Being an atheist in a rural area is not easy. One of the first questions someone asks is -what church do you go to? People look horrified when you mention atheism. My employer says Christian prayers over employee meals, with the head of HR clasping her hands, lowering her head, and praying right along. Constantly awkward. Religion has an iron grip out here.

Yes, it does make you the asshole, especially because you know that's what we do here and why we do it. Until living wage laws are passed, it's not going to change.

Great show.

I loved the camaraderie of the characters. It reminded me of playing DnD when I was in middle school. It made me wish I knew people who played now, I would love to get into it again. Fun times.

Yes, what was up with the green stuff?? I thought maybe I missed something from last season and kept watching thinking I'd remember but... Nope. I was half expecting them to get time-accelerated like in TOST Wink of an Eye episode, so they could just zip past all the Klingons.

The guy lived on the moon for a bit so... bound to be a little off. The whole show is a little helter skelter but I think that's what makes it so great. Creative and unexpected with pinch of time travel, yum.

Bit torrenting is an example of peer to peer. Blockchain theoretically works this way too.

It all looks delicious.

Thanks for posting this. The conservative christians in my rural area are obsessed with Revelation as they see it 'unfolding before their very eyes.' I am familiar with other broad interpretations of Revelation, from it being a typical 1st century style of prose ranting against Rome to it being a dying man's syphilis fever dream, though appreciate the deep dive these lectures afford.

Probably won't be able to open anyone's mind to the possibility that the end times are not happening right now 'just as Revelation predicted' but it will be nice to have a few solid contrary references to throw out when it's being discussed around me.

My membership card stays firmly tucked away in my wallet. I've tried to explain the premise, but getting past the 'S' word proves insurmountable.

Well wow, your book experience here is incredibly profound! Mine doesn't quite compare in intensity, but did rewire my brain a bit.

I am doing a re-read of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness for a book club. I read this book years ago in college in a Gothic Lit class, reading it in the context of gothic genre traits: self vs other, familiar vs strange, civilization vs savage- and the inevitable dread accompanying the dissolution of the 'vs' and realization that civiliity is mere patina on monstrosity etc.

I still had my old college copy, but sadly it was filled with underlines and highlights (I can't believe I was so terrible!) so I got a clean copy, a Norton Critical edition. Omg. The amount of extra material included was vast. Essays on the history of the Congo, on Imperialism, letters to Belgium's King Leopold, notes from Conrad's own journey as a Congo steamboat captain, critical essays on the book itself.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I had NO IDEA this book was a critique of Imperialism. None. Zero. Reading this in college I thought it was purely a fictional dark gothic fantasy. I didn't know about the actual atrocities in the Congo and that Conrad had witnessed them first hand. I didn't know public sentiment turned against King Leopold after this was published, because they too didn't really understand what was happening there. I even read in one of the essays that American kids were being taught this book as a 'journey to the center of self' and devoid of any mention of imperialism. Yes, yes we were! That spoke directly to my experience.

All of this suddenly coming into focus felt both enlightening and awful. How was this taught without context?? And how am I only realizing this now? I'm still reading through the essays, grateful I found them before reading the novella again.

I'm trying to understand this question a bit more. Do you mean intentionally not typical for it's genre, or unintentionally?

If intentionally, I'd go with Shaun of the Dead, though it's actually considered part of the 'comedy horror' genre so wouldn't necessarily consider it 'lying' about being hilarious film about a zombie apocalypse.

If unintentionally, then hands down Troll 2. You can't piss on hospitality.

I read some really old school Gothic Horror for a lit class in college. Here's a list of what I can recall from that class. Though if you are open to new school recommendations, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garciais superbly chilling and really captures the old school vibe.

Frankenstein (1818) Which I assume you've read but if not is really good!

The Monk (1796) considered to be the OG gothic horror novel. It's definitely a creepy one.

Carmilla (1872) Predates Dracula, girl power vamp.

The Turn of the Screw (1898) Madness or malignant spirits? Dear reader, this one's up to you.

The Heart of Darkness (1899) Recently re-read for a book club. While it works being taught as a gothic novel, it's actually way more powerful in the context which Conrad wrote it, a scathing criticism of European imperialism in the Congo. Recommend the Norton Critical edition to add the important context. Otherwise, it has the classic gothic genre themes of self vs other, familiar vs strange, civilization vs savage, human vs monster, flipping those notions all on their head (in beautifully written prose) like a brilliant gothic novel should.

Yes, I completely agree. I feel it encouraged overcoming our base nature by leaning into science and empirical evidence as opposed to religion and superstition. The gods in TOS weren't the mystical magical sky fairies people worship (and do terrible things in the name of) on earth, they were just mostly bad behaving aliens with advanced tech or skills.

This article says these particular gravitational waves have a frequency of perhaps a decade? Am I reading this right?

Cozy front pockets! I love it.

That's nothing less than epic.

I loved this book! Such a fun read. Plus living in the South with kudzu EVERYWHERE, I was delighted it finally found a purpose besides choking all other plant life to death.

Well the only edible form I've heard of is kudzu jelly. There's some at a small local shop in my town, though it's dusty and I don't know and never heard of anyone actually trying it. It's draped over all the trees and bushes for miles and miles and miles in summer. In the 1800s Victorian era, people thought it looked fancy and planted it in their gardens. But alas. It's a botanical terrorist and soon took over the world.

Are those the white noodles with zero carbs? If so I've had them. I prefer spaghetti squash noodles as a wheat noodle sub, but it probably depends on the sauce.