Oh hot damn! With Game Changer over I’ve been looking for something new. Time to go watch while putting the recycling to the curb.

OH NO! He’ll have to move to NY but the Dropout studios are in LA! Do I have to watch NBC now? /s

j/k congrats Jeremy! If Dropout becomes an SNL feeder system the way Second City was (is?), the world will be okay.

I just got back from my first (short) trip to Montréal in nearly 10 years. It’s the most human city in Canada, IMO. This would be a very human-empowering step, which is on brand, IMO. I hope it passes.

Montréal isn’t perfect, and neither is PR, but both are better than many alternatives, IMO.

I was trying to see what orbits this site would be good for, and found the answer in Wikipedia, which then led to an older SpaceQ article describing it from back when they were considering the site

Seems viable, although niche. In the past, launching companies/nations would look for a small number of launch sites that would cover all the orbits they needed. I wonder if the future is many launch sites each specializing in a few particular orbits. I also wonder what the deltaV efficiency is compared to a more equatorial site.

Also, while I would prefer that this site were being developed by a Canadian company, if they’re respectful to how we do things in Canada and the local community, as far as I’m concerned they’re welcome. Not that my opinion matters in this decision. Good to see a Canadian supplier getting business, though.

My understanding is that because of the type of protien that it encodes for, the immunity imparted by the vaccine decreases over time (because of complex immune system reasons). Never to 0%, but lower. The annual booster not only prepares you better for oncoming strains (in theory, when the vaccine research, development, and approval systems work as expected), but re-ups your immunity to existing strains.

The theory as I understand it is that because viruses like COVID-19 pass through populations in waves, your body is developing a very strong short-term immunity to neutralize any immediate “rebound” waves (imagine a wave bouncing off the side of a pool, yes, viruses move through populations like that). It then maintains a weaker, long-term response. By fooling your immune system into thinking you have COVID-19 right now, the vaccine bumps your body ino “short-term” response mode, so your best possible immune response is at the ready if the real thing shows up.

I am not an epidimeologist, but I read a lot of their work from 2020-2023. I might have details wrong, but if it’s been >6mo since you’ve had a booster, you would probably benefit from getting another one.

You’re good. :)

People are hurt right now, and hurt mammals respond defensively (universally AFAIK). Without pretending to understand what’s going on in your life right now, I want to let you know that I see you. I’m sure your anger is justified.

And if you think I’m preaching from some pulpit, I’m not. I am using writing this reply to avoid engaging in a situation that has a good chance of triggering some of my own recent trauma. I’m also not someone who uses the word “trauma” in the recent pop-psych sense. I mean it in a clinical sense.

Even though I disagree with some of what you’re saying and believe it is counter-productive to the end goals that I think we share (assumption based on your comments), I don’t think you’re a monster. You deserve the space to be angry and to express that, as does everyone.

If you’re willing, I’m interested to learn how I could better express my position succinctly without crossing into the rhetoric that you have read as close to fascism. That’s not who I am trying to be and I would like to learn how to do that better. No obligation. I already appreciate your willingness to engage in good faith.

(working on response to other comment, but it’s more nuanced)

We don’t have to forgive, but mocking (at first) doesn’t help IMO…

Yeah, but we’re on round 3 for people listening to trump’s campaigns.

Brainwashing is effective. Capital control of mass-media is effective. I would prefer we focused our attention there rather than on the victims of that propaganda.

Honestly, it’s gone so badly the last 3 rounds

But if someone genuinely sees the light after the third round, and their first interaction as they’re coming to this realization is to be told that the tragedy that has befallen their family is their own fault… not a great feeling.

There’s going to be a round 4, 5, 6, etc. of this shit in the US. There will be other versions of this in other countries, too. The more ppl we successfully deprogram after each round of fascist betrayal, the fewer ppl will be vulnerable to the propaganda the next time. It’s a never ending job because we keep making new people and the fascists will always be doing propaganda.

I really think we ought to have a basic “in touch with reality test”

I’m frustrated with the incompetence of many people, too. It would be awesome if we could construct some kind of system that would ensure people are well informed before voting.

I fear any such system wouldn’t pass the “would I let the fascists do this” test. There is no system involving a test that we can create that they couldn’t co-opt to e.g. make a test requiring Christian Nationalist answers. Societal systems need to be made robust against corruption and constantly defended against the same. We can’t rely on good people always being in charge, but if we build our systems well, we can get good people in charge more often and weather the storm when we don’t.

Fully agree with you, and touché on the glib use of the quote. I wasn’t trying to invoke the full depth of Nietzsche. I’m merely cautioning against crossing the line between condemning disgusting actions and labeling the people themselves as disgusting. I’m appealing to humility and humanity: a recognition that we aren’t inherently “better” than the worst of them. In order to be different from them, we have to act differently.

We don’t have to agree, we don’t have to sympathize, but failing to see their humanity no matter how unconscionable their actions blurs the line between us and them, and that’s a line I prefer to keep as clear as possible.

I am curious what you see in my comment that is “libshit”, though. I don’t personally see how the invocation of human rights and dignity is liberalism by any reading.

Hard agree.

I love this article on the topic: https://www.newsweek.com/trans-man-broken-men-1817169

Thoughts for non-toxic male role models:

• Bernie Sanders
• Zohran Mamdani (looks good so far)
• Jean-Luc Picard
• Tong from Raya and the Last Dragon (watched this with my daughter recently)
• Mr. Rogers
• Aragorn

Careful here… while I agree with your anger, you’re using the same language used to dehumanize vulnerable populations. Everyone, including horrible people like Steven Miller, deserve basic human dignity. They deserve fairness, due process, and every human right. But unrepentant fascists don’t deserve our attention, our sympathy, forgiveness, or reprieve from justice (repentant ones are more complex and not addressed here).

To treat them as less than human is to risk becoming like them. When you fight monsters, you must take extra care to avoid becoming a monster yourself, after all.

Not everyone has the luxury of the free time and effort to pay enough attention, and those people vote. I’m not suggesting absolving them of their individual responsibility. They contributed and they have to reckon with that. I’m suggesting that we recognise the role that the system they exist in plays, too. And that they’re human which means they have all the failings that come along with that.

Do we hold Oppenheimer responsible for all the deaths the Manhatten Project caused? I argue we shouldn’t, but he still had to personally reckon with the moral weight of it.

Two things can both be true: someone can have been part of the cause of injustice and join the fight for justice. We can both hold them accountable; and encourage their growth, offer them grace, and welcome them to the right side of history. We don’t have to forgive, but mocking (at first) doesn’t help IMO.

(As I’ve said elsewhere, no reservations about mocking the unrepentant)

FDR, Churchill, and Stalin made it work…

The right wing is using propaganda tactics that are known to brainwash and dupe many people, and you’re not going to treat those who got brainwashed and duped like victims too? Yes, they’re adults, and that means that they have to take responsibility for their vote. Once they do, admit they were conned, and express willingness to join the fight, it’s important we accept them with open arms so they know our side is better than the other side.

As long as they’re doubling down on fascism? Hard agree, they can kick rocks. Once they see what’s really going on and are willing to fight it? Welcome to the team, sorry about what happened to your dad, let’s see if we can get him back.

Every person like this is an opportunity to gain an ally. It’s an opportunity to find out if this person was conned or is selfish. We lose that opportunity if we mock them instead of offering a hand in solidarity.

I can’t wait for next week’s BTS…

This is the only response needed to any overtures from the US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAbATWsvjTE

And sorry Democrats, until you get your Republican problem under control, we can’t trust you either. In 2016 it looked like it might just be a flare-up, but the reappearance of symptoms indicates that the infection is deeper and ongoing.

Oh thank goodness. Coffee Stain is by far my current favourite publisher, and I was worried with them getting caught up in all this Embracer stuff.

This is one of my new favourite episodes of Game Changer. I could be convinced it’s a new high for the show.

Season 7 is so good. I’m afraid that they decide to go out on a high and not do a season 8 😨

What a brilliant episode. I honestly wasn’t sure about it in the first half, but the last three prompts really brought it home. The way the episode built up to that final scene was magic.

I never knew how much I needed

in my life, but there you have it.

Plus the callback to “Second Place”, one of my favourite episodes of all time.

In conclusion, it’s unfair to have Lisa Gilroy on Game Changer because she’s just too good at everything. I knew she was talented from Make Some Noise but damn.

warof1812 has entered the chat.

I think we agree on the overall premise, but disagree on the degree. I also think that’s fine. I don’t know how hard it would be to arm Canadians broadly as you suggest. I’m suggesting that armament will be most effective built on a foundation of intelligence and logistics.

I think there would be value in something like the Swiss model (though I understand that it isn’t as ubiquitous as it once was).