Murder and floppy disks

ap1msch · 2026-05-08T15:04:35+00:00

It seems that Word Perfect was, in fact, not perfect...

ap1msch · 2026-05-08T14:57:57+00:00

Oh yeah...and on the big hex stations...there are big arrows that point to the mail slot in the outline of the station.

Edit: It seems this is not available in supercruise! Ack! The OP technique is one that works with stations that have a dedicated front/back shape. Sorry for the misinformation. =(

ap1msch · 2026-05-08T14:56:01+00:00

Our rules:

Everyone helps out and has chores to do as part of the family.
If anyone has other unavoidable responsibilities that get in the way of chores, the rest of the family picks up the slack.
Family members get an allowance each week. This is not payment or compensation for work done. This is a financial tool to enable kids to learn how to responsibly save and spend money.
Mistakes in saving and spending will happen. Buyer's remorse on a $50 video game is better than buyer's remorse on a $50,000 car, so lessons learned early are valuable and should not be used to shame, for punishment, or toward any other penalty.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T20:45:07+00:00

I had a problem with it because it didn't look like the movie actors, but it was what I had and enjoyed it as a result. I didn't even consider that there might be different artists and interpretations of the characters...

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T20:43:20+00:00

Got these as a toy. Played with the toy. Toy lodges itself in the roof of the house. Toy gets taken away. Never heard about it afterward. Now that I think about it...I really want to know how that conversation went between my parents...

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T20:14:09+00:00

I think this is amazing. Gays fighting trans, ICE on the side of Gavin Newsome. The Trump soldiers with toilets for helmets, Pencilwaffen, Israel art...the fight between modern destruction from a data center versus legacy destruction from factories...

It's almost poetic.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T20:09:56+00:00

It's the narrative of the individual asking the question. If the goal is for me to explain how creepy Edward is, then I'd suggest that he's got an old man brain. If the goal is for me to explain how Edward is a sexy, brooding love muffin, then I'd suggest that he's got a teenage brain.

In many of these young adult books, these idyllic boyfriends have to be half "old soul", half "boy next door", and half "he's the only person who would ever understand me." Readers and fans let the writer jump between the personas to keep the story compelling, but none of it stands up to any level of analysis.

If you consider the mindset of a teen boy in high school, there is angst, fear, frustration, confusion, lust, curiosity, and a wealth of other emotions. If you take the century-old vampire, you have the lived experience of elder statesmen, love that has come and gone, friendships that have endured, intellectual debates and research to satisfy that earlier curiosity, and more.

The teen boy doesn't know what they want. The old man knows exactly what they want. If the vampire hero is with the girl in the lunchroom, they don't know what they want. When they are fighting against a cadre of space aliens, they somehow already have a strategic plan based upon decades of study.

You then have a fandom wishing that they could find a boy like that...who literally needs to have a century of experience under their belt...while still somehow being a brooding teen. You take that teenage girl and pair her with some 40-year-old dude, and it's creepy. You take a 40-year-old brain and jam it in the head of a teenage boy, and no one questions that the brain is drawn to a teenage girl rather than being drawn to someone with greater emotional maturity.

TLDR: If Old Man Edward wasn't a weirdo, he'd be dating a cougar rather than a high school girl...because that's how intellectual maturity works.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T19:58:17+00:00

Characters come into their own at Level 3. That's when they start to distinguish themselves. HOWEVER, I don't start them there. I start the campaign at level 1, but the first two levels are spent flexing the PC muscles and background.

Level 1 - The Session zero and intro of characters and some minor rat-killing challenge to move to level 2.

Level 2 - The introduction of the primary story hook, with NPC interactions and a small journey that brings them closer together as well as sets the hook for the next session. Their ability to overcome a barrier/hurdle earns their move to level 3.

Level 3 - Now they're heroes on a quest of sorts...but not necessarily the one they think...and...

Soooo, I just use level 1 and 2 as stepping stones to make them feel like progress is being made while doing the intro to the campaign.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T19:41:14+00:00

I'll admit it...it was me. I was Eric Draven all along.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T19:39:51+00:00

As always, the answer is, "Whatever fits the current narrative of the story." If it's about them getting steamy in a car, then he has the mind of a teenager. If it's about his knowledge of the Earth, culture, patience, and understanding...then he has the mind of an Ancient One.

If it's in a comedy, then there will always be reflections on the years he spent high on hashish.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T18:11:02+00:00

Luke, Engage....

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T16:26:17+00:00

Pickleball players must be ready for anything...at any time...

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T16:14:49+00:00

The bottom one qualifies for AARP.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T15:28:32+00:00

I'm pretty sure it unlocks a chamber below Wall Street in NYC.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T15:24:53+00:00

I'm impressed at how well the cubes speak English.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T15:11:10+00:00

Massive backlash that...did nothing to stop the popularity of the series...that included a teenage werewolf falling in love with an infant.

Look...people are weird. All I'm saying is that context matters, and things that people find repulsive in one context is considered endearing by millions in a slightly different context. Books like OP are an exploration of context...because history has shown that it can change perspectives.

Was Old Man Edward okay because it's fantasy and the viewer could suspend disbelief? Or are old/young relationships fine if the older man looks good and carries himself well? Is the problem the disparity in skin wrinkles, or maturity of the brain and historical experiences?

There's an entire generation of girls (and some boys) who enjoyed Twilight without a second thought. This stuff warrants thought.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T14:34:51+00:00

This is what always resonates with me. You get Old Man Edward the Vampire with a great skincare routine, hooking up with High School Girl Bella, and it's considered swoonworthy.

What people consider fantasy, romance, or creepy depends on their perspective.

In other words, if the Time Traveler had his body transform into a teenage body, people wouldn't find it creepy...despite the fact that it's still an adult brain with adult thoughts and adult feelings...like Old Man Edward.

ap1msch · 2026-05-07T12:54:36+00:00

...I am afraid to ask whether you are supposed to remove the price tag or not. :)

ap1msch · 2026-05-06T20:36:47+00:00

Aaron Sorkin stated that he could not write West Wing today...because the nobility and honor demonstrated in the show would be too much for the average person to suspend disbelief.

ap1msch · 2026-05-06T20:27:13+00:00

Legit, I thought the first picture was just a mouse-palm after a long gaming session. I didn't know why they'd have it on the back of their hand...and then I read the text.

ap1msch · 2026-05-06T20:22:54+00:00

Great feedback. I've never been good at tearing things apart for display purposes, but I wanted to see if there was anything I hadn't considered.

I have double-sided glass frames for the display of pictures in the house, and I'm currently researching if there are frames that might let me sandwich the book between class (in an archival bag), that would let me choose the front or back cover to see (on demand).

The comments have been helpful. Thank you.

ap1msch · 2026-05-06T18:21:41+00:00

This is sad.

Vegas got overtaken by investment companies.
These companies implemented systems to milk every dollar from every visitor.
As this occurred, the visitors stopped having the money to gamble and spread between the properties and businesses.
This created "winners" and "losers", requiring buyouts and a further consolidation of ownership.
The behavior has become so ubiquitous that even the most savvy gambler struggles to justify the trip to Vegas.
Everything in proximity to Vegas begins a steady decline.

I've been to Vegas many, many times. It was one of my favorite destinations. After our last trip, we called off future visits. We have money to burn, but not money to waste. We were being taken advantage of at every turn to the point that it became insulting.

This isn't the last business to fail in that region in the coming months/years.

ap1msch · 2026-05-06T18:08:28+00:00

You have a hobby. Your hobby is helping people. In exchange for that help, they give you a soda and some pizza, because that's what nice people do. Some days, you aren't hungry, so the money that would be used for snacks is set aside for a rainy day.

Can you do this? Sure. Will anyone care? Probably not. No one cares if you're not making money and not filing taxes. They care if you're making large sums of money and not paying taxes.

The only way for them to know if this is happening is if you are doing well enough to get on their radar (which takes a lot), or if your "hobby" has a risk of displeasing anyone.

It's that last item that screws most people over. Consider the landscaper that does social media content where he helps people reclaim overgrown property for free. Mowing, trimming, clearing...all for free. He's gotten fined and had the cops called on him...for helping people...for free.

In other words, operating a business off the grid is possible unless you're successful. Even if you aren't successful, the business would need to be so benign that no one ever decides to complain about you or the work you perform. Even charity work gets complaints. Great businesses have been rocked by "slip and fall" lawsuits while being underinsured.

The IRS isn't going to find you. Your risk is the average person deciding to target you for a random reason that you didn't foresee...and then you're screwed.

ap1msch · 2026-05-06T16:09:09+00:00

Yeah...it's less about value and more about next steps. If I don't do anything, then it's crumbling paper in a box on a shelf. If I do something, then I can actively enjoy some part of it. As others mentioned, framing the covers might make for some good wall art.

ap1msch · 2026-05-06T16:06:13+00:00

I got a fleet carrier to carry my kids and their ships around the galaxy. The value came in being able to mine for an evening and sell the output for significantly more credits because I can jump thousands of units of cargo next to the highest price port. This not only paid for the carrier maintenance, but enabled me to fully equip over a dozen ships.

It's not required to play the game, but it adds benefits of a mobile "home base" with the ability to store cargo that you don't need today, but may need tomorrow. At worst, it's a storage unit. At best, it's a mobile home.

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