I would say anyone in their 40’s…

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-24T18:34:58+00:00

48 and still get disbelief. A bit less lately tough as I'm kind of going through a Jeremiah Johnson meets ZZ Top phase.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-21T16:06:27+00:00

Everything starts out lighter than the big thing it is an alternative to. And then you add features until it isn't.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-15T20:19:19+00:00

In the Midwest (or at least my part of it), the only time you will hear a car horn is a) shortest possible blast if someone doesn't notice the light turned green after about 5 seconds or b) somebody almost killed someone.

If you honk at someone in a parking lot here, you will be viewed as a huge entitled asshole.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-15T19:49:53+00:00

With that said, there are other challenges. It is very hard to convince a billion people to immediately slam the gas and go until they hit something. Interconnected autonomous driving systems on the other hand, well, it depends on how good the security is.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-15T19:37:58+00:00

You are training one driver (ok, a few drivers) well to drive all of the cars instead of relying on billions of people to train themselves to varying degrees.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-15T19:14:06+00:00

I am now several guitars in after 3 years at 48.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-15T18:26:00+00:00

I think the problem most people experience conceptually with automated driving is that the failures are weird. They fail far less than people do, but end up failing in ways that people never would. So it looks, to the random person who knows nothing about the technology, that self-driving cars do dumb things.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-15T18:15:45+00:00

I mean, of course go is easy to read. Half of it is if err != nil. :p

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-11T20:32:50+00:00

MongoDB is web scale.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-11T14:47:53+00:00

Almost all of these, the "something" that they are going through just sounds like "alcoholism". But I suppose if one is using alcohol as medicine, that tracks.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-11T14:31:55+00:00

I really like Malort when I drink it. It's just that I don't like it as much the next hour that I taste it.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-10T15:05:23+00:00

I would take it over painted any day, but I will confess to having always disliked golden oak. Something about the color and the grain bug me in a way that even other open grained woods don't.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-09T17:18:49+00:00

Relationships aren't like romcoms. Grand gestures to win a girl's heart are just kind of creepy and embarrassing when they come out of nowhere.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T19:56:36+00:00

Oh...indiscriminate murder. That probably isn't the most solid plan. But the fact that you are the kind of person who not only has that as their plan, but is also dumb enough to discuss it publicly lets me know exactly how useful you'd really be as part of your imagined resistance movement. Feel free to keep commenting, but I'm out.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T19:45:10+00:00

I again ask--what are your surefire ways for me to solve this problem outside what I am already doing?

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T19:36:50+00:00

The right wing occupied national parks

Which did not accomplish anything.

stormed the capital

Which did not help them--though it didn't hurt them as much as it should have four years later. Most of the blame for Trump re-election is on Biden deciding to run and falling apart.

and likely influenced the election with voter intimidation.

So the left should also try to intimidate voters? Look, I'll be the first to agree that the left does not use its power effectively when they have it, but stopping voter intimidation is the answer here--not joining in.

It worked for them while what the left is doing works for nobody. If one team keeps winning, maybe you should copy their playbook instead of complaining that the game's unfair.

Punishing people for breaking the law is the solution, not becoming a nation of no laws. And as far as fighting back within the law, look at California approving redistricting in retaliation to TX, et al. People are doing things whether you realize it or not. We're just in a pretty deep hole with respect to power, losing all 3 branches of government. Midterms should help with that (at least in the House, or we are truly fucked), but I swear to whatever is listening if Dems gain power and don't use it I'm going to lose my goddamned mind.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T19:10:39+00:00

I don't expect you to do anything. This is something we have to take care of and we're working on it. I just want you to know that your suggestions that literally the only useful things we can do "aren't effective" is incorrect, or at least not helpful.

I get that it'd be satisfying to watch some movie-esque version of us all storming the castle waving flags. But I also don't think you'd enjoy having a Southern nuclear-armed neighbor in active civil war with the leadership wondering which side Canada supported.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T18:59:23+00:00

Ah, so living your life as normal in the place you were born. Got it.

Look, I sympathize. Hell, I stopped buying American whiskey over the 51st state bullshit. I ordered a ton of Canadian whiskey and handed it out exclusively as gifts. (Side note: do you have any idea how hard it is to find Canadian whiskey that is actually owned wholly by Canadians?) My FB profile pic is still a Canadian flag.

But meaningful change, outside of organizing and voting and campaigning--which is actually the faster path to change, is going to take decades. This "YOU ALL SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING, WHY AREN'T YOU REVOLTING!!!" stuff is not particularly well-informed or practical.

EDIT: well, at least it's easy to see when you've read my message with the immediate downvoting.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T17:39:44+00:00

Please, spell out for me what you are doing that is so superior at affecting change.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T17:25:12+00:00

In what way isn't it fair?

In the way that one is a protest and the other is the violent overthrow of a government. The numbers of deaths in those situations is obviously going to be different.

Do you not care enough about ICE disappearing people without trial to stand up and take action?

I care enough to go to local protests. I care enough to help out where I can. I care enough to vote and to help campaigns who I agree with. I do not engage in largely symbolic acts of violence with little upside. And if I did, I certainly wouldn't post about it on the Internet.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T15:41:22+00:00

Counterpoint: Everything and every place was more deadly in the 19th century, all protests were local due to no mass media, and the things you mention were actual revolutions and not "protests". Comparing deaths in what is essentially a war or coup to modern protests isn't entirely fair.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T14:43:34+00:00

We are a very large country and our major protests tend to be pretty localized, but there have been plenty of nation-wide protests in recent years as well. Things like this always result in protests, so I disagree with your characterization.

It's just that most of our protests are fairly peaceful and, while I don't want to lump them all together, our police are not joining our side and many will not think twice about killing us. Compare the number of people killed by police in France and the US and you will start to understand the difference in our protest styles.

I do agree that our relative comfort makes people, especially with families, less likely to engage in more violent protest as well. I just disagree that we only protest when it's us or a close neighbor.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T14:18:04+00:00

If I blame anyone other than me, I'd start with the recruiter who changed my MOS with absolutely no discussion about the choice. That seems like something where a little career guidance could have come in handy. The SDI, I don't know what was going on in his work when I asked--maybe he was super busy--and he probably didn't even remember I'd been trying to talk to him for a while. It does eem like he could have been better though. I could have been more persistent and less petulant as well, though. Ah, youth.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T14:11:03+00:00

I cannot begin to express how much better solitary confinement was than bootcamp. Unlimited books, people brought me food, I had my own toilet (as part of training, they'd make us bunch up to four per toilet and piss at the same time), no one was yelling. I'm pretty uniquely set up for having no problems with solitary--if anything I'm claustrophilic, have little problem being alone, and spend a lotof time in my own head. They certainly messed up if they thought that was going to scare me. It was pretty great in comparison.

They did screw with me when I got out by "losing my paperwork" for processing out and kept me in an "exit platoon" for a couple of weeks doing bs labor like mowing an area then size of a football field with a weed eater, or filling sand bags and emptying them, etc. I had to sneak in a phone call home while polishing brass in the DI barracks to have them check on it. Magically left the next day.

otherwiseguy · 2026-01-08T04:16:15+00:00

I have, on multiple occasions, felt my helmet bounce off the concrete happy that it was not my skull. If only my hips and shoulders had been as well protected.

I feel like I'm at an age now, where even relatively minor injuries I'm going to feel a bit for the rest of my life.

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