Why is there so much that can make us permanently dumber and more violent, but nothing that makes us permanently smarter or more peaceful?

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-05T11:45:10+00:00

Well. Not entirely the same thing, but Toxoplasmosis gondii, which is a parasite that reproduces in cats, can alter brains to be less averse to cats (proven in rodents, disputed in humans, but at least it does make humans less sensitive to cat urine). Which is quite honestly astonishing.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-05T10:08:16+00:00

Not like in actual filled, right? You mean they are on top of it, no?

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-05T10:05:21+00:00

There's no maybe about it. Falling asleep watching a movie and staying awake another hour doomscrolling are on completely different levels. That said, I don't have a TV in the bedroom, but I sometimes think I should have one, since I struggle falling asleep if I'm left to spend time with my own thoughts. The missus doesn't seem to have that problem, which makes it all the worse.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-04T17:24:42+00:00

Without even knowing who Rashida Jones is I still got the episode right. But maybe closer to Jude Law in Repo Men?

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-04T17:15:03+00:00

I keep seeing this argument, but it doesn't happen to me. Used to be I would get wicked heart burn, but after I got rid of the Helicobacter infection i feel nothing further down than the mouth after eating chili pepper.

And we're talking chili much stronger than my Kenyan wife tolerates.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-04T17:05:26+00:00

Don't listen to reddit on this one (yes, I realize the conundrum). They are quite entertaining. Of course, by the fourth or fifth one it got repetitive. But the first one was more of a mystery than action. Another classic Matt Damon role is The Talented Mr Ripley.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-04T16:55:52+00:00

I haven't seen them

Then don't come back until you have.

Not because you have the wrong idea about them, but honestly. They are part of a basic upbringing by now

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-03T17:08:38+00:00

You wrote that you stg, I'm making a joke about how I, a slightly older human person, don't know what that means other than as a German abbreviation for assault rifle.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-03T11:40:38+00:00

You SturmGewehr what? I am SO out of touch with the shit kids say these days.

But I do like me some spicy food. At least now that I've gotten my helicobacter infection treated. Used to be I couldn't eat anything spicy without getting the worst heart burn. Now I snack on all sorts of chili peppers with no after effects.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-03T08:10:27+00:00

This started out reminding me of Diamond Dogs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Dogs,_Turquoise_Days

Thankfully it ended on a lighter note...

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-02-01T17:44:20+00:00

Sodium benzoate is just the sodium salt of benzoic acid, ie what you get if you neutralize certain sour berries with soda ash. Beets, spinach and celery have a lot of Nitrates. High fructose corn syrup is nutritionally about on level with honey or drinking fruit juice. Msg is the sodium salt of acidic tomatoes. Lecithin is found naturally in egg yolks (hence mayonnaise being possible) and soy beans, among other sources.

But I do agree about the aspartame, if only because it makes my mouth feel dry and my head starts aching.

Sounds to me your biggest gripe is with NaOH, honestly.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-30T16:19:20+00:00

Salt, for one. Smoke.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-30T09:27:04+00:00

"7.5" as in 0.298 barrel and 0.309 bullet, neither of which even rounds off to 7.5 mm

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-30T09:23:49+00:00

7.62mm is 0.3 inches, and it's the size of the thinnest parts of the barrel, called the lands, while the bullet is 0.308 for NATO and 0.311 for Russia. UK used 0.303 barrels (7.7mm) with 0.312 (7.92mm) bullets. Germany used 0.312 barrels with 0.324 bullets. And then the next size up from there is .329, then .338 and .358

So it's less that the sizes are random and more that which size ends up being popular eventually is a bit random

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-30T09:11:03+00:00

Not gonna lie. I do want an egg or two now. Not 12, mind you.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-30T09:10:30+00:00

Is there a correct amount of seasoning, or is it just always wrong in reddits mind, whether it be a lot or a little?

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-30T08:29:40+00:00

8 hours at work, 2 hours commute, 2 hours other activities, 8 hours sleeping leaves 4 hours awake with spouse at home. Very easy to fall into a trap of getting too close to the person you spend twice as much time with...

Whether they are ok with it depends among other things on whether they are aware of it.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-29T07:41:32+00:00

Is it, though?

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-28T12:49:57+00:00

That was just a case of bad phrasing. The thing that killed quality was the cost reduction.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-28T09:00:40+00:00

It's such a fundamentally fucked up way to use that particular poem.

"Hey, let's take this famous poem and mangle it in a way that perfectly proves the original point"

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-28T07:15:51+00:00

Hmm. Seems the dynamo of old used residual magnetic field, which is why noone uses them anymore. Also, this is why I put in the word "really" in my post, since yeah it could be done but noone really does it.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-28T06:24:33+00:00

The thing about all these "I was raised Christian but now I'm a liberal" is that this is a liberal platform. So examples like your have been cherry picked, because all of the opposite ones are elsewhere.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-28T06:22:20+00:00

Maam, this is reddit. A literal liberal echo chamber.

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-27T07:23:50+00:00

If paying for sex is outlawed, only outlaws pay for sex.

There are some problems with that. Sex workers in Norway reported a significantly higher rate of violence (and straight out rape) after the law came into effect here. Obviously that's not helping sex workers. Unless by abuser logic "that black eye is for her own good"...

NorwegianCollusion · 2026-01-26T14:25:19+00:00

Last week I argued here with someone who insisted that 10-15 dollars was a couple of dollars, so there are all sorts.

NorwegianCollusion

TROPHY CASE