Random Thread

[Rounin Ryuuji]

I feel like there's some interesting backstory about which I know nothing going on here.

[Travis B.]

While I did think Sal was in the wrong on that occasion, I’m still really bummed that he’s gone. I always like him.

Same here. Even when he was wrong, he added depth to discussions, and I liked his dispatches on British politics.

Same thought here.

[fusijui]

I'll always remember [EDIT: to take my Geritol before posting].

[zompist]

I'll always remember Sal from when I was invited to join the then-forming Language Creation's Society officers/board of directors (on the strength of being a nonprofit foundation manager rather than conlanging chops I assume). In the BOD's very first meeting, the very first programmatic topic was a proposal by Sal to use the LCS to defraud another company.

Er... are you sure that was Sal? He's not listed on the LCS's board of directors (including emeriti). His real initials are RS. Are you thinking of Sai?

[Nachtswalbe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wVxjo8ydBk

[fusijui]

Er... are you sure that was Sal? He's not listed on the LCS's board of directors (including emeriti). His real initials are RS. Are you thinking of Sai?

Wow, you are so right. I'm appalled at myself. My apologies!

[Nachtswalbe]

here is refactorcamp's channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJuBuw ... MQia2Rw_bw

[Raphael]

Last night and today were already pretty windy and stormy, but according to the weather warnings, tonight will be even stormier.

[Nachtswalbe]

Penguin creches exist to prevent predation from South Polar skuas and other volant predators when both parents are foraging for lanternfish or other types of fish and tk ensure huddling practice

https://shershegoes.com/wp-content/uplo ... nguins.jpg

[Pabappa]

yeah Antarctica is definitely the tamest continent, in that there are MILLIONS of penguins walking around all vulnerable like that and yet they mostly survive unmolested .... but even there, there are exceptions. the large body size of Antarctic penguins vs other penguins might be the reason why they arent preyed upon even more by those birds lucky enough to have retained the ability to fly.

samething in New Zealand ..... we hunted the moa, obviously an easy target, instead of the eagles who preyed on them. Moas evolved for a habitat that was almost but not quite free of predators. the eagle was one of the few predators there. if we had eliminated our competition, so to speak, instead of our quarry, we might have been able to start domesticating the moa instead of just hunting them, and could potentially have a thriving industry based on moa farming today.

[Nachtswalbe]

“self-selection rules everything around me”-@fembot

The reason the various politics threads get so heated is because the sort of person which is interested in language, and in fake languages is also likely to have rare opinions on politics, and since conlangers are much more likely to be from non-normie circumstances (a NEET for instance) or backgrounds, their interpretation of others’ comments is likely weird(er).

What would help is a Statement of Political Tenets in which what people do believe in is listed in a concise manner as a reference marker, kind of like what Charlie Stross puts above his commentary section.

Also, a formalized set of terms for use when defining “liberal”, “conservative” etc. could help. Using numerical notation e.g I am (5,3,[2.5,-6]) politically

[Nachtswalbe]

It's possible for Xunzi to have been right about the need and effectiveness for moral instruction and for moral instruction in school and church to produce no discernible effect - one way to harmonize the two positions is to say that it just can't be industrialized - there's no reliable, standardizable procedure for the production or vetting of moral instructors the way there is for math teachers. If you want to be Weberian about it, it can't make the transition from charismatic to bureaucratic authority.

This seems like the correct position to me.

This is where esoteric doctrines are in theory supposed to bridge the gap between moral instruction and society’s inability to indoctrinate it institutionally— they emphasize individual practice apart from organized religion/the state

[Nachtswalbe]

"Alright," said the priest, "I talked it over with the Man Upstairs and worked out a deal. You keep your mouth shut about what you saw in that grotto and He will reduce your eternal damnation to ten million in Purgatory."

"Ten million!" snapped Tannhäuser, "That's outrageous."

"I don't think you appreciate the gravity of this situation," the priest explained, "What you have seen utterly refutes the singular and transcendent Godhead that forms the central premise of Christian theology. If this becomes public knowledge, the gates of Christendom will be torn asunder. The scourge of heathenry will flood our towns and villages, devouring the souls of the righteous."

"If this refutes Christian doctrine," asked Tannhäuser, "Why should I even worry about eternal damnation?"

"If hellfire seems too fabulous," said the priest, "Then consider burning at the stake. Our organization has no problem executing you and anyone you've spoken with for heresy if that's what it takes to keep this buried."

"So you want me to defend doctrines that you know are fraudulent?" asked Tannhäuser, "Surely such pervasive dishonestly is itself a sin."

"This goes beyond sin and salvation," explained the priest, "The very bedrock of civilization depends on maintaining shared beliefs and rituals to enforce moral order and bind communities together. The truth behind those beliefs and rituals matters less than their ability to restrain our baser appetites and enforce social harmony. Plato called it the noble lie."

Isn’t this The Grand Inquisitor?

[doctor shark]

Attended my first Dutch Ph.D. defense in person today. Quite a different experience compared to other defenses I've been to in other countries (well, two), with lots of ceremony and formality.

[Nachtswalbe]

Attended my first Dutch Ph.D. defense in person today. Quite a different experience compared to other defenses I've been to in other countries (well, two), with lots of ceremony and formality.

Remember that you aren’t arguing points when you defend your work. Instead, a proper thesis defense gives you and your faculty advisers the chance to discuss your topic and research in greater detail.

[Nachtswalbe]

My brother is laf at Gran Changas kil todo ninhe

[MacAnDàil]

I particularly miss Whimemsz. He was knowledgable on North American languages and diachronics. Then he blanked a bunch of his posts and left. Unfortunate.

Indeed. And Ils. And Jsburke. And more. I was surprised by Sal's ban to be honest.

[Raphael]

I was surprised by Sal's ban to be honest.

He was temporarily banned and chose not to come back.

[Raphael]

So my landlady had a party and sent me some leftover food (she sometimes does that). And at first, I thought she had put a piece of cheesecake on top of a plate mostly filled with meatballs. Thankfully, I then discovered that what I first thought was cheesecake was really polenta.

[Nachtswalbe]

Has anyone played The Ur Quan Masters