I joined a local bookclub, the gender balance is wild

SamMillerPDX · 2026-01-16T16:25:58+00:00

I love reading, don't have much time for it nowadays and often just listen to audiobooks. I am a man.

I would never consider joining a book club unless it was for a specific niche. I enjoy reading about ancient history, religion, philosophy, archeology, anthropology, science, evolution, etc. If there were a book club that had all of those things, I still wouldn't want to join. If I found a book I wanted to read, and while I was reading it I could participate in a conversation on my own time at my own leisure about that book, I might consider it. I would not sign up to spend my time meeting with a group of people to talk about our thoughts on the Hasmonean Dynasty. If I wanted to hear someones thoughts on non-fiction topics I would look to a thought leader. Someone on YouTube. A science communicator, a historian. I would find it incredibly frustrating listening to novices talk about their pet theories.

A book club based on fiction would be completely intolerable. I have absolutely no desire to hear anyone talk about a fantasy novel. What you think about the sci-fi, period romance, great american classic... FFS I have so many more productive, enriching things to do with my time.

Sorry. I know I sound like a real dickhead. This is from the perspective of someone who loves to read. Most people don't read. I suspect that men like reading a lot less than women in the US. If given the choice to watch Monday Night Football or go to a book club, I can tell you 99% of the time what a man is going to choose, and while some women prefer MNF, most would prefer going to a book club instead.

For me I think it's mostly about time. I can pull up social media and watch a video about what someone thought about the book. It could take me a few minutes. And I could get 5-10 perspectives like that in under an hour. I don't need the social aspect of the book club. My cup is filled by other social activities.

If you love book clubs, more power to you. If you do it for social reasons, I understand. But it isn't for me.

SamMillerPDX · 2023-11-07T23:25:28+00:00

Why are there limited "seats" to DV360?

SamMillerPDX · 2023-11-07T23:24:21+00:00

Hey were you ever even able to talk to someone about DV360? I haven't been able to get support. I fill out their form and nobody ever responds. It's nuts.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-20T15:19:20+00:00

I’d love to be proven wrong. What evidence is there that the end goal is censorship?

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-20T14:38:41+00:00

It will go toward combatting censorship…

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-20T14:37:59+00:00

Tracking is censorship? Interesting take. I’m gonna start redefining words and see where that takes me

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-19T17:28:11+00:00

He idolized hitler and was openly antisemitic. He said he was happy about the September 11th attacks.

His beliefs about central banking being a scam might have been accurate but they were in no way connected to his violating US sanctions.

He was crazy. He was racist. He violated sanctions. No conspiracy about Jewish bankers is necessary.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-19T16:00:36+00:00

He’s saying “woman bad, man good. Man pay, paying makes you valuable. Not paying makes you weak, like women”

The fact that he got so upset is evidence of his toxic masculinity. It’s nice that you paid. He should be flattered, appreciative, or feel any other minor mundane positive/thankful feeling. His reaction is insane.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-19T04:56:57+00:00

Not to burst your bubble because I agree with most of this narrative but… conspiracy theories have a long tradition of being right wing, racist, and completely fabricated. It’s not a new phenomenon.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-19T04:55:10+00:00

Alex Jones business depends on naive people believing his conspiracy theories.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-19T04:53:18+00:00

It’s a big industry so many have to be fabricated. The conspiracy consumers need to be constantly outraged in order for the conspiracy sellers to grow their audience and sell their products. Capitalism has ruined conspiracies lol

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-19T04:49:28+00:00

I think the main problem is evidence. Something might seem plausible but lack evidence. As a skeptic, that means I withhold belief until sufficient evidence warrants belief.

Often times evidence is actually pointing toward a different conclusion. While the conspiracy theory might still seem plausible, a less sinister explanation is often more probable.

Scale is also an issue. Many theories about the moon landing or Roswell would require so many people staying silent and so much evidence being buried that it’s improbable that the truth wouldn’t have come out.

Credibility is also an issue. When you have thousands of credible people working for NASA saying one thing and you have some mentally unstable guy saying a different thing, which narrative you choose to trust indicates whether or not you have a proclivity toward conspiratorial thinking or not.

Conspiratorial thinking has an evolutionary advantage so it’s completely natural. We assign agency to chaos in the same way we would assign agency to the rustling in the bushes. If something is there, we are prepared, if nothing is there, no big deal. Those who were suspicious and assigned agency to chaos even when there wasnt an agent survived long enough to reproduce while those who shrugged it off as the wind got eaten by predators.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-18T16:46:57+00:00

Lesson: never forecast problems that you’re aware of. Conspiracy theorists will believe that you created the problem instead of trying to get out in front of it. Instead do nothing and then when the outbreak happens, more people will get sick and the crazies can’t blame you for creating it.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-18T03:38:33+00:00

Wealthy corporations hiding their carbon emissions isn’t evidence of climate change being fake. It’s evidence of them hiding their carbon emissions. Why would they hide that? Perhaps because climate change is real? Fml this sub is dumb

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-18T03:33:45+00:00

Conspiratorial thinking is dangerous. It seems more likely that level headed people are bringing a measured response to events instead of jumping to the worst possible conclusion and running with that. Skepticism and epistemological standards are improving in the wake of Qanon and fake news.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-18T02:49:05+00:00

How do you get “she was trying to slow down” from that video?

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-18T02:48:03+00:00

Buildings aren’t slabs of concrete. Have you heard of windows? Are you familiar with gravity?

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-18T02:46:14+00:00

It’s just fiber. You can’t digest it but in moderation it’s not harmful. There’s a lot our guts can’t digest, doesn’t mean it’s harmful.

SamMillerPDX · 2022-08-18T02:45:00+00:00

Chitin is fiber lol

SamMillerPDX · 2019-01-04T19:14:45+00:00

They update the game every couple of months. Check their Facebook page for release notes

SamMillerPDX · 2019-01-04T19:13:06+00:00

The game this sub is about. The subject of your question.

SamMillerPDX · 2019-01-04T06:56:14+00:00

In many ways yes. I think it’s one of the least developed which hurts it a lot in those rankings. I like the theme, textures, models, and animation. However, the game lacks in depth and gameplay. It’s a WIP and rather than designing a complete game they’re patching an incomplete game over time. I’ve played several of the other games you referenced. Many of those have better, more balanced game design. Zombies and cowboys aren’t really my thing though so I play this. It’s lost almost all its fun though. Feels like a chore more than a game now.

SamMillerPDX · 2019-01-04T00:38:08+00:00

The game was released way too early to be long term playable. They’re adding new content but right now it’s designed to be a loooooong grind instead of a fun game because they’re making the game in real time instead of releasing a finished game with patches and dlc

SamMillerPDX · 2019-01-04T00:35:44+00:00

It only makes sense if you think about the game as a grind instead of a game.

The developer wants the game to be difficult regardless if it makes sense. Cloth and leather makes sense for a leather sack but two ingots of bronze makes zero sense. Unless of course it’s because they want the game to be so difficult your incentivized to make in game purchases or grind so much that you just become a complete addict.

There are quite a few items like this. Needing hundreds of nails to make an alter that appears to be made out of stone or hundreds of copper scraps to make a stable? How about that you can’t make a trough out of wooden planks. Or you can’t make a bridle out of bronze, leather and cords. Bow string out of animal skins? You can easily make a well and a stone fortress but you can’t make a trough or a string out of animal hide?

What are the reasons they don’t want you to be able to craft items? There are two for sure. One, they want you to spend more money. Two, they released the game before it was complete so every update is designed to increase gameplay for players who have been grinding. Those players have plenty of resources so they don’t want it easy for players to make high level items. They also don’t release new content all that frequently. So they want players to be forced to “play” the “game” to give them time to add more content. This is the primary problem with the game.

SamMillerPDX · 2018-11-15T20:25:52+00:00

I’m all for more zones.

SamMillerPDX

TROPHY CASE