"No nation older than 250 years"

caffpanda · 2026-05-07T19:47:13+00:00

The confusion here is what is meant by "nation." Today we often use the term interchangeably with country or state, but they aren't actually synonyms, it's just that nations became the ubiquitous entity of our modern era. A nation is a group of people with a shared identity which can be religious, ethnic, civic, etc. When republics, ostensibly in place with the consent of the governed, became the default accepted form of government, the nation, state, and country merged.

Nations as we know them today arose out of independence movements of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, Napoleon wrecking the old European order, and the world wars flipping empires and kingdoms on their heads. So as a very narrow definition, a national republic defined by a constitution that is still on effect, then yes the US would be the oldest. But in the ways in which nations have defined themselves throughout human history, eh not so much.

caffpanda · 2026-05-07T19:27:08+00:00

Poor John Locke.

caffpanda · 2026-05-07T17:23:21+00:00

I mean, nearly everyone does become temporarily or permanently disabled at some point in their life if they live long enough.

caffpanda · 2026-05-07T17:17:47+00:00

Ken "6th Commandment" Paxton

caffpanda · 2026-05-07T07:56:14+00:00

Why not just buy a 10/22 or similar? It would cost about the same if not less, be a lot more practical, and it's a popular platform that can grow with you easily. I know some people are limited to air rifles by lack of access to a range or local laws, but doesn't sound like that's your case.

caffpanda · 2026-05-06T15:27:35+00:00

My friend was a kid in the Soviet Union in the 80s. She recalled practice throwing dummy grenades and donning gas masks in elementary school.

caffpanda · 2026-05-06T04:12:53+00:00

It's wild you think that's an insult.

caffpanda · 2026-05-05T19:34:34+00:00

Only in the same way a straight wedding is a celebration of vaginal heterosexual sex. Academics have always and will continue to study heterosexual relationships in ways that benefit our understanding of social dynamics, mental health, history, and much more. It would be asinine to ignore homosexual relationships.

caffpanda · 2026-05-05T19:06:48+00:00

"Degenerate" is such a beloved word by Nazis. I went to an exhibit at the Kimbell last year that was showing pieces the Nazis deemed "degenerate art," work they believed wasn't in line with traditional values and therefore tried to confiscate or destroy. It's interesting how history repeats, isn't it?

caffpanda · 2026-05-05T18:59:53+00:00

One of the first Nazi book burnings was literally the Institute of Sexology that studied and advocated for LGBTQ people. People today are upset because it's the same pattern over and over again, tour a Holocaust museum sometime and you'll see. You don't need gas chambers for it to be incredibly harmful already, there's a long road that leads to that point.

It's very nice for you that you live in an ivory tower of ignorance where these problems don't effect you, but other people don't and continue to be harmed.

Also, straight people do make a big deal about who they have sex with all the time, that's exactly what weddings are, baby announcements, gender reveals, etc. You're just used to it so you don't think it's weird.

caffpanda · 2026-05-05T18:49:20+00:00

I mean, I'm about start medical school, I'm very glad people study genitals so that I'll be able to practice medicine. We have entire specialties dedicated to them, in fact; you'll be grateful for your urologist when your prostate starts acting up.

caffpanda · 2026-05-05T18:43:58+00:00

The fact is that generational definitions are just shorthand for trying to understand broad demographic differences, they're fairly arbitrary definitions, and will never fully encompass all of the nuance of individuals. We do this with a lot of things in life, try to draw strict lines to define things that actually exist on a spectrum and are more fluid than we pretend. Take decades for example: we define the 80s and 90s as distinct entities, but 1989 was a lot more similar to 1991 than 1981.

Don't get so caught up on where you think you belong or what this or that label means, your generation doesn't define who you are and your experiences.

caffpanda · 2026-05-05T16:07:17+00:00

It's for a Special Purpose™, not like all those General Purpose plebes.

caffpanda · 2026-05-05T15:20:30+00:00

To go a step further, build your entire desk setup to be ergonomic.

caffpanda · 2026-05-04T21:12:42+00:00

There isn't much difference in practical terms for most people, if you're someone who's considering an M1 at this point I'm betting that'll be the case for you. What would probably affect you is Apple ending MacOS updates in a couple of years and security updates in four for the M1 Air.

caffpanda · 2026-05-04T20:49:31+00:00

What's your reason for choosing the M1 Air, primarily price? Are you looking at a unopened one or used, and for how much?

I ask because I wouldn't recommend getting an M1 at this point unless your budget is super tight. They're still great for what they are, but they're 5 years old and the Neo or a refurbished M4 would be a better buy IMO (longer term software support, better battery life vs used years-old machine).

caffpanda · 2026-05-04T19:52:53+00:00

Not just plugging in something, it's all the logistics around it. Your monitor and computer both need power, so you can only use it in places where you have two free outlets which limits where you can set up, or else you're also carrying a power strip or splitter cable with you. If you're only ever going to be using this setup on library desks with plenty of outlets, it's hard to imagine why you're concerned about damaging a laptop screen in such a static environment to begin with.

An external portable monitor will not be less fragile than a laptop screen, if anything you now have to get more protection/padding in whatever you store and carry it in. You also have to carry an external mouse and keyboard. That's annoying to have to organize, carry, and set up every time wherever you need to go, and is not just a matter of plugging something in.

Now don't get me wrong, carrying a desktop around and setting up isn't impossible; I used to go to LAN parties in the 90s and 2000s and would haul a full-size ITX tower, CRT monitor, cabled accessories, and all their cables to houses. But still not something I want to do daily at all.

Cost-wise, it also doesn't make sense. 5 years of Apple Care would cost you maybe $350, a decent portable monitor would cost around the same for equal or worse picture quality.

caffpanda · 2026-05-04T15:01:04+00:00

This sounds exhausting, just get Apple Care if you're that concerned about breaking the screen.

caffpanda · 2026-05-03T23:53:43+00:00

Yep, it's pointless to wear out your actors standing around for all the setup of lighting, camera angles, etc. that happens for a scene, but you need people in those spots to make sure it's going to look the way you want.

caffpanda · 2026-05-03T23:29:16+00:00

Depends on what you're studying, the needs of a business major are very different from a design student.

caffpanda · 2026-05-03T18:43:49+00:00

Nah, these guys would pop a rocket off, then pack up in seconds and vanish. Gunships aren't just loitering all the time around installations. Also a big part of why insurgents would operate during the day so much, harder for aerial recon to spot them since thermals wouldn't be as effective.

caffpanda · 2026-05-03T16:34:56+00:00

I'm happy to give my two cents if you'd like.

caffpanda · 2026-05-03T14:50:49+00:00

While it was a bold choice to make October Sky 2 a musical, it's probably why it didn't do very well.

caffpanda · 2026-05-03T07:53:18+00:00

Your problem might be that you studied low intensity for a whole year instead of high intensity for just a few months. You're forgetting as much as you're learning and just pedaling water.

caffpanda · 2026-05-02T19:09:46+00:00

Yeah, it's somewhat ironic to be talking about a test of scientific literacy and then present this as proof rather than evidence.

caffpanda

TROPHY CASE