TV static in recent movies and shows that are set in the past almost always instantly pull me out of the narrative because no one seems to be able to get it right and some are just stunningly bad. It’s usually very subtle, so much so that I’m not sure I could even describe what’s wrong. Makes me feel old to notice it.

You’re a biological garbage disposal and your shit goes down the same sanitary sewer line. It’s just food scraps like peels, stems, and trimmings. Hardly qualifies as ‘insane’.

I’ll phrase it like a shower thought:

“Avoiding politics is about as useless as avoiding economics, math, science, or the arts; they permeate everything we do. We even use them to define what it means to be human. We might as well avoid breathing.”

I think avoiding partisanship and incivility might be more productive, but it has the problem of being more vague and requiring judgement, thus requiring more effort to enforce fairly and consistently. I don’t think there is an answer that will satisfy everyone. Avoiding politics may be a good rule for this community, even if it’s pointless.

Brussel sprouts used to be truly awful, made me literally wretch. Now I eagerly make and order them as a bar snack.

To be fair there are two reasons beyond my changing tastes for this. First, my mom liked to steam brussel sprouts whole and serve them with margarine, salt, and pepper, now I generally cold sear them or roast them in the oven with much better seasoning. Maybe even some bacon pieces and blue cheese mixed in. Second, brussel sprouts did actually change over time to get less bitter and awful since I was a kid.

I live in a hot climate so my favorite teas are iced.

Iced oolong sweetened only with some lychee chunks is the only thing close to boba I can stomach. I also like a good iced jasmine green tea. Or just a strong green tea hot or iced.

Pancake mix in particular benefits from the large scales at which the pre-mixed stuff is made. Measuring out those smaller proportions of dry powders precisely and accurately is much more difficult at home even if you opt for using a scale instead of measuring cups. Just read the ingredients list to avoid the brands that may include the extra binders and other ingredients you want to avoid.

The “E” (and similarly the “IE”) at the end is a very different pronunciation indicator than an “E” in the middle of the word.

There’s no need for the weird hate in your spoiler tag just because you don’t understand something.

Dog-eared means that a corner got folded down (making a diagonal) on a page as a bookmark. A dog-eared book isn’t necessarily beat-up beyond the damage to the corners of pages. Catty-cornered or kitty-cornered is adjacent to something on the diagonal, i.e. not orthogonally next to it like up, down, left, or right. So there is an argument to be made for a loose (coincidental) connection between those ideas, but I don’t think they come from the same roots.

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EVERYONE that claims to appreciate only fine art is already pretending to be sophisticated.

Expensive certifications that your employer will reimburse you for that potentially increase your earnings potential and value in the job market if you do change employers? Are those worth getting? Yes. Employer not paying you for them? Still, maybe yes. Do you really need to ask? Or are you looking for an excuse to not do the thing recommended by your mentors and that’s not giving you instant gratification and a dopamine hit (like this place does)?

The intro theme to Cheers.

I generally wash they with warm water and soap after I’m done or taking a break. I usually take one of those little dish soap bottles from the hotel when I travel to keep in the truck, cuts right through the grease and grime pretty well even if all you have is a jug of water on hand.

Three is the Magic Number.

Runner up: I’m Just a Bill.

Jokes on them. Batman is fighting crime in a failing empire. I might have fun writing a paper about how the comic series is actually about the fall of empires like the Roman empire. I’d footnote and meticulously cite the shit out of that paper just to code clues that I knew exactly what the Professor was trying to do.

Short simplified answer: nobody wants to pay for the infrastructure. Especially in the last mile. There’s probably a Planet Money episode about it. If not, there should be.

Why are you bickering with me about it? I don’t appreciate people asking questions in bad faith just so they can make a spicy comment. Think I like it?

There are choices, it’s just they all suck unless you’re willing to move. Nobody’s arguing that it is a local semi-monopoly.

There’s other options, but they’re all MUCH slower. If you want a different ISP with comparable or faster speeds, you need to move. In my case, internet is bundled with HOA fees. And there is no other fast option available at my address anyway.

It’s not a full monopoly. You can choose another ISP, but it’s just that in practice you’d need to physically move to a new location to make that change of vendor.