From a risk assessment standpoint, space exploration is a VERY good investment. We need to be on multiple planets, preferably in multiple solar systems or even multiple galaxies.

BUT. It absolutely must be paired with NOT destroying the planet we have! This is the only planet we’ve got right now and the only one we’ve got a guarantee on habitability - if we don’t fuck it up.

So yes, space is vital. But so it protecting this place.

1. sex and gender are different things.

2. Trans women were biological males. But sex is determined by a lot of factors, including hormones. Trans folks often use man made chemicals to trigger sexual development into the sex they wanted.

Think of sex like a slider bar on a screen, with “male” on one side and “female” on the other. You start somewhere on the scale. With hormones you can put your finger on the slider and schwoop that lil sucker anywhere you want. It’s not just for trans folks though! Straights use the slider too. Wanna be more butch than you already are as a guy? Add testosterone! Going through menopause? Add estrogen!

The impact of opposite sex hormones to a trans person’s already developed sex organs is mostly to render them useless, but that’s fine, straights do that too, mostly on purpose. That’s what adoption is for. If a trans person wants to go all in on the change, they can get the reverse-that-thang surgery and turn that outie into an innie.

At that point, there’s like… Zero difference between a “natural born” woman who had a hysterectomy for some reason, and a trans woman.

It’s all very science fiction when you get into the details.

Cries quietly in Indigenous slaughter

Yup. Conspiracy theories aside, the bot problem is an actual hard problem to solve.

“the left” is not a monolith. A lot of people have various relationships with"the left". I don’t identify with “the left” much because I disagree, strongly, with being put in a groupthink box. I happen to have some beliefs that the groupthink box on the left has vhemently and painfully attacked me for. But I also REALL REALLY REALLY think the right is wildly wrong, because they’re being simplistic, stupid, and very very corrupt. And I STRONGLY object to corruption. I happen to genuinely and unironically love my country and the promise of a fair chance for all. I love clean water. Clean air. A healthy wilderness ecosystem you can spend time in. Hard work that does good for the world. I love the freedom to research, honestly, and speak freely and without fear.

I don’t see the right sharing some key parts of those values these days. But I’m concerned the left has become too inactive, too sullen, too much a party of victims who lash out reactively.

Don’t have a solution yet except to vote.

I don’t feel like I’m constantly sorting through low quality bot shit to find a human with authentic human expertise.

I do miss the long chains of wordplay, the sense of humor and fun. But Reddit gave that up for ragebait ages ago.

I live in the middle of fucking nowhere and I am SO EXCITED for this.

It’s a LOT easier to make bots fake being human than it is to detect bots faking being human.

Welcome! It’s WAY quieter over here because it’s mostly people, not bots.

I would tell folks on Reddit to come to the fediverse but I deleted all my reddit accounts.

Do you hate your bank? Go find a bank you like.

I am a pragmatist. My decisions on issues are entirely based on context. Right now I believe we need government services for necessary things to increase because the free market isn’t providing them due to misaligned incentives, and if we don’t want to live in a complete shithole world that needs to change. Absolutely nothing is preventing us from living in a complete shithole. There’s no higher power out to save us. So we better step up and organize to save ourselves.

I really really really like MS Paint. I’m trying to like gimp, but I liked MS Paint a lot.

I also miss the smoothness of excel. I love libre office too but Microsoft just has more money to sand off the rough bits.

Removed by mod

“western governments” 😂 oh honey. Oligarchs live to acquire power in every government. You think China isn’t run by wealthy friends of the powerful, who get sweet $$$ contracts and live really nice lives? You think any country is free from the absolute corruption of money?

Fair point.

Congratulations for the no drugs no booze.

I recommend adding in some masturbation though, clearing out old sperm is a good thing overall. Just don’t death grip and don’t use porn. Your imagination is usually enough for most folks.

Perfection isn’t always feasible for everyone. Sometimes harm mitigation is the right step.

Animals cannot tell you how much pain they are in. Their last days can be absolutely horrific. You have the power to spare them perfectly useless suffering.

Vets strongly advise: better a week too soon than a day too late. Because that last day is unnecessary; it’s there because you couldn’t stomach the decision, not because it gave your pet anything meaningful.

You will know when it comes. When your pet is dying from some stupid cancer and you did everything already and what’s coming is nothing but pain, no hope, no relief, no nothing but suffering. You will make the right decision. And have someone come over, while you make their last meal something amazing, and they are eating a snack while they still have appetite to be happy about that and ignore the little pinch in the leg that brings the last sleep.

And you will grieve in ways you didn’t know you could, but it will still have been right because there is no sacred point scored from letting your lil pup die a few days later in agony you could have prevented but chose not to.

The god of the gap? No. I believe in proof and evidence, and once you have that it’s not supernatural anymore. Isn’t the real world interesting enough?