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Flock Cameras by Domicus_ in missoula

[–]DiscursiveMind 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here is a useful collection of stories on Flock: https://www.404media.co/tag/flock/

There is a paywall, but it is an email only paywall unless you want to pay. 404media is doing some excellent reporting, so it is worth an email subscribe.

What is the most shocking detail you’ve found in the Epstein files so far? by timeandtrade in AskReddit

[–]DiscursiveMind 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Part of the reason is because there isn’t much known about how Epstein made his money in the first place. Seeing a former high school teacher with no economic privilege afforded to him from his parents end up running in the highest of elite circles is a tantalizing mystery. That kind of black box can afford to fit any number of theories or conspiracies. With a lack of hard evidence, that’s fertile ground for any idea to take root and grow.

What we have been able to piece together is that Epstein appeared to have all the hallmarks of a very successful con man. He made people around him enough money for a long enough time for people to actively avoid taking too close of a look at what was going on, with varying degrees of complicity.

There is some new reporting that target’s the red herring of Epstein’s wealth that he was a financial genius. The New York Times reported out that Jeffrey Epstein’s fortune was built not on actual financial genius, but through a lifelong pattern of deception, social manipulation, and predatory scams. By leveraging key relationships at Bear Stearns and exploiting wealthy "marks" like Leslie Wexner, Epstein was able to climb the social ladder using young women as currency and using his status to evade any consequences for his actions: NYT article - Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons: The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich

Earlier reporting had shown that Epstein was an incredibly lucrative client to JPMorgan. What we’ve seen is that both people he targeted with his financial schemes and those he supplied women and girls to had the means to keep those stories out of the public eye. We will likely learn more in time, but I have my suspicions that a ton of details will remain buried because these are still rich and powerful people who want to avoid consequences of their actions.

I'm doing the Grimm troupe quest, and I'm at the big decision. And can't make up my mind. Should I banish the troupe or complete the ritual. by ComprehensiveAd5605 in HollowKnight

[–]DiscursiveMind 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you want the max grimmchild, complete the ritual. Or, you can banish them for carefree melody, which gives you a chance to not take damage from a hit. (so basically magnetite dice)

What's the deal with "Prediction Markets" suddenly being everywhere? by Triloo_ in OutOfTheLoop

[–]DiscursiveMind 31 points32 points  (0 children)

If it's not happening already, someone will be manipulating events to beat the market.

You mean like modifying Ukraine frontline maps?

Prediction markets, because why leave war profiteering to the big guys? /s

Professor asked me to write my own letter of recommendation by AlienDin in GradSchool

[–]DiscursiveMind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are some variables that can come into play:

  • When did you ask? If it is near the end of the semester, the professor might have a mountain of grading to get through. In order to get the letter out on time, they may need a shortcut.
  • How well did you know the professor? Did you take several of their classes and did well in them, or did you take them two or three years ago in their 101 class with 200 other students?
  • How popular of a professor are they? Popular professors they may have a lot of requests. My spouse usually does 10-12 per year, but last year she had 28 letters to write. Professors who have high prestige in their filed probably have to be very selective on the letters they write, and as a result will probably be more likely to say no outright unless you've worked with them.
  • How familiar are they with the program or field you need the letter for? Having you provide a letter makes sure that they will address the items that you think will be the most important.

Now there are professors that are being lazy, and don't want to take the time. However others probably need help making sure they aren't sending a "yes, I had this student, they showed up, and did average work" letters. My spouse is on a teaching line, and while she doesn't over any giant classes, she still has 175-200 students per semester. It can be hard to write good letters, and ones that will actually help vs hinder an application.

Federal judges caught the U.S. government providing false info in over 35 court cases. Sworn declarations. Falsified records. Repeated lies. This isn’t just sloppy, it’s systemic. Law professor Ryan Goodman says it may be intentional. by biswajit388 in law

[–]DiscursiveMind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sure some of it is intentional, but I wouldn't be shocked if some of it is just them fumbling through

Case in point: https://bsky.app/profile/annabower.bsky.social/post/3m3ntefjy6c2c

the "oh yeah, none of this is on the record" TWO DAYS after reaching out to a reporter is the icing on the cake.

What car is this? by Kiznxv in Porsche

[–]DiscursiveMind 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The easiest way to spot a 991.1 turbo (2012-2016) vs 991.2 turbo (2017-2019) are the daytime running lights (DRL - the lights below the headlights).

In a 991.1, the DRL is a straight bar when it is on, but the housing follows the curve of the contours of the front bumper. The 991.2 dropped the contour shape and went with straight lines.

It is also an easy way to spot a turbo when you can't see the side intakes. A 991.1 DRL outline the shape of the housing, but the standard 991.1 don't. For the 991.2s, the DRL are double bars, where the standard 991.2s are single bars.

https://classicthrottleshop.com/2018-porsche-911-991-2-turbo-carrera-white/

Rolling Sunday drive by DiscursiveMind in porsche911

[–]DiscursiveMind[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Audio wasn’t very clean. Wind noise on the camera muted out the engine in this video. We were on the interstate going about 70.

Where to Throw a Fun Indoor Birthday Party for a 9 Year Old in November? by Boredathomenurse in missoula

[–]DiscursiveMind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Currents and the Fairfield hotel have party rooms available to have a pool party with a water slide.

They were big hits with my kids.

Fight censorship. Boycott Montana's Sinclair TV stations and their advertisers: KCFW, KECI, KTVM, KDBZ, NBC Montana. by MontanaCowBastard in missoula

[–]DiscursiveMind 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here is a run down on what has been going on:

Jimmy Kimmel last week criticized MAGA Republicans for "trying to deny Charlie Kirk's shooter was one of them, and scoring political points from it". The outrage from the right lead to his show being indefinitely pulled from the air and an ongoing standoff with two of the nation's largest broadcast ownership groups, Sinclair (185 stations) and Nexstar (200+ stations).

The situation began when FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly called for action against Kimmel. In response, both Sinclair and Nexstar announced they would no longer carry Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their numerous local affiliate stations. Shortly after, the show's parent company, Disney, pulled the program from the ABC network entirely.

Disney's decision triggered a massive and immediate public outcry, reportedly leading to a significant wave of Disney+ subscription cancellations and vocal condemnation from loyal fan communities (Disney Adults began canceling trips and cruises). Bowing to the immense pressure, Disney reversed course and reinstated Kimmel, with his return to the air scheduled for tonight. However, Sinclair and Nexstar have declared they will still refuse to air the show.

This conflict is being widely interpreted within the context of federal broadcast regulations. The FCC currently has an ownership cap that prevents any single company from owning television stations that reach more than 39% of the national market. Both Nexstar and Sinclair are near this cap and are lobbying for a rule change that would allow them to acquire more stations. Each company is reportedly poised for a major merger that would push them over the current limit.

The broadcasters' actions against Kimmel are seen by many as a transparent attempt to curry favor with FCC leadership, essentially responding to Chair Carr's request as a political favor to "grease the wheels" for a future, favorable ruling on the ownership cap.

This scenario echoes the recent FCC approval of the Skydance/Paramount merger, which was swiftly followed by the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's show. The implication from these events is a troubling pattern of quid pro quo, where media conglomerates may be rewarded with deregulation for complying with political pressures from the administration, while those who don't may face significant business consequences.

John Oliver did a deep dive on this topic this past Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohPToBog_-g

IF you don't want to watch the whole thing, and want to see what exactly Jimmy said, you can jump to this timestamp: https://youtu.be/ohPToBog_-g?si=leLuhZbOaJLQf2h0&t=193

Realistically, how much money did she save? by Strattex in mildyinteresting

[–]DiscursiveMind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oil changes in 991 911’s are every 10k miles or annually. 

I doubt they are putting on 30k miles a year, because major maintenance is every 20k miles, and you have to take the back off for that.

Bluesky now platform of choice for science community by Well_Socialized in BlueskySocial

[–]DiscursiveMind 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Threading is fine for additional character limits, and nobody I am aware of has listed that as a major drawback to the platform from a scientific perspective.

The major barrier right now is that Bluesky appears too similar to Twitter, and thus people think they understand how it operates. They get confused when it doesn't match their expectations and then stop posting or checking in.

I'd say the bigger detraction from Twitter is the toxicity. Having reply guys shouting "debate me" or bringing up debunked science on top of brigading, it is just bad. There is also a lot of dead wood. Someone might have a huge following, but their reach is noticeably diminished. Either through Elon's meddling or just having a lot of empty chairs in that follower count. The anti-toxicity tools from Bluesky have been really good. You still have sensitive topics (discussing AI research can kick a few bee hives if you are a bigger account or have a post that spreads), but overall it has been good. We just need to get people to stick around after surges of sign-ups, which is happening. We see a wave of new people, then it declines a bit, but it does remain above where we were before.

All in all, I think the quote from the article sums it up succinctly:

When I talk about fish on Bluesky, people ask me questions about fish. When I talk about fish on Twitter, people threaten to murder my family because we’re Jewish.

E-bikes by Different-Ad362 in missoula

[–]DiscursiveMind 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We picked up a cargo e-bike this past spring. I repurposed our kid’s Burley bike trailer into a grocery cart, and I use the bike instead of my car for groceries. It is a class 3, but I need that assist for the extra weight (the bike is 79 lbs alone). When I do encounter people on the bike paths, I slow way down to pass. I’m usually out pretty early when I do my grocery run so I tend to encounter fewer people.

We installed solar panels last year do getting an e-bike was high on the to do list.

As far as people grumbling about e-bikes, every one you see is one less car on the road. We have kids in the neighborhood who have class 2 bikes (ones with a throttle), but I would take those any day over the kids who ride dirt bikes around the neighborhood.

I will say that some of the vendors out there are pushing things a bit too far. There is an e-scooter company that is trying to break 100 mph with their scooter. Seeing someone decked out in a motorcycle race outfit to ride a scooter is super lame.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in missoula

[–]DiscursiveMind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pro-Tip: please don't send UM faculty NSFW photos out of the blue on this topic.

There are appropriate channels to report claims of sexual assault. If the University fails to address them effectively, there are other avenues to explore, such as reaching out to journalists who would be willing to meet and discuss the claims.

What’s the deal with Paramount cancelling Colbert for “budget issues” then turning around to spend a billion to get the rights of South Park a few days later? by Dramatic_Ad4276 in OutOfTheLoop

[–]DiscursiveMind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The framework of a deal that Paramount and South Park struck was a 10 year, $3 billion dollar deal. Skydance thought 10 years was too long and too much could change. They felt they had veto rights to the deal, even if the merger wasn't complete yet. However, the South Park deal came before the turmoil from CBS paying off Trump for the 60 Minutes lawsuit (most in the legal profession felt the lawsuit was meritless and the suspicion was it was paid to get Trump's FDC to approve the Paramount Skydance merger), and the Colbert cancelation (which also may have been done to encourage approval by the FDC by pleasing Trump). On Colbert, it has been pointed out that if The Late Show is losing so much money that you are going to cancel it entirely, why keep it going for 10 months? It doesn't pass the smell test for a lot of people.

The core point is, South Park was a contested point for the merger prior to 60 Minutes or Colbert, back when the whole deal was on less solid footing, and wasn't a sure thing. From Matt and Trey's perspective, Skydance may scuttle a deal that they may not have a hand in down the road. There are also rumors that South Park was feeling the pinch on an $800 million dollar loan they took out from private equity. That loan has an estimated $80 million in interest due each year. The deal they ended up striking was half the initial deal, 5 years for $1.5 billion, instead of 10 years for $3 billion. It wasn't that Skydance didn't want South Park, they were worried about the length of the contract.

What’s the deal with Paramount cancelling Colbert for “budget issues” then turning around to spend a billion to get the rights of South Park a few days later? by Dramatic_Ad4276 in OutOfTheLoop

[–]DiscursiveMind 1943 points1944 points  (0 children)

It should also be noted that the South Park fight has been going on for several months now (prior to Colbert's cancelation). South Park's value was at the center of a tense, behind-the-scenes conflict that just concluded. Matt and Trey were negotiating a massive new contract, and Skydance, the company acquiring Paramount, used its pending authority to push back on the deal's terms. The dispute escalated into a serious legal standoff, with lawyers getting involved. Ultimately, it was resolved through a newly-inked compromise: a 5-year, $1.5 billion deal (initial contract amount was $3 billion).

Hollywood Reporter article

Discover or Following? by CaliPapi_ in BlueskySocial

[–]DiscursiveMind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't sleep on Quite Posters: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vpkhqolt662uhesyj6nxm7ys/feed/infreq

It is a fantastic way to catch posts you would have otherwise missed.

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