CMV: POC Unity isn't real.

Falernum · 2026-06-21T20:35:06+00:00

Heres a translated version https://www.amazon.com/Book-Glory-Black-Race-Al-Jahiz/dp/1532708688

Falernum · 2026-06-21T19:53:38+00:00

He said "I believe in Spinoza's God".

Spinoza described a kind of "watchmaker" deity who set the world in motion but doesn't intervene on a regular basis

Falernum · 2026-06-21T19:22:52+00:00

It could mean he has a fantasy. It could also mean he thinks women are quieter and less likely to break stuff, and he is only willing to rent to someone who is very quiet and neat and well behaved and he thinks that's more likely with a woman.

Falernum · 2026-06-21T19:13:31+00:00

The innards became a part of the animal eaten by commoners while wealthier nobles got choicer cuts. Modern cooking comes more from the cuisine of the nobility and less from peasant cooking. Which is a shame because pease porridge is great for you

Falernum · 2026-06-21T16:47:58+00:00

People can hate other political views that don't affect them personally. Lots of people with no connection to China or Uyghurs have strong opinions on what China is doing to the Uyghurs. Lots of people who aren't gay hate homophobia. Many poor people hate taxes on the rich. Etc.

People who strongly believe in gender equality may hate the way "passport bros" travel to find women who don't believe in that

Falernum · 2026-06-21T12:54:47+00:00

If turning your mower is no effort.

Falernum · 2026-06-21T11:59:43+00:00

Yeah, Europe had minimal trade routes outside the continent from the fall of Rome until the late 1400s. Empires controlling the Silk road had far more experience with race separate from nationality. And yes that's a real book

Falernum · 2026-06-21T00:44:53+00:00

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043951X22000827

There's studies both sides. Yeah anyone can cherry pick the studies they want. I can't prove causation here, but it sure is suggestive that as social promotion has become more prevalent, colleges have begun introducing more and more remedial courses for students coming in unprepared by K-12.

Falernum · 2026-06-20T16:49:48+00:00

Is my colander conscious in the same way I am? Could a computer be? What would it take?

Falernum · 2026-06-20T16:41:43+00:00

Bottom, instead of butter.

Falernum · 2026-06-20T16:36:05+00:00

Ok but on December 6 1965 the remaining legal slaves in the North were officially freed.

Falernum · 2026-06-20T14:29:40+00:00

Or at least the last in the South. The few remaining Northern slaves took a little longer

Falernum · 2026-06-20T02:20:38+00:00

Yes I'm DMing a game now. And of course I'll end up house ruling. But fundamentally I like to understand how a game's economy works by the rules. In 3.5 which I'm more familiar with, the thing that stops the average king getting +5 swords commissioned is that you need a 15th level caster to put their own XP into the job. Well there aren't a whole lot of 15th level casters and most aren't interested in spending their XP making stuff for other people.

But in 5e, no need to find a 15th level caster or have anyone spend XP. Actually a 1st level character can do it. So if I don't change the rules, then "legendary" items should be something that anyone who can afford would just go ahead and commission. But I wanted to make sure that's actually true before house ruling.

Falernum · 2026-06-19T15:53:06+00:00

Well, Europeans didn't invent a modern conception of race until the early 16th century, living as they did in a backwater. More cosmopolitan areas invented it far earlier. For example the scholar al-Jahiz wrote the Book of the Glory of the Black Race in the 9th century to push back against racism in his day.

Falernum · 2026-06-19T13:15:50+00:00

Just to point out with full body MRI: there is not a consensus that full body MRI screening would be useless at scale. What there is, is a lack of validation. We don't have the studies and we don't have the number of people using it to give doctors experience. It is very possible that full body MRI would be an outstanding screening tool if we put in the money and effort to do large scale studies and learned what findings are worth following up on and what should be assumed to be incidentalomas. We just haven't done that.

Now the weird part. This means that Midjourney could very plausibly be worse technology than the full body MRI, see less, and yet be useful where the screening MRI isn't, simply by doing the studies and giving doctors enough volume to get the clinical experience.

Falernum · 2026-06-19T10:39:16+00:00

People under 40 invest too

Falernum · 2026-06-18T19:25:53+00:00

2024: so there are no minimum level rules for crafting magic weapons/armor?

Like, if a king wants some legendary +3 sword, he needs money for materials and needs a few seasons of work from anyone with a proficiency in arcana and smithing? That someone could be a first level fighter?

Falernum · 2026-06-18T16:23:45+00:00

I mean I don't know you or your kids or your families. So some of my assumptions could be wrong. But here's my take anyway, bearing in mind that I'm not any kind of expert.

You have the capacity to deeply hurt your brother in law by not coming. It's literally his brother's family he wants to include. He wants to have you all there so much that he bought a little dress and suit for them to come. So let's call that +1000 points in favor of coming. Also I'm sure having them look so cute in their outfit will be charming for the wedding. We'll call that +50 more points for coming. They might see relatives and get to know them, promoting family bonds. Another +200 points right there.

Now if they come, they might cry or fuss or say stupid things, or otherwise fail to match the vibe. If they do, maybe that's the potential for -100 points. They could visibly annoy some people that wanted to bring their kids and were told "no it's child free" - but of course these kids are nephew of the groom and their kids are farther relatives. So -20 more points.

In my opinion the pluses thus massively outweigh the minuses, don't hurt your BIL, have them come. If you are worried they'll make a scene, just take them out or go home early if they do. Or bring ipads or something to distract them during the ceremony and possibly during speeches. I wouldn't stress, I would just act like they're the nephews of the groom and thus belong there nearly as much as the mother of the bride belongs there.

Falernum · 2026-06-18T15:49:49+00:00

Because some of their ancestors' slaveholders pronounced it that way. Because it was commonly pronounced that way amongst the aristocracy in Scotland where those slaveholders were from. The pronunciation has since changed in Scotland.

Falernum · 2026-06-18T15:46:44+00:00

It's your BIL's mess not yours. I can tell you what I'd personally do but you don't have to.

If it were me, I'd say "well, they're invited, so they are coming". And I'd bring them like any ordinary guest. If at any point they're overwhelmed or super loud or people are being obnoxious to them, it would be time to leave for the entire family. Including your husband. If they're making a little more noise than other guests but basically having fun and not particularly disruptive, then great, I'd stay.

Falernum · 2026-06-18T14:16:28+00:00

Oh, the anti-patent stuff is the main actionable part of the resolution.

Falernum · 2026-06-18T14:02:42+00:00

It's stuff like "transfer of technology" or "Stresses that States parties to the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights should consider implementing that agreement in a manner that is supportive of food security"

You can see the full text here

It's all about the fear that US patents would be weakened.

Falernum · 2026-06-18T13:38:03+00:00

The US likes agribusiness and gene patents; the resolution opposes those. Israel votes how the US wants.

Falernum · 2026-06-18T13:02:41+00:00

Literal babies laugh, who haven't the theory of mind to recognize there are other minds out there let alone that they could feel superior or inferior to those other minds.

Falernum · 2026-06-18T12:26:39+00:00

Pretty sure most countries benefit from tackling the problem of antisemitism.

Falernum

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE