mm_maybe

I see you getting downvoted but a lot of doctors get death threats too, and while everyone seems to have a horror story about a doctor they didn't like, I'm pretty sure most are the scapegoats of a broken system. So yeah, while Luigi's target was well-chosen, I don't trust every vigilante to be as smart.

I am probably the only person ever to grow up with a UNIX terminal server as my home computer. any crazy IT thing i do now pales in comparison to my dad, running ethernet cables through our heating ducts in a probable building code violation

Yeah I would be fine with this IF he also used the expanded powers granted to him by Trump's Supreme Court to block the incoming fascist/monarchist takeover. Or, fine, don't try to block them with anything that gives the courts a chance to clarify that ruling, but also don't transfer power smoothly and peacefully to these bastards in any way shape or form, you know? If you're saying "fuck it", then fuck ALL of it; not just the parts of it that affect you personally.

I had never heard of it before now--thanks!

I'm honestly surprised that nobody has said anything about MS Office, but it's not like I expect anyone to miss the application itself, it's just that if your work requires you to interface with it, there really is no alternative to running Windows or MacOS. Microsoft's own Office Online versions of the apps do a worse job of maintaining DOC/PPT formatting consistency than the possible Russian spyware that is OnlyOffice, which also screws things up too often to be relied upon. LibreOffice is, let's be honest, a total mess (with the exception of Calc, which also isn't consistent with the current version of Excel, but can do some things that Excel no longer can do, so I appreciate it more as a complementary tool than as a replacement).

so which country do you hail from?

I came to this community to ask if anyone else, upon hearing that Project 2025 sought to ban porn, has been fapping to it multiple times a day. I was on a mild NNN vibe before the election as part of a broader desire to reduce screen time but now that's out the window and I'm getting it while the getting's good. This hasn't been to the exclusion of some pretty good sex and cuddles with my partner, thankfully...

I really didn't want to believe it, but post-election I've come to the conclusion that a significant amount of these vibes are driven by YouTube and TikTok. My FYP is filled with videos that portray only the side of the U.S. that is decaying--abandoned shopping malls, blighted neighborhoods or towns that shut down for one reason or another, presented as memes about "liminality" or uncanniness. Admittedly I have a longstanding interest in urban exploration that predates the liminal space trend and its offshoots but you have to ask yourself why these media are being pushed so hard by algorithms and I don't think it's just that they appeal to people like me. I suspect that it's part of a more concerted effort to portray the United States as a nation in decline, failing to keep up with authoritarian powers like China and Russia, leading to an obvious prescription: replace our democracy with our own authoritarian system... which will be easier for large corporations and foreign governments (even China whom Trump ostensibly opposes) to exploit and control.

I've been looking into less lethal firearms like the Umarex TR50 or HDX 68 because I can get them more quickly (don't need training/licensing) and if I end up having to use them it's less likely to get police or courts involved, whom I do not trust to be sympathetic, and you shouldn't either. In addition to versions which are colored bright orange to denote low lethality, there are black versions that look like guns at a glance, which may be enough deterrent/intimidation factor to make a brownshirt pause for a moment, during which time you fire pepperballs, which should disable them long enough for you to get away. The TR50 revolver can be loaded with a mix of those and hard pellets which will hurt like hell if aimed properly, and the HDX 68 has a sharp butt which can be jabbed in close quarters if needed.

But--going back to my earlier point--none of this does any good if it's the police themselves or the military coming for you, nor will a conventional weapon help that much in that situation, frankly.

The musical instrument thing is transitory and depends entirely on the instrument.

Pre-relationship; in a popular band playing a more traditional instrument like guitar with a bunch of also attractive people (or at least part of a cool local scene) = hot

In a relationship and/or solo bedroom producing any kind of electronic music and/or buying lots of synthesizers, drum machines or grooveboxes = not hot

Also note how low "clubbing" is on the least attractive list, so no, DJs and electronic musicians who perform live don't get a pass

technically the threshold for "different species" is "can't reproduce with other species through normal biological means" so I think while it's hard to argue that with other billionaires, Elon Musk is an interesting case since AFAIK all those kids with his genes were conceived through artificial insemination. you may be on to something; maybe we're watching a divergence in action.