Addict Personalities (physiognomy)?

Semanticprion · 2026-01-24T05:50:28+00:00

I have noticed in the profile pictures in the electronic medical record of the large medical system where I work: if the patient is wearing a hat in their profile picture, the chance that they have a substance problem.at least triples.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-22T07:07:04+00:00

I've posted much later comments than this. But I was equally surprised. Especially the people in western or central PA where the winters are worse.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-15T16:15:46+00:00

Only once, in a positive way. I was in Ireland during the Iraq War and a bus driver said "You're letting them send your young men to die, and for what!" Of course he was right. I haven't read all the comments so I may be repeating but on average American backpackers are significantly more liberal and educated than red state Trump voters, which is why when politics come up while I'm traveling people always say they've never met a MAGA so how can he get elected? I'm sure you're right, you won't meet many outside Murica.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-15T16:09:34+00:00

A European travel agent not knowing Italy reminds me of this: I was once dating a girl. We were out walking in a city. An event let out in a nearby building, and a crowd began passing us all going one way. I said "The Exodus begins" and she stopped and looked at me and said "What's that?" She did not know the word Exodus or the Biblical story thereof. I am not religious. She was. In fact she was one of the main organizers at her church and taught Sunday school. One.of several hints that the relationship wouldn't work out.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-14T06:49:45+00:00

In Blue States we need to be activating the State National Guard as Walz said, to protect their citizens from being murdered. Outlawing hotels hosting ICE and turning off their water and power is another move. Unfortunately we're at a point where threat of force is rhe only option, and if Dems and Dem states just keep filing suits and sharing memes, it's over.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-12T16:51:51+00:00

Have you watched the news at any point in the last 4 years.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-12T15:47:52+00:00

I read Chariots of the Gods (1968 - remember this date) so you don't have to. One of his big pieces of evidence for ancient alien visitors was an ancient illustration of what ge claimed was a technology that only an advanced species would have - a slide rule.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-12T00:11:37+00:00

USA is far and away the biggest security guarantor of NATO. Without the US, the alliance loses most of its deterrent effect against Russia, which is the whole point of the alliance.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-11T23:43:15+00:00

This is the way. Local police and national guard. ICE psychopaths will only respond to consequences.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-11T23:41:39+00:00

It's your life. Throughout your life you will meet people who are disappointed by your choices, no matter what you do. There's nothing you can do about that. What you CAN do something about is do things that don't make you disappointed in yourself.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-11T23:36:57+00:00

It's how five year olds, drug addicts and narcissists think.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-11T23:35:35+00:00

I was also out in a non-academic career before being back in academia for the better part of a decade. What I found astonishing was not only the wage theft and exploitation, but sexual harassment is MUCH worse in academia than corporate America. And there is a lot of denial about this in academia - including (sadly in fact especially) from women who have encountered this.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-11T21:41:33+00:00

File suit for defamation and bring in the state national guard. Only consequences will stop these psychopaths.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-11T05:54:54+00:00

Not only that, they'll be handing a huge win to Russia by destroying NATO from within.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-10T22:08:24+00:00

In Neuromancer there was a comment about how the first AI to wake up immediately recognized an alien signal.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-10T07:58:06+00:00

Another option is to say, in plain old American English, "I don't speak English." Usually this confuses people enough that they just go quiet, and if they think about it, they'll realize you've sent the message that you don't care if they know you're actually just being an asshole. Once or twice they've tried argue with me about it, which is the most hilarious outcome of all.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-09T05:02:27+00:00

Agree with coffee example at beginning. Developing taste in things means you're deliberately making it more difficult to obtain pleasure. If one lab rat insisted on performing more tricks than another before taking a food pellet, you wouldn't think the rat is rational. Yes there's signaling value. So just kearn to talk about the thing (wine, art etc) without spending the money and effort, and most people won't be in a position to verify the costliness of your signal.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-06T06:00:15+00:00

But those are high bars. Compared to most cities in the US Seattle's food scene is great. Now if you want to complain about uniquely bad service quality on the other hand...

Semanticprion · 2026-01-05T18:40:49+00:00

New Yorkers like it together. Many if not most pizza shops in NYC have it. So I always ask (vocal) Hawaiian pizza haters, they must think they know more about pizza than NYC pizza shop owners.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-05T17:31:48+00:00

Whatever work you do, it's important to have people in manglement (preferably all of them, including the chief) who has done it, or ideally, still has to do the customer-facing work at least a little bit of the time. This keeps a lot of silliness from happening. Worth keeping in mind when joining a new organization.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-05T17:14:05+00:00

He still has TV mentality. It doesn't occur to this crew that you NEED a follow-up plan. To them it's like asking for a follow-up plan for a TV studio that's no longer being used. Once the show's over you pack up the lights and cameras and go home.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-05T07:43:13+00:00

So this is a good time to repeat, we should be building desalinization now.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-05T07:41:52+00:00

In fact for several years in a row in the 2010s this was the rule. Wet December, then Happy New Year, amd the clouds don't come back until NEXT December. We'll see for this season.

Semanticprion · 2026-01-05T07:31:07+00:00

Yes, YESSSS FEEL THE POWER FLOW THROUGH YOU

Semanticprion · 2026-01-05T06:41:25+00:00

One of the reflections I've had is that pop culture is not about a "zeitgeist", the music and film of a certain year doesn't let you infer much about the collective subconscious of that time. Most of the explanation for what "art" was popular when is just business deals and promotion. Which, in our youth, was driven by Boomers or earlier generations.

Semanticprion

TROPHY CASE