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[Raphael]

OK, then our positions don't seem to be that far away from each other.

[xxx]

but sometimes the choice not to survive is worth it...

I believe the correct Batty Koda response is "Thats lemming talk!"
Seriously, unless you're thinking you'll end up in one paradise or another (or reincarnate), then how is it "worth it" - and for whom?

the meaning we give to our lives cannot be to survive at all costs...
self-sacrifice can be altruism or pride...

[keenir]

but sometimes the choice not to survive is worth it...

I believe the correct Batty Koda response is "Thats lemming talk!"
Seriously, unless you're thinking you'll end up in one paradise or another (or reincarnate), then how is it "worth it" - and for whom?

the meaning we give to our lives cannot be to survive at all costs...
self-sacrifice can be altruism or pride...

technicalllly, yes, it can qualify as self-sacrifice. though, given that you were saying that the increasing human population creates opportunities for epidemics & and that those epidemics force people to use basic hygene

Yes, people can and do refuse to avoid epidemics out of pride (see current events)...though I can't think of how refusing hygene counts as altruism.

Maybe in the sense of "If I offer myself to the only crocodile in our village's river, then it won't be hungry for another year, so nobody else in my village will die - at least not from the crocodile"...but epidemics don't play by crocodile rules.

[Raphael]

Random thought: hostile stereotypes between groups are often asymmetric - e. g. Group A might see Group B as too rough and brutal, while Group B might see Group A as too soft. But the hostile stereotypes between the USA and Britain seem to be closer to symmetry, in the sense that each side sees the other as arrogant snobs. (Apparently based on the USA's position in the world as far as British views of the USA are concerned, and on the mistaken assumption that all Britons are upper class aristocrats as far as US views of Britain are concerned.)

[Man in Space]

At a holiday party last night, we played a few Jackbox games. One such, “Tee K.O.”, is built around designing T-shirts (and presents you the option to buy them afterward). At one point, I was prompted to draw something, and I on my phone’s touchscreen drew a crappy Windows XP logo. Someone used this design with a caption submitted by another player: “Rock the Casbah”. This, for whatever reason, was utterly hilarious to me.

Hours later I came up with an improvement: “Rock the Taskbar”.

[Ares Land]

Happy new year, everyone!

[keenir]

For a New Years / belated Christmas present, I was given the book form of Tolkien's The Secret Vice.

Happy new year, everyone!

Happy New Year!

[xxx]

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Happy New Year !

[Raphael]

Random thought:

The more I learn about people who clearly have a lot in common with me, the more I wonder why, with my psychological traits being what they are, I'm not a lot more messed up than I actually am.

Given my personality and interests, why on Earth do I not have the attitudes, outlook, and mindset of a stereotypical, standard-issue techbro?

[Raphael]

Preparing everything in the apartment for the time later today when the water will have to be turned off temporarily in order to repair a faucet elsewhere in the house.

(And wondering what I would have made of the initial announcement about that if I would be the kind of person who is into conspiracy theories.)

[Travis B.]

I feel utterly disappointed in the amount of snow we've got this morning. Thankfully, we are supposed to get more this afternoon.

[rotting bones]

I know which classical element the world is really made of. All phenomena are reducible to geometry. Geometry is the measurement of earth. Therefore, all phenomena are essentially earth-like. Q.E.D.

[Raphael]

I know which classical element the world is really made of. All phenomena are reducible to geometry. Geometry is the measurement of earth. Therefore, all phenomena are essentially earth-like. Q.E.D.

Can't argue with that.

[alice]

I know which classical element the world is really made of. All phenomena are reducible to geometry. Geometry is the measurement of earth. Therefore, all phenomena are essentially earth-like. Q.E.D.

"I shall call it... The Earth!"

[So Haleza Grise]

Somebody help me. I'm trying to find a definition for "cod fantasy" which I gather is a kind of (maybe?) overblown or cliche fantasy writing? But I can't find any definition that doesn't talk about C a l l o f D u t y.

[zompist]

Somebody help me. I'm trying to find a definition for "cod fantasy" which I gather is a kind of (maybe?) overblown or cliche fantasy writing? But I can't find any definition that doesn't talk about C a l l o f D u t y.

"Cod" has a meaning "fake", e.g. "cod Latin", faux Latin.

More remotely, "cod" means "bad, awful" in Polari.

[So Haleza Grise]

Somebody help me. I'm trying to find a definition for "cod fantasy" which I gather is a kind of (maybe?) overblown or cliche fantasy writing? But I can't find any definition that doesn't talk about C a l l o f D u t y.

"Cod" has a meaning "fake", e.g. "cod Latin", faux Latin.

More remotely, "cod" means "bad, awful" in Polari.

Wow! Thanks. Etymology is more helpful in learning a definition than I sometimes realise.

[Man in Space]

The thread on Incatena international law reminds me of an incident from our Tuesday night RPG group.

The party was being ferried across the ocean on a rather large Sky Captain-esque airship. We were accosted by basically a giant floating octopus person. After a somewhat protracted battle it turned out that what it wanted basically was turnpike fees. I am known for employing…unusual…tactics, even by RPG standards (case in point: My character’s signature weapon is the fire extinguisher. Not the fancy sword given to him by the one adversary he considers worthy. Fire extinguishers. Surprising array of uses, they have), and this time, my character retreated to basically a legal library to do research on air jurisdiction and transit rights. To his credit, our DM is impressively quick on his feet, but still, not what you think of first when you think TTRPG.

[MacAnDàil]

Finally, how clean we should be is deeply affected by culture and climate. You can keep pretty clean with just water and no soap, but your fellow sedentary apes may screw up their noses at you.

Another interesting issue in its own right. Everyone here presumably agrees that body odor stinks whereas nonhuman animals seem quite unconcerned about such things. Why has culture decided that we ought not to smell anyway? [Let me stress that I am not attacking the concept of bathing, just wondering why it became a thing when it seems technically unnecessary.]

I find perfume stinks and body odour doesn't but I'm weird that way.

[Raphael]

I find perfume stinks and body odour doesn't but I'm weird that way.

I agree on the first point and disagree on the second.