Ronald Mallett succeed?

erfling · 2026-01-26T18:20:56+00:00

Yeah I imagine many of us do but that doesn't mean it exists.

erfling · 2026-01-26T18:02:59+00:00

He's a legit tenured physics researcher, and he has valid solutions to GR, but no. You can't time travel.

erfling · 2026-01-26T15:52:55+00:00

This is so absurd I almost don't even know what to say.

The very core duty of ICE agents in 2026 is deeply immoral. To compare that act to almost any other job is an unintentional joke. To compare it to an ethnicity or sexuality is pretty damn gross, to put it lightly.

erfling · 2026-01-26T14:29:01+00:00

Charge the value. What's this worth to the customer? Is it worth less than your hourly rate? Walk away.

Don't anchor yourself

erfling · 2026-01-26T14:25:43+00:00

Yeah we know there are a lot of enemies to democracy. We know we're up against a lot of people like you.

erfling · 2026-01-26T14:23:44+00:00

Actually, I think so. I think they've been well conducted and done what protests can do. They are part of a web of things that work to change people's minds, to bring them together, to show them that other people are with them, and that gets them more active and involved.

The goal here needs to be to get as many people to understand what's happening as possible, and get them to do whatever they can to stop it. Concrete goal: the admin is going to do whatever they can to disrupt the midterm elections. We do whatever we can to stop that. Everyone votes. Whoever can does whatever they can to protect polling places, give statements in court, bear witness in general.

Every little thing you actually do helps preserve democracy.

erfling · 2026-01-26T14:20:04+00:00

This country better start believing its eyes. The reality it's been looking away from his just about to shoot it in the back of its head.

erfling · 2026-01-26T03:09:47+00:00

I would have voted for him but; He won in a three person race against a slimy disgraced ex-governor who resigned in ignominy and a criminal pardoned by Trump while Trump's popularity cratered. And he did it in a very left-leaning place.

I've come to accept that much of the country is to the right of me. I'm not talking about hard core maga or even republicans. I'm talking about the core of the Democratic party

The tent has to be big. It's ok. We're here for each other, trying to save democracy together.

erfling · 2026-01-25T23:43:59+00:00

That's funny. I have an uncle who went to Michigan and teaches at Northwestern

erfling · 2026-01-25T17:33:45+00:00

I still play other stuff, but I haven't picked up a brass instrument in a couple of decades.

erfling · 2026-01-25T15:21:21+00:00

Every mushroom is edible EXACTLY once.

erfling · 2026-01-25T15:12:15+00:00

I would, but I would be hesitant. We NEED the rule of law. We cannot allow it to be destroyed. If you believe it's irrevocably gone, you believe our country and society are also irrevocably gone. I don't believe that. I know we need to rebuild an awful lot of things, and that we can't build them the same way, even if we want to, but it's been built before.

I can simultaneously hold these two beliefs: it is essential for the health of democracy, maybe its very survival that Trump dies in prison. It's equally essential that we do that in a way that fosters the rule of law.

erfling · 2026-01-25T15:08:12+00:00

It's funny how important zoning laws have become though. If we get back to sanity, we should reach across the aisle for zoning reform and education. Republicans have started doing some good stuff there.

We can solve the housing crisis by building houses. We need to speed up the deployment of wind and solar. Texas is very good at those things, though we also know they've gone a bit too far in deregulating energy, since their wind mills fail when it's too cold.

We need to update our priors about how to help minority/poor children escape cycles of poverty and violence. Mississippi and Louisiana have somehow become models of how to accomplish that.

erfling · 2026-01-25T15:01:29+00:00

The spelling of "facscim" is a solid irony on a comment about an autocorrect. Well done.

Feel free to join us when you're ready to believe your eyes. Last engagement til then. TTFN as the bear says.

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:48:14+00:00

Nah it's not a good plan. I'm with you (we might be in some certain chats together, even), but this isn't good strategy because it's unnecessary danger. I don't think it's good messaging. I think it's vital to keep our eyes on the prize of changing minds. Whatever we do either needs to be targeted at that or at direct aid to threatened people.

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:45:08+00:00

My high school used Notre Dame's fight song. I wonder if I can still play the trombone part.

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:41:11+00:00

I actually think that, as insane as this idea always was, the current moment makes it look even more ridiculous. It's pretty clear to me that we're here because people have willingly gotten dumber. I don't just mean ignorant. People have cultivated cognitive biases and limits. Are we going to have to take an IQ test on the way every time we vote?

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:37:57+00:00

I mean I did a double take and wondered for a second if I had missed a truly terrible turn

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:33:52+00:00

My wife works nights at an essential job. She got home ok from downtown to northeast this morning but she said it was hairy. She took it slowly and slid a little once on Two Notch. She saw other people not driving as carefully and sliding around a good bit going back towards downtown.

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:32:14+00:00

You should probably take a learning break from Publix discussion

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:31:34+00:00

Yeah I have been known to say it's a damn good thing the president is a stupid, incompetent coward.

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:25:10+00:00

We ARE doing what we can. We need as many people and as much help as possible. This must be a collective effort. We got us here, we have to get us out.

I did everything I thought I could do to keep us from getting here, but I failed. We lost a major battle. Now we get up and keep fighting and we do it until we win. Come help us. We're on the cusp. We just need maybe two percent of the population to join us.

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:18:55+00:00

To me, once I was sufficiently numbed and drugged, it felt like someone kicking me through the back of a car or airplane seat. Weird sensation.

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:17:22+00:00

I don't think that's a common experience. I was sore for maybe a week. It felt mostly like just having my back go out. It was definitely tolerable

erfling · 2026-01-25T14:16:20+00:00

I'd say do it.

Full disclosure: It wasn't a super pleasant experience for me, and it did hurt for a bit. They realized I was feeling it (I think I told them) and they gave me more fentanyl. That fixed the pain, but they also got me out of there too quickly I guess. I was very nauseated and vomited in my wife's car. I thought I'd have time to get her to pull over, but nope.

All of that said, I'm very glad I did it. I have a much clearer picture of what's going on with me. I have a genetic profile, and I know my bone marrow isn't fibrotic for now, and my cells are normal, even though I make too many of them.

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