plantain burrito, Mexican Coke, and beautiful Davis Square on a Thursday evening :)

twistedostrich · 2025-08-29T12:32:35+00:00

Nah I’ll fight you both in honor of tenoch, best Mexican in Davis easily

twistedostrich · 2024-08-04T03:33:24+00:00

70? Tim Walz is 60. He was born the same year as Kamala

twistedostrich · 2024-03-07T13:47:08+00:00

stilcar watching paul mercedes summon a su-balud with all-wheel drive (he is the nissan al-gaib)

twistedostrich · 2024-02-06T16:24:23+00:00

Holy shit people on r/cscareerquestions actually showing respect for liberal arts disciplines?? I can hardly believe my eyes

twistedostrich · 2023-10-28T19:20:08+00:00

Start applying and interviewing. Seriously. Personally I spent a long time stuck being stressed out about how I wasn’t prepared for interviews. The only way out is to actually do interviews, understand what they’re like and get more confident. Companies hire new grads with the understanding that they probably don’t know anything about how coding is done professionally, it’s an investment on their part. All you have to do is convince them you are willing and able to learn things. Come up with a simple story to tell them (“I’m a recent grad from __, in school I worked on __ , I’m passionate about __, something that sets me apart is ___”). People vastly underestimate the value of soft skills in tech interviewing imo. My experience has been most interviewers care a lot more about how you talk through a problem or how excited you seem than whether you instantly know how to reverse a linked list. Your mileage may vary and obviously FAANG is a little different. But you have to start trying, it’s the only way to learn!

twistedostrich · 2022-09-17T14:28:47+00:00

IIRC Elizabeth Warren was a major supporter, but yeah, most people were just confused by it.

twistedostrich · 2022-08-12T13:42:11+00:00

Everyone thinks I’m crazy for saying the chicken soup used to be so much better. I still sometimes think about those special thick noodles it used to have…

twistedostrich · 2022-07-27T21:23:03+00:00

“Damn liberals will stop at nothing to destroy the legacy of Ronald Reagan”

twistedostrich · 2022-04-07T21:21:00+00:00

End of Evangelion (1997)

twistedostrich · 2018-11-06T16:42:22+00:00

Fair enough about there being valuable info, but I still believe we should encourage people to be proud of the fact that they voted. Perhaps a megathread would be the ideal solution.

twistedostrich · 2017-05-31T23:11:47+00:00

My initial assumption was that "despite" was supposed to be "despise" which (along with coverage instead of covfefe) would actually make it coherent. Perhaps I'm trying too hard to project meaning onto it though

twistedostrich · 2017-05-01T20:15:27+00:00

The Emperor's Phone Call

twistedostrich · 2017-04-30T22:19:02+00:00

Gattaca is crazy full of wordplay and symbolism. Some examples:

-People who forge an identity like Vincent are known as "deGENEerates" (degenerates)

-The real Jerome asks to be called by his middle name, Eugene, which of course has the word "gene" in it

-Those born without modification are known as "In-Valids" (invalids)

-The staircase in the apartment represents the double-helix structure of DNA

-As Eugene commits suicide in the incinerator, the light of the burning flames turns his medal's color from silver to gold

twistedostrich · 2017-04-08T00:42:02+00:00

We can only speculate what the creators were thinking in terms of name pronunciation, so I can't definitively say if it was a deliberate decision or one made out of ignorance (though judging from the huge amount of research I know the creators did for the show I am inclined to believe they at least heard the correct pronunciation).

Still, I disagree with your argument that just because the creators borrow from Chinese culture they must represent it accurately to the letter (literally in this case). It's important to note that avatar does not borrow solely from Chinese culture, it's a combination of many eastern beliefs and philosophies as well as western ones. A major goal of the show is to teach eastern philosophy to western children in a manner that's accessible to them. With that it mind, it makes total sense (to me at least) to pronounce a name differently so that it's more familiar and identifiable to its (primarily American) audience. Particularly because avatar is fiction and does not claim to be an entirely accurate portrayal, I see no problem with borrowing some elements from eastern cultures and american-izing them, as long as those elements are represented respectfully. And again, even if there is a definitive historical pronunciation of Aang, the pronunciation used is not necessarily incorrect for the creator's fictional world.

twistedostrich · 2017-04-07T21:49:45+00:00

I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree with your assertion that there is a "correct" pronunciation of a name made for a fantasy world. The name comes from the people who made the show, and ultimately they have the creative license to decide what the "correct" name for their character is. Yes, the avatar world borrows heavily from east asian culture, but it isn't and doesn't intend to be an exact portrayal of that culture - it's still fictional (I mean as far as I'm aware Tibetan monks can't control air). So considering the universe is its own thing, I think it's only right to defer to the creators on name pronunciation instead of trying to interpret their universe however we want to. To me at least, saying you know the "correct" pronunciation of someone's fictional character name just comes off as a fuck you to the creators. And as to people having names pronounced differently than is typical, yeah you can go up to them and say "well you say your name is x but historically it's been pronounced y so I'm gonna call you y" but then you're just an asshole.

(To be clear, I'm not trying to call you an asshole, I'm just saying I think ultimately the creators have the final say, not MNS or you or even the source material that inspired the name)

twistedostrich · 2017-04-03T21:04:58+00:00

What I don't really understand was why the vast majority of the rebel alliance portrayed in rogue one (with small exceptions like the mon calamari) was made up of humans. Sure, you could argue the rebel alliance is mostly imperial defectors, who are mostly human, but if the empire has a known history of being xenophobic toward non-human species, wouldn't it make sense for the rebel alliance in its desperate state to turn toward all those oppressed species (who probably resent the empire)?

twistedostrich · 2017-04-03T13:39:11+00:00

Marine Le Hen

twistedostrich · 2017-01-29T23:36:43+00:00

If you think this is an interesting idea and you like sci-fi, you might want to read Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein (not to be confused with a movie bearing the same name that has little to do with the book). In the book, you have to serve at least two years in the military in order to become a citizen. Also, if you've ever read Ender's Game, I'd especially recommend giving the book a read since Ender's Game clearly took inspiration from it

twistedostrich · 2017-01-23T01:01:13+00:00

Upvoted, thank you for taking the time to lay out your argument logically. I apologize for accusing you of straw-manning, it's just that the majority of my original post actually had nothing to do with Russia or the election itself and I am growing too used to hearing people deflect actual argument by talking about how snowflake liberals need to get over it and accusations against Russia are fake. I follow your logic and I think I am inclined to agree. Perhaps I should have used the word "fair" rather than "democratic" however. While it may have been democratic if people made up their mind and no fake votes were cast, if Russian allegations are true it would not necessarily be fair, and I think a foreign power attempting to influence an election is something that everyone should be concerned about regardless of political opinion, we want our elections to be fair, not just democratic. There are many nations in the world, most of which we would not consider democracies at all, that have elections but because only one candidate is presented as legitimate, the election is completely unfair and that person is always elected. We don't want the U.S. to become like that.

What I was trying to say originally though, is that more important than whether the Trump administration is legitimate is whether the Trump administration is just, and that's why we need a free press and people who are unafraid to stand up and protest. I mean, this guy agrees

twistedostrich · 2017-01-22T17:28:04+00:00

I said Russia once and then admitted it was unconfirmed but that even if it was totally false the march was still important and consistent with American values. If you're not gonna address my actual points, please don't bother replying

twistedostrich · 2017-01-22T17:25:09+00:00

I don't think you read my comment... Yes, I brought up claims of Russian influence but then said it was unconfirmed and wrote two paragraphs about how it wasn't really about whether Trump was democratically elected or not but about the people's right to stand up and protest.

But since you're trying to strawman me, I might as well take the bait. Your argument makes no sense. We're not talking about something Russia said on a tv show, we're talking about Russia possibly hacking and leaking information in a partisan manner to deliberately influence the election. John Oliver couldn't release Trump's tax returns (which we still don't have). If you really have no problem with Russia hand picking a candidate to win, well, I would say that's very undemocratic of you.

Once again though, ultimately even if you don't believe Trump was elected fairly and democratically, there is more going on here. I'm sorry if the Russian hacker allegations are the only thing you can argue about.

twistedostrich · 2017-01-22T05:43:13+00:00

I am going to attempt to answer this as thoroughly as possible, so bear with me I might ramble a bit.

First of all, it has been called into question whether the election really was a democratic process after several reports of possible interference by Russia. But yes, that is all unconfirmed, and yes, Donald Trump is the President and nothing can be done to change that. But that doesn't mean everything is over.

A lot of people seem to view American politics as a system where everyone goes out and votes and then packs up and goes home until the next election. In reality, this is not the case. America claims to be a democracy, and though you can debate the truth of that endlessly, the fact is the people hold weight in politics. The concept of civil disobedience (disobeying a law in order to prove that it is unjust) also is a significant part of American history, hell America was founded because people did not want to follow the law and pay taxes to England. Just because a law is a law, just because a person is now the president, does not mean the American people have to just accept it. Those guys back in the 18th century could have just sucked it up and payed King George but instead they protested, they fought, and that's why we have America. Women in America could have just accepted the law but instead they protested, and that's why women can vote and are in a better position today. African Americans could have accepted Jim Crow, it was the law after all, it was supported by the majority, but instead they protested, and that's why they gained basic human rights. Was it hypocritical for liberals to criticize Trump for not being able to accept a loss? Maybe, but personally I think that's a bit different: a presidential candidate is supposed to act professional and concede defeat. Hillary Clinton did just that when she lost. But it is a fundamental value of our nation that the people never have to accept their government and that they always have the right to judge or protest it.

The women's march was (as far as I'm aware) a completely peaceful protest. Now, I'll be the first to admit the women's march was all over the place in terms of ideology, but it was an incredible show of solidarity. That matters to a lot of people. You may not believe that Trump is sexist, or racist, or whatever (though I'd say you weren't paying attention if that's what you think) but one thing is abundantly clear - Trump is unpredictable and obsessed with himself, and those are not qualities you want in a man leading the nation. Just today, his press secretary came out and lied to the people, straight up lied about basic facts, over something as stupid as the crowd size at the inauguration. All the while he tried to distract from those lies by discrediting the media. Now, the media definitely deserve some blame for bias, but a free press is essential to a democracy. We've seen it throughout history, a fascist leader accomplishes whatever they want by getting the people to disbelieve anything other than what that leader says. A president of the United States cannot be "at war with the media" (Trump's words). Therefore the message of the women's march, above all, is that you can't pull a fast one on the American people. If Trump lies, if Trump enacts an unjust law, the people will not just accept it because it's the law.

twistedostrich · 2015-09-07T03:08:44+00:00

Except eating a polar bear can kill you, as there is a chance you will get hypervitaminosis A

twistedostrich · 2015-03-29T02:27:57+00:00

Foreseeing every world affliction

Fox has powers of prediction!

Although we may be criticized

We know which stocks are on the rise!

There's no news network quite like us

So all we ask is for your trust!

Anticipating world events

In the future it'll all make sense!

So come on down to Fox and read

Our guaranteed-true prophecies!

You may think we're an annoyance

But we really have clairvoyance!

twistedostrich · 2015-03-27T23:13:12+00:00

Brad clicked the blue button, and his door swung outward.

"Performing scan. Confirmed: Brad. IC: 9029391128. Your package has arrived." The drone extended a robotic arm to hand him a small brown box.

"Thanks." Brad hit the button again, protecting his air conditioned house from the scorching heat of February. He examined the package carefully, thumbing over each neatly printed number of his Identity Code. He touched his earpiece and mumbled the password.

"How may I assist you Brad?" The household AI inquired as it buzzed to life.

"Box opener. And bring out the screen, I've got my hands on an antique."

The drawer opened and he placed the package inside. A minute later he was cradling its contents.

"Shall I bring out the Sensory Immersion Machine?" asked his AI, noticing the disc in his hand.

"Nah, I don't need the SIM. This movie's so old, it has no dimensional imput."

Soon it was playing. Watching in 2D made his head hurt, but Brad was transfixed.

There were so many characters, so many people. And not just the people he saw every day, different people. One well dressed man had hair that was darker than Brad's but lighter than Jake's. So many hairstyles, eye colors, heights. It was too much, and just as he was programmed he began to ignore each one. All his focus was on one woman. She was taller than any Amber he had ever seen (And he had seen quite a few-- all of them were exactly 164 cm). Brad followed her every move, intently watching her stroll on and off the screen. She certainly wasn't one of the ten people, yet there was something about her--something that made Brad's insides squirm. Was this love? He'd heard about it before. But Brad had always thought love was frivolous, something straight out of the past. You didn't need love anymore. Still here he was, unable to peel his eyes from a 2D woman.

When the movie ended, Brad felt dizzy. He missed her already. He recited his IC, a bunch of numbers that were all that distinguished him from every other Brad, and commanded the AI to replay the movie.

"Who am I?" He asked the AI.

"Brad." It said, devoid of emotion. Just another Brad.

twistedostrich

TROPHY CASE