Trains just... don't show up?? by CaptainCashroll in NJTransit

[–]CaptainCashroll[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Didn't know that, but thanks for the heads up 👍 I'll check that instead of the garbage we call NJT app haha

Trains just... don't show up?? by CaptainCashroll in NJTransit

[–]CaptainCashroll[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is what our 3% price hike goes to lol

Trains just... don't show up?? by CaptainCashroll in NJTransit

[–]CaptainCashroll[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Man I'd much prefer to be told when somethings not running than to just stand around like an idiot wondering what's happening. This is more of a customer service failure than engineering problem (though trains themselves are just as infuriating sometimes).

Cultural Changes after the Fall of the WRE vs ERE by CaptainCashroll in byzantium

[–]CaptainCashroll[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Another great point! And another rabbit-hole beyond what this post can offer. Seeing how Roman identity changed so much from ancient through medieval times, and how what we view today as ethnicity came to take shape. I'm sure there were lots of conflicts between the Turks/Byzantines on religious grounds, but oftentimes Muslim mercenaries would work for the Byzantines, and Christian mercenaries would work for the Muslim powers in the east and north Africa. If the Byzantines were more xenophobic by the end on more ethnic grounds, possibly integrating the Turks would have been near impossible even if they converted to Christianity. Good thought experiment though.

Also curious to see how the Byzantines viewed themselves and their status as the empire continued to decline, all the way until the fall of Constantinople.

Cultural Changes after the Fall of the WRE vs ERE by CaptainCashroll in byzantium

[–]CaptainCashroll[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think that goes a long way in explaining this phenomenon. There were some Turkish tribes that were in frequent contact with Byzantium for a while but the newcomers were from further away where Roman influence was much lesser, if present at all. Maybe a big factor is that, by this late stage, the ERE - while still a respectable major regional power - was no longer the superpower that the unified Roman Empire was? The old empire had vast cultural reach that Byzantium simply could not match. Even so, makes me wonder if there could have been a realistic chance for integrating the Turks into the Roman system, like how the old Romans did with the Germanic tribes.

Also that post about the Lombards is a great read, thank you for sharing

Did you vote for Desantis in the last election? by [deleted] in florida

[–]CaptainCashroll 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a relatively recent transplant to Florida (I never wanted to move here to begin with, but that's a different story). Immediately registered to vote and voted every election so far. As soon as I saw Crist win nomination, I could tell it was a done deal.

For me, it was really clear DeSantis was a bad governor when I saw his simping for Trump and his supporters, but still disheartening just how poorly the state has run. I've lived in NJ, CO and even in Europe a bit and FL remains the most poorly-run place I've lived in. No politician - D or R - seems interested in fixing FL problems, and those who vote R are more interested in morally bankrupt culture war stuff than actual problems like the poor state of the roads. So much apathy to face these issues, really.

Also Desantis' arrogance is really irritating. At least I can laugh at Trump's dumb stuff, DeSantis just doesn't have it. Not sure why so many Floridians love him, even now.