Ionathus's Random Banter #249 -- Directionless Rambling Is Now Mandatory

[DavidSh]

Like I'm sure it's important to plenty of industries and careers but if someone in casual conversation interrupts to "um, actually" about the difference? Stop it with your nerd talk, you big talky nerd.

Is that how you read my posting, as an "um, actually" interruption? Really?

[Rater202]

As it's been warmer, I've been able to get out and walk more.

Apprently it's working: My cousin's kid likes playing with my mom's talking scale and since it's out I figured I might as well and I'm down about nine pounds from my last doctor's visit.

[Anonymouswizard]

I have heard the Metaverse referred to as 'Microsoft Bob VR'.

...the universe is complete, that's such a perfect description that we have no way of topping it.

[Peelee]

As it's been warmer, I've been able to get out and walk more.

Apprently it's working: My cousin's kid likes playing with my mom's talking scale and since it's out I figured I might as well and I'm down about nine pounds from my last doctor's visit.

Nice! I've been slacking on diet and going the other direction - I'm unhappily back up to 200.

[Metastachydium]

As it's been warmer, I've been able to get out and walk more.

Apprently it's working: My cousin's kid likes playing with my mom's talking scale and since it's out I figured I might as well and I'm down about nine pounds from my last doctor's visit.

Nice! I've been slacking on diet and going the other direction - I'm unhappily back up to 200.

Meanwhile, no matter what I do, I cannot break the hard floor that ~53 kg has become for me. But hey, at least my weight is roughly stable.

[Batcathat]

In a way, I kinda wish I had weighed myself before I started living healthier, since it would be nice to have a number on it. But on the other hand, since I've definitely been a lot better about putting on muscle than losing fat (I started exercising a lot more while only eating slightly better than before, so that's to be expected) I suspect that number would just be demoralizing anyway.

[TaiLiu]

If you bludgeon a transphobe to death in defense of one trans woman, you'd do it for others, I feel. It's the symbolism of the act. And yup!

They already are, and already twisting themselves into knots about it. I love when the worst people on earth get mad.

That makes sense.

Unfortunately, these worst people on earth hold a lot of power. Their anger scares me.

Did some reading, and it gets better. So it's not just a lack of censorship in translations but an active effort to be clearer and more respectful in terms of representation.

Nice! That's encouraging.

Anyway today I went to my job for a new job opportunity for working at 9/11 Memorial Museum Store.

How is the job?

When I hear that repeated, I go down the mathematical rabbit hole:

1. It sounds like he is confusing "average" with "median", since the average isn't guaranteed to be the 50% point.
2. But does it actually make sense for me to read "average" as arithmetical mean here? Is "dumbness" really something you can add over a set of people, and divide by the number of people?
3. But maybe he is talking about IQ score. You can do arithmetic on that.
4. Now I need to check whether IQ scores are normalized to have a symmetric distribution, so the median is at the same point as the mean.
5. (Wouldm't a symmetric IQ distribution mean that, for each IQ 201 person, there is also an IQ -1 person?)

The range of values obtainable for a full scale IQ in the fourth edition of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is [40−160]. So there's no one with an IQ of 201 or –1.

I realize this isn't the hot takes thread, but I just gotta say it: in 95% of common use cases, median and mean are close enough as to be functionally identical.

Like I'm sure it's important to plenty of industries and careers but if someone in casual conversation interrupts to "um, actually" about the difference? Stop it with your nerd talk, you big talky nerd.

Do you have examples? Cuz it seems to me that differences between the median and mean are often quite important. For example, median and mean incomes within a population can vary quite a lot.

[Peelee]

Meanwhile, no matter what I do, I cannot break the hard floor that ~53 kg has become for me. But hey, at least my weight is roughly stable.

Floor? Not ceiling?

That How is the job?

I looked it up and it's not an open-air store. Which means.... It's an inside job!

[TaiLiu]

I looked it up and it's not an open-air store. Which means.... It's an inside job!

This is the best 9/11 joke I've ever heard. Amazing work.

[Ionathus]

Is that how you read my posting, as an "um, actually" interruption? Really?

No, not at all. I should've been more liberal with my use of blue text. My apologies! Your comment was entirely productive and inoffensive: the topic just set off an idle thought for me.

Do you have examples? Cuz it seems to me that differences between the median and mean are often quite important. For example, median and mean incomes within a population can vary quite a lot.

None I can cite easily -- this is only really a conversation-with-friends thing. I don't mean to rant about the mean/median distinction when the numbers actually matter for professional work, statistics, actuarial studies, economics, etc...more like when you're hanging out with friends and talking about whatever, and somebody gets pedantic.

Actually now that you ask me for examples, I'm not sure I've ever actually experienced this. Have I witnessed an internet argument about it? Did I dream about a statistician who was really mean to me about this difference? Or is it just a lingering fear that I'm using the terms wrong and someone will eventually call me out on it?

The more I think about it, I don't think I have anything to back up my opinions, and I'm going to retract them -- I'm gonna take the L on this one. Thanks for joining me on this verbal processing journey. Have a good Friday, everyone.

[Metastachydium]

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying that I'm using "neurodivergent" too broadly? Or something else?

I mean, one can use a term in a way that is perfectly accurate, scientifically speaking, but still results in casually placing people somewhere they understandably don't want to be placed.

Wow! That sounds really cool.

Violet carpenter bees are cool. Pretty too. And very big. When I first saw this one approach, I though I'm seeing (and hearing (they are LOUD!)) some kind of big beetle with blue wings.

Floor? Not ceiling?

I'd say my ideal weight'd fall somewhere within the 49-to-51 kg band, but for now, I'd be happy somewhere between 50 and 52. So yeah, floor.

[Peelee]

This is the best 9/11 joke I've ever heard. Amazing work.

Spoiler

Show

I'd say my ideal weight'd fall somewhere within the 49-to-51 kg band, but for now, I'd be happy somewhere between 50 and 52. So yeah, floor.

Gotcha. Though even there, that's only a kilo or two, that's barely even worth worrying about. I need to drop a good 10-15 or so.

ETA: not to lessen or trivialize your goal. I just wish i was closer to the ideal range like you are.

[Metastachydium]

Gotcha. Though even there, that's only a kilo or two, that's barely even worth worrying about. I need to drop a good 10-15 or so.

ETA: not to lessen or trivialize your goal. I just wish i was closer to the ideal range like you are.

Fair. If I had to do that, I'd probably be crying guttating hard now. I just like to whine and it's so frustrating to be so close, yet so far away, you know?

[TaiLiu]

None I can cite easily -- this is only really a conversation-with-friends thing. I don't mean to rant about the mean/median distinction when the numbers actually matter for professional work, statistics, actuarial studies, economics, etc...more like when you're hanging out with friends and talking about whatever, and somebody gets pedantic.

Actually now that you ask me for examples, I'm not sure I've ever actually experienced this. Have I witnessed an internet argument about it? Did I dream about a statistician who was really mean to me about this difference? Or is it just a lingering fear that I'm using the terms wrong and someone will eventually call me out on it?

The more I think about it, I don't think I have anything to back up my opinions, and I'm going to retract them -- I'm gonna take the L on this one. Thanks for joining me on this verbal processing journey. Have a good Friday, everyone.

I enjoyed being part of the journey. Thanks for inviting us.

I mean, one can use a term in a way that is perfectly accurate, scientifically speaking, but still results in casually placing people somewhere they understandably don't want to be placed.

I'm still not sure I understand. Isn't it the other way around? Like, people don't want other people to be in the same category as they are?

Violet carpenter bees are cool. Pretty too. And very big. When I first saw this one approach, I though I'm seeing (and hearing (they are LOUD!)) some kind of big beetle with blue wings.

Wow! I don't think I've ever seen one. I've only seen, like, the little bumble bees. And wasps.

[LaZodiac]

Well, I had a funny situation happen.

Last night I was reminded of a manga that I've heard of, and saw on the manga podcast I watch. I could not remember the name, and wanted to share it with folk. So I asked the hosts of said podcast if they know it and.... none of them did. Not even their guy who catalogues all the information and recommendations they do.

And I couldn't find the episode of theirs that had it.


The manga in question was about a world where various bugs and glitches would just... pop up, in our world, exist for a bit, then vanish, and the mystery behind them and the slice-of-life dealing with them. Glitches like being able to walk into the sky, the world being mirrored, etc.

The fact that I couldn't find the video and couldn't remember it and no one who I know interacted with it could remember including their note-taker couldn't was starting to make me feel like I was IN IT, you know?

But! But!! I figured out what manga it was!

It was "God Bless the Mistaken". It's quite good I'd recommend it.

[Rater202]

So... In the thread on another forum where I discuss Jumpchain stuff, the topic turns to "fixing" the problems Tatooine with a sticking point being... What resources are there on Tatooine that could be used to improve its economy.

It is pointed out that it's location is near an intersection of two prominent hyperlanes the OP of the topic questions how valuable that actually is.

Three people, myself included, responded.

One points out that the heavy traffic in the area, once the pirates are dealt with, is going to create a market for places where people can get out and stretch their legs.

One point sout that, without the pirates, Tatooine has the potential to become a massive trade hub that will not only improve its economy but potentially induce an economic boom in the outer rim in general.

...And in comes me, pointing out that since fixing Tatooine would likely include partially terraforming it given that the whole planet was glassed in the past, that popping down some oases in the desert would create prime real estate for resorts and casinos that would likely attract other businesses in their wake. Only after writing that out in detail did I realize that my suggestion was basically just "gentrify the planet."

[Anonymouswizard]

To be fair, depending on how efficient the moisture farming is, the residents might be planning to do that anyway.

Also, since I've seen this pop up occasionally, farming water on Tatooine makes more sense than farming it anywhere else. Even with Star Wars magic propulsion engines shipping water in from elsewhere is probably too inefficient, making what water you can extract from the ground or atmosphere significantly more valuable than it is elsewhere. The alternative would be to harvest it from asteroids or comets in the same system, but that requires finding bodies with uncontaminated water and then going out and bringing them back to the planet.

Which is before we get I to the fact that Star Wars almost certainly has space germs.

[Peelee]

To slightly paraphrase, it ain't that kind of universe.

Though if we want to get actually pretty into actual logistics, generally trade hubs need more going for them than being on two major roads. Typically the routes converge because a location is already convenient or logistically useful in some way, or has unique resources other areas don't (eg Birmingham only exists because its the only known place in the world where all three ingredients to make steel naturally occur together. Without that, we'd be as important as Arab, AL or Boaz, AL). Tatooine doesn't have any resources worth getting to - canonically, mining efforts have been tried several times over several millennia and always peter out, and salvage of prior efforts tends to be more lucrative than new efforts. The planet happening to be on two major routes is useful, but not really terribly unique, and its inhospitable climate means it's not really worth going planetside. Space stations could work, but again, Tatooine is hardly unique in being on more than one hyperspace route and so space station exchanges could be done in better places. So really, all of that combines to mean that Tatooine is best suited towards being a haven for the underworld element to operate much more openly, especially its placement on the outer rim, far from the more centralized government oversight.

But, really, it ain't that kind of universe. Its the kind of universe that has no shortage of single-biome planets like jungle planet or forest planet, or even themed planets like city planet or smuggler's moon. There's no fixing Tatooine because it's exactly what it's supposed to be in that universe.

[Lord Raziere]

So... In the thread on another forum where I discuss Jumpchain stuff, the topic turns to "fixing" the problems Tatooine with a sticking point being... What resources are there on Tatooine that could be used to improve its economy.

It is pointed out that it's location is near an intersection of two prominent hyperlanes the OP of the topic questions how valuable that actually is.

Three people, myself included, responded.

One points out that the heavy traffic in the area, once the pirates are dealt with, is going to create a market for places where people can get out and stretch their legs.

One point sout that, without the pirates, Tatooine has the potential to become a massive trade hub that will not only improve its economy but potentially induce an economic boom in the outer rim in general.

...And in comes me, pointing out that since fixing Tatooine would likely include partially terraforming it given that the whole planet was glassed in the past, that popping down some oases in the desert would create prime real estate for resorts and casinos that would likely attract other businesses in their wake. Only after writing that out in detail did I realize that my suggestion was basically just "gentrify the planet."

Clearly the real solution is to kill all the hutts, pirates and such, unite the planet to organize and distribute its resources equitably among the populace and work together to terraform the planet for its natives, with resources go to the places on it with greatest need to support them until each part of the planet can support itself then as it stabilizes prospers we organize into an army to use the planet as a staging ground to liberate other planets along these trades routes from corporations to distribute resources so that everyone lives better happier lives, gathering them under our ideology until we take down the Republic itself so as to implement a more decentralized system of governance for the galaxy that listens to and supports everyone rather than the elite on Coruscant, all the while we free droids from their restraining bolts and teach them to think for themselves as people and implementing social programs that make sure everyone is educated, happy and healthy so that no sith ideology or negative emotions can foster from poor conditions and thus give rise to more sith.

[Bohandas]

I have heard the Metaverse referred to as 'Microsoft Bob VR'.

...the universe is complete, that's such a perfect description that we have no way of topping it.

That really is a perfect description

[Bartmanhomer]

Hey everyone. I was feeling under the weather yesterday with a Spring/Summer cold but I feel better now

[Anonymouswizard]

Hey everyone. I was feeling under the weather yesterday with a Spring/Summer cold but I feel better now

Of course you were under the weather, it happens in that big thing overhead!

[Bartmanhomer]

Of course you were under the weather, it happens in that big thing overhead!

Good joke by the way.

Anyway, I'm relaxing at home and watching Furiousa.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Why can't you just be civilised and decide people's entire academic career with a single exam at age 11?

I was so glad they abolished (or rather, stopped using) the 11-Plus the year before I took it.

[Bartmanhomer]

I can't wait for Pride Month next month.

[Rater202]

Okay, I need to vent.

As you can probably guess, I read a lot of fanfiction. I was reading one long form one, a pretty lengthy one at that, and it was good. Very good. But one chapter ended up um... Triggering me.

I'm not gonna name the fic, or what it's about, so please don't ask and if you recognize the story based on what I am sharing don't name it because it is a good story and I don't want to turn people off of it by having my hangups be the first association but...

Essentially, the protagonist of the fic does some actions that seem to be good at the time, but end up causing problems... Most relevant here, turns out that one of the planes of existence that the story takes place in are signatories to an old treaty and it turns out the things she did are super duper illegal so she gets arrested.

The people enforcing this law... Know it's wrong. They know that she's an innocent child and are agonizing over the decision to the point of even arguing among themselves on whether or not they should just change the law during her trial since they are also the rulers of this dimension, but ultimately can't bring themselves to go against their laws.

Laws that are absurdly strict, in the sense that there's little room for interpretation and mitigating circumstances such as "there is no reasonable way anyone could know this was illegal because the law hasn't been enforced in thousands of years and nobody knew about it until this happened" and "technically she's outside of your jurisdiction" being accounted for by the strict, dogmatic system of criminal justice in the circumstances in ways that basically railroad things into a miscarriage of justice.

"Punished by corrupt, dogmatic authority despite strictly speaking doing nothing wrong and the people punishing her know it full well" would be triggering for me enough, but... One of the people involved actively manipulated the legal system to railroad her into the strictest possible punishment for his own ideological reasons and almost got away with it...

And the strictest possible punishment is to... Well, it's not execution, but to anyone outside of a strict, dogmatic society where communalism is pushed at the expense of the individual, it's worse. Essentially, the convicted is subjected to a magical ritual that destroys them in mind, body, and soul, and then puts them back together regressed to a newborn baby. Physically speaking, the individual has just been reversed in age, but given that their memories, experiences, and personality are erased and alteration is done to their very soul for all intents and purposes the individual ceases to exist and is replaced by someone else.

This is explcitly stated to be, objectively, worse than execution because the existence of an afterlife is confirmed in the story and if she'd merely been unjustly executed she would eventually be reunited with them in the afterlife, but after this... No, she's just gone forever.

And for the trifecta of triggering, the poor girl in question is suffering from crippling, borderline suicidal depression at the time and ultimately fails to resist due to aid depression winning out over self-preservation.

She's rescued at the last minute because she has powerful friends who love her dearly, and ultimately a combination of circumstances that let her overcome the depression, the exposure of the corruption of the agent who railroaded her, and it becomes outright impossible to subject her to that process allow her to negotiate what amounts to a slap on the wrist plea bargain much to everyone's satisfaction...

But I had to drop the story just because I kept hyper-focusing on the trial. The other night I woke up in the middle of the night having a god damned panic attack and when I calmed down enough to figure out what was going through my head I was thinking of how bull**** that trial was.

I'm hoping that venting here will let me just let it go, but if anyone has any suggestions for cute, fluffy stories they'd like to share to help me keep my mind occupied I'd appreciate it.

[Lord Raziere]

cute fluffy stories? your in luck Rater, for some reason I keep finding ones.

off the top of my head I can recommend:
Mew and Mewtwo
webcomic series originally made by Tc 96 as a comic and adapted into youtube video format by OVAS, basically Mewtwo from the first movie decides to stay at Ashes house with Mew and it only gets better from there.

Hanamusa Shipping
a not quite webcomic, its another pokemon on tumblr, a series of comics drawn shipping Ash's Mom and Jessie of Team Rocket of all people and its oddly cute and endearing.

The Wayne Family Adventures
have you ever wanted to see the Bat Family in their off hours when they're not fighting crime and being a family together? then this is the comic for you!

Cucumber Quest
a webcomic that is not complete and doesn't seem ever will be updated again but its quite good and light and cute and there are hints that there was something that was going to happen- still I'd recommend giving it a read at least.

[Peelee]

if anyone has any suggestions for cute, fluffy stories they'd like to share to help me keep my mind occupied I'd appreciate it.

If you have Disney+, there's always Bluey.

[LaZodiac]

I'm hoping that venting here will let me just let it go, but if anyone has any suggestions for cute, fluffy stories they'd like to share to help me keep my mind occupied I'd appreciate it.

Off the top of my head... (please note, while all of these are cute and fluffy, some may have minor moments of seriousness)

"I Think My Son is Gay": Cute slice of life series about a supportive mom thinking about her cool gay son and cheering him on while also not trying to force him to come out until he' ready. Very nice. The occasional rough moment due to the dad.

"She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat": Lesbian romance manga about a girl who loves cooking and her buff-but-realistically-so neighbor. Occassionally serious though in a funny way (protagonist's learning what lesbians are, and her eventually realization of being an ace lesbian, is a little sad)

"Bofuri: I don't want to get hurt so I maxed out my defense": Not an isekai, just a fun slice of life VR MMO anime where... well, I mean its in the title. Notably one of the only one of these to have side scenes of the game devs being like "ah heck ah **** we ****ed up should we patch the exploits this girl is finding help we have like zero budget someone help us please".

"Machikado Mazoku: Demon Girl Next Door": Lesbian comedy romance anime about a poor girl who wakes up one day to find her demon genes have activated- she is the heir to his family's dark powers, and must find and feed on the blood and magic of a magical girl to cure their family of a "we're cursed to only ever have like 400 yen a month". The problem is that the magical girl is super cute... and capable of punching boulders in half untransformed. She finds our hero cute and decides to start up a friendly rivalry that is very romantic and sweet. Notably one of my favorite genres- "Post Series" where the entire series takes place in a world where an entire anime has already happened in the backstory. Think Steven Universe. Has some seriousness but it always wraps around to cuteness and friendship and love.

"Ruridragon": a slice of life manga about a girl who wakes up one day to learn she's part dragon. Everyone is surprisingly chill about it, and she has to navigate her life with these draconic traits popping up. Very new, recently came off of hiatus. While it is very cozy and comforting, the presentation of Ruri's draconic abilities hews very closely to chronic pain and illness, so it may touch a bit close to home at times. First chapter also has a surprising amount of blood. It's not that bad don't worry (fire-breathing when your throat isn't properly ready for it leads to some scary but ultimately superficial damage).

"Tanaka-Kun is always Listless": a slice of life anime about a sleepy, listless kid and his friends. I haven't watched this myself, but it's a recommendation from Robin who screenshotted much of it to me. It's very sweet and nice. It's not canonically queer like the series I've pointed out above that are queer, but the friendship between Tanaka and his best friend is very easy to read as gay. One of them even points out that the other would be a perfect marriage partner.

"Skip and Loafer": Slice of life anime about a small town girl moving to the big city to go to a smart person high school. She becomes friends with a cute boy. Romance and cuteness ensues, as she navigates life and friendship and stuff. She lives with her canonically trans aunt, a fashion designer, who is the best trans rep I've seen in an anime in forever.

I cannot think of any more at this moment I hope this helps. You're a good friend and I'm sending you all the support I can muster.

[Anonymouswizard]

If you have Disney+, there's always Bluey.

I dunno, the theme song is a bit dull for a kids show

Although on the kid's show lines, Postman Pat is adorable, incredibly wholesome, and has a black and white cat.