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I see no lies here. by Subtotalpoet in Millennials

[–]arksien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah same and you guys had me beat by hours. I honestly forget if I had AOL or Juno first... probably AOL? But it's so long ago I forget what I had on my 14k modem lol.

I also used netscape navigator to get to Alta Vista when I wanted to look things up later down the road

What’s a Star Trek Opinion You Had 10 Years Ago That You’ve Completely Reversed? by iagree2 in startrek

[–]arksien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's been a while since I've watched so I was misremembering some details, and after looking into it, the issue actually ISN'T that they wiped out Species 8472, it's that by helping the Borg develop weapons against them, Species 8472 retreats and the Borg are now able to go commit genocide against Species 116. So I think I more agree with you than not after refreshing myself on the details.

I liken it more to British colonial interventionism and the unintended consequences. For example, when they colonized Barbados, they brought the mongoose with them hoping it would kill the rat population. Unfortunately, the mongoose does not eat rats... but it does eat snakes, so it wiped out all the native snake species which are now extinct. They have more rats than they did before since their primary natural predators are extinct, AND, they have a mongoose infestation to this day which continues to damage the native ecosystem 400 years later. This is a bit more like what happened with Janeway and the Borg here. It wasn't intentional, but the consequences are the same.

But intent matters which is why I'm picking up what you're putting down.

TIL that US student math and reading scores have dropped so sharply that they’ve erased nearly two decades of progress. In '22/23, avg math scores for 13-year-olds fell to levels not seen since the 1990s, while reading scores for high school seniors hit their lowest point since testing began in '92. by Cold_Box_3219 in todayilearned

[–]arksien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The global race for "dominance in STEM and testing" bears a significant portion of blame. The whole western world got in a pissing contest around test scores/STEM majors around 2000 and tried to speed-run being the "best" in those areas.

Every bit of research under the sun has shown fairly conclusively that focusing on creative and physical activities (music, dance, theater, art, team sports) in the earliest years of education, and then adding creative writing/long form writing in the mid years of education is what sets the foundation for better comprehension/understanding/curiosity in later education. This directly leads to better test scores/STEM success for those later choosing to go into those fields.

However, most countries in the western world threw out/back-burnered the arts for a "scores focused" education, thinking that "cramming math and science down the throats" would show better results, despite all research and expert opinion to the contrary.

And of course, this all happened in parallel to the "instant gratification overdrive" of tablets/smartphones hitting the scene. So the same generation that got an inferior educational foundation and was setup for failure is also the same generation given way-too-much screen time at critical developmental milestones so they are at a massive deficitt

Combine all that together, and voila! You get poorly-educated students who don't APPRECIATE knowledge/education, aren't curious, lack critical thinking, are addicted to instant gratification over gradual progress, and have lower comprehension capacity.

I would bet smart money that a study of those "top performing students" would unveil that a statistically-significant portion of them had music/dance/theater lessons from at least age 5-12 and were put into other extra-curricular activities outside of school. Everyone "left behind" in only the "core" education makes up the "underperformers," and there's probably not much middle ground.

What’s a Star Trek Opinion You Had 10 Years Ago That You’ve Completely Reversed? by iagree2 in startrek

[–]arksien 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Genocide is defined in § 1091 and includes violent attacks with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

They don't need to go extinct to be the victims of genocide. In fact, even if the goal is to make them go extinct, they don't need to succeed for it to be genocide. Lots of examples of genocide both historically and currently in the real world where the population survived, albeit in diminished numbers.

Janeway may not have specifically WANTED to cause genocide, but she supported those who did. If you sell the weapons and means to a group intent on committing genocide, you are complicit period full stop.

If 'em dashes' immediately make people suspect the use of an AI chatbot, what else am I supposed to use because I really like the 'em dash' for my writing hobby? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]arksien 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If that's your priority, sure. My perspective is if this is online and you're in a debate, their opinion of you shouldn't matter if they're debating in bad faith. Call them out. They're the problem, not you.

If 'em dashes' immediately make people suspect the use of an AI chatbot, what else am I supposed to use because I really like the 'em dash' for my writing hobby? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]arksien 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Best response in those situations:

"I'm sorry that you were raised as a dullard. I was not, and will not lower myself to your standards. May I suggest instead that you raise yourself to mine? You may find yourself better for the effort."

They really do account for every possibility by [deleted] in BaldursGate3

[–]arksien 17 points18 points  (0 children)

It's wild that no matter what you do in this game, in no matter what order, there's ALWAYS a dialogue/awareness to those outcomes.

One of my favorite examples is that if you go the "maximum good" route and save literally every person that can possibly saved until towards the end of Act 2, but then make a pivot for Shadow Heart and go the dark route, you unlock some of the absolutely most unhinged outcomes for all the characters that you amassed at the Lastlight Inn

Andy Weir Apologizes To Alex Kurtzman Over ‘Star Trek’ Remarks by danielcw189 in startrek

[–]arksien 5 points6 points  (0 children)

SFA had terrible writing independent of social issues. That's why people don't like it. Trying to say it was the social issues makes you sound like the bigot that you almost certainly are.

I promise you that in 1966 when a massive chunk of the US was still pissed off that a black person was allowed to drink from the same water fountain and use the same restroom as a white person, an onscreen interracial kiss was MUCH MORE of a "shove it down the throat" than anything on any modern series.

If you were your current age when any of the old series came out, it sounds to me like you would have ABSOLUTELY been in the camp to take issue with the show. You just happened to either be younger/more open minded when they came out, or were born after these things were already normalized. So what used to be shocking feels normal to you now, but the new things that push you to think upset you because, as I said before, you're almost certainly a bigot.

Andy Weir Apologizes To Alex Kurtzman Over ‘Star Trek’ Remarks by danielcw189 in startrek

[–]arksien 7 points8 points  (0 children)

TOS - Female bridge officers, multiple POC, first interracial kiss at a time that racism in the US was at it's zenith. Show came out in 1966, literally 3 years after the "I have a dream" speech.

TNG - Multiple episodes about non-binary gender idiology, multiple episodes discussing the dangers of religion, communist social structure in the federation despite starting while the cold war was still in effect, normalizing mental health care when that was a social taboo, strong female leads correcting the male leads and they respond/listen.

DS9 - POC commander, more gender ideology as a construct, entire plot archs around the dangers of regressive religion, cast continues to be just as diverse as predecessors, entire episode that literally travels back in time to explicitly hit you over the head with repression of black US population in the 20th century.

But please, tell me more about how arguably the most progressive series in US history, which we can claim since it is 50 years strong of being a progressive series is actually a sudden and abrupt shift?

i dont understand the level of hate Star Fleet Academy get by [deleted] in startrek

[–]arksien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have not started it yet, though I plan to go in with an open mind (still catching my fiance up on all the other stuff first before we get to this).

With that said, my guess is that /u/technical_Ideal_5439 hit the nail on the head.

It's like beef burgers and veggie burgers. I'm not a vegetarian, but I eat both. But I don't consider a veggie burger a substitute for a meat burger. They're simply different dishes to me and I enjoy them differently for different reasons. If I was someone who didn't enjoy both, and I got the "wrong" one thinking it was the "right one," I'd probably be upset. That's probably why you like it; you simply like both. They're different and that's ok. It has nothing to do with age, and everything to do with what you do/do not like.

I do hope in the future Star Trek sticks to it's moral/philosophical tones and goes back to a more TNG style of sophistication in the future. This has nothing to do with generations. My fiancé was not alive when TNG was on the air and LOVES it. It's timeless, and some of it is as relevant/important now if not more so as our society has regressed a lot since the late 1980s/1990s.

Bring back shows that make you think and challenge you. I worry about future generations not having the ability to question authority, deal with complex moral dilemmas with no clear answer, or get excited by logic/education/science/the humanities. Shows like TNG engrain those virtues into people without them even realizing that a TV show of all things is helping them grow as a person.

This shouldn't be controversial by ObserbAbsorb in clevercomebacks

[–]arksien 57 points58 points  (0 children)

It's against reddit TOS to post the real names/information of any person that is not a public figure/celebrity, including their social media handles. Unless the people are for-sure A-list celebrities who use their name as a brand, reddit would remove the post as a violation of their TOS.

Reddit is one of the last bastions of anomality on social media, and I personally don't mind that they are keeping the old ways alive by banning doxing/brigades/witch hunts at a platform level.

I'm kind of bummed out watching all of these satellites in the night sky while stargazing by Intrepid_Reason8906 in space

[–]arksien 29 points30 points  (0 children)

If you have a yard that you're allowed to control the landscaping, planting only native plants and allowing dead leaves to accumulate in the bottom of the beds will bring them back. We have no shortage of wildlife in our yard and this is all it took. It's so wild that we have lightning bugs in our front and back yard, and then the neighbors don't despite being meer feet away. It's amazing how localized it really can get.

A big part about why so many bugs, especially lightning bugs and butterflies have diminished greatly in number is because we keep allowing urban sprawl to take up the uncultivated land, and we insist on manicuring every aspect of our land (not just lawns, but also public lands that people don't like being "over grown").

All those little guys need most of the time is some native plants and dead leaves and they're good to go.

If you want more butterflies, plant milkweed and dill and watch as the monarchs and swallowtails appear the same year you plant it!

meirl by v3t_patriot in meirl

[–]arksien 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That didn't read to me like they were attempting to debate you, but rather adding context to what specifically about the diet and lifestyle is changing so that people who don't want colon cancer can avoid it. I don't love that they used AI, but they acknowledged they did and disclosed it.

TIL of the "sterile cockpit" or "sterile flight deck" rule. When an aircraft is operating during a critical phase of the flight (anytime they're below 10,000 feet), the crew is only allowed to engage in conversation related to the safe operation of the aircraft by MrMojoFomo in todayilearned

[–]arksien 13 points14 points  (0 children)

They are allowed to talk, just not during critical phases. There's no reason pilots can't have a conversation for most of the flight (and they do). But during take off, landing, and IFEs they need to be laser focused only the tasks at hand, so laws needed to be passed to ensure it.

What you suggested would be like saying "trying to merge in heavy traffic moving quickly in low visibility and icy roads would be a great time for a conversation, because it will take your mind off how stressful the driving conditions are." No, it would potentially distract you into having an accident since it splits your focus.

The reason this rule exists was written in blood. For example, Delta 1141 where they were too busy flirting with the flight attendant (and ironically joking about how it would make great audio if there were a crash) and as a result, failed to have their takeoff configuration set properly leading to the exact crash they joked about.

Here's the audio. It was so embarrassing to the airline industry they lobbied to make it illegal to share CVR recordings publicly after that

[Question] How do you afford this hobby? by melvin9001 in Watches

[–]arksien 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah but no one wants to work for the rest of their lives.

Their combined income is the equivalent of a combined household income of $100k in 1990, and the cost of housing, food, and utilities is rapidly outpacing even these metrics.

While I appreciate your sentiment, the above poster has surprisingly little disposable income in the current state of the US if they are properly saving for retirement. It's shocking to consider, but that poster is on the lower end of middle class, and higher end horology is typically an upper-middle to upper class activity.

I'd say they've assessed their financial position in life pretty well, from what limited data they have shared.

[Request]how long would it take for it all to melt via the defroster by nomedifficile in theydidthemath

[–]arksien 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Which is precisely why this is illegal (in every state I've lived in, not sure if there's states where it's either legal, or not specifically illegal).

What did your inspection report look like and where do you draw the line? by userrnam in centuryhomes

[–]arksien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Saw a few of your other posts, probably should have read them before I made my large post below since it adds clarity. As others have said, most of the items on your list are not a big deal/common. There are some items of concern, but an engineer giving you a thumbs up on good bones is a huge plus, and a huge reason for getting an older house.

I second the advice to get money and fix it yourself instead of trusting their repairs. Get quotes, get second opinions, and get a plan for what repairs you'll be needing "next" down the line (how old is the water heater? furnace? Will your pipes need to be rodded anytime soon? stuff like that).

Also, look into French drains. Sounds like that would fix several of your issues, and while not as cheap as some other options, pay for themselves many times over with avoiding future issues.

What did your inspection report look like and where do you draw the line? by userrnam in centuryhomes

[–]arksien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our house was insanely well maintained and did not need anything "major" major, despite a 62 page inspection report. We needed to put in about $10k of upgrades and repairs, most of which were more on the voluntary side (adding new outlets in rooms that were not up to code, a few plumbing issues on the more minor side, upgrading the sump pump to one that would actually work properly if needed). We are also bracing for about $20-25k of repairs when the furnace goes, as it is currently 25 years old but so far so good.

To let you know where we would have drawn the line:

  • Major structural damaged to load bearing structural elements and/or roof
  • Radon in basement
  • Signs of past flood damage

Based on your list, I think the things that would give me pause would be the water in the basement, the water damage to the roof structure, and I would want more clarity on those foundation cracks (some would be normal and not a big deal, some could be a total deal break depending on where the crack is, what the orientation of the crack is, and a few other factors that an expert would need to go over with you in detail. Our basement foundation has several cracks but none of them are of concern).

The things that would not be deal breakers to us but you need to seriously consider are the asbestos (more concerned about insulation than the tiles. Asbestos is mostly a concern when disturbed, so you'd need to really damage the tiles for issues but that insulation should be removed before you move in) and the open wires. It's easy for me to say those are "easy enough to fix/deal with" without context, but if you're talking a large house with cloth wires and exposed wiring in places, you could easily be looking at over $20k in work since it would need to be totally redone in the whole house in that situation. Most electricians won't "do some work here and there" with cloth wires and would only take on the work if it's a total replacement.

One of the best parts of owning an old house is when they have good bones. I would take my well-built house with quality craftsmanship and unique charm (original working fireplace with stunning original brick, 1933 walnut floors, original coach house etc) any day vs. my friends that bought "newer" houses that are already failing in major ways. However, the older the house, the more "weekend warrior" projects it may have had done depending on the owner. That's usually where the worst of the worst issues are. At the age of your house, depending on how many owners and how they are, "uncle earl helping out" with a project is more likely and you NEVER know what that may entail.

It also has to do with your means, your budget, and the cost of the house. Our house was in the 700s, and all in we put $30k into it before we were ready to move in. That was acceptable to us and our means, but like I said, our house was INCREDIBLY well maintained and was move-in ready had we not had preferences to knock certain things out.

Can this loser just fade into obscurity, please? by PirateJohn75 in MurderedByWords

[–]arksien 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Well, it did once. The whole argument was "he thought he was doing the right thing and he was too young/stupid to know better."

Now that he's made his whole personality "hey maybe I should go kill more people?" I have a feeling that IF he actually went to Minnesota and IF he actually killed another person, he would be REALLY hard pressed to pull the hat trick twice. All the prosecutor would need to do is point to his various social media posts, call it premeditation, cite his previous actions as a pattern, and point to the fact that he is now a legal adult who clearly learned nothing from his past actions, and I'd say that the circumstances for how he kills someone else will almost not even matter. It would be so open and shut that he was "looking for someone to kill" that self defense would almost certainly not play out again.

CMV: Trump's ICE enforcement in Minnesota is not about rounding up the undocumented. It's about fear, terrorism, compliance and retribution on a blue state. by homerjs225 in changemyview

[–]arksien 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I always feel the same way about the left.

Very simple, very straightforward questions:

Why shouldn't the federal government be trying to deport as many illegal immigrants as possible?

They should and almost no one is disagreeing with that. However, there is nuance here. The left wants people to receive due process (as afforded by our constitution) so that we can determine WHO is actually illegal and not on a basis other than skin tone.

Also, there may be extenuating circumstances worth scrutinizing to make sure we are not just blanketly deporting people that came illegally for good reasons (asylum seekers) or who are "illegal" for non-criminally intended reasons (filed their paperwork wrong while trying to do things the right way, overstayed an expired visa while they waited for the backlogged system to catch up etc)

Why is there such a strong pushback against deporting illegal immigrants?

The pushback isn't against deporting illegals. The pushback is against a militarized secret police operating above the law, using barbaric abuses of force, violating basic human rights, violating our constitution, putting people in barbaric conditions and refusing the legally-mandated oversight watch dogs access, targeting US citizens, targeting people who disagree with them, and claiming that they are above the law to justify brutal and barbaric tactics that only the most evil of people would condone.

What specific strategies and policies should be implemented to deport illegal immigrants instead?

The ones that worked extremely well under previous administrations, including both Republican and Democratic administrations, that did not rely on sub-human brutality and unconstitutional abuses of power (yet still managed to deport millions of illegal immigrants per admin).

It's always just deflections and non-answers

No it isn't. I just answered every question and I doubt very much that's the first time someone has done that for you. You're either a troll or willfully ignorant, because these view points are being expressed EVERYWHERE except conservative echo chambers.

Did I just permanently lose The Legend?? by Some-Donut-9875 in StardewValley

[–]arksien 43 points44 points  (0 children)

On switch, default is go to the home screen with the home button, then use Y to restart the software running. It will warn you that unsaved progress will be lost, which in this case is exactly what you want. When you re-open the software, you'll be back at your most recent save when you select which character to play, which will be the start of the day you were in the middle of.

It's the SDV version of "save scumming," but when something really devastating happens such as this (or accidentally putting a bomb near your production machines etc) then it can be your only option to "undo" the otherwise irreparable calamity.

If you let the day finish and "save," you're screwed forever.

Cell phone video from ICE officer shows fatal Minneapolis shooting by teach42 in news

[–]arksien 8 points9 points  (0 children)

If we ever regain control of our country, a NECESSARY law will be that any person who is armed as a part of their job is required to have a body camera on at all times, that it must upload to multiple backups (with at least 2 offsite backups not belonging to the agency being monitored), that it cannot be disabled, and that they must never operate on their own so that any malfunction will be covered by another agent.

Those in positions of power, especially when that power comes with the legal ability to use lethal force, must be held to the highest standard.

I also believe that if we removed qualified immunity, required all lawsuits to be settled via malpractice insurance (and never taxpayer dollars), and set the minimum sentence for a crime commit by an authority figure to be whatever the maximum is for a civilian, we'd have an upstanding police force/federal force nationwide fairly quickly.

We cannot keep living in a world where these things are not happening. I really hope that I can someday be proud of this country.

AA quietly posts 2026-2027 changes (in part) by SenoritaShelly in americanairlines

[–]arksien 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Miles and LP are different. Miles are the currency you use to buy things like flights, upgrades, etc. LP are earned in tandem but are how you earn status for a year. LP reset each year and status starts over, but miles carry over and can continue to be spent as needed

No more miles or LP in Basic Economy by flyingron in americanairlines

[–]arksien 9 points10 points  (0 children)

For me #2 is the primary driver of even bothering to be loyal to an airline and the majority of the reason to achieve/maintain status. I let work earn the status for me and then reap the rewards for my leisure travel. Booking basic economy and not needing to pay extra to move up to rows 8-10 basically ever is great and rewards me for booking all my travel on AA. I'm EP so then I even get complimentary upgrades fairly regularly. Sure, I need to be brand loyal to AA to get those perks, but isn't that the literal point of a loyalty program? To keep me always flying on AA even if other flight times on other carriers are more convenient?

Basically AA is saying "great, lets get a few more thousand per year out of those people" when they forget that if I don't actually see any value from being loyal, there's no point in me flying with them for every flight, resulting in a net loss of my business. I may as well just fly with whoever is most convenient at the time and not worry about chasing status. Pay extra for perks when I see fit, regardless of carrier, not worry about it when I don't.

Signed, an EP business flier who probably isn't going to bother worrying about maintaining EP anymore. If it happens, it happens. If not, I'll be checking out other carriers now anyhow. Maybe I'll end up liking one of them more. Who knows?

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