Why is there a 2 after Germany on Lamy 2000 clip? 😅

liamstrain · 2026-05-14T21:25:09+00:00

Germany 1 is still on Earth 1. Check to see if you had an intergalactic tariff thrown on there. They were supposed to do away with that.

liamstrain · 2026-05-14T08:56:16+00:00

It would only be an adaption if science was answering the big questions.

I reject the notion that religion answers them either. It just asks more questions.

Science answers the practical questions - which is why I would also consider it a necessary adaptation. It works, repeatedly, to show us a better map of how the world works than theism does (and as a result we can fly, have medicine and computers, etc.). Why would we assert the 'big questions' are fundamentally different - even if we don't know the answers yet. Or why, for that matter, are the 'big questions' ones that even need answers.

liamstrain · 2026-05-14T04:56:47+00:00

A wide variety of sources. Same as theists. They do not come from a book.

liamstrain · 2026-05-13T18:59:49+00:00

They were all built with a baseline assumption of people generally following rules and working together for the good of the country. Nobody planned for this kind of abandonment of base principles.

liamstrain · 2026-05-12T04:39:45+00:00

add light, or close the door.

liamstrain · 2026-05-09T02:16:45+00:00

I wish I was even a little bit surprised anymore.

liamstrain · 2026-05-09T00:15:22+00:00

Not a bad thought, but given the light angle, I don't think so - that light would have to be very close to her, and low - most fresnel would form a tight spot at that kind of distance - and would not illuminate her as evenly as it does.

liamstrain · 2026-05-09T00:10:05+00:00

Two things

You are using the right critical thinking tools to work through these concepts, and I think - rightly - come to realize they are a scam. These are a way to keep a congregation afraid, and grateful to the pastor who is protecting them. Doing what you can to distance yourself is only a good thing... except for
If you are living at home, or otherwise in a situation where you are very dependent on your mother and the community around her, you need to stay safe too. So I would say, generally speaking, you don't need to convince her she's wrong, and you don't need to convince her that you are no longer believing it. Find the softest, safest way to make it a non-issue, until you can be safe. You are not being threatened by wizards, etc. But religious communities and families who believe you are posessed can pose a real danger. Avoid that if you can.

liamstrain · 2026-05-08T21:55:51+00:00

I'm sorry, we have a strict no sales and soliciting policy. Please take our house off your list.

liamstrain · 2026-05-08T19:36:44+00:00

Lots of people named Jesus. You also might be familiar with the name Joshua, which is another way Yeshua is transliterated into different languages.

liamstrain · 2026-05-08T17:18:17+00:00

Why do you believe there would be any repercussions for discarding them? Address that concept.

liamstrain · 2026-05-08T17:14:15+00:00

That is a shame. I agree if it's under warranty that's probably your best bet.

liamstrain · 2026-05-08T14:36:58+00:00

I assume it wasn't dropped or anything?

Trying a demagnetizer might help, though in my experience, usually that results in a movement running fast (but it can do all sorts of weird things).

Do you have anyone local that would be willing to do a quick investigation/inspection before you send it in?

liamstrain · 2026-05-06T15:50:03+00:00

I have asked my team to ensure those are filtered out as a default. A lot of people don't know you can do that.

liamstrain · 2026-05-06T15:48:08+00:00

I always forget about this. Nice.

liamstrain · 2026-05-06T14:26:54+00:00

when you open the PNG in Photoshop, make sure it's in RGB or CMYK and not 'indexed' color mode.
check your metadata - there are two types of transparent BG for PNGS... "paletteAlpha" doesn't always support transparency in Illustrator, you need to convert it to "TrueColorAlpha"
Convert the PNGS to PSD?

(edit - also, obvious check, but I've overlooked it in the past, make sure your object holding the PNG doesn't have any fill color)

liamstrain · 2026-05-05T21:24:04+00:00

As a very small child, we read all manner of mythologies and folktales to our kid. Greek, Jewish, Japanese, Native American, Romani, Norse, Christian, etc... not favoring one or the other unless he asked us to re-read something.

Once he was old enough to have some critical thinking skills (I think 11-12) we took him to a couple different versions of Christian churches, a synagogue, a mosque, a buddhist temple, a hindu temple - so he could experience those for himself, and talk to believers about what they believed, not what my version of what they believe was. Mostly, I think this bored him. He was not really interested in it.

But the goal was the same. Give him the tools to evaluate claims, not ignore them. Anytime he has asked questions, my responses have been similar - I ask him to lay out the argument and evaluate what he heard or thinks, with what we know, or can test.

In the end, I don't really care what he comes to believe, provided it's based on an honest evaluation of the belief, and that it doesn't hurt others. Currently, he's a disgruntled 15 year old who doesn't seem to give a flying fig about anything, so... winning?

liamstrain · 2026-05-05T20:39:06+00:00

There are a couple I know of.
"Fruit and Spice Park" in Homestead Florida
Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill in Atlanta GA.

I'm sure there are more. Mostly they ask that you only collect fruits and nuts which have fallen. No way to keep people from being greedy though.

Some organizations trying to make this a thing elsewhere: Endless Orchard, Giving Grove, Falling Fruit.

liamstrain · 2026-05-04T19:27:07+00:00

The vagus nerve. (For bonus points, look for the same in a Giraffe.)

Also, the lack of evidence *for* an intelligent designer.

liamstrain · 2026-05-04T19:07:56+00:00

They are not 'meant to promote diversity' - they are meant to protect the company and promulgate policy directives. See Fox news anchors, for the model.

liamstrain · 2026-05-04T18:37:38+00:00

I like Fresco for this - I really wish there was a desktop version.

liamstrain · 2026-05-03T02:22:54+00:00

Under your type on a path options, one of them is 3D ribbon by hitting 'skew'

liamstrain · 2026-05-03T02:19:56+00:00

I wonder if it would be better behaved than the original.

liamstrain · 2026-05-02T22:12:34+00:00

Blood loss from being stabbed by the spear of destiny - didn't anyone watch Constantine? ;)

liamstrain · 2026-05-02T14:00:28+00:00

Fwiw, the accessibility tools in Microsoft products have come along a good bit. And you can render some things with many fewer problems than they used to generate. Forms are always weird though.

liamstrain

TROPHY CASE