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I have some pretty annoying insomnia, any advice on falling asleep? | Don't say pot, I live with my parents so it's difficult to get away with it (plus it hasnt helped that much in the times i did try).
Ever since new years when I had a panic attack, I've developed a pretty annoying case of insomnia. Even though i have to wake up at 6am on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays because of a class at 8am, I still can barely fall asleep during the night. I have no idea why, and it's starting to transition from annoying to frustrating to slowly driving me insane.
Any advice on how you guys overcame insomnia? I'm sure if I can adjust to some sort of decent sleeping schedule I'll be able to move past it, but my nights now tend to revolve around getting barely any sleep, and getting 9+.
inb4FightClub | 9 | [
{
"body": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin \n\n100% natural, it's what your body uses to sleep: you can't OD on it, and it has no side effects other than vivid dreams. You can find it in the vitamin supplements section of your local pharmacy/grocery store. It won't work unless you take it and get the fuck into a dark place (your bed) and chill the fuck out. If your dose didn't work, just take more. I usually take 3-5 3mg pills.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "stop using your computer/tv after 10pm if you can, or at least turn down the brightness. looking at lit objects past sundown messes with your internal clock",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Watch the same movie every night for 4 or 5 months at a time. It becomes [Pavlovian](http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/PAVLOVIAN). Try to find something that is just interesting enough that your mind can think about the subject, but not something so boring that your mind wanders. I personally like documentaries about my hobbies or political beliefs and Stanley Kubrick films, but I had a friend who spent an entire year watching *Back to the Future.* Another friend will fall asleep instantly when the Simpsons is playing. Edit out the commercials because they are usually much louder.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "It takes me an hour to fall asleep on an average night, and around four hours at the longest. An mp3 player with academic lectures is the only solution I've found that doesn't leave me groggy the next morning.",
"score": 3
}
] |
AskReddit Books: Do you have more than one book at a time on the go? | I find I can only read one book at a time, not several concurrently.
How about you?
**edit** Aaaaw, looks like I'm alone... One at a time for Burlapin! | 23 | [
{
"body": "Unless the book I'm currently reading is a \"can't put it down\" book, I'm always going at 2 (and sometimes 3) books at the same time, preferably 1 fiction and 1 non-fiction.",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "2 books at a time for me. I carry one with me and I leave another one on the shitter. The bathroom book is usually one I've read before but would like to read again (while defecating).\n\nCurrently full time book is \"Reheated Cabbage\" by Irvine Welsh and poop-book is Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "I'm usually reading 3-4 at a time. Usually what I'm currently reading depends on my mood. Usually read thought heavy books when I'm more awake and less strenuous books while going to bed.\n\nThen sometimes I get tired of reading a book, read something else until I feel like coming back to it, then stubbornly finish it.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "If I'm reading something long and dry, I'll sometimes put it down for something short and fun, then pick it back up later. I also tend to keep small books of poetry in my purse, for when I only have five minutes to read.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Yes, I have almost always had more than one book going at a time. I find that after I read a sentence or two I am immediately immersed in the story again and have no problem in dividing my attention between stories.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I generally can and do read more than one book at a time. However, I'm just starting the \"A Song Of Ice And Fire\" saga, and I found that trying to keep the massive list of characters and alliances straight in my head was just too much when reading it in tandem with other books.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I usually am in the middle of several books, but I generally go for fairly long breaks between picking up certain books to continue reading. I usually run into a single book that I can't put down while reading other books.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I mostly read non-fiction, so usually I try to read a couple books that compliment each other, switching chapters. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I'm going through 3 at the moment:\r\n\r\n* The Book of Laughter and Forgetting\r\n* The Selfish Gene\r\n* The Collected fiction of Jorge Luis Borges",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "For the first time ever I'm truly enjoying books at a rate I not thought possible. \n\nI'm currently reading: The Pragmatic Programmer, The Road and A Very Short Introduction: Socialism. Also a little Lonely Planet guide on Peru where I'm travelling to in May :)",
"score": 3
}
] |
The migrants keep coming: i guess they're jumping the fence. | I set [POPULATION_CAP:55] in init. I was at 56 pop, and i figured it was close enough. Now a new wave of migrants come pushing the population to 66. Any idea why? | 8 | [
{
"body": "Here's what happens: the population cap is only sent to the dwarven civilization when your dwarven liaison returns to it. Then any migrants that were already on their way will still arrive. So, wait until fall, then wait a season or two, and you shouldn't have any more migrants. Unintuitive, but you ARE playing Dwarf Fortress...",
"score": 6
}
] |
Why doesn't a type inference based non-functional language exist? | Hi Guys,
I was wondering as to Why doesn't a type inference based non-functional language exist?
What I mean by this is: Consider a language which has static typing + type inference. Wouldn't that make it much easier and have higher clarity? This way we can use type declaration when required and not use it when it serves better purpose.
Example: You are developing a project (Only applicable for Hobby Projects, I guess) and you have vague idea of what a particular variable might hold. You know what is to be stored in it but haven't yet decided on which container to use. If you decide to use one and go thru creating all the classes and methods and such, and at a latter point decide to use a different container (like in Java, Array vs ArrayList) then your code immediately breaks and you have go about renaming the declaration used.
Also, consider your code using trivial variables which you will use and throw away after some obvious use, in such cases, wouldn't having type inference make sense?
Ofc, having Static Typing has its advantage of helping to understand code easily (setting aside Performance bonus.) as compared to dynamic languages which allow no type declaration for function return values.
Wouldn't it be better to have both features mixed?
( I generally use Python & Java and just touched Haskell. I originally thought Dynamic Languages worked along the principles of Type Inference and that is still how I program it. )
What do you guys say? | 11 | [
{
"body": "Scala is a hybrid OO and FP and has type inference. \n\nGenerics in most languages do require some level of type inference. But let's just say that type inference fits the FP model well for example it works really well with higher order functions and partial application.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "It's certainly possible to have type inference in a non-functional language. Take OCaml for instance. It's a functional language that also has objects. Type inference works for objects in OCaml, so much better than generics in Java that it's like python's duck-typing, except static. So, yes it's possible to have type inference in an object oriented language. Like gregK says though, it seems like FP languages care more about type inference.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "Well, the latest version of C# has the 'var' keyword, which is precisely your local variable example. It's limited to local variables, though, it doesn't infer return types and such: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb383973.aspx",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "In a language using type inference the inference engine must attempt to find the most general type for a given part of the program. Otherwise if it chooses the wrong type ie a type that is a specific use of a given program fragment then you may find what was a perfectly typable program becomes untypable. Either that or the type inference algorithm must do a lot of back tracking and therefore become intractable[1].\nFor example the identify function\n\n fun x = x\n\nmust be given a polymorphic type which allows all types as the input type\n\n forall a . a -> a\n\nmeaning for all types 'a' this function expects an 'a' as input and returns an 'a' as output.\nOf course the identity function is not that useful but where polymorphism is useful is for container types such as lists. Suppose we write \"list int\" to mean a list of integers. We can write a function that has type:\n\n forall a . list a -> list a\n\nmeaning that it will operate over all kinds of lists regardless of what the elements are. The 'reverse' function has this type.\n\nSo, type inference more or less implies the use of polymorphism, ie general types.\nNow, there is a problem inferring types for polymorphic references (that is a variable which is polymorphic, suppose in some pseudo code like imperative language with type inference we write the following:\n\n method (a) {\n mylist = [] ;\n addToList (mylist, 1) ;\n addToList (mylist, \"hello\") ;\n return mylist ;\n\nNow, when the type checker sees \"mylist = []\" it must assign the most general type it can, so it assigns it type \"forall a . list a\". Now it must type check the first 'addToList' call. The 'addToList' function/method must have type \"forall a . (list a, a) -> void\" the first call therefore type checks because we can instantiate this this \"(list int, int) -> void\". The second call to 'addToList' also type checks since we can instantiate it to \"(list string, string) -> void\".\nHence we now have a problem because this function has type checked but we have added to the same list both a string and an integer so when we attempt to use that list we'll attempt to use a string as an integer or vice-versa.\nOf course this is a very simple example and it's fairly easy to see how the type checker could fail this method, but the problem exists in general and solutions tend to mean that either the type checker rejects many useful (and correct) programs, or isn't safe in that it allows unsafe programs to be accepts (such as the one above), OR it involves a constraint satisfaction solver which is both in theory and practice NP-hard.\n\nAll that said, as others have mentioned there are quite a few imperative languages that allow some form of type inference, usually the trade off is that it will reject many safe programs, but you can fix the type by adding in a type annotation. An example would be cyclone: http://cyclone.thelanguage.org/\n\n[1] HM style type inference is actually NP-hard but in practice most instances can be solved in P-time.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "Sounds like you're confusing \"functional language\" with \"purely functional language\" and what you're really after is an impure functional language with type inference and there are many: Standard ML, OCaml, F# and Scala.\r\n",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "OCaml has an OOP side as well, so it pretty well fits your definition. From what I've heard most people use the module system (which is very advanced) and FP instead of objects.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Scala and OCaml don't count as imperative? Sure, they sell themselves largely on their support for a functional style, but they still have totally ordinary loop constructs.\n\nOf course, they're not Haskell, which is widely regarded as having the nicest type system of any well-known language. (Note that I did not say \"widely used.\")",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "It does, Scala and C# are both mostly dysfunctional and do have (limited amounts of mostly local) type inference. C++ 0xwhatever also includes that same limited local TI through the `auto` type keyword.\n\nOne of the issues would be, I'd guess, that the most popular TI base is Hindley-Milner, and it's functional in nature.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Why would you want a **non-functional** language? ;)\r\n\r\nAnyway, ML family languages (like OCaml or Yeti for example) allow imperative programming just fine.",
"score": 3
}
] |
what to do with left over sweet potatoes? | I have like 2-ish left over sweet potatoes from dinner the other night. My mom warmed them up tonight, but then decided to not eat them. I hate throwing out food-- especially sweet potatoes! Any suggestions about what to do with them? | 4 | [
{
"body": "Pie. Proceed as for pumpkin pie. Serve warm with ice cream.Let me know what time to be over for sweet potato pie deliciousness.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Hint: If you are helping someone over the phone
and want them to make sure their computer is
plugged in, don't say "is your computer plugged
in?" Instead, say "take the plug out, blow on it and
plug it in again"! | People understandably get defensive when you tell them they're stupid, even if they are. The most prominent example I've seen of this was in the iPod manual, where the instructions for resetting say "slide the lock tab to the lock position and then the unlock position, and press menu and the center button". The lock tab tomfoolery is obviously done to make sure you unlock it, as it doesn't matter if you actually do it or not.
Do you have any other tips like these? | 177 | [
{
"body": "Hilarious. I grew up in an era when the best way to fix a malfunctioning video game was to pop out the cartridge, blow on it, then pop it back in. Lots of people who used to play the old Atari and NES games would probably believe blowing on a plug might work.",
"score": 49
},
{
"body": "Why would you blow on the plug? Tell them to unplug it, wait five seconds, then plug it back in. If they ask why, make some noise about letting stored power on the motherboard drain off so it can reset.",
"score": 42
},
{
"body": "I've used that same trick too. A while back worked on a project where our customer ran a large distribution warehouse. We installed a bunch of rugged touch screen PC's (about the size of a shoebox) with a scanner attached.\n\nSometimes the scanners break, and need to be replaced, so we had to leave the plug accessible. Sometimes the scanner plugs managed to work themselves loose. \n\nSaying \"make sure the scanner plug is pushed in all the way\" wasn't getting results. They were still complaining of dead scanners, we would go out and look, click the plug back in, and it would work fine.\n\nSomeone told us to tell them to unplug the scanner completely, wait a few seconds, and then plug it back in, making sure to hear it click into place... after that we didn't have any problems. In fact, last time I was there, the first thing the workers would do when they started their shift was to unplug the scanner and plug it back in... whether it needed it or not.",
"score": 22
},
{
"body": "When I was seventeen I bought a '69 Dodge Dart. I bought it for $200 at an auction. I drove it home and parked it. For the next month, I was not able to start it again. I re-built the carburetor, changed out the spark plugs, and did a bunch of other crap to it. Eventually I decided to put gas in the car. After it started up, I realized that the fuel gauge on the car was broken and was stuck on half a tank. \n\nNow I know why just about every troubleshooting item in a Chilton manual starts with, \"Is there gas in the car?\". I kept skipping it because I assumed the gauge worked. Now I work on pretty complex test systems and the first thing I ever say to myself when I'm troubleshooting is, \"Is there gas in the car?\". \n\nBy the way, I was once called in to fix a system at 10pm only to find out that a cable was on the receptacle, but not secured. The technician that called me was in the middle of saying, \"What? Do you think I'm stupid?\", as I slid the cable off of it's housing with a simple pull. \n\ntl;dr It's always a good idea to start off with the simplest thing when troubleshooting. ",
"score": 19
},
{
"body": "If you're talking to someone who is regularly a problem when it comes to restarting their computer before calling you (especially if they will tell you that they restarted even when they didn't), tell them to hold on a minute while you \"change something on the back end.\" Put them on hold and browse reddit for a minute or two. Get back on the line with them and tell them to restart their computer to activate the changes that you made.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "I used to troubleshoot for units that were used for endoscopic surgery (ie xenon/halogen light sources, endoflators, hysteroflators, coloflators etc).\n\nThe only time I couldn't troubleshoot from my desk, we got a sales rep to go to the operating theatre and found out that they had the rack too close to the wall, so that there was no ventilation and the light sources kept overheating.\n\nFifteen years on, I'm still at a loss on how to politely explain to a neurosurgeon that he needed to STOP PUSHING THE RACK INTO THE FUCKING WALL. Let's bear in mind that this guy had his face on the cover of time magazine twice and that the only time he'd lost a patient at that point was because an unrelated unit (a 600W xenon light source that wasn't even being used for his pallidotomy) shouldn't have been switched on and wouldn't have exploded if he'd have LEFT IT THE FUCK ALONE. \n\nUsers aren't always idiots by definition of the word, they're just too arrogant to listen to a 19 year old. Someone died because of this.\n\ntl;dr - an internationally recognised neurosurgeon insisted that an unnecessary ($6000) unit remain switched on, despite it's potential influence on explosive anasthetics, despite the head nurse telling him it wasn't involved in the surgery, and it exploded cost a patient their life. Officially \"they would have died anyway if they didn't get the surgery\".\n\nWord on the street is that he wanted the machine to wear out so that someone he didn't like couldn't operate in that theatre anymore.\n\nWOOOO HYPOCRATIC OATH",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "Don't just say \"restart the computer\", walk them through how. I work at a computer helpdesk for several hospitals and I'd say a little over 1/3 of the people I tell to restart the computer will just power cycle the monitor. \r\n\r\nAlso, if you're in a situation where you have to have them type in a backslash don't assume they know which key is the backslash. My favorite way of explaining this is over the phone is \"the forward-slash is on the key that also has the question mark, whereas the back-slash is above the enter key\"... or if you feel the person properly knows their left from their right you can say \"the backslash leans to the left\". It's surprising how many people this confuses though.\r\n\r\nAs a side note: for all of their years of college and med school, doctors tend to be the least knowledgeable when it comes to technology. They can bring a person back from the brink of death, but don't ask them to remember that passwords are case sensitive.",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "The iPod lock switch thing isn't tomfoolery, I just tried it without the lock switch thing and it didn't work! Oh wait, it was locked...",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "Back around fifteen years ago I worked in tech support for a C Compiler. One dude emailed in because whenever he put the install CD in his drive, his CD drive made a weird whirring sound and he thought it was our fault. He wanted to know why it was happening.\n\nI told him it was because, when they burn a CD, there is sometimes more data on one side of the CD than the other. This makes the CD weighted slightly off-center, and so when it spins, it makes an odd whirring sound due to angular momentum. Totally normal, nothing to worry about. He didn't email back.\n",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Hint: If you are helping someone on the phone and want them to make sure their computer is plugged in, try being honest and asking them to check because sometimes these things get jostled or tugged out inadvertently. The truth is usually much less offensive than when you are on the phone with someone who actually has a clue and knows you are bullshitting them. \n\nI see a lot of the attitude than many technical support people fall in to. I work as a network admin and do all the tech support for the company I work for. We have a three person IT department and the other two are programmers, so I get all the calls. I deal with people who are not computer savy every day. The owner of the company had to get me to help him print an email he wanted a hard copy of. The man is a brilliant engineer who helped design the stinger missile and started the company I work for now as a hobby. He has built it up from a shed in his back yard in to one of the largest companies of it's kind, he flies jets, helicopters and aerobatic planes. He is smarter than I will ever be and just doesn't find computers interesting. When he needs something from a computer he is rich enough to hire help (me) to do it for him. This is what we all need to remember. Our skill set in computers may make us valuable to our customers, but they are the ones hiring us, not the other way around. Instead of feeling superior and considering people dummies because they don't care to learn the same skills we did, maybe we should remember that they have somehow earned enough money to afford us and deserve to be dealt with in a dignified, honest manner.\n\nTL;DR Just because we can plug in and start a computer it doesn't make us better than the people who are smart enough to hire us in the first place.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "I'll stick to asking \"is it plugged in?\" so when they realize its not actually plugged in they will hopefully feel to dumb and embarassed to ever ask me a computer question again.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Here is what I say...(When I'm in a good mood) \"Do me a favor and make sure the power strip is on or make sure the plug isn't loose...heavens to Betsy those things wiggle free from time to time.\"",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "The logic in this statement is frightning. Because, it is ALWAYS plugged in when you ask them. Nice tactic.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "If I tell someone (over the phone) to enter a web address into the address bar, they almost invariably enter it into the search bar instead. So, because I really want them entering it in the address bar, and repeating \"address bar\" doesn't help, I've instead started telling people, \"Click Start, then Run, and now type the following...\"\n\nReliable as this method may be, it has still failed.\n\nTwice.\n\nBoth times, the person on the other end of the phone said, and I swear I am not making this up, \"But the computer is already started. It's on right now.\"\n\nCompletely different people. Completely different times. Exact same words.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I used it at CompUSA all the time. \n\nPeople thought we were free tech support, so they got free tech support level help.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "My DSL went out a few weeks ago. My wife called tech support and they tried telling her to unplug both ends of the ethernet cable and reseat them. She asked why. They told her it was to reset the dsl modem. Knowing it was bullshit, she said \"OK\", waited thirty seconds and said \"OK, what next?\". They then proceeded to issue a service call to fix the broken line on the telephone pole a block from my house. My wife is extremely intelligent and it offended her. She has since declared all tech support people to be idiots. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Follow up on "Reddit, I need help ending a relationship..." | part one of the story can be found [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/relationship_advice/comments/akoqs/reddit_i_need_help_ending_a_relationship/)
so she came over today after school, and we sat down. she was getting really angry and worked up about what i was saying, and she hit me. i got really sad that now it was basically an abusive relationship, because honestly, any abuse is still abuse. so i ended it, against her pleading and begging and sobbing for like an hour. she is still calling me, asking if i am sure.
ok, so now she hates me. and she has no one to be with her at school. since i really care, i want to hang out/eat lunch with her, how can i convey this? do you guys think that she will chill out soon? she really thought that we were going to be married/have kids/together forever, and she is the kind to fall prone to insanely destructive and consuming fantasies. will we be able to be friends??
thanks again you guys, i needed your help.
edit 1/7: k so she didnt show up to school today (day after it ended). we texted a bit though. she is sad/devastated, but i made her laugh a bit, i think it will be ok. thanks so much you guys, i owe you all so much, and i will go back to my reg account and pay back my debt :) | 3 | [
{
"body": "She hit you?\n\nFuck that shit. Don't spend any time with her, doing so will only teach her that she can be physically abusive and still get what she wants.\n\n",
"score": 24
},
{
"body": "It's an extremely terrible idea to hang out with her right now. First of all, she is going to do everything in her power to manipulate you into getting back with her. Second, even if she doesn't do that, it will prevent both of you from moving on. Stay away from her for several months until your feelings calm down. She's not your responsibility anymore, and with each day that passes that realization will sink in more.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "If the multitude of red flags from your first post wasn't enough, her hitting you would definitely be. Don't hang out with her. No, she won't chill out soon. No, you can't be friends. The only way to get her to change is to leave her completely, and that probably won't even work.\n\nIf you keep having contact with her, she will keep treating you the way she has been, and I guarantee she will just get worse. Your reaction to her hitting you should have been to stop talking, draw yourself up, kick her out, and refuse to ever have any contact with her ever again.\n\nLook, I know you want to be a good person, but being a good person means taking care of yourself first (you can't help someone else if you won't help yourself). Some people you just can't help, and she's one of those people. She's one of the most unhealthy people you're likely to ever meet, and her presence in your life will hold you back from ever being happy. You can't make her happy, okay, because she makes herself miserable. The only thing you can do is remove yourself from a shitty situation and remind yourself that whatever she does to herself is neither your fault nor your problem. She is responsible for her own shit.\n\nShe burned this bridge, and I bet she burned all her other ones too. Stop trying to rebuild it; she's just going to keep destroying it. Turn around and get on with your life.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Friendship requires respect. Someone who is willing to strike you for any other reason other than to defend themselves does not respect you. I'm sorry man, but if I can almost guarantee if you keep in contact with her you're going to regret it.\n\nLets say you do keep talking to her as you're her only friend. What happens when a girl starts showing interest in you? If you get a girlfriend? If you honestly believe she's emotionally unstable what is the worst thing she might do to you (or worse and more probable a future love interest)?",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "DO NOT maintain ANY contact with someone who has taken a swing at you. If they persist in trying to contact you, get a restraining order. Doesn't matter if you're male or female, that is completely unacceptable behavior.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Can you think of anything purely original to come out of the 2000's ? | To me, seems like everything in this decade has come from somewhere else... whether it be the hipster fashion trend which seems to simply take trends from other times and mush them all together, to most of the music to come out of this decade, even to literature, I could probably count on my two hands how many truly original, lasting things have come from the past ten years... Any body feel the same? | 9 | [
{
"body": "Your comment suggests that major ideas or developments are spontaneous, and this decade was particularly unimaginative. I'd suggest that each decade builds upon the last. This is often the case in the intellectual world (Newton: I stand on the shoulders of giants) and in the business world. Your question also confuses me. Could you give me an example of a truly original, lasting thing?",
"score": 6
}
] |
Reddit last night I almost got arrested for the most stupid reason. What can I do about it? | Last night I was pulled over by a police officer. Keep in mind my primary language is french.
He asked me some questions and finally asked me:
Police officer: Have you had anything to drink tonight?
I thought he meant drinking in the large sense - water, coke, juices - so I said yes. Keep in mind I am French and translated what he said directly - at this time, it seems obvious he meant "drink" as of alcoholic beverages.
He asked me why and I told him the truth: I drank root beer. My English pronunciation is not perfect; I pronounced "root" as "rawth," so he did not understand me immediately.
Police officer: How many beers?
Me: Maybe three or four, officers.
Police officer: How strong are these beers?
Me: I don't know. I have a few cans in my cars, let me check...
Police officer: You still have the cans in your car?
Me: Yes.
Police officer: Do you have any beer cans unopened in your cars?
Me: Yes.
Police officer: Were you drinking as you were driving?
Me: Yeah. I always do. Is there anything illegal with it?
Police officer: Sir I'm going to ask you to take a breathalyser test.
Me: Is this really necessary? Come on...
Police Officer: Yes, it is.
Me: What happens if I refuse to take it?
Police officer: You're going to the station.
Me: What station?
Police officer: The police station.
I finally obeyed, and promptly got a 0.00. He said it must have failed and had me take it again - 0.00.
Police officer: How long ago did you drink these beers?
Me: My last one, about 10 minutes.
He called to get another police car. At this point he was about to take me in the station for questioning but fortunately there was a police car nearby. I turned a 0.00 again.
Police officer: Did you take anything to falsify the results?
Me: What do you mean by that?
Police officer: Ate pills, took medication...
Me: Huh... Yeah, I took some medication.
Police officer: Any advice on these medication not to take with alcohol?
Me: Yeah. I am not allowed to take alcohol.
Police officer: Any advice not to take these medication with alcohol and drive?
Me: Yeah, that too.
Police officer: Step out of the car please
But I didn't want to. It was cold, dark, and he took too much time for everything. He had me walk in a line and do some dumb crap with my hand and nose. Then he asked how I could get 0.00 if I did drink alcohol.
Me: Wait, I did not drink alcohol.
Police officer: You just said you did drink beer.
ME: No, only RAWT beer.
Police Officer: Rhawt bear? What's that?
Me: Beer... Beer, beer, beer.
Damnit, that word was hard to pronounce.
ME: Rawt beer, rout beer, srout bear
I still couldn't do it. He asked to take a look at the cans and finally said:
Police officer: AHH! "ROOT" beer.
ME: Yeah.
Police officer: Is english your primary language?
ME: No.
He took some more notes. He and his collegues did not seem happy. At this point I was really angry.
ME: Are you discriminating against me because I am French? I am going to press charges.
Police officer: Why did you said you had something to drink?
ME: Drink, as in drinking water, drinking rawt bear...
He talked some more with his coworkers. Keep in mind at this point I was furious. This guy was making fun of my pronunciation. Probably cracking a joke or two about me with his coworker (didn't seem too happy - thought he was about to arrest me). He finally gave me my papers back and I expressed my feelings about him and his harassment. He asked me to leave, and I did.
Whew! What a long post. I just wonder how this could happen, and how it could be avoided in the future. Reddit do you have any advice for me, things I should/could do differently, etc? Thanks. | 4 | [
{
"body": "This sounds like a complete misunderstanding on both sides where it was handled professionally by the officer. Everything you said to him made him think you were drinking and driving.",
"score": 35
},
{
"body": "simple misunderstanding. i don't think the cops did anything wrong. \ntake it easy. you got a good story to tell your friends.",
"score": 20
},
{
"body": "The situation is funny, and that's why they would be laughing. \n\nAlso, \"root\" is pronounced like the \"ou\" in \"rouge\" and the \"t\" in \"arrêt.\" The \"r\" is foreign to you, but not enough to confuse most English listeners.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "You told him you were going to press charges? Come on man. Can you put yourself in his shoes for a second? You were practically yelling at him that your were drinking BEER and DRIVING! Any officer who would've done anything different than what this guy did would be a shithead.\n\nThat being said, it was an unfortunate misunderstanding. What can you do about it? Nothing. No charges were pressed, no damage was done. Get over it. If nothing else, you have a funny story to tell at parties, or whatever it is you silly french people do. ",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "You sound like a bit of a dick, it's not his fault he couldn't understand you. Though now that I think about it you sound like an american, wah wah, I'm gonna sue.",
"score": 3
}
] |
This post probably won't even pass reddit's spam filter. | Test if reverse-psychology works in this case, as in all of those front-pagers and top-comments that begin with "I'll probably just get downvoted for this but..."
I guess I'm a little disapointed because many of my posts never get seen and I bitterly delete them the next day. | 37 | [
{
"body": "I'll probably be downvoted to hell for saying this, but... this is crazy enough that it just might work.",
"score": 15
},
{
"body": "Protip: When you submit a link, immediately visit the new queue of the subreddit to which you submitted it, and check if it's there.\n\nIf yes, good job. Let the karma flow.\n\nIf no, the spam filter works mainly based on the title of the submission, from what I can tell. Delete your submission and resubmit it with a slightly different title (e.g if \"Cake mix is delicious [pic]\" gets blocked, try \"Cake mix. It is delicious. [pic]\" etc.)\n\nCongratulations! You're now a power Redditor!",
"score": 3
}
] |
Rules of the great mix CD trade! | Hey fellow redditors! I'm sure everyone wants this to work out, so, we'll put some ground rules here!
* **How to play**: All you've got to do is go [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/mixcd/comments/amj1f/post_your_countrytastesetc_here/), and let us know what country you're in, if you'd like a "dealer's choice" mix, what country you'd prefer to send to (or if it doesn't matter to you), and you can also put your last.fm/grooveshark info there as well. We'll assign you to someone else based on that!
* If you're going to be receiving a CD, you've got to send one as well! - You can choose to send one to someone in the same country/general area if you want to keep shipping costs down, but please play fair! If for some reason you can't send a CD, contact **littlemissemperor** so she can arrange for whoever was supposed to be receiving your CD to be matched up with someone else.
* Try to make your CD at least 10 tracks long - No one wants to spend hours compiling a stellar playlist with plenty of tracks, and receive a CD with only one song.
* If you've been matched up and don't send a CD, we won't include you in the next round of CD swaps. We don't want anyone to be disappointed by being paired up with a flaky CD sender.
*Deadline is **Friday, January 15th, at 12 midnight, EST**. After that, you've got three weeks to get the address for your match, and ship out your CD! | 23 | [
{
"body": "Are we limited to one CD? can we make it a double or triple album? Or an Epic DVD maybe?\n\nCan we data encode it so we can fit more tracks on? \n\nIs there a maximum amount of songs we can send?\n\nCan we send whole albums if they're good?",
"score": 8
}
] |
I think the underpants bomber was setup to fail from the beginning. | Something smells in Denmark. It appears that every reasonable effort was made to ensure that the panty-bomber was caught. All that failed - either through sheer incompetence or because someone intentionally let him through. The failsafe seems to have been that his bomb was a dud. Obviously, someone wanted the patsy captured and his method exposed - no mystery explosion which could take months or years to get to the bottom of - if ever.
Why? Someone wants all eyes on airplanes, on this particular method and on passengers from this particular place (Yemen), or others like it.
To what end? As the great eye of Sauron concentrates elsewhere, opportunity opens where it's mighty gaze has been averted. From a supposed ally country, by boat or across border, and in some non-personally carried package.
Has it all been a grand distraction? Are we due a mega strike which will surely set us on the path to permanent martial law?
Who stands to benefit?
| 48 | [
{
"body": "No one's mentioned the want to have a military presence in Yemen. The war on terror is about fascism at home and geopolitical positioning overseas. ",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "As I began to learn the details of panty bomber story, I thought the exact same thing. There really seems to be something fishy about this entire affair and I don't understand why people are just lying there and taking it without asking a few more necessary questions. It's not just the sheeple either, but the academics I hear on national public radio, etc.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "It is strange. The video has yet to be released, likely never will. Or has it? correct me if I missed it. \n\nKurt Haskell's wife described another man who stood up and calmly video taped the entire thing. How does that happen? That does give credence to the \"meant to fail\" thing because IF he is part of things, then how would they expect to get that footage if it had been destroyed? Doesn't make sense. As far as we know that guy hasn't been picked up.\n\nAlso the guy who never left Detroit, arrested on \"immigration charges\".....whats up with him? No details, no nothing.... they're just hoping for the next distraction from the entertainment world.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "why return to your seat to detonate when a blast in the bathroom will most likely have the same effect.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Do some research on who would benefit. Full body scanning manufacturers. There are four major ones.\n\nOn December 24th one company in particular traded a HUGE amount of stock, thousands of percentage points above normal.\n\nI did the research...i forgot to bookmark it....I will find it.",
"score": 3
}
] |
/r/TF2, that hit sound is painful. Literally. I'd like to replace it with the Quake 3 hit sound. Anybody know how? | I not only need to find out how to put in a custom sound, but also how to decompile the .pak file and *get* the sound in the first place. | 8 | [
{
"body": "I agree, it makes me think I just got +1 on an achievement every time I hit someone. Even worse with the heavy's minigun or pyro's flamethrower.\n\nDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING\n\nSounds kinda like this:\nhttp://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/1/lets-do-the-fork-in-the-garbage-disposal-dance-645427.html\n\nEDIT: If anyone knows how I can make that guy saying \"DING\" to be the hit sound, I will love you forever for telling me.\n\nEDIT AGAIN: I made a YouTube Doubler video describing what I'm talking about because I'm bored: http://youtubedoubler.com/?video1=http://www.youtube.com/v/IJqYc0Q6uOM&start1=38&video2=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DTtCt5uDSNos&start2=18",
"score": 6
}
] |
Anything you don't want on your mix?? | Got an aversion to any certain types of music? Feel free to leave a comment here, and maybe your match will be kind enough to check this out and be sure to not include it! And if they do include it, we'll be sure to smite them with the fury of a thousand hot, burning Reddits. | 10 | [
{
"body": "Undiscovered bands, weird sounds, anything unheard of by the general population.\n \nNO metal, rick astley, \"radio music\", or country.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Nothing overly jammy. I work with people that just want to listen to Phish all the time and hearing them makes me kind of want to kill myself at this point. Same with reggae. And nothing like Emery, Thrice, Underoath, or anything like that. Also, no Billy Corgan.\n\nHowever, I am encouraging booty bass and stoner/doom metal. Preferably one after the other.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I love how people keep lumping Metal and Country in together as their despised genres. What is it about them that people hate? I really don't mind either.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Post your country/tastes/etc. here! | Hey everyone! This is where you leave your specs for us, and we'll take care of the rest! Please let us know:
* What country you are located in
* **What country you would prefer to send to**
* If you've got a Last.fm/Grooveshark, etc. account, feel free to leave that info as well
* Please specify "dealer's choice" if you want a random mix, this info will help whoever will be sending to you!
**Alternatively, you can fill out [this handy form](http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dEUwbk5xdHA4QmRPQmFtanMtVzZtUXc6MA) courtesy of Shocker4256, which will make things far more organized!**
After the deadline, **Friday, January 15th at midnight EST**, we'll match everyone up, and a couple of days later you'll get a message with further instructions!
Anything you *don't* want on your mix? [Let us know your preferences](http://www.reddit.com/r/mixcd/comments/amj0a/anything_you_dont_want_on_your_mix/), so your match can look you up and see what not to include!
Hey guys, [please help us come up with a name/logo for our little project](http://www.reddit.com/r/mixcd/comments/amtqk/help_us_come_up_with_a_namelogo/)! In return, the winning submission will get a bonus mix!
Gotta give credit where credit is due, we're partially inspired by [this](http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/blog/drop.html) little gem of an idea. Except, we're exclusively for Redditors! | 41 | [
{
"body": "* I'm In California, I will mail anywhere!\n* Dealer's Choice: I want a mix that reflects the maker's musical taste, not my own, I know what I like and know how to seek it out. \n* I'm stoked, let's do this!",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "* From Indonesia\n* I like cinematical music (movie soundtracks like Hans Zimmer, Juno Reactor, E.S. Posthumus = yay!), full orchestra, classical, acoustic, indie-rock, Celtic music, oriental instruments, mellow & songs that make you cry, old mellow songs from before I was born (1990) would be awesome, creepy & dark music is okay too. Some artists that I really like: Blonde Redhead, Coldplay, Lenka, Evanescence, Alanis Morissette, Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill games), Hans Zimmer. **Edit:** [last.fm](http://www.last.fm/user/mondrosen)\n* I will ship to anywhere!\n\nEdit: I don't have that many music collection so I'd prefer someone who like what I like, don't want to disappoint anyone with my mellow taste. :S",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Switzerland / Germany\n\nDealer's Choice (open to death metal, abstract electro, classical, ambient/noise, etc.) ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Hello!\n\nI'm in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I'll ship to anywhere in North America.\n\nI like electronic music of all sorts, from the chillest downtempo and ambient to the hardest drum-n-bass. I also like jazz, classic rock, instrumental music from any time period, and classical. \n\nKeep away from metal, most pop music unless you feel strongly it needs to be heard, and country.\n\nTry to pick stuff that will emphasize a high-end sound system's abilities! Thank you so much in advance!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Australia\n\nI am open to anything. My favourite artists at the moment are Sigur Ros, Rise Against, Frou Frou and Aesop Rock. \n\n My favourites change from from time to time and previous favourites which I still very much enjoy are Tool, Muse, Lamb, Ratm, Bliss n Eso, Guster, Led Zeppelin, Bjork, Radiohead, Modest Mouse, Iron Maiden, beach boys, Urthboy, Tchaikovsky \n\n I tend to be incredibly diverse, there is no genre off limits, i love Primus and Aphex Twin, Secret Chiefs, Radiodread, The bug, The Pogues, dead can dance, Squirrel Nut zippers, Sun O))) the list goes on, my collection is gigantic. I also love world music, from french funk to african hip hop to portugese Fado to brazilian reggae, I am always collecting brilliant gems.\n\n Essentially I adore music with depth, complexity and soul, if an idea is being expressed well then the medium through which it is conveyed is of little consequence. \n\n Currently i have a thing for big band revival and intellectual hip hop but ultimately I will appreciate anything I recieve, so, surprise me.\n\nOh, And I will send music to anywhere. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
AMA, I am a 24 yo(F) who has had butt play but not like this ever before. | I figured this was the best place to share this. As I said before, I am 24 (f) and tonight my fiance and I were having sex and he always asks for butt play. I usually decline but tonight I initiated the butt play. After a few minutes he figured I had had enough and went to clean up before trying to have "normal sex." When he came back I put him back in my ass and said lets keep going. Here is where it gets amazing. I have never in my life had an orgasm from butt sex and it was FANTASTIC! There was a vibrator and fingers involved and that I think is what made it amazing. Afterward, I was still playing a little with my clit and put my vibrator back on it and told my fiance to start fingering me. My next orgasm will forever stay in my mind as the top of my top 10 best orgasm I have ever received. So, if you have any questions for me let me know! I will be more then happy to answer anything you ask. Really, anything. | 30 | [
{
"body": "Well, I am gay and there is nothing better than having a dick inside your butt while you beat your meat. I suppose that's where the vibrator involved in your case (plus the clit twiddling).\r\n\r\nThe prostate massage (think of it as a guy's G-Spot) along with your fucker rubbing his chest on your back combines into making an extremely powerful orgasm.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Reddit, I (flossdaily) desperately need your help. Someone has plagiarized my writing, has refused to remove it from their site, and is now accusing me of being the plagiarist. | [This guy](http://www.rhymetorrents.org/Home/viewtopic.php?f=11&p=85801#p85801) (NSFW) ripped [this post](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/alae8/warning_potentially_disturbing_question_sexy/c0i6kuh) (NSFW) off of reddit.
Note the timestamps on both (mine is earlier by a day).
Now the guy is slandering me on his website and [right here](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/alae8/warning_potentially_disturbing_question_sexy/c0ic8yh) on reddit.
---
**Revision:** Some folks that I respect here think that this is some sort of ego trip for me. I'm sorry if it comes off this way. I was trying to get ahead of [wolfhoodie's](http://www.reddit.com/user/wolfhoodie) defamations. When he came over to reddit and started posting, I wanted the real record of events to be the one that got out to you first, rather than having to try to explain myself to you all later. I can see how that could be ego-centric, because it does stem from pride in my work. Next time I'll just laugh it off and not be such an ass.
---
**EDIT:** For those of you who think that I'm just being a whining asshole- well that sucks for me, but it's better than you thinking I'm a plagiarist. | 427 | [
{
"body": "The only thing I can do is pity that plagarist. Imagine someone so uncreative and untalented that they have to steal creative works and pass it along as theirs for some e-fame. \n\nPeople like that tend to die alone. ",
"score": 276
},
{
"body": "Wolfhoodie is quite blatantly a troll. Quite giving him undeserved attention. He doesn't really care about you.\n\nEdit: Did I seriously write quite instead of quit?",
"score": 234
},
{
"body": "Do you realize http://www.rhymetorrents.org/ is a torrent distribution site. It's core business is copyright infringement! \n\nNoone, including the guy that posted the text and his friends actually think's you didn't write the text. They just don't care if you did. And find your attempts to prove your point laughable.\n\nSome kid posted your stuff on a forum and pretended he wrote it himself. It was a form of praise. Stop wasting your time chasing him and get back to writing awesome stuff.",
"score": 46
},
{
"body": "I've asked rhymetorrents.org to take it down.\n\nThey refused.\n\nThen the guy got mean.\n\nEDIT: Maybe someone official from reddit can ask them to take it down. You guys are more intimidating than me.\n\n---\n\n**EDIT 2: The admin's at rhymetorrents.org have started banning redditors, and have refused to take the post down without a court order** ",
"score": 32
},
{
"body": "I'm with you on this one, but you've obviously been trolled\n\nthe big dick and his little balls ganged up on you, even saying he showed it to them 3 days ago when they all knew at this point it was false\n\nbut they're still enjoying the attention ([Streisand effect?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect)) and their shitty site has got visits as a result\n\nin the end, only one question is left unasked: why are they called rhyme**torrents** when they don't host a fucking tracker, or .torrents, or anything of the like?",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "I laughed at his \"friend\" who claimed that the Wolf cunt dude sent him the story days before Floss posted it. So, in his pea sized brain did he ever think of how Floss magically could have gotten a hold of that story when it was just sent between the two? Poor 10 year olds trying to act cool.",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "Isn't it true that anything you enter into a blog become the intellectual property of the company that owns the blog, anyway?\n\nPeople who blog their intimate thoughts and ideas are basically giving it away for free. Publish it the old-fashioned way, if you want credit and a little bit of coin. Otherwise, you're ringing a dinner bell for the lamers of the online world.\n\nEDIT: \n\n***PS: Could you please tell us that your link is NOT SAFE FOR WORK?***",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "However, your post has been edited. Couldn't you have just gone back in and edited one of your comments to look like his story exactly? (I'm just trying to poke holes in this so we feel comfortable you're telling the truth; personally I believe you and am sorry this happened to you)",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Don't apologize for pride in your own work. You deserve it, you are right to want credit, and you are right to be furious when someone attempts to steal it.\n\nUnfortunately, you chose to post in an essentially anonymous medium. That is, without even so much as a blog to \"prove\" you wrote it, the post will likely traverse from forum to forum until it becomes one of the other million things that gets on the front page here at reddit without any attribution. At least you'll know that at some point, we were aware of your authorship.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Ok, new plan. \n\nStep 1: Get back flossdaily.com\n\nStep 2: Make it an anti wolfhoodie website. (plagiarize ever post that he makes online)\n\nStep 3: ???\n\nStep 4: Profit!",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Get over it.\n\nYeah, it's funny. It's not your life's work. Yeah, you've lost control over your creative work as it gets passed around the internet. Oh well.\n\nHoodie is trying to get a rise out of you. He succeeded.\n\nYHBT. YHL. HAND.\n\n(With apologies to Wolf Hoodie - I realise trolling is performance art and I'm interfering with your installation)",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "well you called him on it on his page and linked your dated submission\r\n\r\nso now at least everybody who thought he was cool knows he's a dickless turd\r\n\r\nso hey\r\n",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "It's hard for you to just \"laugh it off\" because it was SUCH an epic comment, and for someone to suddenly say that you stole it, even as a joke, is incredibly lame.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Floss, don't worry whether he is passing it off as his. We like you for you. And we love that you are an active part of this community. No worries. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "It's on many forums. Google says:\nResults 1 - 10 of about 283 for \"A little while later she actually wound up with my friend from before (the sexual tension guy). I can't say I was surprised.\".",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": " I saw another guy post your story it on espn nfl message board yesterday. I think he was trying to imply that it was his own. I called him on it, the mods deleted the thread. The title was \"Anybody have a hot sister?\" Then he copypastad your deal. \n\n",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "sorry to say it bud but this faggot aint gonna back off, youre just gonna have to ignore him.\n\n1. he talks of racism. i dont care what color anyone is, an asshole is an asshole, even on the internet.\n\n2. he has a buddy backing him up. whoop-de-fucking doo, i could get a bunch of scientists to say that the earth is heating up and still be wrong according to evidence obtained by people with nothing to gain/lose.\n\n3. he tried to play the same tune on here and got laughed out of the site. \n\ntl;dr troll is trolling, go to the site where he posted the story and make a post \"Reddit.com says youre wrong\"",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "wait a minute. you're hot under the collar because something you posted to a news-social site was swiped and posted to the \"nerdcore of the hip-hop community\"? *really*?",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "When you wrote that you \"desperately\" need help for being accused of being a plagiarist, I thought it had to be at least as bad as p-dub's situation, where like maybe you were at risk of losing your job, because your alleged plagiarism had reached your employer, and you work in the creative industry where plagiarism is a big deal, and you didn't want to lose your job right when your mom needed heart surgery.\n\nIn fact, the only issue is that you're worried some random people on the internet might side with the other guy instead of siding with you.\n\nIf you consider this situation to be \"desperate\", then consider yourself to have lived a blessed life.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "[He's commented here, just so you know. Obviously it got downvoted.](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/amj2k/reddit_i_flossdaily_desperately_need_your_help/c0icck2)",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "To your edit: This is not assery, to plagiarize the work of another and actually go so far as to accuse them of having stolen it from them is.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I think something that's interesting is: When someone says something on Reddit, is it treated like a real-world forum where bare utterances aren't copyrighted, or is it treated in the (obvious interpretation) way of saying that \"because it's recorded on a medium, it's copyrighted\"? If it were up to me, I'd say the former because even though the current law is clear I believe public forums are generally treated differently than other forms of publication",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": ">I killed the mood when I told her that Darth Vader was our father.\n\nDarth vader: my son ain't black......\n\nwolfhoodie:FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I understand your frustration. Being plagiarized is extraordinarily annoying. I've never had one try top turn it around, how infuriating.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "well, after a little research on my part, this is what i have discovered. \na quick search on [Google](http://i.imgur.com/wBQXg.jpg) showed that the post in question was purported posted on the internet well before the post on reddit. According to the time stamp on the resulting [website](http://i.imgur.com/GokgD.jpg) the post originated on 10/1/04. However, i imagine that changing a time stamp would not be very difficult, so hence i do not make any accusations questioning the origin of the post in question. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Is this wolfhoodie ? http://www.youtube.com/user/wolfhoodie\n\nhmm the first hyper link takes you to rhymetorrents.org in his profile signature it mentions rap in his 2nd youtube video \"Movie\" he try's to freestyle at the end but its a pretty bad attempt do to the fact that it looks as if he keeps having to read off a piece of paper.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "seriously? i mean really... seriously?\n\ni'm making a point to post this many places and pretend i'm the original creator",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Settle this the only way it should be settled. Challenge him to a writing duel while reddit is watching. You will each get a single shot. Fire away",
"score": 3
}
] |
anyone else lose it with anxiety for the 3 days or so leading up to when you're supposed to get your period, pretty much convincing yourself you must be preggo? | despite being on BC for the better part of my existence, i somehow tend to have a fit every month in the few days before i'm due to get my period, to the point where i'm researching abortion clinics, pouring over web md and contemplating throwing myself down the stairs. this occurs if i use condoms every time or not. completely insane. am i alone in this craziness? | 28 | [
{
"body": "Even when I'm not having sex I worry about immaculate conception and I'm not even religious.... you know... just in case. ",
"score": 25
},
{
"body": "I don't get paranoid about pregnancy specifically, but I do tend to get some generalized anxiety (worrying, crying, stomach-tied-up-in-knots) during that time of the month, and as soon as my period starts it usually goes away. I think it's just hormones, and that's what I tell myself when I find myself freaking out about something insignificant or unlikely.",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "Yep, sometimes I stress so much about it I cause my period to be late thus continuing to fuel my anxiety over being pregnant. Its a vicious circle.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "This must lead to your period being a point of celebration every month, thats certainly different than for most girls. \n\nBut I do sympathize, it definitely does cross my mind especially if I'm a couple of days late.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "I do it too. Last month I was practicing conversations in my head asking him to go with me and trying to decide how/if to ask him to pay for half. ",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Yep, particularly if I've taken my pill a bit late one or two days a cycle. As someone put it, a $10 pregnancy test is a small price to pay for sanity.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "I don't want to judge you here, but I have to ask, is all that anxiety worth it? Maybe you should just lay off the vagina intercourse for awhile.\n\nHave you discussed the 'what if' with your partner? I know it helped me to feel better, knowing that I have a plan and that we're both on the same page.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Yep, but my anxiety usually starts the day after I have sex. Oh, but how joyous aunt flo's gift is when it comes. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I have never been worried about getting pregnant. I'm not sure what there is to worry about. Whats the worst thing that could happen? (Sorry if I sound insensitive, I'm not trying to offend. Just wondering.)",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I've got my tubes tied, I'm still on the pill, and I'm into menopause and I *still* get a bit anxious every month. My body seems to very much like being pregnant, and it makes me paranoid. \n\nI think that a lot of it is probably pms anxiety, but if you're only using condoms, I'd really look into using a second method as well to give yourself some extra protection and more peace of mind. Have the conversation with your partner about what you would do if you got pregnant so that you know, and go from there. I think that it's reasonable to be aware that every time you have sex you are taking a risk of becoming pregnant, no matter how miniscule it might be, but it shouldn't run your life that way for a couple of days every month. \n\n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Fun story:\n\nWhile I was on birth control, I used to be able to look at a CLOCK on Sunday and go, \"Hm, I'm about half an hour late.\"",
"score": 3
}
] |
Hey reddit, what is the dirtiest and most versatile expression consisting of more than two words you can come up with? | Today, I thought of one. "Fuck my shit". Has this been used in porn? It could be used elsewhere too, I guess. Also, if you change the pronoun you can have so much fun with it. For example, when was the last time someone said to you, "Fuck your shit!" | 7 | [
{
"body": "When I was in high-school I had a friend whose dad was a dentist. We would sneak into his office when it was closed and hook ourselves up to the gas for hours. It was very stupid and dangerous. (My current middle-aged self made me say that).\n\nOne time - the last time, I might add - we were completely gassed and his dad walked in and found us. As a side note: it is incredibly hard to sober up on nitrous oxide. I've been pretty drunk before and had something scare the shit out of me and sober up almost instantly. Not so with gas.\n\nSo his dad walks in and completely wiggs out and starts screaming at us, \"you goddamn sun-burnt Ethiopian sonsabitches!\" It was so random, racist and just fucking weird to hear my white friend's white dad using this phrase on me, a white kid in high-school. He repeated the exact same phrase several times as he chased me out to my car. \n \nDoes this apply to this post? Probably only peripherally, but I felt like sharing.\n",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Cocksucker mother fucker.\n\nI knew a mechanic guy that prefaced everything with this. Apparently it is a proper descriptor. \n\n>Those cocksucker mother fuckers would fuck up a mother fucking wet cocksucking dream.\n\nI'm paraphrasing...",
"score": 3
}
] |
I need help finding a good space documentary about alien life for my kids. They have watched alien planet every night the past 2 months. | I have two boys and a little girl who absolutely love the Alien Planet documentary from discovery channel. I have always been a kinda space geek and I guess it has rubbed off one them. They have watched alien planet every night for the past 2 months and I was wondering if anyone could direct me to a similar documentary. I remember seeing another one but for the life of me cant remember what it is. I do remember their were sky whales flying above some kind of strange forest. I have looked on netflix and everywhere trying to locate this or a similar adventure for us to watch together. I can't stand today's stupid cartoons for kids I would rather try and at least have them happy and being educated at the same time. Any help would be greatly appreciated. | 10 | [
{
"body": "Alien Planet is soooooo good.\n\nThere's another, called, confoundingly, either *Blue Moon*, or *Extraterrestrial Blue Moon*, that is kind of in the same vein. Here's a [youtube link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL6uop8KOM0).\n\nIt's a little scarier (crazy terrifying wasp-bat things or something), and if my memory serves me, there's no protagonist (like Ike, or was it Leo?) to root for, but there's lots of CGI and cool stuff to look at.\n\nMore out of that vein, if your kids are interested in anything space-related, check out [Colonizing Space](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkeSFLh5xBk&feature=player_embedded), or here's one with lots of fancy CGI, and the ever-loveable Michio Kaku, about the future of humans on earth: [2057](http://www.documentary-log.com/d221-2057/) *Edit: Part two of that series, \"The City\" might be more interesting for them, the science and the politics of the first and last one might be over their heads (depending on how old they are), or just plain boring.\n\nThat last link, to Documentary Log, it's one of my favorite sites, and you might be able to find some cool stuff for them to watch on there.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Yet another lost soul needing some good advice on jobs. | Hi reddit,
I would some advice on how to present myself to employers in my current situation. (I'm a programmer, the totally self-taught breed).
I've been programming for a long time, and I know my way around many topics and things.
Heck, I'm even known as "the guy that can make the impossible work", and people regularly asks me for advice on many things.
But I have some problems, I have no education - at all.
I have not even finished High School (I have tried, about five times now).
I have a High Functioning Autism Disorder, and well, they way education is tought here dosen't really cut it for me. (I have had the highest grades in school in the programs I can handle, but classes that have been tought in a way I can't learn from I have had the lowest grades in school.
Surprisingly not I have a really hard time finding a job, even tho I have showed what I can do many times and I have people that would put in a good word for me if needed.
Employers tend to give you the foot in the door, if you don't have education now days, tho I would call myself pretty skilled.
Does anyone have any good tips on either how I could approach employers? I have some work experience from a long time internship, and I would happily show code and stuff I have done.
But it seems to me that things dosen't really count if you have no education. (I have plans to get it someday, but well I'm pretty burned out of alls failed attempts and there have been many pretty words from schools etc. so I don't really thrust them anymore).
Any tips would be appreciated. :)
**Edit 1:** Been doing free internship (for about a year), and done some development work for a organization (for about two years).
I'm also quite active with some FOSS projects. | 3 | [
{
"body": "Although you are a programmer, unfortunately the person hiring you may know next to nothing about your field and as a result is limited in their ability to properly gauge your abilities and potential contribution.\n\nHere's what I would do:\n\n1.) Get your GED. \n\nIn regards to freelancing, you said \"Can't, I must get a regular job because of the rules when you are unemployed and receive money from the government.\". Am I understanding correctly that you are receiving unemployment benefits? If so, check with your state regarding training programs and such. They may pay for courses towards your GED and trade schools. It may pay off to learn a secondary skill, I'll explain why in a minute.\n\n2.) Get certifications in your field. They're quick, and relatively inexpensive and will work as a substitute for education in many cases. Try to focus on certifications from well known companies. Here's a list of some of the ones out there, my recommendation is to go for the ones with big company names attached. Everyone's heard of Microsoft.\n\nhttp://certification.about.com/cs/beginner/a/progcerts.htm\n\n3.) Find a niche. I mentioned acquiring a secondary skill. Let's say you are able to get into an automotive repair training program. You learn how to fix cars which allows you to look for other jobs that you can't find now. More importantly, you're now a programmer who knows about cars and how they work. Now you have a unique combination of skills that sets you apart and allows you to market yourself to automotive companies and their suppliers with an increased chance of success. This same principle applies to almost any field. Combining skills makes you a special asset to a business.\n\n4.) Volunteer. Find non-profits and other organizations in your area that are looking for volunteers. Try to find something that interests you and has some relationship to your field. The benefits are immense. You will meet new people, creating an indispensable list of contacts that may just be your ticket to a new job. Many successful people often donate time and money to organizations that they believe in. You also find a way to occupy your time and put yourself back into a routine as if you were working regularly, which I find helps you stay focused. You get to help people or further a cause and you build up work experience. Many hiring managers also look favorably upon volunteerism because it reflects positively on your character.\n\nYou mention that you're autistic, and this will make things more difficult for you. You will have to put extra effort into trying to normalize your social interactions with others, at least as much as possible. Here's why:\n\n1.) It's not what you know, it's who you know. Everyone has heard this, but few people really let it sink in. It's true. If you had to choose between two candidates, the one you know will always have an advantage.\n\n2.) Try to be liked or at least not disliked. Even if you despise someone, keep it to yourself. Over extended periods of time your relationships can change dramatically and it is best to leave them in a positive or neutral state even when you believe that they will be terminated. People have a way of coming back into your life after long absences.\n\n3.) Protect your reputation dearly. Once you have a good reputation, life and work gets much easier. It is very hard to be successful with a bad reputation.\n\nAnyway, YMMV, but I was in a similar situation to yours not too long ago and things like the above helped me through it. I truly wish you the best and hope that something I've written comes in handy. Can you do a follow up post in the future so we know how things work out?\n\nEDIT: Clarification ",
"score": 7
}
] |
Unsung heroes of the craft world | In Wisconsin, some of the smaller breweries tend to get overshadowed by their bigger craft brothers (most notably New Glarus, but also ones like Tyranena and Central Waters). I'm sure this is true in all states, so what breweries in your area don't get the attention they deserve? In Wisconsin, **Ale Asylum** comes to mind - I especially like their Satisfaction Jacksin. In the Milwaukee area, **Lakefront** is also quite good. It's not as spectacular as some of the others, but they still put out a solid line of good beer; not worth a trade, but worth checking out if you're in town.
(I'm intentionally leaving out brewpubs, since there are quite a lot and it'd be hard to sort through them) | 10 | [
{
"body": "There are a lot in the NW. Washington and Oregon have over 170 breweries between the two of them, so a lot of great beer gets overlooked by many.\n\nI think Boundary Bay Brewing in Bellingham, Fish Brewing in Olympia, Snoqualmie, Schooner Exact, Elliott Bay, Elysian, Pike, and a few others in the Seattle area tend to be overshadowed or underappreciated. \n\nMac and Jack's is one that is beloved and a very big seller throughout Washington but is relatively unknown outside the state because they don't bottle anything (all sales are kegs and growlers-to-go, they don't even have a brewpub).",
"score": 4
}
] |
If everyone woke up tomorrow and became an Atheist, what would we do with all of the empty religious temples? | I honestly see the majority of small out of the way churches and chapels being bulldozed. In cities, they will likely be converted to other uses. My real interest lies in the gigantic cathedrals and mega-worshiping structures. I picture many simply becoming large museums.
Any creative uses you can come up with /r/atheism? | 15 | [
{
"body": "Libraries. Big, massive, beautiful libraries. I love the classical architecture used in Churches. We can have the biology section where the altar used to be. Not saying Biology replaces religion, just that it supersedes it.\n\nEDIT: As an addendum: not just libraries, but libraries with lecture halls. I see so much squandered potential in those large beautiful churches.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "There is nothing wrong with community centers. Especially in a society as isolating as ours. So just use it to provide space for local clubs etc.",
"score": 5
}
] |
What Adult Swim shows do I need to download? | I live in the UK and don't have access to Adult Swim, yet I can tell there are a bunch of shows on the network that fit my sense of humour, I just don't know what they are. I am currently downloading Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Robot Chicken. | 6 | [
{
"body": "Tim and Eric Awesome Show: Great Job!\n\nIf you get through three episodes, you'll start to see why it's funny.. once you see it, it can't be unseen.",
"score": 5
}
] |
Anyone else have a Flickr? | I'm just a beginner, got my first camera last summer, but this is what i have so far...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8315712@N03/
comments are also appreciated. | 9 | [
{
"body": "Well, I might as well put mine too:\n\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/whoisvaibhav/\n\nLooking at your photostream, I have one suggestion - how about giving a little context about your photos - add a title and a description, and suddenly your photostream becomes relatively more interesting to look at...\n\nHere's my favorite photo from your stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8315712@N03/4253064700/",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Mine: http://flickr.com/garrett/\n\n...and my auto-generated most interesting (as determined by Flickr's \"interestingness\"):\nhttp://flickr.com/photos/garrett/sets/72157601461306539/",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Here is my flickr stream:\n\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/amberandclint/\n\nOne of my favorite ways to view a persons stream though would have to be Darkr. You can view photos using a lot of different criteria as well. I think it loads 10 times faster than flickr and auto-pagenates as well.\n\n Here is the Darkr link for my stream:\n\nhttp://www.darckr.com/username?username=Clint+Koehler",
"score": 3
}
] |
WeAraA Couple that are into BDSM. We switch. AUsA. | We've been together for almost three years now, and have been into BDSM since the start of the relationship. We both enjoy domming and subbing, so naturally we switch. More recently, though, we've been establishing a more permanent role with myself (the guy) being hers full-time. AskUsAnything!
EDIT: If we don't answer all of your questions tonight we will get to them.
EDIT 2: I'm off to work, I might answer a few more from there (doubtful) but I'll be back later tonight.
EDIT 3: For clarification, we don't live together (yet) as we're both at different schools (I'm on a coop).
EDIT 4: Going through and editing who answered what. | 25 | [
{
"body": "Anal, electro, piercing, etc?\n\n^Problem with Wikipedia, you start on an article on rope and two hours later you are into the BDSM sub-cultures (right term there?)",
"score": 5
}
] |
I volunteer at a suicide hotline. I'm on shift right now. AMA | I am currently on what may be my final shift at my state's local suicide hotline. We answer 1-800-SUICIDE, but also have local lines for the local community. I have volunteered for over 2 years, but recently decided to pursue other interests. We have strict confidentiality rules, so ask me anything, but I can't violate those. | 18 | [
{
"body": "What kind of training have you had for this? Were you required to take any psychological courses/training before taking calls?\n\nEDIT: PS - Good for you, you're a great person for doing this volunteer work. It must be pretty rewarding. Thank you.",
"score": 5
}
] |
/r/comics, I need your help! Would any of you mind giving me criticism on my own comic? | This is honestly not an attempt at getting more readership. I genuinely want to hear your honest opinions on my comics, if you have the time to share them!
First of all, I'm aware that there's no art, and the photographs aren't even mine. They're only there to serve as visual context, I suppose.
Which means that I'm really looking for criticism on the text I write. I'm always afraid to do this, because like most people, I don't like hearing negative things about something I've created. I believe it's necessary if I'm to address any problems, though, so I've decided to suck it up and be a man.
Some of you will notice the obvious "A Softer World" inspiration, and it's one of my favourite comics, so I suppose that's roughly my target audience.
The main reason I think I need outside criticism is because I'm obviously already familiar with my own style of humour, and so are my close friends, who all read it, so I'm less likely to get unbiased criticism from them, and I certainly can't look at it myself with a critical eye.
So, any time you have to spare to write a few thoughts, and ideas for improvement, would be fantastic.
http://www.happykidscomic.com
Edit 1: I changed the text style rather early on, just in case you start from the beginning and think the text obscures the images too much.
Edit 2: Based on recommendations, I've added an alt text, and removed the title, since they are often closely related to the joke I'm trying to make, and it doesn't help that they are read before the comic is.
Edit 3: It's a shame that those of you who don't like it can't help me to improve it, but I suppose if you're not fond of the similarity to other comics, I can't really change that since they are my inspiration, and I'm not a very original person in terms of presentation. Also, I guess I can't please everyone, as much as I'd enjoy it if I could.
Edit 4: Thank you to everyone who gave honest criticism and areas for improvement. I'm going to try to shorten the jokes to increase their impact, as my main goal, and I've definitely taken everything else into consideration. | 3 | [
{
"body": "It's way too close to \"A Softer World.\" This isn't like Led Zep ripping off the blues, it's more like Diddy sampling an entire Zep song and shouting over it with Godzilla in the background.",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "you've tried to take picturesforsadchildren and asofterworld and put them together into something new.\n\nand you've failed, because this is nothing new.\n\ni'm sorry.\n",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "actually these are closer in style to superpoop/married to the sea than they are to asofterworld in my opinion, so get acquainted with those comics if you're not \n \na lot of the problem seems to be when you do catch on something that could be funny even as a quick gag you ruin it with too many words or the wrong kind of words that spoil the joke or make it awkward, gonna fish through to give you examples of what I mean: \nhttp://happykidscomic.com/img/comic/10.jpg This is way funnier without the second sentence or the alt-text \nhttp://happykidscomic.com/img/comic/12.jpg Funny with just the last sentence, the first two overexplain the joke and make the image extraneous \nhttp://happykidscomic.com/img/comic/17.jpg This is just throwing more and more words at a broken joke and that doesn't bail it out, it is a bad joke \nhttp://happykidscomic.com/img/comic/21.jpg Almost decent without the last sentence \nhttp://happykidscomic.com/img/comic/24.jpg This is actually laugh-out-loud funny including alt-text until the bottom-left sentence that once again overexplains/kills the joke \nand so on \n \nmostly you seem to write from a perspective of yourself talking directly to a person/audience about observations and that never changes much and it's unnecessary usually, you can immerse yourself more in the joke and not deliver it like you're doing vanilla stand-up comedy, that's the beauty of the format of the comic, the image can be the backstory/accompaniment. this isn't the best example but like with http://happykidscomic.com/img/comic/30.jpg instead of the quotes thing the entire comic text would maybe be better off just as the last sentence without quote marks, maybe in all caps, something anything more striking than straight dialogue that comes off like a boring story that should end with \"and then i found five dollars\". actually like every single joke you do after comic 24 is a har-har cliche or an \"edgy\" observation instead of trying to be interesting or a joke, it's actually like a bizarre comedy drop-off. the older text was better and seemingly stopped you from using as many words as you do now. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I would get rid of, or at least shorten, the title. IMHO, it doesn't add much, and takes away from the gag in the panel.\r\n\r\nOther than that, funny stuff.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "So far (I've only read the latest one and 1-26), I like them. Reminds me of Mitch Hedberg humor. My only complaint is I think your title is the punch line and should go after the image. Or in the hovertext ala [XKCD](http://xkcd.com).\n\n\nEdit: I always get the link notation incorrect in my comments.\n\nEdit 2: The link isn't necessary since XKCD is in your list of favourite (favorite?) comics.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "While I find some of them funny, I feel sometimes the joke spoils itself. Shorter is sweeter, it gives it a bit of mystique, which a single stock image with text kinda needs.\n\nYou've got something, even if it's been done before. My real advice is start tightening up the joke a bit. You have one panel to work with, so you have to make sure the joke doesn't go on too long. One or two sentences is all you need.\n\nAlso, some of the comics feel more like Cracked image captions. Which you'd want to avoid. Even if they are funny to be found there, it won't get too much attention.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Looking for a few C# and .NET 3.5 book recommendations | I've been away from .net and C# development since about August of '06 (.NET 2.0) because our company took a different direction. I've got a client that will most likely have a good sized .NET based project for us in the near future. So, I want to brush up my C#/.NET skills before it gets too busy and I hate feeling like I am playing catchup while doing real work.
I am looking for a book that won't hold my hand as though I've never programmed before. And, hopefully it can introduce the changes and new feature since .NET 2.0 in a similar manner.
So, any recommendations? | 18 | [
{
"body": "If you're interested in C# specifically (as opposed to the .NET framework in general), Jon Skeet's [C# In Depth](http://csharpindepth.com/) is gold.\n\nIt's focused particularly on the changes in C#2 and C#3, it's short, and it's extremely lucid and readable. Absolutely doesn't hold your hand. It's targeted at experienced C# developers interested in learning the language more deeply, especially the new additions.\n\nOne of the best programming books I've ever read.\n\nIf you're hesitant about it (or even if not), you should also check out [some of the articles](http://www.yoda.arachsys.com/csharp/) on the author's web site.",
"score": 9
}
] |
The newly created /r/MixCD, a project after /r/listentothis' heart | As can be seen [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/mixcd/), two users (jmair and littlemissempress) have begun a subreddit much like the recently succesful /r/secretsanta project except aimed towards music fans.
Throw your hat in before midnight on January 15th and you can look forward to receiving a personalized mix cd, handmade by a fellow redittor (a group that has continually shown itself to turn the creativity up to eleven when given the oppurtunity).
The subreddit has more information. | 40 | [
{
"body": "I was thinking of doing this but then I realized you expect me to send out an physical cd. So now I'm passing on this because I'm lazy. A .zip file of about 15 songs uploaded to mediafire or something would be no problem though.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Really awesome idea. Creating mixes is an art, one that I haven't done in a lonnng time. Thank you guys, count me in as well! ",
"score": 4
}
] |
Does anyone else think that the umpiring in the third Test between England and SA is shocking? | Mainly thanks to the infamous Daryl Harper.
A few incidents stick out: Harper's howler of a decision to give Ashwell Prince out early in SA's second innings; the dismissal of Graeme Smith just short of his double-century, though subsequent replays showed Onions was about two feet down the pitch into his delivery stride; and Harpie also raising the finger to KP despite a massive inside edge onto his pads.
It's almost as though the umpires - well, at least Harpie - was asked to make the umpiring review system look like a *very* good idea. | 4 | [
{
"body": "I didn't watch the match, just followed the score. I'll watch the highlights to find out what happened. I was watching the other match (Aus vs Pak). Pak messed up.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Reddit, why is there an option to "Burn Audio Disc" on just about every single piece of burning software out there, but I cannot find anything that gives me the option to "Burn Video DVD"? | Why would this not come completely standard on every piece of CD/DVD authoring software in existence? If it were a piracy issue, why would there still be the option to burn an audio CD? It is basically the same thing here.
All I want is a way to take my video files and burn them to a DVD so that they will play on my DVD player at home, or at anyone else's house. I find it ridiculous that I can download burning software for free and it comes with the option to burn audio CDs but no option at all to burn video DVDs.
The technology oh so obviously exists, and all new-ish computers come with DVD burners, so why has this not become a standard feature on all burning software by now? | 3 | [
{
"body": "MPEG-2 licensing issues, I think? I looked into this a while back, don't recall anything definitive.",
"score": 3
}
] |
What's your favorite "Mr. Burn's is old" moment? | Mine:
(Burns to a postal service employee): "I'd like to send this letter to the [Prussian](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussia) consulate in [Siam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siam) by [aeromail](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airmail). Am I too late for the 4:30 [autogyro](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogyro)?" | 16 | [
{
"body": "\"Let's see, social security number ... naught, naught, naught ... naught, naught ... naught, naught, naught, two. Damn Roosevelt.\"",
"score": 32
},
{
"body": "When he needs to come up with some quick cash so he asks how his stock in the slave trade was doing.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "When he's checking his share value:\n\n\"Well let's get out the old stock ticker and have a look. Here's where I stopped checking it last time: September 23rd 1929... Oh nooo! Nooo!\"",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": ">Oh, so extortion is the name of your little game is it, Simpson!? Very well! You get nothing! I have the finest lawyers in all of Springfield. Tangle with me, and I'll crush you like a paper cup!\n*He crushes the cup with great difficulty.*",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "When they mention him appearing in a 19th century woodcut terrorizing children. Even in that he looks old.",
"score": 5
}
] |
Im entering my first Texas Hold'em tournament at work. Any good tips? | There's no entry fee and a $500 pot so what have I got to lose? I figured this would be a cool way to gather up some good tips for when I go to play. I know how to play poker pretty well but I've only played Hold'em once or twice and never had to bet on it, so that's where Im at right now
UPDATE: Thanks everyone for all your advice it really helped! I only got 3rd at my table which is still way better than I ever thought Id do, and now am thoroughly addicted to online poker. | 7 | [
{
"body": "Play a solid tight conservative game. AA, AK, AQ, KK are premium hands- bet 5x to 10x the blind. In early position call with JJ, QQ, AJ, KQ, KJ, QJ. In late position, you can raise 3 - 5x with those hands. \r\n\r\nWith jj, qq, 10-10, 99 call in early, raise in late, but unless you are top pair, dont press unless you hit a set. \r\n\r\nSmall pockets should be called, and not raised. You are looking for a set, make it cheap for yourself. Often under the gun and just under the gun small pockets should be prudently dumped. Remember if you have two of the cards, there are only two left in the deck to hit a set with. Calculate your odds accordingly.\r\n\r\nSuited connectors only in late position and maybe even mid if its going to be CHEAP, but dump early if the flop doesnt work out.\r\n\r\nIf you are the raiser, continue the bet even if you have not hit should you think it prudent. Do not check the button.\r\n\r\nIf you get reraised and cannot play back (do not have nuts, or second nuts) reconsider the call. Dont go fishing for runner runner after the flop unless it is checked to you or very cheap.\r\n\r\nInside straght fishing is retarded, expensive and unlikely to hit. Try to improve your hands when they have multiple outs... Is the a possibility of you hitting a flush as well as the straght, etc.\r\n\r\nDont bet the straght--call for it if you must-- if there are three cards towards the flush on the board.\r\n\r\nDont bet the flush, if there is the possibilty of a house on the board- a pair already showing on the board.\r\n\r\nAlways look at the board and consider what the best hand can be made with the board showing, and think about what sort of hands would be out there with the preflop raises and what you know about the players. \r\n\r\nThe key is PATIENCE. Folding is cheap!!\r\n\r\nGood luck.\r\n\r\n",
"score": 5
}
] |
Eating dark chocolate 40 minutes before smoking will give you an increased, more pleasant high. Science (and field testing of course) proves it! | Basically I came across a wonderful wall of text that went into gruesome detail on the subject and due to tl;dr I am going to attempt to slim it down and sum it up.
So, we all know chocolate makes us feel good, just to a much lesser extent of cannabis. Why is this? It is because of a chemical called Anandamide which binds to and activates our cannabinoid receptors. Dark chocolate contains chemicals that blocks the breakdown of this chemical, Anandamide, thus causing increased activity within our CB1 and CB2 receptors. (Yep, folks, chocolate has literally the same effect as weed does, just in a different and much lesser way!). By combining this with cannabis, the cannabinoid receptors are literally flooded with cannabinoid and the Anandamide isn't broken down as quickly due to the dark chocolate thus creating a much stronger high.
So this sciency stuff is all fine and dandy right? What about field research. Well, I have some of that too. The original poster wasn't about to divulge all of this information without field testing, and here is his direct quote as to the results
*"I ate the chocolate, half-expecting nothing to happen, but hoping. 45 minutes later, I spark up my bowl. Two hits, the same amount as two days ago. Nothing happens for a minute, and I think "well like always I'll be waiting for it to hit me (I smoke outsied) and then I can post... how fucking long have I been out here?" It was out of nowhere. Like that first time you banged your girlfriend and came? Like that, out of fucking nowhere. I walked back to my room, thinking "no way, this is too good to be true" and sat down at my computer. I felt an extreme relief at sitting down, and after a few minutes (seconds?) I felt welded to my chair. I got tunnel vision, or at least I think I did. My monitor seemed so far away, but so close. The keyboard made that familiar sound, and I remembered my childhood days spent typing away on an iMac(the one with OS9) and playing Nanosaur. I rememberd the days spent, the hours of happiness. I reminisced a little while longer before deciding I needed something to get something to drink upstairs. As soon as I got out of my chair, gravity kicked in and I fell. Like imagine you walking and all of a sudden a mattress falls on your head lol..."* and then he goes on and just talks about a high that lasted like 2 hours along these lines.
And the thing is, this wasn't just a one man thing. At least 3 other posters who participated in the experiment reported the exact same thing, but again 4 people in an experiment is nowhere near enough to promote correlation.
So I propose we too do a little research. Grab yourself some chocolate with a cocoa content of 52% or greater (the more the better), and eat about 1.75+ oz of that goodness... wait 35-40 minutes, and smoke what you would usually smoke.
FOR SCIENCE! | 73 | [
{
"body": "if you choose to include others in your *study*, dont tell them about the effects that the chocolate may have. This way after the fact you can ask them if they felt higher, and then tell them about the chocolate. This way you can help rule out a placebo effect that may occur.",
"score": 15
},
{
"body": "Well I happen to be a dark Chocolate fan so apparently I have been doing this experiment for you about once a week. \n\nI usually have a large bar of Lindt 85% Cacao in the house http://www.lindt.com/ca/swf/eng/products/bars/dark-chocolate/excellence-85-cacao/\n\nAbout once a week the wife and I will sit on the couch watching a movie and polish off about 1/2 the bar each. We usually torch a few small trees when we do this.\n\nCompared with the occasions where we do the exact same thing and dont eat dark chocolate there really hasnt been any noticeable difference whatsoever. If anything I would think that people are noticing a placebo effect. I have consumed a lot of dark chocolate while burning trees in my day and cant think of it ever once improving the experience beyond the enjoyment of having some fine chocolate to calm the munchies.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Read this about an hour ago and the first thing I did was go out and buy some 85% dark chocolate for me and my roommate. We both *hate* dark chocolate but we're both pot smoking grad students so.. FOR SCIENCE!\n\nI'll let you guys know if it works for us :)",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "We would have to at least set up a single blind study, but a double blind study is the golden standard.\n\nAlso, I have a few questions about your explanation. Firstly, Anandamide is the endogenous neurotransmitter (found naturally in the body) and THC is the exogenous neurotransmitter (not found naturally in the body), these two neurotransmitters work off of the same receptors and are *similar* in effects, but not identical. So if your claim is correct that chocolate restricts the breakdown of Anandamide, how would that effect the THC that is infiltrating your nervous system? I would have to presume that once you start smoking cannabis, Anandamide production would either be shut off or decreased significantly, which leads me to doubt that your explanation is the *only thing that is happening when eating chocolate before smoking. The effects of smoking cannabis are the result of THC locking with mainly the CB1 and CB2 receptors, so Anandamide would be mostly benign when attempting to get high, at least from the way I perceive it.\n\nHowever, the effects that you are feeling may very well be true and we just haven't found the *true* explanation for the cause of your increased effects. I also have heard that eating chocolate while taking 'shrooms also increases the effect.\n\nMaybe I'll try to create an experiment design and link the PDF here for everyone to try, it should be rather simple to conduct this type of experiment, we just need to make sure that the effects of eating chocolate before smoking has a greater effect than that of placebo.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Yes Twilight sucks, and so does all the vampire craze. But if you haven't seen "Let The Right One In", see it this week. Great movie! | LTROI showed up on some list I read, a link I followed a Reddit submission, some list about top movies of last decade. The writer mentioned how good the movie was. He was right. It's from 2008, but I just found out about it.
The pool scene alone at the end of the movie is etched into my brain as a classic scene.
Forget all the vampire crap out there right now. Go see this movie. | 244 | [
{
"body": "What about Thirst?\n\nWhat about True Blood?\n\nI get that there are bad Vampire things around, but don't dismiss them all besides - the awesome - Let the Right One In.",
"score": 30
},
{
"body": "I watched it again yesterday, still gets me. It's apparently getting a Hollywood remake, which makes me sad. ",
"score": 21
},
{
"body": "__SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE__\n\n__There are plenty of things mentioned in the book that have been taken out of the film__, which is horrible in my opinion because it destroys the story. I'll try to list some of them:\n\n* It's not obvious in the movie that the only reason Eli (the vampire) lives with the old man is because vampires go into deep sleep and need help to get blood when they wake up again—but why does he help Eli? Because he is a pedophile and regularly exchanges this for sexual favors.\n\n* Eli used to be a guy, but got the penis cut off. That's right, the two lovers are both guys. Vampire gay love (even though the vampire is an asexual symbol in this story, asexual love is central to the entire plot) is clearly not cool for the big screen.\n\n* The guy who helps Eli dies halfway through the movie. In the book, he's still alive after the fall and comes back to haunt Eli. He is an undead abomination and in one scene tries to rape Eli in the ass.\n\ntl;dr The books plot is centered around asexual love, sex is constantly portrayed but always as something disgusting. The true, \"pure\" love between is the asexual, formerly male, vampire and the male protagonist.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "What a great film, I can't wait for the shitty American re-make dumbed down for fuck-tards too lazy to read subtitles ",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Dear Reddit, \n\nShut the fuck up about the same five goddamn movies. We all know that little girls like twilight and that we, as the sophisticated ladies and gentlemen that we are, hate it. Fuck, even the five movies that you guys do recommend aren't even that great or obscure in the least. Fuck you /r/movies.\n\nRegards,\n\nFyodor Douchetoevsky",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "I haven't watched it because I don't want to see the one with the apparently extremely cheeseball subtitles. [I want the one with the accurate subtitles](http://screenrant.com/let-the-right-one-in-dvd-scandal-kofi-6533/), but how can I tell from the torrent or the Netflix rental? \n\nExample of original theatrical subtitle:\n\n You can jerk off at home. \n\nSame subtitle from DVD/Bluray release:\n\n Time to go home.\n\nEdit: Guess I'll have to buy it to know for sure, since it only says on the DVD packaging.",
"score": 3
}
] |
How are you gonna make your CD stand out? | We all know Redditors are extremely creative folk, so, anyone have plans to make their CD stand out from the rest? Here's an idea from fellow user **brotherbear**:
"Perhaps something that could take it to a more intimate level is the inclusion of liner notes with the mixes. Why the songs were chosen, they first time the mixer heard the song, etc. I think that could add a memorable facet to what otherwise could be just a physical reproduction of /r/listentothis."
Anyone got any ideas for amping up the creativity that they'd like to share? | 14 | [
{
"body": "I'm looking forward to pulling out the old school crayons to bedazzle mine. I'll definitely be doing the liner notes (obviously) too. \n\nSeeing as I'm gonna need to buy a stack of CD-R's to participate, I hope this thing becomes a bi- or tri-monthly thing, like how I look forward to my next issue of MAKE.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I [made my own album cover](http://imgur.com/lMd9l.jpg), and included one of my own songs on the CD.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Can you tell me movie quotes that are paradoxial, self-contradictory, or just plain don't make sense? | In "Star Wars Epsiode III: Revenge of the Sith", Obi Wan Kenobi says: "Only a Sith lord deals in absolutes."
I hear this, and I think: "...only? Nobody else? That's rather absolute." | 5 | [
{
"body": "From one of the worst Bond films ever, The World is Not Enough:\n\n\"Call him off, I won't ask you again. Call him off! Call him off!\"",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Does it have to be a quote from a movie? Yogi Berra once said, of a restaurant: \"Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded.\" (Actually 90% of what Yogi Berra said could go here.)",
"score": 3
}
] |
Is there a cure for: "always thinking I left the door unlocked"? | Earlier today, just as I leave my apartment I notice this neighbor with a dog. I don't know her but I say hi, pet the dog and go on my way. I walk half a block when I start worrying that I left the door unlocked... or did I leave it completely open! I don't remember closing it because I was distracted by the damn dog.
So I circle the block and head back, only to meet the woman with the dog again. She has an excuse for circling the block and I don't, so I do as if I forgot something and unlock my door, go in for 5 seconds and go back out. She's still there going for a second round. I don't want to look like a weirdo and pass by her again, so I decide to take a different path. Half a block away I start worrying again. I was so focused on that woman and her dog that I may have forgotten to lock the door... so I track back - it was locked again.
Confident my door is locked, I leave thinking about what just happened and worrying about my sanity.
I find I often track back to check if I closed the door properly and I worry a lot when I'm unsure but convince myself not to check again. Perhaps what doesn't help is that I actually found the door unlocked once.
Is there something wrong with me? Can I cure this? | 3 | [
{
"body": "I do this with things occasionally. My solution is for something like this, to mentally state \"I am locking the door (or whatever)\" while doing it. Forces you to be conscious about something you might otherwise do completely automatically.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I do this as well. You don't have OCD, so don't take any meds for it. Fucking America and its meds. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Before I comment, i'll preface by saying that I have had Obessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for over 11 years, and I also have a degree in psychology.\r\n\r\nThe behaviour you're describing certainly looks like a symptom of OCD, as others here have said. However, that single behaviour alone is nowhere near enough to constitute a diagnosis. In order to determine whether you do have this disorder, a therapist would need more information then you've given so far. If you genuinely are distressed by this behaviour, then it would be a good idea to talk to your doctor. Keep in mind that many people perform 'obsessive compulsive' behaviours which do *not* constitute OCD. Furthermore, even if you *did* have OCD, it is treatable (although the extent of treatment effectiveness is highly variable).\r\n\r\nMedication has been suggested - and this is often helpful for people with OCD, but typically a combination of therapy (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and medication is the ideal treatment. While I'm not specifically trained in nutrition, I have no reason to believe that increasing your vitamin D levels (e.g., by using a supplement) will have a noticeable effect unless you find that you only experience the obsessive thoughts during Winter.\r\n\r\nIf you have any questions about OCD or treatment, feel free to ask.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Do you fingerpick? Do you do your picking hand's nails? If so, what do you do to them? | I've played a little (very little) bit of classical-style on nylon strings in the past, but never really grew my right hand nails out. Very recently I've decided to get serious about fingerpicking, mostly on steel strings, and I've been learning Travis picking and some songs that use right hand picking heavily, and the nails were giving me a lot more attack, so I've grown out the nails on my thumb and 3 fingers a bit.
What do folks do with their nails? I have trimmed them to be a little more pointed, since the edges were tending to snag on strings. Then I wound up scratching my head and cutting my scalp. I'm afraid I'm going to break one of them. I tried a few layers of clear nail polish to make them stronger, but they were shiny and I thought that just didn't quite look the way I wanted to look say, at my office. I put a couple more coats on, but it got all bubbly and ugly looking so I wound up taking it off. My wife suggests I go see a manicurist but, well, I've never been to one in my life. What do you fingerpickers do? How to take care of them? How long to grow them? Advice appreciated.
| 16 | [
{
"body": "I used to have acrylic nails on four fingers of the right hand. The girls in the nail salon thought I was crazy. I didn't care. [Eric Roche](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rQVuyZNQ18) (RIP) told me he did it, and that was enough for me.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "My nails are short. I play a steel string guitar and prefer a rounder sound, so I pluck the strings with my fingertips. Years ago my fingertips developed callouses from fingerpicking, so there's a tradeoff. I don't worry about broken nails, but I do have rough fingertips. (Have you ever seen that clip of Keith Richards putting out a cigarette on his fingertip callouses? Yikes!)",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I play both classical and steel-strung fingerstyle. I let my nails grow out naturally on my right hand. Occasionally I accidentally break the nail on my index finger and only then is when I trim the rest (this happens about once every 2-3 weeks). I have experimented with different \"shapes\" to my nails, one I particularly enjoyed was cutting the right corner of each nail. This allowed me to play bass guitar a lot easier as my nails weren't getting caught on the higher gauged bass strings any longer if I played at a slightly skewed angle.\n\nI never use nail polish or anything else to assist the nails. Aside from my index finger, they hold up pretty well. There are modifications that could be made to your diet to provide more of the vitamins that make your nails stronger. I used to take a vitamin supplement for my skin and it in turned helped both my hair and nails, but I do not have the name of the supplement available. \n\nIf you haven't already, try out a thumb pick. I enjoy it sometimes, and sometimes I don't. It does make the bass sound a lot nicer on the steel-string.\n\nGood luck! Fingerstyle is a heckuva lotta fun!",
"score": 3
}
] |
Best budget motherboard/processor for gaming | Hey /r/gaming
Looking to upgrade my old P4 into the new fancy processors
currently I have an nVidia 8800GT, ATX case, and DDR2 RAM that I hope to reuse...
I haven't built a PC in over 10 years, so I have no idea what's out there anymore. What's a decent yet cheap mobo/chipset combo? | 3 | [
{
"body": "I just got an [AMD Phenom II X2 550](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680). The thing about this (dual core) processor is that it is not really dual core. Basically, as I understand it, it is really a quad core with two of the cores locked. Some bios allow you to unlock these cores to determine if they are damaged. If they are not then you now have a triple or quad core processor!\n\nTo top it all off, this processor is great for overclocking. It starts as a 3.1GHz but can be *easily* overclocked to 3.8GHz and with special cooling can be overclocked to 4.5GHz. It might not be considered \"budget\" at $100 but it is well worth the money.\n\n",
"score": 3
}
] |
I am thinking of severing all ties with my family, How would I do so? | I am thinking of severing all ties with my family, mostly because they are a bunch of self righteous christian people that feel as if by them paying for me so far, (feeding me and letting me live with them rent-free) I am not only their slave, but am expected to mindlessly agree with everything they say and do. They think that I am not capable of leading my own life, and I know for a fact that if they knew half the stuff I deal with/get up to in college they would throw me out. In addition, they get angry with me when I do what they ask because five minutes later they change their minds, and when I wait to see if they actually want it done they get even madder. They show me no respect, and yet expect me to show them respect when their behavior merits none.
Some info about me
I am 20 years old
I go to a state college, I am studying to be a teacher
I am not really that into all the religious stuff, but I am not an atheist
I work at my local YMCA as a swim instructor/lifeguard
I am trying to think of ways that I could effectively cut the ties with them. At this point the best solution I have come up with is to join some branch of the military, such as the navy or something, because my job doesn't pay enough for me to move out on my own and continue my education. (when I am at school, things are sort of OK as I go far enough away that they don't visit, though they expect a phone call every day. They pay for my meal plan, so they expect me to be in contact with them)
Also, sorry about the poor writing quality of the post, but I felt like I had to write this down before I went crazy.
TLDR
I hate my family, and they hate me- how can I get away from them with no lines of communication open?
EDIT- I forgot to mention, they are kind of racist, and hate that I am in a somewhat serious (2 year) relationship with a black girl. at first they thought I would just get over the "phase", and are now upset that i haven't. | 3 | [
{
"body": "Do not cut communication with your family. You will regret it later in life. A better alternative would be to just greatly reduce your contact with your family. You could change your number and email, just small things. But you never want to completely sever all ties. And yes, you hate them, and they hate you. But if you don't have any contact with them , how do you plan to rub your successful life in their faces down the road?",
"score": 14
}
] |
A tool to help you succeed in doing this | Hi,
I had the same idea. I'm writing a last.fm web app which takes in a list of users, and works out the best "route" for exchanges to take place, given users' compatabilities and (hopefully) distances from eachother (so you give it users "x","y","z","a","b", and it tells you the best route given music taste and distance is "y->b->z->a->x->y")
Is there interest in this? I'll be doing it anyway.
(re-posted from the original thread, I only just saw that you'd set up a subreddit) | 16 | [
{
"body": "So, em, it's actually.. pretty much finished. \n\nJust one thing I don't know how to deal with - if a user doesn't display their country on last.fm, what should the program do? At the moment it generates the score between two users by doing:\n\nlastfmCompatability * (1/distance)\n\nSo, if two users live in the same country, it's basically just their compatibility that comes into effect. At the moment, I have \"distance\" set to 1 (as if the two users live in the same country) when one user hasn't provided their country. \n\nAny ideas how I could do this better?",
"score": 4
}
] |
I'm about to enter a long distance relationship, any advice from people who have made this work? | Here's the situation. I've been with my girlfriend in college now for about 2 years and we love each other very much. I just graduated college and got a job in Minnesota while she is planing to go to grad school out in New York. Both locations will not be permanent as the job I have is only scheduled for one year and she will eventuality graduate from school. I really want to make this relationship work out, but from past experience neither of us are good at long distance relationships. Does anyone have any advise on what can make a long distance relationship work? | 5 | [
{
"body": "Videochat and phone as often as possible. Make time and set aside money for visits in person; try to visit each other at least once a month, taking turns with who travels. Be understanding, though, if one of you has to visit more because of scheduling and work. Take advantage of every three-day weekend. Email music, photos, and websites to her that you think she'll like. Send flowers via online shops. Make one of those flower deliveries a surprise one in person. Realize that misunderstandings in what you say easily get amplified by email and phone. Most importantly, trust each other.",
"score": 12
}
] |
The guy seems a bit crazy...but is this proper procedure? Can cops do this? | [This video](http://www.thatvideosite.com/video/he_has_some_good_reasons_for_resisting_arrest) bothered me.
In particular...
Guy on the ground: What charge?
Police Officer: Doesn't matter. | 5 | [
{
"body": "The officer said, \"There's a warrant out for your arrest.\" then the guy on the ground asked \"what's the charge.\" to which the officer said, \"doesn't matter\".\n\n\nIf a judge issued a warrant for someone's arrest, it doesn't matter what the charge is.\n\n",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "...And as quickly as the singing poet came, he bounded into the night, never to be seen around the gas station again.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Ever heard of the "Deal Extreme" website? | This is a really great place you can get wholesale prices for single purchases of chinese made items; and air-mail shipping on your stuff from Hong Kong is complementary on most things.
You have to be somewhat time rich in your life to be able to use the website - because a good portion of the stuff is dollar-store quality; it's not going to work or is going to break after a single use. But in that way, it's sort of like a gold mine - a lot of useless rock which is to be tossed aside, but a little bit of valuable gold here and there. You need the time to research what you buy really thoroughly. There's actually plenty of good quality stuff for a quarter of the price you'd pay for it in the Usa. User reviews are encouraged - and they are not removed because of being too critical of the poor quality of the stuff (there is apparently a 200 letter minimum review length, though). These reviews are what makes the site work. People can compare notes about what they've bought.
If you're really time rich (read: unemployed) deal-extreme might be a good resource, if you wanted to start an ebay business.
link: http://www.dealextreme.com | 42 | [
{
"body": "I second and recommend. Shipping is slow but free, and comes in these fascinating Hong Kong Post envelopes covered with cryptic symbols and stamps, very cool in the mailbox. Build quality can be a touch shaky, you get what you pay for, but everything I bought from them still works well.",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "> If you're really time rich (read: unemployed) deal-extreme might be a good resource, if you wanted to start an ebay business.\n\nUnfortunatelly most of the stuff that you can buy there can be also bought on ebay - and it's usually cheaper.\n**(EDIT: OK, I should have written: for things I was looking for it was usually cheaper.)**\nThat said, I've bought some things from dx in the past and they all served me well (for the price).\n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "slow to ship during the holidays but very cheap and fast during non-holiday seasons. \n\nGreat for usb cords. But I wouldn't trust a condom from there.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "These guys are pretty great. I bought my Acekard 2i for my DS from them for about 13 bucks. Sure I had to wait like 3 weeks but I'm getting so much use out of my DS that I'm definitely not complaining. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I Ordered my daughter's stocking stuffers/NDS accessories and a boatload of shit for myself. It was ordered on December 2nd, and it arrived yesterday, with about 1/2 of the shit I ordered.\n\nOverall I am happy and would recommend this site, just be warned that it could take over a month to get what you ordered, and another month to get the rest of the shit they did not send.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Oh man, I've seen this before. You think you'll save money, but you'll spend so much more on things you never were going to buy otherwise.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I buy my earphones from DX. They cost like $2.50 and the last two pairs have lasted well over a year, where all the 15eur+ ones that I had before lasted 6 months, max. Some stuff really is good. :) But you have to have a bit of luck and some common sense.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Do you believe that there is a class system in US? | I just read a Tennessee Williams play and it is stressing the immense difference between classes in US. While I notice that many US authors and artists are straining themselves to depict the class struggle across US, many of my friends from US point out that the class system does not exist in America, due to the pervasive American Dream concept, as well as economic cycles that tend to rip through nouveau riche peeps every time there's a major fall.
But if there is a class system, then wouldn't people across US be able to recognize themselves as a part of the downtrodden masses? Would they not be able to partake in political action? Would they not recognize that the difference between themselves and the next hood shoeless kid is only a paycheque away?
Tell me of this country you call America. Do you believe that there is a class system in your country, and if so, which class do you think you belong to?
Edit: What do you think prevents them from uniting into a healthy political movement then? | 7 | [
{
"body": "There is a class system, but the lower classes are too busy scraping by to care much about it, the middle classes are too proud to admit when they're hurting, and the upper classes are too embarrassed to say they're high up. So pretty much everyone says they're \"middle class.\"\n\nPlus, the costs of living vary widely across America, so even people who make the same amount of money aren't necessarily in the same class. Where I grew up in Oklahoma, my wife's six-figure income would put us up with the rich people. But in NYC where we live now, we're in the middle, slightly below the median for our neighborhood. This makes it hard to develop a nationwide \"class identity.\" It's not as simple as \"I make X amount of money, I am middle class.\"\n\nSo while there is a class system, there's not a lot of class warfare due to a combination of factors based on denial and identity issues.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Reddit, what do you think about Alan Watts' quote on psychedelic drugs, "When you get the message, hang up the phone." ? | What do you think about the quote and why do you indulge in such experiences in the first place? Some see drugs as a journey, others as a means to an end, and still others just want to get fucked up.
Discuss. | 42 | [
{
"body": "Psychedelics allow you to tear down your old assumptions and build stronger foundations in their place.\n\nBut if all you're doing is tearing down, you aren't going to get very far. The post-trip integration period is as essential as the trip itself.",
"score": 29
},
{
"body": "Checking messages isn't the only thing you can use a phone for. There's nothing wrong with using drugs just for fun instead of as a mystical/spiritual journey.",
"score": 16
}
] |
I nearly blew it today. My dog caught me cheating. We're just trying to make it through... | I left early for work this morning. I had to leave Barrett (my BIG red mix-breed) at home by himself for a looooong day.
The people I was interviewing had several dogs at their house. A couple of really cool ones too. I played with the dogs a little as I was getting to know the family before the interview. I patted them on their heads. If they brought a toy, I threw it. No biggie.
Hours later, I get home from work. Even later than usual. (Went out bowling with friends after work). Barrett hears me and comes clomping across the living room, the swish of his tail audible, even in the dark.
"Oh man, I'm so happy to see you Travis! This is, like, the best time ever! What are we going to do together? Are we going to go outside now? Maybe you could feed me first before we go out? Oh man, it's ok either way, I'm just so happy you're here!"
I put down my bag and reached to pet him, but before my hand could reach his head, Barrett froze.
He stopped cold, halfway through a tail wag.
I held perfectly still as he creeped in, sniffing me up one pants leg. Slowly. Deliberately. Then down the other, sniffing even more intensely. Then he took a step back, paused, and looked up at me with an expression I've seen just once before.
"You cheated on me, Travis. I know."
He lowered his head and walked out of the room. Around the corner, I heard him lay down. He looked as utterly heartbroken as anyone could ever be. It's the saddest he's ever acted.
"Damn, dude..."
So I slide a bowl of food into his spot, and he comes meandering in, and eats unenthusiastically.
As soon as he's done, I take him out back and after he does his thing, I pull his ball out of my pocket. (A knobby rubber one. His favorite!) His ears perk up. I throw it, he brings it back. I throw it again. He brings it back. He *always* brings it back...
We're a team! He's my big dog! He gets the ball, never poops in the house, and has the courage to walk up to all the pretty girls at the dog park so I can attempt a conversation. I feed him, pat him on the head at the appropriate times, and let him sleep in the bed on really cold nights.
A few more throws, and my betrayal has been forgiven.
We come back inside and sit down. "You my big dog, big guy?"
He walks over and lays his head in my lap. I scratch him behind the ears.
"Yeah. You're my big dog..."
http://imgur.com/dzM0T.jpg | 279 | [
{
"body": "AWWW I cheated accidentally with the collie next door, because I was shoveling their driveway and jake comes out and starts licking me and jumping on me. I came in my house and Maya was all like, \"Bitch why you gotta play me like that!?\" But then I gave belly wubbs and all was ok. I also gave her my leftover beef stew. I love you [Maya!](http://i.imgur.com/auPth.jpg)",
"score": 40
},
{
"body": "This is why dogs are a (wo)man's best friend. A cat would have let you grovel for weeks.\n\nYour dog is adorable. Please give him lots of hugs from me (I'm involuntarily dogless and miss having one).",
"score": 23
},
{
"body": "Nice story, and a good looking dog. \n\nHere's mine, [before](http://imgur.com/a9ZTc) and [after.](http://imgur.com/W1BnD)\n\nHer name's Bella. She's a great dog. Kind of stupid, but totally lovable.",
"score": 11
}
] |
Hey, /r/Music, what was the first album that you can remember actually loving? | I'm sure everyone can remember when they bought that one album that really made them love music. For me, it was Green Day's "American Idiot". I was only 13 (17 now) when I got it, but I remember just sitting on the floor listening to it until eventually I would fall asleep. I loved everything about it, and it made me want to find more music that was more meaningful than, "Yo shorty, it's your birthday...". I now have a fairly large collection of music from a few different genres. I don't think I would have ever sought out the rest of my music if it weren't for hearing that album.
I know that everyone has their own taste in music... Can we just keep this from becoming a fight about good/bad music? | 17 | [
{
"body": "Nevermind - Nirvana\n\nEvil Empire - Rage Against The Machine.\n\nNot really one album, but I did buy them together and they've basically shaped a huge part of who I am today as a result (into hiphop, rock, alt-indie etc. /trend_rant).",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Im gonna have to say Battle of Los Angeles by Rage Against the Machine. Im sure there were ones before it, but thats the oldest one I remember right now.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "[fIREHOSE](http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jiftxqy5ldje) Ragin' Full-On. I bought it at the SST store in Hollywood, the guy running the store was wearing a dress that day. I was 14, I'm 30 now, this record is still the shit.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Pink Floyd - The Wall I bought it becasue I it seemed cool at the time. Holy shit that was amazing. I imediatly put down that shitty nu metal and downloaded some Beatles, Stones, Black Sabbath and of course Dark Side Of The Moon.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Pavement's \"Slanted and Enchanted\"\r\n\r\nTook 3 listens and I was head over heels in love with this album.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Maintenance over: The site's back up! | The [maintenance jedberg posted about](http://reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/ameij/reddit_down_for_maintenance_tonight_10pm_pacific/) is now complete. We'll have a post on [/r/blog](http://reddit.com/r/blog) sometime tomorrow explaining what was done.
We were down for one hour, eleven minutes.
Nine months from now, I'm expecting a reddit baby boom. | 248 | [
{
"body": "During the downtime, it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize the rest of the Internet still worked.",
"score": 33
},
{
"body": "[The digg story that got frontpaged while we were all getting bored](http://digg.com/software/Reddit_Digg_2)\n\nDigg it and make it their biggest story if you have an account. The Poe's law is really strong in the comments though. Its difficult to understand which ones are actual Diggers and which are just Redditors posing as 12 year old.",
"score": 31
},
{
"body": "I'm no programmer, but could you write something into the code that makes the site flicker back to life when you're done patching it? That would be so cool.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "did anyone else read raldi in red, think NSFW, and wonder what kind of maintenance reddit was doing?",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "Who else have been refreshing reddit and saw the frontpage rewind back to up to 10~ hours ago and slowly fast-forward back to the present?",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "> Nine months from now, I'm expecting a reddit baby boom.\n\nWho are you kidding, Raldi? This is Reddit. Expect a current Reddit tissue shortage instead. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "This is kind of like getting an email from the IT guy stating that it's okay to log back in to email...",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "oh thank god... I committed numerous acts of cannibalism, and formed a simple feudal society in it's absence. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I mathematically proved how to achieve peace on earth when reddit came back on. Don't know were I left the notes. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Got Netflix? Do yourself a favor and watch Farscape. | They have seasons 1-3 on instant watch (and if you have an XBox 360, set that thing up so you can watch on your TV), and season 4 and Peacekeeper Wars are available on DVD.
Good show, well written, amazing universe, but the camaraderie between Crichton ("Who's his daddy?") and D'Argo ("I'm his daddy") make them one of the best "buddy" pairs in SF television | 25 | [
{
"body": "\"D'argo, tell him who his daddy is.\"\n\"I'm your daddy.\"\n\nFuck you for making me tear up at work.\n\nAmazing show.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "I watched the first episode a couple of weeks ago and it was painfully bad. I'm in the process of trying to get over my initial reaction and trust all the people that say it gets much better.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I remember seeing the 1st episode and thinking \"great, a Buck Rogers wanna be\" . . .\r\n\r\nMan, did things really pick up though. Awesome series.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "The stories themselves are worse than some of the early ST:TNG episodes, but they always rely on guns instead of diplomacy, which is why it is so much better.",
"score": 4
}
] |
I think my roommate is clinically insane. Do you guys have any experience with seriously bizarre behavior. Can you help me out? | I have been living with the same roommate since July of 2006. He was very nice and normal for the last couple of years, and was all around enjoyable to be with. We would play xbox together, shoot hoops, go out to bars and clubs, and all sorts of things. His sister would come over every month or so, and they would go for dinner or see a movie or visit their parents. All in all, he was definitely a normal guy.
He did have a girlfriend at that time, and they were dating until August of this year. Somehow, he caught her cheating on him, but then *she* decided to breakup with *him*. He must have snapped or something, because his behavior since then has gotten increasingly and increasingly more bizarre. In September his little sister moved off for a semester abroad, so I think he got a double whammy.
I have observed the following behavior in the last two weeks:
1. Increased drinking. He's up to 750ml every two days.
2. He urinates inside paper cups, empty liquor bottles, the bathtub, and sink. His bedroom faces our balcony, and I can see inside it when I take out the trash. He has at least 5 uncovered 16oz cups of urine on his dresser.
3. He believes he is a 'nudist' now. He started by walking to the shower nude, then sleeping nude, then watching T.V. nude, then eating nude, then being nude whenever I don't have a guest over.
4. Diet changes. He only eats meat, he has a gluten or wheat allergy or something like that. As with everything, he has gotten progressively worse. First he baked it, then grilled, then sauteed it, and now he eats it raw. That is correct. **My roommate eats raw meat naked**
Slowly and surely, I think he's gone insane. I don't know what to do. Is this a phase? Is he trying to get me to break the lease? I don't get it, I signed on for another year in July 2009, he could have asked me to break or move out then. Is this a mental health problem? Should I call the police, or the health services, or his parents? | 17 | [
{
"body": "Have you tried just asking him whats up? if you guys have been roommates for 3 years surely you're at the point where you could just go and say \"Hey bro, you've been acting wierd lately and I'm worried about you. Is everything OK? Can i help with anything?\"\n\nThe police is a silly idea. Pissing in a cup and eating meat naked are both perfectly legal. If the talk doesnt yield satisfactory results you could maybe call his parents and see if they know anything. ",
"score": 15
},
{
"body": "My roomate was never naked eating raw meat, but she did have a hard time understanding simple spacial and fair concepts. \n\nWe split our fridge - I get the top shelf, she had middle and the bottom and the door were shared. One day she came home with a massive amount of groceries. She took my stuff from the shared shelves and shoved them into my shelf and then took over all te shared space. But when that wasn't enough, she took stuff from my shelf out of the fridge comletely, set them on the floor (all stuff that will spoil) and claimed half of my shelf.\n \nWhen I confronted her about it, she said I had no right to tell her what to do. She left me crazy notes all the time. And if I ever wrote back, shed go into the shared space and slam stuff on te floor, and throw things, just so that, even if I was in my room - I'd know she wasn't pleased.\n\nThen there was the constant stream of men, every night. \n\nNeedless to say, living there was a nightmare.\n\nBUT, apparently she has two buttholes. So that kept me laughing.\n",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Why don't you try asking him what is up. Or if that doesn't work, start peeing in apple juice containers and storing them in the fridge... that way you can even out the quirkiness",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "How old is he? Is he in the age range for schizophrenia onset? Can you have a chat with him trying to get his reasons for the raw meat eating and nudity? (The drinking and pee collecting, too, if you can go there..) See if his thought process is warped along with his behavior, which is definitely alarming. \n\nIf you guys are in school, I would definitely try to get him to go to counseling on his own unless he is showing signs of something more serious like schizophrenia (then I would probably bypass him). You're going to have to talk to him either way. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "He's completely disrupting your life and making your living situation very uncomfortable and you don't have the heart to call him out on it? That's dysfunctional. It does not help either of you. You need to set boundaries: If your behavior does not change/if you do not go for help, etc. I will move out/kick you out, etc. If you think someone pissing in cups and saving it and walking around nude all the time is not conscious of it, you are really in trouble and need to act. Good-luck!",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "My main advice is to be casual with your questions, don't be too confronting. Ask questions in passing or joke about the raw meat, asking if he prefers chicken or beef. Ask what the cups of urine are for with a \"you selling them on ebay or something?\". Try to engage him in conversation and let him tell you things rather than you asking explicitly. Invite him to parties, lunch with friends etc where he can get out of the house and hang out with people that you both know. First thing that came to mind was schizophrenia but before you go calling asylums, i think it's important to gauge where he's at as well as where *he* thinks he's at. \n\nIf you've got his sister on facebook or something, maybe ask if she's spoken to him lately cause he's been acting kinda weird and you don't know if you've done something to piss him off or whatever (if she knows something she'll probably reply with a 'nah it's not you, as far as i'm aware he's been a bit depressed because...'). ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Remember the mayonnaise jar and coffee. | A friend emailed me this today. Just thought I'd share.
> A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
> So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
> The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
> The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
> "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff."
> "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
> One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
> The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend". | 18 | [
{
"body": "No! Bad razorbladethorax! Chain letters should not be posted on Reddit! We are not the next in the chain of Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Philosophy Class!",
"score": 24
},
{
"body": "I got this from a friend of mine, and I told her what I'm about to tell you:\n\nIf I had a philosophy professor trying to teach me folksy nonsense like that, I'd drop the course and demand my money back. I'd also complain to the dean.\n\nThe purpose of a philosophy class is not to be a personal soapbox from which to spout any nonsense that comes into your head; it's to explain thought as a discipline, the exact opposite of this crap.",
"score": 3
}
] |
A user on the forum I administer has posted that he will commit suicide in three months. What should I do? | I'm a forum admin. A few months ago this guy posted that he'd commit suicide in six months if he hadn't kissed a girl. Everyone thought he was just being dramatic. Then yesterday he posted a three month warning. I'm taking it fairly seriously at this point.
I think I should just send him a gentle note asking if he's serious and recommending that he get some help. Thoughts? | 20 | [
{
"body": "I think that's what you should do. If you are up to it, also offer to listen, if he wants to talk to anyone. He has set himself an arbitrary time limit, which is not uncommon. Encourage him to tell you about why he's set that limit, and how long he's been feeling this way, has he felt this way before etc - it might give him a bit of a new perspective on the whole idea of this self-imposed time limit. If you are not certain whether you can do that sort of supportive talking, I can tell you that all you need to do is be caring and a good listener. It's not hard and the world has been turning and people have been talking long before paid therapists were invented. The only thing that needs to be conspicuously absent is a judgmental attitude. If he does seem agreeable to the idea of seeing a professional, encourage it by all means. Both can't hurt. Maybe talking to you is a good first step, and then he can be encouraged to seek help for the bigger issues that are bothering him. ",
"score": 7
}
] |
"Actions speak louder than words." and "The pen is mightier than the sword." Two contradictory sayings. Which one do you agree with more? | ...just as I was typing that I realized I'm just setting myself up for a bunch of Sean Connery SNL Celebrity Jeopardy wisecracks. But seriously. Which one seems to be more valid in reality? | 9 | [
{
"body": "They are not contradictory at all.\n\nActions speak louder than words - basically is pointing out that regardless of what one says, you should judge someone by what they do. If your girls says she loves only you and cheats with someone else for 2 years her actions are probably more indicative of the truth than her words.\n\nThe pen is mightier than the sword - This is basically saying that ideas expressed can be far more powerful motivators then brute force.\n\nThey are not always true, but they are not in opposition ",
"score": 24
},
{
"body": "It may seem like these are contradictory, but if you shift the 's' from the end of 'words' to the beginning then go stab someone with a pen (saving yourself from having to waste a plastic spork on a particularly mundane assault) then it all sort of works out.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Both statements make the mistake of suggesting a false choice between two options.\n\nIn fact, actions AND words are superior. Neither chasing someone with a knife nor yelling \"I'll kill you bitch!\" is as powerful as chasing someone with a knife WHILE yelling \"I'll kill you bitch!\"\n\nMoreover, enforcing the pen WITH the sword is far mightier than using the pen or the sword alone. Christianity and Islam have known this for a long time.",
"score": 4
}
] |
What does it mean if I like darkness? | Although I love daylight and being outside, I think I prefer darkness over light for a few reasons:
-I am not scared of the dark and I can see well in the dark
-I tend to be most active at night, spending most of my days sleeping.
- I tripped on acid once and didn't like being attacked by the white light in the room. I needed the blacklight on to feel safe.
So I am asking what this propensity towards darkness could say about a person. Oh and I am stoned right now, does this make sense?
| 4 | [
{
"body": "You believe in a thing called love\nJust listen to the rhythm of your heart\nThere's a chance we could make it now\nWe'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down\nYou believe in a thing called love\nOoh!",
"score": 3
}
] |
What is wrong with Gravity being weak? | Often when I read about the fundamental forces and gravity is mentioned it is always talked about as being weak or much weaker. I have a few questions about this that I hope someone more qualified than myself can answer.
* 0.) Is gravity weaker than the other forces?
* 1.) Whats wrong with gravity being weaker? Or why is this a problem?
* 2.) Is gravity only weaker on small distances?
* 3.) Is the strong nuclear force strong over large distances?
* 4.) Is it possible that gravity is just as strong as a whole but is just "stretched" out across space?
If these questions are ridiculous feel free to call me an idiot.
**Edit:** After reading some great links below it seems my understanding was worse than I thought. Gravity is entirely different in nature than the other forces. It is more of a consequence of curved space than a force or is that also a misunderstanding. Thanks for the helpful feedback.
**Edit:** After yet more reading I had another set of question.
* 5.) How is the gravitational force propagated? Gravitons (quantum theory) or Curved-Space (general relativity)?
* 6.) Curved space and gravitons seem incompatible?
**Edit:** emperor000 mentioned Higgs boson below which raised yet another question. If Higgs boson gives mass to particles and mass increases as an object approaches light speed.
* 7.) Is the universe a sea of Higgs boson particles waiting to attach to another fast moving particle?
| 50 | [
{
"body": "0. Yes. To illustrate this, a small fridge magnet can stick to the fridge, even though THE ENTIRE MASS OF PLANET EARTH is pulling it down.\r\n\r\n1. It's not wrong, or a problem, just a drastic difference that gets us curious. Gravity is also a big deal, it's the main force that reigns the large scale of the Universe, and we're still trying to explain how it works precisely.\r\n\r\n2. As far as we can tell, gravity is naturally weak, at all distances. There are some people who believe gravity might not be so easy explained. [Modified Newtonian Dynamics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOND) (MOND) theorizes that gravity might be stronger at certain distances, which would explain the anomaly we find in the motion of stars inside galaxies ([galaxy rotation problem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_rotation_curve)).\r\n\r\n3. The strong force is extremely strong (10^38 times stronger than gravity), and seems to have a fixed value after a certain distance. But it also seems to have a very limited range, at which point it becomes what it is known as the nuclear force, which does fall off with distance very quickly. Gravity, on the other hand, seems to have infinite range.\r\n\r\n4. Like sha-baz said, there are some brane theories that try to explain its weakness with such a concept. But it's all very theoretical at this point. We hope the experiments on the LHC and LIGO will shed some light on the subject. There's also a nice planned mission called LISA that would be even better.",
"score": 56
},
{
"body": "Gravity is pretty weak, considering that the electromagnetic force between the molecules in (for example) your chair can stop you from falling to the earth. For more about the fundamental forces of nature you could check out Brian Greene's documentary 'The elegant universe'. That is, if you can stand him.\n \nI once heard a 'theory' that gravity might be so relatively weak because it stretches out across multiple universes called p-branes, but I think I was pretty high at that time.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": ">0.) Is gravity weaker than the other forces?\r\n\r\nYes. The magnet to the refrigerator is a good example, although friction also comes into play. Another thing to think about is the energy required to pull a particle in an atomic nucleus away from the other particles. It takes much more energy to pull a tiny particle, like a proton or neutron, away from a tiny nucleus than it does to \"pull\" an apple away from the earth, both being much more massive.\r\n\r\n>1.) Whats wrong with gravity being weaker? Or why is this a problem?\r\n\r\nIt isn't a problem, in fact, it is a good thing. The world wouldn't work the way it does if this were not the case. For example, if everything were governed by the stronger forces, or gravity was also strong, everything would probably be a lot denser, to say the least.\r\n\r\n>2.) Is gravity only weaker on small distances?\r\n\r\nGravity is weak at all distances. Think of it as being \"endurance\" it is \"strong\" enough to reach and influence over vast distances, but not strong enough to overpower the other forces at smaller distances.\r\n\r\n>3.) Is the strong nuclear force strong over large distances?\r\n\r\nNo. It is strong over any distance, but there is a limit to its effect, you could say. If you think of gravity as the result of a curve of space it makes sense that its influence can be far. As long as there is a curve, things will experience gravity. The strong interaction is more like a bungy cord. It is strong, but once it gets to a certain distance it may be too powerful to overcome OR if enough energy is applied it can be overcome and \"broken\". The interaction between quarks is strong enough so that it also causes an attraction between the particles they make up, like protons and neutrons. So even at those distances it is stronger than the other forces. At distances greater than that the electromagnetic force takes over and electrons are attracted to nuclei and atoms are attracted to each other, forming molecules and so on.\r\n\r\n>4.) Is it possible that gravity is just as strong as a whole but is just \"stretched\" out across space?\r\n\r\nYes. That is pretty much what is going on. I wouldn't say just as strong as a whole, but strong in its own way. If you think of a planet, it is held together by the electromagnetic force and gravity itself. If you have another planet pass by its gravity can easily overpower the electromagnetic force holding the first planet together and could rip it apart. On the other hand, it hasn't overpowered the strong interaction/nuclear force of the planet's components.\r\n\r\n>If these questions are ridiculous feel free to call me an idiot.\r\n\r\nDon't think like that. They aren't ridiculous and even if they were it wouldn't make you an idiot.\r\n\r\n>Edit: After reading some great links below it seems my understanding was worse than I thought. Gravity is entirely different in nature than the other forces.\r\n\r\nYes, gravity is \"entirely different\" and that is one of the reasons there is no (agreed upon, anyway) [Theory of Everything](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_everything). We've made a lot of progress combining the other forces into something that fits nicely, but gravity is something that gives us trouble.\r\n\r\n>It is more of a consequence of curved space than a force or is that also a misunderstanding. Thanks for the helpful feedback.\r\n\r\nOne thing to keep in mind is that there is never really one way to describe or think of these kinds of things. There is always some level of duality or even plurality.\r\n\r\nThe curvature is more like an analogy and fits with the description of spacetime having four dimensions that describes the force that we experience, if that makes sense.\r\n\r\nThe usual example is a mass, like a ball, resting on a rubber surface. The mass of the ball distorts the surface (in reality, because of gravity...) and creates a curve that would cause other objects on the surface with less mass to fall towards the ball. That is just 2 dimensions, and the logic is rather circular as in 2 dimensions the reason gravity pulls things together is because of gravity. Doesn't solve the \"mystery\" but it does help us to think that if we expand that curve to further dimensions it makes sense as to why mass distorts space time and objects become attracted to each other.\r\n\r\nThinking of that in 3 or 4 dimensions, or more, although hard to conceptualize, does a good job of explaining why gravity seems to attract objects to each other over large distances. Spacetime is distorted around the mass so that objects would have a natural tendency to travel in a path along that distortion.\r\n\r\nSo it IS a *force* as it can affect the velocity of a mass, and everything derived from that, momentum, acceleration, etc. If you think of a force as the application of energy to do work (like pulling all of the gas and other matter together necessary to create a star), gravity fits very well.\r\n\r\nOur understanding of gravity is really pretty good in some ways. I guess you could say we know *why* it does what it does, but not really how, and that brings our understanding (or lack thereof) of mass into the picture; what it is, how it is, why it is, etc. That is one of the reasons we want to find the Higgs boson so badly as it could help us explain mass. So gravitational force is applied by gravitational energy. But where does that energy come from? The energy of mass itself? But then, what, when, how, where, why is mass?\r\n\r\nSorry if that's long, but they aren't ridiculous questions.\r\n",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "> 5.) How is the gravitational force propagated? Gravitons (quantum theory) or Curved-Space (general relativity)?\n\nAnswer this question definitively, and you will probably win every physics prize there is.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Gravity is MUCH weaker than any other force, but it has unlimited range, and is __always additive__.\n\nTake a magnet: near it, one pole is (proportionally) much closer than the other, so the force is strong. But take the magnet away, and the poles cancel each other almost completely. This doesn't happen with gravity.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I just caught my fiance in bed, fucking my now ex-best friend. FML | I knew this girl in college. We dated shortly after graduating and were engaged 3 years later. We've been engaged for almost 6 months, with plans to be married this summer. Our mutual friend and my old college roommate, Jim, hooked us up on a blind date during our senior year. He's always been around and we work in the same field. Ever since we became engaged, Jim has been spending more time over at the house, more than usual but I didn't really take notice. We're all mutual friends.
So I get home tonight late, but earlier than planned. I frequently have to pull late nights and I thought tonight would be one of those. I told the fiance that I would be getting home around midnight so don't wait up. I was able to get off work at 9PM and thought I would surprise her with some candy and a movie. I park the car and notice Jim's Ford in my space. That's weird. I open the door and all the lights are out. Even weirder. At this point I go into Ninja Stealth mode and creep up to our bedroom door which is shut. I put my ear to the door and hear very light moaning. My heart is now in my feet and my nerves are on end. I quickly open the door and flick the lights on and to my horror discover Jim sprawled out, masturbating, while my fiance is grinding on his face, completely naked. They were so into it, they didn't even notice the lights going on. I ran out of the house without saying word and sped off in my car. I'm now at a friends house and don't know what to do. I feel like buying a plane ticket and moving to Europe...
:( | 142 | [
{
"body": "Thats so sad. Send an email/text message saying - I came home and saw you both. I do not want to see or speak to either of you again ever. To her: get all your shit out of the house and be gone by the weekend.\nTo him: keep away from me or I will snap you in half.\nTo her parents: your daughter needs a place to live as I caught her sleeping with my friend in my bed.\nTo your parents: I need a place to stay until the weekend when my cheating gf has gone.\nBetter still, write it as letters and get the friend you are staying with deliver them.\nCancel all access she has to mutual accounts and delete all reference to her in your social life, online and real life.\nIf you decide on a trip come to Bangkok, pm me and we can work out a place for you to stay.\nThere's nothing you can say or do that can control the pain but you need to control your emotions or you will do something that affects your life a lot longe than a broken heart.\n\n",
"score": 72
},
{
"body": "I am so sorry. You **have** dodged a bullet, and in the long run you'll be grateful for this, but it sure doesn't help the pain now. \n\nDo you have a friend's house where you can stay for a bit while you get things sorted out with your apartment? I do believe that couples can often work their way through infidelity, but six months before your wedding...I don't think that's a good sign as to what kind of wife she'd be. \n\nYou've already got the moral high ground here, so I'd recommend trying to make the breakup as civil and as quick as you can. I know from experience how badly you're hurting right now and how pissed off you are, but making a quick and clean break from both of them will be healthier for you in the long run. \n\nAnd running away to Europe (if you can do it) isn't a horrible idea- getting yourself the hell away from her and keeping yourself distracted is probably the best thing you can do right now. If you're staying around the area, cut off all contact with her (no emails/FB etc) as soon as you get the practicalities worked out- you'll get over her faster, and there's nothing to be gained by staying in touch. \n\nI'm sorry that it was your friend- that's so common, but it makes it hurt even more. I had the same thing happen with a girl who moved in with my fiance and I- she had nowhere else to go so I talked him into letting her live with us for a while until she got on her feet, and they've been married now for about 20 years. That year was not a fun one. ",
"score": 57
},
{
"body": "First of all, I am so sorry you had to go through this. \r\n\r\nSecondly, I've been in your position before. I was married, and came home from work early one afternoon to find my then-husband screwing the life out of his best friend's fiance over the arm of the sofa I had just bought. It was the sickest, saddest feeling I've ever experienced. I ran out immediately and drove to the best friend's apartment to tell him what I had seen. We were both devastated, and I'm not entirely sure I've truly moved past it (this happened more than ten years ago). Our exes eventually moved in together, but he caught her cheating with someone else a year or so later.\r\n\r\nAnyway, I don't have much else to add that hasn't already been said. I can't stress enough the importance of surrounding yourself with friends and loved ones right now. They'll be key in helping you deal with this. \r\n\r\nWow. Again, I wish I could say something that would take the pain away for you. Words just don't seem adequate sometimes. My heart goes out to you. PM me if you ever need to talk. ",
"score": 42
},
{
"body": "Wow. Delete the cell, facebook, email etc. If you have any shared finances, deal with it now. Kick her out of the house or sell it, or something. She is dead to you. Then get away ASAP and take a break while you have time to reset. Better yet, take a break now and have a friend deal with the finances. ",
"score": 28
},
{
"body": "Best advice I can think of is to completely get her (and him) out of your life. No contact, no second chance, no apologies. This is no small error. \n\nLet them have each other. That way they both get lying cheaters for a mate. Some day you will be glad - if it's okay to use that word, that it happened before you spend years and tons of money on a wedding.\n\nPlease - get rid of her immediately and let the healing process begin for you soon.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "Well you might not appreciate it now but you will look back and be glad that you cut out a shit of a friend and a whore of a fiance.\n\nThey won't last so don't worry about seeing them",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Get the ring back. She fucked up by fucking him. Try and pawn it or sell in it on craigslist. Its going to hurt but like others have said, be glad your not married when you found out. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "If you happen to live in Portland, OR and want to get out, drinks are on me. That blows man, I am sincerely sorry. :(",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "You refer to her as your finance and him as your \"now ex-best friend\"? Let me put this to you straight.\n\nYour \"now ex-best friend\" did you a favor. I'm not saying you should remain friends with him, but you *definitely* need to make her your \"now ex-fiance.\" There is no excuse for what went on.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Buy a plane ticket and move to europe, you owe her no explaination. Just disappear, its unlikely she will sue you for back rent.\n\nNo better revenge than an unexplained disappearance.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": ">I feel like buying a plane ticket and moving to Europe.|\n\nAt first, this seemed like a good idea. On deeper consideration, It is best that you surround yourself with love and support.\n\nI remember what this feels like. I wish I could somehow spare you the feeling. I found violent exertion well beyond the point of exhaustion helped. Find something that's loud, heavy, and indestructible. Beat the living dog shit out of it. Go pull green chain for a sawmill. Go dig ditches.\n\nBe happy there are no children, and that you are not married. As bad as it seems, it could be much worse.\n\n ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "It wasn't just his Ford in your space. /zing!/\n\nAnyway, kick that lying cunt to the curb. That was a really hurtful move.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I thought I was going to be Bel-Aired. This kind of stuff seems to only happen in movies and jokes. \n\nSo sorry man. What a slag.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Wow...\r\n\r\nYou dodged a bullet my friend. I'ts better you found out now then later. \r\n\r\nI'm so sorry you had to experience that. I think people that cheat are pieces of shit scum. I'm sure she'll try to tell you that it's your fault somehow. \r\n\r\n\r\nYou weren't there enough, you work too much, you're not nice to her, you don't make her feel pretty. **Don't buy it!!!!!**\r\n\r\nIf she had a problem, she should have talked to you about it and not sat on someone elses dick instead. Don't let her try to turn this around on you and forget that guy you thought was your friend. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Considering the fact that she cheated on you months before marriage with your best friend, I would honestly say fuck them both.\n\nGather your stuff and leave. Tell them both that your friendship/relationship with them is over and cut contact from them, then find a way to get over them.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Full on Survivor Mode dude:\n\n* That pain can wait, just put it out of your mind, you have work to do.\n* Figure out the living situation, get out or get her out ASAP. If it's you that's leaving, get your shit out **now**, there is no reason to delay and it just giving the opportunity for something f'd up to happen.\n* Get the ring back if you can - disregard if it wasn't a serious chunk of change and it gonna be a huge deal to get it back (she cheated, you're entitled to it back).\n* You're never gonna be cool with her or Jim again, accept that.\n* You gotta figure out if you need to GTFO of that town or if you can make it, and you really need to be honest with yourself.",
"score": 3
}
] |
How many meals for two can you get out of a whole chicken? | If I remember correctly I pay about 16 bucks for a whole organic chicken. If consume by it's self normally 2-3 meals on the meat alone with sides. If boiled, or roasted for soup I can easily make 6-8 portions of freezable soup for lunches. Plus the cat gets the giblets boiled, and the dogs get left over scrap meat from the back/neck, and the joints from the drum sticks!
Do many people buy whole chickens and do this? I can't remember the last time I bought butchered chicken parts. I also feel it's important to say I'm 27. It seems to me a lot of people in my age bracket don't really do this. Maybe it's just my friends.
The carcass (and giblets) are wonderful for making either stock with mirepoix and boquet garni. | 18 | [
{
"body": "I buy whole chickens often. Here's one course of action:\n\n* debone and trim the chicken so you have 3 piles: 8pc chicken, bones, skin and trimmings\n* roughly chop the skin and trimmings and render all schmaltz / grebenes. save\n* roast the bones to make stock. save\n* reserve meat for various meals\n\nThe schmaltz and stock can go into a lot of stuff. Chicken and dumpling soup is a favorite. With good homemade chicken stock and schmaltzy/chickeny dumplings you don't really need to add meat to this soup.\n\nThe meat can go into sandwiches, soups, stir-fries, curries, chicken-and-rice, burritos or tacos, chicken salad, fried chicken, etc., etc., &c.\n\nThe trick is to stretch out the meat with starches and veggies, and to incorporate more meat flavor with schmaltz and stock.\n\nThe meat from one chicken can make 6 servings, more or less.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "You can feed the world with homeopathic chicken. All you need is one bird, and a lot of water.\n\nEdit: I usually get three to four meals depending if I make stock or not.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Roasted (with stuffing) it's good for about 2 dinners for 2 plus some lunches, carcass = stock, so part of 1-2 more meals there. I'm honestly getting tired of pre-pack meat (it's so.. well.. boring) so I got a chain mail glove for Xmas so I can serious get into meat carving (without carving my hand up).",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Try Mexican food, I heard some of it was born out of the necessity to make small amounts of poultry or pork or beef be enough for several people. That's why they shred the chicken and distribute it, add in pico de gallo (finely chopped tomato with onions, etc) shredded cheese, refried beans and tortillas and you got yourself a meal!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "It really depends if you're intent is to eat the chicken itself versus use chicken as an ingredient in the meal. \n\nIf using in rice dishes, salads, or soups, one chicken could last a week no problem. \n\nNot to be rude, but $16/organic chicken sounds a little pricey. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Usually we do about 2. We get whole cooked chickens from Costco, its like 6 bucks or something. It comes gutted and ready to eat. Just pick off the meat and add it to your dish.\n\nChicken curry or chicken enchilada's or chicken Mexican casserole and a few other dishes.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I don't think it is important that you are 27. I'm 48 and it also \n> seems to me a lot of people in my age bracket don't really do this\n\nThen again \n> Maybe it's just my friends.\n\nBut I do tend to get weird looks when I talk about making stock, regardless of their age. And thanks for today's \"something new every day\" - I always thought I was just using whatever veg seemed handy and appropriate in the stock. Turns out it was [mirepoix](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix_%28cuisine%29) all along !\n\n",
"score": 3
}
] |
Why do people procreate instead of adopt the kids we (humans) have now? | I've just never understood it. Why not save/adopt the children we have now before bringing more into the world? A "kid is a kid" imo. | 6 | [
{
"body": "Procreating feels good and takes less the 2 minutes (in my case), while adopting feels like an extended job interview and takes 2 years.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "I've been hit in the nuts so hard I've passed out. I've gotten up after three hour movies and felt the uncomfortable burn as my testicle separates from the side of my thigh (FUCK YOU WHOEVER MADE KING KONG). I've gone down a water slide and felt like I had to puke at the end because my balls got a swim trunk tourniquet on the way down.\n\nI'll be DAMNED if I've had these nuts my whole life just to mock them by using someone else's nuts to create the child I raise.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "The purpose of procreating is passing on your own genetic code. If you give some one elses kids the great upbringing that you would have given your own, then you are giving a great advantage to the competing genetic code (a serious mistake).",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Any hereditary propension to think as you do, if carried through, selects itself out of the gene pool into oblivion. A species where this approach would be mainstream would lose the benefit of Darwinian selection, degenerate and disappear.\n\nBesides, many of the kids offered to adoption aren't the easiest kids to raise:\n\n* some are abandonned due to birth defects;\n* being abandonned, put into foster care, then adopted leaves many occasions for traumatisms, which can fuck up the kid's mind;\n* they've been procreated by people who can't/won't raise kids decently: not prime genetic material on average;\n* the very young (the younger, the lower the chances of dramatic traumatisms), beautiful & healthy kids are adopted. Mind you, people fight to be allowed to adopt such kids.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I was adopted and I feel very strongly about your statement as well. Why give birth to 9 flipping kids, instead adopt and save them. ugh I really wish people would wake up and not NEED to pass on their seed. We are all people, no matter where we came from.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I think that I'm the only one who hated Juno. | I was in a discussion with my friends the other day about the movie, and when I said that I didn't care for it at all, I was attacked for my thoughts. When I was asked to explain why I didn't like it, I simply said that the story was contrived, the characters were extremely forced/unbelievable, and the dialog was atrocious.
I was also asked if I liked Jennifer's Body. I said "It was better than Juno".
But in all seriousness, I did not like Juno at all. Not even Rainn Wilson could save that movie...because once his cameo is over with, it all goes downhill and fast. | 17 | [
{
"body": ">I was also asked if I liked Jennifer's Body. I said \"It was better than Juno\".\n\nThat right there makes your opinion of Juno irrelevant.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "The only good thing about this movie was Jason Bateman. the rest of it was horrible. Id rather watch a \"Glitter\" marathon. \n\nSide Question.. who else is sick of Cera..I wish he would just stop making film. now.",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "I enjoyed it, it was cute and i'm a sucker for that. But I got the same sick feeling that i get when i walk into an Urban Outfitter's.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "The movie is ok if you let your guard down, but guard up it's overly cutsie (even that TERRIBLE soundtrack of kids singing out of key over dull acoustic guitars) and contrived.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Juno is a good movie. It's not great, it's not bad, I'll probably forget about it in a couple of years and that's it. The only reason we're now discussing this is that it was slightly controversial and some people, like Ebert, like it too much.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I like Ellen Page, so the movie gets an A in my book. Can't stand Michael Cera though. The plot was alright, I've known some people in similar situations and that made it a little easier to relate to. The indie/hipster part that everyone throws a fit about is something I can get over. It doesn't add to or detract from the experience imo. As entertainment it was worth a watch or two, but I wouldn't fork over more than a netflix rental for it.\n\nJennifer's Body on the other hand was great. I was thoroughly entertained the entire time. I get the feeling everyone had some fun making that one and it feels like Megan Fox really took it as an opportunity to make fun of people's perception of her. Was it game changing or a top notch horror film? Nah. Was it funny and a good way to kill an hour? Absolutely.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "it's amazing how any movie is loved and hated at the same time by random groups of people.\na couple of my friends walked out of lebowski, which i think is one of the best cult movies ever. my brother raved about 4 weddings/funerals, which i thought was the most boring piece of shit i've ever seen.\n\ni guess this is what makes the world go round (God, what an annoying phrase).\n",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I thought it was brilliant. I just wish the dialogue was consistant all the way through, started off really well but they couldn't keep it up.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I shall express my disdain for Juno, in the style of the movie's dialogue.\n\nThat movie was totally the bro's nose, if you catch my meaning, Mon frere. The wordplay was more askew than the juxtaposition of my hamburger phone, Ace of Base. If Diablo Cody didn't shake her sugar for all those years, then nary a soul would notice this lame-scuse of a moo-vay, shizz-bot. \n\n/And scene.\n\nJuno gets a ton of mileage on the script, which is little more than a collection of poor excuses for actual dialogue, which gets too much credit for being \"brilliant,\" when, in reality, it's a series of forced contrivances. The infomercials for \"The Magic Bullet\" have more realistic character exchanges. Also, the soundtrack is more Indie than Parkey Posey's underoos at Sundance.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "That's fine, here's one way to enjoy it (if you're into Marvel).\n\nJennifer Garner played Elektra. Ellen Page played Kitty Pryde. The movie was about Elektra going undercover and stealing Kitty Pryde's baby.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Cold? That's relative... | 10°C/50°F
Tenants in Helsinki turn off the central heating, the Finns start planting flowers.
7°C/44°F
Also planting vines.
5°C/41°F
The Finns are sunbathing, while the sun still gets over the horizon.
2°C/36°F
Italian cars won't start.
0°C/32°F
Pure water freezes.
-1°C/30°F
Your breath becomes visible, time to start planning the vacation to the Mediterranean. The Finns are eating icecream and drinking cold beer.
-4°C/24°F
The cat tries crawling under your bedsheets.
-10°C/14°F
Time to start planning a vacation to Africa. The Finns go for a swim in the lake.
-12°C/10°F
Too cold for snowing.
-15°C/5°F
American cars won't start.
-18°C/0°F
Homeowners in Helsinki switch on the central heating.
-20°C/-4°F
Your breath starts to sizzle in the air.
-22°C/-8°F
French cars won't start. Too cold for proper iceskating.
-23°C/-10°F
Politicians start pitying the homeless.
-24°C/-11°F
German cars won't start.
-26°C/-15°F
Your breath can now be cut directly into building blocks for an igloo.
-29°C/-20°F
The cat tries crawling under your pyjamas.
-30°C/-22°F
No proper car will start. The Finn swears, kicks the tire and drives off in his Lada.
-31°C/-24°F
Too cold for kissing as the lips will freeze together. The Finnish national scoccer team enters the spring training season.
-35°C/-31°F
Time to start planning a vacation in the hot tub. The Finns are shoveling the snow off their roofs.
-39°C/-38°F
Too cold for thinking. Mercury freezes. The Finns button up the collar of their shirts.
-40°C/-40°F
The car tries crawling under your bedsheets. The Finns are thinking about putting on a pullover.
-44°C/-47°F
Your finnish co-worker ponders on closing the window.
-50°C/-58°F
The sea lions evacuate Greenland. The Finns switch from gloves to mittens.
-64°C/-83°F
Time to start planning a vacation on Venus. The Finns are going sleding.
-70°C/-94°F
The ice bears are evacuating the north pole. At the university of Rovaniemi, the traditional annual cross country tournament is being held.
-75°C/-103°F
Santa Claus is evacuating the north pole, leaving frozen, dead elves in his trail. The Finns fold down the rim of their bonnets.
-80°C/-112°F
The sea lions try crawling under your bedsheets. Your cat is acting a little tense.
-90°C/-130°F
Santa Claus attempts to join the sea lions.
-111°C/-168°F
French cars won't burn properly anymore.
-120°C/-184°F
Alcohol freezes. As a result, the Finns are now acting a little tense, too.
-270°C/-454°F
Hell freezes over.
-272,2°C/-457,96°F
Helium can be solidified under pressure.
-273,15°C/-459,7°F
Absolute zero. Absolute absence of molecular movement. The Finns reluctantly admit that, "Yes, it might be a bit chilly. Now, would you please be so kind and pass me another piece of vodka?"
| 251 | [
{
"body": "-30°C here today (Norway). My German car wouldn't start, so I walked to work. On the way I was passed by a bicyclist. Must have been a Finn.",
"score": 144
},
{
"body": "The version I remember contained a line:\n\n-40 degrees - The Finnish Army postpones the winter survival camp until the weather has cooled sufficiently.",
"score": 65
},
{
"body": "-150°C/-238°F Finns put The Day After Tomorrow on the DVD player and laugh at this light romantic comedy.",
"score": 54
},
{
"body": "-273,15°C/-459,7°F Absolute zero. Absolute absence of molecular movement. Scottish people stop fighting each other.",
"score": 38
},
{
"body": "20°C/68°F the inhabitants of rio de janeiro pull out their long winter coats they bought in a trip to new york and complain about the rain ruining everything. Not kidding.",
"score": 27
},
{
"body": "One time when I was living in Iowa I got off work late at night in winter. According to the sign outside the bank across the street, it was -16°F. Let me just say, it was cold. My mustache froze in about two minutes, even through scarf I had wrapped around my face. Fortunately, the wind was low, I was well prepared I had to walk about a quarter mile.\n\nAnother time, I wasn't so fortunate. I had taken a girl to a movie on an uncommonly warm January day. When the movie ended, night had fallen, and a freak blizzard had blown in. We were both only wearing light jackets, and had to walk three blocks back to the dorms. After two blocks, I was not sure that we were actually going to make it. I thought about just knocking on the door of one of the houses to ask to be let inside. I realized however, that if the people weren't home, the time lost meant that we might not make it to safety in time. We instead booked it the rest of the way and made it to her dorm. Sitting in her dorm room, I felt brain-damaged from the cold and it took hours before I felt normal. If the distance had been any longer, or the blizzard any colder, I'm sure that we would have made it.\n\nThe lesson: be prepared.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "In Finland, this is told about the people living in Lapland, the northern part of Finland. In the south it's usually not that cold, at least compared to the northern weather.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "(Houston Resident)\n\nFor reference, the coldest it has *ever* been here is 7°F. We are preparing for a \"hard freeze\" in the upcoming days, where temperatures will regularly dip into the **high twenties**.\n\nPeople are freaking out.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "It's been around 40°F here in Miami for the past week and it's horrible. It's hard to imagine anything worse.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "[105F/41C](http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/vic/forecasts/melbourne.shtml) forecast here on Monday. What happens to the Finns then?",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Dozens of Finnish Facebook users are posting every evening about 140 °C temperature drop going from a sauna (+110°C) to chill outside ( -30°C ).",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "English version:\n\n30°C English people complain about the weather or about going on holiday somewhere hot when it's already warm at home.\n\n26°C All pubs full. English people complain about poor service.\n\n25°C English people find it sunny but not warm enough. Scots visit Blackpool\n\n15°C Southern English people complain about it being cold and wet. Northerners sunbathe and eat ice cream.\n\n10°C Southerners wear coats. Northerners wear T-Shirts. Scotsmen wear kilts and let their tackle hang free. All Northern pubs full.\n\n5°C English people leave their beer outside to chill in the backyard as it's now.\n\n0°C Trains stop working. TV and Newspaper is full of stories about the cold instead of real news.\n\n-1°C Roads stop working as council fails to prepare grit. English people stop working due to not being able to get into work. This includes people that work from home.\n\n-2°C English people complain about ice and/or snow. Scots start wearing underwear.\n\n-5°C English people compare themselves to Russians and Finns (current outdoor temperature for me, hence this comment)\n\n-10°C Northerners put on a jumper. All Northern pubs full. Scots still sunbathing.\n\n-15°C English people complain about the cold, expect the council to do something about it. Still no-one using Winter tyres or tyre chains.\n\n-20°C Northerners put the central heating on. Scottish pubs still full.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Only -26°C around where I live in Finland, but I heard the record this winter was broken yesterday. -37°C (-34°F or something) in Northern Finland.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Helium doesn't freeze (under normal pressures). Vacuum fluctuations keep it liquid at any temperature arbitrarily close to absolute zero. Also liquid helium under normal pressure is closer to -269°C/-452°F.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "That's wierd, because \"-30°C/-22°F No proper car will start\" is not correct, or my car would not work between the months of january to feb.\n\nI call shenanigans! ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "It's -21ºC / -6ºF here right now, I just had a beer on the balcony, I think the Finns would like it here. I, however, could use more than 7.5 hours of daylight...",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "It is 34°F out right now and I've got my house heat on 78degrees. yesterday it was 15°F out and I had my office heat at 85degrees.\n\n* Edit to add: I shouldn't use this Username today. They canceled all classes in all school districts. Our forecast is **\"A mix of wintry precipitation this morning. Then a few snow showers lingering this afternoon. Cold. High near 35F. SW winds shifting to NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 80%. A slushy accumulation of less than one inch.\"**",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "> -12°C/10°F Too cold for snowing.\n\n> ...\n\n> -35°C/-31°F Time to start planning a vacation in the hot tub. The Finns are shoveling the snow off their roofs.\n\nHA! ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "-38F, never had a problem starting my American car left in the street. The BMW next to me had to get a tow truck to jump start him.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": ">-15°C/5°F American cars won't start.\n\nFeh. It was -26°C this morning, and my '91 Chrysler started just fine.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "-30°C here in Oulu, Finland when I woke up today. Add some wind and it's -35°C. 4 layers of clothes and all was good except my breath was freezing all over my face.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "65°F - Floridians get excited about the chance to break out their coats and scarves.\n\nI wish I was joking.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I used to snowmobile comfortably around Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories at -40C. I learned there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.",
"score": 3
}
] |
DAE wish that the pharmaceutical companies would invent a pill that will safely satisfy your sleeping needs? | I never get enough sleep. There is always so much I'd rather do, so I'm always tired. We all know of many drugs with not-so-healthy side effects, so I always dream of an actual pill that could sort of mimic your brain's needs for sleeping in a healthy manner. | 21 | [
{
"body": "Sleeping has much larger physiological implications. A pill wouldn't do it. Resting (stopping all movements, lowering your metabolism) is also necessary.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Dear Reddit, I used to teach pickup-tactics live in clubs and discos. AMA. | Long story short. I used to work as a freelance "dating-coach", teaching people from an online forum about getting the girls of their dreams. A normal session with me consisted of 3 hours of theory (psychology and communication theory) and 3 hours of "in-field" work, i.e. going to local clubs picking up up girls. | 8 | [
{
"body": "Picking up women is easy. One trick is to tell them stories that don't go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Give me five bees for a quarter, you'd say.",
"score": 25
}
] |
Hey Reddit: Random NSFW Question? | Alright so at work tonight we got into the conversation of slang terms for female masturbation. I've never really heard any that I'm aware of, males of course have spanking the monkey, choking the chicken, polishing the bat..... But there seem to be none for women. My co-workers and I came up with, tickling the taco, slapping the beaver, poking the clam and flicking the bean. I feel like Reddit can do better, have at it. | 5 | [
{
"body": "It's called taking a shower. If you've had a girlfriend for any length of time, I'm sure you've had to install one of those detachable shower heads so she can \"clean\" herself better.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "This is an activity I make my students do in Human Sexuality. They have to come up with slang names for different things. The group that wins gets a pizza party. For female masturbation around 40-45 is common.",
"score": 3
}
] |
How old is too old for a graduate scheme? | Hi. I'm 24 and looking to switch (or, more accurately, start) careers. I've been looking into graduate recruitment but I'm worried I might be too old to get onto a scheme, or that I might look out of place amidst all the fresh-faced go-getters graduating last year/this year. Is anyone else in a similar situation?
EDIT: Apologies to initial commenters: By Graduate Scheme I mean recruiters who run graduate training programmes. Should've made that clearer, but thank you for the insightful comments - let's leave the topic open as I am sure people around my age pondering further education will find it useful. | 10 | [
{
"body": "Um, I'm 31 and just enrolled for my first BS in Engineering. I've been working for the last 10 years after several failed attempts at school. I failed because I had no idea what or who I wanted to be. After getting laid off in November I finally did the soul searching necessary to figure out what I wanted to do. There is no \"too old\" in education.",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "I'm 22 and just starting my undergrad degree. I already have a track laid out for what I want to study in graduate school as well, since I've taken the time to really think my options and desires out before diving into college.\n\nProfessors, and _especially_ graduate schools, love it when someone knows exactly what they want to get out of a graduate education. They're used to so many applicants who just want to continue in school, and have only a vague idea of what to study or why they're continuing their education. These fresh faced go-getters are often more lost than anyone a little longer in the tooth. If anything, your age, combined with a specific interest in a field, and a plan for a career after graduate school, will give you an advantage over younger applicants.\n\nIf you're driven enough (and recruiters can tell), then it doesn't matter how old you are. Make it clear that you know what you want from more education, and you'll do fine. I say, go for it.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Reddit, are there certain bands/songs that you can't enjoy anymore because they remind you of an ex? | I've recently discovered that, although it's been almost a year, I still really dislike Brendan Benson because he was my sociopath ex-girlfriend's favorite artist. So I asked my dad, and he said he still doesn't like Fleetwood Mac because they remind him of his first wife, to whom, to be fair, he was married for a shorter amount of time (eight months) than I was dating my ex (a little over a year). I'm wondering, does anyone else have this feeling, or does this just run in my family? | 19 | [
{
"body": "Sounds, smells, and certain locations can trigger PTSD for a man who has treaded the ravages of war.\n\nI would say its not much different for a man whose gone through similar turmoil within the attrition of the heart and mind.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "My roommate cannot listen to *The Beatles* anymore because of his ex. He gets really upset and tells me to turn it off whenever I play it. As a result, I think anyone that does this needs to grow the fuck up and get over it because I should be able to listen to \"Hey Jude\" without feeling like a jerk.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "A lot. \nFalling in love made half of all songs about love make sense. Breaking up made the rest make sense. I can't stand to listen to much of any of them right now.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Meatloaf and Journey.\n\nFun story:\nI hadn't listened to Meatloaf in years, just because it reminded me of this guy I used to date. It was an awful, twisted relationship. So I'm in the car with my bestest friend and it's nighttime, a beautiful night. We've got a ways to go, so I pull out Meatloaf and we just start busting out singing. I figured, why not? I'm with her, it's safe, nothing can go wrong if I listen to Meatloaf in this context.\n\nA few days later, I'm at the store buying delicious Spanish olives. I look up and who do I see after not seeing him for nearly 4 years? WHO? Yeah, that's right.\n\nFuck Meatloaf.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I find it difficult to listen to any kind of trance music because of an ex. I feel robbed of an entire genre of music.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "All of Snow Patrol and Death Cab because of a 2005 break up. Nowadays we're distant facebook friends and I have the pleasure of receiving updates on all the shitty bands she goes to see with her husband. \n\n/bitter",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I can no longer listen to Kings of Leon after a \"breakup\" (can you call it that in this context?) with a fuck buddy. Neither one of us had figured out that there was something more there until after we'd broken it off. By then it was too late. It is made even worse because I still have to see him every fucking day, and we look right through each other.\n\nMaybe it's not so bad though, their last album was poo.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Coldplay - The Scientist, and Big Runga - Sway. \n\nEvery time I hear them its like getting kicked in the balls by Popeye.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I'v got a problem and I need help; I read a book, and forget the details within hours. | Has anybody else experienced this? I have a lot of trouble with reading, and as I get older and read more complicated literature, the problem becomes more of an issue for me.
Basically, I will read a book, and recognize the details. Within hours, I could only give you a vague idea of what the book is about. I can't even give you the details of my favorite books. I can only tell you that I liked them, and give you an idea of what the plot is.
I'v never had short term memory problems. This only happens when I am reading. I can easily remember the events of TV shows, and small details of them that I enjoyed. I can even remember events in my life down to specific conversations from years ago.
Is this common? Is there a way to fix it? Im getting progressively more sick of not being able to take part in active discussion about the books that I enjoy. | 11 | [
{
"body": "This is a problem had by people who attempt to read faster than their brains process. You probably aren't reading... you're probably skimming. Read a paragraph: if you can't recall immediately afterward all the details, reread that paragraph. Read word by word. Read line by line. Notice every punctuation mark, and be sure you understand the intent behind it.\n\nYou should start with Faulkner's *The Sound And The Fury*. That'll get'cha skills up.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "I don't really have this problem myself, but I don't remember as much as I'd like. I can only roughly recall the story of a book I've read, but if I'm reminded of things in the story, then I can remember minute details (though some are completely forgotten).\n\n*Visualizing* more as you read should help; the brain is good at remembering images.\n\nQuestion: If you reread a book, is the contents \"new\" to you? If that's the case then I would get help.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "It's one thing to read the words of a page, and another thing entirely to understand and internalize what they signify. For me, if I've read something and later fail to recall it, it's simply because I haven't really paid attention. \n\nIt's not enough with most good books to just read along and expect the content to mean anything, in the same way that you probably don't remember anything of the ambient conversations you've overheard while walking through a crowded shopping mall a day ago. Continuous, active participation on the part of the reader is required.\n\nCarry a highlighter and some page markers with you, and take notes. Review and engage with what you're reading, as if you had to explain it to someone else, for example.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "I have the same problem. This was especially bad during my school years. When the test came it was just as if I had never studied the subject at all. Very frustrating, when other classmates just had to read through once to remember it. I also remember better when I get visual stimuli instead of just textual. I know that there are all kinds of tricks for remembering stuff, but most people seem to just remember. I wish I could do that too. If you get any insights please tell me :)",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "If I have a lot of everyday problems or issues cluttering my brain (things that my brain is quietly trying to find a solution to or deal with) when I sit down to read, what I read tends to not stick in my long term memory. If I am relaxed and don't have a lot of brain clutter, I can remember the details well. \n\nPerhaps you have too much background brain clutter when you're trying to read? \n\nMeditation to calm your thoughts prior to reading could possibly help, if brain clutter is what is going on with you. I've never tried it specifically for this purpose, but from everything I've read (and remember) and know about the benefits of meditation, it seems likely that it might work. \n\nGood luck.",
"score": 3
}
] |
"The case for neonatal circumcision" and my response to it, which appears to have been denied. | [Here's the article](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=3310) and my response as follows:
----
Neonatal circumcision saves lives the same way neonatal leg amputation does. “Hey, it might come in handy some day!”
People can sarcasm-quote the word Mutilation when they’re talking about male circumcision as much as they want, it doesn’t change the fact that’s exactly what it is, both in the linguistic as in the medical sense.
I’m sure if they tried to find “medical benefits” to female genital mutilation as hard as they do with male genital mutilation, they’d find plenty. ([http://www.fgmnetwork.org/intro/mgmfgm.php](http://www.fgmnetwork.org/intro/mgmfgm.php))
All the supposed benefits of this measure are related to sex, but newborns and infants are not supposed to be having sex. Once boys get old enough to start having sex, however, parents and doctors might be fully encouraged to include this discussion in their sex talks, presenting all the available information ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vxeGQe_opU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vxeGQe_opU)), so the boy can now make an informed and, most important, VOLUNTARY decision.
Apparently “My body, my choice” only counts if you’re a woman.
----
In the interest of full transparency, I realized people who commented long after I did (as timestamped by the software) had their comments approved and commented again:
> You can just grow a spine and deny my comment already. Keeping it “awaiting moderation” is not fooling me.
----
I think I might have hit a nerve with my last sentence, as the author is a woman. [Double standards hurt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance). | 33 | [
{
"body": "Another thing that bugs me is that most of the \"benefits\" listed are actually *for women*.\n\nThat's right: in the interest of preserving the integrity of the female body, the male should be disfigured.\n\n(And sit back to enjoy the downvotes of [people who think male genital mutilation is not a valid MR issue](http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/8pcp3/from_the_female_genital_cutting_education_and/c0a0iui).)",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "I'm so against neonatal circumcision. There are plenty of cases out there where it needs to be done for medical reasons, but that's no reason to preemptively remove an important bit of skin. Let each individual decide when they're older.\n\nIt sucks, because the man I love is still on the pro-circumcision side of the fence, because of the \"Well I had it done to me and I still like sex\" and \"It's cleaner\" and \"Girls like it better\" arguments. And I acknowledge that aesthetically I like the look better, but that's probably because I'm American, and it's what I'm used to, and hey guess what if we stop doing it at birth, there'll be more variety and people will get used to it. No one in Europe seems to have any trouble.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "Your comment's been published now, anyway; it appears third in the thread.\n\nI'm a woman, and have recently had my eyes opened regarding circumcision.\n\nPlease don't make it into a war of gender - some people have different opinions, and there are men and women on both sides of this argument. Comments like \"the author is a woman. Double standards hurt\" make me want to react defensively, and I'd much rather spend my energies fighting against a practice that's wrong than fighting against men.\n\nI don't think that comparing it to FGM is useful. Neonatal circumcision is wrong for its own reasons, and the arguments against it can stand on their own without resorting to \"She's got one, why can't I have one too?\"",
"score": 9
}
] |
These are turbulent times. How many of you have a weird feeling, a changing mindset, altered sleep patterns, etc? | I've found myself quitting a well-payed job that I despised, and I am entertaining thoughts of a green rural life. I am reading a lot about self-sufficiency, renewable energies, etc.
Also, I am experiencing altered sleep patterns, bad physical reactions when visiting a big city (light fever that disappears after a few days, etc).
And I feel something is really changing in my life/mindset. But I am curious whether this is frequent or it is just me.
EDIT: typo | 20 | [
{
"body": "Umm.. you quit your job during the worst job market in 26 years? That weird feeling and altered sleep patterns might be something we call regret.",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "I'm American, and over the last couple years I've started to get this feeling in my gut, that same feeling that you sometimes get when you're in a long relationship with someone, and you realize that everything has changed, slowly but it feels more immediate, and you know for sure that what you used to have is gone forever. It's kind of a heartstrings feeling, and very stressful, but what's really weird is that it is the same feeling you get when you realize that you must make a decision, whether to stick it out and try to create a better future or to end the relationship and break up forever. \n\nPerhaps very soon I might have to make this very decision about my country, but then again, it's just a feeling.",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "\"In the world I see - you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway.\" ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "It's called anxiety. \n\nYour brain is retreating to its cave when you think about changes... recoiling in horror in high anxiety situations.\n\nYou quit your job...might be the right thing to do, but anxiety dude. Don't tell me you aren't feeling it.\n\n\n\n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I have had similar experiences. I'm a programmer and have seriously been considering buying a place in a semi remote area, building my own home with solar/wind/wood power, and starting a farm there. \n\nI get these weird hits that American culture is going to change drastically soon. I'm not too worried about it at present, just curious. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "i know exactly what you mean... there is an imminence, a feeling of impending change, i have felt it for a long time now (i am in my late 40's), but the feeling is growing stronger, even though i have no idea what, when, or any specific idea of how things will change...technologically, things have changed drastically in the few short years i have lived, so much progress, tech advancing exponentially, population more than doubled in the span of my life (b. 1962), just thinking about that one...i.e. it took all of history to get to where pop. levels were in thearly 60's, it took less than 40 yrs to double that... when i finished h.s. ( i am canadian), 1979, we didn't have a micro-wave, a vcr yet, our phones were plugged in the wall and weighed several pounds, i remember begging my dad to get a radio with fm in his new buick in '77, cause his last car only had am... my dad was a c.e. for ibm, he went from replacing vacuum tubes in the late 50's to manufacturing chips in the 70's... i first experienced the net in 1992 or 93, i cannot remember... a web page often took minutes to load... skynet now seems all too possible and real,... so i suppose the the transference of the sum total of human knowledge and intelligence to machines is where we are going... all so fast... then what?",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Well, it's a period of universal stability, and this time not everyone is simply flocking to organized religion to deal with it. While I think a 2012 doomsday scenario is completely baseless, the notion that new lifestyles, modes of thinking and philosophies will emerge is 2012 is sounding more likely every day. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
DAE feel their facts become less valid when you say, "I saw on the internet..." | A couple days ago, I was telling my psychology teacher about the gene FOXP2. He asked me where he heard about this. As soon as I said the internet, he kind of rolled his eyes and had a subtle smile. Are you kidding me? | 43 | [
{
"body": "Name the source. Every site is not the same. You can see something on 4chan or ajsonline.org and they are both \"the internet\". It is similar to saying \"I saw it in a magazine\" when you saw it in the journal Science. Saying \"I saw it on the internet\" should make anyone who is not an idiot skeptical.",
"score": 6
}
] |
Nerdy girl writes erotica (f) | I thought since I tried sharing a picture earlier, I might try sharing some of the erotica I write as well- hope you enjoy! This is the first half of a short story- if people seem to like it I'll post the rest in the thread.
There's a curious time of morning on Saturdays, after the sun comes up, but before the full heat of it has filled the room. When a strange quiet fills the room and even the cat doesn't disturb it. He rolls over in bed, sleepily indulgent and stretches, having spent the night curled in a ball between our tangled feet. I watch you sleep; your dark eyelashes pressed against your pale skin and think how we never seem to get enough sleep- you particularly. Long work days, late hours, and stress take their toll, and you still look worn to the bone.
I dare enough to brush my lips against your temple in a whisper of a kiss, before slowly disentangling my body from yours. It has been a particularly long week, and we haven't seen each other nearly as much as I'd like. But you need your rest, and I don't want to wake you. I brush my teeth and take a warm shower, relaxing for the first time in days. There is no rush, and I and slowly soap up my body, until I smell sweet and feel soft, the warm spray of water flushing my skin.
I imagine you coming to me there, waking up and stepping in to take over. Sliding soap slicked hands over my damp flesh. Our mouths meeting beneath the soft beat of rain against our skin as your slippery hands find tug me hard against you. And when I find myself lingering a little too long in certain places I think for a moment about indulging myself, and coming back in bed to find you. Bringing you the Saturday paper and a cup of coffee while I am warm and wet from coming in the shower, so you can leisurely discover just how worked up the thought of you has gotten me.
But I think better of it. You need your sleep, and I'd rather let you wake up on your own this morning. So I tease a moment longer and then stop and start to rinse the sweet, soapy bubbles off my skin, watching them swirl in little pink clouds towards the drain.
Waking up early on a Saturday is quite enough, so I draw the line at getting entirely dressed. Instead I opt for a loose grey tank top, ribbed and soft, and just long enough that it could almost be a dress, but isn't quite capable of covering my whole ass. A pair of panties- white with a little pink ribbon, and a pair of your old socks. Cozy ones that your didn't have long before I'd reappropriated them to my own dresser drawer.
Snuggling up with the cat and a cup of tea, I sit down at the computer, cross legged and snuggled up in the big comfy desk chair you had insisted you needed. I'll admit it was good investment. Big enough to relax in comfortably, and sturdy enough for the two of us to be a little naughty when we're feeling inclined. I check my e-mail, ignore the messages from my mother (my father has started re-building the garden wall, my sister is still crazy) and then decide to play the game you'd convinced me to try. It was one of those ridiculous games- the kind that suck you in with promises of cute animals to ride if you can just get to the next level. And while you seemed primarily interested in my ability to wave some kind of cartoony sword, I was more concerned with the picking of flowers and obtaining of the aforementioned cute animals.
And so, a couple hours later, when you had finally emerged from the bedroom, sleepy eyed, your face unshaven and your voice kind of grumbly, you found me there. Headset on, eyes glued to the screen in intense concentration as I killed spiders and wolves.
"Having fun?" You said, and I could tell from your voice you were smirking.
"I have to kill these guys to get stuff to make a recipe," I call back absently, not really paying attention.
You stand behind me for a bit, before nudging me forward and making me stand so you can slide in behind me and cuddle in.
The cat leaps down from my lap and looks affronted, licking his back before hopping into the window to glare at us with reproach.
You watch me play for awhile, content to let your hands stroke down the generous amount of exposed skin at your disposal. Your lips brush against the curve of my neck, and I shift forward. The angle of the screen is all awkward now that I'm perched on your lap, and I bend forward a bit to compensate and hear a little hiss from you as the tight flesh of my ass caresses the hard ridge of your morning erection.
I stop for a moment, my hand hovering over the keyboard before your hand clamps down around my hip, hard, and you murmur, "Focus. That wolf is about to eat you."
Blinking, I look at the screen, noticing that my character is indeed under attack. I bite my lip and frown, clicking the mouse and tapping a few of the keys getting the situation almost under control. I say almost because before the encounter is through I feel your breath against my neck, teasing the little curl at the nape of my neck that always escapes my ponytail. I diligently continue my assault on the wolf, though, even though your free hand is still making its lazy exploration of my body, sliding down to tease against my inner thigh, brushing against the sensitive skin. The rough pads of your fingertips feather soft on my skin, making me squirm and I can feel a rush of heat flood my cheeks and pool between my legs. Wrapping your fingers around my thigh, you tug it up and out just a little, so the center panel of my panties (and the slick wet folds between my thighs) is positioned against the thick length of your cock. I can feel the heat of it pressing against me, even through the twin layers of my panties and your boxers. | 72 | [
{
"body": " You start to rock against me; little teasing thrusts that make me gasp and squirm back against you. Chuckling against my ear, you brace your feet against the floor and press forward, so my body starts to shape to yours, bending to the desk. I brace my hands against the edge, forgetting the game, but then you take one of my hands and firmly place it back on the mouse. \"Focus,\" you remind me, mockingly. \"If you're a good girl, I might give you a reward.\"\n\n\nI bite my lip and look at the screen, not seeing much of anything, as I roll my hips back, trying to press myself as close to the pulsing length of you as I can. Wedged between the lips of my pussy, pressing my panties against the hot wet center of me, you throb, and I can feel myself gush in response, the tender tissue of my little hole getting slick and swollen for you.\n\n\nSliding a hand down the top of my panties, you start to slide your fingers against my wet folds, teasing me and you have to be able to tell how eager I am for you by the way my body is trembling. The way my body clings to your fingers when you thrust two inside me. But when I try and brace my arms on the desk again to get the leverage I want to grind back into you, you slide your hand out of my panties, all wet with my juices, and capture my right hand again, placing it back on the mouse.\n\n\n\"Focus,\" you rasp as you graze the sharp edge of your teeth against the skin of my shoulder, and then bite down, hard enough for it to hurt a little. Hard enough for a little bruise to form, but not hard enough to break the skin or really do damage. Just a little pain to remind me of this moment later in the week when I slip on a bra, or thrown my purse over my shoulder.\n\n\nShaking, I look back at the screen, trying to remember what you've told me. Left hand on the keys, right hand on the mouse. Use mostly the left hand. And I'm doing okay. Not amazingly, but I'm not dead yet. Which is surprising, considering your right hand, still all slick with my juices is now shoved up under my tank top and kneading one of my breasts, rolling the nipple roughly, pinching it, and making it ache for you. With your left hand, you're tugging down my panties, just to my knees. Far enough that you have access to my naked pussy, but not far enough that I can straddle your lap like I want to. You tug your cock free, and as it slides against my ass, I feel it leave a slick little trail of precum on my skin.\n\n\nI'm arching my back and making little needy whimpers, begging you for it without words, and I want you to let me give up the pretense of playing this stupid game and just fuck me already. Fitting the head of your cock to my eager little hole, you start to work your way inside. I can't fully spread myself for you like this, and between that and the angle, I'm unnaturally tight. I'm crazy wet for you, but you really have to work yourself inside me, making little shallow thrusts that elicit little gaspy moans from me, and I need you to be all the way inside, now.\nBut you take your time. Those painfully small little bucks of your hips, and finally after what feels like hours, you're buried in me as far as you can go, pulsing, throbbing. And I want nothing more than to come around you. But before I can even ask for permission, you mutter \"Wait\" against my ear.\n\n\n\"Please,\" I sob out, having waited all week for this moment.\n\n\nAnd you stop. Completely still. Hands bruisingly firm against my hips as you say \"Keep playing.\"\n\n\nAnd I try. I really do. But my hands are shaking, there are tears streaming down my cheeks, and I can't hold it together any longer. My pussy is clamped down around you like a vise, desperately trying to milk the cum out of you, and sensing that I've gone over that breaking point, you start to fuck me hard and rough, just the way you know I need it. Letting me brace my hands against the desk as you piston your hips against mine, one hand sliding down to tease my clit as you buck into me. And you bite my shoulder again, the same spot, making the already forming bruise ache and sting, and you tell me to come now, and I go over the edge. Gasping, sobbing, my pussy convulsing around you, and I want you to come to, I want to feel it, and all of a sudden you pull out and I feel a hot pulse against my ass. You're coming all over me, and I can feel it dripping down the curves of my ass, making a mess of me like I just did all over your cock and I love how it feels. How taboo and dirty. How hot and forbidden and naughty. In a little while I will shower. In a week or so, the bruise will fade. But I'll savor it while it's still there. I love the idea of it, the way it marks me as yours. \n",
"score": 30
}
] |
Does pouring water on the oven in the sauna
increase or decrease the temperature? | For someone sitting in the sauna it certainly *feels* like the temperature is increasing, and quite dramatically, too, but a Finnish friend once told me that as measured by a thermometer the temperature is actually falling.
My problem is that I can't see how that's possible. Let's say it's 80C in the sauna (which I think would be about normal for the ones I've been using). The water evaporating should be 100C, shouldn't it? So it should increase the temperature. And if it condenses it should release even more heat, right?
So I can't see how the temperature would actually fall (provided sauna temperature was below 100C), but my friend usually knows what he's talking about, so I'm confused. | 20 | [
{
"body": "Decreases temperature technically, but it feels hotter because the humidity increases, (water has higher thermal conductivity than air).",
"score": 30
},
{
"body": "People get confused about this because they're treating the sauna as a single system with a single temperature, and also not specifying the time period of interest. The answers depend on where you put the thermometer, and the time period between the measurements that you're comparing.\n\nIf you put the thermometer at the heat source (oven), obviously the effect of pouring water on it is to cool it down, and the temperature measured at the oven will drop. However, as part of that cooling, the water is heated and evaporated into the room. This has the immediate effect of transferring heat from the oven into the room, which will cause a thermometer in the room to rise in the short term. \n\n(Note that this has little to do with the typical effect of humidity on perceived temperature that can't be measured with a thermometer, because the water here is the primary agent of heat transfer, and it will heat the air in the room.)\n\nIn the longer term, assuming no energy input into the oven (e.g. think hot stones), by reducing the temperature of the oven you cause the temperature in the room to fall faster over time than it would have without the water. Without the water, there would have been no sudden reduction in the temperature of the heat source.\n",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "Assuming the sauna is a closed system containing only air, rocks and water. Before you pour the water on the rocks in the sauna, they are heating the air directly. The specific heat capacity of air is about 1 j/g at SATP*. The specific heat capacity of granite is around 0.8j/g. The specific heat capacity of water is 4.81j/g. The latent heat of vaporization of water is 2260 j/g. \n\nAssume we have 10kg rocks on which we are pouring 1L of water or 1Kg. The sauna is at 85 C, the rocks have been heated to 600 C**. The water has been poured from a tap at 25 C.\n\nUsing the formula q = mct\n\n* The rocks have 4800 Kj\n\n* Heating the water to boiling takes 360 Kj\n\n* Vaporizing the water takes takes 2260 Kj\n\n* Heating the steam to between 120 and 160 degrees would take 21-63 Kj ***\n\n* Leaving the rocks at a final temperature of 260 -266C\n\nA point of note here is that we have wasted nearly half of the energy in the rocks transforming the water into steam. This wasted energy is why the average temperature (total energy) of the room is now lower to a measuring device.\n\n\n*there would be a change in the heat capacity since we are not operating at SATP in a sauna\n\n**these are standard sauna operating temperatures according to google\n\n*** this is just a guess at the final temperature of the steam ",
"score": 11
}
] |
So why is circle jerking so bad? | I love this subreddit, I really do. But, in a drunken state I pondered, "what's the big deal?" I mean, the term seems derogatory, but if it was a male > female > male > female circle, what's the big deal about getting each other off? Seems like an emotional orgy, basically. | 14 | [
{
"body": "be careful you don't \"cross swords\" unless you want to, on a boat, like a boss, in a box, watching chronicles of Narnia",
"score": 3
}
] |
Text based After Effects tutorials. | Hey Reddit,
What are some good non video tutorials for After Effects? I've been searching and there are lots on youtube, but it's really frustrating to have to watch through typically slow paced presentations to try and find the one or two steps I'm missing...
Any love? | 23 | [
{
"body": "check out [http://ae.tutsplus.com/](http://ae.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/)\n\njust scrolling through they've got various disintegration, cloud writing, a few movie intro style things, etc..\n\nalways got a kick out of this one:\n\nhttp://ae.tutsplus.com/tutorials/animate-a-dancing-ice-cream-bar-in-cinema-4d-and-after-effects/",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Truly, this is incredibly frustrating. Video tutorials are good for beginners, but text is far superior for people who already know their way around After Effects and associated plugins. What they really need to do is have both. A video and a text-through. Also post screenshots of the relevant settings for pete's sake.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Kid Cudi is the only rapper that I like. Does anyone else share this view? | I know he is not a traditional rapper, but still, he is really the only rapper I actually like. Pursuit of Happiness, Up Up & Away, and Make Her Say have been going through my head all the time since I started listening to him. | 7 | [
{
"body": "Nope. Aesop Rock, MF Doom, Binary Star, Blackalicious, Del, Jurassic 5, Jedi Mind Tricks, and more I can't think of off the top of my head. I just love me some underground.",
"score": 5
}
] |
Why is it hard to score weed on the strip in Vegas? I'm a chill dude from Vansterdam and I got burned twice tonight. It can't be this hard. Advice? | I'm in Vegas attending CES. I flew down so I didn't want to risk taking anything with me through airport security. I am staying on the strip and taking the event shuttles so I don't have a rental car this time around. I read everything I could find online about scoring weed on the strip in Vegas, but none of the promised methods panned out. I am too tired at night (after walking miles and miles all day) to go to some random off-strip clubs to look for it, so I tried asking the dudes who hand out cards (several people said this was a sure-fire method) but had zero luck. Was approached several times just walking the strip and both times when I tried to score, the fuckers gave me what looked like weed at first glance (wrapped in semi opaque see-through plastic) but both times the "weed" turned out to be moistened newspaper. I smelled the outside of the sealed package both times and both times it smelled much better than mexi ditch weed, like it might be decent hydro (they must have rubbed the package in weed first).
The second time I got (very slightly) wiser and found out I was burned before the thief walked five feet away and called him on his bullshit. He insisted I had the real deal. I told him it was wet newspaper and I could read the fucking words on it. His response was "the new chronic has words on it" with a smile and just walked away. I tried appealing to his greed (If you don't burn me, I'll buy some quantity for a party), but he just pissed on my leg and told me it was raining while he walked away with my money.
I don't care about the money I lost at all. I purposely bought smallish amounts to try and source decent quality before I bought any quantity, but it is just frustrating as hell to walk up and down the strip for miles and come up empty twice when I thought I had success in hand. It just can't be this fucking hard. I've seen people smoking openly in front of casinos (both times I was late going somewhere so I didn't stop and chat them up). I am smelling decent weed being smoked on the strip at least 10 times a day, but with all the crowds it is usually hard to narrow down who is smoking.
The only time I've ever gotten burned in Van or in the Pacific Northwest was once in a blue moon when I got some low quality weed instead of BC Bud, but I've never had anyone try to sell me wet newspaper, so I am asking for advice.
I've read that they've decriminalized small quantities almost completely so I thought that there would be little risk if I stayed on the strip under the lights and around (but not directly in front of) the cameras. I've read warnings about all the thugs in this town, so I didn't follow anyone down dark alleys or anything. Anyone got any good advice taking into account my transportation limitations?
Las Vegas is supposed to be a playground where shit like this is extra easy. Obviously I should have checked things out more carefully before handing over cash, but with all the people around I was trying not to be obvious so I just smelled the package instead of opening it before handing over money. This is getting ridiculous. This situation was inconceivable to me 6 hours ago. Help a buddy out? Any wise words would be greatly appreciated. | 7 | [
{
"body": "Dude.\n\nFirst off, Vegas is for scoring coke, not weed.\n\nSecondly, you sound like a mark. You were five feet away from a guy who just burned you and you let him walk away? If people didn't know you were a mark before, they will now. You got punked, and you can't let that happen. Why the fuck did you give him money before inspecting it? And don't tell me \"he said I had to give him the money first\", because... christ, that just says too much. Seriously, there's a good chance that people will know you as a quick scam now. Word travels fast about easy money.\n\nFrankly you sound like someone who has never, ever, ever done this before and it shows (scoring in an urban US area is far different than Vansterdam where the dealers are young, idealistic, and stupid as bricks). You cannot do a cold score, you are attending fucking CES. Life is not like the movies, and people can sense your bullshit. They are predators, and unless you are a predator as well, you're going to get eaten.\n\nBest approach? Go to a nice hotel, dress well, pretend you're staying there, and talk to a bellboy. Let him know he'll be tipped well for scoring you a decent sack. Know your prices BEFOREHAND, and tip him a minimum of 25% on the buy.\n\nYou obviously have the physical appearance or behaviour of someone who has never done things like this before, and you're getting called on it. You need to hire someone to do it for you.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Wet newspaper? Seriously?\n\nI'm pretty curious how they passed off wet newspaper as marijuana, you mind taking a picture? (I'm being serious, not trying to be a dick, the two just seem completely unrelated in my mind, nothing about the two are remotely alike)",
"score": 5
}
] |
DAE wake up thinking their dream was real? | Had one last year where I dreamt that I was told at the last minute I had a *third* GCSE English exam, but not what it was about. I phoned all my mates but they were really vague and the internet held no answers (!?). I then revised manically everything to do with English and then went to sleep really late. I woke up next morning at the time I usually woke up for school, jumped out of bed, started to get into my school uniform and then realised it was a Saturday; and I had finished my exams...
I had one last night when I had been given a puppy, woke up think I was going to play with him today, and then remembered that my Mum had kept him in the cupboard under the sink for a week so it would be a surprise and so couldn't be true, lol.
Anyone else have these, or its it just me...? | 26 | [
{
"body": "Its a love/hate for me....Sometimes I do some **stupid** shit in my dreams and I wake up so thankful it was only a dream...then other times great stuff happens and I hate that it was only a dream.\n\nThat's why I love lucid dreaming, I control it, and I know none of it is real...kinda hard to lucid dream constantly, but it's best.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Dear Reddit: Think you can help my friend out? It's really simple! | Now this isn't one of those posts begging for financial help, and I'm definitely not trying to click with Redditor's emotional tendencies or anything like that. My friend Jerrod, a really talented recent college grad, has taken a chance in this economy and has been working on his own webseries, "Appleseed Elementary." He finished the pilot, and is working with a company in New York to find sponsors for it. Something that will help him out is if his YouTube trailer got a lot of hits and subscribers. Just watch the trailer, it's only 40 seconds long and every hit would add up and help him a lot!
Thanks for all the help!
["Appleseed Elementary" Trailer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkbBmv3HpZw)
["Appleseed Elementary" Facebook fan page!](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/Appleseed-Elementary/237958261950#/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/Appleseed-Elementary/237958261950?v=info)
Really, I'm not expecting much, but it would be nice if we got the trailer views to over 1,000! It's only 40 seconds long, so it doesn't take much of your time. Thanks a lot, Reddit!
**EDIT**
Wow! Thanks Reddit, this is way more of a response than I thought I'd get! I should note that the view count on YouTube for the video is probably stuck. Hopefully it will refresh soon. I should also note that I'm going to attempt to get the redhead to do an AMA or an AMAA, as she's been getting critical response in the comments, especially from [KrackMonkey](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/amnwi/dear_reddit_think_you_can_help_my_friend_out_its/c0id36u). :)
**EDIT 2**
I talked to Jerrod, and he's gonna get Amanda (aka redhead aka ginger) to put up an AMA sometime tomorrow! Score!
**EDIT 3**
Wow, over 2,000 views! Thanks so much!
**EDIT 4**
Amanda (redhead) created an [IAmA](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/amykr/i_am_amanda_mangum_i_play_the_red_headed_school/)! Ask her almost anything.
**EDIT 5**
Wow, Appleseed Elementary was put on the front page of Comedy.com! | 548 | [
{
"body": "Looks really cool. The old bald dude looks like my kinda guy. The ginger one is hot. She reminds me of Veronica Vaughn but ginger which is great",
"score": 88
},
{
"body": "Well hey, the redhead in the purple dress was smoking. I'd check her filesystem, if you know what I mean.",
"score": 27
},
{
"body": "Hey! I actually really liked that trailer and I've featured your video on my [Youtube channel.](http://www.youtube.com/user/SexyGirlsLoveRICK) I actually get quite a few views on my channel, so it might help out a little bit.\n\nIt's only because you're a fellow Redditor, though. Good luck with the trailer, hope it gets lots of views ;)",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "Watched. Looks funny. At first I thought the guy inhaling the marker was Farva from Super Troopers. ",
"score": 17
},
{
"body": "I watched. But, if this 'goes through', how will it ever make money? Will people pay to subscribe to it?",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "It looks cool, but i thought the audio track with the scratching was trying too hard to manipulate me into believing it is something edgy and cool. Kind of like a Zune commercial, or homer simpsons dog with the backwards baseball cap.\n",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "You should have mentioned there was a 'hawt redhead' in it. \n\nIn fact that was all you really needed to have said. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I watched it. My wife lived it for a few years. She watched it and shook her head and said \"I'll never go back to that\"",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "The videography seems legit, but the writing could be improved. I didn't even crack a smile. It's not as clever as it could be, and that's a shame considering the talent you have on the technical side of things. \r\n\r\nAs a trailer, it should be a prelude, and thus, it should be side-splitting, or facinating. \r\n\r\nTWO CENTS.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Reminds me a lot of a pilot my friends made a little bit ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnv7hpYdV0k",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "[Redhead's Facebook.](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/Appleseed-Elementary/237958261950?v=info#/profile.php?id=43801797)",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Solid. I intended to simply provide the hit count and move on, but that was intriguing. Good luck to Jerrod!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Yep, the ginger is smokin', but the trailer was weak. Production value was high, but content was low. If these people can read what good writers have written, then this will be great.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Trying to get a refund from ASUS on the Windows 7 OEM licence. Anyone tried this before? | So, I've recently purchased a 1201N (great little toaster btw) and am trying to figure out what exactly is the process to get this refund. On a previous attempt with a 1101HA, they told me I'd have to take it u with MS, but I've eventually sold that laptop (don't buy it, the Z520 is seriously underpowered. Great battery life though), so I didn't go through with the rest of the process.
Still, from reading stuff on forums, this seems a bit tricky with some manufacturers, so I'm turning to reddit (lurker for a year now) to know of similar experiences and also, to post my (ongoing) own, in case anyone needs help.
_______________________________
From me to ASUS:
Good day.
I've recently purchased a 1201N, which came pre-installed with Windows 7. Since I only use Linux on my laptop, I've completely removed it, replacing it with Ubuntu Linux. I haven't activated the windows installation nor have I accepted the Windows EULA.
Since ASUS does not make available to the public the purchase of this laptop without an operating system or with an alternative open-source operating system and according to the EULA, if I don't use the software nor accept the terms of the licence, I can get a full refund for the software, I wish to return this licence of Windows 7.
Could you please inform me of the correct protocol for this?
Kindest regards,
zetacash
___________________
**UPDATE**: They sent back the following mail (translated):
Dear client:
You have to send a picture of the bottom of the laptop with the windows licence on in and a copy of the purchase receipt.
However, I should warn you that it's a procedure that can take a lot of time.
Regards,
Acib Tsd
| 66 | [
{
"body": "Good luck with that! \n\nI have been removed (with the help from police) from PCWorld (In the UK) for asking for a refund on a license I didn't use...",
"score": 33
},
{
"body": "I have a $6 refund in the mail for an XP license. I'll probably take them to small claims court once I get that. I had to ask to get transferred to a supervisor and then she eventually contacted someone else who called me back.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Read the Windows 7 License carefully, I bought a Toshiba laptop just before Christmas and fully intended on getting a Windows refund. The Windows EULA now says (paraphrasing) \"If you do not agree to the terms, refer to the hardware providers License\". And the Toshiba License says, you can return the Hardware AND Software if you do not agree. They effectively covered their ass on the return policy to say \"If you don't like Windows, return the computer\". I was very disappointed.\n\nEDIT: Took a picture of the EULA screen. It's a little fuzzy (the picture) but clearly states Toshiba will only access both hardware and software returns. [http://i.imgur.com/Nd4Up.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/Nd4Up.jpg) M$ EULA on top, Toshiba EULA on bottom.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "I have a new tactic: I keep the seals on the CDs intact and remove the hard disk from the laptop before booting it up even once. I replace it with a fancy SSD drive instead. Then when 18 months later the time comes to buy a new laptop, I put the original hard drive back in and sell it.\n\nTo my utter dismay I had to BUY a windows license last year just to be able to sell my laptop. I had foolishly thrown away the Windows CDs, peeled off the license number and wiped the hidden recovery partition. Potential buyers did not agree that the laptop worked better without windows.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "sue them in small claims. they won't show, and you get a default judgement. then if they don't pay they will be in comtempt of court.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I wish you the best of luck with this. I recently read somewhere online that MS had changed the windoze 7 EULA just a bit. Not sure if this change amounts to anything. It may make the whole thing more difficult.\n\nBefore:\n>By using the software, you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, do not use the software. Instead, contact the manufacturer or installer to determine their return policy for a refund or credit.\n\nAfter:\n>By using the software, you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, do not use the software. Instead, contact the manufacturer or installer to determine its return policy. You must comply with that policy, which might limit your rights or require you to return the entire system on which the software is installed.",
"score": 4
}
] |
How naive is my world-view? | Basically I think Fukuyama was correct, we're reaching the end of history: Iraq was the last full-scale international war, nukes will never be used, global capitalism will force states to integrate. The world will mimic the EU and a democratic political entity (probably evolving from the UN) will represent the citizens.
I believe any partially democratic or capitalistic states naturally become more democratic. Furthermore, democracy tends towards socialism (the poor majority should vote for tax increases) and consequently capitalism cedes to politics and something close to Communism is settled upon. This is helped by human beings becoming far more rational.
I can only see global power structures that have never exised before stopping this, specifically; a 'world banking elite', global warming/environmental destruction or competition over limited resources. But I believe rational countries and citizens will foresee these events and avoid them.
I base my political thinking on this world-view and it's created a kind of malaise within me. I see bad things happening (Bush invading Iraq / Obama buckling etc) but simply believe these events need to be played out before the inevitable happens.
Criticism, counter-points very welcome :) | 3 | [
{
"body": "No, capitalist states naturally become less democratic and more corporatist. Just look at the US. The trend is away from socialism and towards control by a small elite. There will never be a global government of equals as global capitalism which can no longer grow within its own borders needs other people to steal from in order to continue its growth. The only global government you can expect (and I doubt this would occur either) is an extension of the government-by-the-elite system in, for example, the US to cover the rest of the world. But I doubt this. Capitalism needs people to steal from, and even more so it needs \"baddies\" who can be cast as \"opposing\" it.",
"score": 6
}
] |
Can we be wrong about matters of taste? | Of course we probably can't be wrong about whether or not we like something, but what about when people say things like: "Transformers 2 was a better movie than Goodfellas." Aren't people who say such things just simply mistaken?
Related questions: Are there some objective aspects that matter when considering a piece of art, for example, and isn't through proper training that we learn to see these aspects? Does Roger Ebert's opinion count more than a high school student's? | 5 | [
{
"body": "Christopher Alexander's corpus of design patterns and their application to physical (and abstract) spaces can be seen as an effort to answer this question--in the affirmative. I strongly agree with him. Aesthetics are not wholly, or even mostly, subjective, and what differs between observers is not taste so much as knowledge and experience.",
"score": 3
}
] |
In response to protests, Schwarzenegger proposes shunting prison funding to UC system | The proposed funding would more or less save the UCs as an engine of growth and social mobility, but it's an unfortunate compromise given that CA prisons are already horrifically overcrowded. | 17 | [
{
"body": "I like Arnie as governor. At least the man proposes solutions, whether or not they're popular. And he does it in California, the political petri dish of the US. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "[I suppose you forgot a link.](http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_14136001)\n\nI'm all for it, keeping prison as one of the major state funds is completely idiotic. It's what you invest in that will later comprise the population, and I'd rather see grads than felons.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Ask /r/newzealand: What political party do you support? | Obviously the general tone on Reddit is towards liberalism, and it would be an obvious question if it was /r/unitedstates. However, the political landscape in New Zealand is a bit more complex, I was wondering where Redditors stood politically.
I'm personally a member of the Green Party, mainly for the social policy rather than the environmental side (I just prefer social issues over environmental ones). I would consider Alliance if they actually had a change of getting any seats at all however. | 10 | [
{
"body": "Labour. National wants to privatize everything (and I met Key once, he's a sneaky bastard) and greens seem far to scatter brain for me.\n\nI wish there was a left wing party that used the scientific method for deciding the best course of action. I feel that the greens are only anti nuclear because they feel they have to be (i.e. their target demographic thinks this) [but if they did a little bit of research](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste) they would have learned otherwise.\n\n",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "I support National because they seem less duplicitous than Labour.\r\n\r\n*edit: Gosh, downvoted. :( Can i have some upvotes for honesty?",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I tend to do my wee Labour-Greens vote (electorate for Labour, since I'm in Wellington Central and it's a Labour stronghold) and party vote Green. Grew up in a staunch Labour household, but the Greens are a party that to my mind ought to be supported, and I like supporting minor parties via MMP (otherwise what's the point of having such a representative voting system?)",
"score": 3
}
] |
What proof would be sufficient for you to be convinced of the existence of God? | A recent thread got me to think of what would convince me of the existence of God. As has been discussed many times here, atheists are not, generally speaking, certain of the non-existence of God: they just assign the God hypothesis an extremely low probability score.
Besides exceptionally conspicuous proofs (e.g. the discovery that a section of the human DNA can spell the entire first book of Genesis in Aramaic), which would prove the existence of the God of Abraham almost beyond doubt, I have been wondering what proof (or proofs) would be necessary to tilt the 'God equation' barely above 50% probability.
I do not refer necessarily to the Christian/Jewish/Muslim God, but still a transcendent, all-powerful, personal God.
In all honesty, I can find none. Does r/atheism have an answer? | 30 | [
{
"body": "If God exists, he knows what evidence would be enough to convince me. He just chooses not to provide it.",
"score": 46
},
{
"body": "all it would take is some kind of historical record, such as a book or set of scrolls, that I can interpret to fit my own ideals of what god and morality is/should be. Then I could share the new found truth with others and use that book as proof that everything in it is true.",
"score": 20
},
{
"body": "I'm often reminded of a quote by Arthur C. Clarke \"Sufficiently advanced technology will appear as magic to those who don't understand it.\" Because of this, it makes it even harder for me to accept any \"evidence\" that any god could exist, let alone the characters of our fiction and mythology.\n\n\nAny miracle that would be performed wouldn't count as proof for me, considering that, with technology, we perform tasks on a daily basis that people 2000 years ago would classify as miracles.\n\nAny supernatural stuff I would have to discount as well, without having those things proven as well.\n\nIf I had to put my finger on something, possibly something that violates all of the laws of science, or at least a good portion of them, at once. This, however, may only be a stopgap answer as further research may show how the \"event\" could be recreated with our technology.\n\nThe short answer: Short of Unicorns, Vampires, or the Pirates fielding a playoff caliber team next year, I really can't think of any.",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "Well, he is god. If he shows up and says \"Howdie there, everyone. I am god? Want some proof? I'll figure out how many fingers you're holding up... SEVEN!\"\n\nIt's not hard for an all-powerful entity prove it's existance. It's all-powerful, it can do anything.",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "> e.g. the discovery that a section of the human DNA can spell the entire first book of Genesis in Aramaic, which would prove the existence of the God of Abraham almost beyond doubt \n\nNo it wont. How about extra-terrestial material \"aliens\" fiddling with our DNA? If no other evidense is forthcoming, thats the most likely conclusion. My belief in atheism will only get stronger, if thats possible. \n\nWe are rational beings, I am sure if God gave us some proof of his existence, we'll become theists overnight. I will. \n\nThe proof can be anything. How about showing up ? ",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "A personal visit with a deposit of eleventy-billion dollars in my checking account would cause me to at least reconsider my position.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "First you have to precisely define what you mean by \"God\", otherwise you're not considering something testable.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "My siblings (all atheists) and I talk about this- we were raised Catholic and I would believe in that god if I found out there really were vampires, and crucifixes and holy water really did hurt them. \n\nIf that were the case, I would totally be a Catholic Vampire Hunter and learn ecclesiastical latin and get a cool hat and make a crossbow that fired wooden stakes... yes!\n\nAlthough, if I found out little muslim crescents and stars of david and buddha statues hurt the vampires too, then I would have to be a very disappointed pantheist... ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "If intercessory prayer was proven effective in multiple legitimate scientific trials that are repeatable, I would become a theist. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "If a deity actually appeared in front of me, and performed some miracles, and other people were there so I knew I wasn't insane.\n\nI'd believe in said deity's existence, but I still wouldn't worship him if he was the chrisitian god. That guy's a dick.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Another thing to consider is that, if I somehow discovered that this world had god(s), I'd be very disappointed in them. The way I see it, this world's pretty fucked up.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Calling on critical atheists: What are your views on the applicability of Gödel's incompleteness theorem on the unprovability of the existence of a God? | If you don't know the theorem, you can [read up on it here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gödel%27s_incompleteness_theorems) or [read a discussion of it here](http://books.google.com/books?id=71pK8Zz9Dd8C&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=gödels+incompleteness+theorem+theology&source=bl&ots=p75I8k1oGo&sig=uFNCADbDsXqzZ42nUc1FB_KqOUc&hl=en&ei=yNlFS9btJ4fA-QbM4q1j&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CB4Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=&f=false). It effectively states that in any system of logic there exists true statements that are absolutely unprovable from within the system.
Many theists claim that the existence of god is not provable, yet true. I accept their claim of non-provability and say that if his existence is not provable, it is also of no consequence to me and therefore I won't accept that it should be true.
My father (an atheist and studied philosopher) always counters my argument using Gödel's incompleteness theorem and says that though outside the set of provable statements, the statement of god's existence may still be true.
This **really** bugs me. Does anyone have good advice on what to say to this? | 12 | [
{
"body": "Under the correct system of logical axioms, you can prove god does not exist:\n\n1. Axiom: \"If a god exists, it must be both omniscient and omnipotent.\"\n2. Assume a god exists.\n3. This creates a [logical paradox](http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=Omnipotence_and_omniscience_paradox). Therefore, (2) is false. (Reductio ad absurdum)\n4. Therefore, god does not exist.\n\nVery few theists would disagree with (1), but most will argue that omnipotence implies immunity to logic and paradox. Feel free to concede this point, then point out that if a god is not subject to logic, any statement on his behalf is inherently meaningless, as the counter-statement would be just as valid.\n\nIn other words, rephrase the argument so that your dismissal of god's existence is replaced with a statement on god's incoherence. If a god must defy logic to exist, then the statement \"god wants us to deny his existence\" is as equally valid as \"god wants us to worship it.\" Therefore, you can reach the same conclusion (dismissing the existence of a god) whether the 'unprovable' claim of a god's existence is true or not.",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "You are both right. Your father is correct, there may be a god. You are also correct that if a god cannot be shown to exist then its existence is of no consequence to you.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "In lay terms, its like someone claiming that God \"created\" the big bang, and then hasn't interfered in the universe after that.\n\nIts possible. But its irrelevant too.\n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "But then how do you make a decision in what you should believe in? You believe in god, yet discard the existence fairies, or even the (invisible) teapot in an orbit around Mars, while these are in the same place of provability of the god you believe in. If you believe in a non-provable god, aren't you also obliged to believe in these other, non-provable beings , objects and concepts?\n\n[edit]This is one of the possible world views I have, it's a hypothesis and I don't _believe_ this, but I think it would be a valid, non religious world view (it's real short actually): What if our universe (or multiverse) is actually a computer simulation ran by some species? We could probably run this in a couple of yours ourselfs, simulating a universe and see what happens. The link with your post: This is not provable for us, as we live in this system, the system is closed, so we can't directly look at it from outside of it, we are confined in it, but this is(/could be) true. That would be as valid a world view as christianity is. Also this would also mean there is a/are god(s). \n\nAnother cool result from this: We humans can be gods! When we start our own universe simulation, we are in fact a god, which is able to create a whole new universe. We would be omnipotent, all knowing, yet we have no reason to be all good (I like that one). Though there would be no reason to threaten our emulated creations with a afterlife full of horrible pain and agony.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "My views are as follows: Gödel *also* had a \"completeness\" theorem.\n\nJust because *some* statements are unprovable does not mean that **all** statements are unprovable. It is, furthermore, *definitely* a mistake to attempt to transition Gödel's theorems -- **either** of them -- from the realm of mathematics and logic into the realm of physics.\n\nThis is a non-issue. It falls on anyone making the assertion that a given concept is outside the realm of logic to *demonstrate*/prove this to be so.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Dear reddit, what are some old bands that've still got the magic? | (The thread about fallen bands was depressing me.)
I saw Bruce and E Street a few months ago and somehow their new stuff still sounds awesome and relevant. | 8 | [
{
"body": "I seen John Prine a couple of months ago and man, blown away. I'm a bit skewed though as he might be my favorite dude ever, but his music is just better suited with a pained old voice. Of course most folk is, so...",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Heaven and Hell (formerly Black Sabbath) is not too shabby. Not as good as Black Sabbath, but not bad for some 60 year old guys.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Can any math wiz figure out the probability that any two randomly chosen card values in a shuffled deck will be adjacent? | * Two card values are imagined at random. (ignoring suits)
* In a shuffled deck, what is the probability that those values will be found to be next to each other?
>Source video for reference and clarification purposes:
>[Small Risk, HUGE Reward Magic Trick](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7MOlKQCPmE)
I'm not exactly a math person, but the way I see it is:
If you choose cards X and Y, then there are 4 places in the deck where there will be an X, which makes a maximum of 8 winning slots for Y. Since you discount the 4 X's themselves, you subtract that from a deck of 52, which means there are is an 8 in 48 chance of success. Things that seem to complicate this is if you have two X's together, then that nullifies 2 of the winning slots. Also, if an X appears at the beginning of the deck, then that also kills off a winning slot. If the deck begins as X,X,X,X - then that leaves only a single winning slot - but what are the chances of that, and how does that affect the overall odds? I can't even begin to figure this one out.
I'd be very interested if anyone could figure this out!
| 6 | [
{
"body": "A little googling reveals;\n\n> The Probability of Finding an Adjacent Pair in a Deck\n\n> David Singmaster\n\n> The Mathematical Gazette, Vol. 75,\n\nFor a 52 card deck Singmaster comes out with an exact and simulated result of p = 0.4863. So in the long-run you would buy more beers than you receive :) ",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "Monte-Carlo:\n\n >>> from __future__ import division\n >>> import random\n >>> tests = 1000000\n >>> # if ace and king are adjacent\n ... c = 0\n >>> for i in xrange(tests):\n ... x,y = random.sample(4*range(13), 2)\n ... if abs(x-y) in [1,12]: c += 1\n ... \n >>> c/tests\n 0.156802\n >>>\n >>> # if they are not\n ... c = 0\n >>> for i in xrange(tests):\n ... x,y = random.sample(4*range(13), 2)\n ... if abs(x-y) == 1: c += 1\n ... \n >>> c/tests\n 0.14482200000000001\n\nIn the first case the first card doesn't matter, just that the second card has an 8/51 = 15.7% chance of being adjacent.\n\nIn the second case the first card matters. The odds of it being an ace or a king are 8/52 = 15.5% and then there are 4 cards in the rest that are adjacent to it or 4/51 = 7.8%. The odds of the first card being any other card are 44/52 = 84.6% and then the chance of the second card being adjacent is 8/51 = 15.7%. So, on the whole the chance of an adjacent pair is 8/52 × 4/51 + 44/52 × 8/51 = (32 + 352) / 2654 = 384/2654 = 14.5%\n\n**Edit:** I, like others, misunderstood the question. Randomly selecting two card values and then checking the deck if they are found adjacent somewhere, is much more likely - and more complex to calculate. If you want to reason about shuffled decks then it is best to consider them as permutations. Basically the question you want to ask is \"Of all the permutations of 1..52, how many have an adjacent pair x,y where x is 1,2,3 or 4 and y is 5,6,7 or 8.\" ... I think.",
"score": 6
}
] |
DAE hate the "smart highlighting" feature that Microsoft OSes/programs have that highlight the whole word? | I don't really know how to explain it, but if you go into Microsoft Word and download an internet... I mean highlight text, you can see it highlights a whole word at a time. It's sometimes useful, but I want to be able to shut it off.
Does it drive anyone else nuts? | 15 | [
{
"body": "I don't really rage about the word selection part but those times it expands to include the parenthesis, commas or punctuation I get angry. I didn't select the preceding or trailing punctuation for A REASON; not because I have ham hands or don't know how to calibrate my mouse.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Yes, that feature makes me RAAAAGE! Luckily it's easy to shut off.\n\nThe directions vary slightly if you're using Office 2003, but here they are for Office 2007...\n\n* Click on the big round word button at the top left (what the heck do they call that thing?)\n\n* Download (I mean click on) \"Word Options\"\n\n* Select the \"Advanced\" section\n\n* Uncheck the box that says \"When selecting, automatically select entire word\"\n\nVoila! \n\n**Edit:** FYI, I think you have to repeat these steps in Outlook if you wish to turn it off while using Word as your email editor. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Help me think of a project for 2010 | I want to start a project that will take me most of 2010 to complete in my free time. Please can you help me think of something?
I'm a software engineer so preferably not something that's going to add significant hours to my time in front of a computer.
About 10 years ago I used to be very into playing music and I'm fairly good at playing keyboard, guitar and bass.
I live in a flat so it can't be something that requires a garden or garage, or a lot of space for that matter.
Preferably something that I can invest time in as and when I have it, not something that will regularly demand my time.
I'm prepared to invest some money into the project but not a lot, maybe around £50-£100 a month, or the equivalent lump sum, would be fine.
Most importantly I'd like it to be something that produces something tangible upon completion. Something I can show people and be proud of. Rather than a goal such as "learn X songs on piano" or "become better at..." or "read X books".
Thanks for your help, reddit! | 13 | [
{
"body": "Try home brewing. Two years and I still have no regrets. And my beer is fantastic, my friends love coming over to see what's new. You seem to be in the UK, so I'm not sure if laws / costs / availability of equipment are different, but here in the US it's easy, everything can be mail-ordered, start-up costs are around $100 and each kit costs maybe $30-50?",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Track the path of the sun across one of your walls and build a device that only gets illuminated by the sun on one day of the year.\n \n \n[like newgrange](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgrange)",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "learn another language, something funky like Japanese. Save up your money and take a trip there in December for xmas, your goal to speak only Japanese while there. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I am considering doing this by myself: make cup of tea.\n\nThe catch is that you can not buy anything you can make yourself. You must make your own teapot and cup, grow tea (or herbs), make nice box for them, own teabags or filter, etc. Also you may not rush out anything. The goal is that everything looks great.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "What an awesome advertising opportunity!\n\nI am a mod of the [2010 Reddit Health Project](http://www.reddit.com/r/HealthProject/). If I may, I'd like to persuade you to invest your time towards your [physical, mental and social well-being](http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html)\n\nThe basic idea of the project is to promote healthy living by participation in challenges, discussions and other related activities. Our priority is to endorse a basic diet and exercise model, motivate redditors and give out good information that would encourage healthy lifestyles.\n\nAnd coincidentially, it is an annual project. At the end of the year we will monitor the \"before and after\" effects of the project on lifestyles, medical conditions, etc.\n\n[The idea of the subreddit was actually created right here on AskReddit](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ajzhg/reddit_would_you_be_interested_in_a_fitness/)\n\nFeel free to ask questions!",
"score": 3
}
] |
Dated sex worker, nagging desire to see what the paid experience is like. | I'm not looking for advice. I just wanted to tell someone. Go ahead, judge me.
We didn't really achieve couple status, we just dated a few times. I'm moving away and she's been "busy" for the past two weeks, so it looks like this is over.
I know she does domination and some types of massage, but we only ever had vanilla sex. (It was good but not as amazing as you would think.) I don't think I'm into being dominated at all, but I just wanted to see her in that context. And, considering she's unavailable right now, I almost feel like getting on her schedule by paying for the privilege.
Is this so wrong?
...probably | 12 | [
{
"body": "If you like her, I'd actually say don't do it! You're only possibly setting yourself up for a fall if you do really like her.\n\nIf you're that curious, go pay someone else to do the same thing. When emotions get involved things can get tricky!",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "I think it's wrong. Think how she would feel about it. On the other hand, she can refuse you as well. So there will be a choice. You can be damn sure she's going to go hard on you. So if you're into that sado-stuff... go for it. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
People of Reddit how does life treat you? | I have always wondered how life treats other people. I know everybody has low points and high points that is obvious but what are your highs and lows? | 4 | [
{
"body": "I don't really have low points. I'm so consistently lucky in life that I live in constant dread of the day my luck runs out.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Question re: RRoD turnaround time | Guys, I just mailed my Xbox back to Microsoft yesterday to repair the RRoD that appeared shortly after Christmas. The Live website says it will be 2-3 weeks, but I had this happen to me just before Halo 3 came out, and it only took them about a week and a half to get a new console (instead of my repaired console) back to me. To all of you who have had this happen recently, I ask: how long did the process take? Also, did they repair the console you sent in and return it to you, or did you get a new console back? | 3 | [
{
"body": "I've sent back 3 and each time the turnaround has been about a week. \n\nI believe the last one took a week and a half, but it was over a weekend and an odd holiday. Regardless, it's never taken the 2+ weeks that they claim on the website. Of course, I seem to live pretty close to the repair depot in southern Texas, so, maybe that has something to do with it.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Can anyone explain to me why we are becoming world where we need to bubblewrap our kids? | It's happening with everything and anything related to kids.
20 years ago, kids would be outside playing and chasing each other with waterguns and playing cowboys and indians. These days, the parents are either too scared to let their kids out, or they think that playing with toy guns could turn them into serial killers in the future.
These days, an adult making any kind of contact with a child that's not his will be accused of being a pedophile. Just getting up close and making eye-contact will have parents freaking out and calling the cops.
Just watching some of the kids' shows lately, and they're so dumbened down, it's amazing. Pokemon has gone down the shitter, just the theme song alone is beyond cheesy and all about "happiness and friends", and that's basically the theme of every other kids' show these days. Invader Zim was cancelled because it was too dark (though this I might have to agree a *bit*). And I would imagine that if Looney Tunes were still being made today, then they'd take away the guns, cannons, crossdressing, and basically anything that made them funny. I know they aren't necessarily aimed at kids, but they're aired on kids' TV (or used to be).
**TLDR:** Really? That was a short read compared to a lot of stuff on Reddit | 6 | [
{
"body": "How many kids do you have? I've got two, and bubble wrapped they are not. Some of their friends are, but it's not the majority.\r\n\r\nI think you read too much and experience too little.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "I disagree with many of your assertions about how overprotective we've become.\n\nBut as far as the cartoons go, is there REALLY anything wrong with cartoons that depict positive values rather than negative ones? Kids don't give a shit either way, they'll watch it. What's *wrong* with singing about happiness and friends? ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Have any of you successfully conquered addiction through any of the 12 step programs? (Such as Alcoholics Anonymous) | I was thinking about going to an OA (Overeaters Anonymous) meeting but when I checked the website out, I was really turned off by the "higher power" thing.
Here are the 12 Steps from their website:
The Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous
1. We admitted we were powerless over food — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
---Sounds more like a religious conversion than addiction help. When I Googled to see if other atheists had found a way around this, I found the following:
**Don't take our word for it, listen to AA co-founder "Doctor Bob":**
*If you think you are an atheist, an agnostic, a skeptic, or have any other form of intellectual pride which keeps you from accepting what is in this book, I feel sorry for you. (AA Big Book page 181)*
**It is common among AA members to differentiate between the words "religious" and "spiritual." This semantical dance implies that religion is inferior or phony, and that spirituality is honest and genuine. To a non-believer, however, religion and spirituality are the same thing, and we really don't want any part of it -- if we can help it.**
**The AA Big Book dedicates the entire fourth chapter ("We Agnostics") to ridiculing the beliefs of atheists, agnostics, skeptics, freethinkers, humanists, and other non-religious people. Such thinking is not welcome in AA.**
**Of course, atheists, etc., won't be thrown out of an AA meeting; but the Big Book is forceful in persuading us to change our ways as part of a successful program:**
*To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster ... To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face. (page 44)*
**Alcoholics Anonymous says that you have only two options: religion or death.**
*But after a while we had to face the fact that we must find a spiritual basis of life -- or else. Perhaps it is going to be that way with you. But cheer up, something like half of us thought we were atheists or agnostics. (page 44)*
*Atheism is a form of dishonesty here -- and a delusion ("[we] thought we were atheists").*
*But [the newcomer's] face falls when we speak of spiritual matters, especially when we mention God, for we have re-opened a subject which our man thought he had neatly evaded or entirely ignored. We know how he feels. We have shared his honest doubt and prejudice. Some of us have been violently anti-religious. (p 45)*
*... as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results ... (p 46)*
*Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you ... (p 47)*
**And don't forget that AA has a captive audience of impaired people:**
*[We] often found ourselves handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning prejudice. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things make us bristle with antagonism. This sort of thinking had to be abandoned.... Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became ... open minded on spiritual matters ... In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness. (p 47-8)*
**Now, most will admit that AA does have its "religious trappings" or that some minor components of the AA program are spiritual in nature; however, the Big Book places the religious conversion experience as Priority Number One:**
*Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power? Well, that's exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem.... [That] means, of course, that we are going to talk about God. Here difficulty arises with agnostics. (page 45)*
([source](http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/keestee.htm))
----
Opinions? | 12 | [
{
"body": "I was a methamphetamine addict for almost a decade, with the last 3 of those years being an IV user.\n\nI've now been clean for just over three years, and can confidently say that I would NOT have been able to get and stay clean without some of the thought exercises, techniques, and knowledge I acquired through years of attempting to quit through Narcotics Anonymous.\n\nAs much as anything, the stories from those who had successfully gotten (and stayed!) clean helped me see a light at the end of the tunnel.\n\nYMMV - I didn't do the \"steps\" like a lot of people did, but I did take to heart many of the lessons intrinsic to them - a lot of what the steps are, IMHO, is learning the basic tools for becoming someone who doesn't need to cope with your past, the present, and anxiety about the future by using drugs (or eating, sex, etc., I guess). There are some super valid things in there - humility, self-examination, making amends, etc.\n\nThere are certainly people out there that probably never would have been able to get clean (and stay clean) without working through each of the steps religiously. Some people absolutely need a \"known-good\" plan for changing themselves, and if it works for them, I'm all in favor. That wasn't me, however.\n\nMy advice would be to go to the meetings, participate wholeheartedly for a while, soak in all that you can. During that time, filter for what you find most valuable and applicable to you, and take it to heart.\n\nBest of Luck!",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "You just need some old fashioned Italian help\n\n*slaps you in the face* What-da-hells-a-madder-wit-you? heh?",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I don't claim that 12 step programs are for everyone. I also agree with many complaints about it. However, I have seen one of my best friends turn his life around through Narcotics Anonymous. \n\nI've asked him some of the things that a lot of people seem concerned about. He is an Atheist and the \"higher power\" thing is very lax. His \"higher power\" was humanity as a whole. No one ever questioned him on it, or tried to force God into him. I'll have to ask him if Doctor Bob's arguments ever came up, but from what he has told me I doubt it.\n\nI agree its not a one size fits all program, but it has definitely worked for him. I think we would be wise not to completely pass such programs off.\n\nEDIT: I should add, he has seen A LOT of people come in, and maybe stay sober for a few weeks, or months and then relapse and never come back. Again, I'm not arguing its a great and perfect system, but there are also a good amount of people he has seen stay sober for years and years. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "These 12 step programs are simply recruiting farms to snatch up those who are weak of will, who of course are naturally predisposed to religious indoctrination.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Yep.\n\nI quit smoking by:\n\n1 - Quitting\n\n2 - Quitting again\n\n3 - Quitting again\n\n4 - Quitting again\n\n5 - Quitting again\n\n6 - Quitting again\n\n7 - Quitting again\n\n8 - Quitting again\n\n9 - Quitting again\n\n10 - Quitting again\n\n11 - Quitting again\n\n12 - And finally, quitting for the (hopefully) last time",
"score": 3
}
] |
How many of you fear zombie animals? | When and if there is an apocalypse I am completely freaked out about the animal aspect...humans not really because i can see them but I'm talking about squirrels and tiny animals or even birds like i can't always be watching for squirrels...ugh i guess I'm going to die | 8 | [
{
"body": "Depends on how specialised the virus(parasite, bacteria, insert reason here) is to humans. Think about plague rats as a simple example for the spread of disease. They were carriers, not effected the same way. Look at how much effort it takes for the flu to jump species, and then we are only worried about mammals closet to us, ... and birds. God damn avians.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "This was my only real complaint about the Dawn Of The Dead remake; there was no reason to expect the zombies to ignore the dog. It's living flesh, right?\n\nThis is my nightmare scenario: zombie plague begins, things are bad, but survivable....until the flies start feeding on the corpses. Zombie humans are bad, sure, but how can you avoid swarms of flesh-devouring flies?",
"score": 3
}
] |
Once again, I fail at being a Christian... | I am just consumed with anger all the time. I try to read the bible, but it often never makes sense to me. My prayers seem and feel empty, as I want to believe in them, but they never work.
I've been doing everything wrong again, and it's the story of my life. No matter what I do, I can't feel the presence of the Lord like others do. Other people's testimonies mean little to me, as I can't relate to them.
I want a relationship with God, I really do, but why is it so impossible for me? Why can't I have faith? How can I have faith? I am told to pray for faith, but how can I pray for faith if I don't have faith in the prayer? I am just angry at myself, that I can't see something that is supposedly so simple.
Do I have to start over again? Accept Christ as my lord and savior? If it is nearly impossible to trust in prayer, what would make this prayer any more effective? Maybe it's because I've never been sincere and faithful to myself, and I am often that way now without trying.
I feel like giving up... I feel as if nothing is working for me, and if I try, I'm just fooling myself and patronizing God. If I go to church, I leave still feeling empty. I feel as I am nothing, and that I have nothing. No desires, no will to live, that I am just existing. I wish I could get answers, but nothing helps. Websites, fellow christians, church... nothing. All I see and hear are empty words that are supposed to make me feel good, but all I can feel is anger. Anger towards myself for my shortcomings, and anger for others that I feel are attacking me for my shortcomings. Maybe I'm angry at God too, for not giving me the ability to have faith or to believe.
I don't know if I am making sense at all. Someone please talk to me. Maybe I should post my phone number or something... | 44 | [
{
"body": "I'm sorry but as an atheist I feel like I have to comment.\n\nTo me it seems like you're in the process of deconverting. You really have to stop blaming yourself for this. It isn't your fault that you can't make sense of it all, it's because it really doesn't make sense. \nYou state that you really want to believe. But if you'd just let that desire go you'll see that you don't feel His presence because he's not there. You can't truly have a relationship with God because he doesn't exist. You're angry at God because you don't have the ability to have faith, but maybe it's so that you can't have faith because deep down you know that it's too absurd to believe.\n\nI suggest you take some time to get your thoughts straight, do some reading, things will probably work out. \n\n\n",
"score": 141
},
{
"body": "It's okay to have doubt.\r\n\r\nWhy do you want a relationship with God? Why is it so hard to understand what God wants? Why doesn't God answer your prayers?\r\n\r\nI have been going to church for 37 years and I finally understand the Bible, Jesus and the Bible for what they are. They are human thoughts put forth to try and teach what some people believe is the truth. Problem is too much certainty is given to their authority. You should question their authority.\r\n\r\nReligion uses fear, shame, guilt and ignorance to control people. It is a system of control. What society needs are intelligent and mature people who can make decisions for themselves, not sheep who blindly follow a sheperd.\r\n\r\nCome on over to [r/atheism](http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/). Submit your questions to us about God, Jesus and the Bible. See if we don't have better answers than Christians and help you understand the world better.\r\n\r\nA church can be a great community for support, but it has a very narrow understanding of what the truth is. You will understand yourself and the world better if you challenge what you believe to be true and let others help you find the truth. Don't be afraid to look somewhere else.\r\n\r\n\"With doubt comes freedom.\"\r\n\r\n\"Truth is truth, whether from the lips of Jesus or Balaam.\"\r\n-George McDonald, mentor of C.S. Lewis",
"score": 40
},
{
"body": "Dear Awesome_Prime:\n\nI was Catholic until two years ago. (age 39 now) However, I always had a feeling that something wasn't quite right. I'd go to church and promise I'd be a better a better dude. I'd pray just a little harder hoping I'd hear something, anything. Like many others, I wanted that peace that I thought everyone else around me was enjoying. \n\nI started reading the bible. Word for word. And not just the parts I was familiar with. It turns out that the book is immoral. In fact, it's a horrific blood orgy of immorality. \n\nSomeone suggested equal time. They said to spend a few hours a day reading other holy books and even critiques of religion. \n\nWhat a dope. I feel so stupid when I look back at the time I wasted sitting in the pew, lip-syncing the songs, pretending not to check out the hotties. It's so obvious that religion is man made. I forget who said this, but it's so true...Man never worshiped anything but himself.\n\nI read Sam Harris' book, The End of Faith in 2007 and never looked back. I read Dawkins, Hitchens and Dennett in quick succession. I went on to read Vic Stenger and Michael Shermer. \n\nAt the moment I'm enjoying the back episodes of the Austin Atheist Experience (i may have the title wrong) All of the back episodes of the public access TV shows are on youtube.com and they are pretty good. Matt Dillahunty is fun to watch. To say he's the opposite of a Dawkins or a Hitchens would not give him enough credit. He does have a bit of a blue collar vibe but that doesn't make his logic any less logical.\n\nI have two suggestions. Listen to Letter to a Christian Nation, by Sam Harris on audiobook. It's a two hour mp3. Download it, go for a walk.\n\nSecondly, enjoy life. Morality doesn't come from the man in the sky. There isn't anyone reading your thoughts. You are the source of your morality and your destiny lies with you. \n\nAnd you're right, believing because of Pascal's wager is patronizing.\n\nQuick test: Why didn't you ever believe in Allah or Zeus? That's how the rest of us feel about Yahweh.\n",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "Shit dude, you just made me cry. Don't be angry at yourself, you are making perfect sense. Follow your questions through to logical ends. Your doubts are a good thing, they will help you learn. Question everything and don't accept weak answers or explanations. \n\nThere is a big, beautiful, fascinating world outside the God box my friend. Go see for yourself, you won't regret it. :) Peace.",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "Perhaps your ability to reason and use critical thinking is at odds with a religion that requires absolute belief in the stark absence of evidence. Perhaps you find that the bible isn't coherent and that it doesn't make sense because *it is senseless*.\n\nPerhaps what you are going through is a bad case of [cognitive dissonance.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance)\n\nPerhaps it's time to free yourself from the yoke of your religion, and embrace the real world.\n\nI fully expect to be downvoted for this post, but if you wish to explore this avenue of though, feel free to PM me, or visit your friendly [atheist subreddit.](http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/) :)\n\nIn any case, best of luck to you whatever you choose to do. :)",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "Good on you for posting this. I can sympathise alot with how you're feeling. I am trying to deal with anger myself. I think you would be suprised how many \"christians\" feel the same as you, but just don't admit it.\n\n>I can't feel the presence of the Lord like others do.\n\n\nDon't let what you think others feel direct you as to what you should feel.\n\n\n>Maybe I'm angry at God too, for not giving me the ability to have faith or to believe.\n\n\nFrom what I've seen so far, you have amazing faith. This may seem ironic to you, but here you are, in what seems to be great stress and turmoil and you are not second guessing Him, who He is, and His divinity. You seem to just be needing peace and self confidence.\n\n>Do I have to start over again? Accept Christ as my lord and savior? If it is nearly impossible to trust in prayer, what would make this prayer any more effective? Maybe it's because I've never been sincere and faithful to myself, and I am often that way now without trying.\n\n\nIts sounds you are pretty sincere now, and that is what makes your prayer \"effective\". Its about your heart, and it sounds like it is screaming for Him. This is exactly what he wants from us. You have it, you have Him (you always will) but more importantly, He has you.\n\nDon't expect some tangible event or some hightened emotion to tell you this. You already have it! you have just proclaimed it!\n\nHopefully you live in Australia, and if you do, PM me! I'de be even more excited if we lived close and could hang out. If not, you can PM me your email (if you want, of course) and maybe stay in touch that way.\n\n\nJust try and relax. I would love to have all the answers for you....but I'm seeking them myself (maybe we could trade the ones we have?). Try to think positive, especially about yourself.\n\n\nDon't rely on christians/church etc to solve anything. We are exactly like you. We can help each other, but we are all capable of making mistakes, we all have shortcomings. Try and change your perspective. It sounds like you hold others on a higher level than you, but this is not true, we are all deacons for the one bishop",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "I'd like to apologize to you for everyone pushing their pro/anti-Christian beliefs on you when you are feeling down. It is a shitty time to be proselytizing to you. That being said, I'd suggest trying to find a way you can give back to other people. When I am feeling blue (and I get quite blue sometimes), I find it helps me immensely to do volunteer work. I think I feel like I just take up a lot of space on earth for all my petty little desires and thoughts, and giving back is a way to assuage my conscience for a little bit. It doesn't fix the root issue, but I'm still working on that.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "The only reason you believe in god and jesus is because your parents did. If you were born in India, you would currently be experiencing angst about Lord Vishnu, and if you were born in Saudi Arabia you would be experiencing the same inner turmoil about allah (although you 'd probably keep it to yourself over there).",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "[There was a lot of good advice in this previous thread.](http://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/amd03/how_to_get_past_a_spiritual_lull/)\n\nIf you want something more specific let me or anyone else who posted in that thread know!",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": ">No matter what I do, I can't feel the presence of the Lord like others do. Other people's testimonies mean little to me, as I can't relate to them.\n\nYou know, when reading this with a little perspective, it's surprising how many people say the exact same thing. Have you considered the possibility that those around you feel exactly like you do, but hide it because they think _they_ are the odd ones, that _they_ are the only ones who can't feel God's presence?\n\nYou're basically admitting it yourself. There's great pressure involved, you feel singled out and at fault for not being just like all the other Christians around you. You are guilted into the belief that you _must_ feel God's presence, even though most likely those around you don't either. Is that a healthy behavior?\n\nI'm not saying \"become an atheist, and you'll feel better\". I don't know you will. What I do know, however, is that the guilt you're feeling, and anger towards yourself, is utterly unnecessary. It has nothing to do with Christ, God, your religion or your faith. Christianity isn't about you having to feel guilty because you don't experience what others _claim_ to experience themselves.\n\nWhether or not there exists a God is a latter issue. First, ask yourself why you feel so much pressure to \"perform\", why you feel so guilty for not being some \"model Christian\". Ask yourself whether this serves any purpose, or whether it's simply hurtful. Even if God does exist, I have a hard time seeing he would purposely hurt you by denying you an experience he grants those around you.\n\nThen again, if you feel you're up to it, take this time to ask yourself some tough questions. How great is the likelihood that you're not experiencing God because God simply doesn't exist? Compare this with how much pressure you're feeling, and how much pressure others feel as well. Add how easy it is for human beings to fool themselves into believing basically whatever they want. Is that a good recipe for the truth? I think not, and that's one reason I'm an atheist.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "I'm 42. I was thirteen the first time I read the \"bible\" under the auspices that it was true. I noticed nearly immediately, as you have, that it doesn't make sense. The first time I was told to pray for \"Jesus\" to \"come into my heart,\" I did so sincerely - and felt absolutely nothing. \n\nThere's nothing \"wrong\" with not being able to feel the presence of a deity. The fact is, not one shred of evidence proves one exists. It's kind of impossible to have a relationship (that's not one-way, that is) with a being which has never shown up in a way that was real & relevant.\n\nTry not to be angry at yourself. It's not your fault you were told to believe in a deity by someone you likely trusted. Try not to be too angry at the people who want you to believe as they do as well. They truly think they are doing what is best for you. However, that doesn't mean their faith is anything more than delusion.\n\nAlso, since no \"god\" has ever been proven to be real, it is a waste of time to be angry at what is, as far as I can tell, an entirely fictional being. :)\n\nI recommend you examine the history of the \"bible.\" Not the stories in the book itself, but the archaeological facts related to the location and civilization during which it was first written. Nova had a great program on it in late 2008 called \"The Bible's Buried Secrets.\" It's quite enlightening.\n\nBest of luck!",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "I'm agnostic. Just so you know.\n\nStop going to church. Stop reading the Bible. Stop praying. Pack away all the crosses and candles. Don't talk to anybody about God or religion. Give it all up. Not forever, just for awhile. Say 3 months. \n\nWhen the time is up, take some time to think about whether you want to go back or not. \n\nDuring your time off, sleep in on Sunday then get up and have a nice breakfast and watch some TV. Go to a state park and take a hike and have a picnic. Hang out with friends. Get drunk. Read a classic book or author you've always wondered about. Meet a girl and spend the weekend in bed. Work in the yard. Take a weekend trip to somewhere nearby you've always wanted to go. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. The point here is go out, have some fun and live your life for awhile without worrying about God and religion. \n\nAnd when it's all over, really thing about whether you want to go back to everything you were struggling with before, knowing that there is a good chance that the struggle and the anger are what you are going back to.\n\n",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Ask yourself this: if being Christian is being in a relationship with God, why are you doing all the work? In what kind of relationship does one person have to wonder whether the other person still loves them? In what kind of relationship does one person try to make it work, while the other person is never even around? Is this a relationship that is even worth saving?\n\nDo the right thing and break up. Tell yourself \"if it was meant to be, it was meant to be\" if it makes you feel better. Just don't torture yourself with guilt and anger because you think the person you're in a relationship with wants you to. In the end, you might even question whether you were ever _in_ a relationship at all, or if you were merely imagining yourself in one.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "It's not defeat to admit that \"God\" probably doesn't exist. It sounds like it might be liberating in your case. ",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "While it's possible you are losing your faith as some commentors here are suggesting, it's also possible you're just having a \"test of faith\" and could come out of this with an even stronger need for a Supreme Being.\n\nMy sense is this concept of God \"testing our faith\" is a never-ending trap that only makes the despair worse. You will only become more dependent on it, and you will sense yourself going up and down on these highs (finding \"proof\" that God loves you) and lows (suspecting that God isn't there at all or if He exists, doesn't care), when in reality you will be circling the drain. Religion can provide comfort for people, but that comfort comes at a price, which you are paying now.\n\nYou seem to be looking for something to help you feel better, but that's short term. I think you should seriously consider that the problem is not with you or God, but with the middlemen -- religion. Allow me to suggest that you save yourself a lot of time and anguish and simply reject it. Completely. Now.\n\nI guarantee you will not be smitten or go to Hell or Purgatory or any of those scary scenarios the Men In The Front Of The Room told you about. You will be fine, if not a little scared at first at the prospect of having to live life with the help of actual people instead of imaginary ones. But believe me, you will be much the better in the long term.\n\nI suspect it was traumatic to discover that Santa Claus doesn't exist, but you now know that life went on and you're probably grateful now that you know the truth of it.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": ">I try to read the bible, but it often never makes sense to me. \n\nIt happens to all of us, my friend",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "You're making a lot of sense. I've been at the same point where you are now. I came to the conclusion God is not answering because he isn't there. You need to either embrace your doubts and look for what's real, or shut them up and do what the church tells you.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "The Bible says\n\n>By grace we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves, but of Christ Jesus, lest any should boast.\n\nThe faith that saves us is Christ's faith, not our own. On our own, we're exactly what you're feeling: sinful, faithless, fallen short. So don't worry about faith. The important faith isn't your own. Your own follows later as you see God work in your life.\n\nConsider reading the 46th Psalm. When you get to it, focus on verses 10 and 11. \n",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Honestly, to me you sound clinically depressed. I know because I've been there. Talk to your doctor about treatment for depression. I did and I _thank God everyday_ for it.\r\n\r\nDon't lose hope. There is a way out of the 'mind hole' you have found yourself in.\r\n\r\nEdit: BTW, I have experienced _every single one_ of the emotions, thoughts and feelings you outlined in your post. I know exactly how you feel. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "There is nothing wrong with you. You are trying to force yourself to be like those around you, to conform, but your mind rejects the irrational. Your \"failure\" to feel what you believe others are feeling is rearing its head as depression. As another has said, go see a psychiatrist.\n\nedit: it's to its",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I'm not sure if you are just trolling, but I feel that I should answer you anyway. \n\nIt seems like you are trying really hard to conjure up a relationship with God but that's not how it works. My favorite scripture is \"We love because he first loved us.\" I went through a time when I really felt like I didn't love God or really care about Him and it was frustrating because I wanted a relationship with Him. Eventually, God brought this scripture to my mind and began to teach me first how much he loves me. \n\nAny faith we have, any love for God, is only born out of His love for us. Our love for God is like a dim reflection of God's love for us. It's kinda like the moon reflecting the sun's light. The moon can't produce light on it's own, but because the sun shines brightly, the moon can reflect that light back. I know that sounds cheesy, but it is a really good metaphor.\n\nSo, my advice to you is to stop trying so hard. If you pray for anything, pray that God would show you how much he loves you personally, and how clean and pure and perfect you are in His eyes (thanks to Jesus). I know it's cliche to say it, but God loves you, right now He loves you, He loves you personally. I pray that you would know His love deeply.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "These bible verses might help you choose to let go of Christianity. \n\nEZEKIEL \n\n24 I'll stand totally and relentlessly against you as they rip into you furiously. They'll mutilate you, cutting off your ears and nose, killing at random. They'll enslave your children—and anybody left over will be burned.\" -God\n\n46-47 \"God says, 'Let a mob loose on them: Terror! Plunder! Let the mob stone them and hack them to pieces—kill all their children, burn down their houses!\n\nLuke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.\n\nPsalm 137:9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "One of the hardest things that I've learned in this life is acceptance. When I get angry, depressed, upset I try to catch myself in that feeling at that moment. I have to know that I am exactly where God wants me to be in that particular moment in time. I try not to dwell on the past or worry about the future. I live in the moment, the present. Right now I am alive, breathing in and out and typing to a person in need, hopefully giving them a bit of advice. All I can say is this too shall pass, and I'll say a prayer for you :)\n\nGod Bless!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Don't get down on yourself. If Christianity makes you happy, great. If not, there's no sense in letting it drag you down. I was in a similar position to you (somewhere between the time when I was a \"good\" Christian and the time I became an atheist) so if you want to talk, feel free to message me.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I'm as atheist as any of these fellows and I'd like to point out that being \"consumed by anger all the time\" (as I have myself been, you aren't alone,) might be a sign of a chemical imbalance that a doctor could help you with quite easily. I used to scream at everyone in my family every day, now I don't do that at all and I'm a happy fellow.\n\nI'd very much encourage you to work out your metaphysical doubts about the universe in a logical way that ends in responsible recognition of the facts. That said, being angry all the time is dangerous and a more important thing to deal with than the freaking afterlife.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "If you \"Fail at being a Christian\", then stop being one. No child is born a Christian or Hindi, or a Muslim, their parents and culture make them that way. Everyone is born an atheist.\n\nFigure out what you want, what makes you happy, and go from there. You are unhappy, because your sense of self does no align with what you feel society's expectations are.\n\nLife in many ways is pointless. But its pointlessness is what sets us free. If nothing in the end matters, not money, not houses or cars, or our job, then in the end, we should find what we love and do it. We should drink wine, and sing, make love, give balloons to random kids, laugh, cry and live. Out of all the sperm and all the eggs, all the uncreated children, YOU were born.\n\nSatan isn't tempting you, and Jesus isn't responsible for every good thing in your life. You are in control of your own destiny. No devil to blame, no god to praise. You can't pass the buck like Swaggert.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": ">I want a relationship with God, I really do, but why is it so impossible for me? Why can't I have faith? How can I have faith? I am told to pray for faith, but how can I pray for faith if I don't have faith in the prayer? I am just angry at myself, that I can't see something that is supposedly so simple.\n\nDon't be angry with yourself for thinking about what you do and what you believe. Far too many people seem to go through life without thinking at all about many things, not just religion, but also their own prejudices, habits, and treatment of others. Thinking is a good thing.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "As a presumably rational person, what makes you think prayers should work? There's been a [ton of research](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/31pray.html) showing that prayer don't work once you put it under rigorous clinical testing. That doesn't mean you have nothing to live for. Praying doesn't really work for anyone, but most people are still able to live a fulfilling life.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Faith is the act of believing something without any evidence. \n\nYou are not going to find evidence of god's existence, so I figure you can go one of two directions:\n\n1) Find a way to let go of your insistence on evidence, logic and reason as justifications for belief\n\nor\n\n2) Let go of beliefs and the need to depend on them and live a life based on logic and reason. Find purpose somewhere other than an a document that is, for all you know, just a dusty, archaic book written thousands of years ago by men in the desert with high-apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes and no better idea of who \"God\" is than you, if not less of an idea.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Perhaps Christianity isn't right for you. I understand how you feel-- Christianity promises everything: a personal loving watchful deity, the meaning of life, eternal bliss. And when you don't get it up front, it's pretty disappointing. Not to sound disrespectful, but in order to receive all these benefits, you have to believe wholeheartedly in something that doesn't sound sensible. \n\nIf you can't do this, then try taking up painting, or writing, or join a hiking club or something. There are other ways to feel like you belong to a group of people who share your interest without feeling like you're lying to yourself.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Hey Droid owners... has anyone else experienced random reboots of their phone at seemingly random times? | My Droid will reboot of it's own accord at seemingly random times. Just yesterday I opened the phone to answer a text message and the screen went black and next thing I knew it was rebooting. Everything on the phone works perfectly and the reboots only happen once every couple days, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. | 3 | [
{
"body": "Happens to me nearly nonstop. It reboots at least three times a day. Sometimes while using it heavily (on the bus, in the airport, etc) I've gotten it to reboot as many as 6 times in a single sitting.\n\nFirst the phone freezes, whatever I was doing is still on the screen but it does not respond to me pressing the screen, the buttons, or any keyboard buttons. After a few seconds, the screen goes black and it reboots.\n\nI took it back to Verizon and they gave me a new battery, which seemed to fix it for a few days but now it's back to doing it. I'm going to bring it in again.\n\nI really hope it's just my particular phone that's doing this, because I love my Droid but I can't stick with it if it won't stop this.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I'm 24. what should I be doing with my money? | I try to manage my money responsibly. I very very rarely overdraft on my account, bills get paid and I have (some) coin left over at the end of it all. What with the new year and all, I figured it might be a good time to re-evaluate my financial situation and see where i can make improvements.
my bank E-mails me my account balance (mostly) every day, so I at least know back of my head how much money i have in there and knowing how much bills need to safely clear. I don't have a budget for things, otherwise.
So, with this 'extra' money I end up with (which varies, typically 2-300 a paycheck) what would be a smart move? is investing a good idea? is a savings account better?
My company does provide 401k matching but i'm kinda lost on the subject of 401k.
I have no solid "goals" in mind, like being able to save up for XYZ. Just looking to improve my financial management overall.
| 10 | [
{
"body": "Hookers and blow. \n\nIn all seriousness, I would consider putting into the 401k, especially if you get a company match. You can even borrow against the 401k balance in a pinch and you pay the loan back to yourself with interest. ",
"score": 23
},
{
"body": "When I needed financial advice at 19, I asked a self-made rich guy. He told me to buy something for cheap, and then sell it for more than I bought it for. So, I bought an ounce of marijuana. Three years later, I was buying and selling 20 pounds at a time. Then, one of the nights I bought the full thirty pounds my money could buy, I got pulled over with a trash bag the size of a lazy boy filled with marijuana sitting in my back seat. \r\n\r\nOnce I got out of jail, I asked a 19 year old what he does with his money. He told me to get a 401k with a company match and leave it in the hands of a conservative portfolio.\r\n\r\nthe second thing has worked out so far so good, but I won't know truly for a couple more years. I'll get back to you.",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "General (I think good) advice looks like this:\n\n1) Get like $1k buffer together so the bank can't screw you with overdraft fees.\n\n2) Pay off credit card debt with all the rest. If you are ever 'short' later, you will just charge it in your card, and have saved the interest in the meantime, so don't worry about keeping a larger cash balance around for now.\n\n3) Get 3-6 months of 'oh shit, my job is gone' savings together. Keep this in highly liquid investments. If you're the micromanaging type, you can make a tiny bit of extra money by putting 1/3 each in staggered 90 day fixed term investments, bonds, CDs, etc.\n\n4) start investing. There are essentially three schools of thought on this that I think are reasonable, with a caveat. The caveat is this: if you get free 'match' money from your 401k, do that first; max out any contributions you make that get free matching money from your corp.\n\n4a) Strategy one says that unless you're a wall street guy, you're \"dumb money\" and you should avoid any direct investing in stocks and bonds, and instead stick with buying extremely low load index funds, using dollar cost averaging (e.g. using your numbers, buy $1000 of the fund every four months. If the fund prices have gone down, you'll own more. If they go up, you'll own less, but all the stuff you bought before will be worth more.) \n\n4b) Strategy two says that you should read some value investing books by people like Graham & Dodd, learn the value of a dollar thereby, and slowly dip in to investing while always keeping your eye on the money. These guys like to say things like \"you should only make 20 investments in your entire life,\" so you'll know pretty quickly if they're your sort of people.\n\n4c) Strategy three says you should start creating some passive income for yourself by finding something to put your money in that will get you better income than wallstreet will. Since your dollars available are so small, (meaning wealthier people aren't scooping up these small-time passive income opportunities) this isn't crazy talk, but your risks will go up significantly at the same time, with commensurate work. \n\nFinally, if you choose, you could find yourself a financial advisor who will work with you. Given that you don't have a huge amount of cash lying around, here's what they'll do:\n\n1) They'll assess your 'risk tolerance' by asking you some questions about your personality and goal. They'll stick this in a file somewhere, and if you ever sue them for malfeasance will pull out your risk tolerance and pray that they acted in accordance with whatever your tolerance paperwork says.\n\n2) They'll sell you as much insurance as they can; life, short/long-term disability, etc. \n\n3) They'll show you a financial statement whereby if you put away $300 a month and get 6% a year returns, you'll have a surprisingly large amount of money available on retirement. They'll then show you a second statement which proves, conclusively, that this will not be enough money for you if you plan on living past, say, 70. If they're unethical, they will use a 10% number for your blended returns. Walk out if this happens; that person is not looking out for your interests.\n\nIf you go with them, you'll send them monthly or quarterly checks, they'll divvy up the money into a few different asset classes and send you impenetrable annual financial statements which will likely make it difficult to figure out if your annual returns are meeting these 6% goals. \n\nCaveats: My mother is a financial planner, a good and quite famous one in certain circles. I'm not one, so my advice to you is worth just about what I charged for it. \n\nFor someone in your position, I would recommend along with reading something like \"All your worth,\" a good basic financial management book, that you check out something like \"How to retire early and live well on less than a million dollars,\" a cool book by a Wall street analyst who dropped out in the70s and has a bunch of experience living off investment assets since then.\n\nGood luck!\n",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Hookup with single moms with multiple kids on craigslist and buy lotto tickets, the more you buy, the more likely you are to win every time!~\n\nNo seriously leave the country if you're in the US, the dollar is going to tank at some point.",
"score": 3
}
] |
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