The number of possible combinations of genes is so large that the chance of a random duplication is vanishingly small. Even twins aren’t exact copies because they’ll have mutations unique to themselves.

Brice canyon is a marvel, but it’s most impressive feature is billions and billions of miles away.

I grew up rural, but it was like I’d never seen the stars before. The Milky Way was bright enough to cast shadows.

Epstein killed himself. (same for Gary Webb)

Too many people think suicide is rare, or extreme act. But it’s common as dirt especially for people who’s life is ruined. It’s a joke in movies that “new fish” looking at long sentences kill themselves, but somehow when it happens to someone notable, it’s mysterious and suspicious.

Also, the idea that there was a conspiracy to murder Epstein in prison and cover it up by powerful people is an extraordinary claim with the flimsiest possible evidence.

Nobody has racist field trip yet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oomlb9xm-YQ

A lot of people compare Trump to Hitler, but as apt as that may be sometimes, Hitler was a dilettante intellectual; he was a reader. And as painful as it might be to anyone who’s tried to read it, Hitler did write his own book.

I don’t remember the character well, but besides being a real-estate guy, I don’t see the connection between Trump and Fontaine. Fontaine was evil and all, but he was also hyper competent, organized, and had consistent ideology.

I hate the idea that watching ads or donating money to “support” creators. Youtube gets their content for free, why shouldn’t I?

And it’s not just content creators. Nobody shops anymore, they support business. Capitalism has camouflaged consumerism as political /social activism and it makes me sick!

For the curious: “War on Science” is a book of essays including Lawrence Kraus (whom “edits” the volume) and Richard Dawkins.

You might think that this book would be about RFKjr or the collapse of US funding for research. No. The ‘war on science’ is when academics are held accountable to woke ideology i.e. being disciplined for having sex with your students. It’s publisher doesn’t usually cover science, mostly selling books about fundamental Christianity.

For those of us who watched the brain-rot of Islamophobia and misogyny take over the skeptic community back in the early 2010s, it’s no surprise that these men turned out to be grifters in bed with fundamentalist Christians over their shared hatred of Muslims and women.

There is so much more to the video. Including specifics about some of the essays and their authors; the Jeffery Epstein connection; and how feminism destroyed the “new atheist” movement.

Why is Linux different than Microsoft? Most of the games I play aren’t “Linux” games, but the identical Windows software running through a compatibility layer on Linux.

The Steam client on Linux has the same “workshop” tab for adding mods. It’s not in every game, but that’s true on Windows too.

There is a movie with Margo Robbie called Terminal. The reason I know this is because if you type “terminal” into the Start Menu of a fresh copy of Windows 11, it’s the first result.

Your question doesn’t make sense. “freedom of speech” is a political right to prevent government censorship. Internet forums have moderation and that’s different from censorship because it’s a private space.

If someone came to your house and started insulting you and your family would you tolerate it in the name of freedom or would you tell the jerk to shut up and get out?

PBS Space Time is routinely over my head and I love it.

I hate graphic depictions of sexual violence. Moves like “A Clockwork Orange”, “The Accused”, and “Requiem for a Dream” all have scenes that I wish I didn’t remember.

Content warnings are information that allow media watchers to make informed decisions. People who are annoyed by them are just contrarian assholes with the teenage mentality that gore and cusswords are cool.

Seeing something objectionable in media is not a “growth through suffering”. It is also not censorship. Nobody ever became a Nazi simply by reading Mien Kampf. (It’s usually complaining about made up shit like cancel-culture that pushes the dim-whited into the far-right).

There should have been a content warning on this thread: graphic depictions of boomer philosophy.

Beast by Benchley. I’m still mad at the time I wasted.

If you use it correctly, it’s just about as private as you can get.

There are limits to keep in mind. The internet itself is an American military technology (as is TOR). So if you’re hiding something more delicate than porn history I would get educated.

Yea, but the Weavers moved to Idaho because of the right-wing Christian culture of the region. They were ‘end of the world’ type conspiracy people and moved to Ruby Ridge to live like settlers away from the Government.

It’s ironic that the Government was waiting for them in Idaho.

Communism is old, and young. The principals of communal living are the oldest form of human organization. It’s also the most common form today if you count small groups like family.

But as an organizing principal for government, it’s a baby. The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848. The Bolshevik revolution was in 1917. So the whole idea of communism is < 150-200yo. Compare to capitalism at this age and it’s all slavery and settler colonialism; the most massive redistribution of wealth through theft in history.

The logic that communism is a bad system because the Soviet Union should also condemn capitalism because the Dutch East India Company.

It’s a myth that “anyone” can get wrapped up in a cult. Their are many “filters” to joining a cult. Such as unusual dress, complicated social hierarchies, and tons of jargon. And they hit you with this stuff right up front; it’s not gradual. People who are not looking for community and meaning will be repelled.

So they’re filtering people who are not in a particularly credulous mental state. People who are not in a “joining” mentality. I’m not saying that educated, sophisticated, and intelligent people are immune. This all has to do with adjustment, maturity, and emotional stability.

So anyway, to mitigate the reach of cults, society should be organized to minimize alienation and isolation, while a multitude of sources of community and meaning should be encouraged. Check on the people you care about and make sure they’re getting on. Crush capitalism.

Why not both?