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Curious Canid

@ Curious_Canid @lemmy.ca

Posts
11
Comments
323
Joined
2 yr. ago

I am owned by several dogs and cats. I have been playing non-computer roleplaying games for almost five decades. I am interested in all kinds of gadgets, particularly multitools, knives, flashlights, and pens.

  • USAians of Lemmy, how did you find your current medical provider?

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  • My medical care provider is awesome. UW Health (University of Wisconsin) is a non-profit organization that was built on top of a student healthcare system. They focus on treating the patient, not the condition, and have managed to build a staff who really believe in that. The system is associated with the UW Medical School, so it has access to the latest equipment and specialists in almost every area. In ten years, I have met one person there who did not impress me. She turned out to be from a temporary agency.

    UW Health is perpetually understaffed, like all medical providers, because the business model for insurance companies is to prevent sick people from getting the care they need. They still manage to provide excellent care, but there are often long waits to see people.

  • Why do you need, want and/or have a gun/guns?

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  • I have a deep and abiding fear of paper targets.

    Sorry, I find humor helps me deal with bad situations. And as a progressive in the US, that is where I currently find myself. Large numbers of people profess that they would be happy to murder me, my family, and my friends, because we aren't misogynist, racist, homophobic, and transphobic sociopaths. I put a high value on human life, and I would not kill someone over property, but I am willing to kill to prevent others from being killed.

    I believe in using as little force as necessary. I believe in de-escalation. I believe that deadly force should always be a last resort. But having a firearm leaves that option on the table, in case nothing else works.

    I hope that we can eventually all get back to treating each other like human beings. Right now I don't think I can count on that from everyone.

  • Removed

    Lemmings who still don't want to use AI, why?

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  • With respect (or disrespect) to LLMs: Nearly all AI gets its training data in unethical ways. It's results are unreliable and require careful validation.

    There are other types of specialized AI that can do other kinds of tasks well. It is good at certain kinds of medical diagnosis (in combination with human doctors). It can solve some problems that involve lots of complex iteration, like how to fold proteins, create new molecules, or assemble structures. There are a lot of potential uses.

  • With how shitty some Christians are, you really have to wonder if Lucifer or Satan is truly "evil"

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  • You can call yourself anything you want, and no one will stop you. Calling yourself a Christian, while violating every tenet of Christian teachings, does not qualify you as a Christian. I finally coined the term Hypochrists for people like that.

    There are plenty of Christians who do follow Christian teachings, to one extent or another, and are generally trying to be decent people. Unfortunately, there are also large numbers of "Christians" who just use the name to justify their selfish behavior, hatred, and cruelty.

    All large religions have, or have had, groups like that. Any social institution that can provide credibility is going to be abused as a tool to gain power by someone. It is appalling that the Hypochrists have become large enough, and powerful enough, to have taken over the popular image of what Christianity is.

  • What's a movie quote that gives you goosebumps?

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  • One of the very few times I've gotten goosebumps was from the last bit of dialog in the first Terminator movie. Sarah Connor is sitting in her jeep at a gas station with her German Shepherd. Sarah: What did he just say? Gas Station Attendant: He said there's a storm coming. Sarah (looking off into the distance): I know.

  • One day, you wake up finding out that a person you cared about seemingly vanished, and there are no traces of them; Would you trust your memories, or would you think you are hallucinating?

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  • In modern America this is not a hypothetical situation.

  • Showerthoughts @lemmy.world
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    Historians never talk about the "good old days".

  • Is it true that progressives are more collectivist rather than individualist?

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  • I think it helps to clarify that we are talking about the current US Progressive movement and not just the abstract definitions of the terms. US Progressives have non-economic goals (restoring and expanding civil rights), but they generally agree that society should take care of everyone, not just the rich. That means providing at least food, housing, and health care without regard to income. There are a lot of different ideas about how that could be done. Everything from a Basic Living Stipend within a largely capitalist economy to a adopting a fully socialist, or even communist, economic system.

  • Can anyone recommend a good food processor? Mine broke. Specifically I want it to be able to make hummus with alacrity.

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  • Vitamix blenders truly are in a class by themselves. As far as I know, they're the only blenders that include cooling fans to keep the motor from overheating. And if you do somehow manage to overload it, the thing automatically shuts off until it has cooled down to the point where it's safe to run again. They're virtually impossible to damage, short of active vandalism.

    Their motto really should be "Fuck the worst case scenario."

  • American cops think they're what American firemen ARE.

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  • There is a critical difference in the way we treat police vs firefighters. Both the law and their training teach police that almost anything is justified if it keeps them safe and that there will not be any consequences. Officer safety takes precedence of the public's safety. Murdering a few innocent civilians is a small price to pay for that.

    Firefighters are simply expected to risk their lives in service of the public. Efforts are made to reduce the risks, but they regularly go in to rescue people knowing they may not make it back out.

    Both jobs involve operating in high-risk environments, but the police prioritize police safety and firemen prioritize public safety.

  • What are you all using for a 2FA token manager?

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  • I've been using Aegis for several years now without any problems. It replaced the Google Authenticator seamlessly.

  • Showerthoughts @lemmy.world
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    Tryptophan should be the name of a hovercraft

  • How are you supposed to synchronise the packaging of medication that comes in different quantities?

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  • CVS will synchronize your prescriptions if you ask. I suspect other large pharmacies will also.

  • How old are you (roughly) and how long does it take you to recover from illnesses and injuries compared to when you were younger?

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  • I'm in my mid-60's, although I haven't entirely accepted that yet. My recovery rate hasn't changed much, if any, but I do get more minor injuries than I used to. My joints are not as forgiving as they were 40 years ago.

  • Length of video you're willing to watch?

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  • Honestly, my answer is zero. It's a rare day when I click on one.

    I particularly dislike talking videos. I would always prefer to read instead of hearing someone talk.

  • What the fuck is existence? What even is the truth? How does one know their parents are even real, and not just another actor in an IRL "Truman Show". Isn't history just another story?

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  • These are all valid questions and I think a lot of good ways to think about them have been presented.

    I suspect that the reason a lot of people are grappling with this right now has to do with the bizarre social and political environment of the moment. When large portions of the population have chosen to ignore objective reality, and make up their own, you can't help but wonder if it's all just arbitrary. However, there is an answer to that, and the answer is no, it is not. Within our perceptual reality, however it exists, things do behave in consistent ways and can be observed independently of belief. Those who attempt to ignore that do ultimately fail.

    Our lack of knowledge about the underlying nature of our reality does not change the way it behaves for all of us.

  • What's something that, after you had it, you immediately wanted another?

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  • This triggered me. :-}

  • What are your coping mechanisms?

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  • The company of friends, which includes my dogs and cats. Other people, of any species, are comforting and provide something else to focus on.

    I also do a lot of reading these days.

  • There is no good way to answer a request beginning with "do you mind if I......."

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  • I've always found that "DO NOT DO THAT" works pretty well. :-)

  • What is your favourite casio watch?

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  • Pro-Trek 3500 in titanium. It has multiple sensors, radio-based time correction, a great display, a separate button for the backlight, and solar power. It you want a watch that blends in with the business-ware this is not it, but I like the way it looks.

  • old shows with important lesbian/bisexual women?

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  • I will always treasure the episode where the someone is explaining how their life was ruined by finding their prom date having sex with someone else during the party, and Wynonna realizing the someone else was with her.

  • Do you remember what the first kind of alcohol you drank was?

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  • At seventeen, I drank several beers to see if I could get used to the awful taste. The answer turned out to be "no". It put me off alcohol for life.

    I have tried various a lot of different drinks, but I have never found anything alcoholic that I actually like. I am now in my 60's and I'm perfectly happy with not drinking.

  • Showerthoughts @lemmy.world
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    I wonder how many people have run for Congress just to get decent health coverage?

  • Showerthoughts @lemmy.world
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    The "m" in motel refers to a motorcar. The "h" in hotel, an older term, is presumably a reference to a horse.

  • Showerthoughts @lemmy.world
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    A trebuchet builds trust. "I wouldn't trust him any farther than I could throw him."

  • Showerthoughts @lemmy.world
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    If a corporation were subject to normal human health risks, we would have a clean environment and trillions invested in fighting climate change.

  • Showerthoughts @lemmy.world
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    The world needs fewer cynics and more skeptics.

  • Technology @kbin.social
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    Computer Gaming Posts

  • Plex @lemmy.ca
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    Question for SnapRaid Users

  • No Stupid Questions @lemmy.world
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    Can US customers still access Amazon Japan?

  • Jerboa @lemmy.ml
    Curious Canid @lemmy.ca

    How to log back in?