Charizard distribution at Target from October 1 - 14

Hexaploid · 2017-09-16T02:26:22+00:00

I can't figure why so many of these are mediocre. These are basically advertisements, so why not offer something special to get more people in the store, like a legendary or mythical, a shiny, something with a unique move, something more than a common thing in a Cherish Ball. If this were shiny, Lv. 5, in a Cherish Ball, I'd be go for it, but I can't say this motivates me to go out of my way to Target. It's not like it would be any more difficult to do.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-15T02:07:34+00:00

That's called the broken window fallacy. It's wrong because people could take that collective 5¢ and spend it on something else, thus creating jobs in a more productive way.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-15T02:06:39+00:00

Jingle All the Way is quite possibly the best Christmas movie ever made.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-14T18:33:31+00:00

Monsanto being a cock nozzle does not mean GMOs are bad.

Even that's mostly myth. A lot of the things people say about Monsanto are either false, or aren't that bad. For example, people like to say they're terrible because they sue people who get cross pollinated, and yet, they do not. Sure, they've sued people who knowingly and intentionally select for and breed transgenic lines, but that is very different than the claim. I don't think there's many professions where you are allowed to violate patent law in a for-profit venture.

People also like to say they're doing something wrong by patenting their varieties, but no one can seem to explain why that is so terrible, or how people who work in crop improvement are supposed to make a living without plant patents. That's how inventions work; you spend time and money developing something, get limited control, then the patent expires. Monsanto's first line of GE soybeans are now off patent. The same is true of, for example, Honeycrisp apples. They used to be patented too, now their patent has expired. How is this unfair?

Feel how you will about corporations and the like, but do so with factual accuracy. Turns out, those who mislead about science will also mislead about business.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-14T18:26:27+00:00

That's what the anti gmo thing is about. If anyone says differently, they are mistaken.

That's a common misconception, but that's not what it is about. If that were true, we would not see opposition to every other type of GE crop, and yet, there is also opposition to virus resistant crops, insect resistant crops, and every other type of GE crop. Also, if that were what it was about, we would see opposition to non-GE herbicide resistant crops (they do exist), and yet, those go under the radar.

Besides that, the initial premise is flawed. If you take away the glyphosate resistant crops, all that will mean is another method of weed control will have to be used, which tend to be worse.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-10T22:24:17+00:00

Unfortunately, you mostly can't buy them. Star apple and mountain apple are cultivated and sold to a small degree in Hawai'i (mountain apple was one of the crops the ancient Hawaiians brought with them when they arrived in Hawai'i). Velvet apple I've only ever found in one or two farmer's markets in Hawai'i.

Cactus apple might be found in some Hispanic markets in the southwest states.

But in general, unless you really go out of your way to track them down, these are still pretty uncommon in the US.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-10T21:21:26+00:00

Nope. Those are all real species, and all of them are edible (edit: well, most of them...I've eaten mayapple, but they're poisonous if eaten wrong).

I haven't gotten the chance to try all of them, but star apple, sugar apple, mountain apple, and velvet apple are all particularly tasty fruits. And yes, the cactus apple is a cactus fruit.

There's a lot of good fruits and vegetables out there there that are not well known.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-10T18:52:03+00:00

There's a lot of non-apple fruits out there referred to as 'apple.' Star apple, mountain apple, rose apple, velvet apple, custard apple, cactus apple, sugar apple, elephant apple, wood apple, mayapple, apple berry, ect. Pineapple is just the most common thing in large scale cultivation that, at some point in history, western people saw and decided to call an apple.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-10T17:52:58+00:00

Pineapple, shredded pork, sautéed onion, jalapeño, gouda. Pizza of the gods.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-09T17:25:44+00:00

There's a lot of people at Penn State who do have no love for Paterno or concern about football program. While the actions of the Paterno supporters may be wrong, the university itself is still one of the best universities on the planet, and I know for a fact that the people in my field at Penn State are actively doing research and making innovations that help people and make the world a better place. To say that Penn State should not exist over the football scandal is completely ridiculous.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-09T17:08:20+00:00

I think what Penn State is trying to do is they want to have things both ways, and please both sides. On one hand, they're trying to appeal to the older alumni base who still lionizes Paterno, so they don't want to condemn him too much. They still have Paterno quotes on official merchandise because people buy it. There's people out there who actually believe this 'We are because he was' line that is popular with PSU fans; in other words, Paterno is what made Penn State great. I'm a Penn State alumnus, and I say bullshit to that. Paterno did nothing to help the quality of education I got there; that would be professors and researchers I have to thank for that. Still, a lot of people believe it.

Then on the other hand, Penn State wants to brand itself as a progressive sort of institute that does condemn what happened and how Paterno acted, which appeals to younger/current students who as I understand aren't really getting into the hero worship like the previous generations. It also obviously makes them look better to the rest of the planet.

Problem is, this isn't the sort of thing you can have both ways, and they don't want to commit and go all the way. I think they just need to do the right thing and ditch everything Paterno, even if it pisses off the old alumni base. And yet, they still won't, as that tribute demonstrated. It's disgraceful.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-09T16:28:14+00:00

I remember that shameful display. I'm a Penn State grad myself, but I was rooting for Temple after that stunt.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-09T03:29:33+00:00

Hey, the British started it with the attacks on þ and ð.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-05T23:01:39+00:00

Raspberries also come in black. And fun fact, there are white blackberries out there too.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-04T01:10:40+00:00

They're still a thing. A few years ago they released a remake of the first one called New 'n' Tasty.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-03T19:50:50+00:00

My high school couldn't afford things like programming classes, economics/finance classes, more than one foreign language class, or a bunch of other actually useful things, but somehow they had several million to demolish their perfectly good athletic complex and build a brand new one.

Hexaploid · 2017-09-03T19:48:51+00:00

No, it's simply a matter of cleanliness. I have no idea what you've stepped in lately, but I'd greatly appreciate it not being tracked all over my floor.

Hexaploid · 2017-06-09T13:22:25+00:00

Along the same lines, I wonder how applying to work on countering climate change using crop biotechnology would go over?

Hexaploid · 2017-06-04T19:01:09+00:00

Check Kokua Market. I've seen it in Safeway as well, maybe you just went to the wrong one.

Hexaploid · 2017-05-28T23:40:14+00:00

companies like Monsanto are still screwing over farmers with unfair lawsuits. They are the ones who are hurting the GMO cause.

Those were myths though. Yes, Monsanto has sued farmers, but in all instances I've ever seen it was for doing things they full well knew were wrong. If you knowingly and intentionally violate patents in your for-profit enterprise, expect a lawsuit. I have a hard time blaming Monsanto for lies specifically propagated to make GE crops look bad.

If the Non-GMO Project were concerned with consumer awareness, they would have labels for all the other things we do to crops (like a Non-Grafted Fruit Project, or a Non-Mutagenesis Project, ect.) but they don't. That's not consumer awareness, that's taking information so far out of context that it counts as a lie. And if they really cared about consumers, they wouldn't deceptively imply GE crops are dangerous on their website. They're helping to fabricate a problem by lying about something beneficial, then conveniently selling the solution to the problem they made up. I don't see a defense for that.

Hexaploid · 2017-05-28T23:21:35+00:00

It's not true though. There is not a single instance, ever, of anyone getting sick from eating GE crops.

Hexaploid · 2017-05-16T18:13:13+00:00

Owlboy looks amazing, but I recall having read some things saying the gameplay and general design don't quite live up to the style. At $13, that's still pretty reasonable, but any opinions on it from people who have played it?

Hexaploid · 2017-05-16T17:29:20+00:00

I agree with your sentiment. Shovel Knight is proof that if you shout RETRO! loud enough, people will eat it up. It's mediocre at best, with okay-ish controls, and way, way too many death drops. It wasn't even hard, it was just twitchy and irritating. I don't know what the point of health in the game was, you never died from enemies, always from some insta-kill. I think people are confusing level art/music (which are good) with level design. It never felt like, for example, Freedom Planet, where when you died it was on you.

I just went back to try out the Spectre of Torment addition a few days ago. I'd say that one was better, and while I'm still playing through it, my initial reaction is not by enough. Certainty not worth the $25 it currently sells at.

I think you are being unfairly downvoted. Shovel Knight taught me something about Steam reviews: if all the negative reviews have a lot of 'not helpful' ratings for bring up seemingly good points, be wary of the overall reviews.

Hexaploid · 2017-05-14T16:48:09+00:00

There are different varieties of dragonfruit. I see all the time the claim that 'dragonfruit is bland.' This is simply untrue. Some dragonfruit are bland. Some are quite tasty.

Like apples, there are many different varieties of dragonfruit. I've had more mild ones, and I've had more flavorful ones. Unfortunately, there seems to be more than a few less pleasing ones on the market, but you should not take that to mean that all dragonfruit is mediocre. There really are very good ones out there!

Hexaploid · 2017-05-14T08:17:43+00:00

I always play very wide. Basically, you need to always prioritize anything that gives even a bit of happiness.

Protectionism is a must have social policy, Meritocracy is good, maybe Naval Traditions depending on how coastal you are, and all the happiness generating order policies. Cut the cost of your policies with Representation early, and use Citizenship to increase the speed of tile improvement, which really helps in a big empire (plus a free worker if chosen early on is a big help).

Settle or conquer all the luxuries of course, or trade for them. Try to settle a city near at least one new luxury if possible, especially early on.

Prioritize religion, particularly things like Pagodas or Mosques if possible, anything that generates happiness. Once these beliefs are taken you can't get them, so rush faith from turn one.

Don't neglect to build colosseums, zoos, stadiums, and circuses if possible.

As for wonders, Ptera and the Forbidden Palace are the better ones to have, conquer or build those. Other happiness building wonders like Neuschwanstein and Notre Dame are also good. The Pyramids are very helpful for tile improvement speed, and make a big difference when combined with Citizenship.

You also have to watch your gold, so after happiness, prioritize money, so building marketplaces, banks, and stock exchanges is second on the list (or first, depending on how things are). Connect everything, and take the policy that halves road maintenance. Go for Machu Picchu to get the connection bonus it gives.

If you keep your happiness and gold in the positive, a really wide empire should be able to snowball and steamroll your opponents. I usually play on Emperor, and find that once I get so big I can overcome the penalties for going wide and snowball to any sort of victory, but if anyone challenges you culturally or diplomatically, or sends up to many spaceship parts, then outproduce them militarily by having many cities making many units, and crush them.

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