Apart from Facebook, Apple and Microsoft being relatively easy appendages to lose (re: don't use, only pay them for iPhone and no other services, and have a Windows OS) the only two that really feel "vital" in a modern setting are Amazon and Alphabet.

And while I could probably get away without using Amazon (I only buy a handful of things a year using their site, or else buy directly from the company's selling what I'm looking for), the ubiquity of Google is probably the single thing I'd struggle to do without. So much of my work, leisure, etc. has been compartmentalized by the ability to quickly index information that it would require a near-complete reorienting of my ability to gather information in almost all aspects, and that's before taking into account that making that data acquisition more difficult would require additional spending (through textbooks, papers, etc.) and make those pursuits much more expensive in general.

Unless I jump in the way-back machine and go back to my torrenting prepubescent years... which would probably be the more likely solution to that "problem."

If you've seen anything TRIGGER (i.e. Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia, Inferno Cop) - heck, even if you haven't - give Space Patrol Luluco a shot. Episodes are like 5 minutes each so you could literally kill the show in an afternoon.

Mayoiga I'd probably say is worth a watch just because I'm having such a hard time figuring out what it's angling for. I've come to the conclusion that it's basically anti-art masquerading as a psychological thriller. The show's straight-up weird and mostly inscrutable to me thus far so... take that as you will.

From the rest of this season in particular, it just becomes an issue of time since nothing else I've seen was particularly brilliant for me. Bungo Stray Dogs has this weird element of all the characters being personifications of famous authors (mostly Japanese). Kiznaiver is basically TRIGGER's take on Kokoro Connect where people get surgically altered to share each other's pain. Outside of that, I'd probably have to know what you're into to recommend anything else from this season.

Outside of that, I'm up for any suggestions of yours, too, recent or otherwise.

So, to preface: I missed a fair amount this season. A couple of shows like Big Hero Academia, Kuma Miko and JoJo I either haven't caught up on or just never got started on to begin with. Figured something like this might be a good way to not just discuss shows but share anything that people thought was good that someone (myself included) might've missed.

But as far as things worth talking about, or at least I think so:

1) Studio TRIGGER with Space Patrol Luluco and Kiznaiver

2) Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

3) Bungo Stray Dogs

4) Mayoiga

Like I said, there were a lot of others shows I kept up on (see: Flying Witch, Re:Zero, Sakamoto, etc.) or went back to catch up with (see: Haikyuu, Ergo Proxy, Gurren Lagann, more than half of the -Monogatari series, etc.) so I'm not sure what anyone here on the site would be interested in talking about. But since I only really got back into anime in the past six months or so, just having the chance to pass thoughts and ideas back and forth felt to me like something that could be interesting to attempt, and it felt like doing a seasonal thing might work better than the week-by-week stuff you get back over on Reddit.

Piano! The apartment I moved into fresh outta college just so happened to have an older upright. The thing is terribly out of tune, a few of the keys stick, and the action is shot to hell but I love the thing so much. Any day, no matter how rough work is or how exhausted I feel, I can always find time for a song or two.

I'm so lucky to have gotten into piano when I was a kid. Being able to carry something like that around with me - I'm planning on getting an electric keyboard later this year for when I end up moving again - is so immensely satisfying. And on the nights I'm too tired to play, having playlist after playlist of upbeat music (mostly hard bop and an irresponsible amount of Yoko Kanno) brings me down and right back up again.

Sorry if the answer seems a bit out of sorts but I find that my "winding down" usually involves a lot of "winding up" on the tail end. I've got things like RainyMood when I need to seriously get to sleep or completely power down, but the best stress relief and mental rewiring I've found is equal parts relaxation and excitation.

Your right on the point of the Sunni/Shia split. Thanks for reminding me.

At this point, I tend to avoid participating in these discussions anymore (particularly on larger websites) because of how quickly "discussion" of the issue turns into soapboxing. At this point, it would be hard to effectively argue against the notion that Daesh and, by extension, a large contingent of the Muslim population of the world, is possessed of a worldview that at best views the West unfavorably and at worst believes in its extermination.

The problem is, where do we go from here? And that's where the "discussion" always seems to stop. Because there isn't a clear answer and some of the easier potentials to discuss are particularly thorny for a number of reasons. Do we believe our right to bear arms should trump the government's authority to enforce national security policy? If so, then do we assume that death at the hands of violent individuals must simply be an assumed risk of living in our society? And if not, then do we comfortable with the notion of a long-term, extensive effort to curtail gun ownership and trafficking in this country? Or do we instead turn outwards and claim that since this act was perpetrated by a particular belief, should we increase the government's authority to pursue individuals suspected of sympathy to said groups with greater autonomy and fewer legal restrictions? Do we as a society feel comfortable with restricting the rights of those who enter this country from a certain belief system? If not, how do you effectively police and monitor individuals without trampling on their civil liberties?

No one I know wants to have those discussions though. Because, odds are, we don't have nearly enough data or experience in security, policy, and socio-political relations to make a truly informed decision that could actually take shape in the form of policy. And yet time after time after time with events like these, like Sandy Hook, like Aurora, etc. etc. etc. the conversation never goes any further than righteous anger and accusations of weakness on the part of the "other team" who are clearly to blame for all of our faults in the world. And so begins the ritual of making the issue 20 parts politics and 1 part supporting the victims of the event and trying to encourage a more supportive, understanding, generally less-assholish way of living.

Because those are things that we, as citizens, could more directly affect than something as nebulous as managing the centuries long conflict of Islam with the entirety of the Western world, with all its facets, complications, intricacies and competing interests. At least, it's the conversation I wish I'd see more of. Maybe I'm of a minority opinion on this one.

God what a mess. Was surprised to see how quickly people in the area started heading out for blood donations. Hope they're getting the support they need.

If anyone's in the area, let me know if there's anything someone out of state could do to help. And stay safe, everyone.

They gazed long enough into the abyss. It's like 4chan all over again.

Native English speaker with a few remnants of Spanish and Italian kicking up in my head somewhere from my high school days. More recently I've been trying to pick up Japanese, which is proving to be about as difficult as I expected it to be. Having a lot more luck with Japanese -> English than the reverse, which I guess is just a consequence of not having that many people to speak to and needing to make some serious tracks on my grammar.

But since I'm nowhere near fluent with any of the three secondaries I listed, it's hard to say how it's changed me. With the Japanese at least it feels like I'm working toward a long-term goal, and I find myself actively remembering more and more pieces of it as I go, which is a nice feeling for someone with commitment issues.

Couldn't've happened to a nicer guy.

For entirely selfish reasons.

I found a place filled with people smarter and more articulate than I am and I'm holding out the naive hope that through osmosis that might eventually be me some day, and that I might be the person contributing interesting ideas or creative works for other people to enjoy.

I've got serious problems with following through on stuff that I claim like I want to do, so I'm basically lurking here until I finally find something that I care enough about to want to talk about and share with other people in a way that I can feel comfortable and confident talking about.

Blep indeed. Adorable.

I don't have a source to back this up directly at the moment, so I'll get back to you, but there's a similar issue in the mobile and F2P gaming department where almost the entire industry is propped up by an incredibly small group of mostly disadvantaged, and (if I'm recalling the article correctly) addiction-prone personalities. Nobody talks about the very real issue of preying on these people through literal psychological gaming, because fixing the problem would cause the entire market to implode under the weight of its own instability.

I'm not saying it's useful as a direct analogy to the lottery system, but I find it curious how many systems we put in place societally that we know are intrinsically abusive but don't give enough of a shit about to fix on a fundamental level.

I don't disagree, but the least they could do is put on the air of giving a shit about the very real impact their "voluntary gambling" is having on people.

Or maybe that's just me being wishful.

In one “blighted neighborhood” of Chicago, the Illinois Lottery put up a billboard with the slogan, “This could be your ticket out.”

This is so disgusting and antithetical to what the role of government is supposed to be... How does anyone seriously think that putting up a sign like that is anything but predatory and manipulative?

"Let's help the poor and disadvantaged feel better about themselves by manipulating them into (not so) willingly throwing away the money they need on a fool's errand." Sickening.

What an adorable little thing. Congrats!

Romney was out the moment he dove headlong into the Trump maelstrom. You can't basically insult the entire grassroots voting movement, questioning their sanity for backing the candidate they picked. Not after you just lost an election last go-around. Propping up Romney as the "face of the party" would result in a worse smattering than when he went up against Obama, if for no other reason than to enforce to the Republican establishment that the base no longer cares for how they're running things.

I have no strong feelings one way or another. Way back when I was a wee lad, I remember watching FLCL and wondering what exactly the hell I was watching. Went on an anime dry streak that only picked up recently and don't recall most of the show at this point.

From the sound of things, the parties involved are doing this as much out of passion as for the obvious name recognition. Here's hoping things come out alright.

They collab'd on one of her CDs, have done stuff here and there, and they were co-hosts on The Sing-Off for a while. They know each other pretty well.

A little bit. I've also just been catching up on some CDs I'd bought a while back and haven't listened to too frequently since getting them. Waitress has some pretty solid music in there, and I love the emotion Sara puts into her music.

EDIT: Anecdotally, she's tied with Ben Folds as my favorite singer-songwriter. Seeing these guys play in concert is amazing because of how damn upbeat, off-the-cuff, and outright genuine they feel.

I will say, there's a particular kind of schadenfreude to both major parties being forced to face the specters of past perceived slights against their bases in the same election cycle. I'm still waiting until after to primaries to see what comes of all this, but there is some seriously dirty laundry getting aired on all sides and part of me can't help but appreciate the country getting it out of its system while the stakes are still (relatively) low.

Been listening to a lot from Sara Bareilles' latest work. A couple of odd soundtracks from video games including the Fire Emblem Fates OST has been keeping me going as well. Looking forward to getting the official one in the mail sometime next month.

Oh man, I've been working off a huge Folds binge lately and this was just what I needed.

Thanks for the great link, flag. Appreciate it!

EDIT: Also, as a hobby pianist, god. fucking. damnit. I love watching Ben lay into the piano on the tail end of One Angry Dwarf. Guy is a wizard with a keyboard with more talent than I'd ever have even in my wildest daydreams. Love watching him play.

Assuming they're the blue boxes I'm thinking of, yeah, planning. Much respect for the Sys Ops and field crews. Union or otherwise, they go through some shit and don't get much in the way of thanks for it.

Yeah, the issue's never been large scale systems. Between the Boxler case and general system guidelines on how we deal with industrial feeds, anything over a certain MVA automatically leaves the purview of these kinds of rate fights.

Only slightly related to the post at hand, but I'm a bit curious what generally motivates people into going into a Masters or PhD program. I stopped my education at the Bachelor's level specifically because I couldn't actively justify what I would need either of the two for outside of monetary incentives. Especially with the push I felt during my undergraduate career towards getting kids into 4+1 or accelerated Masters programs... I wonder if the case of this article isn't all too common in other fields. Or maybe that's just me projecting.

This saddens me...

This saddens me...

Might actually follow through on this just for the sake of morbid curiosity.

What saddens me about this whole ordeal has been watching a few friends and family coupling their woes about the decline of mainstream Christiandom to their fears about "Islamic terrorism" and all the social and political trappings that accompany it. It might just be me getting older and seeing how "real people" function, but it makes me sad to watch such kind and cheerful people slowly wallow in a self-imposed stupor of fear, skepticism and resentment of "the other" in all its nebulous forms.

Might be able to swing by, depending on the time. A bit quiet at home this year.