elustran

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TROPHY CASE

A student drew Zeal on my whiteboard. by Georgeasaurusin gaming

[–]elustran 0 points1 point ago

I can certainly see how the ethos of 2300AD might have felt odd for some people. I think what I liked about the factory level is that there were puzzles to solve to progress, whereas most of the other levels were pretty normal dungeon crawls. I didn't mind it as much when I was younger, but I too have grown weary of grinding in RPGs...

Star Trek: Cardinal Being Pitched To CBS Tomorrow! by Bovice1in scifi

[–]elustran 25 points26 points ago

I never saw Star Trek as post-scarcity on a large scale, just post-scarcity on a consumer goods scale - i.e. trinkets are cheap and essentially limitless within the bounds of human need, but ships still take time and labor, both of which are limited.

And if the Federation really had concern for human life, they would have installed surge protectors in their consoles.

A student drew Zeal on my whiteboard. by Georgeasaurusin gaming

[–]elustran 21 points22 points ago

The factory in 2300AD is one of the best stages, and the race with Johnny is an awesome interlude. 65M BC also has important bits of plot and history, plus it's full of fucking dinosaurs and sweet caveman beats. Zeal might be the most awesome point in the game, but it wouldn't be as meaningful if you hadn't seen the other points in time first.

Kids grow up so fast.... dafuq? by JL_Silvain WTF

[–]elustran 0 points1 point ago

Knowing what a particular sex act might entail shouldn't constitute such an indication, especially these days. In any case, if you're actually worried, best to ask the child yourself first before contacting CPS. Barraging CPS with tons of false positives takes their time away from kids who are showing actual signs of abuse like sudden changes in behavior, bruising, etc.

Kids grow up so fast.... dafuq? by JL_Silvain WTF

[–]elustran 2 points3 points ago

You don't have to allow your child to watch graphic porn for them to see it. It could happen in your house if you don't have adequate computer restrictions, it could happen at a friend's house that doesn't have adequate computer restrictions. It's a lot easier than it used to be where kids might have a chance to smuggle away an older sibling's porn mag or something.

It's a worse problem when people immediately go "But think of the children!" If you're worried, just ask - "My my, little Billy, and where did you learn that?" Chances are it will be a completely innocent and accidental exposure.

Hell, they might have just heard about it and not even seen it.

Kids grow up so fast.... dafuq? by JL_Silvain WTF

[–]elustran 5 points6 points ago

Interestingly enough, kids are losing their virginity later than they used to. Probably because kids are actually learning, and not just hearing about the stork as kids and getting themselves into trouble as teenagers.

Kids grow up so fast.... dafuq? by JL_Silvain WTF

[–]elustran 4 points5 points ago

"Where do babies come from?"

"Well, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much..."

That's how. Kids are curious, best not to feed them bullshit. Hell, there are kids science books that teach the basic biology of reproduction. As for the rest, everybody makes mistakes sometimes, and the internet is everywhere...

"Daddy, I was trying to play on your computer when I saw the weirdest video..."

Shit, forgot to lock the screen."Well... ahem..."

Kids grow up so fast.... dafuq? by JL_Silvain WTF

[–]elustran 13 points14 points ago

Assuming the guy didn't make it up, I could totally see a 6-year old, say, discovering something interesting on her older brother's computer, or any number of other sources. Being a parent these days is tough - better they learn stuff from their parents than other kids or the media because withholding information until they're older seems almost impossible.

It's a seriously stupid reason to call in CPS.

What the hell? by AlaskaYounggin TwoXChromosomes

[–]elustran 4 points5 points ago

Brohoof...? Is this on a bronie forum? I'm having trouble envisioning a bunch of male My Little Pony enthusiasts waxing sexist - I'm suddenly seeing melting clocks and non-euclidean staircases.

Every single new science fiction and fantasy show announced for next season by Shadow_Jackin scifi

[–]elustran 4 points5 points ago

Why do we hate Gawker again so I can continue being one of the herd? Seriously, though, I don't remember - starting to seem like everyone's an asshole these days.

Is facial hair really a "psychological mask"? by Mordred19in askscience

[–]elustran 0 points1 point ago

Correct sir. Still, wouldn't you agree that a gargantuant amount of work would have to be done for this particular question to become viable.

That's fair. I'm simply approaching this from the other direction - I would argue that the question is viable, just that the answer currently isn't. You can probably mostly ignore my other comment as I see you've adequately described your position here...

Is facial hair really a "psychological mask"? by Mordred19in askscience

[–]elustran 0 points1 point ago

That's an interesting observation about presidential facial hair. There actually are articles written about that phenomenon.

That doesn't change the fact that your initial explanation was tautological and doesn't really belong here - you basically said 'it is because it is'. That's a non-explanation. As for the rest, while it's important to not focus on Freud's mode of thinking, there's no reason a scientific analysis of why people choose to wear a beard is impossible. It would simply be difficult to examine, like most other psychological phenomena. Just because the question is poorly phrased doesn't mean that it can't be suitably answered.

Assange stands 'real chance' of election in Australia by LuckyBdx4in worldnews

[–]elustran 2 points3 points ago

Exposure can also a problem for non-corrupt politicians trying to get elected because basically everybody has a mixed-up past and negative campaigning can latch on to that. Of course, the realization that we're all imperfect might wisen up the electorate, but I'm not holding out for that.

All the recent "female gamer pics" prompted me to give you an actual look into a female gamer. Enjoy, I look like hell. by ProjectStormyin gaming

[–]elustran 0 points1 point ago

Quick suggestion: get involved in your local subreddit. They often hold meetups.

Is facial hair really a "psychological mask"? by Mordred19in askscience

[–]elustran 4 points5 points ago

I'm not sure why this is being downvoted. It's the only comment thus far to link to a study, and that study is at least related to the topic even if it doesn't directly answer.

Is facial hair really a "psychological mask"? by Mordred19in askscience

[–]elustran 41 points42 points ago

Politicians don't wear beards because society likes to see executives in charge and executives tend to be of the non-bearded variety.

That's a tautological explanation.

Overall, while you bring up some interesting ideas, this answer seems non-scientific. Can you provide at least some studies on beards or something along those lines?

Joss Whedon finally gets the credit he deserves. by CalBear90in entertainment

[–]elustran 2 points3 points ago

An excellent point, but that is a rather strange coming-out comment for a 3-year lurker account...

Joss Whedon finally gets the credit he deserves. by CalBear90in entertainment

[–]elustran 5 points6 points ago

The Avengers isn't exactly a Joss Whedon film in the same way his other works are his own. Joss was the auteur of the Buffyverse and all the teen angst that drove it, but Avengers is rooted in the four-color action-adventure world of Stan Lee, even if Joss captained the film. Joss was able to contribute his skills to the inter-character drama that most of his previous work is rooted in, but in the case of The Avengers, character drama did more to contribute to the suspense and action rather than serve as the major point of interest.

The Avengers is a solid comic book film in a pretty traditional style made to cater to a wider audience, which is probably why you liked it compared to other stuff Whedon directed.

I would (unsurprisingly) maintain that Firefly is Whedon's best work.

TIL Yelp will remove positive reviews if you don’t pay them by ltdanaintgutnolegsin todayilearned

[–]elustran 0 points1 point ago

Part of me wants you to tell her to take the job anyway, but gather evidence and whistle-blow if they really are the fuckers this article makes them out to be... but that would be rather dangerous and possibly costly for her if she got caught.

TIL Yelp will remove positive reviews if you don’t pay them by ltdanaintgutnolegsin todayilearned

[–]elustran -1 points0 points ago

Actually, quite the opposite - its useless if you don't read the reviews. If you see a place that's poorly rated, but every reviewer had stupid reasons for not liking the place, then you might still want to try it. Or, a place might be well-rated, but a good reviewer might have a critical view of something you find essential.

TIL Yelp will remove positive reviews if you don’t pay them by ltdanaintgutnolegsin todayilearned

[–]elustran 0 points1 point ago

"We wouldn't be in business very long if we started duping customers,"

That's not true at all. If someone eats at a five-star place and feels like it's a 3 or a 4, they might think that they're just the odd ones out because it didn't fit their taste, and there's no reason for the average viewer to immediately think that they're not actually the odd ones out. Further, we're all pretty easily manipulated - if someone tells you that something is good, you're probably more inclined to think it's good. Yes, even you people who think you're good at sniffing out bullshit are not magically immune.

The only people who would notice duping are people who continually look at the reviews for a particular business, and the only people who are likely to do that are the business owners themselves.

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