Poland

Poland bring the heat and the HEAT. Nice.

Decision Theory

Exactly. Choices in Ukraine are all bad. Defeating Russia there is probably the best possible outcome. Hopefully not triggering escalation to NATO and\or nuclear war.

Happened Long Ago

I think I last cried in 1983 or 1984. Not sure of the exact year, but it was around that time.

Near ID

The parts of society that have nearly identical social structures but aren’t aware of it are academia and the military. Both have very rigid, defined roles, both care about rigor and discipline (or at least make noises in that direction), and in each arena the penalties for divergence are large.

The military is easier to navigate, though, because there everyone wears their rank on their collar. In academia, there’s a lot more guesswork involved.

Fear and Neolib

I think that of those who claim they are asexual, maybe 1% actually are. It’s all signifiers now. It’s similar to those who claim to be non-binary. This is just trying to live in the best of both worlds, and works about as well as you’d expect (not so much).

The Actual

What’s the coldest thing you’ve ever said to someone in public?

For me, it was some guy who I confronted who was hassling a woman outside a grocery store. He gave me some guff about being afraid of him as I was walking away. So I turned around and said, “You think I’m being polite to you because you believe I’m afraid of you. But I’m being polite because otherwise I would just kill you.”

I think that got his attention as he didn’t say anything else when I turned around again. That was in 1998 or so.

Arty of War

Damn. Looks like all arty fire to me, combination of high explosive and incendiary rounds (that’s what I’d put downrange anyway). That is some accurate fire. Wonder how far away those artillery pieces are. Excellent targeting and fire control.

Like What

I think this is quite related. Easy to be a prude and not interested in sex if both you and all your potential parters look like a dumpster. You’re both embarrassed of your own unsightliness and unattracted to others. Of course a lot of the new prudishness is related to obesity.

Bannage

One of the reasons I run and post to my blog regularly still is that I don’t last on regular forums and online spaces. I get banned. The mods are probably right to do so. I am disruptive and I make people angry, even though I rarely break forum rules and don’t really engage in inciting behavior.

I’m unrelenting and good at argument, though, and that’s enough to get me shitcanned. I have no regrets. If I’m not getting banned, I’m probably not thinking. And if I’m not getting banned, I’m probably wrong. Being right against group “wisdom” is the single quickest way to get thrown out a space.