jtrek

As a real cheapskate, you should keep an eye out for places give them out for free. There's an LGBT center near me with a giant basket for free, and a free clinic a longer walk away that gives them out and also does free STI tests.

I think there's something analogous to parasites or cancer in large organizations. People who are bad for the health of the organization, through things like creating too many inefficient meetings or stifling useful behavior, accumulate in time. They're not so egregious that the immune response kicks them out, but they adapt to the system and fatten themselves up at the expense of the host.

You know the archetype. The "product guy" who's always looking busy with a spreadsheet, but mostly just slows down meetings.

I remember thinking it was cool when Doom loaded with R_Init: Init DOOM refresh daemon

Finally got around to playing Bloodborne. It's good, but after playing Elden Ring it seems easier than expected.

I don't want to dox myself but my two go-to bars with cheap drinks are within walking distance of prospect Park. The second favorite's cheap beer is like $7

Brooklyn, where there's a couple local bars I like. My favorite bar has $5 cans, but the more recognizable drinks are in the $10-$15 range. Two drinks is about $30, then.

That's a ridiculous amount of money to spend.

Most of my first dates were like

• walk to bar ($0) or subway ($3)
• a drink for both ($10 - $30)
• transit back ($0 or $3)

Even two drinks wouldn't probably break the $100 barrier.

There are cheaper options, too. Coffee. Park walk and snacks. Free museums.

I didn't have much trouble meeting people on the same page.

Telling people "use more ai" was always a profoundly stupid direction. "Ship more stuff faster, use AI if it helps, get paid the same" would be anti-labor but at least sensible.

If selling widgets the customer probably doesn't care if you used a screwdriver or a drill. They just want their widget. Mandating drill usage is stupid.

Literally everyone saw it coming.

Many people aren't paying attention. Many people are like pathologically gullible.

The average person just... if you're smart and capable, imagine being drunk. Being drunk all the time. That's the baseline. Myopic, impatient, emotional.

Maybe if we had better education and less capitalist hellscape people could be a little better.

I don't disagree with you but it's comforting to me to hold onto the fantasy that the something else would be better, like exchanging a quality good for money in a one time deal.

But yes, capitalism is a common source of many problems. (Though I guess a worker owned collective could produce loot boxes, too. )

I'm tired of all these profiles of trump voters. Profile sane people.

Sometimes I get really depressed when I think about problems that could be solved if people would just behave slightly differently.

If people would just stop buying lootbox slop, it wouldn't be a problem. it's not asking a lot. It's not asking you to change your diet, or ride a bike twenty miles in the snow. Just stop buying that shit. I just want to smack impulse buyers on the nose with a newspaper, or squirt them with a spray bottle. Stop it!

But that's not how people work. We barely function at all.