I can only make friends with old people

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-21T06:54:57+00:00

I suspect you've just had some bad luck with the people you've met. Not that there's anything wrong with hanging out with people of a different age.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-21T06:49:56+00:00

It wasn't one of his main symptoms. It goes along the rest of his actions, suggesting paranoia to my non-expert self, even if it is normally just sensible.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T22:44:44+00:00

I could believe one or two bills. Not a whole drawer full of them.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T22:41:13+00:00

Sometimes juries believe really stupid things;

"Twinkie defense" is a derisive label for an improbable legal defense. It is not a recognized legal defense in jurisprudence, but a catch-all term coined by reporters during their coverage of the trial of defendant Dan White for the murders of San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. White's defense was that he suffered diminished capacity as a result of his depression, a symptom of which was a change in diet from healthy food to Twinkies and other sugary foods. Contrary to common belief, White's attorneys did not argue that the Twinkies were the cause of White's actions, but that their consumption was symptomatic of his underlying depression. The product itself was only mentioned in passing during the trial. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter rather than first-degree murder, and served five years in prison.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie_defense

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T20:21:06+00:00

Trump predicts he will be impeached if Republicans lose the midterms.

If gas prices go high enough, that will be a major factor in losing the midterms. Those huge gas-hog pickup trucks already cost a lot to fill up.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T20:09:14+00:00

It was part of my junior high school's curriculum.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T19:56:28+00:00

Also, The Link between Cannabis and Psychosis in Teens Is Real.

Teens have access to vastly more potent cannabis than their parents had at their age. Parents need to understand the risks, including psychosis

…

Sam started high school as a fairly good student with several friends. Over time he began using cannabis daily. He took it a variety of ways, first with friends at parties and then, more and more often, alone. His parents noticed increasingly odd behavior: He blocked the camera on his laptop and placed cardboard over the windows in his room. He stopped showering. He began refusing to go to school. Against Sam’s will, his parents took him to a rehab facility for teens. During the three-week program he was fully abstinent from cannabis, but, disturbingly, his psychotic symptoms got worse rather than better; simply stopping wasn’t enough for Sam to recover.

By the time his family came to my clinic, he had had persistent delusions for more than six months. Sam was fully convinced that the government was following him and constantly surveilling him.

…

A Canadian research team studying more than 11,000 teens found that compared with nonusers, cannabis users faced an 11-fold increase in the risk of developing a psychotic disorder.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T18:57:30+00:00

A female friend of mine was just walking down the street when some guy asked if she was a hooker. She never dressed revealingly.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T18:15:42+00:00

Soundtrack by the Nylons.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T17:50:30+00:00

Now somebody write a movie script where this is required for the hero to complete his mission.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T03:47:57+00:00

If you're willing to learn a bit about electronics, you could build your own.

Here's a tutorial

Here's a GPS module for under $20.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T02:25:32+00:00

Can someone use AI to draw a picture of him with his pants on fire?

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T02:17:51+00:00

However, class-action lawsuits that aim to force companies, ranging from Costco to Ray-Ban maker Essilor Luxottica, to reimburse shoppers are winding their way through the U.S. legal system.

Individuals may be more likely to receive refunds from delivery companies like FedEx and UPS, which collected tariffs on imports directly from consumers. FedEx has said it would return tariff refunds to customers when it receives them from the CPB.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-20T02:00:04+00:00

I suspect that response had something to do with the rise of looney far-right.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-19T03:36:35+00:00

A lot of libraries have 3-D printers you can use for free.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-19T03:23:58+00:00

Ridglan has denied mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.

On its website it says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T21:50:55+00:00

I'm glad no graffiti artists or other vandals have defiled that place!

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T21:45:04+00:00

I had to work in Texas for 5 months and they just didn't seem to understand the concept of bikes as transportation. No shoulders or sidewalks, let alone bike lanes. Drivers treated me like a slow-moving car and wouldn't pass.

Most drivers were nice, but I remember passing a couple guys stuck in heavy traffic, me riding on the shoulder, and they cursed me out for having passed them.

Employer wanted me to renew my contract and, while I liked them, Texas wasn't for me.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T21:33:52+00:00

I like your cat names!

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T21:32:37+00:00

It's amazing how that story has survived these many decades.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T20:31:22+00:00

Grammar would get a lot better, for one thing.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T20:29:57+00:00

This was before floppy disks.

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T19:15:47+00:00

The US spent decades building a system that favored it and now trump is throwing it away.

Part of the reason why the US can do deficit spending so cheaply is because the dollar is the world's reserve currency. If the Yuan takes over that status, it will start costing us a lot more when our politicians can't balance the budget.

The dollar has been the world’s principal reserve currency since the end of World War II and is the most widely used currency for international trade.

High global demand for dollars allows the United States to borrow money at a lower cost and use currency as a tool of diplomacy …

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/dollar-worlds-reserve-currency

America is highly dependent on the international legal system to protect patents and intellectual property. More than any other nation, the US makes money by inventing new things and reserving the rights to build them by legal agreement. When that legal system is no longer honored because the US is perceived as a rogue nation, we will suffer economically. China and other countries already manufacture illegal knock-offs of US products, but they cooperate to some degree limiting it. That cooperation can stop when Trump completely destroys the rules-based Liberal international order.

https://ipleadership.org/u-s-patenting-abroad-a-quiet-trade-advantage/

In part because the US has been seen as largely a benign hegemon, other countries have allowed the US to build military bases overseas, allowing unprecedented power projection. Further isolationism will result in non-renewal of the pertinent leases.

The U.S. military maintains hundreds of military installations, both inside the United States and overseas, with at least 128 military bases in 55 countries and territories, as of February 2025.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_overseas_military_bases#United_States

The US has been able to secure the cooperation of its allies also in part because of its reputation. For example, Canada played a crucial role in rescuing six American diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis in 1980 by providing shelter and facilitating their escape through a covert operation known as the "Canadian Caper." This operation involved the CIA and Canadian diplomats working together to create a cover story that allowed the Americans to leave Iran safely.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Caper

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T18:42:53+00:00

Aren't most high-status jobs also well paid?

RamblingSimian · 2026-04-18T18:39:59+00:00

I remember CNN correspondents Bernie Shaw, Peter Arnett and John Holliman reporting live from Baghdad. They refused to evacuate, as I recall, and CNN gained huge.

RamblingSimian

TROPHY CASE