Disqus - Latest Comments for johnbr

Re: What Does That ‘Man in the High Castle’ Ending Mean?

johnbr — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 21:01:33 -0000

Abendson immediately heads into the portal. Why? What is the one thing we know he finds more important than his own life? his wife.

He is hoping that in one of the other universes, he will find his wife, and they can be together again.

All the people coming in are the same - they are hoping to find their lost soul-mates in the American-Reich world.

Re: Submitting Form Data With React

johnbr — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:06:26 -0000

Interesting. Thanks.

How would you do a form post when you have multiple entries with the same name (in my case a table of inputs for file names and checksums). so like:

Re: If this is feminism…

johnbr — Wed, 10 May 2017 07:28:38 -0000

So, I chose 'ancestors' deliberately, because it's not just the Founding Fathers who believed in the value of free speech, it was virtually all the jurists on the Supreme Court for the last 200 years.

In any case, I agree with you: the Founding Fathers weren't perfect, and held many odious opinions. Is your position that because they have some bad ideas, that all of their ideas are worthless?

Lastly, I don't understand your remedy - are you saying that because people were "stifled by tradition" that we need to descend into Outrage Anarchy? That somehow allowing everyone to call everything that they disagree with "hate speech" is somehow supposed to make the world better for everyone?

Re: If this is feminism…

johnbr — Mon, 08 May 2017 08:33:15 -0000

This is a great article, and I admire your willingness to stick to your guns and fight for what you think is right in the face of significant backlash. I will follow your example and fight for what I think is right as well: The term "hate speech" is a rhetorical nuclear weapon that has undergone runaway proliferation. Everyone has their finger on the button, as it were, and everyone is pushing that button at the slightest provocation.

The concept of "don't say vicious things" is a fine theory. In practice, as we have discovered over the last 10-20 years, if you let the hearer/reader decide what is vicious, suddenly, everything that everyone says is vicious. This is what our ancestors knew that we have mostly forgotten - that once you embrace the idea that it is legitimate for offensive speech to be constrained by force, the free-thinking world descends into endless multilateral outrage.

I believe that you love justice and truth and cooperation. You cannot have those things in a world where anything-that-anyone-defines-as-hate-speech is forcibly restricted. You either have to accept that the skinheads are going to get their chance to speak, or accept that you'll never be able to speak freely on any subject ever again.

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: odinsblog: This is a perfect example of how...

johnbr — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 08:27:30 -0000

I'm of two minds on this. First is agreement - you should not construct a middle ground with odious extremism.

But the second thought is - by lumping fascism together with "other regressive, conservative, Republican ideas", basically that reads as: don't debate Republicans - be angry with them and shut them down by any means possible.

Which, IMO, has been standard operating procedure for a few years now for a significant chunk of the left, and as it turns out, was a major motivator for Trump voters.

The current philosophy of the left seems to be: "Well, screaming that every single conservative is an awful, racist monster cost HRC the election. Clearly, we need to work harder at increasing our volume, so more people can hear the screaming"

And I personally would prefer if the House, Senate or both had majorities in opposition to the President, as a check on executive power. Screaming louder does not seem like it will lead to that outcome.

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: Fortunato: For the love of God,...

johnbr — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 08:52:02 -0000

LOL. And then it turns out Montresor has a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and he throws it in there with Fortunato and enjoys the rest of his Amontilladoby in peace.

Re: Reasons to Hate Politics

johnbr — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:00:27 -0000

You can remove the Obi Wan Kenobi 2012 bumper sticker from my cold, dead car. Oh wait, it's already cold and dead. Well, you'll have to come through me, I'm never throwing it away

Re: Reasons to Hate Politics

johnbr — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 08:58:43 -0000

This is the bumper sticker adorning my car: http://globalgeeknews.com/w...

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: daricemoore: TS, I mean Hurricane Hermine is...

johnbr — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 07:10:54 -0000

Well now we know why it turned into a hurricane - your prayer to Thor was answered

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: cfeg: “Hey,“ said Shadow. “Huginn or Muninn,...

johnbr — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 08:31:54 -0000

I'm re-reading it now. A very rewarding second read so far, because I know the ending, I can see all the setup

I think I'm going to take my kids to Chattanooga in the fall, so they can see Rock City

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: Feast Your Eyes On the First Footage From American...

johnbr — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 11:01:50 -0000

Hopefully they won't screw it up. Especially the end.

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: mapfail: Cartographical Pet Peeve: historical...

johnbr — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 08:01:45 -0000

TIL Flevoland

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: wilwheaton: lashtonshipslarry: I SPIT MY DRINK...

johnbr — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 08:47:58 -0000

There once was a man named Von Beams
Who studied historical memes
He searched for the truth
To warn all the youth
Jet fuel could not melt those steel beams

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: wilwheaton: lashtonshipslarry: I SPIT MY DRINK...

johnbr — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 08:17:07 -0000

There once was a man named Von Miller
Who read supernatural thrillers
He read all the tracts
And learned this one fact:
Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer

Re: ALL LEATHER MUST BE BOILED

johnbr — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 08:37:25 -0000

Sophie is 5' 9", Iwan is 5' 8" . She must be wearing 4 inch heels

Re: Jury Room Racism Is Protected. It Shouldn't Be.

johnbr — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 12:32:29 -0000

You will be judged by a jury of your peers. Unless those peers are not sufficiently goodthink according to a panel of experts, those experts being appointed by the leaders of whichever political party you don't like.

Yeah, I can't see any way that could be abused in a Trump administration.

Re: Privacy Absolutism

johnbr — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 13:01:57 -0000

If some random person comes to your door and says they want to look at your underwear, you can say no, prove to me who you are, show me a warrant. if they continue to attempt to push their way in, that's a felony and you have the right to shoot them and kill them. Powerful disincentive.

If we put backdoors into our encryption, anyone with any one of the backdoors can look through your underwear, regardless of whether they have a warrant, regardless of legality, and you will have no way to deter them.

That's the difference, and that's why your analogy fails.

Re: 958

johnbr — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 11:00:19 -0000

Isn't that thing on the top shelf a dragon orb from Dragonlance?

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: daricemoore: packetofcrackers: taiey: ...

johnbr — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 09:46:58 -0000

Dost Roh - not horrible

Re: 'The Force Awakens' Has a Perfection Problem

johnbr — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 07:48:39 -0000

I admit that this is just optimism on my part, but:

Kasdan, Abrams et al are not dumb people. They must be aware that Rey is a Mary Sue. They must have chosen this on purpose, in service to a larger story.

My hope/theory is that grief (once she finds out about her family?) turns her to the Dark Side. She ousts Kylo, who turns back to the light (w/Mom's help?) and in the end they fight and we're not sure who to root for.

That would fit reasonably well with the narrative arc of Anakin.

Oh, and I suspect she's Anakin's granddaughter, but from a later relationship (i.e. not Padme)

Re: 939

johnbr — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 11:09:17 -0000

Benny's Mom has got it going on.

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: lord-kitschener: historicaltimes: KGB...

johnbr — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 17:31:43 -0000

are you sure a 36yo man can't pass for a 12yo boy?

Re: de gustibus non est disputandum: Uh oh, you just died and now your family is...

johnbr — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 13:28:46 -0000

please do :)

Re: Bob Ross Marathon

johnbr — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:15:59 -0000

oh and now he has his son Steve painting while he reads viewer questions, and the chat is full of "STEVE YOU NOOB" . Hilarious

Re: Bob Ross Marathon

johnbr — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:13:20 -0000

Yeah, that's one of the funniest chat windows I've seen in a while. I don't know what "VAC" means, but the "RUINED" and "FIXED" and "Bob Ross going HAM" are fantastic. the "GG" at the end of each episode is also fantastic