Zompist Bboard Again

Oh dear, my commiserations.

Today is the Chinese New Year, Marti Gras, and the beginning of Ramadan all on the same day. Just found that an interesting coincidence.

malloc wrote: ↑Tue Feb 17, 2026 8:58 pm Today is the Chinese New Year, Marti Gras, and the beginning of Ramadan all on the same day. Just found that an interesting coincidence.

Huh. And I missed it.




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Unrelated: after getting some stuff done, I might have run out of things to do right now.

Happy(?) Ash Wednesday. Somehow that snuck up on my Catholic parents. Dunno if they're planning to go to church or not for a blessing.

https://youtu.be/JBt9TXVoNxM?si=_G5AO1zULeLVuGHu

Tholmad Sigils review

Unfortunately, my car failed the safety inspection needed to get the license plates renewed and will cost $1000 to get everything fixed. The only silver lining is that I should have enough emergency money saved to cover it. Good thing I have sworn off luxury purchases since I could hardly handle all these emergencies otherwise.

Car insurance really ought to cover repairs the way health insurance covers medical treatment. As it currently stands, I am paying all this money to the car insurance company just for legal purposes.

malloc wrote: ↑Thu Feb 19, 2026 10:33 am Unfortunately, my car failed the safety inspection needed to get the license plates renewed and will cost $1000 to get everything fixed. The only silver lining is that I should have enough emergency money saved to cover it. Good thing I have sworn off luxury purchases since I could hardly handle all these emergencies otherwise.

At that level, you should get a second estimate.

Also, check your insurance, not to see if they'll cover it, but for your deductible level. You can often save some money by increasing the deductible.

zompist wrote: ↑Thu Feb 19, 2026 2:50 pmAt that level, you should get a second estimate.

Unfortunately that would take entirely too long. It would take at least a week to get an estimate elsewhere, another week to get another safety test, and by then my plates would have expired. I had no choice but to get the repairs done so I could get my plates renewed within this month.

It occurs to me that over the past decade, the vast majority of my financial problems have involved my car in some way. Everything from repairing it after accidents to the cost of car insurance to speeding tickets and much more.

Does anyone else here think it's a bit interesting, and perhaps a bit weird, that

1) according to common stereotypes, Westerners are supposedly "individualist", while Chinese people are supposedly "collectivist", but

2) in international sports competition, Western countries often do better at team sports, while China often does better at individual sports?

Raphael wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 3:02 am 1) according to common stereotypes, Westerners are supposedly "individualist", while Chinese people are supposedly "collectivist", but

There is something to this overall, though if has to be abandoned if you are considering or meeting an individual Westerner or Asian.

Also, there's some huge internal variation! Consider the difference in openness/interiority between a German and a Pole, or an Englishman or an Italian. Well, it works the same way between someone from Kyoto and someone from Osaka. (I don't know enough to say what the Chinese cities should be... maybe Beijing vs. Shanghai.)

zompist wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 3:54 am

Raphael wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 3:02 am 1) according to common stereotypes, Westerners are supposedly "individualist", while Chinese people are supposedly "collectivist", but

There is something to this overall, though if has to be abandoned if you are considering or meeting an individual Westerner or Asian.

Also, there's some huge internal variation! Consider the difference in openness/interiority between a German and a Pole, or an Englishman or an Italian. Well, it works the same way between someone from Kyoto and someone from Osaka. (I don't know enough to say what the Chinese cities should be... maybe Beijing vs. Shanghai.)

As usual, variation within a population is greater than variation between populations.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxTuAr08tSzE0 ... lA71q1vj2z

Neography Trivia

Random silliness related to how bi- or multilingual people might mix and match different languages as they like it: in my browser's bookmark toolbar, there are bookmark folders labelled "Technology", "Politics", "SF", "Writing", "Life", and "Sonstiges".

Can anyone else report doing or seeing other do something similar, in whatever contexts?

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 5:35 am Random silliness related to how bi- or multilingual people might mix and match different languages as they like it: in my browser's bookmark toolbar, there are bookmark folders labelled "Technology", "Politics", "SF", "Writing", "Life", and "Sonstiges".

Can anyone else report doing or seeing other do something similar, in whatever contexts?

Alles ist möglich wenn man code-switches.

Lērisama wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 9:47 am

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 5:35 am Random silliness related to how bi- or multilingual people might mix and match different languages as they like it: in my browser's bookmark toolbar, there are bookmark folders labelled "Technology", "Politics", "SF", "Writing", "Life", and "Sonstiges".

Can anyone else report doing or seeing other do something similar, in whatever contexts?

Alles ist möglich wenn man code-switches.

Ich könnte das understand.

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:28 am

Ich könnte das understand.

"könnte" refers to hypotheticals. (Konjunktiv). Why use a hypothetical if you can clearly see the text before you?

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:32 am

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:28 am

Ich könnte das understand.

"könnte" refers to hypotheticals. (Konjunktiv). Why use a hypothetical if you can clearly see the text before you?

Soll ich "konnte" gesagt haben?

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:37 am
Soll ich "konnte" gesagt haben?

Ja.

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:40 am

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:37 am
Soll ich "konnte" gesagt haben?

Ja.

Immer verwechsele ich "konnte" und "könnte", weil Englisch diese Wörter nicht unterscheidet.

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 11:04 am

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:40 am

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 10:37 am
Soll ich "konnte" gesagt haben?

Ja.

Immer verwechsele ich "konnte" und "könnte", weil Englisch diese Wörter nicht underscheidet.

Das mache ich auch.