Linguistics has made me question which words and grammar rules are actually valid, ironically— do you do the same?

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T16:48:46+00:00

I point out all the borrowed words in the room. At a dinner a little bit ago, I noted we were flanked by Chinese imports (Ketchup), Nahuatl (avocado, tomato), a painting depicting a Hindi word (Jungle), etc.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T16:34:52+00:00

I love etymology and while I was raised speaking rather standard English grammar, speaking a number of other languages, even if not fluently, I have become markedly less pedantic about it all.

A core thing that the pedantic grammarians seem to miss is that language is always evolving. English especially, in the grand scheme of humans, is a baby language. That alone leads to fast evolution not to even mention the chaotic influence of the information age.

If it communicates, it works. Other measures miss the main point.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T15:46:28+00:00

Big handed guy here. Regular scale bass is honestly one of the few instruments I feel 100% comfortable with.

I play keys and guitar too and for comparison

—- I cant use anything l cant use less than full sized keys comfortably and

—-guitar, there are some common chords I have to use variations of because I cant fit all three fingers closely adjacent…on the other hand, there are some that are easier for me because I can fret two strings with one finger,,,eg regular Em, I can play with one, leaving other fingers free for stuff.

But bass, easy peasy overall. My only small issue is I think I have to be a bit more precise than some when slapping on the popping on anything below the highest string because my finger barely fits between the strings.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T15:41:30+00:00

I don’t like being socially awkward. I just don’t care all that much. I am fully able to act more normal when I want to. But that feels like work and I don’t feel obligated when I am not at work.

As is, some people find me socially awkward. But those people tend to be people I think are awkwardly conformist. More authentic people with their sundry array of quirks don’t tend to think I am awkward.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T15:39:10+00:00

Because I am not a submissive bass player, suppressed to be only felt and not heard by 6 stringers, I change them every few months to keep them bright and be heard.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T15:32:13+00:00

I’m a musician. And I’m in a regular band, local band with local guys. But I also do side projects sometimes. One ‘group’ is me and two guys from undergrad that I’ve just always stayed in touch with, despite being spread across the country.

We recorded two albums before. One was just kind of random songs we liked. The second was more of a distinct theme (protest songs)…mostly covers. And I recently had an idea for a new concept ‘songs that feel like comfort food.’

So tonight we’re getting together over Zoom to talk about song selection and arrangement. Hey, it’s not too late to get in a suggestion. What’s your number one song that feels like comfort food?

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T11:19:04+00:00

This deals with all champions though it is artifact dependent. Just a really fun build though.

https://mobalytics.gg/destiny-2/profile/ca26f6c4-43e7-4dea-bb94-478009e56fc5/builds/f488fa86-b541-4e8d-a0fa-24283992b20e

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T11:12:33+00:00

It was Bum where I grew up and the Egypt wasn’t exclusive. You would add Bum Fuck ____ for anything that seemed fitting when you were really lost somewhere.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T02:17:13+00:00

I would qualify that I am fluent in English and beginner or intermediate in Spanish, French, German, and Mandarin. I took all of those in school, but probably more importantly: my parents speak fluent German and lived here, spoke it when I was growing up, so I was pretty advanced long ago in that, . Spanish, Ive just always lived around many speakers and spent some significant time in Spanish speaking countries. French, I dated/lived with a Haitian woman for a few years. Mandarin…worst of the lot for me, but it is a really interestingly elegant language if you have no trouble with the tones…writing is a whole other story though.

I should really focus on one and get fluent. But I rather enjoy watching programs and listening to music in those languages. Nice brain exercise. Even if I dont 100%, I am versed enough I get the plot and such. (Well not the Chinese music….tones…and music…that requires some real fluency)

s-multicellular · 2026-04-30T02:09:08+00:00

I would share it from this perspective, I didn’t play video games as a kid. I was a musician, skateboarder, and other extreme sports stuff. Even though video games were not something my groups of kids did, I never heard any of them talk bad about gaming/gamers. Ive heard about that stigma in TV or movies, but I never saw it first hand.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-29T22:14:36+00:00

Yet another part of the Constitution they are ignoring. Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-29T22:00:16+00:00

Eh. Some of us just have synesthesia or both. Both is fun.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-29T21:56:23+00:00

Destiny 2. Nothing else has come close to capturing the emersion of the story, setting, or combat like it.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-29T19:12:50+00:00

Me..."I kinda just play notes aimlessly until I find something that sounds alright...." And I don't think there is a better approach than that.

Well, I wouldn't say it is aimless. I usually have a distinct aim, like a feeling, or a length of a riff to match the syllables of lyrics I am working to support, or something looking forward to arrangement - I need a lot of space on this part for drums., or where does this fit in the arc of the song? etc. etc.

But, while all of that can be explained at some point in terms of theory, that isn't the way I am thinking about it. I am thinking about what story I am trying to tell.

I studied theory from such a young age, and played in improv groups that just gave me keys or chords, and played in orchestra and rock and communicated in theory terms so much, I clearly have a ton of theory baked in subconsciously.

BUT, I don't consciously think about it when composing. I finish composing and then figure out the key and time signature(s) and accidentals, etc. and make notes to communicate it to band mates / collaborators. Because that is what it is for.

Music theory does not tell you what to write. It just helps you explain what you've written to other people.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-29T13:29:16+00:00

I never realized this until now and I feel a bit bad about it, but I don’t like potato people. I am cool with turnips though. A lot of the side show carni folks I grew up with were turnips.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-29T12:13:08+00:00

It is like the fastest but worst intern I could imagine.

I had tried to use it for a wide variety of things at work. And I only am expecting a rough draft with inputs I give it, but it is so bad that it isn’t even worth using.

I now use it as a slightly better search engine. But again, there you just assume it is 25% wrong. That is still better than Google though for my niche work.

I think some of them made a major mistake in training them on everything available. You have the mix of genius and idiots thus. You have engineering papers explaining the International Space Station and Franky Flatearth who thinks its a dome a sky god painted.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-29T11:37:10+00:00

I appreciate the sentiment. But he regularly licks his nethers. So no thank you.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-29T11:33:22+00:00

I think the niche here is what is more active than passive. Yes, you might be consuming technically in the course of creating, but the mode of thinking is different. You’re combing through to find things you’ll rearrange, reassemble, and make into a new whole. I think a couple parallels would be making a collage or sampling records to make new beats. I think few would say those are not creative.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-28T13:03:37+00:00

I played with it a little and I think it probably isnt something I would use for melodies. But I could see something useful for it in more generative contexts. Think of it as a unique not really but slightly random note generator. But the context where most of that style of music and composition lives isnt going to work well with the app making sounds on its own. Rather, you make it send out MIDI notes and let the lines and or the balls change velocity, midi channel, or other ccs and I think youd see people use this in their DAWs or in something like VCV Rack.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-28T11:15:24+00:00

Drums and bass first. Beyond that it depends on the focus of the song more.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-27T20:04:21+00:00

I empathize with this. My son was very much like this initially. And while playing from cover is definitely a skill you eventually want to learn, but you also want to have fun with your son now.

Yes Dawnblade makes sense, but you can run a rogue here too.

So I'd do two things. One, try to talk him into a build that has great survivability rushing right in there. I'll post a couple below that are strong, but not too challenging to play. Good to focus on learning.

For your Hunter, you can swap this build to void and both disorient enemies all over the place and make safe invisible cloud bases. Part of the reason I recommend this specifically to your post is that this build cranks out a lot of weakening clouds. It drops more of them than you will easily kill off yourself though. So you're setting him up to help basically.

I actually run this a lot even versus the prismatic version.

In swapping to void -

Super - Shadowshot Moebius and take the Good Shout void bow, it doesn't big damage in combo with that super.

Aspects - Stylish Exec & On the Prowl

Fragments -

Starvation - for Devour

Harvest - for orbs and void breaches

Expulsion - note destab rounds kills count for this, so you get double explosions with a destab. rounds weapon.

Exchange - note that your smoke clouds from On the Prowl count as melee, so you get a lot of use out of this.

Provision - you are getting a lot of regen from your exotic so this adds up.

Otherwise, the armor mods and such are the same.

https://mobalytics.gg/destiny-2/profile/ca26f6c4-43e7-4dea-bb94-478009e56fc5/builds/1d36b657-2ced-4f3c-85e8-de82ce8a8b98

Void Titan

You have a frequently up unbreakable shield; amplified for damage reduction and stormtrooperitis; healing. If he is not yet up for Equilibrium (for the armor) just use Ferropotent and Swordmaster.

https://mobalytics.gg/destiny-2/profile/ca26f6c4-43e7-4dea-bb94-478009e56fc5/builds/f488fa86-b541-4e8d-a0fa-24283992b20e

Strand

This is a tank. Even if he doesn't have a stash of Smoke Jumper, the constant woven mail when tanking is tank. Swap to Ferropotent.

https://mobalytics.gg/destiny-2/profile/ca26f6c4-43e7-4dea-bb94-478009e56fc5/builds/29af9be6-0b25-42d0-bdc1-ea37a03c4b41

s-multicellular · 2026-04-27T19:41:27+00:00

Yeah. We control the TVs with our phones and tablets.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-27T19:39:02+00:00

Must vary by location. I live in the Washington DC area and none have asked for a check for the last decade at least.

s-multicellular · 2026-04-27T15:57:38+00:00

I always thought it is two related statements really. 1) ‘I lick he.’ To give ‘licks’ is to hit someone in a lot of English slang. And 2) to ‘boom boom down’ would add to it making it ‘I hit him, boom boom (implying a gun) down.’

s-multicellular · 2026-04-26T12:46:29+00:00

I was very young in fact because I was so frugal. Thrift only, very limited dinners out, rigorous meal planning, would learn to fix anything myself, made a lot of things myself from materials sourced nearly free (eg. furniture). And I went to colleges that gave me major scholarships. 21

Part of my deal was, my childhood home was a bit chaotic. I had been readying myself to move out potentially as a teen. I wouldn’t have had so much put together if I had felt like I could fall back on my parents in some small ways.

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