When I was a kid, this is literally what came to mind when I first heard the word, “Salad Bar”

I realize you had complex IRL situations surrounding all of this, but the fact that warlock was openly and rudely questioning your system rather than just rolling with it, would have been enough for me to question them privately about their manners and whether this was the right game for them. It is YOUR game after all and during session it’s very frustrating and disrespectful to the other players’ time to relentlessly belabor the point. I’m surprised you put up with it as long as you did despite attendance from Warlock.

I don’t remember a mod but I seem to remember that Gamepro magazine would sometimes parody their own magazine calling themselves “Lamepro” followed by a few pages of fake upcoming games, a nude Lara Croft I think was part of all that.

I appreciate this tip, I’ve had lots of trouble trying to make home made cheese sauce. Even if I felt the flour and milk cooked long enough and I added cheese slowly, I had trouble getting everything to come together. It may be that I still wasnt cooking long enough either because I have a bad habit of scorching the milk, so I would pull it off the burner perhaps too soon. I don’t know exact I haven’t tried it enough, because I don’t like wasting food.

I hope it’s not for a long time. I grew up seeing my great grandmother age gracefully and finally pass in peace in her favorite chair reading John Grisham novels. I admired that woman so much, despite the fact that she lived alone, her life partner long gone, she enjoyed her humble life in her cozy home.

I hope to do the same, for my heart to just stop beating in my advanced age. I’ve told my family that I don’t think I’ll mind even if I’m the last to go, I want to see how it all ends. I want to see the good and the bad of everything. I want to live as long as I possibly can.

In what of part of the English speaking world is this phrase used this way. I’ve only ever understood “out of pocket” to mean, to use immediately available resources to pay for something.

Thank you for reminding me to call me out on my own bullshit :D

I suppose we will have to agree to disagree on that one. If you aren’t concerned about the information that others collect on you and you don’t care to imagine how it could be used against you then I’ll stop there

That’s true, but I’m also cynical. Policy makers only have to serve up a phantom to instill fear into the general public and then they can drum up support for policies that appear to serve the public interest; for the sake of “protecting” the public.

There’s plenty of reasons to be fearful or suspicious: corporations who develop all the new tech we use today have shown already they don’t respect our privacy. Our smartphones, computers, and other Internet connected devices are always harvesting data to advertise to us, so it follows that any brain-implanted device could be used to harvest data for similar purposes. Not everyone gives a shit about this one, but there are plenty who would at least like to be paid for the data that is collected from them and used for profit; barring that we should have the right to forbid data collection without consent.

There are, of course, more sinister applications for brain-implanted devices that can interface with the Internet (and if they don’t now, they surely will in the future). I think a lot of us immediately think of the science fiction book and movie, “Minority Report” wherein law enforcement has access to the private thoughts of citizens and arrests and convicts those who have contemplated crime but have not yet perpetrated the crime. Any sane person would never allow the police access to one’s private thoughts, let alone a corporation.

Elon Musk has said his ultimate goal with Neuralink goes beyond merely restoring function to injured parts of the body; he wants to make it possible to save and load memories and with those two functions we may also be able to delete memories too. Imagine someone hacking your memories, it could fundamentally alter your perception of yourself and your reality. You could become a prisoner in your own brain, subjected to the censorship of a corporation or government.

These are worst case scenarios and I’m not saying we are there yet, maybe not even close to that level of technology, but we should be aware of what kind of control we may be giving away to a company or authority by allowing such implants to be installed. I hope that we will use it as a means of improving people’s lives, but I’m very cautiously optimistic as well.

It’s really a nasty habit too. It precludes any kind of reasonable, honest discussion. Criticism is too often conflated with insult.

Unrelated question: is it pronounced go-DOT as in polkadot, or go-DOH, like the actress Gal Gadot?

I want to thank you for providing this source. It’s given me more to think about. While the information provided doesn’t provide and definitive answer for my case. (How could it?) It does shine a light on issues that I personally experience. While I don’t fully relate to symptoms like, poor impulse control and I don’t fail to organize my day-to-day, what does stand out is the “persistence toward the future” as he points out early in the video. I have started many personal projects: I have bought a guitar because I want to perform music. I buy notebooks with the intention of writing a story. I bought expensive microphones with the plan to work on a YouTube channel. I have purchased courses for coding to start a fresh career. I have not achieved a large goal in anything like what I have just mentioned, not since obtaining my Bachelor’s degree. I struggle with delayed gratification. This may or may not be ADHD or it could be another disorder.

Thank you again, it gives me s direction for seeking healing.

You know I’ve not been diagnosed but I relate to practically every post in this community and now it makes me wonder. No insurance to see a professional about it though.

I am not arguing in favor of pacifism. I fully recognize the need to defend against harmful ideologies that infect people’s minds with bad ideas. And if those who harbor bad ideas threaten violence then it may be necessary to react in kind. I accept that.

I’m simply saying that it matters what kind of language we use when we talk about it. Calling conservatives, or any opposing side perceived as a violent threat, subhuman creates the misconception that your own side could not ever be in the wrong. In so doing, it is possible that the we too could become infected with the bad idea that “All (insert opposing threat here) must die.” I don’t ever in my life time want to see anything like the Holocaust happen because people couldn’t stop and think that at some point the killing needs to stop, because it’s reached a point where we are no longer defending and only killing out of pure and base fear that the threat will rise up again. There is a point where self defense goes too far and gives rise to genocide. That possibility scares the hell out of me.

Nah, if it were me, even if I “knew better.” I would still break the rules and the social contract and speak out. Better to say what is being left unsaid than to have it weigh on the conscience. Even if doing so put me in deep shit, I would be proud I stuck to my principles.

I would add that dehumanizing rhetoric of any kind can become a gateway drug to justifying atrocity. No matter what side you stand on. It can contribute to the radicalization of any group. Nobody is immune to becoming a monster.

Starting this day (and week) with a new diet full of fresh produce and lean proteins. Doing a trial run to see what sticks. Trying to improve relationship with food. I feel satisfied with breakfast, so it’s off to a positive start.

I’m guessing art installation, I can’t imagine why one would build the stalls like that otherwise.