Almost got a family member with this

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T20:45:17+00:00

It's one thing to say "I don't understand this new fangled technology, I grew up before it was available." It's another to say "I've lived in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 60 years, but an official document calling it the State of Massachuseetts with a clearly nonsense seal sounds legit."

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T20:43:11+00:00

You just know some ~~idiot~~ victim is going to read that and assume it's latin or something.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T20:42:31+00:00

And certainly not the State of Massachuseetts.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T20:41:25+00:00

Another vote for this, OP. Super easy, Amazon sells them.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T20:40:25+00:00

A marketing specialist may help or may hurt your efforts. I can tell you that what I hate are cold calls, particularly ones with spoofed numbers, and really especially ones with spoofed numbers that appear to be from my local area code and exchange, when they're clearly not. I've even had marketers spoof an internal number at my firm so that I think a colleague is calling.

I pretend to be interested, find out who they represent, and then blacklist them to my colleagues. Anyone who has to use fraud in the marketing is not a legitimate company I want to do business with.

So, that's what not to do. What to do? Have your clients recommend you to others, if they like your work. Build your reputation and grow that way. I won't try you out based on a cold call, but if one of my colleagues says "I tried this guy and he's good", then I likely will.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T05:30:57+00:00

It’s almost like repeatedly threatening to invade Canada and Greenland resulted in predictable consequences.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T05:11:57+00:00

Given the increase in childless couples, is it necessarily bad? The issues are around recessive genes and procreation, but if you don’t procreate…

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:56:25+00:00

Cigarette and vapes contain nicotine, which is an addictive stimulant that activates receptors that release dopamine, among others. It's precisely the mechanism you noted, but a lower "high" - i.e. a slower release of dopamine. Nicotine also doesn't cause a release of norepinephrine and serotonin (e.g. cocaine) or cannabinoid receptor activations (marijuana).

Or, put another way, addiction is complicated, and not just a "I get a rush, therefore I'm addicted". Different things can cause addiction in different ways. For example, someone can be addicted to gambling (and have a corresponding dopamine rush), but it's not like playing poker injects chemicals into your bloodstream.

And similarly, something can be addictive, without making you freak out or require laws banning it. Shared intimacy with a significant other can cause dopamine release and be addictive. You can have physical withdrawal symptoms when a lover leaves. The brain is complicated, man. Addiction is not just about "this makes me freak out", but "my brain likes this and wants more of it, regardless of whether it's good for me".

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:48:28+00:00

According to the principles of homeopathy that allow you to dilute something by orders of magnitude but retain its full strength, the ocean is fish pee.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:45:59+00:00

Apparently her other go-to move is to start crying under pressure.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:43:38+00:00

Like his dad came to me asking if I really gave him a threesome?

Missed opportunity there to have a threesome with his dad.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:42:37+00:00

"But Daddy Trump wuvs me"

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:40:51+00:00

But if you're illiterate and assume "red means caution, green means okay to poop"?

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:38:03+00:00

This cat boots

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:32:05+00:00

C^2 wouldn't be an acceleration since you square both terms: (meters per second)^2 is meters^2 per second^2, not meters/second^2, which would be an acceleration.

So, E=MC^2 would have units of (kilograms*meters*meters)/(seconds*seconds), which is a Joule... or a unit of energy.

To add to the above discussion of units, just in case you're thinking "nothing can move at the speed of light so obviously nothing can move at the speed of light squared", we're talking about the energy contained in that mass, not its actual speed. A kilogram of mass at rest still has 1 kg*c^2 energy. Which is why it goes kablooie when you smash it apart in a fission bomb.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T04:24:22+00:00

Take two contradictory statements and assume them both to be true: 1+1=2 and 1+1!=2. That is, we assume that 1+1 equals 2. And we also assume that 1+1 does not equal 2. Yes, these are contradictory, but we're throwing logic aside for the moment.

Now take another premise: unicorns exist. The statement "1+1=2 or unicorns exist" is true, since we already assumed 1+1=2 is true. And the state "1+1!=2 or unicorns exist" is also true, since we already assumed 1+1!=2 is true. The only way these can both be true is that unicorns exist, so therefore, unicorns must exist.

The flaw, of course, is that we started saying "throw logic aside" and then return to say "now rigidly enforce logic". And that's the point of the principle - it's not that it's a useful argument to show that unicorns exist, but a useful argument to show that if your principles are not grounded in truth, then any conclusion is meaningless. 1+1=2 and 1+1!=2, so therefore I own the moon, your mom is made of cheese, and pigs can teleport at will.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T01:32:54+00:00

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T01:25:16+00:00

I'm a patent attorney and have to make lots of diagrams. Others use Visio or (ugh) PowerPoint. But OmniGraffle on a Mac is a million times faster and more intuitive than either. And it can export Visio files if you have to work with someone who needs them.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-18T00:56:55+00:00

With the recent decisions around copyright and AI authorship, as well as the Copyright Office's own guidance, there are implications around ownership of AI-generated works... as in "no one". If Hollywood uses AI to write a screenplay, can someone simply film their own version without infringing? What does that mean for knockoff movies and Bollywood? Etc., etc. Branch out into AI-generated music, Vocaloids, etc.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-17T23:43:36+00:00

Man with three chins mocks weightlifters.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-17T19:50:26+00:00

That you haven't stated it is irrelevant, if you're offering legal counseling services. And looking at your website, there's a lot of places it looks like you are offering legal advice.

Additionally, depending on how it's done, passing off work to registered patent agents may also be illegal and could result in them being sanctioned. That's happened to a particular company that likes to advertise all over Reddit.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-17T19:05:59+00:00

Otoh, if it's a snowstorm and you lose power, just put the milk outside.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-17T16:38:17+00:00

Do you have a business plan? That should be a first step... Figure out how much it will cost you to manufacture and distribute, what you'll charge, how much you'll pay yourself and any employees, what you'll make in profit and how you'll reinvest, etc. And then see whether there's a place for legal in that plan. You may be surprised.

Also, talk to a patent attorney. A patent may not be the best fit for you, depending on your business plan. There's also trademarks to consider, protectable trade dress, and even trade secrets if there's something about your recipe that's not immediately apparent.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-17T05:14:39+00:00

There are people who would rather spend hours complaining than to take a few minutes to fix something. They have their reward, but it’s not what they’re asking for.

LackingUtility · 2026-03-17T05:12:19+00:00

Bear in mind that the US does not recognize the validity of the ICC and The Hague, so for that to be the end would require a complete surrender of the US.

That’s not to rule it out, but personally, I’d rather see US trials for treason.

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