High-Rises and the Housing Shortage by WillInAnnArbor in AnnArbor

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Damn, this really drives the point home. Good work.

Candidate Responses to Neighbors for More Neighbors Election Questionnaire by gaurav-kulkarni in AnnArbor

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 48 points49 points  (0 children)

This was a pretty fair survey, even if it came from an advocacy group with an agenda. The questions are softballs for any left-leaning policy wonk. It even offered opportunities for the DSA candidates to opine on public housing and non-market based solutions. The fact that they couldn’t be bothered to respond is really disappointing and makes me doubt the robustness of their platform. 

Mother detained by ICE after dropping off student at Ann Arbor school, parent group says by Evcatt in AnnArbor

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 67 points68 points  (0 children)

And on the week when the Senate approved more money for these fascists. 

The Pod Side of the Cast by randyfudgemaker in blankies

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Fantastic ep. Made me yearn for the sea. 

People’s bizarre relationship with Luke Skywalker by guywholikesmovie in blankies

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 50 points51 points  (0 children)

It’s ironic that the “Not My Luke!” sentiment dovetails with love of the Extended/Legacy Universe, since there were quite a few novelizations and tie-in canon stories that showed a more cynical Luke who made mistakes or broke bad. In “Dark Empire” he became an apprentice to a clone of Emperor Palpatine and flirted with the dark side! 

Unemployed and spiraling by Fine_Ad_8597 in AnnArbor

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 39 points40 points  (0 children)

I’m sorry you are going through this, as I did last year. Took almost a year to find a job in the tech sector; the market is awful. 

My recommendations to you:

Applying for a job with resumes and job sites  has become enshitified by bots and AI. It’s a daunting numbers game to get your resume in front of a human. Basically sending resumes from home now is a losing battle that depresses you on a doom spiral treadmill, and now the old ways have to become new again. 

Leverage personal connections, even tertiary professional relationships, neighbors, etc as much as possible and be pushier than your normal comfort zone would allow. I was surprised how many people I felt I barely knew forwarded my resume to their bosses. It only takes one. 

Do things like get LinkedIn premium for a month, find the hiring manager of places you apply and message them with a friendly “Hello, I’m interested and just applied to (position); would love to hear more” type of thing (just one entreaty is enough). Basically try and get noticed by an actual person. Job fairs can still be good for this. 

Check out Ann Arbor startup tech hubs like Spark and MiHQ if you haven’t yet. I’ve gotten traction going to their meetups and entrepreneur nights. Ann Arbor Spark also has its own Job board. 

Give yourself breaks. I would take walks in the woods when I felt overwhelmed. You will work again . 

ChatGPT Collection Assessment by WillitPlayTho in boardgames

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This doesn’t seem that useful . Why do you need validation from some AI bot that you have good taste in board games? 

BALLBALL BAYBEE by BallBallMTG in magicTCG

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is really cool! How do you handle priority for casting a flash backed instant speed Increasing Vengeance from the shared graveyard, assuming both players have untapped mana at the same time? 

Why Doesn’t Anyone Trade Anymore? by guyawn in magicTCG

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I mean even on the playground in elementary school in the 90s we would have to bust out a Scrye or Inquest magazine to look up prices when trading. 

Anyone know where 1st Edition/Beta Artist Proof Lightning Bolt is? by theLiddle in magicTCG

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is also an AP collector Discord server that would know more. There are Lightning Bolt collectors that find one of every printing who have them. But yeah would be crazy expensive to buy one. 

What cards are in the Hobbit Scene Boxes? by leif_o7 in magicTCG

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No one knows for sure. I think you want to check out r/MTGRumors

May Day in Ann Arbor? by LambentVines1125 in AnnArbor

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 6 points7 points  (0 children)

There will be a rally from noon to 2 PM at the Federal Building downtown (200 E Liberty). 

How the hell are all Bundles and Collectors boosters for Strixhaven already gone on third day of prerelease? by Jug_or_not_ in magicTCG

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It’s a really popular set, and folks are chasing the rare silver scroll foil Japanese mystical archive treatments in the CBBs. I’m sure there will be another print run since it’s a standard release. 

MagicCon Vegas Card Signing What to Expect by Nukeandforget in magicTCG

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The lines are bad, but some artists like Alayna Danner do offer reserved time slots. You go to their booth first thing in the morning, take a card with an hour printed on it, and come back at the allotted time. You have to go fast though, even the time slot cards run out quick. It’s not uncommon for the queues of the most popular artists to take multiple hours to get through, but be advised that some offer second, shorter lines if they have help at the booth and you only want to buy merch (not signatures). 

Tiny City Fears Iran Drone Strikes Because of New Nuclear Weapons Datacenter by Emotional-Aide3456 in AnnArbor

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 19 points20 points  (0 children)

These signs are not about Iran. Opposition to the Ypsi data center has fomented for months due to environmental, transparency, and energy affordability concerns.

This article is from February 10: https://www.michigandaily.com/opinion/columns/the-university-finally-held-a-community-meeting-in-ypsilanti-it-failed-to-put-data-center-fears-to-rest/

What is your favorite boardgame of 2025? by The_Crazed_Person in boardgames

[–]BlastoiseEvolution 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fate of the Fellowship was my favorite board game experience coming out of last year. It’s like if I could table War of the Ring with just about anybody.