the use of language as a means of control […] well may have been his most prescient point.

While I think Orwell’s “newspeak” was contrived, it did illustrate the point in strong relief as something unfamiliar… at least at first. But I don’t think he was predicting the future. Instead, I think he was warning the reader of what dangers are already with us.

Honestly, I think this has always been a thing. The spoken word is often inexact as a form of communication efficiency; if the other party has the same ideas in their head as you, pronouns, idioms, recalling past events, are all powerful ways to compress dialogue. However, that same inexactness leaves the door open for doublespeak, dogwhistles, and suggestion in place of fact. Language as a means of control is just in how you use it; the underlying mechanisms were always there.

I try to use “driver” or “person”.

Second to this: an app has to earn social media status, or social media levels of engagement.

I’m looking at you, Venmo. No, sharing my spending details with other people online, is not a good idea. Ever. Conspicuous consumption is a social blight already, and you dare taint my phone by suggesting I lean into it? Do better.

I know this person and, honestly, it’s a thing of majesty. These discs have presence, heft, and are valuable. They’re collectors items on some level - every last one of them. So what if we’re watching “Jaws” or “Aliens” for the 400th time. We’re having a real, visceral experience here.

Yeah. I’m starting to think the misspelling is not deliberate, but ironic - it’s one thing to have guns and a written warning saying you will use them. It’s another to loudly convey that you’re this dumb and also have guns.

Oof. Thanks. I hate it.

For those that may need it:

1. Right click and select “inspect”
2. A new panel will open, and the text <img ... will be highlighted. Right click that.
3. Select “Delete Node.”
4. Impress your friends with your new hacker skills.

Put any distro in front of me and provided I don’t need to master it, I’m good. Ubuntu is fine. Debian is fine. RedHat is fine. Fedora is fine. I even have a tiny low-end system that is using Bohdi. Whatever. We’re all using mostly the same kernel anyway.

90% of what I do is in a container anyway so it almost doesn’t matter; half the time that means Alpine, but not really. That includes both consuming products from upstream as well as software development. I also practically live in the terminal, so I couldn’t care less what GUI subsystem is in play, even while I’m using it.

The only time I’ve encountered people that care a little too much about what distro is being used, is right after having transitioned to Linux; the sheer liberating potential of the thing can make you lose your head.

I’ve come across a lot of professional bias about Linux distros, but that’s usually due to real-world experience with tough or bad projects. Some times, decisions are made that make a given distro the villain or even the hero of the story. In the end, you’ll hear a lot of praise and hate, but context absolutely matters.

There’s also the very natural tendency to seek external validation for your actions/decisions. But some people just can’t self-actualize in a way that’s healthy. Sprinkle a little personal insecurity into the mix and presto: “someone is getting on great with that other Linux I don’t use, so Imma get big mad.”

I agree with the post. It’s coded derogatory speech while being technically correct. Personally, I would go as far to say it’s a dog-whistle and is absolutely a flag, especially if it renders any speech clunky and labored, or side-steps a person’s gender transition status.

Also, here’s something I’ve observed that may be relevant.

IMO, most of the time people use gender when telling a story, it’s not relevant information in the first place. In light of recent events, public awareness, and politics, non-gendered speech (in English at least) is automatically the most inclusive way to go and it’s a good habit to develop. The exceptions here are where it’s information that supports the story, disambiguates complicated situations (e.g. talking about a drag persona), or where it’s gender affirming in some way (e.g. respecting pronoun preferences).

I see this happen a lot, especially where woman/female is used as extra information when expressing anger, frustration, and disgust. For example, I hear “this woman cut me off in traffic” far more than “this man cut me off in traffic”, with “this person” or “a BMW driver” as a maybe-neutral-but-also-likely-male coded qualifier. To me, it suggests a kind of negative bias for gender, which may or may not be unconscious (depends on the person). It may seem like a small thing, but it’s freaking everywhere and it’s gotta stop.

For the rare occasion where sex or gender supports the story, “my teacher, who is a woman, …” or “my teacher, (s)he…” does the job. Yeah, it’s is a bit tougher on the tongue, but you should only need to say it once for the whole telling.

Wood smoked salmon: ✅😀

Tobacco smoked salmon: ❌🤮

It’s worse than that. They think that toeing the line and refusing to deviate is the strong position to take here. Always has been.

Honestly, Sony really sees itself as a premium(ish) brand that puts a heavy emphasis on novelty with a bit of sophistication thrown in. They also see Nintendo as a kid’s toy company. So, the expense (and some of the scarcity) is entirely the point.

In a paper bag no less. You guys are fun.

Thank you!

I firmly believe this is how we wound up with tabs as a feature in the first place.

Or just make it a function of the military. A crop corps, if you will. We already have the Army Corps of Engineers. This would be just another civil function.

After all, food independence from other states, and ensuring the security of logistics supply like food, are an important part of any military strategy.

Thank you! I want to ::sniff:: thank my coach, the whole team ::sniff::, and especially my mom for helping make this happen! ::sniff:: Love you mom!

Here’s a version for my fellow gluten-free peeps:

True. But it needs to be one to be an effective boogeyman in a speech like this.