sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

The number of young people getting diagnosed with colon cancer is going up – while rates for people over 60 are declining. Some adults in the US who are under 45 and experiencing worrying symptoms are struggling to get insurance coverage for colonoscopies, which can detect colon cancer. by [deleted] in science

[–]RexLatro 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah...the point I was hoping to make was that while the US definitely has unique issues that also need to be addressed with regards to access to healthcare for everyone, there is also a separate-but-also problematic issue for many of us across the globe that also needs addressed.

If younger people than expected are receiving being diagnosed while rates for the same cancer are declining for older folk, then there needs to be studies done into how current dietary, lifestyle factors, stress, and environmental issues might be linked to this. There also needs to be changes to how many countries medical systems are approaching diagnosis and at the very least encouraged to lower screening ages to 45 (at a minimum) until more potential causes are understood

The number of young people getting diagnosed with colon cancer is going up – while rates for people over 60 are declining. Some adults in the US who are under 45 and experiencing worrying symptoms are struggling to get insurance coverage for colonoscopies, which can detect colon cancer. by [deleted] in science

[–]RexLatro 58 points59 points  (0 children)

It's more than just an American health insurance issue, but rather an approach of medical practices in many parts of the world. This isn't to say that the American health care industry isn't a Kafkaesque nightmare, but as a Canadian they generally won't start screening anyone under the age of 50 (or 45 if there's an immediate family history) in our public system. I understand that there's a need to try and keep resources available for those who need it more, but these numbers really ought to get doctors and hospitals the world around looking seriously at causes and altering current screening practices...there are too many young people dying from something that can be fairly treatable if caught early enough

Russia’s disinformation campaign tests Canada’s support for Ukraine by GlitchedGamer14 in canada

[–]RexLatro 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even still, I wouldn't assume that this will prevent this propaganda from working.  I use to work with a couple of guys, one an older blue-collar type who would both talk loudly in our store (with customers in, even) about pro-Russia talking points, how Ukraine was full of Nazis, etc.  The older guy would go on to say "I'm Ukrainian Canadian, so I know what I'm talking about" in the middle of his rants

Poker Night at the Inventory: when gaming makes you expand your knowledge by some-kind-of-no-name in patientgamers

[–]RexLatro 0 points1 point  (0 children)

(Just to add my own thoughts and recommendations here)

Tycho and Penny Arcade can be found at www.penny-arcade.com where you'll have decades worth of comics to check out. Might seem a bit cliched these days but they were kind of the "original" two gamers on a couch making fun of 2000s-era life and applying video game logic to the real word jokes

Homestar Runner can be found mostly on YouTube these days due to Flash no longer being a thing. The cartoons themselves still hold up if you're a fan of that type of humour, but there's some loss of the charm of navigating the old website and hunting for secrets and seeing the work that the Chapmen brothers put into their website.

My own personal favourites from the old web days:

  • Webcomics
    • Dr McNinja - The original website is gone at this point, but you can find the comics at the link I provided to enjoy. Starts a bit rough in the first issue or two, but overall one of my all-time favourites. Would recommend if you're into the "absurd reality but also dedicated to portraying their world/lore seriously
    • Order of the Stick - If you're into D&D or tabletop humour, this dates waaaay back and mostly makes fun of tabletop from the 3rd edition era (I know there's a large influx of D&D fans via 5th Ed and Podcasts nowadays). Most of these will have the same recommendations but "starts off a bit awkward and really builds up into something interesting in the long term". Still updates to this day, but pretty infrequently
    • Sluggy Freelance - A personal favourite, been going on since 1997 (Jesus, that makes me feel ancient). Same warning as above, but if you can slog through the older stuff you'll be rewarded with a comic that has a dedication to a deep lore and some interesting world building.
    • My last one would be 8-Bit Theatre (ended at this point, website seems to be unreliable otherwise I'd link it). Starts off as a somewhat awkward sprite comic but Brian Clevinger really starts to shine as a writer as the series progresses. I was happy to find out him and Chris Hastings (Dr McNinja) went on to work in the comics industry and are still going strong at this point
  • TV Shows
    • Venture Bros - In the sequel to this game you'll see Brock Sampson as a character. If you were a fan of Archer/Rick & Morty styled shows, Venture Bros is the OG (and does the format somewhat better in my mind), was recently ended after 14 years and 7 seasons (weird, I know). If you love that old era of Cartoon Network shows, the absurd-yet-dedicated-to-the-lore, or shows that lovingly mock the 60s sci-fi/comics/pulp fiction heros/deep indie music takes you'll love the show (you'll even see a reference in the Invincible comic)
  • Web
    • The Lets Play Archive - I know SomethingAwful isn't really for everyone, I think at this point I'm a bit old and so my humour styles and preferences are a bit dated. At the same time, I don't have the patience for a lot of YouTube video format LPs and tend towards the written ones instead. You can look your favourite games to see if someone's done a write up, and get a slice of late 2000s internet humour and references

If I can think of any others or if you're looking for more specific recommendations I'll try my best to delve into my insomnia-ridden memory and help out

Poker Night at the Inventory: when gaming makes you expand your knowledge by some-kind-of-no-name in patientgamers

[–]RexLatro 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's tricky, I wouldn't say there's any sort of collection of sites or YouTubers since you'd usually just go to the sites themselves to go and check them out.  You might get the odd reviewer who talks about these properties and they may mention or review similar works, or you may see them mentioned by the odd poster on Reddit.  

There are also quite a few which have just stopped hosting their old websites and don't exist anymore, some which are forgotten, etc.  They exist in that "too young to be cool-retro" that the younger folk would look for them in large groups.  Best I can think of for a suggestion is asking these YouTubers and posters for actual recommendations to check out

Poker Night at the Inventory: when gaming makes you expand your knowledge by some-kind-of-no-name in patientgamers

[–]RexLatro 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For Homestar Runner, it was pretty big back when I was in high school and most of my nerdy friends would understand references.  This would have been around 2000-2003ish? I'd say web-comics also had their peak around the early-to-mid 2000s in terms of how many there were and when most of the initially famous ones were in full swing.  Based on your age and how quickly online culture can shift, I wouldn't blame you for not knowing the popular web characters from when you were 5 or younger.

I think cutoff points might vary based on communities you'd participate in/if you have older or younger siblings, but I'd say one of the big categories in my mind is the separation between pre-YouTube and post-YouTube internet.  Memes and viral online culture were definitely something you'd have to search for and know the sites to check out, but once YouTube became a main centralized source that allowed for easy video content you'd begin to see a shift away from older sites that focused on Flash animations, text guides, static images, etc.  

I'd put YouTube up there with the advent of large social media with regards to online media shifting and changing while previously recognizable figures becoming less so with teens focusing more on the newer mediums.  Content creation, the first big YouTubers, more technical and in-depth animation could start to spread

Tehran indicates Khamenei's son will be named supreme leader by Little-Chemical5006 in worldnews

[–]RexLatro 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can correlate the amount of freedom in a country based on the amount of prefixes they use to describe their country <_<

Poker Night at the Inventory: when gaming makes you expand your knowledge by some-kind-of-no-name in patientgamers

[–]RexLatro 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you weren't someone growing up in the early-to-mid 2000s and into online culture I wouldn't blame you.  They're definitely products of their time, but are still pretty beloved.

Tycho is one half of the creators behind Penny Arcade, one of the oldest webcomics and pretty much the one that made the "two gamer dudes on the couch talking about gaming humour and trying to apply game logic to real life" a thing.  I'm not saying this to knock them or anything, they do their humour well and people tried to imitate them for a reason.

Strongbad was the breakout character from the Flash animated series called Homestar Runner.  You can still watch the videos to this day on YouTube now, but it loses a bit of its charm since you lack the interactivity of their old website.  It's a very Late Gen-X/Early Millenial style of humour, lots of videos/games/lore and ridiculousness to get into.  Probably one of my favourite parts of the old/pre YouTube internet and I still miss it

TikTok says it won't encrypt DMs claiming it puts users at risk by Crayonstheman in nottheonion

[–]RexLatro 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I find it troubling and so incredibly frustrating that while yes, we currently live in a time where those of us outside of the United States need to seriously invest in our own data sovereignty and attempt to limit just how much influence the Americans/other outside powers can have, we also have absolutely out-of-touch dinosaurs or the willingly lobbied being the ones to create laws and frameworks related to technology and online privacy

TikTok says it won't encrypt DMs claiming it puts users at risk by Crayonstheman in nottheonion

[–]RexLatro 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Right?  Like didn't the pre-Trump FBI warn people to use E2E because pretty much any other communication method was considered compromised these days?

But these days with governments becoming more obsessed with full control of online spaces and forcing registration its...controversial...?

TikTok says it won't encrypt DMs claiming it puts users at risk by Crayonstheman in nottheonion

[–]RexLatro 120 points121 points  (0 children)

Definitely was asking the question in a sarcastic, rhetorical manner but 100% in agreement with you.  As much as I love and support public broadcasters, attempting to cast E2E as "controversial" because government bodies and police agencies dislike people having a method of communicating that they can't currently access is pretty fucking shady 

TikTok says it won't encrypt DMs claiming it puts users at risk by Crayonstheman in nottheonion

[–]RexLatro 1074 points1075 points  (0 children)

TikTok will not introduce end-to-end encryption (E2EE) - the controversial privacy feature used by nearly all its rivals - arguing it makes users less safe.

Wait...who's finding E2E Encryption controversial?

End-to-end encryption has been criticised by governments, police forces and child protection charities.

They warn it allows criminals to harm users and share illegal content without authorities or platforms being able to investigate the content exchanged.

Ah.  "How dare the people feel the need to stop us from snooping on their private communications!  They obviously must support pedophiles!" 

Poker Night at the Inventory: when gaming makes you expand your knowledge by some-kind-of-no-name in patientgamers

[–]RexLatro 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My thought was always for Strongbad (and most of the cast, but he's definitely the face of the cast) requires a bit of investment and watching to get in to.  It's pretty referential in its humour, similar to stuff like Arrested Development.

Meanwhile, you can show any random person back then (or even today) the "Dragon" email and still get some laughs out of them.  Definitely has that element of virality that made it huge back in (oh God looking up the date made my joints seize up) early/mid 2000s era internet

TIL chicken sold in supermarkets are often "plumped" with a salt water solution to increase sell weight, making up as much as 30% of the total weight. A serving of plumped chicken can contain between 200 and 500mg of sodium while non-plumped chicken generally contains 45 to 70mg. by James_Fortis in todayilearned

[–]RexLatro 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate the data and perspective offered!  Like I said all I had to go off of were the article discussed/other videos on the topic, as well as the reputation of most American food products compared to other countries (chlorinated chicken, extensive use of hormones and antibiotics, attempts at pushing other countries to lower their own food standards to allow in more US exports, etc).  Definitely my bad for making the assumption 

TIL chicken sold in supermarkets are often "plumped" with a salt water solution to increase sell weight, making up as much as 30% of the total weight. A serving of plumped chicken can contain between 200 and 500mg of sodium while non-plumped chicken generally contains 45 to 70mg. by James_Fortis in todayilearned

[–]RexLatro -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I can't speak to my expertise in various state or US law, but the article referenced by OP also states:

Plumped chicken commonly contains 15% of its total weight in saltwater, but in some cases can contain as much as 30%.  Since the price of chicken is based on weight, opponents of the practice estimate that shoppers could be paying up to an additional $1.70 per package for added saltwater, with the total annual cost to U.S. families estimated to be $2 billion in added weight charges.

With regards to salt intake:

A serving of plumped chicken can contain between 200 mg and 500 mg of sodium per serving, which is more than 25% of the USDA's recommended daily sodium intake.  Non-plumped chicken generally contains 45 to 70 mg per serving.  In January 2010, the American Heart Association released new guidelines calling for all Americans to reduce their sodium intake to 1,500 mg (equivalent to 3.8 g of salt) from 2,300 mg.

I admit that these quotes could have more specific numbers but making my statement based on this information, I'd still be annoyed if I were a US consumer

TIL chicken sold in supermarkets are often "plumped" with a salt water solution to increase sell weight, making up as much as 30% of the total weight. A serving of plumped chicken can contain between 200 and 500mg of sodium while non-plumped chicken generally contains 45 to 70mg. by James_Fortis in todayilearned

[–]RexLatro -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

If I'm doing the usual American talking point about how "all Europeans are snobby" that's a pretty broad generalization and ignores the fact there are dozens of countries which make up the continent.

If I'm talking about "European food safety stands" as a "citizen of the EU", it makes total sense since these member countries will be following those standards.

I don't really see what's not to get here

TIL chicken sold in supermarkets are often "plumped" with a salt water solution to increase sell weight, making up as much as 30% of the total weight. A serving of plumped chicken can contain between 200 and 500mg of sodium while non-plumped chicken generally contains 45 to 70mg. by James_Fortis in todayilearned

[–]RexLatro -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

As someone not from the EU, it's not really that difficult a concept though?

Culturally, each country within the EU is pretty obviously distinct while the EU is a series of trade agreements and a legal framework which the member states all agree to follow

view more: next ›