Zompist Bboard Again

malloc wrote: ↑Fri Jul 08, 2022 9:52 pm

rotting bones wrote: ↑Fri Jul 08, 2022 5:57 pmThey actually released a second season in 2021. I haven't watched it, but from the manga, I don't know if the story after the first season is worth watching if all you want is concentrated leftist vibes.

That was an attempted joke, actually. The second season was notoriously awful and I was pretending that it never existed.

Yeah, I wouldn't know. Thanks for the warning.

(Edit: But I would still highly recommend the first season to new viewers.)

Unrelated: Yesterday I bought a book that, so far, appears to be quite nice, Ben Goldacre's Bad Science. The book is mainly an attack on pseudoscience. Now, when I was searching for the book, I discovered that it had also been translated into German, and published under the title "Die Wissenschaftslüge", which translates as "The Science Lie".

Like, where do I even start? The book is, as I said, an attack on pseudoscience, and to some extent, a celebration of scientific methodology. But the title of the German translation makes it sound as if the main message of the book would be that all of science is just one big lie. The book is most likely to be enjoyed by people who like science and dislike pseudoscience, and the title of the German translation makes it sound as if it is most likely to be enjoyed by people who dislike science and might well like pseudoscience.

Sure, the German publishers probably simply chose the title under which they thought the book would sell best. But their title of choice makes it actually less likely that the kind of people who are most likely to enjoy the book will buy it. Sigh.

Raphael wrote: ↑Sun Jul 10, 2022 9:20 am Unrelated: Yesterday I bought a book that, so far, appears to be quite nice, Ben Goldacre's Bad Science. The book is mainly an attack on pseudoscience. Now, when I was searching for the book, I discovered that it had also been translated into German, and published under the title "Die Wissenschaftslüge", which translates as "The Science Lie".

Like, where do I even start? The book is, as I said, an attack on pseudoscience, and to some extent, a celebration of scientific methodology. But the title of the German translation makes it sound as if the main message of the book would be that all of science is just one big lie. The book is most likely to be enjoyed by people who like science and dislike pseudoscience, and the title of the German translation makes it sound as if it is most likely to be enjoyed by people who dislike science and might well like pseudoscience.

Sure, the German publishers probably simply chose the title under which they thought the book would sell best. But their title of choice makes it actually less likely that the kind of people who are most likely to enjoy the book will buy it. Sigh.

Aigh. That reminds me of the whole "God Particle" matter, but worse.

Raphael: Depending on the kind of pseudoscience it talks about, maybe the people who think science is a lie are the ones who need to read a debunking of it?

Is this the same publisher who wrote the popular dieting book Ein Hundert Kuchenrezepte?

A shitty few months turned into a shitty few weeks, which just turned into a shitty few days with worse to come. Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and his condition has declined drastically over a short time. He was moved into palliative care yesterday, and its looking like its only a matter of days now. All of this might not be quite the turd sandwich it is if I had any family or close friends closer the 100s of kms away. Mum is hoping to be told by work tomorrow that she can head down on friday and be with me by saturday, but I'm dreading the thought of being here alone when dad passes.

Ive been having a slow-mo meltdown over this last few months, if Im being honest with myself, caring for dad, preparing for what we thought we had more time to deal with. Ive still got to rush through organizing his funeral and Im having to give friends and family the news, which is coming as a shock to everyone since dad didnt want almost anyone to know until it was all done and dusted. Im drained and I dont know if I'll have the strength to be there for dad the way he needs me to be at the end.

That's it, vent over. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

I would hug you if it were possible through the internet.

Man, if anyone has reason to have a meltdown, it's you. That sucks. Hang in there!

That's extremely horrible; unfortunately I can't do more than send my best wishes.

I'm really sorry to hear about that.

Thanks guys, your kind words mean a lot.

We just found out mom is getting two weeks leave, with the possibility to extend it, so even if she doesnt get here before dad passes, I'll at least have her around to help me through what comes after.

The dental insurance issue gets even messier. The people at my dentist are convinced for some reason that I am covered under a plan from many years ago that has long since lapsed. I tried to explain that my family canceled that plan when I got my job because they assumed I would get my insurance through work. Apparently my most recent insurance is not in their system at all. So now I must spend all day dealing with automated menus until I get confirmation that my old insurance is lapsed.

Sounds annoying. Commiserations.

My back is annoying me.

Man in Space wrote: ↑Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:14 pm My back is annoying me.

Get better!

I'm getting kinda worried about predictions that the heatwave that already struck Britain this week will arrive here in a few days. They say some places might end up with temperatures around standard human body temperature, or even above that. Ugh.

Raphael wrote: ↑Sat Jul 16, 2022 12:36 pm I'm getting kinda worried about predictions that the heatwave that already struck Britain this week will arrive here in a few days. They say some places might end up with temperatures around standard human body temperature, or even above that. Ugh.

I know British houses/buildings are not made for keeping things cool, and most of you also don't have AC, so I hope everyone can drink plenty of water and anyone particularly sensitive are able to mitigate the heat in other ways. (A block of ice or open container of water behind a fan can do wonders.) Best of luck to all of you from an ex-desert rat.

Moose-tache wrote: ↑Sat Jul 16, 2022 6:36 pm <snip>

I was indeed raised in the firm belief that A/C makes you sick. (Actually, it turns out it wasn't entirely wrong!)

We do have A/C in office buildings. Except most of the time it's out of order.