I bought a T14 Gen 2 on eBay for about $250. It can play some older games like Morrowind, but I mostly use it for book writing, D&D games, video downloading/ripping/burning, browsing, and such.

I put Linux Mint on mine and it runs like a dream.

I think the general population of humans struggle to recognize, understand, and address large scale threats.

There’s the scientific community that’ll try to explain these issues to the general public in simplistic term. But they’re often overruled by dumb idiots in charge who store snowballs in their freezer as proof that climate change isn’t real.

There’s a belief that humanity needs to be brought to the edge of extinction to realize how bad things really are and to get their shit together. I don’t believe humanity would be willing to save itself from extinction as it’s just not profitable to do so.

To conservatives, any porn viewing is a “porn addiction.” That’s their line.

Porn addiction is not on that line, not even close.

The perception of time can feel different from person to person and emotional state to emotional state.

…BlueSky does not have any federalization technologies built into it, meaning it’s just another centralized platform, and thus vulnerable to the same things that make modern social media so horrible.

Ask your average social media user what any of that means and you’ll get blank stares.

Can confirm with the old thinkpads. They’re not great for gaming, but the keyboard, track pack, and eraser head are solid for writing and other office-like work.

I have an idea for an invention, but I don’t have the tools or materials to make it, nor do I have the proper space to make it. I have blueprints drawn and experts consulted on design, but not the means to actually do it.

That property has more rights and protections than people do.

The value of human life, in reality, is much lower than I thought it would be.

Laws and rights are only as good as the people & mechanisms that enforce them. A piece of paper doesn’t protect you, people do.

That people often prefer a comforting delusion over the truth, even if it hurts them in the long run.

Only about two or three here on this site. I don’t mind people who believe strange and disturbing things, politically or otherwise. It’s the deliberate trolls that I block.

I sort of see the appeal of having kids, but I can barely keep things together for myself. There’s no way I can support myself and kids. Even with my boyfriends income and mine, it’s just not realistic.

Feel free to judge, I’ll own it.

But I like Papa John’s. A stuffed crust with BBQ sauce, bacon, sausage, and pineapple.

My butthole suffers for it, but it’s worth it. Very tasty.

I’m frustrated with all of my friends and acquaintances who claimed they’d love to play D&D some day, yet can never seem to find a group to join.

I’m a DM and I have a brand new campaign starting tomorrow. I’ve been putting out announcement for almost two months now, and those same people are making excuses or ghosting me.

I have the game location, the maps, the miniatures, spare books & dice, and I’m rather adept at teaching new people. I’m just short on people who actually want to play.

I don’t have anything specific, but generally speaking those who idolize war have never seen the horrors of war. Speaking with veterans who have actually seen real combat is a good place to start.

Considering the fact that corporations make up about 70% +/- of all the solution and climate destruction, and the fact that politicians are bribed by said corporations to ignore the problem, there’s little we can actually do about it except voting.

Enlisting in the military.

I was an insufferable piece of shit back in the day, constantly self sabotaging and blaming everyone else for the problems I caused. I was on the verge of homelessness due to my own stubbornness and bad attitude.

The military gave me the swift kick in the ass that I desperately needed. Now I can self reflect and recognize when the problem is me, and I can admit when I’m wrong and course correct.

Military isn’t for everyone, but for me it was exactly what I needed. I learned a ton of life skills and healthy coping mechanisms that my parents never taught me.

Job: Welder

Customer: “Hey I need a welder to fix the railing at my business.”

Me: “OK, I can start work after you close for the day.”

Customer: “Oh no, I’m not staying late. I need you to fix it during business hours.”

Me: “OK then, it’s dangerous work so I’ll need to rope off the area and erect screens to protect the general population from weld flash and grinder sparks.”

Customer: “Oh no, this walkway needs to stay open for customers during business hours.”

Me: “Again, this is dangerous work. Somebody is going to get hurt if they’re permitted to walk through the work area.”

Customer: “I don’t know why you’re being so difficult, just zap zap and you’re done.”

Me: “No, it’s going to take a lot of work. The railing is rusted through so entire sections need to be replaced. It also needs to be level, up to code, cleaned for safety reasons, support the weight of an average adult human, and painted to prevent corrosion. We’re talking multiple days of work and it’s not cheap.”

Customer: “Repairs are not in the budget, but I can spread the word and tell all my friends about you. I have almost two hundred followers on Facebook.”

Me: (silently gets up and walks away)

Customer: “Look at that, another lazy Millennial who doesn’t want to work. Typical. No wonder this nation is going down the crapper.”

Have a seat on the couch and tell us how you really feel.

As a welder, quality doesn’t come cheap or fast. A lot of work goes into my work. Even if all I’m doing is welding Part A to Part B, a lot of research, prep, and planning goes into it.

I need to know what the base material is, the base metal thickness, I need to clean the HAZ, I need to protect everything near the HAZ. I need to actually weld it and clean it for repaint.

A good welder plans to have their welds last the lifespan of the thing being welded on. If I’m welding a car frame together, I’m going to make damn sure they’re good long-lasting welds that resist corrosion. Those welds will outlive the car itself.

Unfortunately this is everywhere. I work as a welder at a large shipyard, and we have the same drama.

We have a female welder who steals tools and personal items from others, then cries “Christian persecution” when she experiences any consequences for her actions. Shockingly, it works and she’s never punished or arrested. They do make her give the items back, so that’s something.

We have the MAGA crazies who vandalize company property with their dumb political / sexist / racist / homophobic crap. They just recently vandalized & destroyed one of the few female bathrooms with a sledgehammer. Shipyard police are still “*looking into it.” I now have to either use a gross porta-potty or walk a mile to use a real bathroom.

We have a ton of anti-vaxxers who believe some of the most batshit crazy things. Though, the more hard-core ones were fired some time ago. The ones who complied and wore a mask got to stay.

This is just human nature. This is what you get when you have two or more people together at one place.

Holding a belief and acting on said belief are very different things.

There are crazies who believe certain types of people they don’t like should be exterminated, but so long as they don’t act on those beliefs I don’t consider it horrible or immoral.