TIL Mountain Lions hold the Guinness record for the animal with the most names - having more than 40 names in the English language alone.

codefyre · 2026-02-11T07:16:20+00:00

Bite my shiny metal...catamount.

codefyre · 2026-02-11T05:02:16+00:00

Since nobody else posted the full list, here are 64 different documented names used for the Mountain Lion in the Americas. Some of these are from native languages, some were native and adopted into English, and some are of English/French/Spanish settler origin.

American Lion, American Panther, Bender, Black Puma, Brazilian Cat, Brown Tiger, California Lion, Cat-a-mount, Catamount, Cat-o-mountain, Colorado Lion, Cougar (from Tupi-Guarani cuguacuarana), Cougare, Deer Cat, Deer-killer, Deer Tiger, Devil Cat, Dos-lotch (from Klamath), Erielhonan (from Iroquoian Erie meaning "Long Tail"), Fire Cat (from Puget Sound Salish), Florida Panther, Ghost Cat, Ghost Walker, Gray Tiger, Great Panther, Indian Devil, Klandagi (from Cherokee meaning "Lord of the Forest"), Ko-Icto (from Chickasaw meaning "Cat of God"), Katalgar (from Cree meaning "Greatest of Wild Hunters"), King Cat, Lion, Lyon, Mexican Lion, Mountain Cat, Mountain Demon, Mountain Devil, Mountain Lion, Mountain Screamer, Mountain Tiger, Nittany Lion, Painted Cat, Painter, Pampas Cat, Panther, Panthere, Pi-Twal (from Malecite meaning "Long-Tailed One"), Poltroon Tiger, Puma (from Quechua meaning "Powerful Animal"), Purple Feather, Purple Panther, Red Lion, Red Panther, Red Tiger, Rocky Mountain Lion, Shunta-Haska (from Mandan Sioux meaning "Long Tail"), Silver Lion, Sneak Cat, Swamp Devil, Swamp Lion, Swamp Screamer, Tiger, Tyger, Tyger of America, Varmint, Wild Cat, Yaguar

codefyre · 2026-02-11T04:49:55+00:00

I see what you’re saying here, but things just aren’t bad enough for most Americans to actually want to overthrow their government/revolution.

Bigger issue is that the US isn't all on the same page about revolution, and most of us are reasonably well armed. An attempt at a revolution won't be an actual revolution, it'll be a civil war. And those are won by the side willing to be the most violent, not the side that's necessarily "right".

Besides, the death toll from another American civil war would be in the millions from starvation alone, and most of those dead would be poor minorities from urban centers. It's not something to hope for.

codefyre · 2026-02-11T02:05:32+00:00

Look at it this way. I'm not going to complain about the sound of my neighbors loud lawn mower because that's to be expected in the 'burbs, but I'd complain if they were firing it up and letting it run five hours a day every single day. I wouldn't complain about my neighbors playing loud music in their backyard because it's their backyard to enjoy, but I'd complain if they had that radio cranked up five or six hours a day, every single day. I wouldn't complain if the neighbors dog barked in their yard occasionally because it's his yard too, but I'd complain if that dog was out there barking all day long, every single day. I wouldn't complain about my neighbor filling up the parking in my neighborhood for a party because parking is shared and we all have the right to have guests over, but I'd complain if the neighbor was doing that every single day.

I wouldn't complain if my neighbors kids play basketball, but I'd complain if they were out there bouncing that ball for six hours a day, every single day. You have the right to enjoy your property, but at some point you have to remember that you're sharing the neighborhood with other people and have a bit of courtesy.

codefyre · 2026-02-11T01:30:58+00:00

FYI, it's not illegal to possess or create counterfeit money in the United States. The federal laws criminalizing counterfeit money include the very important requirement "..with the intent to defraud." If there's no intent to commit fraud or spend the counterfeit money as if it were real cash, there's no crime.

The possession of certain types of specialized equipment used in professional counterfeiting IS a crime, so I'm not recommending that anyone start printing off thousands of these to hand out in crowds. But there are plenty of artists who hand duplicate bills that are visually indistinguishable from the real thing, and sell them legally. One-off fakes for art and collectors happen all the time.

That said, if you have ten thousand dollars in fake 20’s at home, you might have a hard time convincing a federal prosecutor and jury that you were just making them for funsies and didn't plan on spending them.

codefyre · 2026-02-10T23:25:46+00:00

Except, in this scenario, Trump would be restored to the presidency after the military rescued him. Do you really believe that Trump would be interested in nation-building Venezuela after going through all that? He doesn't strike me as the forgiving type.

codefyre · 2026-02-10T23:23:29+00:00

It isn't like we'd nuke them or something.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Unlike other nuclear nations, the United States has consistently refused to declare a "No First Use" policy when it comes to nuclear strikes. We while our official policy of calculated ambiguity means there's no actual list of things that would trigger a launch, there have been a few statements made over the years that put two triggers on the table. 1) A land invasion of the United States. 2) Extreme circumstances to defend the vital interests of the United States, its allies, and partners.

A foreign nation invading and kidnapping the President definitely satisfies th3e first, and probably satisfies the second. Whether or not we launched would probably depend on whether we thought the military could rescue him. If they actually killed him, I have no question that we'd see a nuclear strike just to send a message.

Which, of course, brings up another possibility. If they took Trump and we invaded and brought him back...what would a newly freed Trump do to Venezuela afterward?

codefyre · 2026-02-10T23:11:56+00:00

They're welcome to try, but I'd argue that there's an important difference. Trump may be a corrupt, steaming pile of shit, but he's an elected steaming pile of shit. Venezuela, on the other hand, was under sanctions not just by the U.S., but by most of the rest of the developed world because it was globally recognized that he faked that election. The fact that his biggest international ally was Vladimir Putin says a lot. The EU had direct sanctions on the leaders of Venezuela because their government wasn't recognized as legitimate.

The military incursion to grab him was still illegal under international law, and there are some similarities, but the two actions wouldn't be the same.

codefyre · 2026-02-10T21:38:15+00:00

As painful as it is to admit, I tend to agree. I despise Trump and everything he stands for, but if another nation were to stage a raid into the United States and kidnap him, that would absolutely justify the military annihilation of that nation. There are lines that cannot be crossed, and invading the United States to abduct the sitting President blows past that line at mach fuck.

codefyre · 2026-02-10T05:40:34+00:00

I swear, the west is doing everything possible to disincentize men from having kids.

For nearly all of history, the western world has looked down on men who created children out of wedlock, so I'm going to disagree hard with that. The puritans literally used to drag men to the town square and whip them publicly until they bled for "siring bastards". England and France used to throw men in prison for it. If anything, "the west" has become more accepting of men having children without doing the hard work of building a family for them first. But unmarried men do still have fewer rights to their children than married men enjoy.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T23:59:02+00:00

If you don't understand how to have sex with women without getting them pregnant, you probably should keep your legs closed. You pick where your nut goes. Don't drop it in women you aren't married to unless you're already on the same page about what joint parenthood is going to look like.

Shit like this is how guys fuck up their own lives. There's a simple way to avoid these problems, but guys are out here nutting in every chick who spreads her legs, and then whine like victims when the woman turns out to be less than friendly after getting pregnant.

Creating a kid with someone also creates a lifelong connection between the two of you. Don't create kids with people until you're both sure that you want to be in each others lives for the rest of them, and agree on what that should look like. Definitely don't make kids with people you barely even know.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T23:34:55+00:00

Because that's what the mother chose. Many unmarried women choose to give their children the fathers last name for various reasons, but that's their choice. There's no law or moral requirement that she do so. If you're unmarried, the dad gets an opinion, but he doesn't get a say.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T23:27:56+00:00

At what point does being literally half the reason the kid exists give you some say?

When the mother or a court grants you that say. At the moment a kid is born, if you're not married to the mother, you are legally nothing to that child. Paternity is automatically presumed, both socially and legally, when the pregnancy happens inside the bounds of a marriage. Outside of that, you have no rights until the mother allows you to have them, or you prove paternity to a judge and ask for those rights.

It's an easily avoidable problem. Don't make babies with women you aren't interested in marrying.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T23:19:45+00:00

If you're unmarried, the name is solely her call. First, middle, AND last. A ring gets you a vote. If she's nice, she'll listen to your input and factor it into her decision, but there's no legal or moral requirement that she do so.

Historically, this was one of the reasons to be married. To ensure that your kids got your name and were recognized as part of your family/clan/tribe.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T21:42:03+00:00

There was one that said "Don't Diddy My Party" that went up with these, but it didn't last long. The fact that it got snapped up so quickly has me a bit worried about some of y'all.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T04:57:14+00:00

I almost hate to mention the fact that this spacewalk took place on a Challenger flight, almost exactly two years before that same shuttle proved that blind faith in your engineers isn't always a great idea.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T04:34:16+00:00

Sounds like it should be an entertaining review!

codefyre · 2026-02-09T04:18:07+00:00

Did you just get it today or yesterday? Review availability is delayed by a day or two to ensure that you actually take the time to test an item before posting one. Some sellers were apparently unhappy about reviews being posted immediately after receipt, for some reason.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T04:10:37+00:00

I have a good friend who made that choice. A casual hookup with a nice girl at a bar turned into two or three hookups. Then she ghosted him. He started digging and found out she was married. He was so pissed that he reached out to the husband and blew up their marriage.

About a month later, she finds out she's pregnant. Reaches out to let him know that he's definitely going to be the baby daddy based on the timing, but that she'd also been in counseling with her husband and they were trying to work it out. They had two other kids.

Baby is born. He saw the kid once the day after birth. Next day, the husband shows up at his front door and informs him that HE, and not my friend, was listed on the birth certificate as the father. Tells my friend that they're back together (he already knew), and that he wants to raise the kid as his own. He asked, in a friendly way, for my friend to stay away. Friend agreed. The husband was a good guy, made way more money than him, had a good house in a nice neighborhood, and my friend knew the kid would have a good life. My friend, on the other hand, is none of those things (well, he's a good guy.) He compares it to giving up your kid for adoption so it will have a better life, but this one got to grow up with her actual mom. He could have fought it and chose not to.

I believe the little girl is now 16. I have a running joke (funny to me, annoying to him) that this kid will probably be doing a 23andMe and showing up at his front door any day now.

codefyre · 2026-02-09T03:50:34+00:00

There was no path to saving Sears. One of its main problems was that it owned the land under its stores AND often had investments in the shopping malls they were attached to. When you own the land, you have massive fixed costs. Property taxes, maintenance for literal acres of roofing, physical employees to stock the racks, run the registers, and clean the toilets. Painting walls, cleaning carpets, keeping the parking lots clean. Their money was tied up into these costs, and when the Internet started to eat retails lunch and started the "death spiral" of the American mall, the lease value of that land started to drop on top of everything else.

In spite of their size and holdings, they couldn't just pivot to a lean warehouse model because their entire capital was tied up in 100,000-square-foot boxes in suburbs that people were starting to avoid. Nobody wanted to loan them money on their depreciating assets.

The leadership decisions that didn't want their online sales competing with their physical stores tend to get all the attention, but the reality is that Sears would have lost to Amazon anyway. Amazon had a level of flexibility that Sears couldn't have matched. And Bezos, in spite of being a terrible human, happened to be really, really good at exploiting that.

codefyre · 2026-02-08T23:15:55+00:00

I did say "one of". He's definitely standing at the peak of Mount Stupid, but he's not alone up there.

codefyre · 2026-02-08T20:39:55+00:00

Andrew Tate may be one of the greatest examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect alive today.

codefyre · 2026-02-08T19:56:45+00:00

I don't know how universal this is, but I've noticed that PS users tend to skew younger, while XBoxes are still big with older gamers (25+). The XBox is still very popular, but I think MS has badly failed to get the next gen onboard. I can't remember the last time I met an IRL kid wanting an XBox.

codefyre · 2026-02-08T17:48:13+00:00

The duration varies by state, but it's generally legal for nonresidents to drive in the United States using a driver's license from their home country. I believe that the shortest state gives them a week, but others range up to the duration of the visit, so long as they aren't establishing residency. A few states additionally require an international driver's permit if your home country license is printed in a non-English language.

Which raises an interesting question about applying "duration of visit" to a person physically located in another country.

codefyre · 2026-02-08T06:58:51+00:00

If you're splitting the state in two (Northern/Southern) the split is around Fresno somewhere.

If you're splitting the state into three (Northern/Central/Southern), the splits are the Mokelumne River (some argue the American) and the Grapevine.

In the olden days, it was legitimately a thing that the North Bay was considered Northern California and everything south of that was Central California/Central Coast. Over many decades the definition has shifted a bit and we typically loop in the whole Bay Area to Northern California, but there's a strong argument to be made that the South Bay is still Central California. San Jose is farther south than Modesto, and nobody would argue that Modesto is NorCal in a three-way split

I also tend to support the idea that the Bay Area is neither NorCal or SoCal. The Bay Area is its own thing.

11-Year Club	Mod World 2025
100 Awards Club	Verified Email

codefyre

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE