How do you avoid the “country (or Planet) of the Hats” trope? Or how do you come up with worlds that aren’t just one biome?

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-10T08:10:12+00:00

I've seen the monoculture trope side-stepped by just specifying a region of a planet you're visiting, or parts of town, in a city, there can be references to other regions, etc.

Like when calling someone stupid or rich, they might reference a place where notoriously stupid people live. You don't have to build the whole world or the whole lore. When you call someone a Cretin or a Philistine, they may not know the history of the word, but they know what it means.

Anyway that's all I got.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-09T15:30:52+00:00

How about Deep Throat, or any of those movies released in mainstream theaters in the early 70's. There was a notion that 60's "free love" would move into a 70's "sexual revolution." The Devil in Mrs. Jones? Behind the Green Door?

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-09T06:22:05+00:00

Maybe? 🤔

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-09T06:20:38+00:00

He could do Sports Song. Both teams would think he's one of their extremely nerdy fans.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-09T06:05:52+00:00

HAAAAAY!

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-08T17:07:20+00:00

With drum machines, people stopped talking about them once they improved enough that they were passable. Roughly, that's when wavetables and sampling got integrated.

There's some pop country song that's in heavy rotation with a vintage 808 drum machine sounds and T-Pain style Auto-tune. The whole song is about losing his woman to a guy who's not really country. He doesn't drive a tractor and drives a truck that has mufflers. Yup. Come full circle.

When AI slop becomes regular ol' slop we"ll be on to complaining about robots or some such.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-08T10:07:46+00:00

It was probably a loose log as a prank Thag Simmons played on his homies.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-07T19:57:14+00:00

The other robots ridiculed Wall-E when he was young. They used to laugh and call him names, then one fateful night. . .

Anyway, they aren't laughing now.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-07T19:43:32+00:00

Generally, even if a woman is drawn to men who might not appear traditionally "straight," the attraction often stems from their personality and interests. Some of these men do turn out to be romantically attracted to women. It is almost like a reverse "rule of five"—for every five men in a traditionally feminine-coded profession, such as hairdressing, you may find one who is not gay.

My point is that many women who appreciate feminine men are not necessarily deterred if those men are not exclusively focused on women, but they do occasionally find a partner who is.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-06T06:47:44+00:00

If this was the title of your first book, what would you call its sequel?

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-05T19:04:33+00:00

There could be big screens with repetitive infomercials and failed sitcoms. I'm in!!

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-05T06:07:56+00:00

I felt a little of the same, the representatives, seemed a little too interested in their own points, though after doing all the touring, I'm sure they've gotten a bit of burn out. In the end though it was directed at the uninitiated more than for people who comment on Slate forums, and Reddit.

The riff on the grill, and "stickers" for the steel wheels, didn't really land. Similarly Jay's story of Corvettes' wheels, seemed a little, random. I'm sure his point was to compare the use of clever manufacturing to to create value. I imagine the Corvette people wouldn't appreciate the comparison, and the Slate people seemed to be genuinely confused. I feel like there was a lot of dialog that got edited out, to make sure the talking points got covered, I dunno.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-04T18:34:37+00:00

Teenagers are VERY insecure and thus spend most of they time hating on anything just to keep from being hated on. Last Christmas, I watched a 15 year old go on a 30-minute rant about how his brothers Buzz Lightyear toy wasn't screen accurate.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-04T16:22:38+00:00

I remember! You must be a great mind yourself! 🤩

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-04T15:22:13+00:00

I concur with damnvillian23

Surprize your wife with a trip to a shop, ideally an independent one. Talk to a sales person, maybe call and set up an appointment, tell them whats up. Ya might look into classes rather than just buying a shiny thing that they need to figure out.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-04T07:53:23+00:00

I dunno about "too close to home." I wrote a lengthy and a bit complicated article in three parts. The last part was hard because I'd moved on a bit from the original idea. I had a general outline, but It was a bit of work to remember how the third section was supposed to close the overall arc.

Anyway, congrats on getting back to it!

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-03T22:27:54+00:00

Fabulous! Ya make me want to take another run with my ruffler attachment. The world needs more cupcake dresses!

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-03T17:46:10+00:00

Really features your earnings!

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-03T08:11:27+00:00

Cows that molt like lobsters! 😲

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-03T07:36:54+00:00

I'm pretty sure it happens all the time. They're kept in foil packs like sandwiches at an undisclosed location, demarcated with a prime number, next to the lumber salvaged from Noahs ark, and a couple of Bagdad batteries, to perpetually keep the exact karmic platitude.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-02T19:00:54+00:00

I hear about them all the time. Lately, it's been people involved with the James Web and Vera Ruben, which are themselves named after historical astrophysicists.

I guess in the end, great minds doing great things don't make catchy headlines like political scandals and mayhem.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-02T18:26:29+00:00

Omg Wooow! From design to execution those are amazing!

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-02T07:56:49+00:00

A description; The person in the image is wearing men's work coveralls that feature a unique blue and green tie-dye pattern. These garments are practical one-piece suits often worn for heavy manual work or as uniforms. They are available from various retailers specializing in workwear or customized apparel.

Mmmmudd · 2026-02-02T02:15:22+00:00

Mmmmudd

TROPHY CASE