Recent Posts

1

Techmology and Scientism / Re: The Infinity Burial Suit Techmology

« Last post by Brother Mythos on Today at 02:37:47 am »

There's now a more traditional alternative to the eco-friendly Mushroom Burial Suit.

"The Mushroom Coffin That'll Deliver Remains To Nature In Barely Any Time At All"

As per the article:

"A Dutch intrepid inventor is now “growing” coffins by putting mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, together with hemp fiber in a special mold that, in a week, turns into what could basically be compared to the looks of an unpainted Egyptian sarcophagus.

And while traditional wooden coffins come from trees that can take decades to grow and years to break down in the soil, the mushroom versions biodegrade and deliver the remains to nature in barely a month and a half."

So, you too can now become compost in a more traditional way.

Here's the link:   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sustainable-mushroom-coffin_n_646df0dce4b0005c605d2834

2

Apple Talk / We located the bannable offences list again.

« Last post by Doktor Howl on Today at 12:00:10 am »

Image bombs
Gore or porn that's posted as an image rather than a link (and that link has to be marked NSFW).
Anything outright illegal (kiddie porn, threats of physical harm, etc)
Snitching out a PD troll going on somewhere else.
Hacking the board or deliberately using an exploit to fuck up the board.
Stalking someone IRL or posting their PI, or otherwise taking the internet IRL.
Anything that all the admins can agree on as bannable (almost never happens).
Evading a prior ban (results in permanent banning, no exceptions).
Alt accounts will be banned unless we think it's funny, but the original account usually stays.

All this time, I thought it was just in the sign up page.

3

Aneristic Illusions / Re: Random News Stories

« Last post by Brother Mythos on Yesterday at 12:53:17 pm »

"A Utah school district has removed the Bible from some schools' shelves"

As per the article:

"Frustrated with book challenges and bans in their school district, a parent in Utah decided to submit a complaint of their own — about the Bible.

The Davis School District took the parent's objection seriously, placing the Bible under review. This week, the district officially decided to remove the religious text from elementary and middle school libraries for containing "vulgarity or violence." The ban will take effect immediately, with Bibles being removed from classrooms even as they close down for the summer."

No doubt the school district will react in the same way if a parent objects to a copy of the Principia Discordia in one of the district's libraries.

Here's the link:   https://www.npr.org/2023/06/02/1179906120/utah-bible-book-challenge

4

Literate Chaotic / Scribbly's Manga Hole

« Last post by Scribbly on Yesterday at 09:17:20 am »

I've been reading a bunch of manga lately. A friend of mine got me back into it and I've been amazed at the quality of the storytelling on display. I want to ramble about them, so, good luck.

Gonna start with Frieren: Beyond Journey's End



The premise for this is simple. A party of adventurers have slain the Demon King and then go their separate ways. The elf mage, Frieren, decides to take a short break of 60 years or so to go and study magic. When she returns, she is horrified to see how the passage of time has not been kind to her allies - something she knew intellectually but was not emotionally prepared for.

Frieren is a series which uses the long lifespan of elves in the most interesting way I have seen in fantasy bar none. It is a touching exploration of grief, love, friendship and the difficulty of relating to people who have fundamentally different worldviews than your own. And the pain of dealing with a love you only see in retrospect. It is about legacy, and how the small acts of kindness we take part in throughout our lives are incredibly meaningful. Perhaps even more meaningful than the huge acts we think define us.

It is also a series about growth, with Frieren taking on a mentor role as she retraces the steps of her legendary journey as a pilgrimmage in the memory of her old friends. The development of her apprentice and the other characters they meet along the way is genuinely beautiful, with the story told from Frieren's perspective and months or years passing very quickly. We see a child grow into a young woman, and I have no doubt that as the story continues we will see that young woman become even greater.

On top of all that strong emotional foundation we also have moments of genuine comedy and action scenes that had me whooping. Unlike many fantasy manga, Frieren's battle scenes are not used only to show off the characters. Every fight tells us something about the participants within it, with the more learned about them through their actions in combat than could be revealed in the calmer, more slice-of-life moments.

There are seven volumes out right now with the eighth due in two weeks. There's also an anime due by the end of this year. I hope it does well; I love these characters and the world they live in. Without a doubt the best piece of fantasy literature I've read in years.

It's also the only not-gay series that has gripped me so. Be ready for that in following reviews.

5

High Weirdness / Re: Will NASA Diminish the UFO High Weirdness Factor?

« Last post by Brother Mythos on Yesterday at 05:03:46 am »

It appears that, at the time of this posting, the UFO High Weirdness Factor is increasing. On Monday, May 5th, I found the following article referenced on a number of websites:

"Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin"

As per the article:

"A former intelligence official turned whistleblower has given Congress and the Intelligence Community Inspector General extensive classified information about deeply covert programs that he says possess retrieved intact and partially intact craft of non-human origin.

The information, he says, has been illegally withheld from Congress, and he filed a complaint alleging that he suffered illegal retaliation for his confidential disclosures, reported here for the first time.

Other intelligence officials, both active and retired, with knowledge of these programs through their work in various agencies, have independently provided similar, corroborating information, both on and off the record."

Further:

"Grusch said the recoveries of partial fragments through and up to intact vehicles have been made for decades through the present day by the government, its allies, and defense contractors. Analysis has determined that the objects retrieved are “of exotic origin (non-human intelligence, whether extraterrestrial or unknown origin) based on the vehicle morphologies and material science testing and the possession of unique atomic arrangements and radiological signatures,” he said.

In filing his complaint, Grusch is represented by a lawyer who served as the original Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG).

“We are not talking about prosaic origins or identities,” Grusch said, referencing information he provided Congress and the current ICIG. “The material includes intact and partially intact vehicles.”"

However, this rather long article makes no mention of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or our Mischievous Goddess Eris.

Here's the link:   https://thedebrief.org/intelligence-officials-say-u-s-has-retrieved-non-human-craft/

6

Literate Chaotic / Re: Five word horror

« Last post by Brother Mythos on June 05, 2023, 03:12:26 pm »

7

Aneristic Illusions / Re: General Trump hilarity free-for-all thread

« Last post by Brother Mythos on June 05, 2023, 05:08:07 am »

"Grand jury in Trump classified documents case expected to meet this coming week after hiatus"

As per the article:

"The federal grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the Justice Department’s investigation of former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents is expected to meet again this coming week in Washington, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation."

Further:

"According to reporting from NBC News and other outlets, prosecutors face two central legal questions: 1) Did Trump wrongfully retain classified documents after he left the White House? 2) Did he later obstruct the government’s efforts to retrieve them?"

At the time of this post, many legal pundits have already gone on record stating the answer to both questions is definitely "Yes." And, many legal and political pundits are now predicting that this federal grand jury has little more to do in this case, other than to hand down a formal indictment(s).

So, let the next round of indictments begin! I can't wait to see TFG perp-walked, stuffed into an orange jumpsuit, and sent to "The Big House!"
     
Here's the link:   https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/grand-jury-trump-classified-documents-case-expected-meet-coming-week-h-rcna87599

8

Techmology and Scientism / Re: Weekly Science Headlines

« Last post by Brother Mythos on June 04, 2023, 08:17:29 pm »

"Archaeologists Discover the Oldest Known Blueprints"

We'll never know exactly how long ago one of our primate ancestors first scratched a symbol into the dirt with a stick, and another member of his/her community recognized the intended meaning.

But, we humans have been doing this sort of thing for a long time, and have become quite good at this form of communications.

As per the article:

"Stone Age hunters in the Middle East and Central Asia used giant stone structures to trap wild animals. Today, archaeologists refer to these massive constructions as desert kites because of how they look from above—like a kite with several long tails.

Now, in a study published last week in the journal PLOS One, researchers say they have found stone engravings that are accurate, to-scale depictions of desert kites that date to between 7,000 and 8,000 years ago. This makes them the oldest known realistic plans for large, human-made structures, the authors write."

To my surprise, the original journal paper this short article is based upon is not hidden behind a paywall. It may be accessed by clicking on PLOS One in the article's text. So, this time around, the institutionalized have no advantage over the rest of us.

Here's the link:    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-the-oldest-known-blueprints-180982207/

9

Apple Talk / Things I Have Said To Cops' Faces

« Last post by Q. G. Pennyworth on June 04, 2023, 05:59:01 pm »

I would rather get blown up by terrorists than get cancer.

It is more ethical in any altercation between a cop and a non-cop for the cop to die than the other party, as the cop consented to a job with that risk and the other person did not.

I am allowed to be here.

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the remedy to bad speech is not censorship but more speech, and therefore it is incumbent upon any citizen when they see bad or dangerous speech to speak louder than the bad speech, not quietly in the corner.

Sometimes a riot is the right answer.

10

Apple Talk / Re: Introductions, Part VI: Welcome to Our PD Party

« Last post by Q. G. Pennyworth on June 03, 2023, 10:12:52 pm »

Currently writing a book that combines Discordianism and Empedocledian doctrine with witchcraft and Chaos magic, because I never, ever want to be published, apparently.

A bit of a belated update, but I ended up getting a book deal and submitted the first draft to a publisher this past Wednesday. 

Congrats!