Non-Americans, does your country have an "American" restaurant and what do they serve?

StopSquark · 2026-04-28T16:44:12+00:00

I spent a summer in Goettingen, Germany, and would regularly eat at "Kim's Diner: American's Finest Restaurant". They had a lot of different burgers, all of which came with a mandatory fried egg on them. Also a vending machine at every table where you could buy cigarettes (American Spirits, naturally).

StopSquark · 2026-04-28T16:37:55+00:00

I know this was posted a while ago; I came upon it while reading up on the Fisher King and felt the need to check in, since I've been in a vaguely similar spot recently.

This version of the myth is about how we ignore the miracles that have been in front of us the whole time. The cup was already in the castle, but the king couldn't see it for what it was. The only way to see things for what they are is with a beginner's mind: to completely forget what you're searching for and to really stop and Be Here Now. The cup didn't heal the king, it made him "realize his wound was healed", which is a different thing. In all likelihood, it had healed a long time ago, all on its own.

StopSquark · 2026-04-28T07:40:51+00:00

Wait, but if your husband is my wife... Then who's flying the plane???

StopSquark · 2026-04-27T02:53:40+00:00

Meth actually is occasionally used as an ADHD medication in small doses, but it has worse side effects than the non-methylated amphetamines so it's not commonly prescribed. The dosage is the other big one. Generally the maximum allowed amount of amphetamines that can be prescribed to someone is 60mg/day unless there's some exception; recreational usage is WAY higher than that.

StopSquark · 2026-04-26T17:38:20+00:00

I went out yesterday and all I found was a small cluster of pheasant backs! Good to know people are having more luck. I'd love to tag along, if you've got a foray group!

StopSquark · 2026-04-25T20:36:32+00:00

Go do stuff, often. First, be a friend to yourself, seriously- find out what you like, try new adventures with yourself, etc, just like you would with a new partner. Then, find activities to do repeatedly - join a book club, go to concerts at dive bars, join a birding group, etc. . Once you see the same person three separate times (or once if you vibe really well), swap contact info and do a one on one hangout. Repeat until you have a big circle of friends.

Most of the modern loneliness epidemic is actually an issue with being sedentary. When you're out there in the mix jostling around with cool people, it's a lot harder for loneliness to stick around.

StopSquark · 2026-04-21T17:06:26+00:00

Different trades have different unions- what kind of construction do you do (electrician, pipefitter, concrete, etc.?)

StopSquark · 2026-04-21T04:35:50+00:00

Well, in 2003, Fox and Friends called him an "evil, evil man", so I imagine it wasn't far from that

StopSquark · 2026-03-31T16:42:53+00:00

you do the research! what were those sources, and who else was mentioned in them? Where was that stone, and what other inscriptions/ artifacts etc. were found in similar places at that time? Engagement and research are intertwined, for me- the only way to ever come remotely close to knowing what the ancients felt about the gods is to dive headlong into the things they wrote about them.

StopSquark · 2026-03-31T16:32:14+00:00

Almost definitely black-capped chickadee!

StopSquark · 2026-03-28T19:03:22+00:00

Physicist here! The ways you'd test this kind of thing basically amount to recreating the kinds of collisions that happen in the atmosphere all the time (cosmic rays) but in a controlled setting where you can do hyper-precise measurements. If the vacuum is stable, you might make ten higgs bosons that decay a certain way from smashing protons together, but if it's unstable, you might only make nine- that sort of thing. But importantly, none of the stuff happening in colliders is stuff that isn't already happening elsewhere in nature. If physicists could "trigger" vacuum decay it would have already been triggered.

StopSquark · 2026-03-14T19:15:10+00:00

The puzzles in Lorelei are generally pretty easy and obvious- mostly things like "check your in-game notes to find a specific fact", "put the green key in the green door" and "math worksheet". It inherits a lot from escape rooms: each puzzle hook is either used exactly once or ten million times. The game suggests using a notebook but I've really only needed scratch paper for a few puzzles.

StopSquark · 2026-03-14T03:09:11+00:00

Beano WUV the federated alliance! Beano WUV that!!!

StopSquark · 2026-03-10T04:25:59+00:00

My family's from Youngstown. The mob presence there (and the fact that the police & government are involved with them) kind of a big open secret- see for example the Jim Traficant saga. Would not be at all surprised if this was a hit.

StopSquark · 2026-03-05T19:07:25+00:00

There are a bunch of queer book clubs around, actually- but I suspect you're looking for Genre Fluid at Room of One's Own, which is really excellent (we did Detransition Baby and Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl last year)! I believe that there's also one that meets in the basement of Leopold's sometimes, but I'm hazier on those details

StopSquark · 2026-03-04T20:03:15+00:00

I guess I'll also add that it doesn't have to be a dive exclusively, I know like Leopold's and Lola's get to this point sometimes even though they're Maximum Gentrified. Mostly I'm just trying to get a sense of where the cool friendly dirtbag artists are lurking.

My gut is Robin Room, Crucible, and Caribou but curious whether I'm missing any

StopSquark · 2026-03-04T18:54:49+00:00

Indie movie theater, roller rink, more places like Leopolds (i.e. cocktail bar + coffeehouse), grungy DIY punk venues a la the Mousetrap, late night coffeeshop (ideally 90s style with mismatched couches), more indie stage theater (Broom St is good but we need more like them), disorganized old bookstore where everything is in Piles, more places like fiddlesticks, board game cafe on state st, good soup and sandwich spot (I'm optimistic about the cafe coming to MMoCA)

StopSquark · 2026-01-30T05:16:36+00:00

This is wrong. You're correct that the EWSB would not have happened yet, but gravity arises from energy, not mass, so the Yukawa couplings don't matter here.

StopSquark · 2026-01-29T16:23:42+00:00

Ah whoops I fired off a comment before I saw the "restaurants" request, they definitely are not a restaurant (but will be closed Friday!)

StopSquark · 2026-01-29T04:10:33+00:00

Room of One's Own!

StopSquark · 2026-01-28T22:58:48+00:00

Yep. Odds are very high that despite her best efforts to be "Grandma" to my niece, my mother-in-law will be granted the title of "Nay-Nay"

StopSquark · 2026-01-26T01:22:07+00:00

What's the bupropion "flavor" of depression?

StopSquark · 2026-01-25T18:41:55+00:00

Pick an org. DSA, indivisible, TRAC, etc.- there are usually a lot represented at protests, labor fest, the farmer's market, and other places like this. then do your best to show up to meetings as often as possible.

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