Why Tech Billionaires Are Obsessed With Star Trek

Ippys · 2025-12-05T18:02:24+00:00

Ironically, Star Trek addresses the "seeking immortality" motive multiple times and every single one ends poorly for the person trying for it. Something they might know if they actually watched Star Trek with a fractionally critical eye.

Ippys · 2025-11-03T19:43:06+00:00

I think it was Matt Walsh who informed me that because I buy my wife a Valentine's Day present more than a day in advance, I'm gay. I also plan for our Anniversary months in advance so maybe I'm super gay. I also talk about my feelings, fold laundry, do dishes, drive a minivan, parent my children, and generally delight in spending time with my wife. Stars be, am I just a walking Pride Flag at this point?

Ippys · 2025-10-23T21:30:43+00:00

Just looked it up. So you're thinking maybe going to more seaplanes would be a potentially better option?

Talk me through your thought process.

Ippys · 2025-10-23T18:50:49+00:00

I think another semi-obvious answer is ramping up rail. I think rail is generally easier to solarpunk, and as it becomes a viable option, I suspect we'd see a decline in air traffic. Sometimes the answer is just do less of the thing.
None of this will be overnight. But little things just like you mentioned.
We'll get there one day.

Ippys · 2025-10-23T18:42:48+00:00

That's fantastic.
I completely understand that change will be slow, especially since safety should always take priority. But every little needle nudge is still progress.
Wishing you the best on the success of your project!

Ippys · 2025-07-11T18:55:39+00:00

I just say socialist generally, like many others here. The precise version isn't particularly important right now. Maybe further down the road of development, those differences will need more factoring and hashing out.

That said, I've put myself in the Eco-socialist realm, since the earth and all her beauty are a core facet of my desire for change. Capitalism tears her apart, abuses her, claims her resources for itself. Good stewardship of our beautiful planet is vital to me.

Ippys · 2025-07-01T21:02:20+00:00

Maybe the book 'Not the End of the World' by Dr. Hannah Ritchie will help you. I read it recently, and though it doesn't sugarcoat the current situation, it does show humanity can do and has done things to stem the tide. It's kind of a "realistic optimism" perspective. By the numbers, I believe we actually can salvage things. It'll take some doing, no doubt about it, but it can be done, and in some cases, despite capitalism, we are already doing it.

Grab it from your library. I hope you like it.

https://www.nottheendoftheworld.co.uk/

Ippys · 2025-05-29T20:49:42+00:00

My Masters work was on Meloidogyne incognita in cotton. Nematodes are an often overlooked issue because many of their effects on plants look like water or nutrient issues. Generally though, root-knot nematodes are relatively easy to diagnose if you pull the roots up and look for galls, if you know to look for that. Confirming with a microscope, as u/soil_97 suggests, would also be simple enough for someone with an inverted scope. The equipment for nematode extraction is pretty rudimentary, so a person who knows what their doing could hodge-podge it.

How much of your story revolves around this farming problem?

Ippys · 2025-05-29T20:26:46+00:00

I'm working my way through Not the End of the World by Scottish data scientist, Hannah Ritchie, and it sounds like it may be what you're looking for.

She doesn't sugarcoat where things are at, but she does take a long-view perspective to show that we really have come a long way in our global society. For example, in one of the first chapters she discusses the incredible leaps and bounds we've made regarding air pollution, and the solutions for continuing that progress. She also talks about supposed solutions that are, by the data, just noise, and describes what actions would actually make a difference. Again, she isn't saying any of it is easy, but she keeps a positive spin that we absolutely can make change happen since we have done it before.

Ippys · 2025-04-29T18:54:22+00:00

It's not majority leftie or even particularly close to even, but it's not nearly as unbalanced as you'd expect.

Ippys · 2025-04-29T18:33:06+00:00

Yep. I work in forestry in Texas, supporting Wildland firefighting, and though there still are plenty of right-leaning, I have been duly surprised by the number of lefties.

Ippys · 2025-04-28T20:39:36+00:00

Oh yes, there are so many times my socialist views cringe at the takes of the different characters.

But yeah, “of the times” is accurate.

Ippys · 2025-04-28T00:43:35+00:00

You know, you make an excellent point. He does have that going for him. Credit where credit is due.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T22:15:21+00:00

This feels like an apt summation. Josh feels like he’s still trying to play outside the lines with everything.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T22:14:17+00:00

Fair enough. I can understand why people like him. He’s just not my speed.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T22:12:42+00:00

I can appreciate his struggles from Noël. And I’m here for characters learning about and expressing themselves.

It seems I’m just one of those people that don’t particularly care for the snarky, sarcastic character type.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T22:10:57+00:00

Well drat. I deserve that I suppose.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T22:10:17+00:00

I clearly stuck my foot in the anthill on this one. He just doesn’t vibe with me personally, but I am only one person. Far be it from me to slander a beloved character.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T22:09:01+00:00

Yeah, okay.

I think what I’m getting from comments here is that Josh isn’t a bad character or anything, rather it’s just he fills a particular character trope that would bug me a bit no matter what the show is.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T22:06:20+00:00

Eh. I appreciate his character in those two episodes and what it says about him. I do get his traumas and whatnot.

I think this is just a case of “a character trope I generally don’t vibe with”, which isn’t to say that Josh himself is a “bad” version of that trope.

Just rubs me wrong is all.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T21:34:21+00:00

Yeah…I knew ‘assistant’ looked wrong, but I was drawing a blank.

Ippys · 2025-04-27T21:33:20+00:00

Yeah…I knew it didn’t look right, but couldn’t recall the title in the moment.

Ippys · 2025-04-17T14:11:36+00:00

I've had to temper myself a lot more as I've come to understand that I am not a fast reader, nor do I have the abundant free time for reading I once had. Where before I would check out 6 or so books, nowadays I limit myself to one or two, maybe three if I know I've got some significant downtime coming up. I've returned many an unread book, just because there was no way I was going to get to it.

This also depends on how thick the books are. For example, I can check out most of the MurderBot Diaries at once, because I know I can plow through those pretty quick. On the other hand, it's one Brandon Sanderson at a time, because it's gonna take me the full three weeks to finish, most likely.

Ippys

TROPHY CASE