The Random Thread

[kojack]

8 hours ago, Reciever said:

Im not fond of the idea of a rigid ban on that subject, the issue stems that if its not a rigid ban, then its the opening of the flood gates. This isnt to mean you in particular, but the community as a whole. Which would cause myself and the other moderators (all of which volunteer their spare time) exponentially more work. The mods from NBR have had a mixed reaction as any group would (for how long that forum was running) and I do not wish for moderators to be viewed as adversarial to the members. Why? Moderators at heart, are members too who enjoy spending some time here as a member while also taking care of reports. I would prefer for moderators to be viewed as members who also help in capacities that a normal member doesnt. There were quite a few times where it seemed moderators on NBR were deliberately leading me into infractions as well as subtle to remind me their status. I disapprove of this scenario repeating, explicitly.

While I dont always agree, I do enjoy your perspective and as a result believe that I can engage in conversation on topics that we may not see eye to eye on, but the journey there wouldnt leave us with scarred and tending to our wounds. I can also do that with members like @Mr. Foxas I have found he is the type to at the very least engage in conversation as long as his principles are respected. There has been a time or two where I had asked for some topics to be dropped and while he was not happy about it, he did respect my request. There were also times where we simply and vehemently disagreed. Not all conversations will reach a happy ending but none the less perspectives were exchanged.

 

 

This is a problem.

 

I've been spending some time on how to address this. please do not mistake this as solely a you problem, but a problem with how the subject is engaged in general. For example, I could easily counter this with the fact that Hillary Clinton has claimed that the election was stolen from her for at this point 6 years now. If there were dissenting voices they have long been drowned out in the noise, save for a few who were also accused of being traitors to the US by essentially only on her account. I have yet to see anyone pour the same admonishment her direction as I do for Trump. This isnt about What about-ism, as that argument style annoys me to the high heavens and down into the 9 circles of hell.

 

Now if you identify yourself as a Democrat or a progressive you feel the need to defend yourself and often that means dig your heels in and die on the hill. (Not saying you are, but just by way of thought experiment)

 

This is not productive, it doesnt serve to move the conversation forward and it certainly serves to make sure you identify me as not a member of your group, i.e. ally. To which only continues make you seem irrational, which serves to make me think that of you, and irrational actors rarely make for constructive conversation, and thus the divide increases, perspectives narrow.

 

That, is what I work to fight against on this forum and in my personal, professional life. I work to bring out the best I can from those whom I associate with. I take pain staking measures to navigate the spaces between because I do wish for exposure to as many perspectives as I can, and in turn I share my genuine opinions as well as trade craft.

 

I personally believe that both sides of the isle need each other to truly be a benefit to the citizenry. The right traditionally reminds everyone what works and where the line is while the left generally pointed out the exceptions that the current paradigm suits ill. its up to both leanings to come together to work out how to make changes in the mechanisms that form our government to suit everyone that it can. These days I dont really see much of that on either side of the isle.

 

I do not care in the slightest what LTT does with their forums. Swearing is lazy, just as I have opined previously, spend the time to articulate your message and the community will engage. I want this forum to flourish for all ages, if a child were to come to me asking for advise I would do so in a manner to which the success of said childs' goal is increased.

 

Imagine a young fellow making a thread in the WLSIB sub-forum, following all the rules of the forum in the process only to have half the membership respond with expletives. Now have that child show his or her parents the supporting arguments for and against a select list of options presented, exactly how much merit do you think is lost in the choice of language alone regardless of content therein? Perhaps now instead of getting the best possible performance for the dollar said child has to settle for what ever was at the WalMart local store?

I am a heavy proponent of the Professionalism Initiative that OCN once enforced (no idea if its still present), while its not something that I explicitly force our membership to adhere to, it is, generally speaking my starting point. It is the reason why I hedge nearly all statements I make, as I am confident in many things there is a vast chasm for which I am wholesomely in totality, ignorant.

 

I can say this much, Freedom of Speech is far from free.

 

 

Unfortunately, you do not follow the rules that are on the books, adding a second set of rules for another topic or portion of the forum is not something I can see as viable at this point and time. Your critics of rules have been far from decent, often directed at anyone but myself where on most forums merely discussing ToS is against ToS.


The bottom line is this, and I do mean this in explicit terms, this forum will not serve as means for tribal arguments to take place. This is a place for people of various backgrounds to coalesce, share experiences, and enhance the communities ability to make the best of their purchases. Whether that means the highest benchmarks, checks the most boxes, a gateway drug for the uninitiated or simply those reaching out for help sourcing a part, a means for troubleshooting or just looking for a community that may suit them.

 

Thats all I got for now.

There is a clear distinction between Hilary and the orange fleshbag.  One..HIllary had more votes then the Don...two, the election process in the states is flawed with the electoral college.  The Jeanius...never received the majority vote in the two elections he ran in.  So clearly,  looking at ACTUAL facts...not righty lunatic ALTERNATIVE facts...Hillary would be correct, where as the orange blowhard would be factually wrong.  Thats not why I think religious righty nutbars are out to lunch...it's because they deem themselves as rulers of others bodies and decisions using the "bible" as fodder. 

 

ANYHOO...I will digress now and this will be my last comment regarding the lunacy of religion and righty politics. 

[Reciever]

6 hours ago, Etern4l said:

Good post, thanks for sharing @Reciever. Just to add another .02: the problem with politics is that on the one hand it is extremely divisive, so a lazy but safe policy is to just ban anything to do with it. The issue with that that policy is that politics is also (sometimes deeply) embedded in a wide range of topics, including technical ones; therefore an outright ban is seriously constraining the debate. I think the answer is something we have been practicing here already: the right culture of conversation. Let people make their points, hopefully in a manner that's not too outrageous, then counter politely if it feels like there is a locally novel relevant contribution to be made. That's it - there is no point going back and forth. Most people are not easily amenable to a change of political views; if it does happen, it tends to be a slow process that is not helped by fighting and arguing the toss at every opportunity.  A degree of respect for cultural differences is helpful as well, and this includes some tolerance for the language people use due to their background etc., although I would agree on the profanity point. Yes, it has some light and humorous uses, but that can be very background-dependent and can easily be used offensively or perceived as such.

 

Perhaps I'll have to look at this over time on a case by case basis when governments and technology rub shoulders for what ever reason. That being said the conversation will need to focus on the issue and potential solutions versus party A vs B in relation to who ever likes which party more at a given time.

 

53 minutes ago, kojack said:

There is a clear distinction between Hilary and the orange fleshbag.  One..HIllary had more votes then the Don...two, the election process in the states is flawed with the electoral college.  The Jeanius...never received the majority vote in the two elections he ran in.  So clearly,  looking at ACTUAL facts...not righty lunatic ALTERNATIVE facts...Hillary would be correct, where as the orange blowhard would be factually wrong.  Thats not why I think religious righty nutbars are out to lunch...it's because they deem themselves as rulers of others bodies and decisions using the "bible" as fodder. 

 

ANYHOO...I will digress now and this will be my last comment regarding the lunacy of religion and righty politics. 

 

This is proving my point in totality. Tribalistic defense with zero introspection while ignoring points to which you dont wish to defend. This is not productive, unless of course that is the point?

 

The US is not a direct democracy, never has been. Its a constitutional republic, always has been. The only time people complain about the Electoral College is when they dont get the votes, just like the only time people complain about voter reform is when things dont appear to be leaning towards their preferred team. Both teams distort reality to suit their truths. The only difference is the flavor.

[Mr. Fox]

Well said, @Reciever. As people that have common interests and at least a form of friendship we should be able to have some degree of expression of what and how we think. Not to the point that we derail threads, have bickering or attempt to evangelize other forum members, but freedom to speak openly without having to worry about a chip getting knocked off a person's shoulder that is looking for reasons to virtue signal and be offended. Certain groups of individuals on the web actively seek reasons to be or play offended, use that as a cloak for their intolerance and leverage to silence those who have differing perspectives. We have already seen way too much informal and self-anointed police activity attempting to squash messages and opinions that go against the "official" narrative espoused by dictators of virtual space. In real life I have lots of family and friends that do not see eye-to-eye on everything, but we do not allow that to stand in the way of being civil and enjoying the things we have in common. That should be true with our virtual friends, too. If you have no idea what someone thinks or believes, then you really don't know them. Hard to consider them a friend or care about them as a person. Diversity is one of the things that makes America great. We don't have that when there is no freedom of expression on a two-way street. What we have in that case is a totalitarian variation of mob rule, often with the "mob" being a minority that likes to cry wolf and think their own poop doesn't stink.

[Eban]

@ryan

 

What the hell is that? Scary clown 

 

 

 

Here is a nice clown for you 

Spoiler

 

[aldarxt]

How you fell for the brainwashing tactics of the democrat backed Chinese tactics is a sad indication of how close our divided Country is to toppling. The only thing keeping US from becoming slaves to China is the Armed American Citizen.

On 2/28/2023 at 6:55 AM, kojack said:

There is a clear distinction between Hilary and the orange fleshbag.  One..HIllary had more votes then the Don...two, the election process in the states is flawed with the electoral college.  The Jeanius...never received the majority vote in the two elections he ran in.  So clearly,  looking at ACTUAL facts...not righty lunatic ALTERNATIVE facts...Hillary would be correct, where as the orange blowhard would be factually wrong.  Thats not why I think religious righty nutbars are out to lunch...it's because they deem themselves as rulers of others bodies and decisions using the "bible" as fodder. 

 

ANYHOO...I will digress now and this will be my last comment regarding the lunacy of religion and righty politics. 

 

[ryan]

3 hours ago, Eban said:

@ryan

 

What the hell is that? Scary clown 

 

 

 

Here is a nice clown for you 

  Hide contents

 

I was just testing, I want a babe pic and before I saw your post I already changed it to a babe lol..yeah im not going to be a scary clown/ im a nerd into women

[Mr. Fox]

8 hours ago, aldarxt said:

How you fell for the brainwashing tactics of the democrat backed Chinese tactics is a sad indication of how close our divided Country is to toppling. The only thing keeping US from becoming slaves to China is the Armed American Citizen.

That's why disarming us and having open borders make such "good sense" to those on the lunatic fringe. They want that.

8 hours ago, ryan said:

I was just testing, I want a babe pic and before I saw your post I already changed it to a babe lol.. yeah im not going to be a scary clown/ im a nerd into women

So, cool... what you're telling us is that you are normal then. 😉 

 

On the other topic, I've never been particularly scared of creepy clowns, but they are a strange thing that just makes you feel weird, like something is really messed up. I'm not exactly sure why. I think that playing the part of one is a great way to get shot, stabbed, beaten up, or run over by a car, because some people get totally freaked out and lose their minds when they see one. Even seeing a "normal" clown freaks some people out really bad. I've even seen people close their eyes or look away when they see a creepy clown on TV because they get weirded out. I actually Googled it and it has been classified as a real condition.

 

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/what-is-coulrophobia

Quote

What Is Coulrophobia?
Coulrophobia, more simply known as a fear of clowns, is a specific phobic disorder that causes distress surrounding the presence of clowns. While many people link this phobia to children, adults can also have it, as it often goes untreated for many years.

 

Coulrophobia usually flares up at parties, festivals, and Halloween get-togethers, as clowns are often found at these places. Yet, a person may also react negatively to the mere thought of encountering a clown.

 

Phobias are, by definition, an irrational fear of something, meaning that mere exposure to the situation isn’t a sure way to get over it. Instead, people with coulrophobia may opt to avoid these situations altogether — leading to isolation and missing out on important events.

[Eban]

23 hours ago, Hertzian56 said:

 

To be totally truthful I do not understand bears.

I'm Australian and whilst there are plenty of critters who want to kill you we have nothing like a bear.

 

Pigs, dogs, big Kangaroos, spiders, scorpions, jellyfish, snakes, lizards even sharks. 

But a bear to me is just an alien creature. I did watch a while ago Grizzly Man from 2005.

 

I am sorry to offend those that are offended BUT....Him and Steve Irwin got what they deserved.

Don't play with dangerous animals kids. Spiderman was a fluke shot.

 

[Hertzian56]

4 hours ago, Eban said:

 

To be totally truthful I do not understand bears.

I'm Australian and whilst there are plenty of critters who want to kill you we have nothing like a bear.

 

Pigs, dogs, big Kangaroos, spiders, scorpions, jellyfish, snakes, lizards even sharks. 

But a bear to me is just an alien creature. I did watch a while ago Grizzly Man from 2005.

 

I am sorry to offend those that are offended BUT....Him and Steve Irwin got what they deserved.

Don't play with dangerous animals kids. Spiderman was a fluke shot.

 

It's actually kinda funny you took it so seriously though, it was just to lighten this thread up a bit.

 

Agree, that grizzly man guy was a mental case, animals are animals, especially ones living in the wild. Even domesticated ones are just animals despite what many imagine, and they are unpredictable especially to the public. Can't stand these people who let their dogs run right up to people etc, great your dog/emotional replacement creature, would never harm someone, IN YOUR OPINION.  But guess what if I get bit and I'm not requiring immediate medical attention I'm the one shouldered with tet shots and trying to get anything out of you for your responsibility. I feel at this point that if most officials only enforce leash laws here and there then go ahead and make it like mandatory car insurance, dog liability insurance.

[Eban]

5 minutes ago, Hertzian56 said:

It's actually kinda funny you took it so seriously though, it was just to lighten this thread up a bit.

 

Not really serious...I just find EVERYTHING to be fascinating, especially things I have no understanding about.

 

But yes I was also trying to lighten the mood with @ryan clown picture

 

[Etern4l]

7 hours ago, Eban said:

 

To be totally truthful I do not understand bears.

I'm Australian and whilst there are plenty of critters who want to kill you we have nothing like a bear.

 

Pigs, dogs, big Kangaroos, spiders, scorpions, jellyfish, snakes, lizards even sharks. 

But a bear to me is just an alien creature. I did watch a while ago Grizzly Man from 2005.

 

I am sorry to offend those that are offended BUT....Him and Steve Irwin got what they deserved.

Don't play with dangerous animals kids. Spiderman was a fluke shot.

 

 

I'm not clear on why bears would be allowed anywhere outside fenced parks / zoos compounds. 

[KING19]

On 3/5/2023 at 5:41 AM, Etern4l said:

 

I'm not clear on why bears would be allowed anywhere outside fenced parks / zoos compounds. 

 

Bears are good for the environment and part of the ecosystem. The most common bears we have in the US are the black bears and normally they're found near forest areas and sometimes you would see them near residential homes when they get hungry especially after hibernation. They're less aggressive than other bears and normally stays away from people so attacks from them are very rare but still dangerous since they can run at 30MPH (48.2KPH) and can easily climb trees.

[Reciever]

4 minutes ago, KING19 said:

 

Bears are good for the environment and part of the ecosystem. The most common bears we have in the US are the black bears and normally they're found near forest areas and sometimes you would see them near residential homes when they get hungry especially after hibernation. They're less aggressive than other bears and normally stays away from people so attacks from them are very rare but still dangerous since they can run at 30MPH (48.2KPH) and can easily climb trees.

 

They climb tree's hella fast too

[Etern4l]

3 hours ago, KING19 said:

 

Bears are good for the environment and part of the ecosystem. The most common bears we have in the US are the black bears and normally they're found near forest areas and sometimes you would see them near residential homes when they get hungry especially after hibernation. They're less aggressive than other bears and normally stays away from people so attacks from them are very rare but still dangerous since they can run at 30MPH (48.2KPH) and can easily climb trees.

 

I put it too you they were good for the environment when humans weren't around. I bet human hunters can and do a better job.

[Eban]

On 3/8/2023 at 4:59 PM, Etern4l said:

 

I put it too you they were good for the environment when humans weren't around. I bet human hunters can and do a better job.

 

Sorry? Humans do a better job on the environment?? 

 

On 3/8/2023 at 1:16 PM, KING19 said:

 

Bears are good for the environment and part of the ecosystem. The most common bears we have in the US are the black bears and normally they're found near forest areas and sometimes you would see them near residential homes when they get hungry especially after hibernation. They're less aggressive than other bears and normally stays away from people so attacks from them are very rare but still dangerous since they can run at 30MPH (48.2KPH) and can easily climb trees.

 

See thats what I mean. I don't know anything about bears....how to track them, how to avoid, how to hide, how to fight. A bear newbie! I thought this guy had it right....other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

 

 

 

Where I live in Japan they have a dog that was used to hunt bears (not so long ago)

(Beautiful dog))  but no bears left in this part of Japan.

 

[Etern4l]

2 hours ago, Eban said:

 

Sorry? Humans do a better job on the environment?? 

 

 

See thats what I mean. I don't know anything about bears....how to track them, how to avoid, how to hide, how to fight. A bear newbie! I thought this guy had it right....other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

 

 

 

Where I live in Japan they have a dog that was used to hunt bears (not so long ago)

(Beautiful dog))  but no bears left in this part of Japan.

 

Humans do a better job killing other (especially herbivore) animals, which is the only major positive effect of bears on the  environment (we can ignore the effect of their crap enriching the soil - humans do that better too anyway). 

 

I wouldn't want to be shredded by bears on a hiking trip or have to be on constant lookout for bears around a country house is basically all I'm saying. I'm not even sure you can legally kill those things in self defence (especially outside your property) in some states. 

[Eban]

1 hour ago, Etern4l said:

Humans do a better job killing other (especially herbivore) animals, which is the only major positive effect of bears on the  environment (we can ignore the effect of their crap enriching the soil - humans do that better too anyway). 

 

Ah yes now I understand. I agree.....

 

 

P.S. poor bloody salmon

 

 

[ryan]

 

 

 

 

the war potential just got chillingly serious, welp boys WW3 might happen very very soon. not good. depressing

[Etern4l]

9 hours ago, ryan said:

 

 

 

 

the war potential just got chillingly serious, welp boys WW3 might happen very very soon. not good. depressing

 

Some people worry about advanced AI killing off humanity. I'm more relaxed about this, we are so stupid we will wipe ourselves out first. 

[ryan]

I Just woke up put on youtube, and was greeted with the headline "Us Navy sinks 12 chinese boats) March 12th 2023. the fact is from from a government youtube channel was chilling. it's like they are bragging, haha we are going to wipe out a race or two. like WTH why, don't these people have enough, the world doesn't want war, and they are supposed to being serving it's peoples interests. this is very serious, and on a side note about 10 years ago during the afghan and iraq war I saw this coming and talked to a soldier at the park(just a showing) and asked if we were at the start of ww3, he gave me a odd smirk and said he can't comment. sigh, I was worried about north korea back 20 years ago in high school. now its happening, but to be honest it's happening much slower then I expected

 

What I fear the most is the war going on for like say 50 years then a nuclear climax

[Mr. Fox]

The current administration is failing so hard they are probably scrambling to fabricate something they can point to as a win. The appearance of flexing military muscle has often been played as a card when approval rating is low.

On 3/12/2023 at 7:00 AM, Etern4l said:

Some people worry about advanced AI killing off humanity. I'm more relaxed about this, we are so stupid we will wipe ourselves out first. 

 

[KING19]

11 hours ago, Mr. Fox said:

The current administration is failing so hard they are probably scrambling to fabricate something they can point to as a win. The appearance of flexing military muscle has often been played as a card when approval rating is low.

 

 

True and they're failing at that too lol. I expect nothing less from the worst administration in my lifetime!

[katalin_2003]

I don't know the exact source.

 

[Tenoroon]

43 minutes ago, katalin_2003 said:

I don't know the exact source.

 

I saw this the other day and laughed my head off, hopefully this won't need to be a real job!

[Etern4l]

The 

4 hours ago, Tenoroon said:

I saw this the other day and laughed my head off, hopefully this won't need to be a real job!

 

This would be pointless, just like all those sham revolving door AI ethics committees. The time to pull the plug on the whole thing, starting with the companies responsible, is now. Will humanity do it? Of course not, due to globally insufficient natural intelligence.