Machinist

Yeah, 9-11 was the beginning when I think about it.

Used to be you had a few, mostly paranoid conspiracy theory types, that even conservatives kind of looked down on and felt sympathy for them being mentally unwell.

It has morphed into this crazy fascist religious cultural identity shit that we have now. Fucking pod people. Sucks.

This shit is normal now and crazy conspiracy theory mentally unwell people are a big chunk of the population.

The really crazy thing is that Osama basically won. Him, 9-11, and the far right like Limbaugh infected the national psyche with something that may be terminal.

Nope. These days it's an indicator that you're almost certainly dealing with a magat. Occasionally you'll see an American flag with a pride flag or something similar below it and know that it's ironic.

Used to be that mostly only ex military or similar would fly a flag. Some folks would fly a flag from their porch for happy fireworks day or memorial day if they had family that died in a war. You almost never saw anyone with an actual flagpole in their yard. Flagpoles were for schools, government offices and such.

Different hooks for different folks.

I escaped into Fallout 3 for a while in my late twenties, for instance. Multiplayer shooters are not very enjoyable to me. I don't care to build the muscle memory to get good at it.

In general, gaming is no longer important to me. I do still play some Tetris, and my girl likes watching me play Zelda so it's a good way for us to have some couch time before bed.

My life is pretty good, I have an easy wonderful marriage, I don't need that sort of escape anymore. Have had trouble with alcohol since 2020.

My wife has had problems in the past with mobile puzzle games like Candy Crush. From what I understand, those sorts of games are particularly effective at catching women 20 and up.

Multiplayer shooters are particularly effective at catching boys and young men. I don't have a source but I'm pretty sure most of the people playing shooters are pretty stereotypically male.

Anyhow, yeah, the right kind of 'brain' is shorthand for cis-het males ages 12-25, at a guess. And yada yada, other gendered folks will get caught as well but probably aren't the primary target for fortnite or whatever shooter.

That shit sounds addictive as fuck for the right kind of brain. Thanks for the explanation! .

What is a live service multiplayer shooter game and how is it different from like old school duke nukem 3D multiplayer?

I've been seeing the term "live service" and I can't get a clear answer from Google. My computer gaming days are mostly behind me and I don't always keep up.

You can't draw any real world conclusions from this methodology.

Apples are safe to eat even though the seeds contain arsenic. Take a bunch of seeds and put them in a blender and test it. That test will show them being toxic.

I would like to see a methodology that is closer to real world use. No way to know if it's a real problem.

If you're ever up Huntsville way, check out Beaver Dam Swamp. It's just off I-565, boardwalk out over a tupelo swamp. Absolutely beautiful, eerie.

Spent a lot of time squirrel hunting in the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge swamps. Found a spot where I could watch the whooping cranes.

I saw fire ants move in, then armodillos moved north to us, around five years ago I found my first gecko.

The woods smelled and sounded different by then as well. Insect patterns have drastically changed.

The woods just feel different now, in the South.

Anyone who doesn't see it either doesn't spend as much time in the woods as they claim or are willfully ignorant.

It's scary.

I was raised in fundamentalist Christianity in the deep South US. I understand some of what you're going through. Left home when I was 18, flunked out of college and picked up a fast food job.

I know you're venting but you still have some agency. If you're able, think about your next moves.

Looks like you're in Toronto, Canada. There may be shelters and public assistance available. Also, couch surfing. Also, the student group you mentioned may be able to assist you.

Can you get an income stream going?

Did you get your documentation like birth certificate, passport, vaccination records? (If not, you may be able to have police or social worker present while you retrieve them.)

Do you want to think about lying to your family and, "seeing the light?" Basically put the religious mask back on, deal with their bullshit, and use them as a source of food and shelter while you plan and save for a permanent separation.

Plugging a favorite app: Knots 3D.

Used it so many times fishing, camping, and working.

Wasn't that actor actually Italian and it pissed off a bunch of actual Indians?

So does his daughter, Methany!

Sometimes they even use their power for good and fight gators.