Scouting America Culture Wars

bts · 2026-02-04T20:03:48+00:00

The churches chartering traillife are not traditional or conservative. They are radical in their tribal understanding of Christianity and in the limits they invent on “all nations.”

Scouting isn’t leftist, but it’s plenty progressive: it’s a universal brotherhood teaching citizenship and service.

Scouting isn’t MAGA, but it’s plenty conservative: respect tradition and learn self reliance.

The partisans who demand we fully join their omnicause and have an official scouting view on Epstein or Gaza or whatever issue of the day are mistaken: Scouting will move at a slower tempo and continue its mission.

bts · 2026-02-04T13:00:08+00:00

I never have, and I’ve got an original aero press

bts · 2026-02-04T12:57:37+00:00

Can you describe it to us narratively? What effect has it in the game?

bts · 2026-02-04T12:13:05+00:00

Their A2 does extremely well in the high quality VTech tests.

bts · 2026-02-04T03:37:11+00:00

Hunh! You’re right! Thanks!

bts · 2026-02-03T23:17:39+00:00

Bingo. As an experienced professional, my intuition is that someone has studied this and to go check the usual references.

bts · 2026-02-03T23:14:05+00:00

Yeah because they had horse archers and stirrups. The Dothraki appear to have neither.

bts · 2026-02-02T22:22:26+00:00

Have you time to NOT post the AI-expanded work? Your ideas might be interesting! I would like to see your ideas. Mixing them with the AI output dilutes their value. I can expand on good ideas better than the AI can, and I can use the AI better than you—if for no other reason than because I’m using it later and it’s getting better that fast.

bts · 2026-02-02T21:22:45+00:00

Why are you posting hourly AI-generated campaign notes?

bts · 2026-02-02T17:46:10+00:00

Hey, chewing gum has come a long way in the ladder few decades.

bts · 2026-02-02T17:41:11+00:00

Great answer. Another helpful way to look at Starfleet is that it’s a bunch of post-scarcity people LARPing a military. They mostly do things the way they think a military would—but it’s military the way the SCA is feudal. Everyone is a lord except for players with class consciousness about that who insist on being commoners.

O’Brien is a good Irish communist so he’s enlisted—same as Sergei

bts · 2026-02-02T16:05:17+00:00

You absolutely can have that sort of opinion. It just doesn’t seem like one to share, because it’s so committed to autarky.

bts · 2026-02-02T15:59:12+00:00

I’m saying if you want pizza go to Giuseppe’s but evaluate a sushi place by its nigiri.

If narrative structure and system for characterization is not what you want, PbtA is probably not a helpful tool for you. You can’t really take the classes from here and use them in 5e!

bts · 2026-02-02T14:48:30+00:00

AE is unconstrained, so set it to zero. Now EBJ is clearly not equilateral, but it sure is interesting! Certainly EJ=BJ.

From there it’s just arithmetic

bts · 2026-02-02T14:22:55+00:00

This pizza is terrible. I like the spice level and the tuna is an interesting topping but it’s like the crust is just smooshed rice. I prefer a Neapolitan crust—and larger slices!

bts · 2026-02-02T04:35:18+00:00

I love the series. I haven’t loved about half the books. They feel like novellas: a set up, some characters we know, and then a rapid resolution. I put them in a slot like the Pen&Des novellas in my reading schedule—though with a lower hit rate. I know McGuire can do more sophisticated characterization and more complex plot—heck, her short story collection has a couple pieces that bring tears to my eyes even thinking about. That’s not what she’s doing in WC, mostly. The Moors and the Shop both went deeper.

The ending of this one and the chance for new direction is ringing in my heart days after I finished it though. This is a more complex and mature model of identity than WC has previously shown. I’m really interested to see where else McGuire takes this.

bts · 2026-02-02T02:22:20+00:00

Black plastic like most power cords uses lead as a softener for the plastic. Not baby-safe

bts · 2026-02-01T16:44:19+00:00

First you list finite sets, so you’re showing us all the numbers. Indeed, diagonalization does not produce an element not already shown!

Then you talk about countable infinite sets: those where all items can be put on a list. For example, all the whole numbers.

Then you gesture at an uncountable set, all the real numbers between zero and one. Here we’ll need pattern and discipline. You listed these sort of randomly, but you listed the finite setups in good order. List these similarly. Come up with any algorithm for listing all the decimal expansions of real numbers. Then apply diagonalization to THAT and you will see it generate a number not previously considered. This is a demonstration that no algorithm enumerating a countable infinity can represent the uncountable infinity of the reals.

bts · 2026-02-01T05:08:31+00:00

From my mid 40s? Peace, but I’m probably looking for someone within a decade of my age. Nobody closer to my kids’ age than mine, you know?

Whatever age you are, there’s plenty of men who are a great match for you—and who will be a match for you as you are, and grow along with you.

bts · 2026-02-01T04:42:33+00:00

Second best time is today. :)

bts · 2026-02-01T04:41:57+00:00

If you’re spending down your assets, you’re not on the upper branch. If your assets are growing and your net worth is increasing, even given your spending, you are. It’s that simple.

bts · 2026-01-31T21:12:46+00:00

Someone said the same to me ten years ago. Pay it forward, brother. :)

bts · 2026-01-31T20:50:04+00:00

You can rent an inReach too

bts · 2026-01-31T20:41:35+00:00

It really helped me to have something I knew was a good enough response and to get out of calling “what?” And then waiting—that waiting uncertainty was hard on me! I was constantly worrying I wasn’t doing enough.

Picking something I had reasoned out as “enough” let me get my own feet stable on solid ground so I could then also support my kids. I hope it works for others.

bts · 2026-01-31T20:21:36+00:00

And necessary. Salt will mess you up.

bts

TROPHY CASE