andrewrgross
6h ago
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100%
Didn't see Echo. Good?
andrewrgross
1d ago
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100%
I hope it's good. That said, I thought the writing and characterization for Fisk in Hawkeye was rather disappointing. And also, the writing for the later half Daredevil season 2 on Netflix was... not good. I don't recall if I saw the third season, but I remember being very genuinely disappointed in The Defenders. Not disappointed like a bitter comic book nerd, more disappointed like a parent. Like... there was so much there you could've done! That was all? Oh well. Points for trying, I still love you.
Anyway, time will tell. I'm happy that they're trying, but I won't get my hopes up yet.
andrewrgross
2d ago
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100%
It sounds like there's no fundamental disagreement between us. It sounds like the only difference is one of attitude.
I worry sometimes that people express frustration with the state of things as though articulating what people should do might serve as a road map to getting them to do it. But getting people to do it requires understanding why they don't.
andrewrgross
2d ago
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100%
This is true. But it's incomplete.
We do not have a functioning democracy. Most people feel that. Voting works when there are candidates with voting for, and votes translate into change, but when the system has been hollowed out by money and judicial capture and voting rules designed to prevent actual change, we are in a bind.
Will voting fix this? No, not singularly. So voting doesn't make a difference? Absolutely not! It's still one of our most powerful tools, even as weakend as it is!
Vote ... and March. Vote... and boycott. Vote... and disrupt. Vote... and organize your neighbors.
We can't stop voting, but that can't be our biggest or only tool. And everyone needs to understand this.
andrewrgross
3d ago
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100%
Okay. I don't really have anything to add to that. Good luck though.
andrewrgross
3d ago
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100%
I'm not disputing this, I'm just asking for clarity so I can understand key facts. Are there soldiers actively serving in Israel? How many? Since when?
That article didn't actually provide much clarity. I tried searching for more, and found a bit in this article:
https://theintercept.com/2023/10/27/secret-military-base-israel-gaza-site-512/
The main thing this says is that US military presence in Israel is deliberately ambiguous. For instance, the day after the commemoration in the article you shared, US European Command actually denied that this was a us military base, insisting that it was actually a "living facility".
I don't doubt that we have troops there. But historically the army doesn't seem to acknowledge them. So announcing sending people does seem significant.
andrewrgross
3d ago
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100%
These are good questions. I don't know. First, what state are you in? Second, does she have any coworkers? Also, does she know anyone in a similar field? If she went to school, does she know any classmates or teachers who might have advice?
Also: can this be automated? Nowadays, you can have a large language model code a lot of things. Could she instruct one to write a python or bash script to reduce since of the work?
Ultimately, I think she should keep looking for better work. But I know that can be challenging.
andrewrgross
4d ago
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100%
If it makes you feel any better, I remind myself that I myself am subject to the same irrationalities and motivated reasoning as anyone else. We're all just people, and people aren't logic machines. We're bundles of impulses and habits that live within whatever stories our minds have to create to make sense of all of this.
In this context, if you're looking for some kind of remedy, the best I can offer is that instead of trying to bother disputing with myths and superstitions, recognize that anyone who grows out of them usually does so because they find some other way to the same fundamental bedrock notions. Your friend wants to adhere to the rules laid out by the creator. They want to be worthy of Christ's love.
I think if you were inclined to change their mind -- which I'm not recommending -- it would be when this comes up to remind him how many people have been seduced into supporting ungodly things thinking they were following God's will. That's Satan's number one tactic. So all we can do is stay humble and listen to our hearts. If seeing kids living in Bethlehem struggling to survive under an oppressive king just as Jesus and his parents did seems wrong, it's okay to not have a confident stance. Maybe your pastor says it's God's plan, but no one -- not even the disciples -- could ever no God's plan for sure. You don't have to have a stance. You can say "God's will will be done. He does not require my involvement."
andrewrgross
4d ago
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100%
I think you're arguing a strawman version of my point. I'm not claiming that it's impossible for them to know something we don't. I'm just saying that the assumption that there is secret information that makes his actions sensible is not well founded.
There are numerous examples of leaders claiming expertise that wasn't borne out. And if this were the case, I think it would be reasonable to expect them to at least claim this to be the case.
As it stands, this behavior can be fully explained with the information available to us and Biden's foreign policy stance. So there is no reason when you see him doing something that can be easily explained by the observation that he has poor judgement and priorities that are wildly different than most Americans to believe that there is a reason outside of the public facts and our existing knowledge of his poor judgement and unpopular priorities.
andrewrgross
4d ago
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100%
Do you have more info?
andrewrgross
5d ago
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100%
This is very stupid in the best possible way
vimeo.com
cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/14202920 > There was a post on Reddit that praised the ubiquitous "Dear Alice" commercial, and inevitably a comment criticizing praise for a commercial. This led to me to wonder more about who it was that made this famous solarpunk advertisement. The answer is an animation studio called The Line. I went looking at some of their other work, and came across this interesting demo short for what appears to be a proof of concept or pilot for a solarpunky animated monster hunting series. > > I don't love the heavy use of guns. But setting that aside, I think the art is interesting. I'm fascinated to see what people are doing with the artistic and conceptual toolset solarpunk offers, and I think this is a use case that I wouldn't mind seeing more of. > > Unfortunately, this demo is as far as the project went. But I'm happy to see that the folks at The Line appear to have some broader interest in solarpunk, and I hope they keep putting it into practice in unique ways.
andrewrgross
6d ago
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62%
I'd like to refer you to my reply to a similar comment: https://slrpnk.net/post/14228501/11555288
andrewrgross
6d ago
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86%
No, you're very mistaken. Let me explain.
In the past, the US has stationed supporting troops off of Israel, in battleships far away. It's meant to provide support while keeping things calm.
The reason that putting any soldiers IN Israel is significant is that it means that if Iran tries to kill any Israeli soldiers, they can't do it without risking killing Americans. And if they kill an American, it is understood that we will retaliate and they will be at war with the United States of America.
That's the point of sending 100 troops to offer "tech support". It's to deliberately create conditions that could start a war. If you ask a general, they'll claim that it's just shrewd tactics, because letting Iran know all this means that good judgment will prevent them from attacking Israel. But every war in history is preceded by people making those claims (even when they don't believe them) before going to war.
This is foreplay. This is how you flirt when you're a NatSec pervert thinking of going to war against someone.
andrewrgross
6d ago
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100%
That's a shame. For what it's worth, his position isn't a mystery to me. I believe that he's been convinced by his church that unquestioningly supporting Israel's expansionary goals, regardless of any other moral question is an absolute necessity for anyone who truly loves Jesus and believes strongly in his rebirth and in the promise of everlasting life in heaven.
It is -- with all due respect -- as crazy as anything you'd hear in a Texas cult bunker. But I'm guessing that it's real as a wildfire to your friend. It makes me sad to think about.
andrewrgross
6d ago
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100%
Wow. Thanks for sharing that.
andrewrgross
6d ago
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100%
I see this often, and it's frequently, consistently not the case.
I understand the sense in this belief, but if you review history over just the last five years you can consistently see this not being true over and over. Going all the way back to the Iraq War: it was obvious at the time that the Bush administration was lying about their claimed evidence that there was an active program creating weapons of mass destruction. And at the time, there was a deafening movement of regular voters who loudly protested that we were absolutely convinced that it was complete and obvious bullshit.
And people like JOE BIDEN loudly expressed exactly what you're saying: they know things we don't know. They know what they're doing.
And they didn't! They did not have any meaningful information we didn't have!
Sadly, it's debatable whether they knew what they were doing. Did they expect it would be such a historic clusterfuck? That it would create decades of worsening outcomes for us? Probably not. But did they know they were making up a fake case for war because they wanted to let off some anger over 9/11 by killing hundreds and hundreds of THOUSANDS uninvolved Muslims, and build some new military bases near oil in the process? Yes. Obviously yes.
And after the fact, the people who claimed that they knew things that we didn't became president and Secretary of State.
They do not know something we don't know. They are doing exactly what this looks like. Biden would absolutely go to war with Iran just to serve the cause of Zionism even though he knows that Benjamin Netanyahu is a fascist. That is exactly what this is. There's not chess logic behind this, you can absolutely know everything you need to if you read newspapers regularly.
andrewrgross
6d ago
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96%
Ohhhh... this whole thing just routinely gives me new moments of feeling utter neausea at what our government is doing.
I knew the US war machine was capable of great brutality, but I honestly didn't expect it to be so strangely cruel in it. It feels so strangely malicious and purposeful. Why? Is passive enabling of genocide not enough? Must they participate so deliberately?
Again, I find myself at a loss for words.
andrewrgross
6d ago
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75%
I'm not sure what your point is.
I understand that this is in a real sense the US's war, and that Biden is not being dragged into it, he's fully committed to it. I'm not sure what that changes about my observation that it's weird that Harris appears to be facilitating an electoral hit job on herself.
andrewrgross
6d ago
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100%
That's a good question. Is your friend an evangelical Christian? A lot of people don't know this, but the actual biggest plurality of political Zionists in the US are not Jews, but Evangelical Christians who support Israel because they believe it is a chess piece in bringing about the end of the world (which is a good thing in their dogma).
They also happen to often like the idea of ethnofascism, which is a very sad state of affairs.
vimeo.com
There was a post on Reddit that praised the ubiquitous "Dear Alice" commercial, and inevitably a comment criticizing praise for a commercial. This led to me to wonder more about who it was that made this famous solarpunk advertisement. The answer is an animation studio called The Line. I went looking at some of their other work, and came across this interesting demo short for what appears to be a proof of concept or pilot for a solarpunky animated monster hunting series. I don't love the heavy use of guns. But setting that aside, I think the art is interesting. I'm fascinated to see what people are doing with the artistic and conceptual toolset solarpunk offers, and I think this is a use case that I wouldn't mind seeing more of. Unfortunately, this demo is as far as the project went. But I'm happy to see that the folks at The Line appear to have some broader interest in solarpunk, and I hope they keep putting it into practice in unique ways.
mstdn.games
Full disclosure: I'm the one in the interview. But still, I think this was a great episode! I really appreciated the questions Ariel asked and where the conversation went. There's so much I wish we could've covered, but considering the limitations of time, I have no regrets. Share thoughts. I think there are other podcasts that would be a good fit to discuss this game. If so, though I'd encourage other devs of the game to consider going on. I think the diversity of perspectives would be cool to hear.
I had this idea for an adventure. I wanted to post it here so I don't forget it, and also to share it in case anyone else wants to use parts of this. ~ Players investigate a fatal industrial accident in a mining project by a fault line management agency. They discover that the deceased had uncovered a conspiracy: the agency has been slowly infiltrated at multiple levels by members of the suicide cult NostroCramo. This group believes that the world is a simulation, and seeks to crash the simulation to liberate themselves and anyone else who is trapped in it, and they've become convinced that triggering a massive earthquake will do it. To do so, they've infiltrated the Seismic Management Division of the Pacifican Department of Geology, which is responsible for conducting deep subterranean operations to execute small controlled releases of energy along fault lines. Their plan has been to use the agency's resources to do the exact opposite purpose: instead of modeling out the safest way to release energy, they've been setting up an energy release meant to trigger the biggest possible release along the entire San Andreas fault line ever: the first magnitude 10+ quake. The players have to investigate the death, discover that the accident was really a murder, uncover the conspiracy, then make their way through mine shafts to disable the charges. They must work their way all the way to the location of the largest charge in a bunker sitting 7 km down within the earth's crust. They can initially be trying to move undetected to avoid motivating the cultists to trigger the charges early, and then later be racing them down to the last and deepest one. (I'm calling it "Rock-a-bye Baby" for now, although I'm pretty sure I can do better than that. Feel free to suggest cooler names.)
video.everythingbagel.me
I created a brief introductory video explaining the premise of the game, another describing the premade characters, and four actual play videos to show folks what the game looks like in practice! I've uploaded these to YouTube and of course PeerTube as well! https://video.everythingbagel.me/c/fully_automated/videos https://www.youtube.com/@FullyAutomatedRPG-nz1wh I don't plan on making any more content at the moment, but I'm glad to have a few videos that I think might help people who want to know more get a clearer picture on what this is. And if we happen to make more video content in the future, we now have somewhere to put it!
rpggeek.com
RPGGeek.com is a website for rating and discussing role playing games. We now have a product listing there. If anyone is registered to the site, consider going on and leaving a rating or review!
Springfield, Ohio became suddenly famous nationally when Trump claimed that an influx of Haitian migrants were devouring residents' pets. I went looking to see what the town is experiencing from the perspective of local news, and it looks surprising nuanced. It appears that the town saw a rapid influx of migrants fleeing violence in Haiti. The town has since experienced a strain in its ability to function in notable ways because of the population shock. The issues include a sudden reduction in the housing supply and an increase in traffic and inexperienced drivers. One particularly bad traffic accident killed a child during a school bus crash. The city government has seemed to largely avoid blaming new arrivals themselves. However they've expressed a sense of betrayal towards Biden and the federal government for granting thousands of people entry into the country without appearing to recognize any responsibility for helping them resettle or aiding their destination cities in accommodating them. Additionally, they've begun investigating local businesses which they suspect used the expansion of visas for Haitians seeking asylum as an opportunity to seek out low-cost workers while concealing their role in creating a population shock for which the city was unprepared. I must say that I think the city government makes a reasonable point: those of use who want to offer foreign visitors safety and dignity in American must also demand that our government takes responsibility for helping them relocate to a town in which is expecting their arrival and has been aided in making that arrival successful.
cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/13236888 > Not givin' up
cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/13156086 > Parable of the Sower is such a good book. > >First, it's interesting that it starts right about now. The book starts in mid-2024, and even mentions that its an election year. That was a fascinating experience to read a scifi book in the moment in time in which it is set. It still feels like it takes place about 20 years in the future. It was written 31 years ago, so politically things have seemed to move as many steps forward as backward. It seems like a lot of things have not gotten better and worse than when Butler wrote it, so in some sense I feel like I'm looking at it as a near future in the same way as when it was written a generation ago. I guess I'm glad things didn't go as badly as in the story, but it's rough that the looming threat from 30 years ago feels the same distance away now as then. > >Second, it's painful to read. Although the events described in the book haven't happened in the book's setting -- California -- the social collapse and migrations described have happened in Honduras, Gaza, Yemen, and certainly others I'm not aware of. It was really hard to read that and know that it was already real somewhere. > >Third, as a solarpunk novel -- and really as general fiction -- it feels like it should be part of a high school curriculum. It's really well written and an engrossing read. Since publishing Fully Automated, I often relate solarpunk stories to that game. What might I have added to the game if I'd read this before? How well does it naturally fit? One thing that struck me is that her emerging in-world faith -- Earthseed -- reminds me quite a bit of elements of Seekerism, a new faith tradition in Fully Automated. I wish I'd known and included direct references to Earthseed, but it's nice when the game has alignment with great works that I wasn't directly familiar with. > > Has anyone else read this? What do you folks think?
Parable of the Sower is such a good book. First, it's interesting that it starts right about now. The book starts in mid-2024, and even mentions that its an election year. That was a fascinating experience to read a scifi book in the moment in time in which it is set. It still feels like it takes place about 20 years in the future. It was written 31 years ago, so politically things have seemed to move as many steps forward as backward. It seems like a lot of things have not gotten better and worse than when Butler wrote it, so in some sense I feel like I'm looking at it as a near future in the same way as when it was written a generation ago. I guess I'm glad things didn't go as badly as in the story, but it's rough that the looming threat from 30 years ago feels the same distance away now as then. Second, it's painful to read. Although the events described in the book haven't happened in the book's setting -- California -- the social collapse and migrations described have happened in Honduras, Gaza, Yemen, and certainly others I'm not aware of. It was really hard to read that and know that it was already real somewhere. Third, as a solarpunk novel -- and really as general fiction -- it feels like it should be part of a high school curriculum. It's really well written and an engrossing read. Since publishing Fully Automated, I often relate solarpunk stories to that game. What might I have added to the game if I'd read this before? How well does it naturally fit? One thing that struck me is that her emerging in-world faith -- Earthseed -- reminds me quite a bit of elements of Seekerism, a new faith tradition in Fully Automated. I wish I'd known and included direct references to Earthseed, but it's nice when the game has alignment with great works that I wasn't directly familiar with. Has anyone else read this? What do you folks think?
www.youtube.com
cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/13067768 > I finally got around to making a playlist of the music used to score the starter campaign, Fully Automated: Regulation! > > I think it's a collection of real bangers. I hope that for people who haven't played these stories, this might give an enticing taste of what to expect. And for people who might've played, perhaps it takes you back to some memorable moments. > > **Demonstration of Power** > > - The stakeout: “This DJ” by Warren G > - Fight scene!: “Dare to be Stupid”, covered by The Cybertronic Spree > - Roll credits: “Fine”, by Lemon Demon > > **Psychonautica** > > - Opening Sparing match: “Champion” by Buju Banton > - Entering neurospace: “Just dropped in” by Kenny Roger > - The mindscape: “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C.” by André 3000 > - Dance battle: “Do the Damn Thing” by Rupee > - The Bathhouse: “Ants to You, Gods to Who?” by André 3000 > - Android assault: “Robot Rock” by Daft Punk > - Synthesizing the cure: “The Oligo Separation Verse” and “Analytical Gangster” by True Speak > - Roll credits: “Pony” by Deluxe > > **Piece of Mind** > > - Surf Intro: “Cecilia Ann” by The Pixies > - Fighting back: “Headshot” by she > - Starting the investigation: “No Time for Dreaming” by Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band > - Sneaking around: “The Sensual Woman” by The Herbaliser > - Piecing things together: “Cause for Alarm” by The Heavy > - Research montage, pt.1: “Metrocenter 84” by Sunset Neon. > - Research montage, pt.2: “You Rock Me” by she > - Making a plan: “Drag and Drop” by the Soul Motivator > - Showtime: “Swing Break” by the McMash Clan, feat. Kate Mullins > - Showdown: “Mastermind” by Deltron 3030 and Dan the Automater > - Showdown, cont’d: “Don’t Get In My Way” by Zach Hemsey > - Roll credits: “UNLVD” by Socalled > > **Olives Fair in Love and War** > > - Vampire fight: “Dark Entities” cover by Daniel Guerra Caballero > - Roll credits: “Birdhouse in your Soul” by They Might Be Giants
www.youtube.com
I finally got around to making a playlist of the music used to score the starter campaign, Fully Automated: Regulation! I think it's a collection of real bangers. I hope that for people who haven't played these stories, this might give an enticing taste of what to expect. And for people who might've played, perhaps it takes you back to some memorable moments. **Demonstration of Power** - The stakeout: “This DJ” by Warren G - Fight scene!: “Dare to be Stupid”, covered by The Cybertronic Spree - Roll credits: “Fine”, by Lemon Demon **Psychonautica** - Opening Sparing match: “Champion” by Buju Banton - Entering neurospace: “Just dropped in” by Kenny Roger - The mindscape: “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C.” by André 3000 - Dance battle: “Do the Damn Thing” by Rupee - The Bathhouse: “Ants to You, Gods to Who?” by André 3000 - Android assault: “Robot Rock” by Daft Punk - Synthesizing the cure: “The Oligo Separation Verse” and “Analytical Gangster” by True Speak - Roll credits: “Pony” by Deluxe **Piece of Mind** - Surf Intro: “Cecilia Ann” by The Pixies - Fighting back: “Headshot” by she - Starting the investigation: “No Time for Dreaming” by Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band - Sneaking around: “The Sensual Woman” by The Herbaliser - Piecing things together: “Cause for Alarm” by The Heavy - Research montage, pt.1: “Metrocenter 84” by Sunset Neon. - Research montage, pt.2: “You Rock Me” by she - Making a plan: “Drag and Drop” by the Soul Motivator - Showtime: “Swing Break” by the McMash Clan, feat. Kate Mullins - Showdown: “Mastermind” by Deltron 3030 and Dan the Automater - Showdown, cont’d: “Don’t Get In My Way” by Zach Hemsey - Roll credits: “UNLVD” by Socalled **Olives Fair in Love and War** - Vampire fight: “Dark Entities” cover by Daniel Guerra Caballero - Roll credits: “Birdhouse in your Soul” by They Might Be Giants
cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/12656646 > Created by /u/joan_de_art on Reddit.
I just wanted to share that I recorded an upcoming episode of the Solarpunk Presents podcast! I recorded it last Thursday, so I'm guessing it'll probably come out in September. I hope it went well. I'm a little concerned I was overcaffinated and also got too excited and might sound like it. But hopefully that won't be too much of a problem. I'm very excited to hear it. The conversation felt very lively, and I'm eager to see what comes of it. If anyone knows of other opportunities to talk on streams or podcasts, let us know! You can offer to go on yourself or refer another person. Cheers!
docs.google.com
A gentleperson in the Discord opined that the world guide lacks definition in its addressing of all the major catastrophes. Specifically, they pointed out that these catastrophes are pivotal, culture-defining events. How we navigate them informs so much of the present. That means that it underserves the game world if they're hand-waved away. This document is an opportunity to elaborate on how various problems were addressed and what marks they've left on society. Feel free to add your own ideas freely! We can edit for clarity later.
This is from the [solarpunk images collection of pickledtezcat](https://www.deviantart.com/pickledtezcat/art/Solarpunk-Scenario-2-Capetown-791477470). It was shared with me by [@JacobCoffinWrites@slrpnk.net](https://slrpnk.net/u/JacobCoffinWrites) . Here's the description of this piece: >A bit of Afrofuturism with this one. >One of the scenarios I'd like to include in my pen and paper RPG project. I just discovered this artist, but I'm immediately going to reach out and see if they'd like to collaborate on anything RPG related. This is great.