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Kwakigra

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Kwakigra,
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I live in a red state. At a certain point it just comes down to what people want to believe regardless of outside information. This isn’t going to change any minds who associate with Zionism, but it could be another straw for people whobare reasonable but are bombarded 24/7 with state propaganda and don’t know what to believe.

Kwakigra,
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A show about the future where society has overcome economics and most prejudice in which everyone can pursue their passion. Most shows depict the people passionate about space exploration and diplomacy.

Starfield design lead says players are "disconnected" from how games are actually made: "Don't fool yourself into thinking you know why it is the way it is" (www.gamesradar.com)

apparently this is in response to a few threads on Reddit flaming Starfield—in general, it’s been rather interesting to see Bethesda take what i can only describe as a “try to debate Starfield to popularity” approach with the game’s skeptics in the past month or two. not entirely sure it’s a winning strategy,...

Kwakigra,
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I wish people knew more about the way business works in general. Focusing on quality of product or service is a strategy only the smallest businesses can afford. In the big leagues it’s all about triggering purchasing behavior and minimizing price sensitivity by using well-proven psychological techniques to sell cheap minimally-viable and soon to be obsolete products to as many people as possible, and sell them the solutions to the problems left in the original product as “optional” add-ons. Developers all want to make good games, but the businesses they work for couldn’t care less since they make their money in other ways. Welcome to the 21t century, consumers!

Kwakigra,
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A lot of these comments from developers read to me like “We really tried guys, but you don’t know what it was like.” Given this is usually without commenting that industry norms are toxic since that can get you blacklisted. Their marketing department doing damage control is of course way less sympathetic to me.

Kwakigra,
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I’m about to do this for my mother as well. I just switched back myself and found Mint has come a very long way. The last time I ran it as my main OS 10 years ago it was pretty demanding from the user, but mint now is probably more user friendly than Windows.

Kwakigra,
@Kwakigra@beehaw.org avatar

You made a typo. Let me fix it.

propoganda: israel doesn’t shell indiscriminately, they targets terrorists.

Kwakigra,
@Kwakigra@beehaw.org avatar

Do circles exist independently of humans who can perceive them? My instinct tells me yes of course but my instinct also interprets with my human brain some outside stimulus as a “circle,” so I’m biased along with probably most other human brains. The nature of objective truth gets trippy.

Kwakigra,
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The basic weirdness is that we can’t experience objective reality as due to the nature of our minds we can only possibly subjectively experience it interpreted by our senses and sense-making. Although even the ancients could prove the curvature of the Earth by measuring shadows at the same time in places separated by enough distance, a person born blind would have to trust the sighted that shadows exist for example. Since we are aware of some phenomena we can’t observe without the use of specialized tools and some branches of science diverge significantly from what’s intuitive to us, It’s very likely that there are some elements of objective reality (if it exists) which we couldn’t possibly observe or comprehend. I know all that sounds like star-gazing bs which is completely irrelevant, and in almost all circumstances it is, but approaching facts as most likely to be true given the evidence rather than certainly true can reveal ways of thinking which could be more useful than our current paradigms. Although unlikely in my opinion, it’s possible that in a few centuries the circle may be considered similarly to how the four elements are considered today. I personally can’t imagine how that could be possible, but I’m just some random person in 2023. I see the circle and describe it as a circle because that’s what I know, and what I know is loaded with context and limitations.

On TikTok, the war in Gaza is a game (english.elpais.com)

One of the TikTok trends is to show the process of loading a projectile into a tank and firing it. Another is to put trance music to a video, along with the words “2-3, sha-ger.” This is the order that a military drone operator is given to drop a bomb, with the syllables separated so that the message is clear. The trend...

Kwakigra,
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The IDF spends a lot of time trying to jam Tiktok because unlike an American-run company it’s not so easy to pull down everything supportive of Palestinian rights. I’ve seen more first-hand footage from the people being ethnically cleansed on Tiktok than anywhere else. Tiktok had live updates of the infants suffocating to death after they cut the power from Al-Shifa hospital and their generators ran out, and it was Palestinians themselves reporting on the situation moment by moment. That would not be allowed on Youtube, Facebook, Reddit, or Instagram.

Kwakigra,
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5e “blindness” probably assumes blindness from a curse or spell on otherwise functional eyes since that’s how I’ve seen the condition being afflicted. As you mentioned, losing a limb is a different thing so if they lost their eyes, had their eyes physically destroyed in some way, or were born with non-functional eyes I would rule it as the latter case at my table in those instances.

Kwakigra,
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That’s one of my favorite things about Dnd. “The World” is the DM’s interpretation of a world or their own world. Even if they were running an otherwise stock Forgotten Realms setting they can add as much steampunk or magipunk elements as they please, including superpowered wheelchairs for adventurers. In your world there would probably be something different than wheelchairs if there’s anything because it really just comes down to preference.

Kwakigra,
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I wouldn’t consider it “too modern” since contemporary fantasy commonly includes things like tobacco and potatoes, nation-states, and 20th-century English. It’s more like a departure from what you might typically see in the genre of fantasy.

Kwakigra,
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This is kind of like asking if I generally like or dislike all alligators. I’m fine with them and know enough about them not to enter the area where I know their instincts will tell them to prey on me. As long as I don’t do that we get along fine. I have some very good friends and family and can capably manage everyone else. I’ll even help someone who needs it while still being careful not to trigger those predatory instincts.

Kwakigra,
@Kwakigra@beehaw.org avatar

And if they weren’t, Hamas was using them as human shields. If they weren’t, then they should have obeyed Israel’s directives to evacuate. If they did, then they shouldn’t have voted for Hamas. If they didn’t, then they shouldn’t have been born on land Israel wants.

Kwakigra,
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I think this is the perfect kind of class for undergraduates attending American Universities. A class which directly challenges students’ pre-existing biases and lays out contemporary arguments so that the class can have a shared understanding of what they’re discussing whether they are supportive or opposed to those arguments. I was challenged like this when I was in college outside of class and having to directly consider these ideas among people I really repected helped me immensely in my understanding of American culture dynamics and ability to use reason when facing difficult claims.

Kwakigra,
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Israel is making it up as they go along, with whatever was true yesterday being irrelevant. Similar strategy as Trump. It works because there are many people who want to believe what Israel says for a variety of reasons.

Kwakigra,
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Narration: Janeway couldn’t, in fact, deal with it.

Kwakigra,
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Cyberpunk city with no plantlife other than these algae vats all over the place. Big towers of murky green liquid.

Kwakigra,
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Squaresoft, Bioware, and Bethesda are three companies whose logos I once considered a seal of quality. None of the three really exist anymore, although there are new much larger companies using their names.

Kwakigra,
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What frustrates me is that the crypto scene didn’t have to develop in this direction. While I’m not sure how to get around the electricity requirements necessary for any “coin” to exist on a large scale, the concept of a blockchain doesn’t seem to me like an inherently predatory idea. The idea that coins or NFTs were investment vehicles really provided the opportunity for those with the knowledge and resources to manipulate a poorly regulated market and literal con artists to move in and be the main influence as to how everything played out. Although it’s somewhat of a relief that it’s widely recognized by most people as being a racket, the missed opportunity of the concept of permanent and intangible “objects” to be used for some purpose other than scamming does bum me out a bit.

Kwakigra,
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For technological innovation to take place, two things need to happen. First, the idea needs to occur in the first place and second the idea has to be adopted in a widespread way. Many examples of technology we use were invented many times in the past and applied to processes where it didn’t take. Because of this I think it’s very possible that innovative people throughout the world have indeed come up with use cases for this technology which could fundamentally improve something which we are not aware of because for whatever reason the idea hasn’t spread.

Tech specialists are not often also expert marketers for their own ideas. At the same time, expert marketers involved with blockchain technology are typically involved on the scamming side so even if an idea is offered to the public which would otherwise sell itself it wouldn’t have a chance in this environment. Blockchain experts, being primed to view this technology in its current context, may not even recognize how powerful a non-traditional use might be.

This is all speculation of course, but this is why I’m not ready to rule the technology out entirely.

This may seem kind of stupid but I am kind of stupid, is there a list somewhere of phrases that are stupid or insensitive racially or gender biased?

I just got up from conversation with a couple of older black men, that I said “well I got to go back to work and start cracking the whip.” And it occurred to me then that it was probably a really insensitive stupid thing to say....

Kwakigra,
@Kwakigra@beehaw.org avatar

This is a misled approach. Rather than trying to list out the myriad phrases in our language based on historical prejudice, it’s better to just understand that prejudice yourself so you can determine what you want to perpetuate and what you don’t. That being said this won’t prevent something like this from ever happening again, and sometimes things you would never guess are rooted in white supremacy or other ism. No one knows the full extent of it themselves and no one is expected to know everything. If it happens on occasion and you realize it like this and avoid it in the future it’s fine for most people. If you keep saying something you don’t realize is messed up and stop when you learn it’s messed up, that’s also fine. It’s only when it’s obvious that you know it’s wrong but you insist on doing it or get defensive about how it shouldn’t be a big deal when it becomes a real issue.

Kwakigra,
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The criticism that Bethesda doesn’t finish their games because they expect volunteer modders to has been around since at least Oblivion IIRC. I always thought it was BS, but since Fo4 was essentially remade from the ground up into a now quite beloved game by the mod scene they may have considered this with Starfield. Bethesda now is more Zenimax than the Bethesda of 10 years ago so while I didn’t believe it then I have less reason to doubt now.

Kwakigra,
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You can get a computer which can run Steam the low-spec library for less than $100 if you get a very common used office computer. I’ve seen as low as $50 for a functional machine only a few years old. Most likely it could run most puzzle games.

Kwakigra,
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CRISPR is probably the technology I’m most terrified of. Designer babies, genetic bottlenecking, eugenics, the elimination of certain neurotypes, and probably millions of far worse consequences we can’t even concieve of and will be less capable of conceiving of when we narrow our species down based on what rich idiots think are the best traits for all people.

Kwakigra,
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I do most of my discourse on Beehaw which is protected in many ways. When I used reddit I would often have a comment typed out ready to post and think better of it since I knew it would only drive dismissive and antagonistic responses of the stupidest kind. It may be because of the protections or it may be because of the smaller community but I find a lot less posturing and a lot more actual conversation since I’ve been using this platform. This is what keeps me here rather than reddit. It might be worth engaging in conversations you wouldn’t have on reddit when you’re interested.

Kwakigra,
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Talk is cheap. Pull the plug.

Kwakigra,
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Watching those newborns suffocate to death on a table over the course of the day was something I’m never going to forget. If the IDF thinks they can move past this without a lot of scrutiny, I hope they’re dead wrong.

Full text: bin Laden's 'letter to America' (deleted in The Guardian because of TikTok) (web.archive.org)

I just found out that Osama Bin Laden’s “Letter to America” has been doing its rounds on TikTok but I haven’t seen anything about it been posted here on Lemmy about it. Perhaps people already know about it, I’m not sure. This is a link to the wayback machine. The original in the guardian has just been deleted after...

Kwakigra,
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I grew up in a red state. I recall that attempting to understand why the enemy attacked us was seen as being sympathetic to the enemy which was a traitorous position to take. Trying to explain the context of why we were attacked even in a conversation about how to most effectively defend ourselves was typically met with indignant anger. The only acceptable response to the attack was total annihilation of the enemy. I heard “glass them over” more times than I can count. The actual military response was seen as a merciful compromise where I’m from.

Kwakigra,
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The pointless persecution of trans women by people whose lives would be no different if they didn’t bother with their bigotry campaigns never ceases to confuse me. Why go through all the trouble just to screw over a stranger? Surely their sadism can be satisfied in some other less harmful way?

Kwakigra,
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Seconded. The Expanse is an untapped goldmine of strong characters and weirdness.

Kwakigra,
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Damn sex pests. That was so disappointing. He did some damage but hopefully his shitty behavior doesn’t ruin the part of the show he’s not in.

Kwakigra,
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Zionists in Mandatory Palestine collaborated with the Nazis just prior to the Holocaust. “They” specifically meaning radical Zionists in Israel. As a side note, Holocaust victims who immigrated to Palestine/Israel were often met with derision because the belligerent Israeli Zionists considered their “weakness” an embarassment to them. I’ve been reading a lot about Zionism recently and the more I learn the further it seems to me from the kind of values I’m familiar with from Judaism. Hopefully the philosophy goes the way of “Manifest Destiny” in the dustbin of history or at least transforms into something that does not require the removal of all Palestinians from their land.

Kwakigra, (edited )
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I read through the entire section you linked. Half of the section was also describing the Haavara agreement. The Palestinians resisting violence from the influx of European colonists also recieved some help, but to answer your question according to what you linked the Zionists clearly recieved more support for a longer period of time. In terms of the actual conflict taking place in Palestine at the time, the help the Zionists recieved from the Nazis was significantly more impactful than the help the Palestinians later recieved from the Nazis.

One thing I want to clarify is that it is completely fucked up that the Palestinian leaders speaking with the Nazis named their enemy as all Judaism rather than the actual sociopolitical force which was the true threat to their sovereignty. Anti-semetism was never and is never justified. I’m at least glad that a lot of anti-semetism has been scrubbed from official anti-zionist documentation although I have no doubt some continue to blame all Jewish people even though many of whom also oppose Zionism.

Edit: One more point on conflation. The German Jewish people fleeing for their lives were not the ones who made the Haavara agreement with the Nazis. Zionists made that agreement. The reason is that the Zionists and the Nazis agreed that Jewish people should be expelled from Europe.

Americans of Lemmy, what is your approach to next year's election?

2020 was… truly unique. It was so hard to stay away from doom scrolling, and I (and many others) were pretty disillusioned by the sad fact that so much of our country legitimately supported the Orange Man. I didn’t get a wink of sleep the night of the election because I genuinely considered it to be a make or break decision...

Kwakigra,
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Not in a state where my vote counts so it doesn’t matter much. My political plans are trying to avoid getting thrown in jail per the popular bipartisan SB 686 for being too outspoken about opposing the genocide of Palestinians.

Since the 2010 Citizens United decision when the supreme court legalized bribery, the best I’ve been able to hope for is a managed and slow as possible decline into a feudal-like state with a heritable and defined noble and peasant class. Hopefully nuclear war will prevent the worst possible consequences of climate change so I can have a little hope while I’m being vaporized.

Kwakigra,
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Let this be a warning to you, then. We are part of the same species and we have the same vulnerabilities in our socially constructed systems give or take. Without constant vigilance this could happen to your country. Do not trust anyone who has power over you. Ever.

Kwakigra,
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Only if I can wear the motley and say what I want. Otherwise, you can send your headsman for me.

Kwakigra,
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Since I’ve been sanitizing my brush head in hydrogen peroxide after each use to avoid re-introducing bacteria into my mouth it’s made a significant difference in the quality of my brushing and minimizing plaque formation. Also, the main area to aim for specifically for plaque is where the gum meets the tooth rather than just all over the tooth hitting the gum incidentally.

Kwakigra,
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It would be nice if everyone serious about human rights said so. The Intercept has already discussed this phrase with Marc Lamont Hill.

Kwakigra,
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I stand with the people who think things like what the radical right wing secular government of Israel is inflicting on innocents should never happen again. There’s another explanation of the phrase in that link, and it’s the same explanation used by anyone who is in support of human rights.

Kwakigra,
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I made a good faith effort to research this claim you made but I couldn’t find anything other than a reddit post making the same claim. Where did you hear this? Also, how would it be relevant to anything I’ve linked or said?

Kwakigra,
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I don’t understand any dialect of arabic. If you are a Palestinian arabic speaker, can you explain how Wikipedia’s direct translation of “from the water to the water” is misleading?

Kwakigra,
@Kwakigra@beehaw.org avatar

Whew, asking the real questions here. I have a few more:

Why aren’t more people using horse drawn carriages? Why aren’t more people using an abacus? Why aren’t more people sending telegrams? Why aren’t more people having duels? Why aren’t more people paying dowries? Why aren’t more people farming with hand tools? Why aren’t more people hunting and gathering in nomadic bands?

Kwakigra,
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Discretion is the better part of valor.

Kwakigra,
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No they aren’t. There aren’t any contrarians on the Fediverse. I’m going to need you to cite your sources.

Kwakigra,
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Android devices are also surveillance tools which can be abused by intelligence agencies or intrusive governments. It’s actually very difficult to find an international company which is not responsible for facilitating atrocities for their own benefit. I know corporations are amoral rather than immoral because they care only about maximizing profit and stockholder value, but the major harms and recklessness with innocent and powerless people is pretty fucked up whether that was the intention or considered an unimportant consequence in the pursuit of greater and greater wealth.

Kwakigra,
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I do this round most days:

  1. AP News: To find out what the US wants me to know
  2. Reuters: To find out what the UK wants me to know
  3. Financial Times: To see what’s actually important to the investor class who are causing the events which make the news published by the above 2. This information is what very wealthy people rely on to be true for their own financial interests, so it’s by far the most reliable and forthcoming of the 3.
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