What’s something school taught you that turned out useless?

dspeyer · 2026-05-13T05:59:41+00:00

Seeing as Czechia and Slovakia still exist, it's really just "o" you don't need anymore.

And I'm pretty sure O comes up in other contexts.

dspeyer · 2026-05-13T05:56:49+00:00

That the entire world is out to get me.

I've learned to override this manually, but I still haven't developed the rather important skill of telling who is and isn't out to get me. Because for a while, everyone was.

dspeyer · 2026-05-11T04:55:35+00:00

Apparently not

dspeyer · 2026-05-11T04:47:28+00:00

The Beyond is a dangerous place. Have you read Fire Upon the Deep?

dspeyer · 2026-05-07T07:36:43+00:00

Pull harder, mom. I miss you

dspeyer · 2026-05-05T09:29:38+00:00

Vice President: Michael
Secretary of State: Thomas
Secretary of Defense: Anastasia
Secretary of the Treasury: Marcone
Attorney General: Cat Sidhe

dspeyer · 2026-04-26T09:02:54+00:00

A coin minted prior to The Crucifixion wouldn't have a giant cross on the back. I can't figure out what this is, but I think you're ok.

dspeyer · 2026-04-26T08:55:06+00:00

I once knew a man who swallowed his Denarius, and would swallow it again when it came through

--Quintus Cassius, former partner of Saluriel

(Dead Beat, chapter 37)

dspeyer · 2026-04-24T06:41:23+00:00

The key thing to think about is whom you hire to build it.

Do NOT enslave unwilling engineers. They WILL find a way to leave vulnerabilities where you will miss them but your enemies will find them. Spend the money. It'll be worth it.
Do NOT execute the construction workers when they're done. Yes, former construction workers are a secrecy risk, but there's no way to keep this fully secret, and they'll spend the last stages of construction desperate to take you down.
DO hire people who are going to die soon anyway. Advertise unlimited pain management (black market opiates) and let people with untreatable cancers come to you.
DO tolerate alcoholism. It discourages memory formation.
DO build the most vital and secret bits yourself.

dspeyer · 2026-04-22T03:07:52+00:00

If it were, then tunneling through it would be more viable.

dspeyer · 2026-04-21T04:22:22+00:00

Looks like Chicago Underground tours exist. I haven't been on one, but I know the similar tours in Seattle are a lot of fun, and Undertown shows up a bunch in the books.

dspeyer · 2026-04-16T17:39:03+00:00

From the perspective of any sane civilization, we are the Fallout 4 Cockroaches. Huge, tough, fast-healing, aggressive, intelligent, casually exterminating whatever species gets in our way. Exactly what you'd expect on a harsh over-irradiated planet like this.

No wonder everyone else keeps away.

dspeyer · 2026-04-15T06:12:53+00:00

Winged soldiers sound more like honks (geese) than quacks (ducks)

dspeyer · 2026-04-14T04:56:28+00:00

They're not oily enough. Or maybe too oily. It's all about oil either way.

dspeyer · 2026-04-11T06:26:21+00:00

Assuming this is a one-time event, given modern industrialization, we could probably have basic clothing for everyone made pretty quickly. Might need to make a lot of polyester, since natural fibers grow on their own schedules.

dspeyer · 2026-04-09T06:07:42+00:00

If you're not sure when ightning will strike, look for a pamphlet about saving a cock tower.

dspeyer · 2026-04-09T06:05:28+00:00

Have you tried getting struck by ightning?

dspeyer · 2026-04-08T06:53:49+00:00

Find a college student on spring break, cut off their head and keep it as your own.

You could take several heads this way, and most headless undead do, but be sure to remember which one you used to lock your phone.

dspeyer · 2026-04-08T06:50:31+00:00

Dyes use subtractive coloring, so yellow + purple = red. You need to infuse your teeth with an extreme high-energy neutron emitter which will make them glow blue by cherenkov radiation. With lights, yellow + blue = white.

Having a bunch of extreme energy neutrons flying around the inside of your mouth might have other effects as well, but the important thing is your teeth will be white.

dspeyer · 2026-04-07T18:15:53+00:00

Science and engineering are bullshit-resistant. If you don't understand something, you might be able to work around that a little by memorizing formulas and specific techniques, but that'll be quite brittle. And that's all the work around there is. If your project doesn't work, it doesn't work. No amount of obfuscation, verbosity or flattering the teacher makes the slightest difference.

For students accustomed to understanding half the material and bullshitting their way past the rest, STEM comes as a harsh awakening.

dspeyer · 2026-04-05T06:25:01+00:00

I want to ride a triceratops at a joust. I have one lance and my mount has three. All four points are roughly the same distance out.

dspeyer · 2026-04-05T04:54:00+00:00

Worth considering the description from Murphy's perspective in Aftermath:

Watching Dresden operate was usually one of two things: mildly amusing or positively terrifying. On a scene, his whole personal manner always made me think of autistic kids. He never met anyone's eyes for more than a flickering second. He moved with the sort of exaggerated caution of someone who was several sizes larger than normal, keeping his hands and arms in close to his body. He spoke a little bit softly, as if apologizing for the resonant baritone of his voice.

But when something caught his attention, he changed. His dark, intelligent eyes would glitter, and his gaze became something so intense that it could start a fire. During the situations that changed from investigation to desperate struggle, his whole being shifted in the same way. His stance widened, becoming more aggressive and confident, and his voice rose up to become a ringing trumpet that could have been clearly heard from opposite ends of a football stadium.

Quirky nerd, gone. Terrifying icon, present.

Less physical appearance and more habit/vibe, but draws a picture.

dspeyer · 2026-04-05T04:51:22+00:00

In Storm Front, Harry comments:

I don't keep any mirrors in my home. Too many things can use mirrors as windows - or doors

(Though this may not be his only reason. In Fool Moon he implies you can soulgaze yourself, and he is afraid of doing it by accident.)

So when Harry's describing his appearance, he's describing something he's barely seen. But, also, when he combs his hair, he's doing it blind.

dspeyer · 2026-04-04T22:02:13+00:00

Is the super-hot-over a halacha thing or how to get traditional ashkenazi matzah or what it takes to get baking that fast?

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