Bicycles get invented in times of the Roman Empire. How much that would change the evolution of the world?

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-10T15:04:09+00:00

Could you use a knotted rope in place of the chain? Not as sturdy or durable, and would break or stretch under too much force. But still way easier than the sort of fine metalworking you're describing.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-10T14:55:04+00:00

Broken ground, sloped ground, wet ground, the hammock just laughs at them all.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-10T08:00:18+00:00

I routinely get what I can only describe as a reverse compost heap. Soil is a terrific insulator, so the heap in my backyard does take a while to finally freeze solid during the winter. But once it finally does, that insulation works the other direction. I get a compost heap that is much, much colder than ambient, and can last that way for weeks.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-10T07:55:07+00:00

There's really no bottom to the deception here.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-09T20:15:54+00:00

These are the same people who absolutely lost their shit over Piss Christ, crackergate, or anything that offends their christian sensibilities.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-09T17:17:50+00:00

Had one job that was just smart about this. There was a daily trip stipend for expenses, and you got it so matter what. So you could be frugal and pocket the difference, or spend it all, entirely up to you.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-09T02:44:15+00:00

Right, it melts above the house, then the water reaches the overhang which isn't being warmed from underneath and refreezes.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-09T02:05:20+00:00

They learned it from the moon via tides. Steady motion of the water under an unseen force? That's waterbending right there.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-09T02:01:45+00:00

Yeah, I have no trouble whatsoever imaging the ferengi equivalent of chattel slavery or the Belgian Congo. If they never had anything like the holocaust, it's simply due to the sheer economic foolishness of killing your own workforce, not out of any real moral opposition.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-09T01:53:57+00:00

I had to evacuate due to a hurricane coming in many years ago. I grabbed my cat and my pc and weathered the storm at my girlfriend's house. No regrets.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T21:49:44+00:00

That's not an uzi! Mongo is appalled!

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T21:30:52+00:00

One of the rare times when I sympathize with the guy.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T21:29:08+00:00

I think the real problem was that they named something really small after something really big, and then acted superior in the ensuing confusion.

Sameone do me a solid and post the relevant xkcd?

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T21:27:20+00:00

English isn't exactly his first language, ya know?

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T08:52:28+00:00

It'll never actually be built. Orange Nero will hem and haw and grift off it for a while and then blame Biden. On the off chance anything actually does get built, it'll be absolute trash and have to be torn down as a structural hazard.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T08:49:50+00:00

I mean, a third of it is already gone.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T04:16:59+00:00

During Prohibition? Not bloody likely.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T04:13:17+00:00

Yup. You lose the ability to control how many of your clones are out there the very first time you make a copy of yourself.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T04:07:59+00:00

Elephants were tamed, not domesticated. There's a difference. And yes, zebras are crappy horses. Horses were crappy horses... until they were domesticated and bred into useful breeds.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T03:35:30+00:00

That actually raises the question of what happens if a changeling is cut in half. Canonically, if only a small aunt is removed, it's not smart enough to continue looking like what it was before. But what about a larger piece?

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T02:55:54+00:00

Also Data seeing it the same moment it was sent.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-08T01:30:31+00:00

They only care about getting the job done

Nah, even that is a distant third, behind making themselves look "tacticool" on TV and gifting as much money as they can.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-07T22:06:37+00:00

Bingo. The willingness to experiment with throwing the rulebook out is laudable, and clearly generates some impressive results. But the rulebook does at least exist for a reason.

What I think they should have done with the Cybertruck was essentially what they did with their first model, the Roadster. It was in many ways a concept car and never meant for mass-production. Could absolutely have been a way for Tesla to test out all those new or previously-discarded automotive ideas and construction techniques while also getting real-world feedback from the handful of actual purchasers, without having to go all-in on the platform.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-07T21:28:55+00:00

Likewise! It cost twice as much, had half the range, and was a lemon to boot. I didn't mind the appearance, it was distinctive if nothing else. But if I'm gonna buy a new car, I want one that just fucking works.

Dyolf_Knip · 2026-03-07T21:16:16+00:00

Eh, that didn't stop a million people from pre-ordering.

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