Thursday Next

Ugh... Libertarianism... Hobbes summed up where that leads in Leviathan: “There be no propriety, no Dominion, no Mine and Thine distinct; but that to be every man's that he can get; and for so long as he can keep it.”

I don't mean a particular State or Federal gov't. I mean the USA as a whole, just agree to give it a punt, tear up the 2nd, ban private ownership, buy back the guns in an amnesty so hard working Americans are not out of pocket. Like at this point, it can't really get much worse, so the only people with something to lose by trying it are people who are invested in continuing to promote private gun ownership (whether financially or politically).

They are 100% going to blame: (i) The school resource officer, who really signed up to watch kids walk through a metal detector and search the odd bag for a knife; (ii) The general security protocols in the school; and, if pushed hard enough (iii) The cops a little bit for not being more gung-ho. The right won't go too hard on cops, because that would set a dangerous precedent of suggesting that cops are in any way accountable for negative outcomes of their action/inaction. I sorta feel like, at this point, just for the hell of it, why would you not try a ban on private gun ownership and a gov't mandated buy-back plan. The only reason not to try it at this point, is that you are terrified that it would work, and then you'd be really fucked.

Sekiro and Elden are definitely the most different From games from each other. Elden is "do what you want, when you want, how you want" while Sekiro is a much more linear, curated experience (and arguably, more balanced for it). I love them both.

Having an openly political supreme court has always struck me as a potential issue tbf. Like, I'm not naïve enough to think that UK Supreme Court Justices are apolitical, (they almost certainly, being mostly rich white folk, lean slightly to the right in the majority) but at least UK judges politics are personal and supposed to be set aside, rather than being public and carrying an expectation that they will be followed as appears to be the case in US.

Sounds like politics. Executive proposes legislation and (in theory) persuades the legislative to vote for it. I know in practice Blue Leader proposes legislation and Blue team vote for it (unless they are actually Red team posing as Blue team) but I digress. It's how separation of powers is supposed to work really...

For me, God Mode on Hades made a huge amount of difference, also, at least you could take the gems or whatever it was you got from it to permanently improve weapons. I wish there was something similar for Returnal, either a God Mode that makes you more tanky, or weapon proficiency being permanent, at least that way I would feel like dying was at least netting me some progress other than "gitting gudder". The weapon proficiency thing really irked me, since my expectation was that Selene would remember that she was getting better at shooting a specific gun, alas, no.

I should probably try Returnal again. I just don't like the feeling that I'm not really making any headway, I've beaten 2 bosses (I think) and gotten the hook shot, but I just can't seem to progress any further.

Yeah, I was looking for a local, independent made watch. That's one of the more modestly priced ones. Some of them literally hundreds of thousands with a 2yr waitlist. https://arnoldandson.com/en/manufacture/calibres/a-s1021-3d-moon-phases

You can do what now!?! Why doesn't the console bloody well tell you you can update controller firmware?

Especially MJ sections in Spider-Man, but especially Dragon God in Demon's Souls.

I feel like Rule 35 of the internet is "If it exists there are nerds of it."

I've seen it go on for a crazy long time, not played yet and planning to go with a mage-y build so this is a handy tip.

I think my next one will be this: https://www.christopherward.com/sports-watches/c63-sealander-bronze-cosc/C63-39ADC3-B00K0-TK.html the company is fairly local to me so I can check it out before buying. I think I would like a green fabric strap rather than black personally, hopefully they can do that. I like it cos you can see some of the movement through the dial, but it still looks easy to tell the time with it. I agree about "keeping for best", it means you never wear the things you like (and I think is a sign that you maybe spent a bit too much on the watch if you feel like you can't afford to wear it). I partly want the new watch so I can send the Tissot in for a service (I've had it for about a decade now).

That's nice. I've got a Tissot that I love for its clean lines and accurate automatic movement, it didn't cost the earth either (https://www.tissotwatches.com/en-gb/t0864071605700.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwu_mSBhAYEiwA5BBmfxWDtT1ihZiq2X6v2WQOwjdGNsUNXEcBd40mtmsgjY9LYA7zbNMTIRoCuhAQAvD_BwE): I've been thinking of getting another one soon. Something in the £500-£1,000 price bracket, maybe a skeleton/open heart style, with a metal wristband.

That is good to know! My PS5 still crashes in rest mode now and then. So will be save-quitting.

That's a very good point! I wish more games used this trophy philosophy tbh. I think trophies are at their best when they encourage you to try everything, rather than complete everything. But maybe that's just me being a big "participation award" millennial?

That was good. Going to wait to start Elden Ring and GT7 until the new TV arrives on Friday. I like that the trophies respect your time, e.g. you only have to play a couple of Machine Strike matches, and clear like 4 enemy camps and stuff rather than "find every x". The only "every" thing you have to do is scan all machines, but that's something that I think almost everyone will do.

Upgraded my LG OLED 55 B6 to the 2022 55 C2.

I mean... Timezone permitting, I'm sensing a way through here...

It's nukes. If they didn't have thousands of nukes we (or rather you) would have changed the shit out of that regime a long time ago.

Disco Elysuim Following @danielpholt's example. I'm also ditching this. There's a few things I don't like: 1. RNG skill checks. I feel like this should just have been a threshold thing. If you are over the requirement you pass. The happiness of passing a 12% skill check I had no business even attempting is far outweighed by how much I felt cheated when I failed a 79% skill check. 2. The relentless darkness. It's all so grim, like yeah it's a dystopia, but gods is it fucking depressing. 3. The pressure. Add to the grimness the pressure to pass skill checks, and the pressure to scrounge up $20 a night so my character can sleep, and the pressure to constantly make choices it just feels like working in a horrible, unfair place, which is not remotely fun. I saw the game over screen when my character shot himself in the face, so imma call it "completed" and move on with my life.

My only issue with HFW is that there is more focus on melee combat (which is good), but there is no way to lock on to a target which makes keeping track of an enemy really difficult when you are jumping around and slashing.

Exactly this. All scenarios now are a loss for Putin: 1. They take Ukraine and spend forever with a ornery neighbour that they have to ceaselessly "pacify"; 2. They split Ukraine and see "West Ukraine" join EU/NATO and have a hostile power on their border who they cannot invade again without facing the entire western world; 3. They leave Ukraine in defeat and lose a war against a nation 1/3 their size. Under 1&2 sanctions continue indefinitely, Europe will be forced to move away from Russian energy reliance weakening Russia as a world power. Once they are weakened, China will have no further use for them and they lose their only meaningful ally. Under 3, they spend the next few decades climbing back out of sanctions and regaining trust, but only if Putin is no longer there.