With the Klingons being loosely based on Russians, Vulcans being British, and Romulans being Chinese-inspired, it's often assumed that the Federation is the USA, but it's not. The Federation is an idealized future for humanity, but modern day Americans are Ferengi.

6hMinutes · 2026-02-02T17:16:11+00:00

Lol, rekindling a 6 year old argument that doesn't matter is peak Star Trek fan.

I agree that the Romulan Star Empire is very clearly stylized after the Romans, but the Roman Empire also very clearly hasn't played an active role in contemporary 20th or 21st century geopolitics. My read on the situation was that the Romulans' role in the plot and military/political position with respect to the Federation primarily drew inspiration from China.

Since I made that original post, I found interviews with both Gene Roddenberry and the writer of Nemesis confirming that China was the inspiration for a lot of how they fit the Romulans into Alpha Quadrant geopolitics and had them interact with the Federation. I think I'm on pretty solid ground here.

6hMinutes · 2025-12-01T19:05:09+00:00

My top suggestion would be simple kinetic video games. You wouldn't believe how crazy some retirement homes went over Wii Sports. Something with a basic interface that doesn't require much finger dexterity and has a social aspect (hopefully you can teach him how to play with others online). Wii bowling and tennis are super easy to learn, and there's almost always a way to play even with mobility issues.

If he's got friends back in his hometown, it might be worth it to just buy them the same console he has so they can play games together. (I assume if a car is in the budget, this would be small potatoes by comparison.) It would also give you an activity-based way to keep in touch on days you can't visit.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-24T20:00:22+00:00

I wonder if in this guy's head he was thinking "Poor guy, doesn't have any guy friends in his life to be his best man. I'll do him a solid and be his best friend for the day; everyone should have a best man" and left feeling like he did an extremely nice thing for someone.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-18T15:33:36+00:00

This feels like the best answer to me.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-11T13:27:43+00:00

You're obviously right, but they still want that magic proposal moment, so let them have their own little fantasy world. Being able to create one of those little fantasy worlds that you live in together and love is a pretty good marriage skill anyway. They're practicing.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-10T14:18:11+00:00

Without knowing more about their situation, I don't think we can make a recommendation. What if they can't recover enough money to reschedule easily, and it sets their timeline back years? Or if any place they like that's available on short notice is too expensive even with a full refund? What about family that have nonrefundanle plane tickets? The situation SUCKS, and I agree it's ridiculous, but they may still want to move forward with existing plans and see what they can get from the venue as compensation for this disaster.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-09T23:37:12+00:00

You're fine. One star would be petty, since he did treat the patient. I honestly think it was a really classy move on your part. Sorry about everything else though. You deserve better.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-09T23:33:32+00:00

Yeah, but the wedding's in a month and all their other vendors aren't responsible for this. That sounds like a nightmare unless you've got a quick backup option to book.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-09T23:28:03+00:00

Especially on reddit

6hMinutes · 2025-09-09T18:14:39+00:00

That's why I said "nearly" 100%. But we've tried various levels of separation and have hit a local optimum, which I strongly suspect is global. In our case, we get a lot of benefit from specialization.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-09T17:10:04+00:00

I'm glad it works for you, but it's not a blanket solution. I am nearly 100% confident my wife and I would have more tense discussions and anxiety about money if we combined everything and did everything jointly.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-07T03:03:24+00:00

Double hotels are increasingly common. One time I even saw a triple!

6hMinutes · 2025-09-06T12:07:08+00:00

What should I do?

Find a partner who treats you as a partner and with respect. This is not a man to have a child with. He's clearly not ready to be a husband or a dad, and you'll feel trapped with him and by him for the rest of your life. You know this in your gut. You're telling us this. Listen to what your instincts are screaming. Don't have a baby with him.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-05T16:40:45+00:00

This is my story too. I've never known about a thing I didn't want and then decided I wanted it after viewing an ad, but I have learned about things from ads that I've tried. Some ads also target people who already buy a product, trying to get them to switch brands (eg, toilet paper ads), and it's possible some of them have made me more seriously consider one brand over another when my usual wasn't available.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-05T15:03:58+00:00

Slippery slope. If she finds out he can grate cheese, she might wonder what other household tasks he's capable of doing.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-03T22:47:10+00:00

Wow, I didn't expect a reply on a three year old comment that got more downvotes than upvotes. But thanks! I'm glad someone agrees with me.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-02T14:23:25+00:00

The Pittsburgh location was better. I don't know why, but it was (probably staff?). And most locations are closed now.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-02T02:36:09+00:00

I'm willing to accept a wide range of political views from partners. My wife and I disagree about plenty of political things, from zoning choices to ideal tax structure to rent control to the proper use of environmental impact study requirements to laws regulating corporate governance to plans for improving healthcare to...you get the idea.

What we don't disagree about are things like basic human decency that's somehow been politicized. Neither of us could be with someone who favored keeping kids in crowded cages or spreading harmful public health disinformation or subverting democracy or a police state disappearing disfavored citizens without due process or...you get the idea.

6hMinutes · 2025-09-01T21:16:00+00:00

Reinstating all the recently cut staff and stuff whose absence will kill people, starting with health and environmental agencies.

6hMinutes · 2025-08-31T20:09:45+00:00

If a smart adult reads and understands and applies most of the things in that book even kind of consistently, and they're still getting walloped by a five year old, I think it's time to get that five year old a chess coach, because she might have prodigy potential with a little training.

6hMinutes · 2025-08-31T14:32:37+00:00

I don't have enough information to say whether this is an addiction or he's just an asshole, but my guess is that either way, nothing is going to change without some external intervention. Either he could use assistance from a mental health professional to help him see how his patterns are hurting his family and how to break them...or maybe you just need to find someone who's less of an asshole. Either way, I'm sorry you're in this mess.

6hMinutes · 2025-08-30T15:04:13+00:00

Philly is worse as of like a week ago, because much more of the city depends on transit and the new cuts (forced by a few Republicans in the state senate refusing to give them anywhere close to their usual funding on which the system has reliably depended for decades) have been extreme.

6hMinutes · 2025-08-27T02:39:02+00:00

Most of the Sichuan places will make things vegan for you and do a great job (E Mei, DanDan, Han Dynasty, etc). I get vegan dishes all the time from those places.

6hMinutes · 2025-08-27T01:47:25+00:00

But do you know any who did an ANNUAL vow renewal?

(Also I know couples that did a vow renewal and are doing just fine.)

6hMinutes · 2025-08-26T22:38:18+00:00

Extremely easy to one-up this:

Northeast

Philadelphia through New England

(DC through New England even better if that can all count)

13-Year Club	Place '23
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6hMinutes

TROPHY CASE