We’ll also welcome our Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica brethren, obviously :D

Only a fool or a 12 year old would think otherwise. Back in the late ‘90’s, the web had a great sense of community. On forums, IRC, places like Cybertown, etc. You had smaller communities where you could reasonably know most users. They had a human scale; like a friendly neighbourhood.

Modern social media is definitely terrible. It happened because we were too welcoming. Back in those days, the web was a nerd domain. We all shared the same sort of interests and optimism for the future of the web. You had to BE a nerd to get online. To WANT to be online.

But now that it’s too easy for everyone to get on, the idiots have taken over. We really should kick everyone off the web who can’t name at least three characters from either Star Wars or Star Trek.

Oh nothing too special; just a couple architecture and street shots around town. Got it loaded with some nice Fuji Neopan 400 black and white film.

Got a new camera in this afternoon! And since it’s a long weekend, I’m going to squeeze in a bit of photography, weather permitting. (And yes, I’m one of those silly people still shooting film)

The narwhal shall forever bacon at midnight, even if its home has turned to shit :(

It all comes back to community. Back in those days, forums and platforms like IRC were great. They had a human scale; you quickly learned about the regulars, their personalities, likes and dislikes. Heck, on most forums that I visited, plenty of people used their actual name - including myself. The internet felt like a nice, safe community, like its own digital suburb.

Sometimes that was even literal. I used platforms like Cybertown and later on Second Life. Those let you own actual houses and and build stuff on there. In Cybertown - we usually just called it CT - I knew every resident on my block. I hosted house parties, had giveaways. We’d even have commemorative digital statues as gifts for guests. I still kept in touch when CT died. I still miss it.

We’ve made tech way too accessible - and now we’re paying the price for it.

Back in 1995, we got our first family PC. Dad was never able to use it; despite our efforts to teach him. Couldn’t grasp left and right mouse button, much less concepts like directories, installing software, drivers, etc.

But on his iPad? He can do almost everything: e-mail, Facebook, watch TV, YouTube. And get subjected to boomer brainrot. Just like a toddler.

Is he more tech literate? Absolutely not. In fact, he’s regressing if anything. But we’ve made it so easy, even my completely tech illiterate dad can now argue with strangers on Facebook or post dumb shit on YouTube.

And it fucking shows. The amount of goddamn complete idiots online is shocking. I miss 1995, when you had to be a nerd to get online. It filtered out a lot of folks who simply shouldn’t be online.

The thing is, either workers are powerless to change things, or just don’t care enough to be bothered by that threat.

Which is why I usually just smile and lodge formal complaints with the company as well as any regulatory body if the situation calls for it. Much more effective when it’s an actual punishment rather than an empty threat. I’ve gotten companies actual fines that way.

You haven’t seen that before? It’s not that uncommon. The handles give a really nice, secure grip. It’s also perfectly safe for the dishwasher, doesn’t fade, doesn’t deteriorate, etc. We’ve had ours since the early 2010’s and they still look brand new.

2 if I had to pick from that drawer, but the actual answer: Victorinox Swiss Classic / Swiss Modern cutlery. Absolutely love the large handles, sharp knives and large spoons. Very nice feel in hand and mouth.

https://www.victorinox.com/de-DE/Produkte/Haushalts--und-Berufsmesser/Besteck/Classic-Besteck-12-teilig/p/6.7233.12

While I agree that exhaust gas and tire debris aren’t healthy, I don’t think we can reasonably say those cause lung cancer in children. Certainly not in any meaningful number.

Lung cancer only accounts for 0.2 percent of pediatric cancers. And even then, it’s hard to say exactly what caused it: genetics, second hand smoke, radon, asbestos exposure… Exhaust and tire debris MIGHT cause cancer in a particular child, but let’s not freak people out beyond what’s reasonable.

https://www.mylungcancerteam.com/resources/lung-cancer-in-children-facts-to-know

GET your HAND off my PENISSSSS!

Only one that I haven’t done is paper checks. Those weren’t really a thing here.

Of course, a few of those have come back around to be used by younger generations. There’s teens who rediscovered Polaroid and other film cameras in recent years. Ten years ago, cassettes saw a resurgence and vinyl was also selling well.

I miss the 1996 internet, when it was just us nerds arguing about Star Trek versus Star Wars. We never should’ve invited the rest into our space. That was the beginning of the end.

These violent delights had shitty endings :-(

I absolutely loved season 1 and 2. The show had so much squandered potential and really took a nosedive after that.

I’m hoping somewhere down the line, we get more of park-based Westworld. There’s definitely stories to tell, that we didn’t get to see.

For me, calls interrupt my workflow with things that don’t need immediate attention anyway. So it draws focus away unnecessarily.

I also prefer to have a written record of things if they’re important. That way you can always refer back to it. A phone call just annoys me at best and divides my attention. So it’s in their interest as well that I can respond when I’ve got time.

I’m always amazed cat owners let them roam. You’re putting a LOT of trust in both the animal as well as your greater environment. Just the other week I read a message from our local animal shelter. They had found a cat which had gotten poisoned. Either intentionally or unintentionally, that couldn’t be determined.

They had to put it down before the owner was found, it was that sick. I’d feel pretty guilty if that was my cat.

Cats can get run over, abducted, get hurt, etc. Even ignoring the fact that it’s a living creature, it’s also an expensive piece of property and vet bills aren’t cheap either.

Absolutely. There can be zero disagreement on this.

‘Violence is never the solution’ is usually the thing the abuser tells you. Because they know that violence is indeed the thing that gets you actual change more often than not.

Did talking get us out of World War II? No. Are you going to reason with a dictator like Assad, Hussein, Gadaffi, etc? No. Did the French get rid of their oppressive ruling class through vigorous debate? No.

And that’s not even counting how many countries and peoples had to fight themselves free over the centuries.

Violence is not the solution to every problem. But it sure is the only solution for some of them.

Glad I could teach you an interesting phrase :D

It’s actually quite old. It’s been used in this context of ‘shooting someone’ since at least the 1870’s.

https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/in74zji

Wake the fuck up, samurai. We’ve got a CEO to ventilate.