cjcenizal

I had a similar epiphany watching S1E5 of Fargo.

"The winters are cold... but I can't complain. My socks have holes... but again, do I complain? I do not. The oldest needs braces... the youngest once sneezed for three days straight... but who could complain? They're gifts."

"Children?"

"All of it. The cold, the holes."

For all of the complaining we can do about our hardships, it's a gift to even be able to complain. When someone says, "Life is good", they're right even if you feel like things are shitty -- because life itself, being here and alive, to be able to feel and to think, is a wonderful gift.

Think about what you’re saying. You want more traffic?

I also work in UX and SWE, and heavily use GenAI in my work. I don’t have a positive outlook for people who limit their career to one of those fields, but I do have a positive outlook for generalist, multi-disciplinary careers. When you have the experience and skill to steer product development from end-to-end, you can produce high-quality products super-quickly. The experience and skills are the differentiator — if you lack those you can still use GenAI to move fast but probably in the wrong direction.

My favorite quote that expresses this idea is from Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the AK-47: “Before attempting to create something new, it is vital to have a good appreciation of everything that already exists in this field.”

As a couple other comments have alluded, we’re the same essential creatures then as we are now. We create, we appreciate beauty, stories, and art. Sometimes it’s hard for me to feel connected to other humans, but stories like this make me feel profoundly connected to humanity. :)

I think the “first time in 25 years” bit reinforces the idea of persistent drought being a problem.

I understand moral arguments but also see how others might not. I think it might be more useful to view this from a societal perspective. Is it to society's benefit to ensure gamblers don't ruin their own lives? To answer that question, what's the cost to society when a gambler ruins their life?

Lost savings means an impoverished individual and potentially an impoverished family and children. These draw support resources from the state and community, are more likely to turn to crime, and are less likely to develop into contributing members of society.

A more constructive way to phrase your comment might be: “Is 2/487 conversions a good conversion rate? It seems like a low one to me.”

House of Dynamite on Netflix is a realistic (at least it feels realistic) look at the modern day equivalent. It’s fundamentally an exciting film but I also enjoyed learning how large scale human/technical systems operate during a nuclear crisis.

America as a physical space is largely rural, but 80% of Americans live in cities according to the census.