My first realization about this problem with reddit came about a decade ago when it became undeniable that shills flooded the discourse the moment Monsanto was mentioned.

One web LLM I was screwing around with had Job Interview as a preset. Ok. Played it totally straight the first time and had a totally positive outcome. Thought the interviewer way too agreeable. The next time I said the most inappropriate stuff I could imagine and still the interviewer agreed to come home with me to check out the rock collection I keep under my bed and listen to Captain Beefheart albums.

It’s shocking to see the assault on libraries across Appalachia. Sad to see it’s a broader problem. For as little finding as they require they provide critical services. So many nasty politicos trying to win some points with the lowest common denominators of humanity must see them as an easy target.

I’m ever astonished at the variety of deep fried stuff at Appalachian festivals and fairs. All these stalls trying to one-up the rest with the lengths they are willing to go into hot fat depravity. Grease-boiled confections and savories of every niche. A healthcare nightmare. But this is a region steeped in despair. It’s tough to heap blame on folks giving up.

Needs more grapefruit.

To me, it felt like there was some cultural turning point with the absurd denials of the GWB administration. It set some nasty precedents that have only escalated the scale of bad faith in politics and discourse. Now there seems to be positively no shame in having no shame at all.

Normally pretty much an anarchist in my policy predilections. But there are folks I went to school with that I wouldn’t trust with a power drill, much less a rifle. Seems they’re just the ones that make the biggest deal over having guns -and least likely to use them in any responsible way. The role these sorts of badass-looking firearms play now is to make powerless Americans feel like they have some agency. Likely dangerous when these misinformed, utterly propagandized serfs feel extra pressed and attribute their low quality of life to all the wrong reasons/people.

Maybe everyone should listen to the Jonestown tape at some point. It’s truly horrible, but may provide some inoculation against demagoguery.

How many sets of footprints in the sand??

“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed sub-category. He’s got esprit up to here…”

Look into the term Kayfabe and how it relates to the rhetoric of Trump. There are several worthwhile analyses. Here is one such article:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-trump-learned-about-manipulation-from-pal-vince-mcmahon

Surf’s up, space ponies!

Looks quite efficient. See also: rocket stoves, specifically the pocket rocket design. Though the ones with lots of thermal mass probably serve folks better while taking up more space. Various wood gasifier stoves are pretty neat. I’ve got a little one for camping.

In this instance, I’d predict the components of this stove will oxidize away quickly.

Much the same for us. The toxic attitudes here in Appalachia are shocking. We’ve sure tried to give back and make ties, but authentic ones have been exceedingly rare. Something awful in the zeitgeist here now that makes it nigh impossible for folks to get along for the simplest tasks/clubs/gatherings.

Yeah, maybe. Though what if Grandpa Joe is chronically ill with waxing and waning debility. There are lots of folks in that boat. Maybe he was just having a very good week. One of the chief complaints I hear from friends that are so stricken is that when they are having an ok day, and are out doing something important or essential or even fun, they are seen by some dillweed that takes it as proof they are a lazy, shiftless malingerer.

“Mr. Chambers! Don’t get on that ship! That OS, it’s…it’s a COOKBOOK!”

A scale model of Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. It would mean something.

Not to mention “gouge”.

"and POTENTIALLY tell me to go fuck myself."

Oooh. Catharsis.

Kentucky Route Zero came to me at a shaky time in my life. Such that it was full of impactful moments. Maybe made more so by myself living in the often grim, beautiful and haunted place that is east Kentucky -and of course late stage capitalism.

Orchids to Dusk is another that inspires awe. Though it is entirely about looking for a nice place to die.