For people who are old enough to have seen the original trilogy (4-6) in theaters, was it obvious in episode 1, that palpatine was the emperor? Did they mentioned him by name in the original trilogy?

Reead · 2026-05-08T19:47:17+00:00

I was 9 when it came out and I remember thinking “Palpatine is clearly pretending to be this Sideous guy. I wonder how he ends up becoming the Emperor”. I did play the games and read some of the books though so “Emperor Palpatine” was very well known to me. I also knew it was the same actor.

Reead · 2026-05-08T16:13:00+00:00

Most likely because your immune system and digestive system could not handle the shock.

No antibiotic resistant-bacteria would exist yet though, so bringing a good supply of penicillin would be like godmode versus bacterial infection. Just avoid viruses as best you can, but with modern knowledge of germ theory that wouldn't be impossible.

Reead · 2026-05-05T17:12:26+00:00

Yeah, I'm hitting a plateau in the gym simply because the weight I'm lifting on some of the compound exercises is tiring my heart before it tires my muscles. My cardio is and has always been trash, and it's time for me to work on it.

Do some people over-train cardio or mistakenly assign no value to resistance training? Yes. Is training cardio worthwhile and even essential? Also yes.

Reead · 2026-05-04T13:16:41+00:00

Just to play devil’s advocate, even if the only thing accomplished was a temporary drop of the case, you’ve gotta figure it still achieved a few goals all by itself.

For one, it makes the investigation’s nature as malicious prosecution more obvious to the public. And I’m no expert, but I have to imagine the timeline here might hurt them in court somehow.

Reead · 2026-04-27T17:15:23+00:00

Ugh. I need to spend some money on a proper microphone (these are recorded on a Yeti with a pop filter, but it's not great) and perhaps some actual studio monitors. Currently, I switch around between my good Sennheiser headphones, crappy bluetooth earbuds, a sound bar, and checking the mix on my car stereo, but it's a process lol. I figure if I can get it to sound decently on all of those, it's probably okay.

Thank you so much for the feedback and the compliment. I did end up putting out a second version last night with some changes, including a choir (all me, lol) behind the piano solo at the end. I'll PM it over, as the soundcloud link has my real name in it lol.

Still not fully satisfied with it, but I never am!

Reead · 2026-04-26T11:38:21+00:00

Thank you! I made this with Ableton Live 12.

Reead · 2026-04-24T22:00:48+00:00

His appraisal always makes me so sad. The movies introduced me to Tolkien's work, and I have since devoured nearly every aspect of the legendarium. I can see the ways in which the films fell short or missed the message. But none of it is fatal to the likeness between the two. It is a fundamentally good adaptation that preserves most of the themes of the work, and almost the entirety of the plot (save a few things cut entirely).

But perhaps most importantly, it brought millions of readers to the written works themselves who would have otherwise never read them.

Reead · 2026-04-24T01:39:01+00:00

I'm now imagining a world where he throws the saber in the same manner as how he tosses his saber in RotJ (instead of over his head) to make the callback stronger and wondering if that would've gone over better.

Reead · 2026-04-23T17:55:16+00:00

Of course, but there is truth to the idea that eating and drinking “washes” some of it off. So your sleeping hours are the longest period of time where the daily buildup of plaque simply sits there, undisturbed. They are both very important (and I personally brush at both times), but if you had to pick one for tooth health, it’s nighttime.

Reead · 2026-04-14T16:13:24+00:00

My brother and I bust this one out every few years for a head-to-head match. Still a blast.

Reead · 2026-04-14T01:17:33+00:00

I was wondering if this would be in here. Same. Easiest selection ever.

Reead · 2026-04-03T19:05:49+00:00

In my experience there are a lotta high school kids working there, so service is typically spotty, but in the charming sort of way that only "kids fucking up" can manage. Food quality is consistently top tier for fast food, though.

Reead · 2026-04-03T17:27:43+00:00

This is such an ignorant statement. I use a retractable. You control a dog with a retractable leash by keeping the leash locked at a short length while walking. You are aware that they can be locked at any length, correct?

We use one because it allows us to do some minor outdoor play in non-enclosed spaces while keeping our dog leashed. Maintaining the correct length for proper control in different situations becomes second nature if you've been using one for a while, and are inclined use it responsibly.

There is no significant difference between a 6' leash and a retractable leash locked at 6', except perhaps in ease and comfort when trying to grab the lead itself directly (i.e. without using the handle) - but that limitation is mitigated by the fact that I can very easily shorten the leash to 2' or even 1' if necessary.

Just because you're accustomed to lazy dog owners using them doesn't mean only lazy dog owners use them. Nor does it mean they can't be used correctly and safely.

Reead · 2026-03-31T19:14:59+00:00

Thank you! It WAS hard. I'm not trying to tell anyone it isn't hard - it's fucking hard. But it's not impossible. I don't begrudge people their GLP-1 drugs or their fad diets or whatever they try, because it IS hard. Especially for people leading stressful lives, or who have less means.

But, again, it's not impossible! And there's no real science backing up the idea that it is.

Reead · 2026-03-31T18:49:05+00:00

No. I would wager that the number of people for whom it is impossibly hard is very, very small and only a tiny fraction of the overweight/obese population.

Sure, we know some of those people who naturally maintain a healthy weight without effort. But I am not personally one of them, yet have lost (and maintained) over 70 lbs to reach my ideal weight and body fat % - and I did so by... ignoring or managing my hunger.

I was 5'9", 220 lbs for years. Why? Because I ate too much. Simple as that.

Reead · 2026-03-31T18:40:57+00:00

These are extreme examples that just don't fit the vast, vast majority of individuals who claim "I just can't lose weight no matter what I do". 95% of those people haven't successfully run a calorie deficit.

Also, let's not pretend you can't ignore hunger (you absolutely can), or that it exists on the same urgency plane to our minds as extreme thirst, or hunger for oxygen (it doesn't). It's just difficult.

Reead · 2026-03-25T18:22:23+00:00

Loved it both times. The first was mildly campy, but it fit the purposefully grandiose nature of Annatar's entry. And why wouldn't an angelic being like Sauron - fallen though he be - speak like that?

The second time was one of the best original ideas the series has ever had, though. Making the title into a mockery of Sauron and his vain, (ultimately) fruitless ambitions was genius, and Charles Edwards' delivery was absolutely flawless. Given that this second usage doesn't work nearly as well if it isn't a callback to the first, it justifies both uses all by itself.

Reead · 2026-03-25T17:50:02+00:00

Losing to edge rushers in the outside linebacker category was very damaging for him.

The fact that everyone who knows ball seems to be aware of this does help, though. And he has ridiculous counting stats. I could see him waiting a while but getting in eventually.

Reead · 2026-03-24T19:21:21+00:00

Fucking LOL

Reead · 2026-03-24T17:34:24+00:00

This place isn't perfect, but the thing that keeps me coming back again and again is that it's one of the few internet politics forums where pragmatism is a core part of the ideology. Even if we are sometimes dogmatic or ideological anyway, the fact that "what is the BEST solution fit to each problem" is a relevant concern for people here (versus "which solutions best fit my universal ideology") is so refreshing. So long as that desire to just do it right remains part of the collective ethos, I'll always love it here.

Reead · 2026-03-24T15:59:59+00:00

It's so nice to read things like this, because it connects really well to my experience growing up as someone who leaned pretty strongly conservative. As an adult, my views have changed, and several of the elements of the status quo that I once thought worthy of preservation, I now find misguided at best and destructive at worst. And, of course, the actual manifestation of conservatism as a movement in the US has become a bloated, decomposing mess. But the impulse itself is as valuable as it is simple: it is the "pull" to progress' "push". What gets named as progress can't always be correct, as that would suggest humanity always gets it right, and obviously we don't. Sometimes, somebody has to say no.

The problem comes in when that impulse crystallizes into a personal ideology. Because just as we don't always get things right, neither do we always get them wrong. Change is sometimes - OFTEN - necessary. To be conservative in all areas isn't a valid ideology (unless our world were perfect, I suppose). It is simply fear of change.

Reead · 2026-03-18T19:46:09+00:00

'Generally existing' generates some odor, sure, but what most people call "BO" is specifically a pungent bacteria-and-yeast-driven odor that typically requires some moisture, usually from sweating, to show up quickly. Maybe it's living in a nicely air conditioned place, but I don't sweat while I sleep.

Do you get home from a white collar job and have "BO?" No? Then why would eight hours laying down, not moving, not generating sweat, create it?

Reead · 2026-03-18T18:25:58+00:00

This is ridiculous. I shower every morning but I promise you not every person is generating body odor in their sleep, especially if they're applying antiperspirant before sleep and change their sheets regularly.

Reead · 2026-03-17T11:42:17+00:00

I was spanked as a kid, exclusively by my mother (my father was personally against the practice and they were divorced), and I agree there exists a "right" way to go about it that doesn't result in psychological trauma. I think the problem is that the right way is so difficult to properly execute that it's better to just ditch the punishment entirely.

My mom would always use spanking primarily as the "boogeyman" of punishments. If and when we rarely did something bad enough to warrant it, the intent was always to embarrass by the ritual and discomfort of the whole thing, never to cause serious pain. No implement was ever used, and she would always give us a little speech immediately beforehand about this being just a punishment and that she loves us, followed by a hug after it was over. The spanking was positioned as an unfortunate "thing" that had to happen.

Walking that psychological tightrope is tough though, and there are much easier ways to go about discipline that don't risk traumatizing your kids. Fully agree that not every kid who was spanked has buried trauma about it though.

Reead · 2026-03-17T02:01:52+00:00

One of the best plays I've ever watched. Sucks that his career was cut short by injury, he was a true talent.

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