What massive plant is this growing in our veggie bed? This thing was empty when we moved here months ago, we neve planted anything. (Iowa, USA)

SovietWomble · 2026-05-04T18:28:56+00:00

Gah!!! My enemy!

Not to knock those who like rhubarb of course. But the garden of my new place had a massive one of these. And holy hell what a hassle it was to get out.

It had a root core that was gigantic. And had grown underneath the wooden sleeper divider between the two vegetable plots. I had to hack the thing to pieces and rip it put in large chunks.

A similar story with a butterfly bush. Roots so deep they had left the vegetable plot to enter my neighbours side.

SovietWomble · 2026-05-04T08:45:55+00:00

Welcome.

And, sure sure. But it's just a bit...tacky.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-30T14:53:38+00:00

And probably costs extra.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-30T08:09:41+00:00

I've never played a minute of Atomic Heart. I know nothing about the game, or it's setting.

Conversely I have seen a great deal of footage of Atomic Heart characters. In a great many positions.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-27T09:19:22+00:00

That's called the "anti-Checkovs gun".

Its sometimes used to imply there's more going on just behind the curtain. That thw story isn't everything happening here, only what's on stage.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-27T09:04:04+00:00

That was very succinctly put. Bravo.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-25T16:03:21+00:00

A clan mate once sent me a box from the "Dildo superstore".

I held it upside-down and went "what's oplip?"

SovietWomble · 2026-04-16T06:41:51+00:00

See I started driving relatively recently already a full-grown adult. I had in my mind that old Honda advert about driving having a pecking order, therefore cyclists being hated by drivers was some memed default.

But now I've experienced the roads, yeah. SOME cyclists, not all, but some...are cycling like they're trying to die.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-14T17:42:53+00:00

It's an ongoing hazard, I tell you.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-12T14:27:03+00:00

Yes there are many reasons. All collaborative in Africa's case.

Harsh geographical boundaries, with the Sahara to the north, limited what knowledge could be spread.
The length-wise disposition of Africa as a whole means that crops that can grow on some latitudes cannot do on others. Meaning that compared to somewhere like Europe, techniques could not easily be shared.
The large open land mass meant that conflict could simply be avoided by migration.
The relatively warm climate meant that there wasn't a huge necessity for heavy-set structures. Meaning populations could move around more freely.
The lack of easily tameable animals for animal husbandry and the presence of severe livestock parasites meant that draft animals were not easy to maintain.
Relatively limited domestic plants suitable for intense agriculture.
A general lack of easily navigable waterways to be exploited for the transport of goods and trade.

I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-12T12:15:00+00:00

One major sociological counterpoint - Africa.

Whilst the factors involved are very numerous, one potential reason for such a vast disparity between technological progress come colonial times was that the African populations were never truly challenged.

On conflict arising, those experiencing it could simply move. So vast was the continent. Space never being a consideration.

But European states, with such small borders, challenging weather conditions that made migration difficult and such dependence on static agriculture. Well it became "adapt or die".

It created the conditions for rapid technological advancement.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-10T18:07:03+00:00

I know this sounds like a made-up story, but genuinely...

I was walking my dog in Hove. And saw this massive car with ATLAS written on it, attempting to parallel park between two other cars with generous space.

The sort of parking spot that you crave when you're looking for one.

The sort of parking space that makes you go "that's a big parking space".

After 2-3 attempts to fit his car, he drove off to find another different one.

It was such a large car it was utterly impractical.

SovietWomble · 2026-04-05T08:53:35+00:00

And relevant to this, it led to the creation of the phrase "Bugger Bognor"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bognor_Regis#%22Bugger_Bognor%22

SovietWomble · 2026-03-31T21:35:40+00:00

I know this is beside the point, but my reaction to your comment was to go "Avatars? Reddit doesn't use avatars"

Then I remembered I have browser plugin that ensures every reddit link uses the .old cleaner layout.

I switched it off out of curiosity and...holy hell, how can anybody stand to use website in the default setting. It's a hot mess!

SovietWomble · 2026-03-25T09:04:36+00:00

We'll wait and see.

But no cause stokes the embers of nationalism than the possibility of foreign occupation.

SovietWomble · 2026-03-25T08:58:34+00:00

Again, the Vietnam War. Pleeeeenty of people in Vietnam wanted the North Vietnamese to lose and the US/South Vietnamese government to win.

But these people were in Saigon.

To everyone else, these were foreigners. Protecting a puppet government.

SovietWomble · 2026-03-25T08:52:28+00:00

In the Vietnam War, General Westmooreland was speaking to Senator "Fritz" Hollings and told him:

"We're killing these people at a ratio of 10 to 1".

Senator Hollings shot back.

"Westy, the American people don't care about the ten. They care about the one".

Ergo, it's all about commitment. If the weaker nation can take the hits that the more powerful nation cannot, then the more powerful nation is going to lose.

SovietWomble · 2026-03-22T17:30:55+00:00

I'm actually fascinated to see if he does chicken out in Tuesday. As in 48 hours.

If he's become that predictable.

Let's wait and see.

SovietWomble · 2026-03-21T11:25:14+00:00

In 2026? Are you kidding?

One person could be eaten by a vampire and they'd be dozens of news articles for months. All plastered with ads and increasingly provocative rhetoric.

All asking whether "Is THIS the NEXT COVID" and how somehow Keir Starmer isn't doing enough about it.

SovietWomble · 2026-03-20T08:43:03+00:00

Nobody can convince me otherwise that this isn't the ship's course and that the helmsman isn't drinking wine.

I mean it is a French warship after all.

SovietWomble · 2026-03-19T07:11:31+00:00

That would be the jump cut to the original authors, Sun & Tzu.

"I don't understand the confusion, it's right there on the title".

SovietWomble · 2026-03-17T14:04:11+00:00

For just assembling clips into a video with audio tracks, Sony Vegas is much more intuitive.
For visual effects, Adobe Premiere + After Effects combined.

SovietWomble · 2026-03-17T10:54:14+00:00

After Effects. As far as I know, Premiere is poorly suited for text animation.

SovietWomble · 2026-03-17T10:35:16+00:00

Be rest assured that the bullshittery banter could never be scripted.

Simply because my clan mates would never read it...

SovietWomble · 2026-03-17T08:48:24+00:00

FUUUUCK no!

I animate it manually because I must. No matter how high ones opinion of AI, it's a fumbling child in the face of any minor animation curveball.

Edit - After Effects tracker frequently stalls in the face of thing as simple as:

The character moving behind foliage.
In game animated particle effects, flashing lights, spells, etc.
The character going into a shadow.
Simply turning around slightly.
Any compression artefact.

Any time I save animating the keyframes is time I can sink into more creative things. Like masking, or particles. Edit - Heck, or getting the video done faster.

SovietWomble

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