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Cake day: June 14th, 2023

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  • People in the past had ridiculous amounts of free time. We take it for granted that we’re so busy working all the time to survive but life wasn’t always this busy. Hunter-gatherers had way less to do than we do. They didn’t need to spend all their time trying to pay rent or put food on the table. They also didn’t have the huge amount of media we have to consume.

    So what did they do with their free time? They spent it observing nature around them. They watched the sun, the moon, and the stars very carefully. They gave names to the constellations and told stories about them. They learned the cycles of nature just as we learn the work and entertainment schedules that dominate our lives.








  • It’s either your land or it’s someone else’s. In a place like China the government owns all the land which means it’s all owned by wealthy, ultra-powerful, ultra-connected party elites. At no point is there a situation where millions or billions of people all share land in common. There is always politics, there will always be powerful elites, there will always be people getting screwed over.

    The difference with Denmark is that individual small people have a tiny bit more power than individuals in China. The fact that this results in progress being impeded is a tradeoff that brings enormous benefits for personal freedom.

    Read about the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Over a million people were forcibly displaced from their homes as a result. Many cities, towns, and villages were completely destroyed. The living conditions of the displaced deteriorated and their lives were irrevocably altered.






  • You have to include the risk of not succeeding. Without high graphical fidelity to differentiate yourself, you’re forced to compete on gameplay alone. Large companies like Nintendo do not know how to make hits reliably. That’s why Nintendo keeps recycling old franchises.

    Look at all of the indie games that no one plays. There are thousands and thousands of developers out there making games. The vast majority of them never succeed. It’s just like trying to become a New York Times best selling author. Notice how Disney hasn’t cracked the novel as a medium. That’s why they spend all their money on big budget Star Wars and Marvel movies and TV shows.


  • The Bible is notably silent on government social programs. Many Christians have taken it upon themselves to believe that social programs are evil, that they perpetuate the problems they’re intended to address, that they destroy the nuclear family, etc.

    They sincerely believe that they are doing good by getting rid of these programs because they want to see the Christian family and the church take the central role on these issues, not the government. Furthermore, they believe that a government which tries to solve all social problems and create a utopia for everyone is fundamentally evil, hence the phrase:

    “Don’t immanentize the eschaton.”




  • I guess I’m one of those weird people who can naturally slip into the role of an evil character in a game and do things in the game I’d never do in real life. I think it may be similar to being an actor who plays villains in movies. It doesn’t work as well if you just try to think “I’m the bad guy, time to kill babies!” You have to think about your character’s backstory and give them really believable motivations for doing the bad things they do.

    Walter White is a great example of a well-written villain. He’s motivated by regret over his missed opportunities, resentment towards friends who took advantage (Gray Matter), a sense of superiority and entitlement over his own abilities, and disappointment with a dead-end career. Many people can relate to these motivations.

    The true key to any villain is that they don’t consider themselves a villain; they believe their actions are wholly justified. To roleplay an effective villain doesn’t mean you agree with your character’s justifications, but it helps a lot if you understand where they are coming from.