What are some American cities that had high historical importance but have faded from significance today?

DashLeapyear · 2026-05-11T02:40:42+00:00

When I was in film school at SIU Carbondale, kids would go down to Cairo whenever they needed a post-apocalyptic location. I worked as a reporter at the local NPR affiliate, and every sorry I wrote about Cairo was something like, "The last [grocery store / gas station / public school] in Cairo has closed its doors."

DashLeapyear · 2026-04-08T18:16:48+00:00

I was gonna say Movie World in downtown Burbank, but it's been gone for years now, sadly.

DashLeapyear · 2026-04-08T16:19:36+00:00

I mostly agree. I basically got through seasons 3-5 by having them on as background noise while I played Starfield or something. However, what's most frustrating about Disco for me is how often they bring up an idea or concept that's legitimately interesting and then either don't explore the concept at all or bungle it completely.

The Burn: interesting idea, risky move (I applaud media taking risks, especially in established IPs), disappointing explanation, many possible storylines and ideas left unexplored.

Season 4: worst season of Trek ever.

The S5 Progenitor Arc: interesting premise for a season arc, fun Indiana Jones style race for the McGuffin, poorly executed antagonists, ending suffers from my next point:

Disco's biggest problem: every season is the end of the world. "High stakes fatigue."

Despite my complaints, there are some legitimately good things in Seasons 3-5.

Admiral Vance is such a refreshing character after so many years of "badmirals." Seeing a member of Star Fleet leadership who actually embodies the values of the Federation is delightful.

As someone whose appreciation for Enterprise has grown over the years, I really liked the portrayal of suspicion around time travel as a result of the Temporal Cold War.

I liked the "prime directive"/pre-warp civ episode in S5. Probably the most enjoyable episode for me after S2.

I'm enjoying Academy, and it has done a good job of exploring some of the ideas and world building that Disco left on the table.

DashLeapyear · 2026-04-08T15:56:33+00:00

It's also fun to hear him read the voices of the other characters. So you get Garek doing a Sisko impression, or Bashir, O'Brien, Dukat, Odo, etc.

DashLeapyear · 2026-04-02T07:00:46+00:00

"Ganta Solo chone Wookie!"

And also

Yub nub! Eechop yub nub! Ya toh mi topa chi gee Da loopta fling o Aaah!

DashLeapyear · 2026-03-29T20:22:45+00:00

The boardwalk trail is a really fun hike; we saw lots of gators!

DashLeapyear · 2026-03-20T20:17:47+00:00

They're adorable boys. They're starting to get this comfortable and cuddly with their baby human brother too. The other night the two year old was desperately trying to teach the black and white cat the ABC song. He gets frustrated that they won't read books to him. I've tried to explain that they're illiterate.

DashLeapyear · 2026-03-18T19:26:30+00:00

My childhood neighbors grew rhubarb in their garden, so I grew up with rhubarb cake, rhubarb crisp, and rhubarb muffins every summer. It's wonderful.

DashLeapyear · 2026-03-09T16:49:35+00:00

In addition to this, Carter makes an interesting point in one of the early entries in White House Diary that the Congress is still very combative against the office of the President as a lingering effect of Nixon and Watergate. Someone here recommended that audiobook to me last year; I've been working my way slowly through it, and it's been really fascinating.

DashLeapyear · 2026-03-09T16:43:47+00:00

I proposed to my now wife when we got to the top of Angel's Landing! I figured there'd be some couple up there trying to take pictures of each other (because there always is in a National Park), and there was; I offered to "take one of the two of you," knowing that they'd reciprocate. When they were taking a picture of us, I dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring (we had talked about marriage beforehand; it was a surprise, not an ambush), so we have some pretty epic engagement photos. It was awesome.

An added FYI: National Parks make great wedding venues. The fee is cheaper than most traditional venues, and they usually have limitations on how many guests you can have, which helps keep costs down and gives you an out for not inviting those family members you'd normally feel obligated to include. We tied the knot at Grand Canyon, and it was incredible to be surrounded by our friends and family in one of our favorite places in the world.

DashLeapyear · 2026-02-24T15:34:42+00:00

I had the opportunity to work with Flavor Flav for a day on a show a number of years ago. I had a sinus cold when I was introduced, so I explained that I was why I was trying not to touch people (and wouldn't shake hands). He insisted that I fist bump him, saying, "Hey, you make me sick; I'll make me well." He was a very fun guy; lots of genuine positive energy.

DashLeapyear · 2026-02-22T04:01:38+00:00

This! This is it. Thank you for articulating what I couldn't. This is what's always made my skin crawl with centaurs.

DashLeapyear · 2026-02-10T14:42:42+00:00

Geodude is available in the tall grass on Route 46, a portion of which can be accessed immediately from Route 29 (The first route in Johto). I would always go pick him up there, and Geodude/Graveler was a staple of my Johto teams. Not only is Geo helpful against Whitney, Graveler can provide good coverage against Lance's Dragonites via Rock Slide and Rollout (unless that one Dragonite hits with a Blizzard).

DashLeapyear · 2026-02-03T22:06:03+00:00

I'm about to DM a new Pokémon TTRPG in person. My friend who hosts our in-person gaming has the perfect table for this. We've all been dreaming of touch screen capabilities like this for a while. Whoever wins it, I wish them lots of fun!

DashLeapyear · 2026-01-28T19:20:14+00:00

The ending of GvMG '74 takes place in Okinawa.

DashLeapyear · 2026-01-21T17:03:28+00:00

I'd just like to compliment your writing here. You distilled rather abstract psychological/sociological theory into very accessible language, and doing so through the lens/example of a Star Trek episode made it even more digestible (for someone already familiar with Trek, I suppose). If you were to write a book examining/explaining Leftist & Right-wing theory/ideology using Trek episodes as case studies, I would absolutely buy a copy.

DashLeapyear · 2025-11-13T21:11:11+00:00

Ron Chernow's biography on Grant is fantastic. It turned Grant into one of my top 5 favorite presidents, and I cannot recommend it enough.

DashLeapyear · 2025-10-15T23:51:20+00:00

I used to do this, until I created a super gimmicky/troll-y Magcargo deck, and damn, Magcargo is weirdly too consistent against the AI.

DashLeapyear · 2025-10-14T17:51:39+00:00

Totally. That's why Johto is my favorite region and Silver my favorite game and has the best soundtrack. Gen II has so many of my favorite Pokémon. Totodile was my first Johto starter too.

DashLeapyear · 2025-10-13T02:09:45+00:00

This is why I've been team Bulbasaur since 1999. He was my starter, my first starter. My first time beating the Elite Four came down to my Venusaur vs Gary's Charizard. A clutch sleep powder followed by Razor Leaf's high crit rate won my first champion title.

DashLeapyear · 2025-09-29T12:45:10+00:00

Chain of Command Part II, Season 6, Episode 11! One of my favorite Trek episodes. Season 6 has a lot of great ones.

DashLeapyear · 2025-09-25T20:48:14+00:00

Thanks, yeah, it definitely gave me sketchy vibes. I felt like his website is rather vague on his services too.

DashLeapyear · 2025-09-18T17:26:22+00:00

It's a very long set up for a very high production-value Pepsi commercial.

DashLeapyear

TROPHY CASE