebrag, I must say. You feel good for the simpletons for whom Go's expressiveness is adequate, but it's just not up to your own lofty ideas.

Perhaps the language isn't a fit for your skills or preferences, which is fine. You want something that scales with your abilities, but then say that you're not a strong programmer. A bit confusing.

Geezus, now card games are being ruined by racial narrative, too.

I and many other people grew up playing Spades, and this is the first whiff of any such historical rewriting that I've encountered (though I shouldn't be surprised). I have no doubt that blacks as a group developed an affinity for the game -- but this piece tries to claim what is otherwise a unifying game is really all about black history. This is right up there with last year's "Police were invented to hunt escaped slaves".

Wikipedia is no ultimate source, but even there the history relates it to other, similar games, and reinforces that it was made very popular by GIs during WWII.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spades_(card_game)

Thank you. That, plus reader mode, makes it actually readable.

That part struck me, too. It's a narcissistic way of seeing things, where everything comes back to being about us (the West). ISIS's motives were pretty plainly spoken from what I understood at the time. It was a grand nihilistic reset they had in mind, where everything from before was to be erased, and a new, pure beginning was to happen.

Yes, and that "squares with its values". Thinking that Apple (FAANG) have "values" other than that are falling for the marketers illusion.

I hear you, but there has to be some objective measurement that can be applied, or else how does one fairly do things like qualify students for admission into a school. There are aptitude tests for this purpose, but they too are imperfect. Overall, when considering the scale of people to be considered, some formula that considers both grades and scores on aptitude tests makes (imperfect) sense.

But, do universities ever reveal any of their algorithms for deciding qualification? I'm guessing no -- and besides, they've added a lot of racial and other sociological factors in, so it's very hard to tell why one person gets admitted over another. I feel for new students, as it really does seem like a horrible system to confront.

This says a lot more about you than either Trump or Nicklaus.

Yup. Anecdotes or lies; take your pick.

This reminds me of this guy from a few years ago:

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/chicago-man-arrest...

I gotta admit, I like his style.

I so miss the straightforward, personality/attitude-free style of presentation and demonstration. Hopefully that style will have some kind of comeback. Simplicity and sincerity are best. A great piece of history.

A couple of years late for the "Me Too" fad; but, in the right venue that angle might have some impact.

The government website stats support the claim: ~29% of the entire US homeless population is in California, which is disproportional when compared to other state population densities.[1] That said, the piece doesn't offer much constructive advice on how to fix it. Californians have been witnessing the very real, large increase in tent cities, addicts, feces, ... for years now, but so far they still vote for the same people and policies that create the problem.

In the Bay Area, they at one time had "Sit/Lie" laws prohibiting loitering -- but the locals condemned them as cruel and inhumane. Instead, they advocate that it's ones right to camp in the public park.

Even when Gavin Newsom was mayor of San Fran, he tried to enact a "Care not Cash" program to get people into mental health services instead of cash handouts; the people turned on him, and even set fire to his front lawn in protest.

Californians are getting precisely the kind of world they've voted for. It's ugly, and it literally stinks. Yes, how to fix it is the question, but I'm not sure the people have had enough yet. The recall election of Newsom next month will be an indicator. If he's recalled, then a new day of hope begins. Hope, anyway....

[1] https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ca

With a good attitude, anything is possible:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232341

Or maybe hungry and desperate enough to find one of the abundantly available job opportunities, or start a business, etc. to pay for their future. Why wish for conflict?