The Great Book of Amber has been giving me side eye for at least 15 years. I know it’s more than one book, but it’s definitely my mental ball and chain.

Correlation is not causation. People who take melatonin could have trouble sleeping because of sleep apnea and myriad other (possibly undiagnosed) sleep issues which can also cause heart problems over time.

It’s not clear from this snippet if they controlled for that sort of thing: “A secondary analysis found that those who took melatonin for over a year were almost 3.5 times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure when compared to those not taking melatonin.”

I don’t take melatonin. And I’m not saying it’s definitely not the melatonin causing the increased risk. Always read articles about medical studies with a large dose of skepticism.

Oh cool, another full of shit internet tough guy.

Individual level:

https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes

Societal level: I have no idea, but I imagine media (movies, tv shows, the news, Tik Tok, etc) all have some influence there. Mostly in bad ways, unfortunately.

Destruction of property is a gray area. Obviously it can go too far, like setting a house on fire or destroying the east wing of the white house. But I was fine with them getting rid of the stupid Confederate statues. There are some options there.

Assassinations can be a bit murky, too. I’m fine with Luigi being a folk hero for people. Assassinations are extremely risky and of questionable effectiveness…but that one felt like borderline self defense. That sort of thing can escalate quickly but 47 is escalating either way.

We need to exhaust nonviolent resistance first, we’re not even close to doing that. And what we’ve done so far (No Kings, recent blue wave, other protests, boycotts) is kind of starting to work.

Everyone on the internet acts like some kind of freedom fighter badass but anyone with common sense knows 1. most of those people are full of shit and roleplaying online and 2. a violent overthrow ends up with people in charge who are willing to use violence to get what they want. Historically that sort of thing has not gone well.

Nonviolence works, it takes persistence and patience, and is always preferable to another civil war.

Only these psychopathic dipshits would think shooting an unarmed person makes you some kind of badass.

I have not tested these. They…might work?

https://www.orvis.com/product/field-notes-waterproof-notebook-3-pack/3NAE4200.html

https://northernwoodsmen.com/rite-in-the-rain-all-weather-pen/?sku=RR-OR97

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarsier

Ree-luh-tur instead of reel-tur.

Conservatives and their moral panics. Name a worse combo.

I understand the appeal, even though it doesn’t appeal to me. As a business it’s pure marketing genius. That dude took it from a shunned nothing to the entertainment money printing apparatus that it is now. Which makes me even less interested. I don’t hate popular things for being popular. But that tier of money printing makes everyone at or near the top an evil asshole.

I’m one of the oldest people in the multiple tabletop gaming groups I play with. There are a lot of missed references in both directions. There’s a wide diversity of taste in music, movies, books, streaming shows, etc. We just laugh it off, or ask to be caught up when we don’t get it. Helps a lot that we all like each other, and have the games in common.

So it is possible to move past it. But it can make it more challenging to click in the beginning.

Conservatives shit their pants over things like SNAP and DEI. But they see this fucking moron and say: give him all the tax dollars.

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/rockstar-accused-of-the-most-ruthless-act-of-union-busting-in-the-history-of-the-uk-games-industry-after-firing-dozens-of-employees-who-were-allegedly-attempting-to-form-a-union/

Depends on the sauce, but one trick is to put a little sour cream in it. Do a taste test before you commit.

The way some people pronounce jewelry and realtor makes me wince. I never say anything, but I feel a secret burning rage for people who add a non-existant syllable to the middle of those words. (Which is, unfortunately, most people where I live).

I’m not on X or FB, and while I do have a “mandatory” LinkedIn account, I never post anything. No future healthcare for me, I reckon.

Stickers like that don’t bother me much, as people often get them for free and naturally sometimes feel an urge to stick them on something.

What blows my mind are the douchebags who pay a premium to buy some t-shirt or cap that’s essentially a walking billboard for fashion brands.

Anything that requires a good sense of direction / orienting / navigating. I have always been terrible at that kind of stuff. GPS was a huge life changer for me.