Random Thoughts IV: the Abyss Gazes Back

[Ryika]

This is exactly why you shouldn't be so complacent.

Thing is, the AfD really isn't a problem in the grand scheme of things. It is an outgrowth of xenophobia and fear as a direct response to an unexpected situation that was not handled very well, mostly when it comes to how our officials failed to keep the public discourse grounded in reality, and instead attempted to deny real problems, which allowed more sinister actors to point at these problems and overplay their impact significantly.

When I look at the US, what I see is a political system that is based on instability. Two parties that call each other evil, have no reason to ever seek compromises as a first solution, and constantly rally people up against each other, and that dynamic seems to become worse and worse as time goes on.

So overall, while the AfD is a stain on the political landscape, these things can, unfortunately, not be prevented, but they also don't undermine the structures that make up the political system. They're temporary problems that will eventually go away on their own. The political landscape of the USA on the other hand appears to be in a state of permanent escalation that is inherent to the system.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

It's not just the AfD. I think the biggest problem right now is that for three years public discourse has been dominated by the refugee debate and everything else from climate change to unaffordable rent is treated as a sideshow. I hope that changes soon. I've read somewhere that the Greens were so strong in the Bavarian state election because they didn't talk about refugees as much as other parties.

 

[Takhisis]

See, Ryika? You can make thoughtful nonsarcastic posts.
But you've neglected this part:

lest AfD gain power in 'schland.

I think they still can do it.

 

[Ryika]

See, Ryika? You can make thoughtful nonsarcastic posts.

I make such posts all the time. The three posts I made in this very thread before this discussion:

You got lucky then, as Support for WinXP ended last year.

Not sure if it still runs on XP though, the mod claims it won't, but there are reports of people who does, so it's probably just that that Blizzard is overstating the issue just to make sure that nobody is surprised once an update actually breaks support for XP.

I'm not the one you asked, but I like trashing WoW, so here we go.

A vocal part of the community thinks that the game's in a pretty bad state right now, but a lot of the reasons for that are comparisons to previous AddOns. Itemization is terrible right now; to know what Items are "good" for your character, you will need to run simulations for your char, and getting "good" items in general is based on multiple levels of randomness - the item has to drop, then it can proc upgrades. Very annoying.

Singleplayer-Content is mostly meaningless, you get a ton of free gear in the new Warfronts Feature (which is an undertuned a Non-PvP-Horde-v-Alliance group battle that you can't lose) and the actual world has little to offer for you in terms of character progression.

The Dungeon and Raid-Content itself however, is probably the most fun that it has ever been. Well, the dungeons only IF you're the "controlled Zerg and Rush against a timer"-kind of guy. If you prefer CC and careful pulls like they were the bread and butter in Classic and most of BC, the current dungeons will probably not be to your liking either. Raiding however, offers interesting and challenging encounters if you do it on the Heroic or Mythic Difficulty.

Overall, I would say starting with WoW now is not a good idea. The game is at one of its low points, the upcoming patch offers no big improvements, and the devs don't seem very receptive to community criticism in their communication.

___

While we're at the topic of WoW btw... there is that subreddit called "mildly annoying" where people post stuff that annoys them mildly (d'oh), but there should really be a "FREAKING INFURIATING" subreddit so I can post about the nearly-filled Zandalari Tribe Reputation Bar of my main that I can't complete because there's no way to gain that Rep anymore.

Because there's little and money to make with them. Creating new heroes, and skins and other cosmetics is an easy revenue stream, how would you do that for RTS? Blizzard tried unit skins, but apparently, there was little player interest in them. Not unexpected, given that you don't have a direct "connection" to your units that you have to your hero when you play a MOBA.

So what else generates revenue? Well, tournaments. But here they were sort of replaced by MOBAs, because playing RTS competitively is difficult and lacks the instant gratification that the MOBA genre has to offer, both for the player and the spectator, so no RTS managed to gather a healthy competitive scene that kept people interested. Well, Starcraft 2 did for the first few years, but they mostly drew from their old RTS fans, while getting new people interested in the three big territories didn't work out too well.

All of them just normal posts.

...before that, I posted about the Monty Hall Problem, and while that discussion got a bit heated, that was certainly not because of my post on the topic.

And only once you've gotten back that far there's a slightly trolly post...

If I had a cat, it would be the most well-behaved cat imaginable, because I'd give her all the attention and toys that she's asking for, and only the best food, and she'd be so thankful for it that she'd never do anything selfish or annoying.

...where I equate a cat to a human and pretend like I didn't know that giving a person everything they want turns them into a really annoying person. But even then, that's not a post that's designed to be divisive, not a post that's designed to cause anger, it's a satirical joke.

Of course nobody focuses on these posts, what I say is only ever evaluated when I make a post that's non-constructive.

 

[The_J]

The internet is unclear about this:
With a tie: Top button buttoned or not?
For my PhD defense I'd like to look serious, but getting a shirt with fitting neck size is a challenge. The people at one of the men's wear shops said it's not really necessary, but I'm not really trusting this yet.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

The internet is unclear about this:
With a tie: Top button buttoned or not?
For my PhD defense I'd like to look serious, but getting a shirt with fitting neck size is a challenge. The people at one of the men's wear shops said it's not really necessary, but I'm not really trusting this yet.

The answer is dependent on your ability to obscure the situation with the tie, and an ill fitting shirt will likely make that impossible. If the shirt fits almost well enough, and the neck button is just a little discomfort, you can position the knot of your tie so that no one will notice, which makes it fine. If the shirt neck size is genuinely too small then the whole thing just looks off and there's no hiding it behind a tie.

 

[Birdjaguar]

With a tie, button your shirt!!!

EDIT: yes, wear a shirt that fits.

 

[cardgame]

better yet, don't wear a self-suffocation device

 

[Takhisis]

Of course nobody focuses on these posts, what I say is only ever evaluated when I make a post that's non-constructive.

There's enough people out there ready to underestimate you that it's not necessary for you to do the same, girl.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

better yet, don't wear a self-suffocation device

Maybe I'm weird, but I never understood why serious people still cosplay as rennaissaince era Croatian mercenaries.
Ties are like eyebrow piercings. I won't judge for it it, but it's silly and pointless.

 

[cardgame]

I'm happy to report that I don't even own one.

 

[Takhisis]

Which one are you talking about: self-suffocation devices or ties?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Or an eyebrow piercing?

 

[Takhisis]

Given how cardgame's taste in shoes is about as eclectic than my taste in music, I already discount that he has some eyebrow piercings.

 

[Lexicus]

I have one tie but I don't know why

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I have one tie but I don't know why

I have...six? Because it's important not to look the same every time you want to look sharp, but owning multiple suits is a pain in the ass.

 

[cardgame]

Given how cardgame's taste in shoes is about as eclectic than my taste in music, I already discount that he has some eyebrow piercings.

I'm eclectic, therefore I don't have eyebrow piercings? Not sure I follow your reasoning.

 

[Takhisis]

Discount as in take for granted. I've had to think in five languages and three alphabets between today and yesterday as well as being subjected to Smothers' Day.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I'm eclectic, therefore I don't have eyebrow piercings? Not sure I follow your reasoning.

I took that to mean that your taste isn't eclectic, based on Tak's tastes being notoriously bland.

 

[Takhisis]

Tak's tastes being notoriously bland.

What now.