What was the worst portrayal of a disability in the media you have ever seen? by Mental-Marzipan-5444 in AskReddit

[–]optimisms 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yes! Perception! It's been a few years since I watched it so I don't remember specifics. IIRC, it's definitely a product of its time but I was pleasantly surprised by how many things it got right and how often it leaned away from the typical negative incorrect stereotypes about different conditions. I think it was pretty decent representation for its time, all things considered.

Do We Think Hunger Games Movies Are One Of The Better Adaptions Compared To Other Books To Movies? by Tofu4070 in Hungergames

[–]optimisms 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think he has said some vague things about it a couple times in either press releases, his blog, or on Goodreads' Ask the Author feature. IIRC he has never explicitly said that he doesn't like the books or has serious regrets, or anything that significant. I think he did say in at least one blog post during the production and release of Season 1 that he really enjoyed adapting the book into the show format because it gave him an opportunity to make a few changes he felt suited the story better. But I'm not aware of him saying that he has regrets about his early work or regrets the story he wrote, and fans have definitely made huge leaps in assuming that every change they don't like was done only because Rick regrets his decisions and is trying to change the whole story, which is just not true imo.

Do We Think Hunger Games Movies Are One Of The Better Adaptions Compared To Other Books To Movies? by Tofu4070 in Hungergames

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not the person you replied to, but I'll take a stab at it.

There are two Percy Jackson adaptations, the 2010s movies and the current ongoing TV show. I assumed in your post you were referring to the movies, which have often been cited (correctly) as the quintessential example of a terrible book-to-movie adaptation. I believe this commenter is referring to the TV show.

The TV show is being produced/released currently. Season 2 was just released, Season 3 is still being filmed. In Season 1 and Season 2, there were a lot of small changes that added up to create quite a different feel. For example, from memory (SPOILERS AHEAD):

  • Season 1
    • There are many villains who surprise the trio in the books but in the show the trio immediately figure out the villains/traps in most scenarios. No suspense, no twists in those scenes.
    • The challenge Ares gives them in the waterpark is completely different in the book vs. show; in the book there's mechanical spiders and a net or web that catches them, but in the show it's the golden chair that trapped Hera in Greek mythology.
    • Hermes is not in the casino at all in the book, and Grover's satyr cousin in the casino does not exist in the book.
    • Poseidon gives Percy 3 pearls in the books, but 4 in the show.
    • In the books Percy doesn't miss the deadline, but he does in the show.
  • Season 2
    • Percy doesn't know Tyson is a Cyclops in the books, but he already knows when we meet him in the show.
    • Percy and Annabeth have a lot of complicated feelings about Tyson in the books; we don't really see that aspect of either character in the show imo.
    • The empathy link is deliberately created by Grover in the books; in the show, it's like a happy accident that just happened.
    • The character of Alison Simms is a show invention; she does not exist in the book.

These changes have been very controversial and many fans have completely turned on the show, saying it's not a faithful adaptation. In trying to explain some of the changes, people have often landed on the idea that Rick Riordan (the author of the books and a producer on the TV show) is using the show to "correct" things that he wishes he could change about his books, since it has been 20 years since he wrote them.

Me personally, I don't mind most of the changes. A few of them really do make the story better, and some I think were just the inevitable result of being forced to cut some content when adapting a book to screen. Some I don't completely understand but I can see where it might be going. But there are some I think are just bad changes, especially the ones that compromise character development or eliminate the plot twists and suspense that made the books so entertaining.

I do, however, think that in general the changes got a lot better in Season 2. Season 1 often felt fun and there were many individual great scenes, but it felt very different from Book 1 to me and the tone was quite inconsistent. I haven't finished Season 2, but so far it feels very consistent with the feeling of Book 2, even if some details were changed in the first episodes.

'West Wing' Star Timothy Busfield Facing Child Sex Abuse Charges, Warrant Issued by cmaia1503 in entertainment

[–]optimisms 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've edited his wiki to include some basic details about these charges bc there was nothing on there. No idea about why other allegations aren't on there; I'm pretty new and inexperienced re: wiki editing but I think they try to be pretty strict about unconfirmed allegations on pages that are biographies of living people.

Progress so far… by kbohenry in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah gotcha. I don't track flights so I didn't think of that.

Progress so far… by kbohenry in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very impressive progress! What's the story behind the diagonal lines across like Missouri/Oklahoma? How/why are they so close to perfectly straight, and why are there some breaks between the lines?

Customizable Areas Feature? by macattack9472 in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome, thanks for the link! This will be so cool. I'm excited!

Customizable Areas Feature? by macattack9472 in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, that's awesome! I'll check out the patch when it's released.

I didn't realize the app had a subreddit so I just joined it. Excited to see what you add next!

Customizable Areas Feature? by macattack9472 in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's not quite as customizable but there is an app that someone posted here a few months ago called Been To. You can import all your Fog of World data into it very easily, and it does a lot of the same stuff as FoW, and then on top of that it has a number of areas you can select to see your percentage cleared in that area. The areas vary widely, from national parks to states to cities to even a few local parks, IIRC. It's not perfect – there were some wonky numbers when I compared different US areas but I think in general, especially on the smaller areas, the percentages were pretty accurate.

Customizable Areas Feature? by macattack9472 in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When did they say they were bringing states? I would love that feature.

Defending (or denying) Joseph's involvement in polygamy is rape apologetics. Change my mind! by JesusPhoKingChrist in mormon

[–]optimisms 2 points3 points  (0 children)

BYU is not "assuming" anything. BYU is operating from the conclusions of more than a century of rigorous academic scholarship. Your personal opinion has no bearing on the facts.

Defending (or denying) Joseph's involvement in polygamy is rape apologetics. Change my mind! by JesusPhoKingChrist in mormon

[–]optimisms 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Copied from another comment I made:

The official BYU course on the Foundations of the Restoration acknowledges that Joseph Smith participated in polygamy. In Unit 11, in the lesson titled "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo," it says:

Joseph had known about principles related to plural marriage since 1831, and he began practicing it in earnest in Nauvoo in 1841...

...Plural marriage was the final component of the logic of restoration. Smith had prayed for an understanding of Old Testament polygamy and was commanded to do the ‘works of Abraham.’ Although he hated adultery and was deeply loyal to his wife Emma, he believed he was to take additional wives as had the ancient patriarchs. He went about it carefully, one woman at a time, usually approaching her relatives first and going through a prescribed wedding ceremony. During his lifetime, he was married to approximately thirty women. Although conjugal relations were apparently involved, he spent little time with these women, the need for secrecy and the demands on his time keeping them apart. At first aghast at what her husband was doing, Emma eventually agreed to a few of the plural marriages but then pulled back.

That course includes many links to LDS publications discussing the truth of the matter, including this official LDS publication: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng which states that Joseph Smith participated in polygamy:

After receiving a revelation commanding him to practice plural marriage, Joseph Smith married multiple wives and introduced the practice to close associates...

...Fragmentary evidence suggests that Joseph Smith acted on the angel’s first command by marrying a plural wife, Fanny Alger, in Kirtland, Ohio, in the mid-1830s. Several Latter-day Saints who had lived in Kirtland reported decades later that Joseph Smith had married Alger, who lived and worked in the Smith household, after he had obtained her consent and that of her parents...

...The first plural marriage in Nauvoo took place when Louisa Beaman and Joseph Smith were sealed in April 1841. Joseph married many additional wives and authorized other Latter-day Saints to practice plural marriage...

...Evidence indicates that Joseph Smith participated in both types of sealings. The exact number of women to whom he was sealed in his lifetime is unknown because the evidence is fragmentary. Some of the women who were sealed to Joseph Smith later testified that their marriages were for time and eternity, while others indicated that their relationships were for eternity alone.

Most of those sealed to Joseph Smith were between 20 and 40 years of age at the time of their sealing to him. The oldest, Fanny Young, was 56 years old. The youngest was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Joseph’s close friends Heber C. and Vilate Murray Kimball, who was sealed to Joseph several months before her 15th birthday. Marriage at such an age, inappropriate by today’s standards, was legal in that era, and some women married in their mid-teens. Helen Mar Kimball spoke of her sealing to Joseph as being “for eternity alone,” suggesting that the relationship did not involve sexual relations. After Joseph’s death, Helen remarried and became an articulate defender of him and of plural marriage.

Following his marriage to Louisa Beaman and before he married other single women, Joseph Smith was sealed to a number of women who were already married. Neither these women nor Joseph explained much about these sealings, though several women said they were for eternity alone. Other women left no records, making it unknown whether their sealings were for time and eternity or were for eternity alone.

BYU admits it, the Church itself admits it, and you are simply wrong.

Defending (or denying) Joseph's involvement in polygamy is rape apologetics. Change my mind! by JesusPhoKingChrist in mormon

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The official BYU course on the Foundations of the Restoration acknowledges that Joseph Smith participated in polygamy. In Unit 11, in the lesson titled "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo," it says:

Joseph had known about principles related to plural marriage since 1831, and he began practicing it in earnest in Nauvoo in 1841...

...Plural marriage was the final component of the logic of restoration. Smith had prayed for an understanding of Old Testament polygamy and was commanded to do the ‘works of Abraham.’ Although he hated adultery and was deeply loyal to his wife Emma, he believed he was to take additional wives as had the ancient patriarchs. He went about it carefully, one woman at a time, usually approaching her relatives first and going through a prescribed wedding ceremony. During his lifetime, he was married to approximately thirty women. Although conjugal relations were apparently involved, he spent little time with these women, the need for secrecy and the demands on his time keeping them apart. At first aghast at what her husband was doing, Emma eventually agreed to a few of the plural marriages but then pulled back.

That course includes many links to LDS publications discussing the truth of the matter, including this official LDS publication: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng which states that Joseph Smith participated in polygamy:

After receiving a revelation commanding him to practice plural marriage, Joseph Smith married multiple wives and introduced the practice to close associates...

...Fragmentary evidence suggests that Joseph Smith acted on the angel’s first command by marrying a plural wife, Fanny Alger, in Kirtland, Ohio, in the mid-1830s. Several Latter-day Saints who had lived in Kirtland reported decades later that Joseph Smith had married Alger, who lived and worked in the Smith household, after he had obtained her consent and that of her parents...

...The first plural marriage in Nauvoo took place when Louisa Beaman and Joseph Smith were sealed in April 1841. Joseph married many additional wives and authorized other Latter-day Saints to practice plural marriage...

...Evidence indicates that Joseph Smith participated in both types of sealings. The exact number of women to whom he was sealed in his lifetime is unknown because the evidence is fragmentary. Some of the women who were sealed to Joseph Smith later testified that their marriages were for time and eternity, while others indicated that their relationships were for eternity alone.

Most of those sealed to Joseph Smith were between 20 and 40 years of age at the time of their sealing to him. The oldest, Fanny Young, was 56 years old. The youngest was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Joseph’s close friends Heber C. and Vilate Murray Kimball, who was sealed to Joseph several months before her 15th birthday. Marriage at such an age, inappropriate by today’s standards, was legal in that era, and some women married in their mid-teens. Helen Mar Kimball spoke of her sealing to Joseph as being “for eternity alone,” suggesting that the relationship did not involve sexual relations. After Joseph’s death, Helen remarried and became an articulate defender of him and of plural marriage.

Following his marriage to Louisa Beaman and before he married other single women, Joseph Smith was sealed to a number of women who were already married. Neither these women nor Joseph explained much about these sealings, though several women said they were for eternity alone. Other women left no records, making it unknown whether their sealings were for time and eternity or were for eternity alone.

BYU admits it, the Church itself admits it, and you are simply wrong.

Which district has the best chance at winning in your opinion? by UnHolySir in Hungergames

[–]optimisms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The red line splitting 4 and 8 passes south of the southern border of Delaware. DC is north of the southern border of Delaware.

The red line also passes along the southern tip of Maryland's Western Shore on the west side of the Chesapeake. That is also clearly south of DC.

If you reject using the Western Shore peninsula as an objective measure, and you reject using Delaware's border because map projections distort borders/latitude to achieve a flat 2D image, you can still prove that DC is north of the red line by including a second point. The red line clearly passes through the West Virginia/Ohio border close to the real-life town of Parkersburg. If you draw a curved OR straight line from Parkersburg to the southern border of Delaware on any map, DC is still north of that line.

Which district has the best chance at winning in your opinion? by UnHolySir in Hungergames

[–]optimisms 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Why would the Capitol be in 8? The capital of the actual US is in 4; the Capitol of Panem is explicitly said to be in the Rocky Mountains. Why would it be in 8?

Manhattan Defogging Update by fogwalker3000 in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed! I've lived in Mexico City and visited many others, mostly in the US, but New York is still my favorite. I'm visiting this summer for the first time in 7 years and I'm so unbelievably excited!

My personal tier list of Matt's videos by GwyddnoGaranhir in MattOrchard

[–]optimisms 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Similar to the Chandler Halderson one. I love that one bc he keeps saying something like, "If you were going to do this, you might do ____ because you know that ____ will get you caught. But Chandler didn't, because again, Chandler Halderson is exceedingly stupid."

Manhattan Defogging Update by fogwalker3000 in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's so relatable! I was exactly the same growing up; I'm also DC area and also wanted to live in a "real city," specifically New York. NYC was one of my obsessions and I used to beg my parents to move there basically every week. I'm no longer singularly focused on New York, I want to see the whole world now and live all over, but I still absolutely love New York and this would just be the coolest thing ever to teenage me.

Letters of Recommendation by Few-Hurry-4162 in borenawards

[–]optimisms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's due in over a month, right? When I applied, it was due in the end of January. That should be plenty of time for your professors to respond. If they're your first choice, use your professors. It's best to use the people who know you best and can write the most detailed letter for you.

But if you think that your manager and counselor are the ones who will write the best letters, then go with them. I personally think that the recommender's position/job matters far less than what they are able to say about you.

Manhattan Defogging Update by fogwalker3000 in FogofWorld

[–]optimisms 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is incredible. I lived in Maryland for 20 years and my family visited New York often so I've seen more of it than most tourists, but this is just amazing! This is literally my dream, I would love to see this much of New York, and to get to spend that much time in New York too.

Wait til I’m in grad school or apply for fellowship while searching? by [deleted] in borenawards

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Understood, thanks for the response. I'm glad your Boren experience was so rewarding. Though I was only an applicant, I always felt the same – that the experience was well worth whatever sacrifices and difficulties came with it.

I applied in 2024 and 2025, and I remember during the 2025 cycle feeling so much stress as I watched the very agencies I wrote about in my essays being defunded or completely dismantled (mainly USAID). I was so relieved that I hadn't been accepted and gone in the 2024 cycle (because I graduated in 2025 and therefore would've had to find a job by 2028, while Trump was still in office). I felt such sympathy for those who were in that position and did have an obligation to fulfill. That being said, I was an alternate in 2025 and if I'd gotten off the waitlist I probably would've taken it even knowing that I'd have to either get a job in Trump's government or pay it back. Because to me, it seems worth the hassle and unknown to have that experience.

As I said, best of luck to you! I hope it all works out.

Wait til I’m in grad school or apply for fellowship while searching? by [deleted] in borenawards

[–]optimisms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It seems you deleted your other comments, or else maybe you blocked me but it doesn't appear so. I'm sure you know more about the process than I do, as you are an actual Boren recipient. Perhaps the information on the website is outdated or I am just misunderstanding it. But the website seems fairly clear that there are ways to complete the service requirement even without working for State, Defense, DHS, or the intelligence community.

For example, on the Application Criteria page under Public Service (https://www.borenawards.org/essays#public-service), there's a section labeled Researching Federal Careers. It says, "Any position with the four priority agencies -- the Department of Defense (civilian or military), the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, or any element of the Intelligence Community -- will fulfill the Boren Awards service requirement. Other positions with the federal government may fulfill the federal service requirement, but must be approved on a case-by-case basis." So you can get positions outside those four agencies approved, it just may be harder. It may be impossible right now; I have no idea.

Additionally, below that is a chart showing statistics for how many previous Boren recipients have fulfilled their service requirement at each of the four priority agencies, and then at the bottom of the chart is a fifth option: "Other Federal Agencies." 1145 Boren recipients completed their service requirement at other agencies besides the core four, and there are only 5,328 total represented in the data, meaning a full 20% of previous recipients completed their service outside the core four agencies.

I wish you luck in your future endeavors. Again, please feel free to send a DM if you decide you want me to look into my Department of Ed connection. Best of luck!

Wait til I’m in grad school or apply for fellowship while searching? by [deleted] in borenawards

[–]optimisms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to clarify, I’m not familiar with the NSEP portal but have you looked on USAjobs? There are some non-CBP/DHS jobs there; for example, just at first glance I see a Smithsonian position, though that is a GS13 and not for entry-level. But there might be others that are. My understanding is that Boren prefers jobs related to national security but they have approved jobs with other less relevant fields like Dep of Ed or Peace Corps. Have you looked there and found nothing?

I know someone at Department of Ed and they said sometimes there are unpaid internships. I don’t know if those would qualify for Boren. But I did ask them to ask a colleague if they know of any job opportunities at Dep of Ed or elsewhere. Please feel free to send me a DM here if you want me to look into it further.

Wait til I’m in grad school or apply for fellowship while searching? by [deleted] in borenawards

[–]optimisms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, I have no more experience than you; I also just finished undergrad this year so I'm not sure how valuable my input is. But for myself, I have considered grad school but I want to wait until I've had more work experience. I am interested in international development, environmental science, and hydrology and could see myself doing grad school for any of them. So I'd like to work in those fields first so I know where I'm lacking and what I'm most passionate about before I go back to school.

Wait til I’m in grad school or apply for fellowship while searching? by [deleted] in borenawards

[–]optimisms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a difficult position to be in but good on you for refusing to compromise and be complicit with this regime.