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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 6th, 2023

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  • I was around: it was a depressing time (and I even liked Carter):

    • The Iran hostage situation was ever-present. It was nightly news, to the point that all the major broadcasts started out with “this is day #X of the hostage situation”.

    • Carter tried to rescue the hostages, and failed badly - 8 servicemen died, and this was just a few months before the election.

    • Carter pissed off a lot of people by boycotting the 1980 Olympics (boycotting USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan - Ironic in that the US eventually did 20 as well years later). Lots of atheletes spoke out, their only or last time to make it to the Olympics. Turning the Olympics into a political weapon left a bad taste in general.

    • Inflation rates were incredibly high, I think 12%-ish.

    • Housing interest was through the roof, heading towards 13% (it eventually hit 18% under Reagan, I think)

    • We were in the beginnings of a severe recession.

    • Carter was never very charismatic - he was smart guy, but gave pretty boring speeches (IMO)

    And then you have Reagan show up… optimistic, charismatic, and people just wanted change.





  • Dear Young Folk,

    Physical aging happens ridiculously fast. Faster than you imagine. The years just tick away like minutes.

    Mental aging goes much slower (barring dementia or other malidies, of course).

    The crazy thing is that even once older (I’ll turn 60 this year) your view of yourself quite often feels like you’re still much younger.

    I internally feel perpetually 30-35. Until I try to (say) run or sprint, or jump off something, then… oh my. I really am 60. Another example: my brain knows how to throw a fast ball (ingrained from when I was a teenager). If I actually try… uhh… no go. My arm revolts.

    I’ve even asked my 83 year old mom how her internal self feels. She says the same - still feels like she did in her 30s on the inside. On the outside she has to intentionally walk very carefully so as not to fall and break something.

    Moral of the story? Enjoy that young body while you have it. Seriously. It won’t last.



  • This answer is from Kagi’s search summary: I don’t know how accurate it may or may not be:


    As of 2024, the specific U.S. states that only define rape as requiring penis insertion are:

    • Alabama
    • Florida
    • Idaho
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Mississippi
    • North Carolina
    • Oklahoma
    • South Carolina
    • Texas

    These states have not updated their legal definitions of rape to include other forms of sexual penetration or oral sex, which can lead to underreporting and inadequate prosecution of sexual assault cases. It is important to note that federal law and many other states have broader definitions of rape that encompass various forms of non-consensual sexual contact.



  • I’ve been using a Briggs and Riley (checked bag)since 2006 for quarterly business trips (including overseas: it’s been to England, Ireland, India, France, Norway, Russia). Still going strong, nothing’s ever broken.

    I think it was ~$350 when I bought it. I just looked, and the equivalent model now goes for $750. God-damn, inflation’s a bitch.