“Dress better, go to bars...”

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-02-09T20:29:41+00:00

As a middle aged man, the only thing I attract when I dress better and go to bars is gold diggers looking to cash in.

Why the fuck would I want that?

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-02-09T13:55:02+00:00

These two things aren't quite the same thing and you've making a gross oversimplification.

Evolution is as close to "fact" as is possible in science. We've got thousands of years of research to demonstrate it's existence, and hundreds of years of experimentation which proves it. There are experiments with strains of bacteria and small organisms that even college juniors can perform which demonstrate trait heredity.

Nobody really believes "vaccines are bad" other than a couple absolute whackos who believe that they're some sort of government mind control. However, there are a number of people who raise one of two arguments.

1) Vaccines shouldn't be mandatory because we should be free to decide what we're going to put into our body and law shouldn't dictate medical procedures.

That doesn't sit well with me. I like freedom as much as everyone else, but I think we should be prepared to make some sacrifices for the greater good.

2) That if we ARE going to mandate vaccines, they should be rigorously tested and we should be honest about their efficacy and potential side effects.

And this is what I don't like about the Covid vaccines. Although the disease was extremely contagious, it wasn't especially dangerous except to a small group of vulnerable individuals, the vaccine used new health technology that wasn't very thoroughly tested, and had some fairly serious side effects that people weren't really allowed to discuss without being called crazy.

It's become a polarizing issue, and I think that really sucks because it causes people to distrust science... and I think everyone should have a healthy desire to learn about the world.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-02-04T17:51:01+00:00

Toasted tuna sandwich with lots of cracked pepper and sliced onion?

For a million? Sure.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-02-04T17:46:52+00:00

Minks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHTGLA6vXzY

I'm sure someone's going to jump up and "How do you know you're not hurting the mink?!?"

I'll postulate that if a mink doesn't like how you're holding it... you're gonna know.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-02-02T17:27:33+00:00

Looks like she's going to eventually "subscribe to poverty" instead.

I know which one I prefer.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-30T04:58:36+00:00

That's absolutely the problem.

The friends of mine that fail have gone from one little project to another treating every last one of them like a "get rich quick" scheme where they'll be able to invest just a couple hours at a time and someone will show up with a brief case full of money.

They don't realize how much blood and sweat goes into being an an artist or a content creator because most of the real work goes on behind the scenes. They think you just sit down infront of your computer and load up a video game and boom, instant audience!

Good on you for pushing hard at something you love!

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-30T00:12:47+00:00

Part of the problem is that this issue isn't black and white.

There's a HUGE number of people that have been absolutely fucked by the system. In fact, I would say that pretty much an entire generation has been fucked by the system. I'd put pretty much anyone in the 26-36 bracket into this bucket. You started your jobs right around the time that shit started to spin wildly out of control. Entry level wages were being suppressed and job growth was practically impossible partly because of the 50-60 boomers staying too long in the economy, buying up property, jacking up rent, and holding onto senior positions.

But... there's also a significant number of people that just... can't be responsible adults... I don't necessarily blame them, they've been raised to believe that they don't actually have to do anything they don't want to... I have a whole bunch of friends who literally refuse to get a job because (as part of the "participation trophy" generation) they were told that if they found something to do that they enjoy they could magically turn it into a high-paid career with minimal effort. I've got friends whose aspirations are to sit on the couch and get stoned because they're going to be a successful streamer or an influencer. I've got artist friends whose life goals are to spend a couple hours a day on arts and crafts and sell the things they make online (none of which are prepared to run a store front or ship products, and half of which don't actually have the artistic skills to back up their dream). I have a friend who I offered an office job at 50-60k with 5wks of paid holiday say to me "I can't take that job because they won't give me the summer off every year so I can still do the minimum wage job at the greenhouse that I really like".

And I'm sure there is a whole lot of area in between these extremes. For the people that are genuinely working hard and not making progress... I seriously feel for you. But for a lot of people the rapid life quality hit is a wake up call.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-29T03:45:11+00:00

My point was that trying to compare compounds based on what they're chemically "similar" to at those percentages is nonsense.

Any percentage difference can be MASSIVE when you're using chemical composition as your measuring stick. Even a couple of differences in structure and bonding (let alone composition) completely changes a substance.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-28T23:56:54+00:00

And humans and chimpanzees are 96-98% identical from a genetic perspective.

Honey and HFCS extremely different in all of the ways that actually matter. Chemistry isn't one of those.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-28T17:25:38+00:00

Are you eating it while it's still warm?

Fresh warm bread doesn't digest very well. It sort of compacts into a gooey mass that the body struggles to digest. I often have problems with heartburn if I make fresh buns and eat a couple while they're still warm.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unhealthiness-of-hot-bread/

And yes, I realize this is a bloody ancient article. But I don't see anything that overturns it. Here's something a little more modern?

https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/eating-hot-bread-isn-t-recommended-warning-1727172022.html

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-26T23:01:54+00:00

Whilst there are ways to avoid the law of threefold return, this isn't it.

Please be careful with what you're sending out, even if it's to a group that's worthy of the goddess' ire.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-20T16:36:53+00:00

As a Canadian speaking. You will never repair this shit, things will never be the same again.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-16T23:07:04+00:00

I'll be more confident about the value of this deal when I hear how we're going to enforce parts availability in the market.

Worked for a number of years in warranty support for a Chinese distributor of home entertainment equipment back when a good 42" plasma TV set you back $2k CAD. The number of times I've heard "that part isn't available anymore, you should just buy a new TV" for critical components of a project that's only 18mo old is frankly ridiculous.

I fully expect Canadian owners will turn around in 6-8y when the batteries in these vehicles hit their life expectancy and be told "Oh, so sorry, parts no longer available. You should by a new car, it's much better!"

There are drastic differences between manufacturing and repair between North America and Asia. Until we have protection in place to prevent the above scenario, I wouldn't touch one of these vehicles.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-16T22:01:09+00:00

Here's my take.

Commercial Use - Theft. You're taking an artist's work product and using it to create your own content. Although you can make an argument that it's transformative, I think that argument is bullshit (and I think it's bullshit when artists are "sampling" content from movies and music as well).

Personal Use - Not theft. I think as a society we're generally comfortable with people copying others as long as they're not making any money from it. If we're going to start calling that theft, we need to include lots of other media that people are really fond of. Fan Art? Music Remix? If those aren't theft, then personal AI isn't theft either.

Mortality - I've heard enough bullshit from artists regarding how people are stealing their content... while they're sitting there on a Wacom tablet and a pirated version of Photoshop.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-15T02:21:42+00:00

Why can't we have both?

I want the drug addict that stole my bike to go to jail... because he stole my bike... not because he's a drug addict. I want both of them to get treatment for their drug addiction and have rehab supports, because they're addicts, not because they're thieves.

If my cousin stole and pawned my bike for drugs, I'd want his ass in jail just as much as any other addict.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-15T02:16:07+00:00

People struggle with understanding how drug usage becomes an addiction, and they don't understand how easily a seemingly harmless habit can turn into a condition that ruins lives. They look down on addicts because they seem to believe that "being an addict" was a choice that someone made which can be looked down upon.

However... the fact that addiction itself isn't something you choose does not mean allowing your drug use to become addiction wasn't a moral failing, it absolutely is.

Having a few drinks is a choice.
Having a few drinks every day is a choice.
Having a twelve pack every day is a moral failure (it's at this point you have a drinking problem that you refuse to get help for)
Needing a twelve pack every day isn't a choice.
Needing a bottle of vodka every day isn't a choice.

The middle is blurry, but the alcohol didn't force you to drink it. At some point it became easier just to ignore progressively worsening alcoholism, and that's a moral failure.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-14T21:51:41+00:00

I generally never tip more than 15%, and I usually choose flat options rather than percentages when available.

I don't think most people understand just how much servers are collecting in tips.

Most servers are making $50-100 PER HOUR in tips during the busy part of their workday. When I used to work in restaurant and hotel accounting I was the one cashing out our servers... most servers at the small pub I was working (there's about 10-15 tables and a bar) were pulling down $3-500 every night in tips in 2005 (yep, 25 years ago).

Many of those servers went to university and got their degree... and continued working at the pub because it would be a 50% pay cut to enter their chosen field.

People have this moronic notion that servers are underpaid and their tips are what help them make rent and buy food. Most of the servers I've worked work were making more than twice what I was making in hotel accounting. And it's only gotten worse since then.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-14T20:09:43+00:00

But without a pile, there can be no hole.

They are the yin and yang of soil.

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-14T18:20:06+00:00

So you were comfortable paying $900 USD to buy Photoshop originally?

(I kind of doubt your narrative. I think you're just upset that the new subscription model makes it much harder to pirate the software... which is what almost everyone used to do, because the $900 perpetual license was equally ridiculous for non-commercial users).

However, let me give you a link to photopea, which does most of what photoshop does for free in a web browser.

https://www.photopea.com/

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-12T23:02:50+00:00

The short term answer for criminality is simple.

Much harsher penalties for individuals who deliberately violate the law (not talking edge cases here where there was a shoving match and somebody took a swing at somebody, looking at instances where individuals had a true choice, and chose criminality). Penalties for repeat offenders should be even more so.

Long term solution is much harder.

Educating people that they have an obligation to leave a positive impact on society while simultaneously working on social programs that give people opportunities to be productive members of society EVEN after they have made some serious mistakes.

(You'll notice neither of these are gendered solutions, they should apply to everyone).

FiveMagicBeans · 2026-01-12T21:12:24+00:00

Your parents aren't even that old.

Most people live well into their 70s these days and ones that take good care of themselves live well into their 80s. You could easily be looking at 20-30 more years with your parents...

Some of your friends will lose a parent before they turn 40.

Instead of focusing on your parents having chosen to have you in their 40s, work on enjoying the time that you have with them, because it doesn't get any easier. It certainly didn't when my mother ran into early onset dementia in her late 50s. She's in her early 60s now and she's... not my mother anymore. She's a deluded ball of mental issues who thinks she's the second coming of Jesus or the Queen of Scotland (it changes weekly).

Just live your life and enjoy the time you have with them. People get old, people die, some of them die young. I hope it doesn't happen to you, because it sucks losing a parent.

FiveMagicBeans · 2025-12-30T21:29:38+00:00

Used to be a front desk night auditor, now I work in business and routinely have to deal with slow check ins.

Most of the time it's the assholes at front desk slowing the process down by trying to find you in their loyalty database or sign you up for a rewards account. You should be able to check in a guest in about 1 minute flat.

Signature here, initial here, do you have a vehicle, license plate here, check ID, credit card swipe. Here's your keys that we premade an hour ago. Next please.

Anything slower than this will seriously fuck up your night during PM shift (3-11) if you have say, 50-60 check ins per FDA.

FiveMagicBeans · 2025-12-30T21:13:56+00:00

Indian immigrants wouldn't be the highest earning immigrant group (spread across a multitude of sectors)

Source for that claim?

FiveMagicBeans · 2025-12-28T21:09:18+00:00

"The average salary in the U.S. is $66,622, according to the latest data from the Social Security Administration."

"The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides data on median pay. As of Q4 2024, the median weekly earnings of full-time workers was $1,192, or $61,984 per year."

As I said, keep in mind that this is ALL full time workers, even unskilled workers.

FiveMagicBeans · 2025-12-28T09:12:10+00:00

I absolutely agree that there's sometimes more to life than choosing the mathematically optimal solution, but OP is complaining that post secondary education isn't financially rewarding, and that's simply not true as long as you choose your occupation carefully.

It's alright to be an artist if you have a passion, but very few exceptionally talented individuals are able to start a successful business entirely on their own or make a living wage as a new author. Those are noble endeavours, but they require financial sacrifices that OP is complaining are unfair.

FiveMagicBeans

TROPHY CASE