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trafguy

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trafguy ,

I can’t say you’re wrong, but is there a person who more than 50% of citizens would actually be happy to vote for? The options we’re presented aren’t great, and I’m certain a better one could be chosen. But reaching a full 50%+ seems like a tall order in the current political environment.

trafguy ,

I could be mistaken, but many years ago I believe I learned that plywood is generally made by spinning a log while slicing a thin veneer off the surface, then stacking multiple of those veneers into plywood. The grain on the surface would be notably different when cutting wood with this method compared to sawing planks

when will be your last time to vote for the "lesser of two evils"?

When will be your “this is the last fucking time I’m voting for the ‘lesser of two evils’, then I don’t care after that, let this country burn to the ground”? For me, this is basically it. This is last election I’m going for that " lesser of two evils" bullshit. After that I’m done. It’s just pointless. Let’s...

trafguy ,

I suppose it’ll continue until enough people believe that it’s possible for a third party to win.

I think ranked choice voting would make it much simpler to foment that change. People need to be able to trust that breaking from the party line has a real chance of success, but that can’t happen without demonstrating support.

If we can’t have real ranked choice voting, a third party could build a website to let people coordinate votes according to ranked choice, and hopefully carry the result as a unified bloc to the polls. Have an agreement that if a certain threshold of participation is met, vote for the ranked choice result. Otherwise, lesser of 2 evils.

trafguy ,

Perhaps. In theory, you’re definitely right. I just feel that this is something where building the momentum during a single election cycle isn’t feasible. The most likely result of voting for a third party without laying this groundwork would be splitting the vote and giving a landslide victory to the greater of the two evils.

Formally organising online would make it possible to demonstrate how much support each candidate actually has without giving an official vote to a candidate that the general public isn’t confident enough to vote for. Watching participation grow and third parties receive substantial semi-official support could build excitement and lead to a third party being trusted to have the sway to win.

I’d love to be proven wrong though. If we can organize enough support for a third party within a single election cycle that it’s reasonable to risk voting for that candidate, I’m open to it. I already have too much on my plate, but if no one has built this service by the time I have energy for it, I’ll definitely be thinking about it

trafguy ,

We honestly should just replace every single fixed dollar amount in every law with an algebraic formula. It’s ridiculous that we design laws to become dated and require replacement.

Minimum wage should be tied to worker productivity, and wealth tax should be tied to the median personal income, including that of non-working adults. Welfare programs should be tied to regional cost of living. Limits on rent should be tied to changes in regional median income.

We’re already tracking most or all of that data anyway, might as well put it to maximum use.

trafguy ,

I think Lemmy would either need to find a way to wean Redditors off of their dopamine machine or replace that dopamine machine long-term to sustain an exodus from Reddit. Either that, or Reddit will need to break their dopamine feedback loop. There are some cracks showing, and that might have already killed the platform in the long term, but it’ll keep going from pure momentum for a while. Maybe as long as months or years.

Seems like there’s more sexists and racists than I used to see over there, which is definitely offputting. I’ve found communities that are supportive of thoughtful discussion are more appealing, and Reddit definitely lacks that lately, outside of some small, relatively niche communities.

trafguy ,

Never been part of that community personally, but thanks for helping to support the platform. Even if you’re not seeing much traction, it’s appreciated. What would you think of picking the most engaging Reddit content and migrate it here to help boost community size? Or maybe posting to Reddit with a watermark/credit leading to your Lemmy community?

trafguy ,

I’d also like to hear what your idea is. I don’t know of a platform to solicit someone building your device at a price you’ll be wanting to pay, but there are forums to help you learn how to do it yourself if you’re motivated enough.

If it’s cool enough to pique interest, you could try posting the concept in an electronics community and seeing if anyone’s interested in the challenge, or an ideas community and just floating it for people to choose to run with.

It’s also possible the device already exists and someone can suggest an easy option for you

Why aren't advertisers (Microsoft, Facebook, Google) held responsible for allowing scammy adverts?

I know they allow scam adverts because it’s easy money, but why aren’t they held responsible for facilitating obvious scams? You open Edge, there’s 3 “Earn money quick” adverts. On Instagram, every 5 ads, one is a scam.

trafguy ,

Easiest? I’d say WordPress on a Digital Ocean droplet if you’re going super small. Allow people to sign up and vet them, and you have a functional standalone platform pretty much as soon as you can get users. I don’t know that it would take off or have a sustainable userbase though

trafguy ,

Well, I’ll admit it might be poorly suited, but I know it supports comments, posts, and user signups. Users would sign up with a sbscriber role, you’d verify them somehow, and then you’d update their role. It would be a little janky but should work with little adjustment

trafguy , (edited )

Would you be willing to share how you make that work? I can’t imagine living on my own for that much, let alone raising 3 kids. What does a weekly meal plan look like? Do you drive? What are rent and property values like in your area?

Edit: Just ran some numbers, and I can see how that could be possible, but it’s dangerously lean. We shouldn’t need to live like that. I commend you for making it work, but would like to say that you’re definitely worth more than $20k/yr (especially with all those home improvement skills, but regardless)

trafguy ,

You’re welcome to dislike something, but that doesn’t mean you need to discourage someone else from liking that thing. You can share an opinion without making it sound like it’s a sin against nature to disagree with that opinion.

trafguy ,

Nor did I elect you king of what I’m allowed to enjoy. Go ahead and police people’s thoughts if you insist, but don’t expect to be included by people you willfully offend.

trafguy ,

I’ll have you know it’s perfectly unnatural when I invert my corporeal form to assimilate my terrified victims into the eldritch void where my soul used to be.

But in all seriousness, agreed. It’s not possible for something that’s part of nature to be unnatural. All behaviors are natural. Some behaviors pose a threat to the individual or society at large, and that’s the only case where any action should be considered, but only as a harm reduction strategy rather than punitive. An individual’s sexuality, gender identity, etc., definitely don’t qualify as dangerous.

trafguy ,
  • Crafting bows to hunt. Wood selection, shaping, tillering, natural bowstring materials.
  • Some edible wild plants
  • Some basic farming knowledge
  • Some construction/shelter repair techniques
  • Algebra and concepts of calculus, and why they’re useful
  • How to preserve foods
  • Basic concepts of electricity’s importance and how to make it, but someone would need to explain how to go from raw material to a functional wire, find some rare earth magnets, and figure out how to make LEDs or something else worth using the electricity for.
  • The scientific method
  • Concepts of how to engineer/design a solution to a problem
  • Troubleshooting techniques
  • Some basic concepts of boat stability and construction
  • Some concepts of modern psychology
  • Concepts of critical thinking and rejection of groupthink
  • Basic physics. Loose explanations of kinematic equations, gravity, friction, pendulums, air resistance, aerodynamics, basic concepts of rocketry and flight/parachutes/gliders
  • Evaporative cooling? I could describe the concepts of modern air conditioning, but that doesn’t seem useful yet.
  • I could probably work out how a windmill works, how to make a wagon, how to purify water, how to make water-tight storage.
  • Germ Theory
  • The Paradox of Tolerance
  • How pasteurization works
  • Fermentation, concepts of distillation
  • Basic oral hygiene? Habits of at least rinsing sugar out of your mouth afterwards, if brushes aren’t available.
  • Use of alcohol and heat as antiseptics. Suggestion to use honey in a pinch
  • Basic concepts of how magnifying lenses work and why they’re important
trafguy ,

I read it as “what do you have enough knowledge of that you could aid in the birth/advancement of a new civilization?” Doesn’t matter if you have it fully figured out, just what knowledge can you provide that would be highly valued if all knowledge were otherwise lost.

trafguy ,

Yeah, that would be crucial too. Antibioitics and the risks of antibiotic resistance need to be included. But to create and purify effective antibiotics, you also need to start with the scientific method, then branch into chemistry, biology, etc. Glassware and procedures to minimize contamination would be important to effectively extract helpful ingredients from potentially harmful molds/other sources.

Depending on the starting scenario, it might be possible to skip much of that at first if we had leftover supplies from a prior civilization. If this site is to be believed, it sounds like making penicillin at home is quite a process, but doable if you’re able to get the right supplies. I don’t see any efficient pathway from here to there if we had to start from zero though.

Joe Biden’s DOJ Is Claiming “There Is No Constitutional Right to a Stable Climate” (jacobin.com)

In the same week large swaths of the US were under extreme heat warnings, Joe Biden’s Justice Department filed its most recent motion to dismiss a landmark climate case by arguing that nothing in the Constitution guarantees the right to a secure climate.

trafguy ,

Yeah, that’s the spirit! Let’s all just blame ourselves for being born into a system which actively prevents you from choosing not to be a part of it! ^/s

But seriously though, individual action can be a little helpful and it’s worth doing the parts that aren’t an excessive cognitive load, but it’s much, much more effective to have government regulate environmental action. Choosing to compost your vegetable scraps is helpful, but it pales in comparison to the industrial yard 30 miles over burning guzzoline by the kiloliter like they’re in some sort of Mad Maxian hellscape.

trafguy ,

I agree with you in some ways, but I think there’s a communication barrier here. In short, yes, we need to be united in our approach and we need to focus our efforts in the areas that matter most, but individual action is not a united front; it’s the opposite.

We’ve solved other problems through collective action. The climate accords resulted in the Montreal Protocol, which resulted in bans on freely releasing ozone-depleting chemicals like CFCs. This ban resulted in a resounding success–the hole in the ozone over Antarctica, which had been growing rapidly and threatened to leave us with much less protection from solar radiation, has now basically recovered to pre-industrial levels.

We need government action, and we as a people need to hold our governments accountable to these demands. That means demanding that corporations must implement effective strategies to reduce emissions and resource usage in general. It also means individuals must be pressured towards these changes, but that can only work if it’s economically feasible for the average person. I’m in my mid-20s working full time and I can’t even afford housing for myself, nor could I find a modest, truly eco-friendly home if I wanted to. How am I supposed to dedicate the energy to find more eco-friendly options when they’re sparse, poorly supported or actively resisted by the structure of society, and most of my energy is already taken up just fighting to survive at all?

trafguy ,

logic will never convince them because they aren’t arguing from a position of logic. It’s about conforming to the beliefs required to be part of their tribe and/or protecting themselves from coming to terms with the harsh realities of climate change. It’s reactionary against a challenge to their beliefs.

You would need to first convince them to consider that their respected authorities could be wrong. But within this reactionary mindset, being wrong is disgraceful. So unless they lose respect for their leaders or manage to shift away from believing fallibility is disgraceful, I don’t know if they can be convinced.

trafguy ,

I think you’d need to start by getting them to admit that the heat is a problem without mentioning climate change. Don’t use any of the buzz words they’ve been taught how to respond to. Just try to get them to have a conversation where they have to come up with their own answers.

In fact, maybe don’t even start off with anything related to the topics they’ve been told what to think about. Ask about something they care about more directly that isn’t on their party’s agenda. You’d need to keep at it long enough for them to start understanding you’re not their enemy, which could be anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks/months, depending on how deeply entrenched they are. Then, start trying to work towards the lesser issues their authority doesn’t bring up often but has expressed an opinion on. Basically, you need to de-indoctrinate them.

If you can get them to talk about an issue without recognizing immediately that they’re in danger of contradicting their chosen authorities, then slowly transition towards getting them to talk about more and more “dangerous” topics, you might help them to bridge that disconnect and start thinking critically about the key issues.

That all said, You’ll have an easier time working with people who haven’t been deeply entrenched in an authoritarian ideology. The less developed their beliefs, the easier it’ll be to guide them towards thinking about their beliefs critically. That’s one reason it’s so important to teach critical thinking in primary/secondary schools.

trafguy ,

If you have good insurance it’s no nearly that much. Weekly, with good insurance, you’re looking at ~$20-30. Without insurance, with a payment plan for low income individuals, you can find discounted care around $60-70/session fairly easily. They didn’t check my income when I was offered that, just in response to me mentioning I might need to quit when my insurance was shit for a year or two.

The Secular Therapy Project may be worth looking at. It focuses on specifically finding non-theist care providers, but as I understand it, you’ll be less likely to find non-evidence based providers, so somewhat better outcomes.

Ultimately, therapy is a space for you to work through your own issues with the help of a trained professional who can guide you, but imprecisely. They’ll offer tools, and it’s up to you to figure out how to use them in a way that suits you. The tools can work, but only so much as you are willing to learn to apply them for your own benefit. Some will suit you better than others. It’s hard to have that much patience to continue trying new approaches, introspecting, and growing two steps forward and one step back, but it’s worth it. Ultimately, as cliche as this probably sounds, every day you’re putting in that effort, trying to see the good, reaching towards contentedness and your dreams, is a small victory. It’s a step in the right direction.

*these prices are for US healthcare prividers. It may be different elsewhere.

Got my insurance quote for my diagnostic assessment

I’m paying for the low deductible insurance at my company (higher cost, supposed to be better benefits). I made an appointment for diagnostic assessment at the beginning of the year, their next available appointment was SEPTEMBER 30. They called me yesterday with the estimated cost to me after insurance (I mean nice that they...

trafguy ,

Yeah, it’s frustrating how expensive those evals can be. I couldn’t even get them to give me a price when I was looking into it. Because I couldn’t agree without knowing the cost, they suggested someone else who wouldn’t do a full psych eval, but would bill it (mostly) as a normal psychiatrist visit and give a more general “yes or no” answer. Maybe that’s an option? Insurance might be more willing to cover that too.

Italy investigates Placebo singer for calling far-right PM ‘racist’ and ‘fascist’ (www.theguardian.com)

Meloni heads Italy’s most rightwing government since the second world war. Italy’s criminal code punishes with a fine ranging from €1,000 to €5,000 anyone who “publicly defames the republic”, which includes the government, parliament, the courts and the army.

trafguy ,

Thought it might be helpful to compare the USSR to Wikipedia’s definitions of fascism and communism. These definitions can be wrong or could be different than what they were at the height of the USSR, but perhaps it’ll help with finding common definitions. I’ll admit that my knowledge of USSR culture/governance is limited, so feel free to critique/refute any of my interpretations.

Fascism:

Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement,characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation and race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.

So we have:

  1. +Dictatorial leader: Stalin wasn’t exactly a democratic ruler. Check.
  2. ?Centralized autocracy: AKA: One person has final say over any government decision. Probably, but maybe not depending on your definition?
  3. +Militarism: Definitely had a significant military focus. Check.
  4. +Forcible suppression of opposition: Yeah, that sounds par for the course for modern Russian government.
  5. ?Belief in natural social hierarchy: Does semi-deliberate wealth disparity and nationalistic superiority complex count?
  6. ?Subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation and race: Sounds likely, but not 100% sure.
  7. +Strong regimentation of society and the economy: Pretty sure the USSR had a planned centralized economy.

It hits 4/7 pretty firmly and the remaining 3 are plausible.

Communism:

is a left-wing to far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology… whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered around common ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange that allocates products to everyone in the society based on need. A communist society would entail the absence of private property and social classes, and ultimately money and the state.

  1. XCommon ownership of the means of production of goods/services: Weren’t these state-owned?
  2. XCommon ownership of the means of distribution of goods/services: ^
  3. XCommon ownership of the means of exchange of goods/services: ^^
  4. XAllocates products to everyone in the society based on need: Wasn’t there significant poverty while others’ were well-fed?
  5. XAbsence of private property: Oligarchs don’t exactly scream "lack of private property"
  6. XAbsence of social classes: Again, oligarchs and poverty
  7. ?Absence of money: Can’t comment on this one
  8. XAbsence of the state: There was 100% an overarching state

Hits 1/8 at best, but I would be surprised to learn there wasn’t money in the USSR.

trafguy OP ,

I think you’re right, thanks for the ID! I’ve seen monarchs and silver spotted skippers around, but I don’t think I’ve seen this type hanging around too much

trafguy OP ,

Thanks! This was a few months ago, but IIRC they were around 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) tall, so not quite as big as the composition might make it look.

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